As soon as the words were spoken, the surrounding commoners saw a teenage girl with fair skin and delicate features, which held a touch of heroic spirit, step forward and tear down the notice.
The yamen runner stared blankly at Song Jinzhao, his mind going completely empty.
Coming back to his senses, he was angry. "What are you doing? You can't just tear down a notice like that."
He thought Song Jinzhao had done it just for fun.
Song Jinzhao folded the notice in half lengthwise and held it in one hand.
"I know it's not to be taken lightly. Taking it means I must go to Half Moon Cliff to kill the bandit leader."
Meeting Song Jinzhao's resolute gaze, the two yamen runners exchanged a look and took her to the county yamen.
When the magistrate of Haoyue City heard that someone had taken down the notice less than an hour after it was posted, and that it was a young woman, he immediately put down the brush he was using to write a memorial and hurried to the main hall.
Seeing Song Jinzhao, who was not particularly tall, standing in the center, he frowned.
"Might I ask your name, young lady, and whether you have any experience assisting the authorities in capturing thieves or bandits?"
Song Jinzhao turned her head slightly, noting that whether it was the magistrate of Xining City or Haoyue City, their faces bore the same weathered, deeply experienced look.
"This commoner is Song Jinzhao. In Xining City, I assisted the yamen in capturing spies from the Shuo Bei Kingdom."
The moment she gave her name, the Haoyue City magistrate wondered if she was that Song Jinzhao from Xining City.
When the second part of her sentence came out, he smiled inwardly.
"So it is Miss Song. I have long heard of your reputation." The magistrate's attitude immediately became enthusiastic.
"I have long heard of Miss Song's fame. I did not expect to meet you today in the yamen. With Miss Song here, I am at ease regarding the bandit leader of Half Moon Cliff."
Seeing things proceeding smoothly, Song Jinzhao asked, "Might I ask when Your Honor plans to take action?"
The magistrate countered, "When is convenient for you, Miss Song?"
Song Jinzhao: "To be frank with you, Your Honor, I came to Haoyue City to escort my younger brother to Anyang Prefecture for the prefectural examination. Now that the Half Moon Cliff bandits are blocking the road, I wish to set off as soon as possible."
The magistrate stroked his chin, pondering for a long moment before saying, "Then we shall depart early the day after tomorrow. A few lightly injured runners need two days to recuperate; by then they will be fine."
There were also three who were seriously injured. The physician said they wouldn't recover for at least ten days to half a month, so they certainly couldn't go.
He also needed to pull personnel from the guards patrolling the city gates; it required careful arrangement.
Song Jinzhao nodded. "Then it is settled for the day after tomorrow. I must ask Your Honor to tell me the detailed circumstances of yesterday's encounter with that bandit gang, so we may plan our strategy in advance."
Returning to the inn, Song Jinzhao told Song Qiming and the others that she would be going with the yamen personnel to Half Moon Cliff to suppress the bandits the day after tomorrow.
Song Dazhuang's heart pounded.
He had originally thought that in two days, with no other option, Song Jinzhao would risk taking them to charge through. He hadn't expected her to think of going with the yamen.
This was also acceptable; it was better than going alone and single-handedly, while also dragging along dead weight like them.
Song Qiming clenched his fists and looked up at Song Jinzhao. "Elder Sister, I'll go with you."
Song Shixue nodded vigorously, raising her hand. "I'll go too."
Song Dazhuang and Song Gaoli both widened their eyes simultaneously.
So bold? They even wanted to follow along to kill bandits?
Song Jinzhao felt a black line forming on her forehead and pressed down Song Shixue's raised right hand.
"What nonsense are you shouting? You've only practiced for half a year and dare to face murderous bandits? Talk to me again when you can last ten moves against me."
Song Qiming and Song Shixue's shoulders slumped. They couldn't even last three moves against their elder sister.
When would they ever manage ten?
Two days later, Song Jinzhao arrived at the yamen as agreed.
The courtyard in front of the main hall was filled with fully armed yamen runners, ten per row, five rows totaling fifty people.
Seeing that Song Jinzhao only had what looked like an ordinary sword in her hand, the magistrate asked, "Miss Song, don't you have a more formidable weapon?"
The bandit leader wielded a pair of maces, fierce and overpowering in close combat, clearly the work of a master craftsman.
With just an ordinary sword like that, wouldn't it likely be smashed in two upon the first clash?
Song Jinzhao raised her hand to look at the sword. "This is sufficient."
She also carried a wrist-crossbow and a dagger; this time she had tripled the concentration of aconitine.
The Haoyue City magistrate was not satisfied. Putting his hands behind his back, he said, "The yamen armory has quite a few weapons. I'll take you to pick a powerful one."
Entering the yamen armory, shelves held over a dozen weapons of various sizes, each one different.
The only common point was that they were all covered in dust, looking as if they hadn't been used for years.
The magistrate gestured as he introduced them. "These were all seized on the battlefield years ago during the war between Dong Zhao Kingdom and Shuo Bei Kingdom. Miss Song, pick one that suits your hand."
Song Jinzhao walked over, picked them up, and tested their heft. Two long knives stained with blood had rusted from long disuse.
After looking around, Song Jinzhao didn't fancy any of them.
She should have known earlier—what good weapons could possibly be in a county yamen's armory?
Out of respect for the Haoyue City magistrate, Song Jinzhao casually picked up a passable-looking longsword and swung it a couple of times.
Seeing Song Jinzhao reluctantly pick up a longsword, and after all that choosing still settling on a sword, the magistrate asked, "Miss Song, none particularly catch your eye?"
Song Jinzhao curved her lips into a faint smile. "The craftsmanship of Shuo Bei Kingdom's weapon makers is not as refined as that of our Dong Zhao Kingdom. Government-made items are only slightly better than what I can buy outside."
The magistrate was taken aback, then suddenly slapped his forehead.
"I nearly forgot, these were all made over a decade ago; they're already outdated."
They had just taken up space in the warehouse all these years for nothing.
Song Jinzhao's mouth twitched. They probably hadn't been moved since being placed here. Anyone with a bit of expertise inspecting them wouldn't have let them sit here so long.
She used an arrowhead to lift the scabbard, but as soon as she applied force, the scabbard broke in two and fell to the ground.
The magistrate's eyebrow twitched. He should have had them melted down long ago.
Song Jinzhao bent down to pick it up but noticed a very long wooden box under the table.
Curious, she reached out and opened it. A flash of dazzling, sharp light swept past her eyes.
Placing the sword on the table, she pulled the wooden box out from under the table.
The magistrate walked over curiously and asked, "What's inside?"
Lifting the lid, a spear nearly three meters long was revealed once more to the world.
The spear tip was like a point of cold starlight, beautiful and razor-sharp. On the side of the spearhead were engraved the characters 'Ling Yun' (Reaching the Clouds), emitting a cold gleam, like a priceless treasure meticulously polished.
The shaft was entirely black, thick as a child's arm, imbued with a heavy sense of natural age and sedimentation.
Song Jinzhao's right hand grasped the long spear. As her wrist turned, the dust on the shaft shook off, flying in all directions.
A fierce wind seemed to stir, to the point that the warehouse windows faintly felt as if they might crack.
Song Jinzhao stroked the spear's body with satisfaction. "Your Honor, I choose this one."
The magistrate looked up at the spear that nearly touched the ceiling. "Are you sure? It's almost twice your height."
Song Jinzhao, standing at one hundred and sixty-five centimeters, seemed a bit short next to this spear, but it felt just right when wielded.
"I am sure. Earlier, when Your Honor asked me to choose a weapon, did you intend to gift it to me?"
The magistrate hesitated for a long moment. That had originally been his intention.
But now, looking at this spear before him, it didn't seem like an ordinary object. What should he do? He was starting to feel reluctant to part with it.
Where on earth did this come from? How could I have not known there was something like this in the warehouse?
