However, there were still many areas on the entire sand table where small flags had not been placed, and a look of regret appeared on Chu Ling's face.
"What a pity—" he murmured softly, then pressed a hand to his chest. Yet he still couldn't suppress the churning inside, letting out a few coughs.
"General." A guard immediately offered a teacup.
Chu Ling took it and drank a few sips, suppressing the cough, then extended his hand again. "Where is the newly surveyed marching map?"
The guard grew uneasy and tense. "General, it's time to rest. Lord Zhong has instructed that you must not stay up late."
Chhu Ling smiled. "What difference will a little while make? How long could it take to glance at a marching map?"
Just as the guard was struggling with his dilemma, hurried footsteps sounded outside, accompanied by an announcement: "Deputy General Zhong has returned."
The guard joyfully went to greet him. Though Chu Ling remained standing before the sand table, his eyes lit up with delight and anticipation.
Deputy General Zhong, covered in dust, stood in the hall and removed his hat and scarf, revealing chapped lips.
"Rest assured, General. The young lady has already been escorted by the Crown Prince of Zhongshan to reunite with Young Master A Ke," he reported.
Chu Ling handed him a cup of tea. Deputy General Zhong took it and drank it in one gulp, then his scarred face twisted almost into a grimace.
"Brother!" he exclaimed, sticking out his tongue. "Why did you make me take medicine?"
He feared neither mountains of blades nor seas of fire, but he dreaded taking medicine.
"It's not medicine—it's medicinal tea, a type of tea. You've endured hardships and exhaustion, and cold energy has accumulated inside. This medicinal tea will help flush it out," Chu Ling explained with a smile, then called for the guard to bring another cup. "This second cup is hot tea."
Deputy General Zhong took the second cup, cautiously sniffed it to confirm there was no medicinal smell, then drank it down. After two cups of tea, sweat broke out on his forehead. He exhaled a turbid breath, and indeed felt completely unblocked all over. He praised, "Brother, you're truly amazing."
Chu Ling replied, "Long illness makes the patient a doctor."
Hearing this, Deputy General Zhong's face fell, twisting even more unpleasantly. "Brother—"
After calling out, he took a deep breath. What use was sorrow? It only added to the troubles. What mattered now was getting things done, so he informed Chu Ling about Chu Zhao.
"She must have heard the news of your illness, which is why she insisted on returning. I suspect someone is deliberately testing the waters."
The warmth faded from Chu Ling's expression, his eyes turning sharp. "Has someone noticed so quickly?" Then his gaze softened again. "How is A Zhao? Was she terribly frightened?"
Deputy General Zhong thought for a moment. "A Zhao cried when she saw me—she seemed really scared. But what she did was remarkable. She deceived many people and didn't seem frightened at all."
Regarding what Chu Zhao had done, Chu Ke's letter had already provided an exaggerated account, which Chu Ling was aware of. Hearing this, he couldn't help but smile.
"I never realized she was so skilled at deception," he said, then sighed softly. "When she was by my side before, she was safe, happy, and carefree—she had no need to deceive anyone. Now that I'm not with her, facing hardships and dangers alone, she has no choice but to rely on her wits. This shows she is still afraid."
Deputy General Zhong took out a letter from his chest. "A letter from A Zhao to you."
Chu Ling reached out, took it, and opened it. The letter contained only a few simple lines. At a glance, the first lines were filled with earnest pleas to return. Chu Ling's eyes grew sore as he read, but when his gaze fell on the last line, his expression stiffened, and he slapped the letter face down on the table.
The sharp sound startled Deputy General Zhong.
"What's wrong?" he asked nervously.Chu Zhao's letter to her father, he naturally hadn't read it, assuming it would be filled with a young girl's lamentations about missing her father or complaints of being bullied in the capital to evoke his sympathy.
Why did Chu Ling seem so angry?
"She asked about her mother," Chu Ling said.
Deputy General Zhong's expression also turned stern, then he frowned. "This was unavoidable. Not to mention others in the capital, even our own family members speak harshly. Brother, we've been cautious, which is why we told A Zhao from a young age that her mother came from humble origins and your union was improper. Now that she's in the capital, hearing such criticisms shouldn't trouble her too deeply."
Of course, she would still be distressed—after all, she's just a young girl, suddenly thrust into such opulent surroundings and subjected to gossip.
Chu Ling's expression grew complex as he pressed down on the letter, about to speak, when a guard hurried in from outside: "General, we've captured—well, there's someone."
Both Chu Ling and Deputy General Zhong turned to the guard. What was it? Captured or just someone?
"We caught a soldier from the commandery city, but his identity tag was clearly not his—" the guard began.
Before he could finish, Deputy General Zhong's scarred face darkened with menace. "Then execute him directly. Who cares which fool has come seeking death?"
Lately, there had been more and more spies, growing increasingly bold. What did they take Falling City for?
The guard looked at Deputy General Zhong. "He says he knows you, Lord Zhong, and has come to see you."
Deputy General Zhong's scar twitched. "Lots of people know me. Just chop—"
The guard finished his sentence: "He says his name is A Jiu."
"—Ah, A Jiu?" Deputy General Zhong's tongue slipped, nearly biting it, his face stiffening.
It was actually that kid! What was he doing here? Could it be—
His gaze instinctively shifted to Chu Ling.
Chu Ling, listening nearby, saw Deputy General Zhong's reaction and knew it was likely a misunderstanding—someone Zhong genuinely knew. But then Zhong suddenly looked at him, his expression strangely intense.
"Since you know him, go and see him," Chu Ling said, assuming Deputy General Zhong was seeking his permission.
Deputy General Zhong waved for the guard to leave first, hesitating as if wanting to say more.
"What is it?" Chu Ling smiled. "Is he someone special to you?"
Deputy General Zhong said, "This A Jiu... knows Miss Chu."
Chu Ling paused briefly, but his quick mind immediately grasped it. "The courier?" He smiled faintly. It wasn't surprising that, upon learning Chu Zhao was his daughter, he might come seeking favors. "Since he's taken the initiative to visit, we need not make a special trip to the commandery city to thank him."
Deputy General Zhong weighed his words carefully. "Miss Chu and this A Jiu... well, they're quite close."
Chu Ling understood, his smile thinning. "Oh? How close?"
Deputy General Zhong struggled to explain. What he had witnessed was Miss Chu, who had been crying and demanding to return to the Border Commandery, calling for A Jiu and calming down after speaking with him.
That alone was manageable, but the worst part was what he had heard.
Though both the courier and the Crown Prince of Zhongshan had been discreet, the prince's guard, Tie Ying, had been blunt: by the river, Miss Chu had quarreled with A Jiu and jumped into the water. After the crown prince rescued her, she even complained that he had meddled unnecessarily.
"What kind of meddling? You should ask Miss Chu herself."
In the end, Tie Ying had added that remark with a sarcastic tone.Deputy General Zhong, being a married man with children, understood perfectly well the implications behind those words. He was so furious he nearly dragged A Jiu over on the spot, but reason told him to restrain himself.
However, throughout the journey, A Jiu had kept his distance. Courier Zhang had also subtly informed him that A Jiu and Miss Chu did not get along well—A Jiu had objected to bringing her along, and the two often argued. Still, everyone meant well, and any neglect toward Miss Chu was truly due to ignorance of her identity and the duties of the couriers.
Recalling how A Zhao had deceived a group into joining these couriers, Deputy General Zhong calmed down. He realized that the young lady’s attitude toward A Jiu was merely a means to follow the couriers to the Border Commandery.
If A Jiu had any sense, he would understand the young lady’s intentions and not let his imagination run wild. The matter could then be put to rest.
Unexpectedly, this fellow had come to find General Chu in the middle of the night. What was he trying to do? Had he failed to grasp the situation?
Deputy General Zhong clenched his fists until they creaked. It was time to make him see reason.
Chu Ling smiled and signaled for Deputy General Zhong to calm down.
“In that case, I’ll see him. Whatever needs to be said will become clear once we talk.”
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