Chapter 57: No retreat, is your heart made of iron?
It was late at night, the candles were out, and everything was pitch black.
There were two small beds in the tent, located on both sides of the entrance. She and Luo Wan lay on the two small beds respectively.
Occasionally, the footsteps of patrolling soldiers could be heard passing outside the tent.
Jiang Yuanan didn't expect that Luo Wan also knew Jiang Cichen, but she had never mentioned it in front of him. This realization made Jiang Yuanan feel an inexplicable bitterness in his heart.
She had already told Luo Wan her identity, name and even the purpose of her trip, almost without reservation.
But what about Luo Wan? Apart from her name, everything else about her was so elusive that it made her feel a little unbalanced.
Jiang Yuanan tossed and turned, the covers rustling as she tossed them. She turned sideways, using the faint moonlight filtering through the slits in the tent to try and see the figure on the bed across from her.
Luo Wan's figure was completely hidden in the darkness, and only his slender outline could be vaguely seen under the bedding.
Jiang Yuanan tugged at the quilt and whispered tentatively, "Sister Luo, are you asleep?"
When Luo Wan saw the silver mask tonight, she was surprised to find that the person under the mask was Jiang Cichen, which made her unable to recover.
Luo Wan thought of many possibilities, but he never thought that the masked man in Jinxi City was Jiang Cichen.
The archer who was hiding in the dark and shot her with an arrow was most likely Xie Yan, who would become famous in the martial arts world in the future.
A general who was full of military merits and high-spirited was inexplicably cast as a death soldier.
Moreover, Jiang Cichen had been fighting outside, so how did he know about her negotiations with the Shen family?
Including the kidnapping of Shen Zhiyan on the way to Wutan Town, Jiang Cichen also arrived by chance.
It only means that he and Shen Zhiyan had already reached some kind of cooperation.
Later in the Red Mansion, Jiang Cichen also appeared wearing the same mask and using the same fake identity.
After that, the Red Mansion was sealed off.
It's just that Luo Wan was preoccupied with other things at that time, and he didn't think about why the masked man suddenly appeared in the Red Mansion, nor did he connect the two things together.
Luo Wan sensed movement on the other side, tilted his head to look at her, and whispered, "You're not asleep yet."
This response came too late, and Jiang Yuanan's budding sleepiness suddenly dissipated. She felt an indescribable surge of emotions, as if something was stuck in her chest, sour and bitter.
"Sister Luo and Jiang Cichen, have they known each other for a long time?" she asked cautiously.
Luo Wan was silent for a moment.
"Not very early," she said calmly, "after you."
Jiang Yuanan said in a muffled voice, "He's been watching you all day. Do you know each other well?"
Before Luo Wan could answer, Jiang Yuanan suddenly threw back the quilt, jumped out of bed barefoot, and ran to her bedside in two steps: "Sister Luo, can I sleep with you? I have something to tell you in private."
The bed was narrow, and Luo Wan wanted to refuse, but when he saw her hugging her arms and trembling slightly, he moved to the inside and made half of the space available.
Jiang Yuanan immediately and happily got into bed and suddenly said, "Your bed is so cold! Sister Luo, are you feeling cold?"
Luo Wan's expression was calm: "I got used to it when I was a kid."
I'm used to begging barefoot on the streets in the cold winter, used to curling up in thin clothes in the corner of a dilapidated temple, used to being frozen stiff but no one cares about me.
Later, he entered Tingyu Tower and underwent seven years of inhuman training, either soaking in the freezing mud or being drenched in the cold rain.
I could still get by in the summer, but in the winter, I was freezing all night long, unable to sleep. Over time, my body couldn't warm up anymore.
Jiang Yuanan's nose felt sore: "How can I get used to this? It must be so cold..."
She held Luo Wan's cold hand and wrapped it tightly with her palm: "I'll warm you up."
Jiang Yuanan's palms were burning hot, like a small fire, scorching her fingertips. She looked up and met his clear, bright eyes, filled with undisguised concern.
Luo Wan asked softly, "Would the princess do such a thing?"
Jiang Yuanan blew a breath of warm air onto their clasped hands and said with a smile, "My mother's hands and feet are also cold, so I often warm her hands in the winter. One year, I was having fun and secretly followed the army out of the palace. It was much colder outside, so I did this," she rubbed Luo Wan's fingers, "warming myself."
Luo Wan looked at her quietly: "The time you met Jiang Cichen, it wasn't just for fun, right?"
At the poetry and martial arts conference, Bei Ye Ji once said that Princess Xiliang fell in love with Jiang Cichen at first sight, but Jiang Cichen only admitted that they had met once on the battlefield.
Even if Xiliang was short of generals, the King of Xiliang would never let his only princess go to the battlefield in person.
Jiang Yuanan's claim that he had sneaked out was somewhat believable, but only partially. After all, it was rare for someone to escape to the battlefield out of play.
Jiang Yuanan blinked. "They all thought I was just having fun, so let them think so. Actually... I just wanted to see what kind of person that Northern Kingdom general who had been driving Xiliang into a continuous retreat was."
From running to the battlefield filled with resentment just to catch a glimpse of the enemy invading the country, to falling in love with this "enemy" at first sight, even making it known to the whole country. Luo Wan couldn't help but wonder what kind of transformation could cause Jiang Yuanan's feelings for Jiang Cichen to undergo such a drastic change.
Luo Wan said: "I saw it, what do you think?"
In the darkness, Jiang Yuanan's eyes lit up startlingly. "He was different from all the soldiers I've ever met. The city was taken so suddenly, and I didn't follow the retreat. Wearing the armor of the Western Liang army, I fell into the hands of the Northern Kingdom's army. He looked at me and asked why a woman like me was wearing armor." "I wasn't convinced, so I asked him, 'Why can't women go to the battlefield? Can't women serve their country?'" At this point, she smiled softly. "Then he smiled, the most unbridled smile I've ever seen. Later, he sent someone to secretly send me back to the Western Liang camp."
Luo Wan understood. On the battlefield, Jiang Cichen was invincible and full of vigor. Jiang Yuanan had seen him at his most dazzling, and had escaped death because of his kindness. Naturally, this impression was extremely deep.
Jiang Yuanan's voice gradually faded. "I haven't seen him for a long time. The last time I heard about him was when I overheard my father's ministers report that Jiang Cichen had committed treason and was stationed in Yinan City, fighting against the Xiliang army."
Luo Wan said: "So you came to find him?"
"That's right." Jiang Yuanan suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Sister Luo, let me tell you, Jiang Cichen actually holds a grudge. Rumor has it that his parents died at the hands of the Yun people, so he captured five cities in three years. Today, he attacked you but you slapped him back. I'm worried he'll retaliate in the future. Just now, when he was drinking the medicine, he kept staring at you, so you have to be careful."
She thought it was just a whisper, but it turned out to be a reminder for her to be wary of Jiang Cichen.
Luo Wan couldn't help but ask: "You know he's such a person, and you still like him?"
Jiang Yuanan nodded without hesitation: "Liking someone is irrational. If you dislike someone because you know what kind of person they are, then that's not true love. True love is accepting and tolerating everything about the other person."
As the night deepened, the two of them squeezed on the narrow bed. Jiang Yuanan held Luo Wan's arm and muttered some irrelevant things.
The soldiers patrolling outside the tent changed one after another until the sky turned dark blue and the faint crowing of roosters was heard in the distance, and then they fell into a deep sleep.
In the early spring morning, the air is still a little chilly and particularly fresh.
Jiang Yuanan was still sleeping in a daze. Luo Wan took the medical book and walked out of the tent.
Luo Wan went straight to Jiang Cichen's tent, but didn't see anyone. When she turned the corner, she ran into Qin Yue.
Because of Xie Yan's words last night, Qin Yue's attitude towards Luo Wan became noticeably more respectful. Seeing her approach, the burly man paused awkwardly, offering a simple, honest grin as a greeting.
Luo Wan asked him where Jiang Cichen was.
Coming so early this morning to look for their commander, Qin Yue's eyes flashed with understanding, and he began to believe Xie Yan's words even more. He scratched his head and said in a gruff voice, "At the martial arts training ground."
"Thank you very much."
I sneaked into the Yinan military camp the night before last and roughly memorized the locations of the various venues in the camp.
Not long after, Luo Wan arrived at the martial arts training ground that Qin Yue mentioned.
More than a hundred soldiers lined up in neat rows, wearing light armor and holding spears.
Following the command, they advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, their movements uniform. It was clearly a chilly morning, and sweat had soaked through their clothes.
Luo Wan saw Jiang Cichen at a glance.
He sat on a rock at the edge of the arena, a drawn sword resting across his knees.
He was wearing a simple light-colored suit with a red belt around his waist, which made him look particularly neat.
Jiang Cichen noticed her arrival, but did not look up. He just wiped the scabbard slowly with a piece of coarse cloth, his movements very slowly.
After parting in the capital, she stood before him again, but both of their moods were very different from before.
"You're here." He finally spoke, his voice low, as if coming from far away.
Luo Wan said: "You knew I would come."
Jiang Cichen then raised his eyes to look at her: "You traveled thousands of miles and broke into the military camp, it's impossible that you did it just to give me a blow."
Luo Wan said bluntly: "I want to cooperate with you."
Jiang Cichen stared into her eyes, trying to find the calculation in them, but he only saw calmness.
She was still the same as she was a year ago, nothing seemed to catch her eye.
Jiang Cichen said: "I don't need it."
The morning breeze blew, lifting the loose hair on Luo Wan's forehead.
She stared at Jiang Cichen's neck, where there was an almost invisible fine line, which was clearly not there when she left the capital.
"I need it." Luo Wan said frankly, "I need to cooperate with you."
Jiang Cichen raised his eyebrows and motioned for her to continue.
Luo Wan said: "I will help you take down the capital and Liangding, and you will spare Shen Zhiyan's life."
Jiang Cichen's expression finally changed. He stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow in the morning light, shrouding Luo Wan. "You wanted to save Shen Zhiyan's life, so why didn't you stand by him and protect him? Instead, you collaborated with his enemy, a traitorous minister?"
"It doesn't matter."
"This is very important." He took a step forward, so close that Luo Wan could smell the faint herbal scent on him.
It was the medicine prepared for him by the military physician last night to treat his internal injuries.
Luo Wan took a half step back, trying to keep some distance.
Jiang Cichen immediately grabbed her arm and said in a firm tone: "Don't retreat."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air between the two seemed to freeze.
Luo Wan frowned and said calmly, "The choice is yours. If you disagree, I will leave immediately and never disturb you."
He asked cryptically, "Luo Wan, is your heart made of iron? You slapped me last night without even a word of comfort, and now you're asking me to spare another man's life this morning?"
"Is your injury better?" Luo Wan suddenly asked.
Jiang Cichen was suddenly speechless, his grip on Luo Wan's arm loosened slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
His Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was a little hoarse: "Just this one sentence?"
Luo Wan raised her eyes to look at him, her cold eyes reflecting the morning light: "What do you want me to say?"
Jiang Cichen released her arm: "For example, explain why you hit me so hard last night?"
Luo Wan's gaze fell on the injured area. She remembered the force of that palm strike, which was indeed merciless.
Luo Wan said calmly: "You wanted to kill me at that time, I was just protecting myself."
"Self-protection? With your skills, you could have easily avoided it, but you insisted on taking my attack and then counterattacking." He leaned closer, lowering his voice, "Luo Wan, you did this on purpose."
It was intentional. When she saw the silver mask again, she wanted to beat the man to a pulp. She had not forgotten the memory of being seriously injured by the masked man in her previous life.
The two were so close that they could feel each other's breath.
Luo Wan tilted her head: "Whatever you think. What do you think of my proposal?"
After a while, she heard Jiang Cichen's indifferent voice.
"I promise."
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