Chapter 37: Annoying Him
"Hey, you—don't come any closer." He Yan, afraid the man would approach, quickly poked her head out from behind the rock. "I'm naked! What do you want?"
The footsteps indeed halted.
He Yan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Based on her past understanding of Xiao Jue, the man was fastidious to a fault. Being naked in front of him would be considered improper—he wouldn’t want to dirty his eyes.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Xiao Jue stared at her, his voice icy.
"I’m a new recruit from the garrison, here to bathe," He Yan replied.
Xiao Jue’s eyes flashed with mockery, clearly unconvinced. "Bathing at this hour?"
"It’s too crowded in the evenings. I fell asleep in my quarters," He Yan said, meeting his gaze. "I’m not some high-ranking officer with my own room and a private bath. If I had that, who’d want to bathe in the river at night? I’m freezing as it is!"
The "high-ranking officer" she referred to was none other than Xiao Jue himself—she hoped he’d catch her sarcasm.
Unfortunately, Xiao Jue showed no sign of shame. He merely regarded her calmly.
He Yan sank deeper into the water. "And who are you?"
Hmm, might as well play the naive recruit—it’d make her story more convincing.
Xiao Jue ignored her question. Instead, he said, "If you’re cold, you shouldn’t have enlisted."
Was he rebutting her earlier remark? He Yan glanced at her clothes behind the boulder. If Xiao Jue didn’t leave, she’d have to stay submerged, but lingering too long would only arouse his suspicion.
"I enlisted for a reason," He Yan said.
Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow. "What reason?"
"To achieve glory, rise through the ranks, and prosper—just like General Feng Yun, who found success at a young age. Then I’ll go home, build a house, marry the most beautiful and virtuous lady, have the cutest children, and fill my house with descendants. A lively, thriving life—how wonderful!" He Yan wore a dreamy expression.
The moment the words left her mouth, Xiao Jue’s gaze turned frigid. "Vulgar!" he snapped.
He Yan was inwardly delighted. She’d deliberately lumped General Feng Yun’s name together with the mundane aspirations of ordinary men, just to annoy him. Someone as proud as Xiao Jue would surely feel insulted.
"What’s wrong with that?" He Yan feigned earnestness. "This is how one should enlist—to become the happiest of men."
As if unable to stomach her nonsense any longer, Xiao Jue shot her a disdainful look and turned to leave, clearly unwilling to engage further.
He Yan called after him, "Hey, brother, could you toss me the clothes behind the rock? Just lend me a hand, would you?"
Of course, Xiao Jue wouldn’t fetch her clothes. Only when he was completely out of sight did He Yan quickly finish washing, dart behind the rock, and change.
The moon remained silent, as if oblivious to all that had transpired. He Yan gathered her dirty clothes and headed back, her mind lingering on the encounter with Xiao Jue.
At this hour, he probably hadn’t come for any particular reason—just a casual stroll under the beautiful night sky.Speaking of which, it had been many years since He Yan last saw Xiao Jue. The last time she encountered him at the horse track, she had hastily lowered her head, afraid he might notice something amiss, and thus hadn’t gotten a clear look at how he had changed. Just now, however, she had the rare opportunity to observe him properly, and it seemed he was different from what she remembered.
She knew that even back then, Xiao Jue had been peerlessly handsome, with countless young girls vying for just a glance from him. Yet somehow, people could grow even more striking with age. She had no idea what he had been eating all these years, but his current demeanor surpassed even his former brilliance. If the Xiao Jue of the past carried a hint of youthful charm and playfulness, now there was no trace of that frivolity. He was like a flawless piece of jade, or a treasured sword sheathed in its scabbard—quietly exuding an unspoken radiance.
Only his temperament had grown much colder than before.
He Yan walked slowly.
Back then, after a fierce argument with the He family, she had enlisted in the army, unaware of what had transpired at Xianchang Academy. At that time, Xiao Jue was still the young master of the Xiao family, and everything seemed normal. It wasn’t until years later, through the gossip of those around her, that she learned of the second young master’s circumstances.
Xiao Jue’s father, Xiao Zhongwu, had been a valiant general of Great Wei, renowned for his ability to defeat larger forces with fewer troops. A steadfast pillar of the state, he had met his end during the Battle of Mingshui while attacking the southern barbarians, ambushed and slain by their chieftain. After General Xiao’s death, Xiao Jue took command of the troops and continued the campaign against the southern barbarians.
He Yan had enlisted at fifteen; Xiao Jue had joined the army just a year older than her. She didn’t know the specifics, but she understood that for a sixteen-year-old to inherit his father’s forces was no simple matter. Even disregarding the imperial court’s stance, the Xiao family’s political enemies would never pass up the chance to kick them while they were down.
If Xiao Jue had failed, the entire Xiao family would have fallen. As a Military Family, the Xias could never have endured relying solely on the eldest son, Xiao Jue’s elder brother, who held the civil post of Senior Officer of Counsel.
Fortunately, fate favored him. Not only did Xiao Jue win, but he did so spectacularly, crushing the southern barbarians and returning to the capital with their general’s head. From then on, he earned the titles of "Young Slayer General" and "Jade-Faced Commander."
War was the fastest way to temper a person’s character. All edges and sharpness had to be sheathed in the face of life and death. Perhaps Xiao Jue had once retained the arrogant flamboyance typical of noble scions in the capital, but now, none of that remained.
A more outstanding, colder, more inscrutable, and more formidable Xiao Jue.
He Yan reached the door of her room. Inside, everyone was sound asleep, none the wiser to her absence. She placed her clothes at the foot of the bed, lay down, closed her eyes, and felt a rare tranquility.
After all, these years hadn’t been spent growing for Xiao Jue alone. She, too, had changed alongside him.
And she wasn’t far behind.
One more chapter to come~
(End of chapter)
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