Chapter 117: Zhang Xiaoyan’s Family Background

Daoist Master Xuanwu took a closer look and realized that the female general was named Zhang Xiaoyan, the daughter of Zhang Lingpu, a founding hero of the Kingdom of Qingfeng.

The ancestors of Zhang Lingpu had long served as high-ranking officials in the Kingdom of Manyi. His progenitor, Zhang Hongcai, was the right-hand man to Zhao Renyi, the founding king of Manyi. During a war against invading gangs, Zhang Hongcai saved Zhao Renyi’s life on multiple occasions, defying death to do so. After founding the kingdom, Zhao Renyi named Zhang Hongcai the "Grand General Protector of the State" and decreed that as long as the kingdom existed and the Zhang clan followed its laws, the title would remain hereditary. Every generation after Zhang Hongcai produced a descendant of exceptional martial talent who was appointed as a Protector General or another high office.

Later, during the reign of Zhao Jingkuang, the successor to the throne, the situation shifted. Zhao Jingkuang was a man of indulgence who neglected state affairs. When Zhang Lingpu’s father, Zhang Tilai, offered earnest advice alongside other loyal officials, Zhao Jingkuang took offense. Influenced by the slanders of corrupt sycophants in his court, he demoted Zhang Tilai to the rank of Deputy General.

Once Zhang Tilai was removed, Zhao Jingkuang felt his life of debauchery had become much more peaceful. He subsequently purged the other officials who dared to speak the truth, and from then on, he indulged in his vices without restraint. To further facilitate his hedonism, he delegated the administration of the state to a corrupt official named Zhao Jiazhong.

Zhao Jiazhong was obsessed with wealth. Once he took control of the government, he sold official positions and granted requests to anyone who paid the required price, signing off on decrees immediately. Seeing the King’s laziness and the corruption of his proxy, greedy lower-level officials followed suit, exploiting the populace. When foreign enemies began to encroach upon the borders, the people living there were plunged into misery. Zhao Jingkuang and Zhao Jiazhong ignored the crisis, and when they did send troops, they were poorly supported. Grain supplies were skimmed by corrupt officials at every level, leaving the soldiers in the field with almost nothing to eat.

For a soldier, war is a grueling task that requires risking one’s life. Without food or energy, how could they fight? Consequently, the armies suffered defeat after defeat, and foreign enemies slowly carved up the borderlands. Within a year, a third of the territory of the Manyi Kingdom was lost. Zhang Tilai, despite his humble position, continued to protest, but his words reached no one in power. Consumed by grief and despair, he eventually died of a broken heart.

Following the customs of Manyi, Zhang Lingpu succeeded his father. Feeling no hope for the kingdom, he was approached by Xuankong, another disciple of Master Shangheng, who relayed the Master’s invitation to join him. After careful consideration, Zhang Lingpu agreed. By then, the Kingdom of Qingfeng had been established for decades and its foundations were stable. Zhang Lingpu gradually moved his family and clansmen to Qingfeng, and finally, leading a group of his loyal soldiers, he defected to the new kingdom.

Because Zhang Lingpu brought with him a significant force, he bolstered the strength of Qingfeng. Recognized as the descendant of a famous line of generals and possessing remarkable martial prowess and courage, he was granted a rank even higher than the one he had held in Manyi.

Zhang Lingpu had a five-year-old daughter named Zhang Xiaoyan. She was brilliant and, having grown up watching her father train, she developed a deep passion for martial arts. Within a few years, she was already wielding spears and staves with skill, and could leap onto walls twice her height using only her legs. Seeing her innate talent, and being on good terms with Xuankong, Zhang Lingpu asked him to take her as his disciple.

Zhang Xiaoyan spent nearly twenty years on the mountain with Xuankong, learning not only martial arts but also the mysteries of illusions and the path to longevity. Perhaps it was destiny; in those twenty years, she mastered eighty to ninety percent of what Xuankong had spent fifty years learning from Master Shangheng.

When Zhang Xiaoyan was around twenty-one or twenty-two, the Kingdom of Qingfeng went to war with the Kingdom of Manyi. Needing reinforcements, she volunteered for service. Zhang Lingpu presented her case to the King of Qingfeng. After rigorous testing of her martial arts, magical abilities, and strategic wisdom, the King was deeply impressed and immediately appointed her as the kingdom’s foremost female Deputy General, serving under her father.

Having trained alongside the other disciples of Master Shangheng, Zhang Xiaoyan had naturally become well-acquainted with Wei Xiaoping and Wei Xiaofan. Their shared experiences on the battlefield, facing life and death together, forged a deep bond of friendship. This was the reason for her earlier insistence: "General Wei Xiaoping and I have served in the same court for three or four years, and we have braved life and death together on the battlefield countless times. I know him well; why can I not go in to see him now that he is injured?"

Seeing that it was Zhang Xiaoyan, Daoist Master Xuanwu spoke to the two guards: "Let General Zhang in. She is an old acquaintance of General Xiaoping; they studied martial arts and magic under the same master since childhood, so they are naturally familiar with each other!"

The two guards were momentarily stunned, and just as they were about to speak, Zhang Xiaoyan struck out with both hands, landing a punch on each of their shoulders. The two guards collapsed to either side. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Xiaoyan leapt past them, rushing into Xiaoping's quarters without a word.

Having never visited his new residence, she did not know which of the several rooms he occupied and began calling out for him, her voice filled with the frantic desperation of a long-lost sibling searching for a loved one. Hearing her call, the dog, Dahuang, barked from deep within the house. Zhang Xiaoyan immediately ran toward the sound.

Upon entering the room, she saw Wei Xiaoping lying motionless on the bed, his chest wrapped in thick, blood-stained bandages, appearing as though he were dead. Zhang Xiaoyan froze, her eyes fixed on him, while tears streamed down her fair cheeks like twin curtains of rain.

"Dahuang, how did Xiaoping get so severely injured?" she asked, slowly crouching down, her eyes scanning the bandages with tear-filled, trembling focus.