His eyes were like cold stars and broken jade, and his voice was calm, but in an instant, he brought He Yan back to that afternoon in Xianchang Hall. His voice overlapped with the young boy's voice, making it impossible to tell who it was at this moment.

From outside came the soldiers' shouts, excited and joyful: "Sir! Sir! Reinforcements are coming! Reinforcements are coming!"

Reinforcements?

He Yan looked at Xiao Jue's back. He brought the Southern Army with him? How is this possible? Just after hearing this, he saw Li Kuang push aside the people blocking his way and rushed out of the house. He Yan glanced at Xiao Jue and rushed out as well.

There were deafening shouts of killing coming from outside the city. He Yan climbed up to the top of the city wall and looked down with Li Kuang. They saw that the Wutuo people were fighting with the Wei army on the plain. The battle flag had the word "Yan" written on it. There was a young man sitting on the horse in the lead. He had high hair, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He was wearing silver-white armor and holding a Fang Tian Ji. He was very high-spirited and was leading his men and horses to fight.

Yan congratulations.

A smile appeared in He Yan's eyes. Li Kuang, who had rushed over, was also very excited when he saw this scene. He immediately ordered the soldiers in the city: "Follow me out of the city to fight the Wutuo people!"

…

Li Kuang and Hu Yat did not expect the sudden arrival of reinforcements. The day before they decided to attack the city, they were caught off guard by the troops led by Yan He, the Lieutenant General of Guide. Li Kuang joined the battle with the troops of Rundu, and the troops of Wutuo were defeated. The leader Hu Yat abandoned his troops and fled. The remaining soldiers of Wutuo were scattered like sand. Some were captured by Li Kuang, and the other part followed Hu Yat to retreat to the south of Rundu.

"Don't chase after a weak enemy." Yan He stopped Li Kuang from chasing after them, wiped the blood of the Wutuo people on his armor, threw a handkerchief to a servant beside him, and said mockingly, "With only so few Wutuo soldiers, you are trapped in the city and dare not come out? You are too cowardly."

It was a very unpleasant thing to say, and the one who said it was from a boy who was much younger than him, but Li Kuang was not angry. If Yan He had not brought his troops to help, the Wutuo people would not have retreated so quickly. He was really grateful to Yan He, which was unexpected. Who knew that the Feihong General he had been waiting for did not come, but Gui De Zhonglang Jiang came instead.

"On behalf of the people of the city, I would like to express my gratitude to General Yan for his help. Rundu will never forget this kindness. However," he hesitated, "why did General Yan come to Rundu?"

He never wrote to Yan He for help.

Yan He snorted and laughed, put the Fang Tian Ji behind his back, and walked forward nonchalantly, "Let's go in and talk."

The soldiers worked outside to clean up the battlefield until late at night. This was a great victory, and everyone applauded and celebrated. Not only that, Yan He not only brought reinforcements, but also brought food. The soldiers set up a big pot in the city and cooked porridge with the food they brought. The people who were still alive in every household in Rundu came to get the porridge with bowls, and they were grateful and shed tears. The fragrance of rice floated in the sky above the city of Rundu for a long time.

Inside the room, Zhao Shiming was rubbing his hands nervously, looking at the two people sitting there.

One was Xiao Huaijin, the governor of the Right Army, and the other was Yan He, the Lieutenant General of Guide. How could he, a magistrate of Rundu County, have the honor to meet such great men in his life? It was a great honor, but one of them was cold and the other was arrogant, and it seemed that they were not easy to get close to. Zhao Shiming didn't know what to say except to thank them for saving the people of Rundu.

At this time, Zhao Shiming sighed in his heart, if only Qiluo was still here, dealing with a smart beauty is always easier than dealing with these clumsy old men. In the past, Qiluo was the one who smoothed things over.

Li Kuang probably thought of this as well, and his expression became a little stiff.

Yan He - the Lieutenant Colonel of Gui De, is only in his early twenties now, very young and handsome, but his eyes are always somewhat provocative, and his chin is slightly raised, as if he doesn't care about people. His hair is also tied up high, with a ponytail falling behind his head, showing a bit of the rebellious spirit of a young man.

In comparison, the Right Army Commander Xiao Jue who was sitting next to him was as calm as autumn water. After taking off his armor, he looked more like a noble young man sitting in a high-rise wine shop in Shuojing City. He was not as arrogant as Yan He, but his indifferent and calm expression also gave off the feeling of keeping people at a distance.

Zhao Shiming wiped his sweat off his forehead and wondered what to say about these two great gods whom he could not afford to offend.

Before he could think of his next words, Li Kuang spoke first. After a moment's hesitation, he asked Yan He, "General Yan...why did you suddenly come to aid Rundu?"

Yan He chuckled softly, sat up straight, and said, "I haven't asked you yet, is there a person named He Yan in your Rundu City?"

After these words were spoken, everyone in the room had different expressions. Xiao Jue's eyes moved slightly, but he said nothing.

"It seems that there is one," Yan He said, "Lord Li, ask that person to come over so that I can see him."

He Yan was waiting outside the house. Sure enough, not long after, someone came out and said, "Master Xiao He, General Yan invites you in."

Wang Ba was stunned. "What's going on? I'm just letting you in alone. You won't hold me accountable later, right?"

"How about we accompany you?" Jiang Jiao was also a little hesitant, "If you leave Liangzhou Guard this time, if Commander Xiao orders a punishment..."

"It's not because of this." He Yan looked towards the door and shook his head, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."

She patted Jiang Jiao's shoulder, turned around and walked into Li Kuang's room alone.

Everyone in the room followed He Yan in and their eyes fell on her.

The young man in silver-white armor looked at He Yan, sized him up and down, and said, "Are you He Yan?"

"Exactly."

Yan He stood up from his chair and looked down at He Yan. He was a head taller than He Yan. He put his hand on the top of He Yan's head and said "tsk", then asked Xiao Jue seriously, "Are there still people this short in the military camp now?"

He Yan: “…”

He took his hand back, stroked his chin and looked at He Yan: "You are not tall, but you are very brave. Is it you who wrote the letter for help and asked me to come to Rundu?"

As soon as these words came out, Li Kuang looked at He Yan, and Xiao Jue's eyes also fell on He Yan. He Yan calmly accepted the different looks from everyone, "That's right."

"You have a very good vision," Yan He said disapprovingly, "You didn't ask He Rufei, that useless guy who was right in front of you, but instead asked me to support Rundu. It seems that you know very well that I am more reliable than He Rufei."

He Yan didn't say anything. How could he say anything? If he followed his words, he would be stepping on himself and denying his words... He Yan actually enjoyed hearing people scolding He Rufei like this.

She and Li Kuang broke up on bad terms that day. After realizing that the situation in Rundu was not good, she and Zhao Shiming borrowed a few people to ask for help from Yan He in Ling County. She still remembered that Yan He led troops to garrison Lingjun, which was not as close as Huayuan. In fact, Yan He's reputation is not as good as He Rufei's. If an ordinary person asks for help, the first person who thinks of him is He Rufei instead of Yan He. But He Yan knew very well that He Rufei would never come, so he settled for the next best thing.

The troops in Jinling were not easy to move, so Yan He was much freer. But Yan He might not come in time, so she wrote in the letter about Rundu's current critical situation and He Rufei's stupid behavior of not helping.

"I felt very comfortable listening to the words you cursed He Rufei in your letter." Yan He looked at He Yan, "You really understand my heart."

He Yan thought, how could she not understand? As a classmate, during those years in Xianchang Hall, this person in front of her bullied her a lot. It was a few teenagers led by Yan He who made trouble for her every now and then. They either teased her or bullied her. When she saw this person, she could almost see the dark days in Xianchang Hall.

Yan He hated him, and he had hated him since they were classmates in Xianchang Hall. After all these years, he still hated him as much as before. In order to please him, He Yan wrote a lot of bad things about He Rufei in the letter. As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Now it seems that it is true. Because of He Yan's insults to He Rufei, Yan He naturally turned He Yan into his own camp.

"Although you are short and thin, I think you are also very smart." The next moment, Yan He put his hand on his shoulder, "Otherwise, you can follow me from now on."

"Yan Nanguang," Xiao Jue's eyes fell on his hand and reminded him, "She is from Liangzhou Guards."

"Liangzhou Guards?" Yan He withdrew his hand and looked at He Yan, asking doubtfully, "Aren't you from Rundu?"

"General Yan," He Yan said, "I was previously in the Liangzhou Wei new soldier camp, and later the emperor personally appointed me as Wu'an Lang. I heard that Rundu was in trouble, so I came to help the city."

She emphasized the three words "Wu Anlang". Although Xiao Jue classified her as a member of Liangzhou Guard, if she didn't want to implicate him, it would be best to cut off the relationship.

"You are from Liangzhou Guards, and you came to Rundu by yourself?" Yan He glanced at Xiao Jue, then at He Yan. The relationship was probably too complicated, and he couldn't figure it out. He simply returned to his seat and sat back against the chair, snorting and laughing: "Forget it, I don't want to know about your complicated inside stories. But this He... What's He?"

He Yan had long been accustomed to this guy's arrogant temperament, and reminded him, "He Yan."

"He Yan, I didn't come here because of your letter asking for help. Even if I came, I wouldn't come this soon."

Zhao Shiming asked cautiously: "Then may I ask General Yan, why is it..."

Yan He laughed and looked at Xiao Jue provocatively, "Our great commander of the Right Army has personally asked me to come to your aid. This is the first time in my life that he has asked me for help. Since this general is so generous, of course I will come to help, right, Commander Xiao?"

Xiao Jue looked indifferent and ignored his words.

He Yan was surprised. What did Yan He mean? Did Xiao Jue also ask Yan He to help? Yes, he did not bring the Southern Army with him. After all, Liangzhou was not as close as Lingjun. She and Xiao Jue had the same idea. In this case, even if she did not write the letter for help, Yan He would still come as scheduled.

Rundu City should not be destroyed.

"Lord Li, Magistrate Zhao," Yan He played with her hair, "Although it was this He... He Yan and Commander Xiao who asked me to come to help, it was me, Yan He, who led the troops. You all know where the credit lies this time."

"This great victory in Rundu was all thanks to General Yan." Zhao Shiming said hurriedly. As soon as he said this, he realized that there was another person in the room. He immediately looked at Xiao Jue and saw that the young man was calm and not unhappy at all. He was relieved. Fortunately, this one didn't care about the credit. If two people came to grab the credit, his small temple in Rundu City would not be able to accommodate two big Buddhas fighting.

He Yan had heard about Yan He's love of taking credit, but the fact that Rundu was saved this time was entirely thanks to his help, so it was understandable that he wanted to take credit for it.

Yan He stretched his back and yawned. "I have been rushing for days and have not been able to rest properly. I need to rest. Please prepare hot water for me. There is no need for food. I heard that everyone here is so hungry that they are about to eat people. I don't have the hobby of eating people."

Zhao Shiming said yes repeatedly and quickly ordered his servants to prepare it for Yan He.

Yan He stood up and was about to walk out. When he passed by Xiao Jue, he stopped and looked at Xiao Jue, saying in a self-righteous tone, "Whether you admit it or not, Xiao Huaijin, this time, I have defeated you."

After saying this, he seemed to be in a good mood. He put his hands behind his head and walked out in a swagger.

He Yan stared at his back, somewhat puzzled. To be honest, Yan He couldn't stand Xiao Jue back then, and opposed Xiao Jue in every way, simply because Xiao Jue was always better than him in both literature and martial arts. After being second for a long time, he wanted to have a taste of being first, but he couldn't get down from that first place, which was indeed a bit annoying. But even she, who was last, was always finding fault with him, and He Yan didn't understand. What was she doing to him? It was Lin Shuanghe, not Yan He, who was competing with her for the last place, so why did Yan He have such a big grudge against her? This grudge has lasted for so many years.

However, Yan He's temperament is exactly the same as it was back then, competitive, stubborn, and his emotions are all written on his face.

As she was thinking, Xiao Jue stood up and walked out. When he passed by her, he said coldly, "Come here."

He Yan: “…”

She sighed in her heart. She had known that this day would come sooner or later, but she never expected it to come so early. After all, who would have thought that Xiao Jue would come to Rundu with Yan He.

Jiang Jiao and his group waited for He Yan to come out, and saw her walking out with Xiao Jue. They all looked solemn, and it looked like they were going to settle the score in private. Hong Shan gestured to her to ask if they should go and plead together, and He Yan shook her head slightly at them.

This is not something that can be gotten away with just a few words of pleas.

…

The room was dark, with only the light from the oil lamp on the table shining on the wall, casting the appearance of a human shadow.

The room that Zhao Shiming arranged for Xiao Jue could almost be considered luxurious. He Yan followed him in, lowering his head, thinking about how to explain the matter, when the man in front of him suddenly stopped and turned around, bumping into Xiao Jue's chest.

He Yan took two steps back and stood still, raising her head. The man in front of her lowered his gaze indifferently and fell on her. Although he didn't say anything, it was a little scary.

The air was so quiet that it felt chilly even in the summer. He Yan paused and coughed softly: "Commander-in-Chief..."

He looked at the sword in He Yan's hand.

That was the sword that he had snatched from the guards at Li Kuang's door in a hurry to save the captured women, but he had forgotten to return it to Li Kuang. He Yan's heart tightened, and he subconsciously put the sword on the table beside him, explaining, "This is someone else's sword."

Xiao Jue took a step forward. He Yan held his breath, thinking that he was going to call her to task. The next moment, someone grabbed his arm and turned his palm upward.

There was a knife scar on the palm of his hand, not deep, but the blood had stopped as he clenched his fist, but it looked a bit scary. He probably hurt his hand when he was fighting with Li Kuang's guards just now. The situation was critical at the time, so he didn't pay attention to it. If Xiao Jue hadn't done this at this moment, He Yan wouldn't have noticed it.

He didn't say anything, but turned and walked to the side. He Yan was at a loss when he heard him say, "Come here."

The handkerchief was soaked in clean hot water and placed on the palm of my hand. It felt a little stinging, but more of an itchy sensation, as if a colorful butterfly had landed on my palm, crawling slowly across it, leaving behind a numbing shadow.

He lowered his head and sprinkled the powder of the golden abscess medicine on the wound on the palm of He Yan's hand. His expression was focused and calm. He Yan stared at him. The young man had thick and long eyelashes, and his profile under the light was handsome like a painting.

Silent, soft, peaceful.

The expected military action did not lead to accusations, but rather to sarcasm and ridicule.

He Yan inexplicably felt guilty, as if she had done something extremely evil and was very sorry to Xiao Jue. She spoke hesitantly, "Commander-in-chief, actually I...didn't come to Rundu with the Fourth Master Chu."

Chu Zhao's presence here was a coincidence, but Xiao Jue might have thought too much about it. Although she was determined to stay away from Xiao Jue to avoid causing him trouble, she didn't want him to misunderstand her and think that she was on Chu Zhao's side.

"I know." His voice was cold and without any emotion.

He Yan didn't know what to say for a moment.

His movements were very gentle, even gentler than when He Yan applied the medicine to himself. Because he was very tall, he had to bend down slightly when applying the medicine. He Yan was originally just following his gaze and looking at the palm of his hand. As he looked, his eyes fell on Xiao Jue's face.

She is beautiful and graceful, no matter how many nice words are used to describe her, it always feels like something is missing.

She was staring in a trance, when suddenly Xiao Jue looked up and unexpectedly met his gaze, her black eyes sparkling and clear.

Being caught in the act, her ears turned red, but she had to keep a calm expression on her face and pointed to her palm and said, "...Alright."

The wound was sprinkled with powder, and it didn't look as scary as before. He Yan retracted his hand, feeling a little uneasy.

This didn't seem to be Xiao Jue's style. If Xiao Jue was normal, he would have asked questions long ago. But today he was silent, so He Yan had to talk a lot and didn't know where to start.

Why did he change his temper? He Yan didn't understand.

But Xiao Jue didn't ask, and she didn't know what to say.

After applying the medicine to He Yan, he sat down on a chair in the room. He didn't let He Yan leave, nor did he mean to ask any questions. After a while, He Yan couldn't help but ask him, "Commander-in-chief, why didn't you ask me why I left Liangzhouwei and came to Rundu without permission?"

"You are a Wu'an Lang appointed by His Majesty himself. You have the seal and the crown and clothes. You can decide whether to stay or leave by yourself. There is no need to discuss it with me." Xiao Jue said calmly: "It's up to you to decide whether to stay or leave."

This was what He Yan had prepared for herself, but Xiao Jue had said it before her, which left He Yan with no words to say.

"I forced Wang Ba and the others to come here together. Please do not punish them, Governor. I will take full responsibility for this matter. I have no ill intentions. I just came to help the city because I was worried about the loss of Rundu."

Forget it. Since Xiao Jue refused to speak, she would take responsibility first and admit her mistakes in a better manner.

"Why do you think," Xiao Jue asked, "that He Rufei will not send reinforcements to Rundu?"

After all, he still asked this question. He Yan sighed in his heart and looked at him, "If I say that He Rufei is not a good person, will the governor believe me?"

Xiao Jue glanced at her calmly and raised the corner of his mouth, "Evidence."

"I can't produce any evidence, nor can I convince the governor, but in my opinion, He Rufei is not the hero that people say she is." She called her "He Rufei" instead of "General Feihong."

"Commander," He Yan looked at him and spoke slowly, "If one day, He Rufei and I have different positions and draw our swords against each other, which side will you stand on?"

In fact, she had wanted to ask this question a long time ago. She and He Rufei will eventually have such a day. The He Rufei that Xiao Jue knew was the "He Rufei" of Xianchang Pavilion back then, and the He Yan that Xiao Jue knew was the "He Yan" now. In fact, both of them are her, but how will Xiao Jue choose?

He Yan was not really clear. It seemed that every time she met Xiao Jue, she had a good relationship with him, but they were not close friends. He Yan did not understand what she was like in Xiao Jue's heart and what weight she held, whether in the past or now.

Xiao Jue looked at her quietly. After a while, he said, "It's late today. You should go out."

He did not answer He Yan's words.

He Yan's heart was filled with a feeling of either disappointment or relief. She was disappointed that Xiao Jue did not answer her directly, but she was also relieved that Xiao Jue did not give her a negative answer.

She nodded: "Yes."

He Yan retreated, and the room became quiet again.

The young man's gaze fell on the golden abscess medicine on the table, his beautiful eyes drooped, and no one knew what he was thinking.

After a while, someone came in. It was Fei Nu. He walked to Xiao Jue and whispered, "Master, I got news about Luanying, but I haven't found any problems with He Sui yet."

"She's fine." Xiao Jue interrupted him.

Fei Nu was startled. There were many suspicious points about He Yan. From the beginning to now, he did not tell anyone a few days ago. He came to Rundu with a few new soldiers from Liangzhou Guards. No matter what, no one could give a reasonable explanation. But he followed Chu Zhao one after another. Now in Rundu, he saw Chu Zhao again. Chi Wu and Fei Nu could not help but suspect that He Yan might be Chu Zhao's man. But they also felt that if he was Chu Zhao's man, such behavior was too arrogant and unconcealed.

The young man stood up, his shadow stretched into a long line under the lamp. He looked at the lamp on the corner of the table thoughtfully, but after a moment, he said in a low voice: "Tell Luanying that there is no need to check He Yan, check He Rufei instead."

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

In fact, the one who is online now is not Xiao Dudu, but Xiao Playero (*≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓