Marching is a very arduous task. In order to get to the destination as quickly as possible, people usually rest for a while and then continue. They also cannot sleep soundly at night in case of emergencies.
Xu Nian followed behind Zhao Zhen, riding the horse for a bumpy ride, until her legs felt like they weren't even her own anymore.
At times like these, you can't be willful or dramatic; you can only grit your teeth and bear it.
We can't let her alone slow down the entire march.
Zhao Zhen felt both heartache and regret.
"Nian, if it hurts a lot, just bite me." Zhao Zhen applied medicine to Xu Nian during the break.
Since the parties involved had made such a request, Xu Nian naturally wouldn't let go of this good opportunity, and she took a vicious bite that drew blood from Zhao Zhen.
Looking at his wounds, Zhao Zhen smiled wryly: "It seems that Anian has always harbored a deep grudge against me!"
“Think about what you’ve been doing to me all this time. To put it bluntly, I was taken back by force,” Xu Nian said, poking Zhao Zhen’s chest.
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, and with a woman like this by nature, even if I don't snatch her back, someone else will," Zhao Zhen said confidently.
Xu Nian rolled her eyes. If it weren't for him, she would have finished her mission and gone back long ago.
"Does Madam not believe me?" Zhao Zhen then realized something was wrong. In Xu Nian's mind, he was just a tyrant who forcibly abducted people.
But then I thought about it again and realized that he wasn't a good person to begin with; he just blatantly robbed Xu Nian.
It was actually his mercy that he didn't use those dirty tricks to force her into his bed.
"Whether I believe it or not doesn't matter. The fact is I'm married to you now, and you're my husband. Nothing else matters," Xu Nian said resignedly.
Seeing that Xu Nian had put down, Zhao Zhen kissed the top of her head and said, "Nian, don't worry, I will cherish you."
"Zhao Zhen, if you can let me rest for a while, I'll believe you'll cherish me," Xu Nian said with a yawn.
"Okay, I won't touch you during this time." Zhao Zhen didn't plan to touch Xu Nian during the journey anyway. The journey was already tiring, and if she had to accompany him to do crazy things at night, Xu Nian's body wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Then get some rest." Xu Nian turned over and closed her eyes to sleep. Riding a horse all day was really tiring.
Seeing that Xu Nian was asleep, Zhao Zhen tiptoed out of the tent; he still had things to take care of.
"General, this is a battle report from the front lines. The barbarian kingdom has breached one of our cities. Fortunately, everything went as planned, and we suffered no casualties. All the civilians have been evacuated." Zhao Zhen's deputy handed him a secret letter.
“Well done. We didn’t leave them any food or weapons. If they have no food, we’ll cut off their supply lines. We’ll hold out for as long as we can.” Zhao Zhen finished speaking and then began to think again.
After a while, he whispered something to his deputy, who nodded and left the army that very night with a group of men.
The next day, when Xu Nian noticed that an important person was missing from the team, she glanced at Zhao Zhen but didn't ask any further questions.
She didn't understand military affairs; Zhao Zhen was the expert.
"How much longer until we reach the border?" Riding on horseback, Xu Nian counted in her mind how many days they had been traveling.
Zhao Zhen estimated, "At the current speed, we should be able to arrive in another seven or eight days."
"Seven or eight days, that'll be quick." Xu Nian had a better idea of what was going on and finally didn't feel like the time was dragging on.
However, Zhao Zhen was being overly cautious; in fact, it took them nine days to reach the border.
Upon entering the border city, one is immediately struck by the chilling atmosphere of impending war.
Xu Nian was taken to a temporary place by Zhao Zhen, who then hurriedly left, leaving a few people to take care of her.
In this completely unfamiliar environment, Xu Nian, in order not to cause trouble for Zhao Zhentian, still dressed as a weak young master and would lie in the courtyard sunbathing when he had nothing to do.
Aside from eating and sleeping, she really does nothing else.
The guards who were responsible for watching her breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that they could finally relax.
These people were originally unwilling to guard this distinguished guest, fearing that he was arrogant and didn't understand the situation. Now it seems they were completely overthinking it.
"It's been ten days, and they're still challenging us outside the city?" Xu Nian said, listening to the commotion.
"Yes, the general told us to ignore it; it's just barking dogs."
"He's being a bit disrespectful!" Xu Nian said, stroking her chin.
This kind of military campaign wasn't a decisive battle between two sides opening the city gates; it was more like a daily challenge, with each side sending out different troops each day, making it feel a bit like a friendly sparring match.
However, this kind of sparring is deadly. If you can't beat your opponent, they might cut off your head and take it as their trophy for the day.
So where did Zhao Zhen go? She hasn't seen him come back since she settled in here.
Forget it, he's the male lead, he should be fine, she might as well just give up.
After lying in bed for several more days, Xu Nian couldn't stand it anymore.
With Yuanbao gone, there's no one to chat with. The men guarding her are all soldiers, and they're always very respectful to her. They don't even dare to speak to her, let alone chat with her.
Zhao Zhen must have given the order not to chat with her.
That damned man brought her to this border and then left her here without a care.
"Would you like to go for a walk, young master?" a soldier asked when he saw Xu Nian sighing.
"Forget it, I won't cause you any more trouble." Xu Nian shook her head. Fighting could break out outside the city at any time, and the atmosphere inside the city was always tense. Going out for a walk at this time would be tantamount to asking for trouble.
Zhao Zhen's power was effective in this border city, but Xu Nian didn't want to bring trouble to Zhao Zhen.
Her very presence already draws attention; if she were to cause further trouble, Zhao Zhen would face even greater difficulties.
Xu Nian didn't even realize that she was thinking so much about Zhao Zhen.
"I want to learn archery. Can you give me some arrows and a target?" Xu Nian's request was quickly fulfilled.
Since archery practice is done in the courtyard, there is no risk of damage; ten arrows and one bow are sufficient.
At first, Xu Nian couldn't get the posture and aim right, but after a soldier gave her some pointers, she gradually figured it out.
However, her body was too delicate and her skin was too soft. After practicing for just one hour, her arms ached so much that she couldn't lift them, and her hands, which were holding the bowstring, were blistered and bleeding, causing her great pain.
Xu Nian gritted her teeth and persevered for half an hour before giving up on resting.
It seems that learning archery is a skill that requires long-term practice. At least she's not missing the target now.
When Zhao Zhen returned, dusty and tired, he saw Xu Nian grimacing as she applied medicine to her hands.
"A-Nian, what happened to you?" Zhao Zhen examined her closely and discovered that Xu Nian's wound was caused by the recoil of the bowstring. "Are you learning archery?"
"Hmm! I figured since we've come all this way to the border, how can we not learn some survival skills?" Xu Nian simply put her hand in Zhao Zhen's hand so he could apply the medicine to her.
"A-Nian, I will protect you. As long as I'm here, the city will not be breached," Zhao Zhen said confidently.
He was indeed confident. In the past ten days or so, he and his deputy had cut off the enemy's supplies and ambushed one of their reinforcements.
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