Chapter 81

Fan Changyu turned around and looked at Xie Zheng.

Half of his face was hidden in the interplay of light and shadow.

Because he was sitting against the light, she couldn’t clearly see his expression. His voice, however, was noticeably lower than usual.

“I spoke too harshly to you earlier. I’m sorry.”

He had been proud for most of his life. It was rare for him to lower his head and apologize first.

Fan Changyu still didn’t say anything.

She simply lifted the tent flap and walked out.

Xie Zheng stared at the curtain that was still swaying gently, his lips gradually pressing into a thin line.

A moment later, Fan Changyu returned carrying a kettle.

Steam rose from the spout, clearly showing it had just been filled with hot water.

Ignoring the brief flash of surprise on Xie Zheng’s face, she picked up a wooden cup from the table, poured him some water, and handed it over.

“Do you want to drink?”

Xie Zheng accepted the cup.

The water was still scalding hot from being freshly boiled. He didn’t bring it to his lips, merely held it in his hand.

“Thank you for finding the cloak for me.”

Fan Changyu glanced at the crimson fur-lined cloak draped across his body.

Still refusing to respond to that topic, she asked instead,

“Has your medicine been changed today?”

Most of Xie Zheng’s face was hidden behind the rising steam from the cup.

His long eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows.

After a brief hesitation, he shook his head.

His pale complexion carried a chilly whiteness, making him seem like a cold moon hanging over a frosted forest—lonely, detached, and distant from the world.

He looked as though he intended to simply sit there and waste away on his own.

Fan Changyu suddenly felt that this must be one of the advantages of being born with such a handsome face.

Looking at him like this, she unexpectedly felt a pang of sympathy.

Assuming there were simply too many wounded soldiers for the physician to attend to him, she rose without a word and went to find the military doctor.

After today’s battle, there were indeed many more injured soldiers.

The several physicians attached to the army were running around the camp nonstop.

The physician responsible for treating Xie Zheng had actually intended to come change his dressing at the usual time, but Xie Zheng had dismissed him with a single sentence.

“See to the other soldiers first.”

The physicians all knew Xie Zheng’s temperament.

Besides, his wound dressing had only been changed the previous night.

They hadn’t insisted further.

Now that Fan Changyu had come looking for medicine, the physician felt enormously relieved and quickly handed over the herbs for today’s dressing change, along with the medicine that needed to be boiled and consumed.

After returning with several packets of medicine, Fan Changyu looked at Xie Zheng sitting against the headboard and said stiffly,

“Take off your clothes.”

Xie Zheng glanced at the medicine in her hands.

Without asking any questions, he obediently removed his inner robe.

Compared to when Fan Changyu had first found him, he was noticeably stronger now.

The muscles of his waist and abdomen were clearly defined.

Unfortunately, the numerous scars—some deep, some shallow—were equally eye-catching.

Keeping her face expressionless, Fan Changyu began removing the bandages wrapped diagonally from his shoulder to his ribs.

Her movements, however, were as gentle as possible.

The innermost layer of bandages had been stained by herbal juice and fresh blood.

The smell wasn’t pleasant either.

When she saw the wound, which had improved somewhat but still looked terrifying, a complicated mix of emotions surged within her.

She turned her eyes away.

Just as she was about to apply the medicinal herbs, someone grabbed her wrist.

The warmth against the back of her hand made her scalp tingle.

It felt as though all the blood in her arm was suddenly flowing backward.

Frowning, she looked up at Xie Zheng.

There seemed to be countless emotions hidden in his eyes, yet none were entirely clear.

He only said calmly,

“The wound looks rather frightening. I’ll do it myself.”

At those words, Fan Changyu’s lips tightened.

Applying a little force, she pulled her hand free and firmly pressed the herbs onto the wound.

Xie Zheng glanced at his empty hand after she withdrew hers.

Lowering his eyes, he fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

After applying the medicine, Fan Changyu began wrapping fresh bandages around him.

Only then did she mutter,

“I’m not afraid of your wound.”

Xie Zheng froze slightly because of those words.

Before he could respond, she added,

“Move the hair away from your left shoulder.”

Having been bedridden for many days, his neatly tied hair had long since become disheveled.

Strands of loose hair had fallen over his shoulder.

Since the bandages needed to wrap across that shoulder, the hair had to be moved aside, and Fan Changyu didn’t have enough free hands to do it herself.

Xie Zheng swept the hair aside as instructed.

Still, a few stray strands remained.

As Fan Changyu wrapped the bandage around his shoulder, she continued her earlier sentence.

“I’m afraid you’ll die.”

Xie Zheng lifted his eyelashes slightly.

His eyes, bright as cold stars, filled with surprise.

The young woman before him murmured softly,

“That wound was so severe. It nearly pierced your internal organs. It must have hurt terribly at the time…”

Xie Zheng stared at her without blinking.

He felt as though a strange tree covered in barbed hooks had taken root inside his chest.

Each inch its roots grew deeper into his heart brought a dull, aching pain.

Yet the branches spreading outward also filled him with a gentle warmth and tenderness.

And so the tree grew even more wildly.

“I won’t die,” he said.

He hadn’t married her yet.

How could he bear to die?

Fan Changyu seemed incapable of lying by nature.

Looking at the man before her—still handsome and intimidating despite his weakened state—she replied honestly,

“Everyone dies eventually.”

Xie Zheng smiled.

“I know.”

When he genuinely smiled, he was breathtakingly handsome.

Fan Changyu had no idea why he had suddenly laughed.

For a brief moment, that smile dazzled her.

Frowning slightly, she continued wrapping the bandages.

Xie Zheng asked,

“Are you no longer angry with me?”

Her hands paused briefly.

“I wasn’t angry to begin with. I’m not part of the army and don’t understand military rules. Everything you said was correct.”

The words sounded perfectly reasonable.

Yet when Fan Changyu thought back to her earlier reaction, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed.

The truth was that she had been angry.

She just didn’t understand why.

When she had gone down the mountain and successfully brought back salt, solving the camp’s greatest problem, she had grabbed the two cloaks while thinking of Yan Zheng and Changning.

But when she returned full of happiness, she had been met with a harsh scolding.

She knew Yan Zheng was right.

Yet she still couldn’t stop herself from feeling hurt.

There had even been something resembling grievance mixed into her emotions.

If she was wrong, then she was wrong.

What right did she have to feel wronged?

Fan Changyu felt she had become strange.

Almost unlike herself.

That was why she had fled.

In the past, she never would have taken Yan Zheng’s words so seriously.

After all, his dislike and disdain for her had hardly been a recent development.

But now his words could hurt her.

Fan Changyu didn’t know what had gone wrong.

It felt as though she had become a worse person.

Knowing one’s mistakes and correcting them was the proper thing to do.

Hearing her explanation, Xie Zheng was also momentarily stunned.

Then he said,

“My words earlier were too harsh. Going to the back mountain wasn’t reckless at all. On the contrary, you uncovered the rebels’ scheme. Your merits far outweigh your mistakes.”

Fan Changyu merely smiled shyly.

Gone was the natural closeness and ease that had once existed between them.

In its place was a polite distance more suited to strangers.

After finishing the bandaging, she stepped back and sat on a round stool.

Lowering her eyes, she said,

“Someone will bring your medicine tonight. Remember to drink it.”

“Tomorrow I’ll ask Brother Xiao Wu to come help you change your dressing and wash up.”

“Focus on recovering. If you need anything, just tell Xiao Wu. I heard you two used to serve in the same unit, so having a familiar face around should make things easier.”

Only then did Xie Zheng sense that something was truly wrong.

His handsome brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

Fan Changyu casually made up an excuse.

“There are more wounded soldiers now. The physicians are overwhelmed, so I’m helping them out. I won’t have time to come here anymore.”

“As for Ningniang, I’ll have her stay inside the tent these next few days and not wander around.”

Until the moment Fan Changyu left, Xie Zheng didn’t say another word.

Fan Changyu herself didn’t feel any better.

She wandered alone to a quiet hillside and sat there in a daze for a long while.

She knew Yan Zheng’s proud personality well.

He would never lower himself enough to ask her to continue caring for him.

Even if he mistakenly believed she was avoiding him because of his injuries, he wouldn’t ask for clarification.

But her own thoughts were a complete mess right now.

Fan Changyu didn’t know what was wrong with her.

The only solution she could think of was to stay far away from Yan Zheng for the time being.


—

It took Gongsun Yin an entire afternoon to accept the fact that the woman Xie Zheng had fallen for was as much of a freak of nature as Xie Zheng himself.

When he went to discuss upcoming military matters, he first sought out Xie Five, who was standing guard in secret.

After learning that Fan Changyu had already visited Xie Zheng and even changed his medicine, Gongsun Yin thought things should have been smoothed over by now.

The moment he entered the tent and saw Xie Zheng’s expression, however, he nearly turned around and left.

That wasn’t the face of a man whose feathers had been smoothed.

It looked more like someone had glued every feather backward with paste.

The coldness in his gaze was enough to freeze water.

Gongsun Yin coughed lightly.

“I heard Miss Fan came by?”

The instant Xie Zheng’s icy gaze landed on him, Gongsun Yin suddenly felt his clothing was far too thin for the weather.

The lingering spring chill seemed to seep into his bones.

Rubbing his arms, he asked,

“You two argued again?”

“I chased her all the way to the cooks’ camp and said plenty of good things on your behalf. Xie Jiuheng, you’re a full-grown man. Couldn’t you just soften your attitude and properly coax her?”

Leaning back in his chair, unfinished documents spread before him, Xie Zheng looked thoroughly gloomy and disgusted with himself.

“I apologized.”

Gongsun Yin said,

“When dealing with a young woman, you have to humble yourself a little. You can’t apologize while wearing that sour expression—”

The moment Xie Zheng looked at him, Gongsun Yin wisely shut his mouth.

After a long pause, Xie Zheng finally said,

“I apologized properly.”

“She said she wasn’t angry.”

“But then she said she wouldn’t be coming anymore.”

Gongsun Yin immediately declared,

“Isn’t that obviously because she’s still angry?”

Seeing that Xie Zheng genuinely looked confused, he couldn’t help adding,

“Women are always like that! They say one thing and mean another!”

“When she says she’s not angry, she’s angry!”

“She already told you she won’t be coming over for the next few days. How could you not understand what that means?”

For the first time in his life, Xie Zheng had fallen for a woman.

Naturally, he understood nothing about a young lady’s thoughts.

“How do I make her stop being angry?”

After thinking for a moment, Gongsun Yin said,

“To be fair, Miss Fan has every reason to be upset.”

“She possesses extraordinary martial skill. Before coming here, when the rebels discovered the dam construction upstream in Ji Province, she had the courage to cross the Wu Mountains alone on a stormy night to intercept enemy scouts.”

“This morning she even hunted a bear by herself.”

“With courage like that, there aren’t many generals under your command who could compare.”

“According to Xiao Wu, she only decided to pursue the rebels after carefully assessing their troop strength.”

“She’s not only brave but intelligent as well.”

“The achievements she earned are genuine military accomplishments.”

“You ignored all of that and scolded her the moment she came back.”

“Why wouldn’t she be angry?”

Because Fan Changyu had always downplayed her experiences in Ji Province to avoid worrying him, Xie Zheng knew almost nothing about her previous deeds.

Hearing all of this now, and learning that she had single-handedly hunted a bear, he couldn’t help feeling astonished.

Yet he only grew quieter.

Seeing this, Gongsun Yin sighed.

“Miss Fan is not an ordinary woman.”

“I know your words that day came from concern and good intentions.”

“But in the future, don’t mistake a swan for a sparrow.”

“I haven’t known Miss Fan for long, but I can tell she’s soft-hearted.”

“At this point, perhaps you should try showing some vulnerability.”

A trace of confusion appeared on Xie Zheng’s handsome face.

“Showing vulnerability?”


—

The next day, Fan Changyu did exactly as she had said and went to help the military physicians.

The stories of her stealing salt and killing a bear had spread throughout the army overnight.

The moment she entered the infirmary tents, many soldiers greeted her enthusiastically.

Upon discovering that the legendary warrior was actually a beautiful young woman, they became even more astonished.

The physicians knew Fan Changyu’s identity.

They didn’t even dare let her bandage wounds and instead assigned her to boil medicine.

One wounded soldier sighed.

“What a pity Miss Fan wasn’t born a man. With skills like hers, she’d have earned enough military merit to become a general.”

Although female generals had existed in the dynasty, they all came from military families.

Ordinary women, no matter how skilled, couldn’t even be officially enlisted.

How could they possibly earn military merit on the battlefield?

A burly soldier laughed.

“I wonder which lucky fellow will marry Miss Fan someday. If he does, it won’t just be ancestral graves emitting lucky smoke—his entire ancestral tomb will burst into flames!”

Someone immediately elbowed him and lowered his voice.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Miss Fan already has a husband!”

The uninformed soldiers immediately asked,

“Miss Fan is married?”

Xie Seven had ostensibly come to help but was actually there to protect Fan Changyu in secret.

As he carried a freshly brewed pot of medicine into the tent, he overheard everyone discussing Fan Changyu enthusiastically.

Immediately, he felt protective of his master.

“Miss Fan traveled all the way to this mountain just to find her husband.”

A wounded soldier quickly asked,

“Who’s Miss Fan’s husband? Did she find him?”

Xie Seven proudly raised his chin and was about to answer.

But a wounded soldier who had heard some rumors beat him to it.

“She found him.”

“But I heard he’s practically dying. Apparently he’s hanging on by just a single breath.”

Xie Seven: “…”

The group sighed sympathetically at first.

Then they immediately launched into another lively discussion.

Several of them even discreetly fixed their hair when Fan Changyu entered.

The eager looks in their eyes made it seem as though they were all secretly hoping that Fan Changyu’s husband—who was supposedly “hanging on by a single breath”—would stop struggling and die sooner rather than later.

After leaving the infirmary, Xie Seven couldn’t hold it in anymore.

He hurried off to report everything to Xie Zheng.


—

Meanwhile, Fan Changyu had just started boiling another batch of medicine when Xie Five came rushing over.

“Miss Fan! This is bad!”

“Your husband suddenly coughed up blood! You need to come back and see him right away!”

Fan Changyu was startled.

“How did he suddenly start coughing blood?”

Unable to meet her eyes, Xie Five put on a miserable expression and said,

“I don’t know either. I went in to deliver his medicine and found blood everywhere—from his coughing all over the bedding!”

Fan Changyu’s heart immediately sank.

Coughing up that much blood was no small matter.

She quickly brought along the physician who had previously treated Xie Zheng and rushed back.

The young soldier helping her boil medicine happened to be the same youth she had thrown out of the encirclement before.

Watching Fan Changyu and the physician hurry away, he sighed sympathetically.

“Is Sister Fan’s husband really about to die?”