This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

The turmoil in the capital and at the border no longer concerned Lin Dan. After falling into the ravine, she was swept into a raging current, continuously colliding with the boulders that lined the riverbed. Many of her bones had been broken, rendering her completely immobile. Fortunately, she had a stroke of luck and the current eventually carried her to a shallow bank, where several kind-hearted people found her and saved her life.

These people were all border residents. Upon discovering that, though Lin Dan was a woman, she was dressed in military uniform with the totem of the Western Army embroidered on her sleeves and collar, they dared not leave her to die. If not for the Western Army, they wouldn’t even be alive, let alone able to return to their homes.

They immediately carried Lin Dan back to their village. Since she was a woman and it was inconvenient for them to care for her, they placed her in a widow’s house. Each household contributed a few bowls of millet to the widow, which served as the cost of Lin Dan’s treatment. The widow had a son, who had just turned eight that year, and he could keep watch at Lin Dan’s bedside.

“Big Sister, you’re recovering so fast! The doctor said that if it were anyone else, with injuries like yours, they wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for at least ten days to half a month.” A three-foot-tall boy with a round, adorable face entered the room carrying a bowl of medicine.

Lin Dan took the bowl and drank it in one gulp, her voice soft as she said, “I’m much better now. You don’t need to prepare any more medicine and waste money.”

The little boy shook his head. “Doctor Meng picked these herbs himself from the mountain. All we have to do is boil them. They don’t cost anything. Big Sister, are you going to leave?”

Lin Dan gently ruffled his hair and replied warmly, “Since I’m healed, I have to leave. I can’t keep freeloading off you and your family.”

The boy blushed and waved his hands. “It’s not freeloading. Mother said you’re a soldier, and soldiers risk their lives to protect us. It’s only right that we take care of you. Big Sister, can we go where you’re going?”

“You’re living quite well here. Why would you want to leave?” Lin Dan had often wandered around the village in the past few days and noticed that the fields were planted with winter wheat, just beginning to sprout. The entire landscape was lush green and full of hope. In another month or two, the villagers would be able to harvest a bountiful crop. If they left now, they would lose this season’s grain and starvation would be inevitable.

The little boy furrowed his brow and said gravely, “General Lin Dan is gone. The Xiongnu have allied with the other four Hu tribes and are attacking the Hetao region again, with even greater force than before. The Xiongnu that General Lin Dan drove away will return to plunder us. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to escape when the crops are ready to be harvested.”

The Xiongnu didn’t engage in farming, relying solely on looting for food. This village had only recently been rebuilt and the people had hoped for a peaceful life under General Lin Dan’s protection. However, no one expected her to be assassinated, her body never recovered. The emperor was now investigating the origins of the assassins. Some said they were death warriors sent by certain princes at court, while others believed they were spies of the Xiongnu. But no matter who was responsible, it was all too distant for the people at the border. All they knew was that their great warrior was gone, their good days were over, and they had no home to return to.

“Big Sister, you need to leave quickly. You’re with the Western Army so if the Xiongnu find out, they’ll definitely come to kill you. Yesterday, the village chief uncle said not to let anyone know you’re recovering here. Leave quietly after dark and don’t tell anyone. Mother and I won’t leave with you since we don’t want to burden you.” The little boy climbed onto the kang bed^[1]heated brick bed and retrieved Lin Dan’s belongings.

Seeing her neatly washed black military uniform, a shadow flickered across Lin Dan’s eyes. She ruffled the boy’s hair and said resolutely, “Don’t worry. I won’t let the Xiongnu come here and harm you again.”

The boy’s eyes reddened with reluctance. He didn’t want Lin Dan to leave. When she was bedridden and unable to move, she always told him stories about battles at the border every day, and they were so fascinating!

As the two were talking, the chaotic sound of horse hooves and the shouts of villagers suddenly came from outside, “The Xiongnu are coming! Everyone, hide quickly!”

Before the little boy could react, his mother rushed in, hurriedly grabbing him and tucking him under her arm. She then reached out to help Lin Dan, her voice anxious. “Quick, quick! Hide in the cellar! The Xiongnu are here!”

“Why hide when the Xiongnu come?” Lin Dan swiftly put on her military uniform and strode out of the house, grabbing a stick as thick as her arm along the way. The elderly, women, and children of the village had all hidden away, leaving only a few young and middle-aged men standing on a tower with makeshift bows and arrows, their eyes full of hatred as they watched the approaching group of riders.

The Xiongnu were skilled in archery and horsemanship. A group of them would charge toward the village on horseback and it would be nearly impossible for ordinary people to fend them off. Like demons crossing the land, they killed anyone they saw and shot at anyone they encountered. They didn’t even dismount from their horses as they rode in circles through the village, slaughtering the villagers. Afterward, they would leisurely dismount to loot the spoils. If they found any women or children, they would take the ones they liked as slaves and kill the rest. To the Xiongnu, people from the central plains were like dogs and pigs, as worthless as ants.

How could the people at the border not hate being slaughtered like that? Today, even if it meant certain death, they were determined to take a few Xiongnu down with them.

“Huh? Isn’t that the military woman from Widow Zhao’s house? Why is she out here?” A burly man immediately rushed to the window, anxiously calling out, “Military Woman, the Xiongnu are approaching, hurry back!”

Lin Dan turned her head to glance at them, her expression calm as she waved her hand. Passing by another house, she casually picked up a pot lid made of wooden board to use as a shield.

Seeing her holding a wooden stick in one hand and a wooden board in the other, looking as if she was about to fight the Xiongnu, the villagers grew anxious. The Xiongnu were mounted on tall horses, wielding double-edged curved blades. How could mere sticks and boards stand a chance against that? This military woman was being far too reckless! Several strong men rushed down from the watchtower, intending to pull her back, but before they could, arrows whizzed through the air, aimed straight at their foreheads, forcing them to duck behind the doors.

Several arrows landed at Lin Dan’s feet but she didn’t even flinch. It seemed the Xiongnu had noticed she was a woman and had no intention of killing her just yet, likely saving her for their final act of cruelty.

While villagers pondered this, the Xiongnu drew near. One of them, in broken Han language, said, “Ah Da, you truly have a good eye. This one’s indeed a woman and a rather beautiful one at that. She’ll be perfect to take back with you. She can herd cattle by day and serve as your mount by night. What fun!”

“Hahaha! This woman is mine. None of you are allowed to fight me for her!” The biggest man bellowed with wild laughter.

As the Xiongnu spurred their horses closer, the villagers gasped in horror. From behind the door, they shouted, “Military woman, run! Why are you still standing there?!” If they could, they would have cracked open her head to see what she was thinking. She might be brave, but she was only one person and unarmed. Did she really think she could take on this group of mounted and armed Xiongnu?

Desperate to help, they shot arrows at the Xiongnu, but their crude bows lacked both accuracy and range, barely making a dent in the Xiongnu’s armor. Some arrows wobbled midair before falling uselessly to the ground, unable to even pierce the dirt.

The villagers began to despair. One of the riders bent low, ready to haul the military woman onto his horses, and the villagers, seeing no other choice, rushed out to try to save her. But just then, Lin Dan, who had been standing still all this time, suddenly swung her stick, striking the Xiongnu who reached for her squarely on the arm.

A faint cracking sound was drowned out by the rider’s scream as he tumbled off his horse. In a blur, Lin Dan leaped onto the horse, replacing him. Before the other riders could react, she swung her stick again and again, cracking skulls and sending them crashing to the ground.

The light, seemingly ordinary stick she held turned deadly in her hands, smashing the Xiongnu’s heads with such force that their brains splattered. Blood sprayed in all directions. Those who fell off their horses twitched briefly before dying.

The remaining Xiongnu, realizing too late that they had picked a fight with the wrong person, hurried to surround her. But Lin Dan had already discarded her stick and board, picking up one of the fallen Xiongnu’s curved blades instead. She charged toward them, riding the horse with remarkable agility, bending low, dodging, and jumping as though she were on solid ground.

The Xiongnu swung their swords wildly, leaving nothing but afterimages, yet they couldn’t touch her. Every time she struck, she took a head. Within the time it took for one incense stick to burn, the ground was littered with heads, and lifeless bodies remained slumped on horseback, their necks spraying fountains of blood. Amidst the crimson streams, Lin Dan sat atop her horse. Her expression was as cold as frost and her eyes were as dark as a deep pool. The curved blade in her hand, soaked in blood, glowed with a chilling red light.

The sight was terrifying. It took a long moment before the villagers, who had been hiding in the watchtower, dared to come down. They looked at Lin Dan with awe.

“Who…… who are you exactly?” The village chief swallowed nervously. They had lived on the edge of death for so long and had seen plenty of the Xiongnu’s brutality. How could they not recognize Lin Dan’s strength? In just the blink of an eye, she had killed over ten Xiongnu without breaking a sweat, her hair perfectly in place. Coupled with her radiant yet fierce features and her commanding presence, this was undoubtedly the legendary General Lin Dan!

No, she was far more valiant and fearsome than the legends had ever described, leaving the villagers trembling with excitement.

“Pile the bodies up at the village entrance. Does anyone have wire? Bring me a roll.” Lin Dan spoke slowly, “The Xiongnu always split into several groups when raiding. These were just the vanguard, the main force is still coming.”

Seeing the fear on the villagers’ faces, Lin Dan added, “There’s no need to be afraid. The Xiongnu are nothing. When they come, we’ll kill them— nothing to it.”

Hearing her speak so lightly of matter, the villagers calmed down. Some began piling bodies, while others fetched wire. Two moments later, a mound of corpses lay in front of Lin Dan’s horse. She secured the wire between two large trees at the village entrance, adjusting its height several times.

Once everything was ready, she remained on horseback, waiting silently for the Xiongnu. The rest of the villagers hid in the nearby houses.

The sound of galloping hooves grew louder and closer until, at last, the Xiongnu crested the dirt slope, kicking up a cloud of dust. When they reached the village entrance and saw the pile of bodies, they charged at Lin Dan, eyes gleaming with bloodlust and faces twisted in ferocious expressions. But in the next moment, the wire strung across the path sliced through their necks and torsos, cutting them clean. Blood exploded like a waterfall, a spectacular sight.

Even the Xiongnu at the rear, who noticed something was wrong, had no time to react. They could only watch in horror as they, too, crashed into the wire, their bodies separating as their heads fell to the ground.