To Free Oneself

Ying was a skillful swordsman in theory. But she's lacking fighting experience. Therefore, it was not easy for her to beat Hei Ya.

On the other hand, Hei Ya was not a weak swordsman. Several average young swordsmen could not be compared to him. And also, he had a lot of experiences if compared to Ying.

After some time, his sword slashed Ying's waist, and she bled some blood from it. Some villagers, especially the women, started to worry and feel pity for this young girl.

But Ying was an immortal. She felt pain, but she knew that she wouldn't die because of that wound. And although blood streamed from her injury, she knew that it would be healed soon, and it would not bring her serious harm.

That's the first experience for Hei Ya, dealing with someone who was not afraid of death. That girl fought bravely and was so eager to finish the duel, to the degree that she didn't even care about her own safety.

After some time, Hei Ya, who was no longer young, ran out of energy. While Ying was still young and an immortal. Although his sword wounded her several times, there's no sign that she would lose the duel.

Hei Ya was desperate. With all of his might, he hacked his sword to Ying's neck. Ying was agile, and she deliberately rolled on the ground and used the chance to slash Hei Ya's waist.

Everybody shouted in shock. And before they even finished their exclaim, they saw Hei Ya's head rolled on the ground.

"Grandfather," Hei Ya's granddaughter started to cry and rushed toward her grandfather's headless body.

"You're such an evil woman. Why do you have to kill my grandfather?" the girl cried and wept in front of her grandfather's dead body.

Ying snorted and said, "Girl, I was just around your age when your grandfather's men plundered my troupe. What did we do that we deserve to die like that? Those soldiers also had families. They had wives, children, and parents. Yet your grandfather and Li Cong killed them and plundered all of the tributaries to Wu State.

Ying sheathed her sword and walked away while saying, "Women, and children, men below twenty-five and above sixty years old, or those men who have never joined killing or plundering, could leave this place. Death is not a good looking scene. Therefore….just leave if possible!"

Although Ying had warned, that those below twenty-five or above sixty years old could leave the place, but many of them still didn't want to leave. Instead, because of peer pressure, they took their swords and circled to besiege her. The villagers also didn't want to leave. They were curious to see what will happen next.

"Your leader is dead now! Those under twenty-five and above sixty years old : drop your sword and leave this arena!" Her voice was so stern and overbearing. No one could have thought that a young gentle beautiful girl who looked so meek could speak in a voice like that.

The villagers knew if they didn't surrender, they would die in the hand of this girl. They no longer see any necessity to resist. One by one dropped their weapon and about to leave the arena. Nobody wanted to be in the arena to fight this girl anymore.

Ying laughed and said, "Aye, when killing and plundering, all of the men were so brave. But when facing death, now everyone become so timid!"

She rolled her eyes and observed the men one by one. Then she saw an old man, who was clearly much older than sixty years old. Therefore she walked toward that man and said politely, "Uncle, please help me to identify five men here, who are above twenty five and below sixty years old. I know that you're a good person and won't lie to me. I am sure, there are more than five!"

The man was afraid. How could he betray his fellow villagers?

"Are you afraid that some of them might be angry at you and consider you as a traitor? Are you afraid of them, but not afraid of me?" Ying looked at him straight to his eyes while smiling. "I promise you, I will not kill you, as long as you obey my word!!"

The old man looked a bit confused.

"My words can be trusted," Ying laughed.

The old man sighed and reluctantly pointed five other men. Three of the five men looked timid like sheep being led to the slaughter, while the other two men cursed the old man and tried to resist. To the five men, Ying asked each of them to point out some other men. In the end, there were sixty two men. They stood in the middle of the ground, while the other villagers were nervous and confused as they could not imagine what would happen next.

Ying observed the men one by one. From the outside, they're nothing but villagers. But in reality, they were bandits who killed, robbed and raped many innocents.

"Female Knight Errant, you have killed our leader, and some of our men. Why don't you just leave this place now?" the young man who led Ying to go to Hei Ya's house said. "What are you going to do to them? How many more people have to die under your sword to make you satisfy?"

"Young man, do you think that I'm happy with this killing? Why don't you think of those who died under the bandits who are living among you! Think of the women who were kidnapped and raped, separated from their parents and even their husbands!" Ying said with flat tones. "I'm not a cold blood killer. I just want a justice for those people!"

"Master Hei Ya said, that after our men plundered your troupe, they have never plundered or robbed again. Why don't you just spare the rest of us who are here," the young man said. "This enmity has to end!"

"I agree this enmity has to end today. But those who committed crime, have to responsible to what they did in the past."

"Don't do to others, what you don't want other people do to you," Ying said. "That's what Confucius teaches to his students. That year when I met his student, I was still a child and I didn't really understand the meaning. But as I grow up, I know exactly what that means!"

It was a long silence. Then one woman moved forward and kneeled in front of Ying. She pointed at the man with the scar on his face, and started crying and begging, "Female Knight Errant, please forgive my father, and also my husband!" She cried, wept and howled. Seeing no reaction from Ying, the woman crawled and pulled out Ying's robe and grasped her left leg and said, "Please, have mercy on us!"

Ying pulled her robe, walked away and shunned the woman, "Woman, do you know what he did in the past? Do you know how many people he killed? Or how many women he kidnapped or raped?"

"I know that he's not innocent, therefore I could only beg for your mercy. After all, one is my father, one is my husband!" the woman said with choked voice.

"Beg for mercy? And what about justice? Who would bring justice for those men who were killed, women who were kidnapped and raped? Who would bring justice for those children who lost their fathers?"

Hearing Ying's word, a woman in her thirties came forward to Ying and with teary eyes she said, "Female Knight Errant, you are my only hope to bring justice for those peoples! You should just kill all of those evil men!"

"San-niang, are you out of your mind?" some people shouted at the woman; including one of the men who stood were gathered in the middle. The man was shocked and shouted at her and said, "My wife, what are you doing? Do you want her to kill us all?"

The woman who was called San-niang, or the Third Madame replied the man and said, "Thirteen years ago, I was a newly married woman. Together with my husband and his families, we passed this area to go to the Wu State. But those evil men plundered and killed our troupe. They killed all of our male family members. There were three females in our troupe that day. And today, I'm the only one who is still alive! How I long for today that someone will bring justice to this blood debt!"

"San-niang, for all these years I've treated you kindly," the man disbelieved his ears, "How come you support that woman who wants to kill us?"

"You treat me kindly, but you killed many people! You helped those evil men committing crimes. They looted, killed, kidnapped, and raped women! I'm not a person without a conscience," the woman shouted hysterically. "Although you didn't kill my late husband and his families with your hands, but you are not innocent! You killed people and ruined their families. "

San-niang's words reminded the villagers, that for all these years, they're not really living at peace. There were much resentment and animosity among them.

"Fellow villagers, don't listen to San-niang or this wicked woman," San-niang's husband said in a loud voice. "Although it's true that in the past, some of us killed your families. But now we're all families. We should forget our past animosity!"

The villagers started to argue among themselves.

Among the villagers, a young man dragged an old woman with hair and messy hair, kneeled in front of Ying and said, "Female Knight Errant, this woman is my mother!"

Ying saw the old woman, who obviously not that old. But with her messy white hair and unkempt appearance, she looked old. The woman was biting her nails. It's obvious that she's deranged.

The young man started to cry and while sobbing he said, "My mother was kidnapped and raped, and brought to this village. She became insane, and then she delivered me, this bastard child! Why do I and my mother have to live a life like this?"

"And there are many women among us who experienced the same fate as that woman," another old woman said and cried. "Female Knight Errant, my husband is among those men. But I won't beg mercy for him or for those men. They deserve punishment!"

"Right, kill all of those evil men and let us start a new life!" said San-niang and some other women.

Ying felt lump in her throat. Her compassion arose, as well as her rage. "I will help you and bring justice to all of your deceased families." She paused, pointed at the men and rolled her eyes asking the villagers, "Who else want to seek justice and bring charges against those people?"

"Many!" San-niang said. "But how many of them have the courage to speak out against their own families?

ing nodded and asked, "San-niang, tell me, do you remember who killed your husband or his families?"

"That man, that man,." With an emotional voice she pointed out six men. "For thirteen years, days and night I still could remember vividly how they killed my husband and his families!"

Ying picked up Hei Ya's sword and handed the sword to San-niang and asked, "Do you want to do it by yourself?"

San-niang's hands trembled, but she accepted the sword.

"San-niang, you're out of your mind," her husband shouted with trembled voice.

San-niang, burned with anger moved forward with a sword in her hand, trying to stab dead the man who killed her family.

But the men knew that San-niang was a weak woman. Therefore, as San-niang moved forward with her sword, simultaneously several men immobilized her and seized her sword.

One of the men grabbed San-niang and attached her sword on her neck.

Ying was shocked. She miscalculated.

"San-niang," shouted her husband in a panic. "Don't hurt my wife," the man said to the man holding San-niang hostage.