“Hey, grandson, look over here!”
Seeing Zhang Yang perched on an overhanging branch, greeting the enemy with “grandson” in every sentence, her tone dripping with playful provocation, Shen Zhi felt a strange, stifled frustration in his chest, unable to vent it or swallow it down.
He found the whole scene utterly absurd and farcical.
“Your Highness, they can’t hear—” Shen Zhi couldn’t even finish his sentence.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a slender streak of black light hurtling from the center of the battlefield below.
He urgently warned Zhang Yang, “Watch out!”
The headless figure hooked its sword-finger.
The gold brick in the pit flew back, drawn by the gravitational pull.
Clang—
The pitch-black blade struck the gold brick squarely.
The brick, which should have been sliced in two, merely emitted a harsh, jarring hum as it landed smoothly in Zhang Yang’s palm.
Before the newcomer could even register surprise, the gold brick clutched in her fair hand enlarged rapidly before his eyes.
Thud—
The gold brick smashed into the ground, spiderwebbing the earth with cracks.
The eyes beneath the newcomer’s mask twitched slightly.
He dared not imagine the effect of that gold brick smashing into his face with such force.
It wasn’t a matter of whether his cheek would be caved in, but whether his head would remain attached.
Before he could think further, another gust of wind closed in from behind.
This time, the gold brick was aimed at the back of his head.
He tapped the tip of his blade against the ground, spun to borrow its momentum, and slashed a diagonal arc of black light, thrusting the blade toward the headless figure of unknown origin!
“What?!”
The blade’s momentum came to a dead halt the instant the headless figure’s long leg descended.
Though the movement seemed light and effortless, it drove half the blade’s length into the earth.
For the first time, he felt his war blade become so heavy, as if it had suddenly turned into an immovable mountain.
The headless figure pressed her advantage, stepping onto the blade’s spine to close in.
Ethereal as a ghost, swift as a thunderclap, her palm gripped a shimmering golden brick.
She brought it down from above, aiming straight for his head.
He decisively let go of the hilt, narrowly avoiding the blow.
His skull was spared the agony of being split open.
“What circuit [Note: a top-level administrative region] do you hail from, you formidable warrior?”
Three consecutive strikes with the brick had drenched his back in a cold sweat.
Only when his personal guards surrounded the headless figure and attacked in unison did he feel a measure of safety.
At the same time, a sense of admiration for her talent arose within him.
If he could persuade her to join them, it would be ideal; it would be a pity to see such a pearl cast before swine.
The headless figure did not answer.
She merely weighed the golden brick in her hand before flinging it toward the guards.
With a flick of her toe, the blade embedded in the earth flew into her palm.
She twirled the blade in a flourish, its tip now pointed in their direction.
It seemed to be conveying a silent message.
“…You… don’t force me to take the hard way!”
Though the headless figure could not speak, the military officers still understood her true meaning from her series of actions—she had already shown mercy by sparing their lives, and they shouldn’t push their luck.
If they continued to be so stubborn, she would slaughter them all!
Perched on a tree branch, Zhang Yang clicked her tongue, her head swaying side to side.
“Since they won’t listen to reason, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
Shen Zhi watched the battle below with tense focus.
Though his vision was too poor to capture every individual’s precise movements, it was more than enough to observe the overall situation.
This noble lady’s effortless performance truly exceeded his expectations, but it was still far from creating the “major commotion to draw their fire” she had promised.
Right now, only a single lieutenant was fighting her; gaining the upper hand after a few exchanges with a lieutenant meant very little.
“Your Highness, do you need my help?” Shen Zhi asked, gritting his teeth.
He naturally possessed the skills to survive on his own, otherwise he wouldn’t have dared to travel alone through the chaotic army.
But exhausting his strength too early would leave him vulnerable.
Unless absolutely necessary, he really didn’t want to do anything for this noble lady.
Zhang Yang was busy gauging the enemy’s range.
She spared a moment to reply to Shen Zhi, “Just watch.”
“But—”
Zhang Yang’s headless form had seized the initiative with her surprise attack, successfully sowing chaos within a small area and drawing out a lieutenant to deal with her personally.
But this army at the foot of the mountain was clearly a well-trained elite force; they had already recovered and were now closing the circle.
“Don’t make a sound!”
“Just watch!”
Shen Zhi: “…”
The next second, he seemed to witness a horrifying scene.
His eyes flew open in shock, and the lieutenant nearly cursed aloud.
Just moments ago, the headless corpse had hooked the spear thrusting at her with her foot, then leaped into the air using the weapon as a springboard.
The gold brick in her hand was crushed to powder by her palm, transforming into a golden mist that spread across the battlefield with her at its center.
The lieutenant, thinking she was releasing poison, roared, “Hold your breath!” He swung his saber in a wide arc, creating a circular wave of air that formed a safe zone around him, repelling the toxic mist.
As a result—
Clink!
Something landed on his helmet.
The sound of the impact was crisp, pleasant, alluring, and harmless.
From that single sound, it was as if some bizarre switch had been flipped.
Within the golden mist, a rain of golden coins began to patter down.
“This person is of the Gold Mansion…” The lieutenant’s voice trailed off as his gaze fell upon the shimmering golden coin.
He then murmured in a dazed, disbelieving whisper, “Good heavens.”
The golden mist continued to rain down small, golden coins. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Is that gold?”
“Is it really gold?”
The rain of coins had fallen for only a short time, but the amount was considerable.
Their brilliant golden hue, reflecting the sunlight, was exceptionally alluring.
The lieutenant needed only to weigh one in his hand to know it was genuine gold, solid and pure, not some Talent-induced illusion.
The next second, a cold dread seized him.
Whatever you fear most will always come to pass.
He looked up.
Where was the headless figure in the sky?
“None of you are to pick them up!” he roared, trying to stop his soldiers from gathering the coins.
Even the most disciplined elites, who could hold their ground in the face of a losing battle, couldn’t resist the lure of wealth.
Why did they fight?
First, to survive—because if they didn’t kill the enemy, they themselves would be killed.
Second, to make a living.
To put it simply: to get rich!
And now, the wealth was right at their feet.
Once one man bent down to pick up a coin, the others would follow suit.
Even with the lieutenant and his personal guard shouting orders, the soldiers ignored them.
No one was being singled out for a reprimand, so wasn’t it foolish not to grab the money while they could?
In an instant, the once-disciplined military formation slackened like a loosened rubber band, falling into disarray.
“You, what did you do to them?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m throwing money, of course.”
To be precise, she was throwing gold coins.
In the time it took to say a few words, the Headless Corpse had already taken advantage of the chaos to approach the prisoners.
With a single gold brick, it smashed several skulls.
The prisoners still hadn’t processed what was happening.
Before their panic could even fade, they felt the shackles on their wrists dissolve.
The Headless Corpse pointed in a certain direction.
The prisoners didn’t understand its meaning, but soon saw the Headless Corpse throw a gold brick in that direction.
A golden wave of energy, much thicker than the one before, shot out like a blade, carving a “golden path” through the ground.
The prisoners closest to the Headless Corpse were completely caught off guard, knocked to the ground by the blast.
They immediately understood—this was their rescue!
“Thank you!”
The Headless Corpse waved its hand, signaling them to run quickly.
The chaos wouldn’t last long; she could only buy them a moment or two.
If they still couldn’t escape, they could blame fate.
On a tree branch, Zhang Yang’s expression suddenly turned grim.
Shen Zhi asked her, “Oh? A boss showed up?”