Chapter 7

Hua Mulan indeed did not lie; her preference was indeed killing, and she was always ready to call for a fight. Her words, "kill them all," genuinely frightened Tao Shang.

Although he also detested Mi Fang's arrogance towards him and wished to cut him down, doing so would mean incurring a blood feud with the Mi family.

After all, Mi Zhu was now the acting governor of Xuzhou, the highest-ranking official in the state after Liu Bei. If Tao Shang impulsively killed his brother, Mi Zhu would surely be enraged and would not hesitate to incite Liu Bei to deal with him.

After all, Mi Fang had only spoken rudely, which did not warrant a death sentence. Killing him like this would put Tao Shang at a disadvantage, both morally and practically.

"Where did you come from, you lowly servant, daring to threaten me? You have some nerve," Mi Fang was furious. Clearly, he did not know the true nature of Hua Mulan and assumed she was just a servant of Tao Shang. Such a lowly status, yet she dared to threaten to kill him and his sister, which naturally enraged him.

Hua Mulan's eyes glinted with a murderous intent, her sword half-drawn, her gaze fixed on Tao Shang, waiting for his command to act.

Tao Shang's eyes darted around, his mind racing. Suddenly, he had a devious idea that could both punish Mi Fang for his rudeness and silence the Mi family.

A sly smile crept onto his lips as he turned back to his seat and said coldly, "Since you look down on my Mulan so much, why don't we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Mi Fang was taken aback, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I'll have Mulan compete with you in hand-to-hand combat. If you win, I, Tao Shang, will immediately annul the marriage contract with your sister, and we will have no further ties. If you lose to Mulan, I'm sorry, but your sister is destined to marry me, Tao Shang. You can leave, and you must leave the three million coins as a dowry. What do you say, Second Master Mi, do you have the courage to bet with me?" Tao Shang calmly laid out the terms of the bet.

This was clearly a trap for Mi Fang. Tao Shang had already scanned Mi Fang with the system, and his combat strength was only 60, far from a match for Hua Mulan.

Tao Shang wanted to set a trap for Mi Fang, both to vent his anger and to reject the Mi family's request to annul the marriage. This way, he could make them suffer in silence and also obtain the much-needed three million coins for military expenses, achieving three goals with one action.

"Fine, I'll take your word for it. We have a deal, and you must not go back on your word," Mi Fang agreed without hesitation.

"Second Brother!" Mi Zhen's eyes widened. "Marriage is a serious matter; how can it be resolved in such a ridiculous way? How can you agree so easily?"

Mi Fang smiled confidently. "Little sister, don't worry. It's Tao Shang who is being ridiculous, not us. Do you lack confidence in your Second Brother? Are you afraid that I can't beat a lowly servant?"

Mi Zhen was speechless, her eyes filled with doubt as she looked at Tao Shang. Despite her intelligence, she could not figure out the suspicious nature of Tao Shang's sudden proposal, but she could not imagine her brother losing to a mere servant.

Despite her doubts, Mi Zhen was confident in Mi Fang and did not try to stop him.

Confidently, Mi Fang walked to the center of the hall, rolled up his sleeves, and pointed at Hua Mulan, saying arrogantly, "Little servant, I usually don't fight women, but since your master has made you a bet, I'll make an exception today and teach you a lesson for your lack of respect."

"Hmph, with a combat strength of only 60, you dare to show off in front of my Mulan. Mi Fang, you're asking for it, not my fault..." Tao Shang's lips curled into a mocking smile as he nodded to Hua Mulan.

Hua Mulan understood and removed her sword, walking towards Mi Fang with bare hands.

Mi Fang, unaware that he was about to be beaten, sneered, "Little servant, if you don't want to be beaten, you can still kneel and beg for mercy. Even if your master loses, I will show mercy..."

"Mercy to your mother!" Hua Mulan interrupted, her eyes flashing with anger. She let out a clear shout and pounced like a gust of wind.

Mi Fang did not expect her to attack first. Before he could react, Hua Mulan was already in front of him, and a tightly clenched fist struck his face.

Bang!

A heavy thud, and Mi Fang cried out in pain, stumbling back and almost falling. He managed to steady himself by grabbing a pillar.

Feeling the pain, Mi Fang touched his face and found it covered in blood. His nose was broken, and the pain was excruciating.

The guards were shocked. They knew Hua Mulan was the county magistrate's personal servant but did not expect her to have such martial skills, and her punch was so powerful that it left Mi Fang's face a bloody mess.

Mi Zhen's face also changed, her eyes filled with alarm, and a sense of foreboding crept into her heart.

Seeing the blood on his hands, Mi Fang was enraged. As the second son of the Mi family, he had always been pampered and had only ever beaten others. Now, being beaten by a servant was the greatest humiliation he had ever experienced.

"Little servant, you dare to attack me!" Enraged, Mi Fang let out a loud cry and swung his fists at Hua Mulan.

Even now, he did not realize that Hua Mulan's combat strength was higher than his. He believed that his earlier failure was due to his lack of vigilance and being caught off guard.

Hua Mulan stood confidently, looking at Mi Fang with disdain, showing no fear.

Three steps...

Two steps...

One step...

Mi Fang lunged forward, his fists filled with anger, aiming for her face.

At the last moment, Hua Mulan moved with incredible speed, dodging his attack. Mi Fang's fists missed, and his body passed by her, losing balance.

As he passed by, Hua Mulan extended her right foot, tripping him. He lost his balance, and she struck his back with both fists. Mi Fang grunted and fell to the ground, face down.

"Little servant, you dare to..." Mi Fang tried to get up, but Hua Mulan did not give him the chance. She kicked him in the face, the force of the kick causing him to spew blood and slide three steps before crashing into the stone steps.

Mi Fang, dazed and bleeding, was kicked into a stupor. Before he could recover, Hua Mulan pounced again, raining down a flurry of punches and kicks, mercilessly beating him.

"Ahh—ahh—"

The hall was filled with Mi Fang's screams of pain. He was beaten to a pulp, his bones broken, and he had no chance to beg for mercy.

Everyone in the hall was stunned, watching in shock as the second son of the Mi family was beaten by a seemingly weak servant.

Even Mi Zhen was speechless, watching her brother being beaten to a bloody mess, her mind in turmoil.

"Good, beat him hard..." Tao Shang watched his female bodyguard beat the arrogant Mi Fang, feeling a sense of satisfaction. He did not intervene, only smiling coldly and watching with interest.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of heavy punches echoed in the hall, and Mi Fang was beaten to a bloody mess.

"Stop, stop, we lost, we accept the bet, please stop!" Mi Zhen finally came to her senses, rushing to the steps and pleading with Tao Shang.

Tao Shang had vented his anger and did not want to kill Mi Fang. Since Mi Zhen was begging for mercy, he decided to stop Hua Mulan.

Hua Mulan finally stopped, her fists bloody. Mi Fang was unconscious, his body a bloody mess, a sight that made one shudder.

"Truly violent. I should consider whether I should marry her. If she gets angry one day and starts beating me..." Tao Shang shuddered at the sight of Mi Fang's condition.

Mi Zhen quickly ordered her servants to carry Mi Fang out for treatment.

Watching her brother being carried away, Mi Zhen sighed in relief. Turning back, she glared at Tao Shang, her lips trembling, and said coldly, "Master Tao, I didn't expect you to have such a skilled servant. Today, we admit defeat. The three million coins are yours, but I can tell you, this is not over. The Mi family will not accept this humiliation. Goodbye!"

Mi Zhen left with a warning, her figure disappearing in anger.

Tao Shang knew that he had offended the Mi family today, but if he wanted to reclaim Xuzhou, he would eventually have to face them. Today, he had vented his anger, increased Hua Mulan's loyalty, and won three million coins, which was worth it.

Stepping down the steps, Tao Shang played with the golden coins, muttering, "Time is short. Now I have a general and the military funds. The next step is to recruit soldiers and horses."