That night, the moonlight was bright and the night was still.

Xu Nian closed her eyes and tossed and turned on the bed, a chill creeping over her for no apparent reason.

It was a sweltering time of day, and Xu Nian, feeling both confused and amazed, bit her red lips and opened her eyes.

The room was pitch black, and it was completely quiet outside.

She never turns on her live stream when she's resting, so Xu Nian patted her lower abdomen.

A sharp, cramping pain.

She was suddenly startled. Could it be that her period was approaching?

The timing was about right. Xu Nian gasped, her heart pounding with fear.

She immediately got up and moved her exhausted body to the bathroom, where she saw a scene of bloodstains.

Xu Nian clicked her tongue lightly, took out the menstrual belt she had prepared in advance, rubbed her stomach, and went back to her room.

Little did she know, her every move had already been observed by Gu Zhan, who was practicing at night nearby.

He looked at Xu Nian, whose body was hunched over and whose lips were moving as if he were saying something, and who seemed to be in some pain.

After a moment's thought, Gu Zhan finally took a step.

He arrived at Xu Nian's door, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately did not knock. His tall figure remained motionless for a long time.

There was no sound from inside. Gu Zhan listened for a while, then turned and left.

I really don't know what possessed him, that he actually stood in front of the girl's house and couldn't move.

"ah!"

Just as Gu Zhan was about to leave, a muffled groan, neither too loud nor too soft, came from inside the room.

He had practiced martial arts for many years and heard it clearly. He immediately thought that Xu Nian had been injured and hurriedly knocked on the door.

"It's me, Gu Zhan."

Xu Nian curled up on her side inside the room and suddenly heard a soft rustling sound coming from outside.

She frowned, intending to strike out the talisman, but the voice sounded familiar. With all her might, she shouted, "Come in, it's not locked."

Gu Zhan immediately pushed open the door and entered. By the bright moonlight streaming into the room, he could clearly see Xu Nian's pained and pale expression.

He seemed slightly flustered, his lips pressed tightly together, his large hands unsure of what to do with them.

"What's wrong with you?" In the end, Gu Zhan could only manage to utter this one question.

Hearing Gu Zhan's concerned inquiry, Xu Nian's ears turned bright red, and she stammered for a long time without being able to explain why.

What's Gu Zhan doing here?

Seeing her in so much pain, Gu Zhan was momentarily flustered. He took a half step forward and bent down, "Where does it hurt?"

The two quickly closed the distance, and Xu Nian could even see his slightly furrowed brows. She immediately shrank back and honestly replied, "My stomach hurts."

This answer surprised Gu Zhan, and he solemnly took Xu Nian's pulse.

In an instant, Xu Nian felt a burning sensation in her wrist, and a warm breath gently spread through her, making the unbearable abdominal pain much easier to bear.

"There's nothing wrong." Gu Zhan's expression was somewhat strange.

Having marched for many years, he still knew how to take a pulse, yet he couldn't find anything unusual.

Seeing his persistent look, Xu Nian felt anxious and gritted her teeth, saying, "Well, actually, it's my period."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian clearly noticed that Gu Zhan froze for a long while before stiffly withdrawing his hand.

"I see."

The atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Just then, the wind blew the doors and windows open, letting in the stuffy air, and Xu Nian couldn't help but frown.

Gu Zhan was caught between a rock and a hard place, so he sat down on the stool next to him, his usually stiff face showing a hint of helplessness.

Xu Nian was in so much pain that she didn't care about his feelings. She clutched her clothes tightly and cried out, "It hurts so much..."

Gu Zhan instantly felt as if he were walking on thin ice.

A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. He frowned slightly and asked softly, "What...can I do?"

The once imposing general on the battlefield was now somewhat at a loss.

Xu Nian was in so much pain she could barely speak, but she managed to murmur, "It's hot..."

Gu Zhan then snapped out of his daze, hurriedly rushed out to fill a whole bowl with hot water and brought it in, watching Xu Nian with a slightly cautious gaze.

Because it was late at night and she was on the couch, Xu Nian was only wearing her undergarments, with a moon-white long robe loosely draped over her shoulders, and her forehead was soaked with sweat.

Gu Zhan looked away, his throat bobbing slightly. "Have some of this."

But Xu Nian didn't even have the strength to hold the bowl anymore, so she could only stare at him longingly.

Those bright eyes clearly conveyed the words: "Hey me."

Afraid of disturbing her rest, Gu Zhan even brought the bowl to her lips and patiently watched her drink it all down before awkwardly withdrawing his hand.

After drinking hot water, Xu Nian finally felt a bit better and snuggled back into bed.

Gu Zhan tucked her in, almost wrapping her up like a rice dumpling.

The rising heat eased Xu Nian's anxiety and abdominal pain, and her face returned to normal.

Seeing that Xu Nian had fallen into a deep sleep, Gu Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief and tiptoed back to his room.

The next day.

Xu Nian woke up feeling dizzy and lightheaded, and instantly recalled the previous night, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.

Why is Gu Zhan outside my room?!

Xu Nian patted her flushed cheeks, forcing herself to calm down.

It's no big deal!

Judging by the time, Gu Zhan should be setting off by now.

Gu Zhan, who was walking in a hurry, couldn't help but sneeze, which startled the servants beside him.

On the other side.

Tang Li sat upright, pouring tea, when a report came from outside.

"The clan has been making a lot of moves lately, seemingly preparing for war, and has gone to the forest for training!"

"Oh?" Tang Li narrowed his eyes, quite surprised.

The soldier, clearly eager for a fight, said, "I specifically sent men to investigate. Most of the clan members have gone out. Why don't we..."

He hesitated, looking at Tang Li with expectant eyes.

Tang Li hesitated at this moment.

He's probably bluffing.

But then I thought, the wolf clan is so powerful, so what if it's a trick?

Tang Li smiled confidently, then ordered, "Send troops immediately and take them all!"

The Third Prince can't wait much longer. He was planning to send troops soon, and now he has the perfect opportunity.

The soldier was immediately overjoyed and rushed down to prepare.

Immediately, the wolf clan members prepared themselves and headed back towards the clan.

Having learned from their previous ambush, they were now familiar with the route and quickly found their destination.

Unlike the previous time when security was tight, Tang Li did not sense any danger this time.

He touched his chin.

Could it be that most of them really went to practice?

They shouldn't have made such a basic mistake.

However, Tang Li thought again that internal struggles within the clan were constant, and occasional conflicts were common.

So he immediately ordered, "Team One, charge!"

The group, referred to as a team, immediately and violently burst through the door.

However, to Tang Li's surprise, everything progressed exceptionally smoothly, even somewhat effortlessly.

The surrounding soldiers looked at each other, clearly not understanding what was going on.

Tang Li held his breath and was greatly surprised.

"This is actually a ghost town!"