The Bad Girl's Quick Transmigration System: Traveling Back and Forth

Chapter 782 Rebirth from the Ashes: Lin Ping's Revenge on Black Stone Village—Bad News and Retu

The setting sun, like blood, stained the rolling mountains with a tragic hue. Deep within the Black Stone Mountains, a fortified camp built against the mountainside stood imposingly, its banners fluttering in the evening breeze, carrying a hint of desolation. This was the camp of the prefectural army led by Lin Ping—Panshi Village.

However, at this moment, a suffocating, sorrowful, and even desperate atmosphere permeated the Panshi Village. The soldiers huddled together in twos and threes, their faces filled with frustration and confusion, their low murmurs like heavy drumbeats pounding on everyone's hearts.

"Alas, General Lin... is he really gone?" A young soldier's eyes were red and his voice was choked with sobs.

The older veteran next to him patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Who says otherwise? Brother Zhang and the others escaped back from Black Wind Ridge and saw it with their own eyes! The general was surrounded by the One-Eyed Dragon's gang of damned bandits at Broken Soul Cliff, and was hit by dozens of arrows. He died on the spot..."

"That's not all!" another soldier interjected, his voice filled with fear and anger. "Those beasts actually hung the general's corpse... his corpse on the gate tower of Black Stone Village, saying they wanted to make an example of him and force our government troops to collapse without a fight!"

"Beast! What a beast!"

"The general has treated us with the greatest kindness, and we must avenge him!"

"Revenge? What can we use to get revenge? One-Eyed Dragon has nearly a thousand men now, better equipped than us, and their morale is high. We don't even have a general anymore..."

The murmurs gradually subsided, and despair spread like a tide. This prefectural garrison, under Lin Ping's command, had become a disciplined and formidable force. Lin Ping, with his exceptional martial arts skills, extraordinary courage, compassion for his subordinates, and clear system of rewards and punishments, had long been the soul and pillar of this unit. Now, with that pillar collapsed, the group leaderless, morale low, and on the verge of disintegration.

Lieutenant Zhao Yong stood atop the watchtower at the village gate, gazing at the distant, rolling Black Stone Mountains, his brow furrowed, his heart aching. He had been promoted by Lin Ping from among her subordinates and was utterly loyal to her. When Zhang Laosan and the others returned to report Lin Ping's death, he nearly fainted on the spot. But he knew he couldn't fall; he was now the only one in Panshi Village capable of leading the overall situation.

For the past few days, he had been silently enduring immense pain and sorrow, yet he dared not slacken his efforts in the slightest. He knew that at this critical moment, he had to be strong and lead his troops through this difficult time. Therefore, on the one hand, he did his utmost to restrain the soldiers to prevent chaos or even a rout; on the other hand, he continuously dispatched trusted confidants to gather intelligence and confirm whether the rumors about Lin Ping's death were true.

Time ticked by, and finally, the scouts returned to camp one after another. Their faces were grim, their eyes filled with sorrow and indignation. When asked about Lin Ping, they all shook their heads and sighed, saying they had seen with their own eyes Lin Ping's lifeless, naked body hanging above the gate of Black Stone Village, and on her bare back, the eight shocking characters "Lin Ping, you slut, died here" were deeply etched with sharp weapons!

Not only that, this utterly wicked one-eyed man went so far as to insanely instruct his men to spread rumors, claiming that Lin Ping had died tragically on the spot and that the government troops were nothing but paper tigers, weak and powerless, utterly incapable of resisting him. At the same time, he also incited the people, urging them to give up resistance and surrender to him as soon as possible.

"General..." Zhao Yong murmured to himself, his eyes moistening, "Could it be that you really..."

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats broke the silence of Panshi Village as it drew nearer. A sentry on the village wall suddenly cried out, "Look! It's our men! It's our flag!"

Zhao Yong snapped out of his daze and looked in the direction the sentry pointed. He saw a cavalry force rushing towards them on the mountain road in the distance, with the large "Lin" banner at the head of the cavalry standing out prominently in the setting sun!

"Our people are back!"

"It really is our team!"

The soldiers inside the camp also noticed, and the once lifeless camp suddenly became a commotion as people rushed to the walls and craned their necks to look out.

Zhao Yong's heart skipped a beat. Could it be the general's remnants? He immediately hurried down from the watchtower and rushed to the gate of the stockade.

As the sound of hooves grew closer, the outline of the column gradually became clear. There were about a hundred cavalrymen, each with blood-stained clothes and weary faces, but their eyes shone with an unusual excitement and... fanaticism?

Zhao Yong recognized the magnificent white horse at the head of the pack—it was Lin Ping's steed, "Treading Snow"! And the person on its back…

Zhao Yong's heart skipped a beat, and he almost stopped breathing.

A silver leather breastplate, leather shorts, and a gleaming silver spear in hand; though his face was stained with dust and blood, his upright posture and familiar profile...

"General...?!" Zhao Yong exclaimed in disbelief, almost unable to believe his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes hard. Yes! Although they were still quite far apart, the figure and the aura were clearly Lin Ping!

But... but didn't Zhang Laosan and the others say that the general was already dead? And that his body was still hanging at the entrance of Black Stone Village?

Could it be... a ghost?

Zhao Yong shook his head vigorously, trying to banish this absurd thought.

In the blink of an eye, the cavalry had reached the gate of the stockade. The lead knight reined in his horse, "Treading Snow," which reared up and let out a loud neigh.

The knight in silver armor and a red cloak dismounted and stood firmly on the ground. He raised his head and looked at Zhao Yong and the soldiers at the gate of the stronghold.

The setting sun cast its last rays upon her face, illuminating a slightly pale yet still spirited countenance. Her bright eyes, sharp as an eagle's, calmly surveyed the crowd.

Not a ghost! It's a living, breathing person!

"General...?!" Zhao Yong rushed forward, his voice trembling with disbelief and horror. "You... how could you..."

He was incoherent; the scene before him was too shocking, completely beyond his comprehension. What was with the corpse on the gate tower? And who was this person before him?

Lin Ping dismounted, handed the bright silver spear to the guard behind her, walked up to Zhao Yong, and looked at his shocked and bewildered expression, a slight smile seemed to appear on her lips.

Her voice was slightly hoarse from the long journey, but still clear and strong: "Zhao Yong, I'm back."

Zhao Yong froze on the spot, forgetting to bow, his eyes wide like saucers, staring intently at Lin Ping as if he were looking at a ghost... that had returned from hell.

The surrounding soldiers were in an uproar.

"It's a general! It really is a general!"

"The general is not dead! The general is back!"

"Great! The general is back! We're saved!"

Exclamations, cheers, and cries mingled together, and the once desperate camp was instantly overwhelmed by immense ecstasy.

Zhao Yong finally snapped out of his shock and confusion. He stared wide-eyed at the living, breathing Lin Ping before him in disbelief. It was as if time had stopped flowing, and only her familiar and dear figure was clearly visible.

Suddenly, an uncontrollable impulse surged into his heart, and Zhao Yong strode towards Lin Ping like an arrow released from a bow. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, reaching out to tightly grasp her arms, as if afraid that all of this was just an illusion, a dream.

The moment his fingertips touched Lin Ping's skin, a real sensation spread throughout his body—it was real warmth! This feeling gave Zhao Yong a jolt, but it also strengthened his belief that the person before him was indeed Lin Ping herself.

However, even with the facts laid bare before him, Zhao Yong still felt as if he were lost in a thick fog, his thoughts tangled like a jumbled mess. He trembled uncontrollably, his lips quivering as he uttered a hoarse, low, almost roaring question: "You...why did you appear here without warning? I clearly heard that you were ambushed by One-Eyed Dragon's gang of vicious bandits, severely wounded, and died a gruesome death after being struck by dozens of arrows! Even more appalling, it's said that those heartless thugs were utterly depraved, hanging your body high on the mountain stronghold's walls for all to see! Many brothers witnessed that horrific scene!" Zhao Yong thought to himself, "Actually, I went to the scene myself, but I simply couldn't bring myself to describe your humiliating state to others!"

His voice boomed like thunder, making everyone's eardrums ache. The previously noisy scene was abruptly interrupted, as if time had suddenly frozen. Immediately afterward, countless gazes surged towards Lin Ping, these gazes intertwined with curiosity, anticipation, and an indescribable, fleeting fear. After all, for someone who had been dead for so long to come back to life without warning was simply too incredible; anyone would find it hard to believe.

Facing the strange looks from Zhao Yong and the other soldiers around her, Lin Ping remained remarkably calm and composed. Her exquisitely beautiful face showed no emotion, as if nothing in the world concerned her whatsoever. At this moment, she slightly parted her alluring cherry-like lips and spoke softly in a tone that was both gentle and firm:

"Actually, I'm quite skilled—I possess a unique and mysterious technique! It's precisely because of this technique that I was able to miraculously return from the brink of death to this world..."

However, at this moment, Lin Ping suddenly changed the subject and continued to explain in a leisurely manner: "And you shouldn't underestimate my incredibly powerful secret technique! If it weren't for it, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to completely eliminate that wicked one-eyed dragon and his bunch of rabble!"