Chapter 1 Meeting You Again After Crossing a Thousand Mountains (Part 1) "The night was deep, and..."
The night at the border was as black as an overturned iron pot. The wind whipped up scorching sand and gravel, rustling against the military tents.
Inside the leather military tent, the fat from roasting a whole lamb dripped into the brazier, sizzling and leaping up blue flames. The strong smell of mutton mixed with the aroma of alcohol, making one's head spin.
Ye Yixiang was pushed in at that moment. The aroma made her stomach clench from prolonged hunger, and before she could stand up, a rough hand grabbed her chin, forcing her to lift her head.
What came into view was Zhao Kui's bare torso, a gruesome wound on his bronze chest revealing raw flesh and a winding trail of blood. He was very close, the smell of alcohol mixed with sweat assaulting my senses.
Under the lamplight, her face was flawless, her skin as smooth as freshly ground tofu, her lips as vibrant as if they had been bitten into cinnabar. Zhao Kui's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse, laced with undisguised lewdness: "I've been working on the border for ten years, and this is the first time I've seen such a beautiful young woman!"
A scarred man next to him grinned: "Soldier, is this the woman that traitor Lu Qingyuan kept hidden so well? No wonder he couldn't bear to part with her even during battle, she's a real beauty!"
“If he’s accused of treason, he won’t even be allowed to leave a whole corpse. You still dare to go to the battlefield? What, you want to collect his body?” Zhao Kui’s fingers tightened, making her jaw ache, his tone intimate, “Why don’t you come with me, serve me well, and maybe I’ll help you find that traitor’s bone fragments?”
Another dirty hand eagerly reached for her cheek. Ye Yixiang abruptly turned her head away, her gaze fixed on the wound on Zhao Kui's chest. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the commotion inside the tent:
"The wound is poisonous. If it is not treated, the patient will surely die within two hours."
The tent fell silent instantly.
The turbidity in Zhao Kui's drunken eyes lessened somewhat, but his grip on her chin tightened even more: "Trying to scare me?"
"The toxin has turned bluish and has traveled more than an inch up the blood vessels," Ye Yixiang met his gaze, her tone flat and devoid of emotion. "General, do you feel numbness in half of your body right now, and the wound itches more than it hurts?"
Zhao Kui's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously tried to move his left arm, but his movements were noticeably hesitant. He stared at the woman's pale and somewhat frightened face, but there was no pleading in her eyes, only a cold indifference.
"You know medicine?"
“A little.” She paused, then added, “Coincidentally, I can cure this poison.”
Zhao Kui stared at her pale yet calm face; there was no fear or pleading in her eyes, only a cold, knowing indifference. His expression changed slightly, and his injured left arm moved noticeably more slowly.
"Hey! Let her treat him!" the lieutenant jeered. "After she's done, let the brothers relax a bit!"
Another barrage of vulgarities poured into Ye Yixiang's ears like mud.
"Of course we'll let our eldest brother have his fill first!"
"Young lady, your hands are so white. After you stitch up my brother's wound, you can loosen up the muscles and bones of each of us brothers!"
"General Lu's wife is also skilled in medicine? We're in luck! We can treat her wounds during the day and relieve her 'itch' at night!"
Ye Yixiang's fingertips trembled, yet her knuckles tightened their grip until her nails dug into her palms, the pain bringing her back to her senses. She knew tonight was likely to end badly, but she couldn't panic!
In a panic, you become nothing more than fish on a chopping board.
She took a deep breath, and when she looked up, her eyes were as deep as two ancient wells, reflecting the lamplight but unable to reveal a single ray of light.
Taking advantage of Zhao Kui's distraction, she suddenly turned her head to break free from his grip, crawled two steps on her knees, and opened her personal bundle, inside which were neatly arranged strong liquor, cotton balls, mulberry bark thread, and silver needles.
She cut open the filthy cloth that Zhao Kui had haphazardly wrapped around his wound, revealing it. The skin was turned inside out, the edges charred and covered in dust. She washed it with strong liquor and pressed it with cotton balls, causing Zhao Kui to gasp in pain.
"Don't move." Her voice suddenly turned cold. "Otherwise, the stitches will be crooked, the muscles will rot, and you'll cough up blood for the rest of your life."
Zhao Kui froze. He looked down and saw the woman's slender fingers holding a silver needle, the thread piercing through her skin, each stitch as steady as if measured. Her eyes were lowered, her eyelashes casting a small shadow under the lamplight, but her lips were tightly pressed together, like a rose touched by frost, stubbornly alluring.
He reached out as if possessed, wanting to touch her loose hair.
The sharp tip of the silver needle lifted slightly, pressing precisely against the blood vessel in his wrist. Ye Yixiang still didn't look up, her voice extremely low, only the two of them could hear: "Military Advisor, although the poison has been temporarily suppressed, your blood and qi are surging. If you rashly become angry at this moment, or do anything... intense, the poison will surely attack your heart, rendering any medicine ineffective."
Her words were subtle, but the meaning was clear—if you want to live, don't touch her now.
Zhao Kui laughed, his laughter tinged with amusement: "Lu Qingyuan's widow is even more resolute than Lu Qingyuan himself."
Ye Yixiang didn't reply, continuing to sew. With the last stitch, she bit off the thread, wiped the edges of the wound with strong liquor, her movements as gentle as if caressing a flower. Zhao Kui looked down and saw the wound stitched neatly, like a straight centipede, and a strange sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
"The dressing needs to be changed tomorrow; avoid alcohol and meat. Otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?" Zhao Kui leaned close to her ear, his breath heavy. "You've come to keep an eye on me personally?"
Ye Yixiang raised her eyes, her gaze unwavering: "Otherwise, even the King of Hell couldn't bring her back."
Zhao Kui laughed and reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, but Ye Yixiang stood up first and retreated to the edge of the lamplight. Her back was straight, like a drawn sword, but her hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled so much that she could barely hold the medicine box.
A sharp horn pierced the night sky and penetrated the tent!
"The Great General has returned in triumph!"
Zhao Kui was mostly sober. The curtain was suddenly thrown open, and the wind and snow swept in, stunting the candlelight to the size of a bean.
The curtain was lifted, and the wind and snow, carrying a chill, rushed in, causing the candlelight to dim sharply. Chu Huaili stood at the tent entrance, his silver armor still on, a dark cloak draped over his shoulders, the wind and snow forming a cold barrier behind him.
His gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Ye Yixiang.
The woman stood in the lamplight, dressed in thin, plain clothes, her dark hair flowing over her shoulder, her fingertips still stained with Zhao Kui's blood, like a crimson plum blossom blooming in the snow. She clutched a medicine box in her arms as if it were her last shield. Despite being in a position of absolute weakness, her eyes were eerily calm, only her trembling body betraying her inner turmoil.
Zhao Kui hurriedly stood up: "General! This woman is Lu Qingyuan's widow. I saw that she knew some medicine, so I let her..."
"Let her do what?" Chu Huaili's voice was extremely calm, yet it silenced the entire tent.
Ye Yixiang looked up and met those deep eyes, and was momentarily stunned.
Those eyes, those eyebrows, those thin lips—they bore a striking resemblance to her deceased husband, Lu Qingyuan. But while Lu Qingyuan's eyes often held a gentle smile, this woman's gaze was as cold as the eternal night of the North, unfathomable.
My memory goes back to the Mid-Autumn Festival a year ago.
The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted through the back garden of the Lu family mansion in Chang'an, bathed in the moonlight. She carried a hangover soup across the stone bridge and saw a figure in dark blue standing beneath the moonlight, a jade belt cinching his waist, his shoulders and back as straight as a spear. As if possessed, she softly called out to that figure, "Husband."
The man turned around at the sound of her voice. His features were handsome and refined, but he frowned slightly and replied in a low voice, "Hmm." Only then did she notice the dragon-patterned jade pendant on his waist, a symbol of his extremely high status. Its rank was clearly above that of her husband. She hurriedly curtsied and apologized, "I was blind and offended the General. I hope the General will forgive me."
"It's so dark, you can't really blame your sister-in-law." He nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on her downcast face for a moment before turning and leaving.
Now, in this military tent, their eyes met once more. Chu Huaili's gaze swept over the still-dry bloodstains on her fingertips, then over her pale yet composed face, pausing almost imperceptibly.
Ye Yixiang's lips curled up very slightly, like using the tip of a knife to pick open a scab, carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm and self-mockery.
"General, if Zhao Canjun's injury is delayed any longer, even the King of Hell will not be able to save him. In this dangerous border region, every soldier who is less capable of fighting means a greater danger to the people."
Zhao Kui's face froze, and you could hear a pin drop in the tent.
Chu Huaili's lips curved into a very faint smile, but the smile did not reach his eyes at all: "He is quite loyal."
He turned around abruptly, his cloak billowing in a sharp arc. "Take the person to the main tent."
Ye Yixiang clutched the medicine box tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Zhao Kui said urgently, "General, this woman was captured by my subordinates..."
"Join the army." Chu Huaili turned around, his eyes as cold as icy blades. "You are seriously injured and should not overexert yourself. I will personally interrogate her."
The wind and snow outside the tent intensified, howling and pounding against the tent.
Ye Yixiang followed silently behind him, trudging through the snow, her footprints instantly filled in by the falling snow, as if they had never existed. His dark cloak billowed in the wind like a battle flag, foreshadowing an unknown fate.
She didn't know if what lay ahead was a deeper prison or a glimmer of hope.
She could only move forward, step by step, as if treading on a knife's edge, suppressing all her fear deep in her heart. Only her eyes shone brightly in the snow.
Upon entering the commander's tent, the heavy curtains fell, blocking out the wind and snow from the outside world, as well as all prying eyes.
Chu Huaili removed his cloak and casually draped it over the screen, revealing the gleaming silver armor beneath. He walked to the main seat and sat down, not immediately interrogating her, but instead picking up a pen and reviewing the military reports piled on his desk, as if she didn't exist.
The charcoal fire inside the tent burned brightly, providing ample warmth, yet it couldn't dispel the chill in Ye Yixiang's fingertips. She stood quietly in the tent, patiently waiting and weighing her options.
After a long while, he finally put down his pen, looked up at her, and his gaze was a pure scrutiny, cold and sharp, as if to peel away all her pretenses.
"Madam Lu," he began, his form of address seemingly a deliberate attempt to distance himself from her, "do you know what the typical fate is for women sent to the camp?"
Ye Yixiang met his gaze without flinching or avoiding it: "I know."
“Then do you know,” he slowly rose and walked closer to her, his height creating an invisible pressure, “that what I hate most is trouble.”
He stopped a step in front of her, looking down at her.
"And you, in yourself, are the biggest problem."
A note from the author:
----------------------
This is not a story about two virgins; the female lead is not virgin. If you mind this, please proceed with caution!
Please recommend, please favorite, please comment, please give me nutrient solution (I wish: I'll ask for anything, whatever others have, I'll have one of everything [rainbow fart])
Dear readers, please don't miss out! Leave a comment, and the author will gladly give you a red envelope! [Sprinkling flowers]
I'm begging you to add my next book, "My Handsome Junior Brother is Crazy and Flirtatious," to your pre-orders! [Please][Please][Please]
[A beautiful and seductive junior brother who's good at seducing men × A senior sister who's reborn and determined to save the world]
Ciyin is reborn and returns, only to learn that three years later her master will fall into demonic possession, causing the world to collapse and all things to perish.
In this life, she vows to defy fate and protect her master and all living beings.
She was cautious and timid, yet she had no choice but to feign friendship with her junior brother Xuan Lin, the "male concubine" sent from the palace that day, whose beauty was renowned far and wide.
Everyone said he was all looks and no substance, a parasitic flower clinging to the Empress. Even her master warned her, "This boy is frivolous, stay away."
She also thought he was weak and easily bullied, and that he was her best pawn and shield.
She used his beauty to manipulate him, took advantage of his status, and even when he shielded her from a fatal blow, she only felt the cold indifference of having successfully exploited him.
Until that day, a monstrous demonic aura erupted from where the master was in seclusion.
She drew her sword and was about to move when a cold hand gently gripped her throat.
The boy, whose eyes were always red and who always called her "senior sister," lazily wiped the blood from his lips, yet the oppressive aura emanating from him made the world change color.
He crushed the sacred relic of salvation in her hand, gently caressed the throbbing pulse on the side of her neck, his laughter lingering yet chilling to the bone:
"Senior sister, you want to throw me away after you've used me?"
"You can't save him, and you can't save the world."
"Why don't you think about... how to beg me?"
Only after being reborn did I discover that my junior brother from the fishing department was the mastermind behind everything!
The seemingly useless beauty turned out to be a world-destroying madman!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com