Chapter 143 - Rematch

"Let's go."

Seeing that Yang Xian also started to walk, Wei Liuying followed from behind. Internally, she was still confused as to why Prince Ji Sheng would want to bring them away from the camp. However, she chose to stay silent and followed obediently.

She would know when they reached the destination.

"Strategist Yang."

"Yes?"

"Would it be fine to leave the camp at this point of time?" Wei Liuying asked.

Yang Xian's eyes flickered. He smiled lightly. "Don't worry. No one knew about our disappearance. Besides, we're not going for a long time. Even if something happened, it wouldn't be detrimental."

Seeing the confidence in Yang Xian's expression, Wei Liuying chose not to say anything more. She was sure that this annoying strategist knew what she was worried about. Since he trusted his soldiers, she would need to trust them too.

Prince Ji Sheng didn't walk that far. He was only heading to the nearby higher hills that was covered with trees. There were no other soldiers nearby, but Wei Liuying could sense that there were several other people in the darkness.

"Shan Yi, come out now."

"You found me?" a voice replied.

Wei Liuying turned her head and looked at the large man who came. His built was certainly far bigger than what most people usually had. However, he was still very nimble as he walked in their direction. At this time, Wei Liuying came to realize that he was actually the bandit leader whom she met around three months prior in the East Forest.

The moon was showing brightly and now that they were not inside the forest, Wei Liuying could see his countenance clearly. Dark eyes and sharp chin, clearly he had quite a good countenance compared to most people.

It seemed that Prince Ji Sheng's people were mostly good looking people.

Well, scratch that, there were a lot more good looking people amongst the nobles. In fact, Wei Liuying rarely saw anyone who looked bad. 

The bandit leader, Shan Yi, scratched his head and looked at the three of them. He frowned. "There's new person?"

"This is Liu Ying," Ji Sheng introduced Wei Liuying.

"Liu Ying?" Shan Yi repeated and looked at Wei Liuying up and down. Even though it was dark, he still could see her very clearly. She looked different from before and he didn't really remember the incident, so he didn't recognize her. However, he still realized that this 'Liu Ying' was not really a man.

A crease formed on his forehead. "Brother Sheng, since when you begin to bring little girls during your campaign? You didn't even bring Lu'er."

Lu'er was the nickname for Shi Yan's little sister. Wei Liuying had heard him called his little sister that way, so she was quite familiar with it. Hearing what Shan Yi talking, he seemed to be oddly familiar with them.

Her eyes flickered as several thoughts crossed in her mind. It seemed that even though Prince Ji Sheng acted as if he didn't care in the slightest bit, he was actually trying to help out Princess Ji Xiaoli back then.

Unfortunately, his method was a bit…

Wei Liuying shook her head, not wanting to think too much. While it was true that she was the one who stopped the bandits from getting Princess Ji Xiaoli, she wouldn't have been able to escape. There were a lot of people who roamed in the forest at that night and being seen with bandits will only destroy her reputation.

Afterwards, there might even be possibility that the marriage agreement would be called off. If it was not called off, Princess Ji Xiaoli would surely become a concubine rather than the future empress. 

Not really a good position if one should say since it meant her position would be lower.

Probably, having her interrupted in that incident would be a good thing. Still, the thought that a slight chance for Princess Ji Xiaoli to escape was ruined by her made Wei Liuying's heart ached a bit.

Maybe… she shouldn't have helped the princess back then.

Yang Xian noticed Wei Liuying's sudden mood change and patted her back lightly. He knew what she was thinking and leaned in, whispering softly.

'The plan had failed back then. There's a patrol guard right outside the forest and Shan Yi almost didn't manage to escape.'

Hearing that, Wei Liuying's eyes flickered. She looked at Yang Xian, who gave her warm smile. It felt as if he could guess what she was thinking and worrying about. The thought that he could see through her felt a bit frustrating at times.

But she also did the same to him most of the time in order to find out what was going on through his head.

'Thank you.'

While the two of them were whispering, Prince Ji Sheng and Shan Yi talked to each other. 

"Xiao Lu can't fight," Prince Ji Sheng said simply.

"And this girl can?"

"Why don't you try?"

"Hahahaha!" Shan Yi laughed heartily and took out a large sword. He looked at Wei Liuying with interest. "In that case, please, Lady Liu."

Wei Liuying returned her attention back to Shan Yi. Truthfully, the two of them have already fought before, but since Prince Ji Sheng wanted her to give it a go again, why not?

She cupped her hand and took out her small sword. Just as she was about to step forward, Yang Xian stopped her and handed her a new sword. "I forgot to give this to you. That small sword can't really be your main weapon. It's too short."

"Oh. Alright."

Taking the new sword, Wei Liuying circled it around to test the weight. It was perfect for her as if the sword was custom made just for her and her alone. With a smile on her lips, Wei Liuying stepped forward and looked at Shan Yi. The two of them were waiting for the right chance to start their attack.

"Who do you think will win, Xian?" Ji Sheng asked.

Yang Xian arched his eyebrows. "Based on raw power alone, Shan Yi is at utter advantage. However, if we count their ability to think, Liu Ying is at advantage."

"Precisely."

Clang!

Shan Yi began to attack and Wei Liuying shifted her body position to receive it as parry. She knew very well that her body size would be at disadvantage, so she couldn't block it directly or she would be dead meat.

Wei Liuying twisted her body and swung her sword to Shan Yi's thigh. He sensed her movement and stepped forward to evade the attack. The two of them didn't stop there as it was Wei Liuying's turn to move forward and brandished her sword again while Shan Yi twisted his arm to block the attack in time.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sounds of metal clashing filled the small hill.

Yang Xian and Ji Sheng were still watching from the side as the two of them traded blows. It was clear that they would not finish anytime soon since they were trying to probe each other with each of their attack and blocking.

"I did hear that she's good at martial arts, but this is the first time I see it by myself," Prince Ji Sheng commented. "She's still lacking."

"Her martial art focused in defending, but it'll be hard for her if she needs to fight with multiple people," Yang Xian concluded after he saw Wei Liuying's fight with the sword. Back then, she was using bow and arrows, so it was not a problem for her to fight with multiple enemies.

Now seeing her skill with sword, he came to conclusion that there were still a lot to work on. Since Wei Liuying was still young and not really focusing in martial arts, it seemed to be only better than average.

At the very least, she was adept at changing her pace according to her enemies and made adjustment in order to put herself at advantage. She would not directly challenge her enemy at their strongest point and would find loophole that she could take advantage of.

"In one to one battle, she might not necessarily lose against a commander," Yang Xian finally said. But if it was in the army, there would be several other factors that they needed to consider. She would need some training.

Prince Ji Sheng nodded. His eyes narrowed when he saw Shan YI's big movement. That bandit was finally getting impatient.

The battle will be over soon. 

Finally, the chance that Wei Liuying had been waiting came. She could see that Shan Yi was coming at her while swinging his large sword horizontally. Her movement came into a halt as she bent her knees, barely avoiding the attack.

The moment the sword passed by her, Wei Liuying kicked the ground and dashed forward. Her sword was thrusted to the front and stopped right before Shan Yi's neck. The tip blade was nearly touching his skin. Shan Yi no longer dared to move.

"You…"

"You lose," Wei Liuying said unhurriedly.