I am innocent.
Inside Xiao Chengyan's camp.
The person who entered after lifting the curtain was Deputy General Wang Yang.
Xiao Chengyan, with his back to him, asked, "How did the interrogation go?"
Wang Yang said, "They are tight-lipped, and we still haven't been able to get them to reveal who is instructing them."
After the incident, Xiao Chengyan was holding a volume of "Firearms Manual" in his hand, his slender fingers slowly turning the pages, the candlelight reflecting on his calm profile.
He slightly raised his eyes: "If you still refuse to tell me... then you are a useless person."
Looking at the prince's refined yet cold profile, Wang Yang felt a chill creep up his spine, as if he were seeing the "Ember King" who burned down the plague-stricken village without batting an eye during the Southwest epidemic.
His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice slightly hoarse: "...Everyone?"
Xiao Chengyan turned around, still looking down at the "Firearms Manual" in his hand, and said: "What use is there in keeping trash? But... pick the toughest one, give him a chance to 'escape death,' and use the dead... pave a 'way to life' for him."
He looked up at Wang Yang and said, "Do you understand? Make him believe that 'those who survive a great calamity must have merit.'"
Wang Yang instantly understood—not only must they kill, but they must also use the dead to put on a show for the living, so that the living would take back the "important information" they had gathered from the camp!
He immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, Your subordinate understands!"
Just as Wang Yang left, another deputy general came in to report.
...
After going back and forth for three days, it was not until Xiao Chengyan finally had some free time that he was able to make it.
Changfeng still had ointment on her buttocks, but she was still thinking about the prince.
"Your Highness, it's been three days. You should rest for a while."
Xiao Chengyan waved his hand and walked wearily toward Gu Jinghong's tent.
Having not slept for three days and two nights, Xiao Chengyao's eyes were bloodshot, and stubble had appeared on his chin. The weariness between his brows was hard to dispel from the days of military affairs.
The tent was brightly lit, dispelling the chill of the night, but it could not dispel the longing in his heart.
However, the sight that came into view made his brows, which had just relaxed slightly, furrow instantly again.
Gu Jinghong sat sideways at the table, one arm indeed in a sling across his chest as instructed by the military doctor, but his other arm was free to move, and he was carefully weighing sulfur powder on a piece of spread-out oil paper with a small scale.
She was completely absorbed in her work, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes quickly jotting down numbers on a piece of paper beside her, so engrossed that she didn't even notice his arrival.
Scattered on the table were saltpeter, charcoal, and other items.
Xiao Chengyan suppressed his exhaustion and helplessness, his voice sounding particularly low and hoarse due to lack of rest.
He walked over and patted her head. "Did you not listen to a word I said? The army doctor repeatedly told you to rest properly, and this is how you've been resting?"
Although it was a question, the tone was gentler than ever before, making it very easy for her to extract a clear sense of concern from the words.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghong looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
Xiao Chengyan suddenly smiled, and a warmth suddenly arose in his extremely tired body.
Although Gu Jinghong is the head of the Qianyuan Pavilion, she is still just a young girl. At this moment, she is more like a child who has discovered a treasure and is eager to share it.
She couldn't wait to show Xiao Chengyan the materials on the table and the data she had recorded.
"Your Highness, you've come at the perfect time! Come and see!"
“I just recalculated the previous proportions and found that if we adjust the purity of the saltpeter and control the particle size, instead of simply increasing the dosage, its explosive power can be multiplied! Look here…”
She continued talking to herself, her fingertip pointing to the numbers on the paper, "If this method can be improved, perhaps the gunpowder currently used for clearing mountains and roads can be used for... um..."
"Used for breaching armor and attacking strong points, its effectiveness will far surpass that of what is currently used in the military!"
Gu Jinghong looked at Xiao Chengyan with bright eyes, clearly waiting for him to praise her.
So Xiao Chengyan naturally reached out and flicked her nose, saying, "Hmm, truly exceptionally intelligent."
Xiao Chengyan pulled her into his arms, his breath almost enveloping Gu Jinghong from head to toe.
He reached out and stroked her hair from top to bottom. "You still need to rest well. These things aren't urgent."
He then put the materials in her hand back on the table, and very naturally took her good hand, walking step by step towards the bed.
"I am listening."
He walked to the edge of the couch, sat down by himself, and then pulled Gu Jinghong down to sit with him with a little force.
The next moment, he leaned back slightly against the folded bedding, and at the same time wrapped his arm around Gu Jinghong, gently pulling her into his embrace so that she could comfortably lean against his chest.
"Go on."
He gently rested his chin on the top of her head, closed his eyes, and his voice became almost a whisper.
Gu Jinghong adjusted her posture, found a more comfortable spot on his broad chest to lean against, and continued to talk with great enthusiasm.
"And charcoal, the burning rate varies depending on the type of charcoal used. If we can determine this..."
As she spoke, she gradually realized that something was wrong.
The person behind her began to breathe deeply and evenly. The arm around her, though still firm, relaxed completely. The chin resting on her head no longer moved even slightly.
Gu Jinghong's voice gradually faded, and finally stopped completely.
She turned her head slightly, raised her eyes, and looked up.
What came into view was Xiao Chengyan's well-defined jawline and his eyes, which had been completely closed at some point.
Xiao Chengyan had been somewhat interested in firearms techniques these past few days, but firstly, continuous combat had left him extremely tired, and secondly, for some reason, Gu Jinghong's presence always gave him a sense of tranquility, and drowsiness would easily overwhelm him.
Unsurprisingly, he remained in that embracing position and fell asleep again.
Gu Jinghong gazed quietly at his sleeping face, all her previous excitement and desire to share settling away at this moment.
Inside the tent, only the occasional crackling of the lamplight and the steady breathing of the two people intertwined remained.
A sense of tranquility and peace enveloped her.
Looking at him sleeping soundly and listening to his even breathing, a deep sense of weariness washed over her like a tide.
She carefully leaned her head back against his chest, finding the most secure spot, and then slowly closed her eyes.
...
When Xiao Chengyan opened his eyes, it was already the morning of the next day.
Gu Jinghong was hunched over the table, adjusting a palm-sized brass mechanism with tweezers.
He walked over and stood behind Gu Jinghong, watching her steadily insert the brass mechanism into a wooden structure, and then carefully adjust its position.
He found a chair and sat down next to her.
“Ah Hong,” he said, “put down what you’re doing for now.”
Gu Jinghong cooperated by putting down the wooden parts and tweezers in her hands and turning to look at him.
After a full night's rest, Xiao Chengyan's complexion was noticeably better, but a faint trace of sorrow still lingered between his brows.
"Your Highness," she asked, her gaze sweeping over his face, "what is it?"
Xiao Chengyan was slightly taken aback.
Many people don't realize that this is a habitual way of asking questions by superiors. When they solve problems that their subordinates cannot solve, they will habitually ask "What is it?" The subtext is: "What is it that I need to solve?"
These two words made Xiao Chengyan even more certain and even more heartbroken.
He was certain that Gu Jinghong was not a weakling, and he also felt sorry for her, as she was so young yet already shouldered the pressure of being a high-ranking figure in the intelligence center of the martial arts world. During the year of the Southwest epidemic, Xiao Chengyan himself was also eighteen years old, and he knew the mindset of an eighteen-year-old. Gu Jinghong was a girl, so he was even more determined to protect her.
Xiao Chengyan said, "You have already helped the Southwest Camp complete the dredging of the underground river. Now, everything is in our hands. Pack your things immediately and go to my Southwest Headquarters."
"Southwest Headquarters..." Gu Jinghong pondered. There was Mu Chuchu in this place, an orphan girl in a chaotic world, so in Xiao Chengyan's mind, the Southwest Headquarters should be quite safe.
She asked, "Is the Prince going too?"
Xiao Chengyan held her hands in his own and stroked them repeatedly: "I will leave once this part is over."
"This chapter is over... then it's my turn to leave?"
Xiao Chengyan said, "I will have Changfeng escort you there."
After he finished speaking, he looked up at her, as if waiting for her to confirm, or for her to say that she didn't want to go—he had already prepared his excuses, which would surely make her willingly go to the Southwest Headquarters.
To everyone's surprise, Gu Jinghong pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and said, "Is Your Highness going to discard me after I've served my purpose?"
This remark left Xiao Chengyan in a difficult position.
He released her hand and looked at her with a half-smile.
Xiao Chengyan keenly sensed a hint of joke and coquetry in Gu Jinghong's words, a feeling that he found novel.
He shook his head helplessly, then gently pinched Gu Jinghong's cheek.
"Why is a young girl like you always talking about fighting and killing? And what do you compare yourself to? Who talks about themselves like that?"
Gu Jinghong then realized that she had fallen into Xiao Chengyan's linguistic trap, and that she had dug this pit for herself.
Since the two had been exchanging ideas about mechanisms along the way, Gu Jinghong had unconsciously become less aloof in front of him, and the girlish side of herself that she had been suppressing had begun to surface from time to time.
She probably didn't even notice the changes in herself; she just found it amusing.
So she leaned closer and naturally rested her back against Xiao Chengyan's chest. "Then why did Your Highness send me to the Southwest Headquarters? Your Highness knows perfectly well that there is still a Mu Chuchu there."
With a gentle tone and graceful demeanor, the usually aloof and proud Grand Secretary Gu suddenly appeared, catching Xiao Chengyan somewhat off guard.
Because Xiao Chengyan was very clear that the other side of the young girl was Gu Gefu, and what was revealed under her gentle tone was actually an extremely sharp statement.
Xiao Chengyan pinched the bridge of his nose, but the corners of his mouth curved upwards. "Ah Hong, haven't you always been bothered by the 'substitute' thing? After you see Mu Chuchu, you'll know how wronged I am."
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