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When Song Ling arrived at the southwestern army's garrison in northern Cangwu Prefecture, it was already late at night six days later.
At this time, the Southwest Army had just fought a battle with Yangzhou. Although they won, they suffered heavy casualties.
Both sides suffered heavy losses and had no choice but to cease hostilities.
Fortunately, the garrison commander outside the camp recognized Song Ling, thus preventing any panic.
After all, at this time, even the slightest disturbance could easily lead to disaster.
"Hey, hey, be gentle!"
"Damn it..."
From a distance, Song Ling could hear many wails and curses.
He cursed the King of Qi, the imperial court, the generals... it seems he cursed everything.
But those who cursed the most were also the most seriously injured, the ones who charged ahead in battle.
"Strategist, I'll go and remind them."
The adjutant leading the way frowned as he heard the man cursing the general while bandaging his wounds and applying medicine.
"Wait a minute, the more you talk about him, the more resentful he'll become."
Song Ling pulled him back and shook her head, saying, "I'll discuss a plan with the general later. You can have someone find a military doctor to treat his wounds."
"If you do it yourself, you might accidentally get a fever and burn yourself to death."
“We’re all grown men, why bother the army doctor…” The young officer scratched his head. “Besides, medicine is already scarce in the military, and the army doctor is busy… We should save it for important occasions…”
Song Ling, however, sensed something else in his words and couldn't help but ask, "Is the general injured?"
The young man paused for a moment, then said, "No, no, I don't think so."
The general looks as energetic as ever.
Song Ling: "...Never mind, take me to the main account."
As soon as Song Ling arrived at the camp entrance, she ran into Ji Chang, who was guarding outside the tent. Ji Chang was the person she had urgently summoned from Huailai to assist in the war effort before her departure.
This man was carefree by nature. He had lived for more than thirty years, spending most of his time traveling. He seemed to have no interest in anything inside the sect or in the affairs of the world.
Song Ling still remembers the unwilling look on his face when she ordered him to come back that day.
If Qi Ying hadn't come to the Southern Frontier in search of Qi Man, this person would probably have vanished without a trace the day after he left.
"Sect Leader," Ji Chang bowed, subtly blocking Song Ling's path, "I'd like to report to you on the recent battle situation. Perhaps we should go over there..."
"Is the general inside?"
Song Ling narrowed her eyes and looked at him: "Why do you look so flustered? You're sweating buckets."
"Ji Chang, you're really bad at lying."
At such an advanced age, everything is still written all over her face.
His indifferent feelings for Qi Ying were common knowledge throughout Huailai.
"The general... he's still in a meeting..."
Song Ling raised her sword, and the scabbard gently deflected him. Then she lifted the curtain and went into the tent on her own.
But as soon as he stepped inside, he met Yu Baizhou, who was dressed impeccably.
Song Ling remained silent at first, then subtly looked him up and down a few times. Apart from his darker complexion, dark circles under his eyes, and a few red scratches on his jawline...
Overall, he's doing alright.
“Ah Ling…”
Yu Baizhou stared at her without blinking, his hands clenched into fists at his sides with nervousness. Many words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, but in the end he could only utter a few awkward words: "Long time no see."
Yes, it's been many days.
Perhaps because he had just finished fighting today and hadn't had time to use water, his voice was hoarse and raspy, as if he were grinding a lot of rough pebbles.
"Has the general eaten?"
Are you injured?
Song Ling's words caught her off guard.
In fact, she had thought a lot during her journey, traveling day and night.
She thought she would first ask about the recent battle situation and casualties, would be anxious to plan the next battle details, and would worry about the food and supplies for the coming winter...
But the result was...
"I ate it, and I'm not hurt."
Noticing the weariness in Song Ling's eyes, Yu Baizhou paused for a moment and hurriedly went to pour her some water.
After glancing at his back for a moment, Song Ling walked to a nearby bench and sat down. Only after relaxing did she realize how tired she was.
From Luoyang to the southern border, apart from resting for one day at Qinglong Village, she worked almost day and night, changing horses several times to barely compress the journey into fifteen or sixteen days...
"Drink some hot water."
Yu Baizhou half-squatted down in front of her and handed her the water: "Have you eaten, young lady? I'll ask the military cook to make you something to eat."
"No need to trouble yourself." Song Ling shook her head slightly, composed herself, and took his wrist: "I ate it on the way, I'm not hungry now."
"The army has just finished fighting a battle, let them have a good rest for a day."
She was simply confirming today that the commander was alright, both for the sake of the situation in the southwest and to ease the lingering worry in her heart.
Yu Baizhou frowned, looking at her tired appearance, unsure of what to say.
Saying "you've worked hard" seems a bit pretentious.
Even the word "hard work" felt like an insult to her; she was the one who truly toiled for the Southwest, or rather, for the world...
At this moment, he even began to wonder if the feelings he had expressed were troublesome for Song Ling...
“Ah Ling…”
The words he was about to say suddenly caught in his throat.
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