"I saved you twice, and you've only repaid me once!!"

Yan Yuyao, with his neck stiff, shouted loudly. In the end, he felt that he was very justified and righteous.

"So, strictly speaking, I am still your benefactor. I don't expect you to repay my kindness. I just ask you to take good care of your injury first, okay? Stop limping around all day and making a fuss about wanting to leave."

Seeing it...it's kind of upsetting.

During this time, she stopped cooking for him and never gave him a kind look. Whenever he saw her, she would snort coldly and turn away. Yan Yuyao wanted to explain things to her properly, but he couldn't find an opportunity.

He was somewhat desperate.

He hadn't felt that she was indispensable to him before, but now that she was gone, he suddenly felt that the world had become so quiet and boring, so boring that he couldn't get used to it.

Yan Yuyao wasn't quite sure what this unpleasant feeling meant. He only knew that she had run away from home and endured all kinds of hardships to follow him. If she went back alone, people might gossip about her.

The thought of this makes Yan Yuyao furious!

He wanted to see what kind of nonsense those villagers would have to say after he personally escorted her back as a prince. At worst, he could make her a princess, and then who would dare to say another word?

She likes money, sparkly jewelry, gold and silver treasures, and is a little vain and concerned about appearances.

None of this mattered to Yan Yuyao. He had saved so much money over the years that he could throw it away even if he threw it down the river. So what if he liked money? So what if he was a little vain? He would just give her an endless amount of money for the rest of her life and make her a first-rank noblewoman so she could go out and show off.

Tsk, it's no big deal.

Yan Yuyao was having a wonderful dream, but Cui Wanzhao and Zhan Xinjia were not happy about it.

Cui Wanzhao stood with one hand on her hip and pointed at him with the other.

"When did I owe you two lives? You only saved me once on the city wall, so stop making trouble and talking nonsense."

Yan Yuyao forced herself to raise her voice at her.

"Have you forgotten? Back at Hongfu Temple, you said you were venomed by a five-step snake and needed to borrow a step from me to talk. I lent you over six hundred steps before you survived. Are you trying to renege on your debt?"

Cui Wanzhao: "?"

Zhan Xinjia: "???"

Zhan Xinjia: "666, you've got no shame at all."

She clapped her hands expressionlessly.

She's still too young to be shameless; there's much to learn. Learning is a lifelong pursuit.

Cui Wanzhao was so angry her face turned red. She never thought she would meet such a shameless person in her life. Was she blind before? How could she have thought this stupid old Chinese medicine doctor was handsome??

Now, she felt as uncomfortable as if she had eaten feces.

"Are you crazy?! You're bringing this up? Do you believe me if I get my godmother to slap you twice? I'm already being lenient by not asking you for compensation for emotional damages, and you're still getting worked up about it."

"Oh?"

Yan Yuyao raised an eyebrow. "Come on, tell me, how many do you want?"

"Well... we'll need at least 100,000 taels first."

Cui Wanzhao spoke somewhat guiltily, knowing that she had quoted an astronomical figure and only wanted to discourage him.

Unexpectedly, Yan Yuyao immediately laughed, her eyes filled with a bright smile, and her gaze towards him was even a little doting.

"Tsk, our Miss Cui is making exorbitant demands again."

Okay, I'll give you as much as you want~ It's so late, don't disturb Mom's rest, go back and get some rest, is your leg still hurting?

As she spoke, Yan Yuyao put her arm around Cui Wanzhao's shoulder and pushed her out as she stammered and tried to argue. Cui Wanzhao struggled a few times, but Yan Yuyao simply picked her up and carried her on her shoulder.

"Quack doctor! Put me down!! I'll do your thing!!!"

Ignoring the shouts and cries of the person on her shoulder, Yan Yuyao was in a great mood. She smiled broadly, revealing eight bright white teeth, and waved happily at Zhan Xinjia, who was inside the tent rubbing his forehead in pain.

"Mother-in-law, I'm leaving now."

ha?

If you're not my buddy, then who is your mother-in-law?!

Anyway, those two brilliant strategists were finally gone. Zhan Xinjia was speechless, yet couldn't help but chuckle.

Sigh... After all that commotion, I feel much better now.

Seeing others living happily makes me feel genuinely warm inside.

She went to pour tea, but the pot was empty. Disappointed, she stopped and sat at the table, lost in thought. She had been in a daze for too long, and now that she was finally awake, the long night brought on another bout of insomnia.

Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Zhan Xinjia simply put on a cloak, leaned on his cane, and walked out of the tent.

The snow outside isn't heavy; a walk is fine.

Although she had tried her best to clear her mind of all distractions, the thought of a certain person still brought a bitter feeling. Taking a deep breath, Zhan Xinjia found a rock to lean against and sat down, looking up at the sky full of scattered stars.

Actually, she didn't sit there for long. Besides, it was quite cold outside, and she didn't have that masochistic tendency.

When they returned to the tent, Zhan Xinjia intended to go straight to sleep, but when he caught a glimpse of the table, he was startled and tilted his head in confusion.

The once empty kettle was now steaming with wisps of white vapor, as someone refilled it with warm tea.

She paused, then stepped forward and poured herself a cup of tea. The tea was quite bitter, but upon closer tasting, it had a subtle sweetness reminiscent of lilies.

lily?

I vaguely remember it being used to soothe the lungs, relieve coughs, calm the nerves, and help with sleep...

Perhaps it was sent by Yan Yuyao or Qiao Qiao.

Without much thought, Zhan Xinjia drank half a cup, threw down his cane, and slowly closed his eyes as he returned to the bed.

Once her leg heals, she needs to find a way to go to Nian'an City. Something happened at the mine, and her brother, who has the mine map, will definitely be suspected by Wu Lanlian's people. She needs to go and see how her brother is doing.

The next day, Zhan Xinjia got up very early.

Although she was seriously injured and temporarily exempted from daily training, she figured she might as well go and check on how the soldiers were training and whether any of the little rascals were getting restless and slacking off.

Besides, it's still possible to have breakfast at this time.

Zhan Xinjia never expected to meet Shen Suqing in the dining tent. She stood frozen at the door, unsure whether to go in or leave. The young man, however, remained indifferent and composed, treating her as if she were nothing, and simply brushed past her.

She felt a slight sense of disappointment, lowered her eyes, and absentmindedly ladled out a bowl of taro and bone soup.

Normally, she would spend some time picking out the scallions when making taro soup, but today was strange, there were no scallions in the soup at all, and the chef's cooking skills have improved again!

After drinking her favorite soup, Zhan Xinjia smiled and felt a little better.

After finishing breakfast, she leisurely strolled to the drill ground, leaning on her little cane. As soon as she appeared, the soldiers who had been standing in formation rushed over and surrounded her, chattering all at once.

"Commander Zhan! Commander Zhan!!"

"Commander Zhan, is your injury healed? Although you missed the victory banquet, we secretly saved two jars of fine wine for you!"

"Oh dear, it's been so long since I've seen our Commandant Zhan. I feel so uneasy."

Another person laughed and chimed in, "You're just asking for a beating, aren't you? Commander Zhan, go and give him a good beating!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

As her initially low spirits gradually lifted, Zhan Xinjia smiled and was about to say something.

Turning my head slightly, I saw a blurry figure standing behind the fence not far away—

The young man's skin was unnaturally pale, devoid of any color, as if he had blended into the snow. His thin, refined face was almost unrecognizable, and his already excellent bone structure appeared even more prominent due to his extreme thinness, with deep-set dark eyes.

A biting wind rose, tossing his loose, dark hair. The gloomy, dim sky accentuated the eerie scene, making it all the more sinister.

Through the wind and snow, he silently watched from afar, quietly gazing at her.

His slightly lowered phoenix eyes were as dark as ink, listless and half-closed, devoid of any brilliance.

His gaze was sinister, his eyes seeming to want to devour someone.

Zhan Xinjia was startled, her heart skipped a beat, and she frowned.

"Sinking...?"

She had only uttered one word before she could call out to him.

The young man glanced at her indifferently, turned around, and disappeared into the snow.