IF Line 3: See through it all, and say it out loud.
A dark-skinned soldier with a bright smile stopped her and said, "Doctor, I pierced my arm with a spear this morning. Could you bandage it for me?"
Ji Qingwu glanced at his arm and saw that there was indeed a cut that had torn his sleeve. The scab had turned dark brown, so it shouldn't be serious.
She said gently, "Okay, in a bit..."
Suddenly, someone said coldly, "We'll practice the nine forms of the spear formation later."
The so-called Nine Forms of Spear Formation include throat thrust, shin sweep, armor piercing, and backhand thrust, requiring a hundred thrusts to be completed within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
The dark-skinned soldier wanted to wail, but upon seeing that the person in question was General Dingbei, he dared not utter a sound and obeyed orders to return to the drill ground.
Ji Qingwu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he raised the food box in his hand.
"General."
Zhao Mingyan frowned, but still tossed the weapon in his hand to the deputy general behind him.
Ji Qingwu quietly withdrew her right index and middle fingers. She didn't know how to make noodles or pastries; she learned them on the spot.
Two fingers followed her and suffered a lot.
Aunt Zhang even advised her to just take what the cook made, but Ji Qingwu thought it wouldn't work and that it was better to do it herself.
She deliberately softened her voice: "General, this is..."
In the blink of an eye, she saw that his brows had furrowed, so she quickly changed her words and said, "I'm here to deliver breakfast to the general on behalf of Aunt Bai."
Zhao Mingyan's gaze swept from the food box to her face.
You are lying.
Ji Qingwu felt a little flustered. Could he tell that she was lying?
She paused, then said, "Actually, it wasn't Aunt Bai who asked me to come; I came on my own initiative."
She lifted her eyelashes to steal a glance at his expression, and then said, "The things in the food box were also made by myself."
Zhao Mingyan nodded, looked directly into her eyes, and asked, "Why did you prepare these for me?"
This question hit Ji Qingwu right where it hurts, but she was prepared for it.
"My daughter has long admired the illustrious reputation of General Zhenbei. She has often heard of his fierce night raids on Longxi and Shuofang, and the popular songs and ballads praising his bravery and skill in battle. Therefore, she wished to come..."
Ji Qingwu's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.
The man's face was even darker than his black armor; could it be that he didn't like hearing such praise?
Zhao Mingyan said coldly, "You've come to the wrong person."
Ji Qingwu asked in surprise, "How could that be?"
Then, Zhao Mingyan strode away.
The lieutenant whispered a reminder to her: "The one who launched the night raid on Longxi and fought the fierce battle in Shuofang was indeed General Wei Ting, but this one is General Dingbei."
Ji Qingwu stood there, stunned.
There are two generals in the military camp, so who is she going to win over?
She needed to check with the system first, but this General Dingbei was clearly angered by her. What if it was him?
Ji Qingwu decided to take a gamble, not wanting him to leave like this. She gripped the handle of the food box tightly and jogged after him.
Seeing him stride away quickly, Ji Qingwu shouted, "General!"
"Isn't the general able to see through whether I'm lying or not?"
Ji Qingwu ran a few steps and blocked his way.
"Can the general tell whether what I just said is true or false?"
Zhao Mingyan walked around her and said, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Ji Qingwu followed behind him and said, "I didn't actually know what the Zhenbei General's reputation was. I only found out by asking my roommate last night."
"This is all because I thought, I thought..."
Zhao Mingyan stopped in his tracks, and Ji Qingwu bumped into his back, letting out a painful groan as her forehead struck his hard shoulder armor.
"They thought I was the General Who Guards the North."
Ji Qingwu rubbed his head, which was still dizzy from the impact, and nodded.
The man's cold gaze seemed to soften a little, and she nervously touched her neck.
Zhao Mingyan's gaze fell on her reddened ears, and he said, "So, why did you approach me?"
Ji Qingwu's eyes flickered, her long, fan-like eyelashes trembling.
Can I say that the child I had was born to?
Seeing that her face was flushed and red marks had appeared on her fair forehead, Zhao Mingyan took the food box from her hands.
"Go back and apply the medicine."
His voice was clear and crisp, revealing no sign of displeasure or annoyance.
Ji Qingwu bumped his head, which only made him bolder.
In the bustling military camp, she grabbed General Dingbei's wrist guard. The silver wrist guard was cold and hard, and Ji Qingwu had to use her strength to hold it firmly.
Zhao Mingyan turned around and stared at her, his eyes growing increasingly dark.
The generals in the army were all terrified when they saw his expression.
But those thin, frail arms held him tightly, refusing to let go, even though she was clearly afraid.
Ji Qingwu looked up, her voice trembling slightly: "General, may I apply the medicine?"
When Li Yuzong arrived, who was strolling over leisurely, he was so shocked by the scene that his heart almost stopped.
Ji Qingwu bit her lip and said, "After all, you bumped into the general, so you also have to take responsibility."
Zhao Mingyan smiled as if he had heard something ridiculous.
"Responsible?"
Ji Qingwu said decisively, "Yes! Take responsibility! At least half the responsibility."
Zhao Mingyan said, "Do you really want me to take responsibility? Don't cry then."
What's there to cry about? She couldn't be happier.
Ji Qingwu followed him briskly into the main tent.
The environment inside was much worse than she had imagined for the commander's tent. Apart from being more spacious with a long table for discussions and a case for handling official business, it was no different from an ordinary military tent.
Li Yuzong first served Zhao Mingyan by washing his hands.
Ji Qingwu was nervous and excited at the same time. Before General Dingbei could speak, she sat down at the long table and looked up to wait for him to apply the medicine to her.
Zhao Mingyan slowly wiped his fingers with a damp towel. Seeing her appearance, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
"You haven't had breakfast yet, or..."
Zhao Mingyan said calmly, "It's alright."
Li Yuzong could only swallow his words of advice and turned to present the medicine box. Ji Qingwu craned his neck to take a look; it was all top-quality medicine for treating external injuries.
She hadn't felt any pain before, but now that she relaxed, she felt a tightness and pain in her forehead when she raised her eyebrows; it must be swollen.
She placed her hands on her knees, looked up, and smiled, saying, "General, thank you."
Zhao Mingyan looked down at her, scooped out the ointment from the porcelain jar, and rubbed it in his palm to warm it up.
Ji Qingwu felt more at ease; this guy was obviously experienced. But the moment that large hand landed on her forehead, she changed her mind.
Putting aside the burning sensation of the ointment, the calluses on his palms alone caused a stinging pain on her forehead.
Ji Qingwu couldn't help but cry out in pain: "Hiss... um..."
She tried to back away, but he pressed down on the back of her neck and straightened her head.
Zhao Mingyan said, "Rubbing it open will make it heal faster, otherwise it will leave blood stasis."
Ji Qingwu was not afraid of pain or blood stasis. As long as she could complete the mission, she had nothing to fear. She had to make the most of this rare opportunity to make contact.
It did hurt at first, but later her cries of pain changed.
It sounded more like a small animal whimpering, its tone fluctuating between low and high.
Her eyelashes kept blinking, deliberately brushing against the inside of his wrist.
Seeing that he didn't react, Ji Qingwu simply leaned her body against his arm.
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