Pei Yuan pretended to look around, crossed his arms and sighed, "This place actually attracts women? How strange."
He Zhuo stood up and said in a low voice, "Just remember the mistakes you made. If you dare to push her again, I'll wipe out your entire operation."
Pei Yuan nodded. "Just let me know when you're ready to help. Count me in."
He Zhuo choked, snorted, and turned to leave, but after thinking for a moment, he went to Qiu Su's tent instead. Pei Yuan didn't stop him, but just followed him with his hands behind his back.
He Zhuo didn't have much feeling for children, but seeing such a fair and tender little boy still warmed his heart. After staring at him for a while, he turned to Qiu Su, perhaps wanting to scold her, but after holding back for a long time, he only groaned and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Qiu Su shook her head, glanced at Pei Yuan, whose eye was bruised, and then at He Zhuo, whose cheekbone was bruised. She wanted to say something, but opened her mouth and then remained silent. The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Mo Mo was excited to see Pei Yuan and struggled to move closer to him. Seeing He Zhuo standing coldly between Pei Yuan and Qiu Su, she became a little scared and, after glancing at He Zhuo, reached out and whimpered at Pei Yuan. Pei Yuan stepped forward and hugged her. Qiu Su tried to take her hand away, but seeing Mo Mo giggling and calling him "Daddy" in Pei Yuan's arms, she withdrew her hand.
Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Su Su, eat something too. We'll be together tonight."
The mountain lord was the first to emerge from the tent, and Momo leaned outwards, kicking her legs. Pei Yuan glanced at He Zhuo and Qiu Su, who had her head bowed, then picked up Momo and carried her out of the tent.
Qiu Su didn't look away until the curtain was drawn. She looked at He Zhuo, who was pursing his lips, and asked, "Why did you make a move?"
He Zhuo sat down next to her, offering half of his face, and pointed to his face, saying, "It hurts."
Qiu Su pursed her lips, stretched out her silkworm-like hand and waved it, "Who told you to fight?"
He Zhuo remained silent, then reached out and grasped her wrist. Qiu Su struggled, and He Zhuo sighed, "I want to beat you up today."
Qiu Su's face flushed slightly. "It seems I was quite cowardly. I was originally planning to go to General Qin, but ha, my Siqiong horse is still no match for one of their ordinary horses."
“Those aren’t ordinary horses; no one can outrun their troops.” He Zhuo sighed. “You’ve scared me.”
Qiu Su lowered her eyes and said with a wry smile, "It was the first time I'd seen blood, and I was a little scared. Qingyuan Mountain is much better. With a dose of sleeping pills, a few people can snatch someone from behind, steal their things, and leave. At most, they can just knock them out with a club."
"We will go back."
Qiu Su curled the corners of her lips and withdrew her hand, saying, "Just now, that was Mo Mo."
"I know."
"My son, he's still alive."
54
54. The law of the jungle...
Una kept his promise and did not advance in the other direction. Qiu Su's duel with Una was witnessed by all one thousand elite soldiers; afterwards, when Qiu Su was in a sorry state, tears streaming down her face, she had already been abducted by Pei Yuan. The others knew only the result—Una retreated. Una's army lost twenty-four horses, and even Una's mount broke its foreleg. The enemy suffered seventeen dead, and the number of wounded was unknown. On this side, one of the thousand elite soldiers was seriously wounded.
General Qin had originally intended to establish Qiu Su's prestige within the army, and this opportunity provided a perfect setting for further promotion. Qiu Su rightfully became the only son of Ji Yue, the divine general of the nation.
Major General Ji was injured, but not seriously. It was said that he was injured in a fight with Unabima on the way. The Third Prince came to Southern Xinjiang in person, accompanied by a small child. This was not a situation Pei Yuan wanted. He would rather be an ordinary attendant following behind Qiu Su. However, when Qiu Su, limping, followed behind General Qin to meet the soldiers, she pushed him to the front.
Pei Yuan felt annoyed at the thought of that situation. Qiu Su hadn't spoken much to him since she learned of Mo Mo's existence, but her expressions had become much richer. She would be a little affectionate with Mo Mo and would hold him to sleep at night. Pei Yuan stayed in her tent under the pretext that the child couldn't be separated from his father, while He Zhuo still slept at the tent entrance, completely oblivious to the situation.
Pei Yuan tried to shoo He Zhuo away, but He Zhuo turned his attention to Qiu Su. Qiu Su was just sleeping with her child, saying nothing. If he tried to squeeze in next to her, he would be kicked away. Pei Yuan figured she might still have some unresolved issues, and that haste makes waste, so he had no choice but to sleep with He Zhuo at the tent entrance. He Zhuo was hospitable and offered him a spot outside. In the Southern Frontier, it was hot enough to wear only a single layer of clothing during the day, but cold enough to make you shiver even wrapped in a blanket at night. Pei Yuan only slept for half the night before wrapping himself in a blanket and sleeping at Qiu Su's feet. Without waiting for her consent, he grabbed her feet, tucked them into his arms, and pretended to snore.
Actually, this was for the best; at least it was more harmonious. However, when Qiu Su went out for the first time, she bowed to him in front of everyone, knelt down respectfully, and said that the Third Prince's personal visit to the front lines was a blessing for the country and the people. Qiu Su's kneeling forced General Qin, who had already agreed with Pei Yuan, to kneel as well. Then, He Zhuo, always eager for chaos, led a thousand elite soldiers and roared, welcoming the Third Prince.
Pei Yuan looked up at He Zhuo's head and suddenly thought that it would be best if that Qin guy, whose face only showed two bull eyes, was lucky to be alive and fast enough, and also to be so devoted to marrying her. Pei Yuan had never realized that he actually admired this kind of woman who wouldn't give up until she hit a wall. He thought back to the time when sending someone to secretly follow her was the right thing to do. If she was safe, then the mother of his child would be safe.
The Third Prince set up a separate camp, and He Zhuo returned to his own group camp because Huang Tao was with him. Mo Mo was still not that close to Qiu Su. She was fine during the day, but as soon as it got dark, she had to see Pei Yuan by her side. If Pei Yuan was late for some reason, she would cry uncontrollably.
The evening was a bit better. Pei Yuan was busy with something, so Qiu Su helped Huang Tao feed Mo Mo, put him on a blanket, and gave him all sorts of toys that He Zhuo had found and Pei Yuan had brought. Mo Mo grabbed a rattle and kept hitting the mountain lord with it. The mountain lord was already eight years old, and Qiu Su felt it had been too quiet lately. She didn't know how long a wolf's lifespan was, but she still wanted to show it some love. Qiu Su felt sorry for it and picked Mo Mo up to let it hit its arm. But as soon as Mo Mo got into Qiu Su's arms, it started tugging at her collar, wanting to nurse.
Children are all clever little devils. Ever since he woke up one night and snuggled into Qiu Su's arms, touching something he shouldn't have, he's been slowly trying to find that missing piece. Seeing him like this, Qiu Su blushed, hugged him facing outwards, and grabbed a plush toy, stuffing it into his hands.
“Miss, the young master hasn’t received this kind of treatment since he came under the care of the son-in-law.”
"That won't do either." Qiu Su's face flushed red. She always felt that this child could be quite mischievous at times, and it had become increasingly apparent in the last few days. During the day, if she didn't want to be touched, he wouldn't touch her, and he would just pout and let it go, but lately, he would always slip his little hand inside her clothes at night without her noticing. Qiu Su had no experience in breastfeeding, and every time Mo Mo pulled at her clothes in front of He Zhuo or Pei Yuan, her face would burn with heat.
Fortunately, Momo knew that her demands had never been met, so she pouted, yawned, looked towards the door, and played for a while longer. After waiting a while and seeing that Pei Yuan hadn't returned, she pouted again and snuggled into Qiu Su's arms.
Qiu Su lay down with him in her arms. Perhaps he was tired from playing, because his little hands touched Qiu Su's face and neck, and finally he just slipped his hands inside her clothes, pressed against her chest, and fell asleep.
When Pei Yuan arrived, Qiu Su was already asleep, with Mo Mo resting on her arm, drooling in his sleep. Pei Yuan sat for a while, then, seeing Huang Tao yawning, tucked the blankets around the mother and son and left.
The night in southern Xinjiang was bitterly cold. Pei Yuan stood outside the tent for a moment, and after hearing that Huang Tao inside had also gone to bed, he stayed for a while longer before returning.
In the dark tent, the mountain lord suddenly opened his eyes, listened alertly for a moment, then tilted his head slightly and hesitantly lay back down. But only a moment later, he suddenly looked up again, this time remaining still for only a short while before leaping out.
The mountain lord let out a low whimper. Not far away, Xiao Qiu ran out, let out a soft whimper at the mountain lord, and then darted into the darkness. The mountain lord remained crouched at the entrance of Qiu Su's tent, but after a moment, movement arose again in the opposite direction from where Xiao Qiu had disappeared. The mountain lord groaned anxiously a few times, and seeing the commotion growing louder, he let out a howl and rushed towards that direction.
A dark figure flashed into Qiu Su's tent, causing a commotion before quieting down again.
Qiu Su woke up when the mountain lord let out a howl. She sat up abruptly, picked up Mo Mo and moved him to a corner, carefully turning his head to the side and covering his face with a blanket. Just as she finished doing this, she heard a muffled groan from the direction where Huang Tao was sleeping, and then felt a chill on her neck as a dagger appeared.
"Who?" Qiu Su asked in a low voice.
The dagger at her neck pressed down, the chill followed by a warm trickle running down her neck. Qiu Su heard a low laugh, a man's laugh. Qiu Su slowly moved one hand under the pillow, just as she grasped the dagger, she was pushed onto the bed. The man was between her and Mo Mo, and Qiu Su suddenly regretted not letting him go with Pei Yuan tonight.
"Don't move, if you want the child to be alright."
Footsteps sounded outside the tent, presumably Pei Yuan or He Zhuo coming to investigate. The footsteps stopped outside the tent and lingered for a long time. Qiu Su lifted her foot to rub against the blanket to make some noise, but as soon as she moved, she saw a gleaming dagger heading towards the small creature beside her. Qiu Su's eyes widened instantly, and she froze.
The man brandished the dagger in his hand, a smirk playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on the little bundle of flesh. Qiu Su closed her eyes, her body limp, indicating she wouldn't move again. The people outside the tent stood for a long time. Perhaps feeling stuffy, Mo Mo pulled the blanket aside, revealing her little face. She groggily and affectionately called out "Mother," let out a long sigh, turned over, and fell asleep again.
Those outside the tent must have heard Mo Mo's voice, because soon after, the sound of footsteps leaving could be heard.
Qiu Su opened her eyes. "Put your knife back."
The man chuckled softly, raising his hand to cover Qiu Su's mouth and nose. Qiu Su smelled a strong fragrance, struggled violently for a moment, and squeezed out a few words before fading into darkness, "If you dare...die..."
~~~~~~~~~
When she woke up again, it was still night, and she was still in a tent, but the smell inside was completely different. Because she had been with Mu Yu for a year, Qiu Su had taken a lot of medicine, and there was always a faint medicinal fragrance in the tent. Here, however, there was a strong smell of meat, no, not the smell of meat, but the accumulated smell of mutton over the years, a strong, suffocating smell emanating from Wu Na.