The skinny man behind Lu Fang let out a cold laugh, the veins on his forehead bulging. "A joke, truly a huge joke. What kind of general are you? A women's army?"
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Li Man'er was not angered. From the look of him, she could tell the skinny man had a rebellious nature. Such people were always troublemakers wherever they went, and usually highly capable. To tame him and make him useful, she had to demonstrate some real skill, to win his respect and subdue him.
"May I have your name, sir?"
The skinny man took a step forward, shoving Lu Fang aside. His chin nearly pointed to the sky. "I am Zhang Jingfeng."
As soon as the skinny man finished speaking, cheers erupted from the camp. It was clear he held considerable prestige among them.
Zhang Jingfeng wore a smug smile, as if Li Man'er were nothing but a joke in his eyes.
"Feng Wuyun is not here, who is in charge?" Li Man'er raised the token in her hand. "This token of the Iron Blood Camp, do you recognize it or not?"
Zhang Jingfeng stepped forward two paces. "Recognize it? Of course. However, a token is an inanimate object. If you want us to recognize you as the commander of the Iron Blood Camp, you must show us some real skill."
"Yes, show us some real skill."
"Well said."
"Excellent point."
The camp exploded, everyone joining in the clamor. Li Man'er understood. They were not convinced by her victory over Feng Wuyun. It seemed she had to defeat the leaders to earn their acceptance.
Even if it was a fake acceptance, it was still acceptance.
Li Man'er was not foolish. She said, "Your camp has several thousand men. If we were to fight, I fear I would be exhausted to death."
"Naturally, it won't be a battle of attrition," Lu Fang added. "It will be just the four of us. If you defeat all of us, we will willingly accept you as our commander."
"Shameless!" Li Nian couldn't help but exclaim. "Four grown men ganging up to bully a young girl, and they say it so righteously. I've never seen such shamelessness."
If this were said to scholars and literati, they would have turned into ostriches from shame and fled with their faces covered. But this was a military camp, a place where nothing was sacred. They wouldn't talk about honor or fairness; only the strong had the right to set the rules.
"We are in charge here. If you're scared, get lost now."
The clamor rose again, almost shaking the camp tents. The noise carried far, even reaching Feng Wuyun's side.
"General, it has begun."
Feng Wuyun sneered. "Then let's watch the show!" He wanted to see if Li Man'er had the ability to take on four opponents.
On the city wall, the guards also heard some commotion and couldn't help but discuss it.
"From the sound of it, it seems to be from the Iron Blood Camp?"
"It has to be. Don't you know? The Marquis's eldest daughter defeated General Feng, kicked him, almost to death." The speaker winked. "It was agreed before the match, if General Feng lost, he would hand over the Iron Blood Camp to Miss Li to command."
Another person, hands tucked in his sleeves, jumped occasionally to ward off the chill, "General Feng has led troops for so many years, he probably never expected to lose to a girl."
"Wow, Miss Li is so capable. A lady from a noble household, to be able to defeat General Feng."
The first soldier chuckled. "She's from a military family, you think she's a sheltered lady? Besides, General Feng's formations might be like this," the man gave a thumbs up, then continued, "but when it comes to saber and horse combat, maybe not."
Then someone said, "I heard too, it's said that General Feng has Four Great Vajras under him, each with their own specialty, and each more formidable than the last."
"I know too. I heard these four are all top-notch experts. I wonder if Miss Li can handle them."
At this moment, Li Man'er was engaged in combat with Zhang Jingfeng.
Zhang Jingfeng was a master of Qinggong, the elite kind. His slender build was suited for this skill. Ordinary people couldn't even touch his clothes.
Fortunately, Li Man'er was no ordinary person. Being a woman, she was naturally petite and agile. Moreover, Li Man'er's sense of smell was exceptionally keen, allowing her to detect Zhang Jingfeng's sneak attacks a step ahead and evade them safely.
Zhang Jingfeng intended to use his Qinggong for a surprise attack against Li Man'er, but he miscalculated. He thought he could take advantage of his agility, but Li Man'er's reactions were faster than his, even though her Qinggong was not as superior. He wanted to win through protracted combat, but Li Man'er possessed immense brute strength. Once she grabbed Zhang Jingfeng, he would face agonizing pain. Who knew what that woman ate to grow such hands, like iron claws, that nearly tore him limb from limb.
"I surrender, I surrender! I surrender!"
As Li Man'er once again grabbed Zhang Jingfeng's arm and pressed him to the ground, the fellow finally realized he couldn't defeat Li Man'er and admitted defeat.
Inside the camp, there was a dead silence. Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief. They had never imagined that Li Man'er would defeat Zhang Jingfeng with such little effort.
Who was Zhang Jingfeng? He was the pride of the Iron Blood Camp, and he had lost just like that.
Zhang Jingfeng got up from the ground, teeth gritted, rubbing his shoulder as he dejectedly walked back.
Li Nian's eyes were brimming with uncontrollable smiles, and he was the first to cheer for Li Man'er. Li Nian's guards also cheered loudly.
These men had faced life and death with Li Man'er. If not for Li Man'er's crossbow, many of them would have perished in the jaws of wolves. Therefore, they were genuinely happy for Li Man'er.
Li Man'er looked at the other three and asked, "Who will fight next?"
Before Lu Fang could answer, a one-eyed man wearing an eye patch stepped forward. He was around thirty years old, with a steady demeanor, appearing a bit older than Lu Fang and Zhang Jingfeng.
"I'll go first." His voice was a bit hoarse, and he held a pair of black curved sabers that looked unusually crafted. These sabers were different from the curved sabers commonly used by the barbarians; the hilts were intricately designed, hinting at some cleverness.
Li Man'er took one look and saw that the twin sabers could be combined for use, or wielded separately. When separated, they acted independently, their movements unpredictable and often catching opponents off guard.
"State your name. I do not fight nameless individuals."
Zhang Jingfeng gritted his teeth and rubbed his shoulder, thinking, "This woman is not only brutal with her hands but also arrogant!"
"Lu Liang."
"General Lu, are we fighting with weapons?"
Lu Liang looked at the twin sabers in his hand and said, "I excel with weapons, not with bare hands."
"Heh heh." If she believed that, she'd be an utter fool.
"In that case, let's fight with weapons," Li Man'er said without a hint of fear. "Weapons have no eyes. Let's stop before things get too serious."
Lu Liang nodded. "Naturally. There are many weapons in the camp. Miss, feel free to choose any."