Her tone was earnest and hopeful. Jiang Xin Zhi looked at her; the firelight in the tent cast a soft, pearly glow on her face, blurring even the terrifying scar. The young girl's bright eyes were as clear as spring water, inexplicably moving.
Jiang Xin Zhi gazed at her quietly before suddenly murmuring, "Who exactly are you?"
Jin'er was taken aback and asked, "What?"
"The Eastern Barbarian Country laced my food with Tendon Weakening Powder, preventing me from using my martial arts. After you arrived, the dosage lessened, and my strength gradually returned. You did this deliberately. Who are you?" Jiang Xin Zhi stared at her unblinkingly. He suspected Jin'er was no ordinary person, but he couldn't fathom her true identity. She didn't seem like an enemy, but as an ally? There was something peculiar about her.
"I... I..." Under Jiang Xin Zhi's pressing gaze, Jin'er's face gradually flushed, and she stammered, "I'm Ruan Meimei's friend... I came to save you."
Among the many possibilities Jiang Xin Zhi had considered, he hadn't expected Jin'er to be Jiang Ruan's friend. He was momentarily stunned. "What?"
"You don't remember me?" Seeing Jiang Xin Zhi's bewildered expression, Jin'er grew anxious. After ensuring no one was nearby, she leaned in and whispered, "At the palace banquet, you once saved my life. I... I came to repay that debt. Don't you remember?"
Jiang Xin Zhi frowned. He had found her somewhat familiar before but couldn't place why. Now, with her reminder, it suddenly came back to him. During Empress Dowager Yide's banquet, when assassins had attacked, he had indeed rescued two young women in passing. Thinking back, one of them matched the girl before him. But... He exclaimed in surprise, "You're a noble lady—how did you end up here?"
Back then, he hadn't paid much attention and naturally didn't know her identity. But anyone attending the palace banquet must have been a noblewoman. How could a delicate, pampered young lady enter an enemy camp like this? Even traveling from the capital to this remote border was a challenge. What about her parents?
"Our family has always upheld the principle that a life saved must be repaid tenfold," Jin'er said solemnly. "Since you saved me, I had to come and repay you no matter what. If something happened to you while you were trapped here, I'd lose my chance to repay you. That would violate our family's teachings, so I took matters into my own hands and disguised myself among the women in the relief army's camp to get here—all to uphold our ancestral code. My parents would surely support me if they knew."
This was somewhat of a stretch. For a young woman to disregard propriety like this—especially as a noble, where reputation was paramount—her parents must have been furious. Yet here she was, speaking so confidently. Jiang Xin Zhi rubbed his temples. "You shouldn't have come here. It's too dangerous."
"Now that I'm here, I'm not afraid of danger." Jin'er spoke quickly, matching her decisive nature. "If you send me away now, that would be the real danger."
"Then how did you get into the enemy camp?" Though he vaguely recalled Jin'er's words and she was Jiang Ruan's friend, Jiang Xin Zhi couldn't bring himself to be cold toward her anymore. Still, doubts lingered in his mind.Upon hearing this, Jin'er smiled and said, "Deputy General Jiang, how could the Brocade-clad Guards brought by Prince Xiao stand idly by when it comes to you? After all, you're Prince Xiao's brother-in-law. If he didn't care about you, do you think Ruan Meimei would let him off easy? Prince Xiao has already sent people to rescue you, but..." She stuck out her tongue playfully. "His men are too skilled in martial arts, and these Eastern Barbarian Country folks are quite cunning—it might arouse suspicion. Ordinary women wouldn't dare go, the brave ones aren't clever enough, and the clever ones are too afraid of dying. Only I, being both brave and smart, volunteered, so Prince Xiao sent me. I'm just here to assist; in the end, we'll still need Prince Xiao's men to help."
She said all this in one breath, even managing to boast about herself a little, making her seem all the more candid and lively. Unlike the typical well-bred young ladies of the capital, she even dared to tease Jiang Xin Zhi about Xiao Shao. Jiang Xin Zhi was momentarily taken aback. Seeing how straightforward and bold this young girl was, he wondered which family had raised such a delightful character. He asked, "Which family's young lady are you? What is your father's name?"
Jin'er paused, then laughed. "My father is just a minor military officer, not very notable. I doubt you'd know him, Deputy General Jiang. As for being a young lady... just call me Jin'er. Right now, I'm your maid, not any young lady."
Jiang Xin Zhi hesitated, then said quietly, "When I saved you back then, it wasn't for any repayment. For a girl like you to do something like this is too risky. Be careful in the future—the Eastern Barbarian Country people are too cunning. I'll find my own way to protect you, but you must also take care. If necessary, don’t worry about me."
This was his way of entrusting her with his concern. His words showed that he believed Jin'er and would protect her in the days to come. The young man's expression was resolute, his refined features carrying the sharpness unique to martial artists. His words and actions were upright, and his earnest demeanor held a certain charm. Jin'er's face flushed slightly as she took a step back and replied, "Understood."
As they spoke, the outside had grown eerily quiet. It was late at night, and the Eastern Barbarian Country soldiers, having drunk themselves into a stupor, lay sprawled on the ground in deep slumber. The camp was enveloped in an extreme silence, almost unnervingly peaceful.
Jiang Xin Zhi frowned. As a martial artist, he was sensitive to the slightest changes. Though everything seemed fine on the surface, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. The military camp was too quiet—so quiet that it felt like something was about to happen. Yet he didn’t lift the tent flap to look outside—the two guards stationed there still hadn’t left.
Noticing his expression, Jin'er also seemed uneasy. She leaned in close to Jiang Xin Zhi and whispered, "Why is it so quiet? It's almost like..." Her voice was too soft, and Jiang Xin Zhi couldn't quite catch her words. He turned his head to hear better, but as he did, Jin'er's lips accidentally brushed against his cheek. Jiang Xin Zhi stiffened, while Jin'er's face instantly turned crimson.Jiang Xin Zhi had never been this close to a woman in all his years. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the cruel scheming among wives and concubines in the Jiang household and suffered deeply from it. Apart from his only younger sister, he had always kept a respectful distance from women. As a deputy general in the military camp, his future seemed bright, and later he even earned the title of "God of War." Regardless of those who sought to use their daughters to climb the social ladder, there were plenty of women who openly expressed their admiration for him. Young, handsome, tall, and extraordinary, with a demeanor of a true gentleman, he naturally drew attention. Now, caught in such a sudden and awkward situation, Jiang Xin Zhi felt a pang of regret but didn’t know how to apologize to Jin'er.
After a brief moment of panic, Jin'er quickly calmed down. In the dim light, her expression was unreadable as she turned her head and spoke nonchalantly, "I feel something strange. Could it be that Prince Xiao sent someone to rescue us?"
Jiang Xin Zhi was taken aback. Before he could respond, Jin'er continued, "How much of your martial arts strength have you recovered now?"
"Seventy percent," Jiang Xin Zhi answered after a moment's thought.
"Can you defeat the two men outside?" Jin'er asked.
"Yes."
"That’s good," Jin'er said, growing tense. "You need to be ready. I—I think I hear the signal from outside."
"Signal?" Jiang Xin Zhi was puzzled.
"Before coming here, I asked about it. The signal is a wolf’s howl. Listen—"
In the quiet of the night, the distant howls of wolves could indeed be heard. Starving wolves were common on the grasslands, but they usually kept their distance from soldiers armed with torches and weapons. The faint howls in the distance might have seemed insignificant, but Jin'er’s certainty suggested there was a specific rhythm to them.
The two in the tent held their breaths. Outside, the night was thick and heavy, and faint rustling sounds could be heard. The soldiers merely turned over in their sleep, oblivious to the subtle noises.
Then, the rustling turned into crackling, accompanied by the sound of something collapsing. A loud thud of hardwood hitting the ground startled a sleeping soldier awake. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and stumbled out of the tent, cursing as he went to investigate the commotion. The moment he stepped outside, a wave of heat assaulted his face.
The drunken haze instantly cleared as his eyes widened in shock. In the distance, tongues of fire raged wildly, spreading so fiercely they seemed to light up the entire sky, turning night into day. The flames reflected in his pupils grew larger and larger, almost consuming his thoughts. Only when the fire reached the nearest tent did he snap out of his daze. A strangled scream tore from his throat as he shouted in a distorted voice, "Get up! Everyone, get up! The granary is on fire!"
Like a thunderclap in the dead of night, his cry jolted everyone awake. Soldiers grabbed their weapons and rushed out of their tents, only to freeze in horror at the sight before them. Without another thought, they yelled, "Put it out—put out the fire—!"But in this barren grassland, water sources were already precious. The scarce daily supply for drinking and cooking was barely enough, making such a massive fire impossible to control—especially since it had started in the grain depot! This was the food and military pay for all the soldiers of the Eastern Barbarian Country. As the flames grew fiercer, the soldiers were not only heartbroken but also gripped by deep fear. "An army marches on its stomach"—they had once mocked how the Da Jin Dynasty's military pay had been burned to ashes in the capital, and now the same fate had befallen them. The Da Jin soldiers could still rely on their reserves for a while, but their own provisions had been completely destroyed, leaving them unable to last even a single day. Moreover, with insufficient water, they could only watch helplessly as their vital supplies turned to ashes. How cruel!
"Stop panicking! Use sand to put out the fire!" A low, stern voice suddenly rang out from the shadows. Everyone turned to see a figure in gray robes who had stepped forward unnoticed, his voice heavy with suppressed anger. "Be careful not to disturb the Princess!"
"Strategist! Our military pay is burning!" a soldier blurted out in panic. "What should we do?"
"Silence," Yuan Chuan snapped. "All soldiers, fetch sand from the dunes ahead. Anyone who makes another sound will face military punishment!"
The soldiers immediately fell silent. Yuan Chuan was their leader, and with him here, everything seemed manageable. At his command, they rushed toward the nearest dunes.
Yuan Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, his face mostly hidden beneath the wide hood of his robe, his expression unreadable. Yet his usually alluring red lips were no longer curved in their usual smirk, a clear sign of his displeasure. Though his words had been firm, the intensity of the flames made it obvious that the supplies were likely beyond saving. They were powerless.
His fingers curled slowly into fists beneath his robe as Yuan Chuan remained rooted in place, as if something had been forgotten. This fire had undoubtedly been set by Da Jin soldiers—a cunning move. They had underestimated the Brocade-clad Guards. Their silence these past days had merely been a wait for the right moment. And they had struck when the Eastern Barbarian soldiers were most relaxed—meticulously calculated.
But what had been forgotten? Yuan Chuan's gaze swept across the camp, pausing briefly on a large tent. Two soldiers stood rigidly outside, their postures oddly stiff. When Yuan Chuan turned his head, the two didn't move at all, as if they were statues.
A jolt of alarm shot through him. "Quickly, check on Jiang Xin Zhi!" he barked.
The soldiers startled into action, rushing toward the tent where Jiang Xin Zhi was held under house arrest. But the two guards at the entrance had long been dead, propped up by poles to maintain the illusion of standing. The tent was empty—no trace of anyone inside.
"Disaster! Jiang Xin Zhi has escaped—" Panicked voices echoed across the Eastern Barbarian camp. Yuan Chuan stood in the distance, his lips pressed into a tight line. "He couldn't have gone far in such a short time," he growled. "After him!"The subordinate departed with the order. Yuan Chuan gazed at the distant blazing fire of the grain depot, then turned to the empty tent—completely deserted, not even the maidservant was left. Jiang Xin Zhi was indeed a man who cherished beauty and tenderness... Wait. Suddenly realizing something, his body stiffened abruptly. Jiang Xin Zhi had been dosed with Tendon Weakening Powder in his daily meals, so how had he managed to overpower the guards at the entrance? Today, he had seized the chaos of the fire to escape, but how had the timing been so precise, the coordination so flawless? That maidservant—that maidservant!
Jiang Xin Zhi was not one to trust others easily, especially in the Eastern Barbarian Country's military camp, where he remained wary of everyone. Previously, the spies they had sent to Jiang Xin Zhi's side had failed to extract any useful information from him. Yet now, on his escape, he had even taken the maidservant along. That maidservant was certainly no ordinary person—she was likely sent by Xiao Shao to assist Jiang Xin Zhi!
Yuan Chuan's face darkened like still water, though fury raged within him. He had always prided himself on his unparalleled intelligence, believing everything was under his control. Never had he imagined being outmaneuvered like this. First, the maidservant had appeared to possess no remarkable martial skills, and second, he had assumed she lacked the audacity for such deception. Yet she had fooled him completely. Today, Xiao Shao had sent someone to burn his grain depot and free Jiang Xin Zhi—what greater humiliation could there be? The sting of this insult burned fiercer than any other emotion.
...
The wilderness at night was swept by howling winds, the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoing through the darkness. The gale whipped the long hair of the riders high into the air.
Jin'er sat atop the horse, with Jiang Xin Zhi behind her, his arms encircling her as he held the reins—almost as if she were cradled within his embrace. The proximity brought the crisp, pleasant scent of the man so close that it tickled her nose. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and to mask her flustered state from the man behind her, she asked, "What if they catch up to us?"
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel