Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 168 - 167: The Mountain and River Shattered_1

Chapter 168 -167: The Mountain and River Shattered_1

Bai Qingyan asked Xiao Ruohai to increase the weight of the iron sandbag daily, aiming to boost her strength. By the tenth day, Yu Qingshan and Bai Qingyan began practicing archery with added weight.

On the fifteenth day, when the army reached Zhancheng, Bai Qingyan held the Sun-shooting Bow, and with one arrow, she shot down the straw target.

Xiao Ruohai, having witnessed Bai Qingyan’s efforts to pick up the Sun-shooting Bow along the way, had reddened eyes: “Young Master…”

She wiped the sweat off her face with her shoulder, drew an arrow, and said steadily to Xiao Ruohai: “Move the straw target further away…”

Xiao Ruohai nodded, hurried over to the straw target, set it upright, and moved it five more zhang back, increasing the weight at the base.

Bai Qingyan, her face covered in sweat, nocked an arrow and drew the bow. Her sharp eyes focused unwaveringly on the red center of the straw target.

“Whoosh—”

The sweat that clung to her long eyelashes fell as she released the arrow.

The sound of the arrow cutting through the air was filled with power and a sense of impending battle, much more so than fifteen days earlier. The long arrow’s tail sang clearly in the quiet night. After a heavy thud, the weight-added target wobbled before finally stabilizing, the arrow striking the red center without fail.

Not enough, still not enough…

She drew another arrow, nocked it, and pulled the bow.

Bai Jinzhi stood behind Bai Qingyan, surveying the generals and soldiers already gathered at the training field.

The news of the Eldest Young Lady practicing archery daily at dawn had already spread through the army. Generals Shi Panshan, Zhen Zeping, and Zhang Duanrui, who were marching with the army, had all come.

She felt a bit strained, fearful that the Crown Prince would learn of the Eldest Young Lady’s abilities and, after this great victory, would give her no chance to survive.

Zhen Zeping gazed quietly at Bai Qingyan’s tall and graceful figure, seeing in this resilient and strong young woman the shadow of the Duke of Zhen’s Princely Heir, Bai Qishan.

Zhen Zeping had never seen anyone more graceful in archery than Bai Qishan, nor anyone more precise. Bai Qingyan was no less skilled than her father…

“Indeed, like father, like daughter!” Shi Panshan sighed.

“Didn’t they say the Duke of Zhen’s eldest daughter was crippled and powerless after an injury years ago?” someone asked.

“Probably, after the deaths of her grandfather, father, and uncles, she wanted to reclaim her skills,” Zhang Duanrui said, gripping the sword at his side, remembering the battle in Shu he had fought alongside the Duke.

This girl, known as Young General Bai, wielded a silver spear with unmatched skill and never missed a shot with her Sun-shooting Bow. Leading her female guard, she always charged at the forefront, breaking enemy lines with great flair!

Compared to then, Bai Qingyan now had lost her youthful arrogance, focusing instead on practicing these tedious actions day after day. Her progress was astonishing, advancing at a rate that left others in awe, truly improving by leaps and bounds.

They all said the Bai family from the Duke of Zhen’s manor never produced failures…

Indeed!

Even if severely injured and martial skills lost, after experiencing the agony of losing loved ones, even a girl could rise again, determined to become… a worthy heir capable of upholding the family’s honor.

For Zhang Duanrui, who had fought alongside the Bai family army, he understood more than anyone the Bai family’s indomitable spirit and upright character.

When the army set out from camp, the Crown Prince looked at Bai Qingyan, who had kept pace for more than ten days. His gaze contained not just respect but awe.

The Bai family produced no failures; even the daughters were so resilient!

It was no wonder that the Emperor feared the Duke of Zhen’s manor…

The Crown Prince sighed as he looked at Bai Qingyan and finally boarded his carriage. Quan Yu’s words were true: he was of noble birth, the master of the realm, not a general of war. He did not need to compete with such resilient generals to see who could endure more hardship.

What he needed to learn was the art of governing and command.

Bai Qingyan stepped southward, determined to reach Wanping tonight, drawing ever closer to Yun Poxing.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Now that the Xiliang and Nanyan allied forces had breached Tianmen Pass, their advance had stopped due to peace negotiations and had not moved forward.

With fifty thousand troops reaching Wanping, only Wengcheng lay between them and Tianmen Mountain.

She clenched her fists tightly, suppressing the boiling urge to kill.

Bai Jinzhi, walking beside her, quietly grasped her pale, tense hand and whispered: “Eldest Young Lady, we’re getting closer…”

From Zhancheng to Wanping, all they saw were displaced people with their belongings… heading towards Zhancheng from the direction of Wanping.

Some wealthier ones rode ox carts.

There were strong men pushing wheelbarrows with their wives and children, elderly folks with walking sticks trembling as they tried to keep up with the group, and crying children pleading for food!

Some were in rags, others were disheveled, but without exception, everyone bore the marks of hardship, their faces gray and yellow.

In these troubled times, ordinary people, powerless to fight, had no choice but to leave their homes and wander in search of safety.

Bai Qingyan clenched her hands tightly. In just one month, this once prosperous and stable Jin had been reduced to a land of broken mountains and suffering people.

The surviving citizens were those her father, uncles, brothers, and the Bai family army had risked their lives to save!

Seeing the vast army, the civilians quickly moved aside, stopping to watch in awe and whispering among themselves.

“Is this the army sent by the Imperial Court?!”

“Which general from the Duke of Zhen’s manor has come to rescue us?!”

“Are they setting out to reclaim our Feng County?! Can we go home?!”

“Alas, what good will it do? All the generals of the Duke of Zhen’s manor died in the southern campaign. There are no generals left in the Bai family! Yun Poxing is too formidable… we can’t win!” an elderly person sighed.

“Which general is this?!” a bold man asked.

Quan Yu, sitting on the edge of the carriage, couldn’t help but shout out for the Crown Prince: “The Crown Prince himself is leading the troops! He will surely behead Yun Poxing!”

But to Quan Yu’s surprise, the civilians did not cheer for the Crown Prince’s bravery. Instead, they fell into an eerie silence.

“Let’s go! Without the Bai family generals, victory is impossible! We better flee for our lives!” an elderly man holding a ten-year-old child sighed and shook his head, leaning on his cane as he moved forward.

Bai Qingyan, sweating profusely and striding steadily, cast a deep look at the old man. As their eyes met, the old man hesitated, watching as she passed by. Suddenly, recalling something, he turned and took a few steps towards the advancing army.

That lean, upright figure… he had seen it before!

Four years ago, when Nanyan attacked, the defending general at Feng County held firm but was overwhelmed. Just as the Nanyan Army breached the city gates, cavalry flying the Bai family army’s black banner with white pythons swiftly approached. Both the general and the citizens, filled with hot-blooded fervor, fought back fiercely, wielding hoes and shovels, and clashing with the Nanyan attack!

The vanguard of the Bai family army charged into the city, and a general, known as Young General Bai, wielded a silver spear, saving his only grandson from the enemy’s blade.