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Yu Baizhou rushed excitedly to the front of the tent, then stopped abruptly like a young boy, touched his hair to see if it was neat, then raised his arm to smell his sleeve and frowned.

I learned of the disturbances in the Southern Barbarians after the drill this afternoon, and I haven't even changed my clothes yet. I was just with a group of brothers, and we're all used to each other's stench, but I can't act like that in front of the girl…

He turned around hastily, and a faint light shone behind him.

"Isn't the general coming in?"

Song Ling lifted the curtain with one hand and stepped out, asking, "Why are you so reserved even in your own military camp?"

"I...I want to change my clothes." Yu Baizhou took a half step back, afraid of bothering her with the smell. "Is that alright?"

Song Ling couldn't help but laugh, "By the time you get back, the food will probably be completely cold."

"I...I'll be quick." Before she could finish speaking, she had vanished without a trace.

Song Ling watched his retreating figure. Since when did he start paying so much attention to his appearance in front of her? Perhaps many things had already been foreshadowed.

She just instinctively tried to avoid it.

Yu Baizhou entered the tent with his hair sticking up in wetness and a chill in the air. Although he had changed into clean clothes, some of them were still damp, perhaps because he was in a hurry.

Song Ling handed over a towel. "It's clean."

"Wipe it off, or you might get sick tomorrow."

Yu Baizhou grinned as he took it, saying somewhat embarrassedly, "I get hot easily, and I've been practicing martial arts for years, so it'll dry in no time."

Song Ling walked to the side and sat down. "Then come and have dinner. Since the general can't come tonight, I brought some food that I've prepared."

Looking up at the man who was still standing somewhat reserved, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"eat……"

The table inside the battalion commander's room was a small, rough wooden table, which looked particularly small in front of Yu Baizhou.

Song Ling picked up her chopsticks and tasted a few bites, then moved one of the dishes further away, saying, "This one's cold, let's eat the others first."

“No need, you can eat it.” Yu Baizhou took it back. “I’m used to eating anything. I’ve been eating wild vegetable soup with dried cornbread for a month and I was fine.”

Song Ling smiled helplessly, "I was planning to make sure the general and the soldiers had something hot to eat today. But now, I've only made things difficult for the general."

“Miss…” Yu Baizhou quietly looked at her, “Why did you come?”

"I mean, it's not safe for you to be alone, the road is difficult to travel, and it's quite far."

"General, you've already started eating, and you're still asking me why I came?" Song Ling picked up a small jar of wine from the side. "Fine peach blossom wine, would you like some?"

Yu Baizhou hesitated, then Song Ling suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, alcohol is prohibited in the army today. You are a general, you won't drink."

"Looks like I'll be the one who benefits."

Yu Baizhou watched as Song Ling kept refilling his glass, and he felt that something was off about her tonight. He cautiously advised her, "Miss, you should drink less..."

A quarter of an hour passed.

Perhaps it was because Song Ling's skin was too fair, but her face turned red after only a few drinks. Her originally cool eyes also became somewhat hazy.

Yu Baizhou frowned slightly; something seemed off about her.

"You can't drink anymore!" Seeing that she was about to pour more wine, he pressed her hand down with one hand and scooped the small wine jar to his side with the other. "Miss, you seem to be drunk."

Song Ling glared at him angrily, "I'm not drunk."

Yu Baizhou originally thought that Song Ling must be able to drink if she dared to drink, but he did not expect that she would get so drunk after only two cups.

What should we do now and send the person back to the county?

Yes, send them back.

"Miss, is there anything else you need to take with you? I'll take you back to the county." Yu Baizhou asked while hurriedly tidying up the table.

There was no response for a long time, but when I looked up, I saw that Song Ling was already drinking from the jar.

Yu Baizhou's forehead twitched, and he rushed forward to snatch the jar back, but after pouring it out, there wasn't a single drop of wine left.

He said helplessly, "The girl has already drunk it... what if she doesn't feel well tomorrow?"

He poured the boiled water into a basin, soaked a towel, and brought it over. "Miss, could you wipe your face yourself?"

Song Ling obediently took it, but didn't move it, her tone somewhat aggrieved, "Master never lets Seventeen wipe it herself."

Her tone was pitiful; she might burst into tears at any moment. Yu Baizhou was startled and quickly took the towel, gently wiping her face and hands. He didn't dare to move too much, his expression serious as if he were preparing for a life-or-death battle.

Sending him back tonight is probably not a realistic option. Yu Baizhou lowered his eyes in thought and went to take a quilt from a large box beside him.

He had previously asked Wei Yan to frequently air out the quilts because he didn't know if Song Ling would return. Now, it seems that his advice has come in handy.

Yu Baizhou spread out the quilt, wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead, turned his head and saw Song Ling sitting on the corner of the couch, smiling at him and saying, "You look... a lot like someone."

For some reason, a thought suddenly crossed his mind: "Who?"

Song Ling shook her head and asked him with a smile, "...Why should I tell you?"

Unexpectedly, this was the answer. Yu Baizhou smiled helplessly and said, "Then, young lady, please rest first."

I don't know if she's just carefree or confident in her own strength, but she dared to come to the military camp alone at night without any help. I'll have to remind her tomorrow.

After kicking off her shoes, Song Ling realized, "Master is going to scold me again."

"Why did Master scold you?" Yu Baizhou squatted down in front of her. He wanted to understand her and had been wondering what kind of person the Master she was talking about was.

Song Ling pouted, her lips so thin they looked like they could hold an oil bottle, "Because I stole Master's peach blossom wine and drank it all."

"Actually, I only drank a little bit... the rest was all drunk by Chu Zhaoyan!" Song Ling raised her thumb and forefinger together, making a "very little" gesture, and then laughed to herself, "It's all Chu Zhaoyan's fault. He comes to me when he wants to drink, but I'm not a winemaker... where am I going to get so much wine for him..."

Yu Baizhou looked at her with a smile. So many vivid expressions. He had probably seen her smile more times tonight than in the past six months.

So she was a cheerful girl after all. He recognized Chu Zhaoyan, the young man in pink who used to hang around her. This showed that she used to be a very popular girl in the sect.

Those days must have been very happy.

Yu Baizhou coaxed her into bed and tucked her in. Song Ling remained calm and composed, her plans seemingly flawless, which made them all forget that she was still just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.

"Go to sleep, girl. I'll keep watch outside. Call me if you need anything."

As she stood up, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Song Ling asked, puzzled, "What's your name?"

Yu Baizhou gently removed her hand and tucked it back into the blanket. "Yu Baizhou, that's my name."

Seeing that the woman did not speak again, he thought she was tired, but when he was about to reach the tent entrance, he heard her call him again.

"You... although I don't know you."

“But I think you’re very good-looking,” Song Ling thought for a moment, “you should be the kind of person I like.”

Yu Baizhou stood frozen in place, his ears turning bright red, and he felt his body burning up.

But when he turned around, the woman had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

But because of a somewhat nonsensical remark she made while drunk, Yu Baizhou sat outside the tent all night without sleeping.

One moment she'd be gazing at the full moon with a silly grin, the next she'd be lost in thought and internal struggle. Was she even conscious? Was she really talking to him...? But if she didn't like him for who he was, then who did she like...?

His expression changed from sunny to cloudy in an instant, like a magic trick.

Meanwhile, on a thick tree branch behind the tent, Shi Jiu stood with his arms crossed, watching Yu Baizhou's every move. His eyesight was always good, so he naturally saw Yu Baizhou's dumbfounded look and couldn't bear to look at him.

Meanwhile, Vice General Wang, who was waiting for a replacement to guard the city, took a vicious bite of the reunion pancake while enjoying the cool breeze and imagining the aroma of roasted meat.

That bastard from the south, don't let him get any leverage over us, or he'll definitely kill that scoundrel Jimuna.

***

Early the next morning

Song Ling was awakened by a headache. When she got up, she stumbled and almost fell. Looking down, she realized that she had tripped over the wine jar she was carrying.

Hearing creaking sounds from inside the tent, Yu Baizhou tentatively asked, "Are you awake? May I come in?"

Song Ling frowned and pinched her head. "Go in."

Yu Baizhou brought in a bowl and handed it to her, saying, "Have some of this first, and I'll go to the kitchen to get you something to eat later."

The ninja had a splitting headache. Song Ling took it and was immediately taken aback. "Honey syrup?"

"I asked the army doctor, and he said this stuff can help with hangovers. Drinking some might make you feel better."

Song Ling took a sip and realized something, "Where would a military camp get fresh honey?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed several bulges on his right side and was somewhat surprised. "Did the general get the honey himself?"

"Huh? Yeah." Yu Baizhou smiled nonchalantly. "There are plenty of these things on the surrounding mountains. The soldiers have caught some to roast and eat as a treat."

"However, this honey is too sweet, so if the military doctors don't want it, they usually throw it away."

Song Ling took a sip and put it down. "Thank you for your trouble, General. Did I drink a little too much last night?" she asked tentatively. "Did you do anything out of line?"

"You...don't remember anything?" Yu Baizhou felt a little disappointed, and the light in his eyes dimmed for a moment, but his tone was still reassuring, "No, no, everything went smoothly, there were no unexpected situations."

"That's good..." Song Ling breathed a sigh of relief. "General, you don't know, but I used to get drunk on the mountain and would always cause trouble."

"I didn't know that. It's just that my disciples said I wasn't a good drinker, so they were afraid I would cause trouble for the general last night."

Yu Baizhou quickly waved his hand, "I won't cause any trouble... You're actually quite obedient, aren't you?"

He simply couldn't remember what he had done when he woke up; many people are like that. But Yu Baizhou still felt a little lost, and it seemed he couldn't bring himself to ask that question.

"I'll go get you some food."

If he had a tail, it would probably be drooping on the ground, Song Ling thought.

Then he suddenly laughed, "General, why don't you help me pack up before you leave?"

"Ah? That's fine then..." Yu Baizhou bent down and started tidying up, taking care of the clutter and washing the towel from last night, just like a busy little bee.

Just as he was about to wipe down everything in the tent, Song Ling stopped him.

“Actually, I also had a dream.” Song Ling sat back down on the edge of the couch. “I dreamt that I was sitting here, watching someone else tidying up just like the general.”

Yu Baizhou stared at her nervously, "And then..."

“Then…” Song Ling smiled and looked at him, “and then told him that she quite liked his appearance.”

Song Ling pretended to think about the situation, "It's just that the dream was too blurry, and I could never see the face clearly."

Thump thump thump... Yu Baizhou had never heard his own heartbeat so clearly before, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.