Ji Mian was hauled up at the Hour of Chou, her hair all messy, heavy-eyed, with that lazy look of someone unable to even open her eyes.
Lin Qingye, however, wore a solemn expression, truly finding the sight unbearable.
“Ji Mian.”
“Hmm?”
Ji Mian squinted, seeing a hand reach out within her hazy vision. The temperature of that hand transferred against her cheek, a bit cool, yet Lin Qingye’s gaze was very gentle.
She reached out to help Ji Mian tidy her stray locks, sorting her out simply, with a familiarity as though she had done it countless times. Lin Qingye was also stunned, saying nothing, but simply helping to adjust the collar of Ji Mian’s clothes before accompanying her to Jian Xiyan’s tent.
At this time, dawn had not yet broken; a cold moon still hung at the edge of the sky, and nearing the middle of the month, it already looked quite full.
Several candle stands were lit inside the commander’s tent, with a large sand table placed right in the middle, stuck with twos and threes of small flags whose markings were temporarily unknown.
When the two of them arrived, the tent was already packed with people. Stare after stare pierced through like needles, making Ji Mian feel a bit uncomfortable, but the others knew better and quickly turned their heads back, half-fearful and half-disdainful, quite contradictory.
A thick smell of blood lingered heavily in the air, and only then did Ji Mian notice that the armor of several generals was already stained red.
“Since everyone has arrived, let me first brief you on the battle situation at the front lines.”
According to Jian Xiyan’s account, the Cult of the Demonic army had been ambushed while marching last night.
The night was naturally quiet, making the sound of stepping on crushed leaves magnify bit by bit. Even with footsteps pressed down, there was no helping it.
In an environment like a jungle, large-scale troop deployment is the greatest taboo in combat, so Jian Xiyan had given the order to disperse. To avoid alerting the enemy, they basically operated at night, moving inch by inch, preparing to set up a formation and trap the enemy’s vanguard within like a turtle in a jar.
Today, halfway through the journey, the leading vanguard suddenly felt something was amiss. She reached out to touch the ground, feeling that the soil here was somewhat overly compact, and then signaled with a hand for the people behind her to halt their footsteps.
She crept forward crouching for a short distance, groping into a patch of trampled, withered grass that still carried fresh mud dregs. In the next second, a cold flash appeared.
The vanguard team was completely wiped out.
Ji Mian raised her head to look at the gray, gloomy sky. It was overcast, the air somewhat stuffy, as if it was going to rain again.
Lin Qingye was wearing light armor, but because of her face, she had no choice but to put on a helmet, sweating all over from being tightly wrapped up.
“I always feel something is wrong.”
Though Ji Mian knew nothing of military affairs, her intuition also felt something was off. Because this was only the fifth day, and the vanguard led by Jian Xiyan had already fought its way outside the city gates of Zhesha and was now attacking the city.
This was completely different from the hard nut to crack encountered at the beginning. The completely annihilated vanguard team seemed like nothing more than an accident; along the way, aside from running into a few small guerrilla squads, they had encountered basically no obstacles.
It was simply too smooth.
In other words, it was as if the enemy had intentionally lured them into the city.
Ji Mian and her party were arranged at the tail end of the main force, standing by as a support squad.
With a telescope handed over by a subordinate in hand, she took it and gained a general understanding of the battle situation ahead.
Logically speaking, the Zhesha border was plagued by frequent warfare, so no matter what, its fortifications should have been complete and it certainly would not have been so vulnerable, even though Jian Xiyan’s ability was indeed very strong.
Thus, Ji Mian put down the telescope and fell into deep thought.
Both of them fell silent in unison.
Two hours later, the city gates were smashed wide open. Jian Xiyan leaped onto her horse, galloping all the way to break into the city, and a few quick-witted vanguard soldiers followed closely behind. Before long, they had control of the archers on the city walls.
The archers had some backbone; after being held hostage, they directly bit their tongues and committed suicide.
Seeing this scene, Jian Xiyan felt an unspeakable displeasure. After the main force entered the city, she spurred her horse once more and headed straight for the local government office.
This county magistrate was also an extraordinary character, still immersed in song and dance at the very instant the mansion gates were breached.
The way Jian Xiyan entered was not very friendly; the guards at the entrance were subdued by her in two or three moves, and the mansion gates were kicked open as well.
She had expected to encounter fierce resistance, never imagining this person could be so mired in a decadent life of luxury.
Her anger flared even higher.
Behind the vermilion gates, wine and meat rot; on the roads lie the bones of those who froze to death. Isn’t that precisely what this was?
A room full of women were driven together, leaving only the county magistrate sitting alone right in the center of the main hall.
This person’s official robes were not properly worn either, the sashes completely untied, hanging loosely to one side. Her brows and eyes were overflowing with dissolute charm, without a shred of righteousness.
Recalling that soldier who had taken her own life, Jian Xiyan held this woman in utter disdain.
The woman was holding a smoking pipe, glanced at Jian Xiyan, smiled, and lowered her head to take a draw.
“General Jade Face.”
This person tilted her head, seemingly inspecting the white mask on her face.
“I’ve heard of your great name for a long time.”
“Since you recognize me, do you still need me to invite you?”
Jian Xiyan stood, her sword already unsheathed. The county magistrate sat, wisps of smoke drifting around her, as steady as Mount Tai.
Jian Xiyan frowned upon smelling the smoke, holding a rather poor impression of this person, so she didn’t join in the escorting and instead just took people to disperse the courtyard full of singing and dancing girls back to their homes.
Ji Mian and Lin Qingye entered the city a step behind. By this time, the chaos within the city had long since settled into tranquility, and there were already some pedestrians on the streets, though perhaps out of fear, the number was not very large.
Ji Mian looked closely for a while and found that the ones walking about were all elderly people and children; able-bodied young adults were basically nowhere to be seen.
She didn’t think much of it. After all, when a city is about to fall, evacuating the able-bodied youth is standard practice, since those people form the backbone of military reinforcements.
She allowed herself to be arranged by Jian Xiyan’s attendants and moved into the county magistrate’s residence.
The residence looked somewhat dilapidated; a corner of the eaves had fallen off, and the roof tiles were not entirely complete, with some places seemingly prone to leaks.
However, the essential areas had been renovated to be quite comfortable.
For instance, the bathhouse.
This run-down little estate actually had a natural hot spring piped into it. It was a decent size, square-shaped, and fully three chi across.
Hearing that this county magistrate was an extremely dissolute figure, she wore a worried look.
Before her was a hot spring; soaking in it definitely wouldn’t be a loss.
Lin Qingye stood nearby and glanced at the pool, discovering a small switch at the bottom. She nudged it with her sword, and the hot spring water slowly drained out, then slowly filled back up from the other side.
Not knowing what Ji Mian was hesitating about, she explained to her.
“Zhesha’s mechanism arts are very famous, and this sort of thing is quite common.”
“You don’t need to be afraid…”
Winters in Zhesha are damp and cold, and the lingering chill of early spring is even more distressing, making it extremely easy to catch a cold. Therefore, the people here treat soaking in hot springs as a habit, and more or less everyone finds ways to soak a few times.
Seeing that Ji Mian was still standing by the edge hesitating, Lin Qingye unbuckled her garments herself, preparing to go down.
Ji Mian: ?
“You really make yourself right at home.”
“Have you forgotten what day it is today?”
Ji Mian hadn’t brought a small calendar on this trip, but calculating the time, it was probably mid-month.
“Soaking right now will be better for your body. Afterward, you won’t feel so miserable.”
Following the healing session, Ji Mian was in such pain that her limbs went limp, and she lay paralyzed by the edge of the bathing pool to recover her wits.
She handed the medicine used to suppress the Gu poison to Lin Qingye, watched her swallow it, and paid her no further mind.
She herself was in sharp pain and didn’t pay much attention to Lin Qingye either. When she opened her eyes again, she found that the other person was also leaning against the edge.
Sitting far apart, she could only see her tightly closed eyes.
Lin Qingye had a cold disposition; usually, she was probably just about like this. Ji Mian didn’t go to disturb her, until the other person remained completely motionless for nearly a quarter of an hour that Ji Mian was suddenly jolted awake.
She stepped forward in a few strides and discovered that the corners of Lin Qingye’s lips were bruised black, not a trace of color remained on her face, and her whole body was trembling, causing ripples to stir in the surrounding spring water.
A sour ache began to well up in Ji Mian’s heart.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Lin Qingye.”
Ji Mian called out to her several times, and as expected, they all sank into the sea without a trace.
What was going on?
Could it be that Yu Huai had mixed poison into the medicine she gave her?
Ji Mian drew closer, preparing to test her breathing. The moment she reached out, her wrist was grabbed tightly by Lin Qingye, whose eyes were red.
Perhaps because Lin Qingye’s consciousness was unclear, she didn’t hold back her strength at all; Ji Mian felt as though her wrist bone was about to snap.
Lin Qingye gripped her, trembling whether from anger or from the cold.
She opened her eyes.
Ji Mian winced in pain, her wrist burning hot, yet she felt the absolute iciness of Lin Qingye’s entire body. She turned her head to glare at Lin Qingye, only to be frightened by the other’s eyes.
Lin Qingye’s original eye color was an ice-like blue, slightly deep, looking very clear and pretty. At this moment, however, it was dyed over with a trace of blood, completely red, so thoroughly red that even her pupils were crimson, leaving only a single color in her eyeballs, looking extremely grotesque.
Ji Mian instinctively held her breath, not daring to let out a major sigh. Even though she broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, she didn’t dare move her arm an inch.
Ji Mian couldn’t tell whether Lin Qingye’s gaze was focused, nor did she know if the other person was looking at her; she could only wait.
After an unknown length of time, a strong gust of wind blew in from outside, rattling the indoor window and producing a colliding sound.
Lin Qingye’s expression seemed to loosen somewhat. Amidst her haze, she actually felt that Ji Mian’s face was incomparably familiar, as if long, long ago, someone had also called out to her just like this.
Overcome with emotion, moisture welled up in Lin Qingye’s eyes, and the strength in her grip slowly relaxed.
“Ji… Mian.”
With mechanical movements, she lowered her eyes and caught sight of Ji Mian’s reddened wrist. She actually began to stroke it with her fingers.
“I’m sorry.”
“Does it… hurt?”
Unable to suppress her swallow, Ji Mian had no leisure to care for her own wrist. Hearing Lin Qingye’s weak call, she responded softly.
“I’m fine. What’s wrong with you? Were you poisoned? I’ll go find a doctor for you.”
Ji Mian immediately moved to leave, only to be yanked back by Lin Qingye in a firm grip.
At this moment, Lin Qingye possessed little consciousness, and all her actions sprang from instinct.
“No need.”
“Cold.”
Cold?
Ji Mian looked at Lin Qingye’s single layer of undergarments, soaked entirely through, and felt somewhat troubled. Without changing them, she would definitely be cold, and moreover, Lin Qingye’s body was abnormally cold. If she wanted someone else to help change her clothes, she might even have to make her wear a mask, which was a bit troublesome.
“Can you wait for me for a moment?”
Perhaps fearing that she would go seek a doctor, Lin Qingye gripped Ji Mian’s wrist tightly and refused to let go.
Ji Mian knitted her brows, truly out of options.
How was it that whenever Lin Qingye’s illness flared up, she regressed further and further like a child?
With no other choice, she half-dragged and half-carried her back to her own room, tentatively setting about changing her clothes.
Ancient garments were exceptionally complex, and Ji Mian fumbled for a long time before she managed to dress her more or less decently.
Helping someone else get dressed, this was her first time.
Fussing over her for a long time left Ji Mian feeling quite warm all over. In particular, the inevitable physical contact made it hard for her not to feel a bit restless.
The moisture on Lin Qingye’s body had dried somewhat. She sat on the couch motionless, eyes closed, looking as though she were suffering terribly.
Making up her mind, Ji Mian quickly stripped off all of Lin Qingye’s wet clothes. With a bright, bare person sitting right before her eyes, it was hard not to see; Lin Qingye had a rather fine figure with a very slender waist, and the faint lines of muscles could even be seen across it.
Yet there were also sights that tugged at the heartstrings: Lin Qingye bore quite a few injuries on her body. The texture wasn’t smooth and delicate, but instead featured raised lines, hypertrophic scars left behind after wounds healed.
Ji Mian stared at one particular scar that ought to have been a fresh injury, its edges still crusted with a scab and surrounded by a faint reddish halo. Unable to hold back, she actually reached out and touched it.
The person beneath her palm shrank back and stirred. Ji Mian looked up and was caught red-handed by the principal herself.
Lin Qingye’s pupils weren’t as terrifying as before; the color had faded a bit, and she seemed to have regained a sliver of consciousness as well. The tips of her ears were slightly red, and her expression as she looked at her was somewhat dazed.
Then, from somewhere a breeze drifted in, causing Lin Qingye to sneeze.
Remembering her proper business at last, Ji Mian helped her dress properly, though it still felt a bit awkward. Out of sight, out of mind, Ji Mian grabbed a quilt with one hand and wrapped Lin Qingye up tightly from head to toe.
“Still… cold.”
Ji Mian touched her own body and found she was still quite warm.
Perhaps due to the cultivation method she practiced, her normal body temperature was somewhat higher than that of ordinary people.
Worst case, they could just sleep together. Anyway, Lin Qingye was quite well-behaved when sleeping.
After changing into fresh clothes herself, Ji Mian climbed onto the bed and snatched the quilt away from Lin Qingye.
Losing her source of heat, Lin Qingye frowned. After a moment of hesitation, she still pressed herself close against Ji Mian.
One had to admit, Lin Qingye’s body felt quite cool and refreshing. With the two of them pressed together, the temperature was just right, and before long Ji Mian felt herself growing drowsy.
She raised her eyes to look at Lin Qingye. At this moment, Lin Qingye was curled up into a ball, almost half-nestled in Ji Mian’s embrace, her sleeping face serene, her body no longer trembling.
Seeing that she had apparently recovered, Ji Mian felt instantly reassured. Having tossed and turned all night, she was also dog-tired and too lazy to care about anything else, dropping straight off to sleep.