Qin Shu, formerly a lieutenant in the Xuan Ce Army and known as the “Living Yama,” made the best decision of her life after crawling out of a pile of corpses: she left the military and retired to the countryside. She headed for the border town of Bu Gui, bought a few acres of poor farmland, and raised a few chickens. All she wanted was to spend her days bent over the fields, forgetting all the killing and fighting of her past life.
The good news: though the town was poor, the neighbors got along, the lamb paomo at the shop to the east was superb, and the fruit wine at the place to the west was delicious. Qin Shu thought this retirement was simply wonderful.
The bad news: some rotten scoundrel let it slip that Bu Gui was rolling in wealth. Overnight, the Blackwind Cavalry, said to make children cry for three thousand miles across the desert north, surrounded the town.
The mayor wept and begged to hand over everything the town owned in exchange for their lives.
Qin Shu cracked sunflower seeds, utterly unbothered. She even thought about breeding the Blackwind Cavalry’s horses.
Until
The bandit chief kicked over the lamb paomo stall she loved most, then threatened to abduct the little granddaughter of the old woman who brought her fruit wine.
Qin Shu silently set down her sunflower seeds.
...Fine.
Some Yamas are ones you have to meet, whether you want to or not.
Later, the Blackwind Cavalry fled in terror, spreading the word everywhere:
“Run! That woman in Bu Gui isn’t human!!”
“She stole our chief’s horse and said she was taking it home to breed!!”
Qin Shu: Don’t bother me. I’m busy farming.
