Legend of the Female General

Chapter 113: The Physician

"Xiao Huaijin?" Rida Muzi stared at the man before him, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

"Fei Nu."

Fei Nu appeared behind him. Xiao Jue handed He Yan over to him. "Take them down."

Fei Nu supported He Yan, while Song Taotao scrambled to her feet and followed behind. The two of them descended from the Martial Arts Stage. Surrounded by people, Fei Nu asked He Yan, "Can you still hold on?"

He Yan nodded.

"Sit here first," Fei Nu helped her lean against a tree and sit down. "The physician will be here soon."

Physician? He Yan was puzzled. The Liangzhou Guard had only one female physician, Shen Muxue, who was currently being watched intently by the Qiang Tribe soldiers—a beautiful woman in a military camp always drew attention.

She looked up toward the stage.

On the Martial Arts Stage.

"Didn't you want to spar with me?" Xiao Jue casually drew his sword, his dark eyes fixed on the man before him as he curled his lips slightly. "Come on."

Rida Muzi asked, "Are you Xiao Huaijin?"

Xiao Jue smiled faintly. "The one and only."

The world knew that Great Wei had two renowned generals: General Feng Yun, Xiao Huaijin, and the Flying Goose General, He Rufei. But just as He Yan had never fought the Southern Barbarians, Xiao Jue had never battled the Western Qiang. Their reputations were well-known, but this was the first time they had truly faced each other.

Rida Muzi had never seen Xiao Jue's true appearance, and the information he had received earlier indicated that Xiao Jue had gone to Zhangtai. The travel time from Zhangtai to Liang Province made it impossible for him to return here.

But the sword in his hand... did not seem ordinary.

Seeing him hesitate, Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow. "Afraid?"

Rida Muzi sneered, "Putting on airs!" He raised his blade and charged.

Yet the young man remained motionless. The sword in his hand was as cold as autumn frost, sharp and unstoppable. His movements were as effortless as sweeping fallen petals, directly breaking through the curved blade—swift and fierce, dazzling to the eye. Rida Muzi had already lost his morale from his earlier fight with He Yan, and now he was even more overwhelmed, retreating step by step. The Drink Autumn Sword pierced straight toward his chest.

"Commander!" his subordinates cried out in alarm.

Rida Muzi leaned back and retreated, narrowly avoiding Xiao Jue's thrust to his chest. Instead, Xiao Jue sliced through his armor, lifting it on the tip of his sword and tossing it aside. In an instant, Rida Muzi's chest was left unprotected.

"Western Qiang warrior?" Xiao Jue's lips curled mockingly. "Nothing more than this."

Rida Muzi burned with rage, but the earlier exchange had made it clear that he was no match for Xiao Jue. The Liangzhou Guard was full of hidden talents—He Yan earlier was proof of that. A new recruit with such skill—who knew if there were others? There was no need to continue the sparring on the Martial Arts Field. This venture had cost him dearly: he had lost two beloved generals, and his subordinates had witnessed his humiliating defeat. Morale was already low, and further delay would only worsen matters. The main objective was what truly mattered.

He glanced toward the foot of the Martial Arts Stage. But... why was there still no movement?

The young man elegantly wiped his sword, glancing at him with a faint, mocking smile. "What are you waiting for? News of victory from the ambush at Five Deer River?"

Rida Muzi's heart sank, and he slowly looked up.

"You're going to be disappointed." Xiao Jue chuckled, his eyes cold and indifferent.

"Ke Muzhi!" Rida Muzi quickly retreated, shouting, "The granary! The granary!"

"No news," his subordinate's voice carried a hint of panic. "Commander, they haven't returned yet!"

Xiao Jue paused slightly.

Below the stage, someone laughed.Rida Muzi followed the sound and saw the culprit who had nearly caused him to stumble earlier—the black-clad youth named He Yan—wearing a triumphant smile. Though her voice was already weak and faint, her words remained as irritating as ever. She said, "Sneaking into someone else's granary to set fire is such a despicable act. That's why crossbowmen were already prepared there long ago. Commander, your men won't be coming back."

They were prepared all along?!

Suddenly, Rida Muzi realized something was terribly wrong. He had meticulously planned this operation, thinking he could now satisfactorily close the net, unaware that while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole lurks behind. He thought he was the mantis, not realizing there was still an oriole waiting.

They had been tricked!

It was likely that Xiao Jue going to Zhangtai was a ruse, and the Liangzhou Guard recruits being weak and vulnerable was also a ruse—all of it was false. Everything, everything, was meant to lure them into a trap. The insider here had long been exposed!

"We've fallen into a trap! Retreat quickly!" he shouted to the crowd below the stage. "There are ambushers by the river!"

Ambushers? The Qiang Tribe soldiers were bewildered. Weren't the ambushers by the river their own people, positioned there to wipe out the Liangzhou Guard recruits? But the meaning of his words...

"Since you're here," Xiao Jue looked at him, "don't think about leaving."

Rida Muzi gritted his teeth, raising his curved blade before him. At this point, their Western Qiang forces were demoralized and caught in a trap. The only thing left to do was to fight with their backs to the river. However, as long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. If he could escape, he would surely have a chance to make a comeback in the future!

"Warriors!" he raised his blade. "Kill them! Wipe them all out!"

The soldiers behind him raised their blades and began slaughtering wildly, clashing with the Liangzhou Guard recruits in a chaotic melee. Someone secretly lit a signal flare, sending a smoke tube soaring into the air where it exploded with a bang.

Rida Muzi turned, intending to flee amidst the chaos.

As soon as he turned around, he felt someone grip his shoulder.

"Thinking of running?" The young commander-in-chief, stunningly handsome in this moment, wore an indifferent smile. "Do you really think you can escape?"

Thus, they engaged in combat.

At that very moment, an earth-shaking roar erupted from ahead. Following the sound, they saw an army charging from the direction of Five Deer River, all clad in black armor and black garments. At the forefront rode a horseman holding a battle flag emblazoned with the character "South."

"It's the Southern Garrison Troops! The Nine Banners Battalion!"

"The Southern Garrison Troops have arrived!"

He Yan's eyes were barely able to stay open. Fei Nu, to prevent her from being injured in the chaos, supported her as they retreated. He Yan could only catch a fleeting glimpse.

An endless stream of Southern Garrison Troops poured in from the riverbank, seeming inexhaustible.

Reinforcements have arrived... Before losing consciousness, she looked toward Xiao Jue's direction, a single thought flashing through her mind.

So... this was his plan.

...

This was a brutal war.

Rida Muzi was not foolish enough to lead only a thousand soldiers to provoke the Liangzhou Guard. He had merely occupied the village closest to Five Deer River, crossed the river overnight by water, and set up ambushers along the riverbank. If the Liangzhou Guard recruits proved unable to resist and attempted to retreat, they would be like sheep entering a tiger's den—completely wiped out.However, man's plans are no match for heaven's will. Rida Muzi likely never expected that while he was "sparring" with someone on the Martial Arts Field, the ambush by the Five Deer River would also go awry. He had assumed all the new recruits were gathered around the Martial Arts Field, but for some reason, there was another crossbow team hidden in the forest by the Five Deer River. As soon as the Qiang people appeared, they unleashed a volley of arrows, throwing the Qiang into disarray and forcing them to engage these new recruits first. Then, Xiao Jue, who shouldn't have returned at this time, suddenly appeared, bringing with him ten thousand soldiers from the Southern Garrison Troops.

Ten thousand Southern Garrison Troops against over ten thousand Qiang wouldn’t have been an easy victory. But with the morale-boosted new recruits of the Liangzhou Guard and the unstoppable Nine Banners Battalion, they naturally conquered all before them.

A situation that seemed certain to end in victory was overturned in an instant.

With all his trusted aides dead around him, Rida Muzi knew he could no longer escape that day. Unwilling to be captured and slaughtered, he took his curved blade and slit his own throat.

With their leader dead and no one to command them, the remaining Qiang quickly discarded their armor and weapons, fleeing in disarray.

It ended faster than expected.

On the Martial Arts Field of the Liangzhou Guard, at the foot of White Moon Mountain, along the horse path, and by the Five Deer River, corpses lay everywhere. In this battle, the Liangzhou Guard’s new recruits also suffered heavy losses. The most tragic were likely the patrol sentries who had been secretly killed the previous night, followed by the Arbalists by the Five Deer River, whom the Qiang had engaged first.

The surviving soldiers with minor injuries helped clean up the battlefield, carrying out the bodies of their comrades. Those seriously wounded were sent to the medical clinic, where Shen Muxue and her attendants treated them.

Xiao Jue walked out, with Shen Han following behind.

"Uncle!" Cheng Li Su, brought over by Chi Wu, rushed forward, still shaken. "Why did you only return now? You scared me to death—I thought I was going to die here today!"

Before Xiao Jue could speak, Cheng Li Su spotted Shen Han following behind him. Remembering the hardships he had endured under Shen Han recently, he immediately lodged a complaint to his elder. "Uncle! You have to talk to Drillmaster Shen. If it weren’t for Brother He today, that guy named something-wood would have slaughtered everyone in the Liangzhou Guard. Brother He helped us, and yet, just a few days ago, Drillmaster Shen locked him up in the dungeon! It’s so unfair!"

"The dungeon?" Xiao Jue glanced at Shen Han. "What happened?"

Shen Han felt a headache coming on and replied, "...It’s a long story. The situation was urgent at the time, and I couldn’t confirm He Yan’s identity."

"You even accused him of murder! And what happened? You arrested Brother He and let the real murderer go! My brother saved you today without holding a grudge, and you all owe him an apology!"

"Enough," Xiao Jue scolded. "Chi Wu, take Cheng Li Su back."

"Huh? Uncle, where are you going?"

"I’m going to change clothes." Xiao Jue ignored him and said to Shen Han, "Follow me. I have something to ask you."

He had returned in a hurry, traveling day and night without rest. After the fierce battle just now, he was covered in blood and dust. As soon as he returned to his room, he quickly bathed and changed into clean clothes. When he stepped out, he bumped into a young man dressed in white.

This young man was around Xiao Jue’s age, with delicate and refined features, exuding an air of scholarly elegance. He wore a perpetual three-point smile on his face, and his robe was embroidered with a playful water crane. Despite the winter cold, he lightly fanned himself with a folding fan, seemingly unbothered by the chill.Seeing Xiao Jue, he smiled and said, "Are you injured? Do you want me to take a look?"

Xiao Jue raised his hand to block his approach. "No need. There's someone next door who's about to die. Go check on that one."

"Oh?" The young man glanced toward the neighboring room, showing a reluctant expression. "I, Lin Shuanghe, the White-robed Divine Hand, have always only treated women. You were already an exception. We haven't seen each other for years, and as soon as you arrive, you want me to break my rules. Now I have to treat your soldiers too? How is that any different from those street-side doctors?"

Xiao Jue: "Are you going or not?"

Lin Shuanghe snapped open his fan with a flourish and said primly, "Fine, I'll go."

Shen Han, standing nearby, was inwardly astonished. This refined-looking young gentleman was actually Lin Shuanghe, the White-robed Divine Hand? And Lin Shuanghe was going to treat He Yan? This truly indicated that He Yan's relationship with Xiao Jue was extraordinary. Recalling how he had previously imprisoned He Yan in the dungeon, Shen Han couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

This really stirred up a hornet's nest!

The group went together to He Yan's room. Inside, Song Taotao was sitting by the bed, wiping sweat from He Yan's forehead. He Yan still hadn't woken up, and the bedding beneath him was stained red with blood. It was unclear where he was injured. Song Taotao wanted to help but didn't dare act rashly. Shen Muxue was treating critically ill patients at the medical clinic and couldn't get away. Seeing Xiao Jue arrive with a young man, she immediately exclaimed happily, "Second Young Master Xiao!"

"The doctor is here," Xiao Jue said. "You can leave now."

Song Taotao looked at Lin Shuanghe and was momentarily stunned. "Young Master Lin?"

Shuojing wasn't exactly small, but it wasn't overwhelmingly large either. Song Ci knew Lin Shuanghe's father, and the two had met before, making them old acquaintances.

"Ms. Song, it's been a long time," Lin Shuanghe said, waving his folding fan. "I'm here to examine this young brother."

"But aren't you... don't you only..." Song Taotao hesitated.

"It's true I only treat women," Lin Shuanghe sighed. "But I'm entrusted with a task and must fulfill it faithfully. I'll make an exception this once, but it won't happen again."

Song Taotao was about to say something more when Xiao Jue spoke to her: "Ms. Song, if you have nothing else to attend to, please step outside to avoid delaying the doctor's treatment."

"...Alright." The young girl stood up and left the room. Xiao Jue closed the door behind her. Song Taotao stared at the closed door and suddenly realized something. Wasn't Xiao Jue still inside himself? How come his presence didn't delay the doctor's treatment?

How unfair!

Inside the room, Lin Shuanghe walked over to He Yan's bedside, placed his medical chest on the small table, and opened it as he spoke. "What's this brother's background that he gets to stay next to you? Is he highly skilled? He looks a bit thin and weak."

Xiao Jue: "Less talk."

Lin Shuanghe paid no heed. "Actually, you didn't need to make Ms. Song leave just now. It seems she's quite fond of this brother. Even if she watched from the side, it wouldn't have been a problem. Why drive her away and leave her anxiously waiting outside?"

Xiao Jue was silent for a moment. "You're overthinking it. I asked her to leave because I was afraid she'd scare you."

"Scare me?" Lin Shuanghe asked, puzzled. "Why would she scare me? It's not some rare or difficult illness." As he spoke, he reached out to remove He Yan's clothing.

Xiao Jue pressed down on his arm.

Lin Shuanghe looked up. "What?"

"Check his pulse first."

"He has external injuries? What's the point of checking his pulse! I can tell what's wrong at a glance. We need to bandage the wound first!"

Xiao Jue glanced at him. "I said check his pulse first.""What's going on with you now, Xiao Huaijin?" Lin Shuanghe was utterly baffled. "Are you even going to dictate how I practice medicine?"

"Will you take her pulse or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Shuanghe, overwhelmed by Xiao Jue's gaze, lost his temper and reluctantly reached out to take He Yan's pulse first. As soon as he felt her pulse, his expression changed. At first, he couldn't believe what he sensed, so he checked it twice more. Finally, he looked at Xiao Jue: "She is..."

Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow: "That's right."

Lin Shuanghe sprang up: "Xiao Jue! You've actually hidden a beauty away!"

Xiao Jue frowned and glanced toward the door: "Are you shouting so loudly because you're afraid not enough people know?"

"Others don't know, who knows now?" Lin Shuanghe asked in a low voice.

"Just the two of us, and Fei Nu."

"This little sister is quite something," Lin Shuanghe, who habitually called all young women "little sister," now looked at He Yan with a different expression. "I wondered why you'd let someone live next door to you. So, your intentions weren't about the wine at all. What's your relationship? We haven't seen each other for so long, and you finally have a girl you like? Why didn't you say anything? Where is your wife from? How did she come to Liangzhou Guard? It must be for you, right? And you, you should be cherishing a girl, yet you bring her to this desolate place to suffer. Are you even human?"

Xiao Jue couldn't take it anymore: "Are you done? If you say a few more words, she'll stop breathing."

"How can you curse a young girl like that?" Lin Shuanghe scolded him. "Come over here and help me take off her clothes. Find a cloth to cover the rest of her body, just expose her waist."

Xiao Jue almost doubted his own hearing and asked, "What did you say?"

"Come and help. Although in front of a doctor, there are no distinctions, if she were just an ordinary girl, I wouldn't care so much. But since she's yours, of course you should undress her. Otherwise, if something goes wrong later, you might hold a grudge against me and cause trouble. What then?"

"What do you mean, 'mine'?" Xiao Jue's temple throbbed. "There's nothing between us."

"You're living together, how can there be nothing? Since you already know her identity, your relationship must be deep. Hurry up, I just felt her pulse, and her condition isn't good. She's already very weak." Lin Shuanghe urged, "I'll use hot water to clean her wound first. Her injury is on her waist."

Xiao Jue thought of the blood that stained his hand when he helped He Yan earlier. He took a deep breath and gave in. Walking over to He Yan's side, he washed his hands and slowly began to undo her clothes.

He turned his head away, his gaze fixed elsewhere, avoiding looking at He Yan. Even so, he couldn't help but touch her body. The skin beneath his hands was delicate and smooth, a stark contrast to the rough touch of the men in the military camp. It was at this moment that he seemed to realize that He Yan truly was a woman.

This person was usually lively and energetic, calling the men of Liangzhou Guard brothers, and her temperament was even more straightforward than most men's. Over time, even though he knew she was a woman, he still treated her as a man.

His mind flashed back to that night at the county magistrate's residence in Liang Province, when her identity as a woman was discovered. Drink Autumn had cut He Yan's clothes to shreds, and in that moment, he realized that the seemingly indomitable body he had always seen was actually draped in such luminous, fair skin.

Fragile and vulnerable.He grabbed a thin blanket from beside him and wrapped it around He Yan's upper body, then reached to undo her belt. As soon as he touched it, he felt something unusual. He Yan's belt was tied far too tightly—was it because young women cared about their appearance? Judging by her usual behavior, that seemed impossible.

He undid the belt and instantly felt his palm grow damp. The bedding beneath He Yan was stained with large patches of red. Lin Shuanghe also set aside his joking demeanor, reaching out to examine her. At a glance, he froze, his expression turning serious. "She has a knife on her."

Xiao Jue: "What?"

Lin Shuanghe took out small golden forceps and silver needles from his case. Using the forceps, he gently probed the area. On the bed, He Yan furrowed her brows in her unconscious state, as if stirred by the pain, but she did not wake.

The small forceps carefully extracted a thin blade from the wound at her waist.

Xiao Jue's brow twitched.

Half in admiration and half in amazement, Lin Shuanghe remarked, "This young lady really knows how to endure!"

Xiao Jue looked at the blade tossed into the tray—thin and sharp. Had she been carrying something like this on the Martial Arts Stage all along? When did this happen? Was it when Rida Muzi fought her, or even earlier? If it was earlier, then in the previous two matches, every time He Yan clashed with an opponent, the blade would have dug deeper, like cutting into flesh alive, causing unbearable pain. Even an ordinary man would struggle to endure it—how had He Yan managed? What’s more, Xiao Jue remembered that when he arrived, the young man’s face even wore a smile, showing not the slightest hint of anything wrong, fooling everyone.

Deceivers were skilled at putting on an act, but if she was deceiving even herself, it was somewhat pitiable.

"What’s this girl’s background?" Lin Shuanghe asked Xiao Jue without looking up as he cleaned He Yan’s wound.

"The daughter of a city gate captain."

"A city gate captain?" Lin Shuanghe paused his hands. "What’s she doing here? Did she come for you?"

"Don’t overthink it," Xiao Jue scoffed. "To achieve glory and build a career."

"What?"

"That’s what she said." Xiao Jue looked out the window.

Lin Shuanghe pondered the words for a moment but couldn’t make sense of them. He said, "This girl is truly remarkable, enduring what ordinary people cannot. In all my years of practicing medicine, I’ve treated countless women, but this is the first time I’ve encountered someone like her."

Lin Shuanghe took out clean white cloth and bandaged He Yan after applying medicine. He couldn’t help but feel moved. In Shuojing, he had treated countless women, encountering all sorts of strange ailments. Some asked him to remove birthmarks they disliked on their foreheads. Others, frail since birth, sought prescriptions to nourish their bodies. There were those who, after years of marriage without children, came seeking miraculous fertility formulas, and those neglected by their husbands who requested beauty-enhancing recipes to nourish their skin.

Most of the women who could afford his services came from wealthy families and had never truly suffered physically. Thus, accustomed to the delicate flowers of high society, this battered and bruised "dog-tail grass" seemed exceptionally unique.

"What’s your relationship with her?" he asked.

Xiao Jue: "No relationship."

"If there’s no relationship, why are you looking out for her like this? Even I’ve been dragged into this." Lin Shuanghe shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Fine, what do you plan to do with her afterward?"

"Do with her?""Don't think that just because a young lady wears your recruit's uniform, she's truly your soldier. I see she was originally a lovely and delicate beauty—look what she's been reduced to now? You can't possibly keep her mixed in with your army camp as a recruit forever, can you? Why not send her to Shen Muxue's side, to assist her? That way she can stay near you without having to go to those dangerous places. A gentle and fragile girl like her should be kept indoors and cared for tenderly, yet here you are, ruthlessly crushing a flower, heartlessly driving away a swallow..."

"Gentle and fragile?" Xiao Jue seemed amused by his words, curling his lips as he drawled, "Right before I rushed back, she had just cut off the heads of two Western Qiang men."

Lin Shuanghe: "..."

"If I had arrived any later, she would have been on her third."

Lin Shuanghe's bandaged hand trembled slightly. After a long pause, he finally laughed, "...So it's true that a true master never shows their hand, and those who show their hand are no true masters. Hah, hah."

The first supporting character in this story—gynecologist Lin Shuanghe—makes his debut! Healer's motto: Heal every single hit.

(End of Chapter)