Military Advisor and Princess

Chapter 5

The word "Qing'er" reminded the man of the woman he deeply loved, the woman who had been misunderstood and looked utterly desperate. For this one word, "Qing'er," he was determined to get an explanation from this unfaithful man.

"Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely stand up for you." The man's cold and handsome face showed a hint of anger rising as he stared intently at this 'heartless man'.

Making the decision? What right does he have? Besides, Mo Qing said she didn't want to put me in a difficult position. (Alas, poor Ao Jun, you're so intelligent, how could you be so stupid?) No, what's so difficult about this for me? Why is everything suddenly so chaotic?

Just as Ao Jun was feeling depressed, Mo Qing, having received the handsome man's assurance, immediately ran to Ao Jun's side, took his hand, and sobbed, "Brother Mo Jun, I...I know I'm not good enough for you, but...I really like you, please don't leave me, sob sob sob..." As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Ao Jun, and seeing that he didn't seem to react, she gritted her teeth, her face flushed, and said, "Sob sob sob...Brother Mo Jun, you weren't like this before. You used to be so good to me, always saying sweet words, and...and you even said you'd marry me, sob sob sob...Now, now you're so heartless to me, sob sob...I...I know, you must have fallen for someone else, right? Sob sob sob..." As she spoke, she broke down in tears.

"What? When did I say I'd marry you?" Ao Jun finally reacted, his handsome brows furrowing as he looked at Mo Qing, who was spouting nonsensical words. When did I ever shower her with sweet words? And say I'd marry her? Has she gone mad?

"You... Waaah..." Mo Qing stared at Ao Jun with disbelief in her eyes, then lowered her head and started crying again. She looked just like an ignorant girl who had been deceived by a heartless man.

Seeing this, the man's usually icy face instantly ignited with rage. Wasn't this the 'Chen Shimei' she had mentioned? He strode forward, grabbed Ao Jun by the collar, and said in a deep voice, "Damn it, if you make a promise, you have to keep it, otherwise, you're not worthy of being called a human being."

"I never made a promise, so how can I keep it?" Ao Jun vehemently denied it. How could she possibly promise to marry a woman?

"Does this young lady intend to frame you?" The man became even angrier and increased the pressure on his hand.

"Let go." Ao Jun didn't answer, but said coldly. She hated being touched, especially so rudely. Seeing that the man didn't seem to have any intention of letting go, Ao Jun reached out to remove that annoying hand, but unexpectedly, she, the dignified 'Cold-Faced Saintess,' couldn't break free from this person's grip. It seems this person's martial arts skills are quite high.

"As long as you keep your promise, I will let you go." Unexpectedly, this seemingly gentle and weak 'heartless person' has such agile skills. However, judging from his appearance, he doesn't seem to have any internal strength and doesn't seem to know martial arts. His moves are a bit strange, yet somewhat familiar.

"Let go." Good heavens! How many times do she have to say "let go" today?! What's wrong with these two? One is clinging to her arm, and the other is grabbing her collar. What did she do to deserve this?

Seeing the two arguing, Mo Qing seized the opportunity and gently tried to pry the man's hand away, whispering, "Young master, please let go, lest you hurt Brother Mo Jun."

"Hmph." The man snorted, released Ao Jun's collar, frowned, and turned to Mo Qing, saying, "Miss, he treats you like this, and you're still doing this for him. Is it worth it?"

"I..." Mo Qing suddenly looked at Ao Jun with a blush and whispered, "It's worth it. Even though Brother Mo Jun treated me like this, I still like him because... because I... I'm already his." Her voice was so soft at the end that it seemed like she was saying it in her heart. But the two with excellent hearing still heard her.

"What?"

"What?"

Both of them gasped in surprise. Ao Jun stared at Mo Qing in disbelief. What did she mean by that? What did she mean by "already hers"? She was a woman too! How come she never knew Mo Qing was such a talented actress? She could lie without batting an eye. So this was her plan from the moment this man appeared! Quite cunning!

Damn it, that heartless and cruel man! He took advantage of her and then refused to admit it. If she were here, she would tear him to pieces—no, she wouldn't stop until she tortured him to the point of wishing he were dead. Just thinking about how that lovely girl would torture this 'heartless' handsome 'man' in all sorts of bizarre ways made him want to laugh.

Ao Jun noticed a strange smile appearing in the man's eyes. This man, who had always had a cold or angry face, was now smiling after hearing about her "unforgivable" "evil deeds," which made Ao Jun break out in a cold sweat.

"Young Master?" Is this person sick? Mo Qing was a little suspicious.

"Ahem..." Realizing he had actually shown a smile, he coughed lightly to cover it up. Ever since he met her, he, who was usually so composed, had repeatedly revealed his inner thoughts because of her. Sigh, it seems he hasn't let go yet!

"Ahem... Since it's already like this, marry her." It wasn't a suggestion, but a command. At this moment, he made no attempt to hide his kingly domineering aura, making everyone feel immense pressure.

"I won't marry him." Ao Jun ignored the domineering aura emanating from the man before her and coldly refused. Who was he? What gave him the right to order her around?

"Marry me." Unexpectedly, this 'heartless man' was not afraid of his power, and he even exuded an aura that seemed to lead thousands of troops, no less than his own.

"Don't marry."

"Marry."

...

Just as the two were deadlocked over whether to marry or not, another man who had been standing behind the man and was ignored by others stepped forward and whispered in the man's ear, "Master, it's getting late."

Upon hearing this, the man glanced at his subordinate. Yes! How could he have almost ruined such a crucial matter because of this 'heartless' man? But for some reason, just seeing 'him' ignited his anger. He'd seen countless 'heartless' people, almost to the point of numbness, but what was wrong with him this time? Why was he reacting so strongly, so recklessly? Could he be possessed?

"Boring." Taking advantage of the man's distraction, Ao Jun decided to stop pestering him. After saying this coldly, she turned and left without even glancing at the people.

"Brother Mo Jun!" Mo Qing saw that Ao Jun had left again, and the man who had said he would stand up for her seemed lost in thought, not even noticing that he had left. Ignoring the stranger, she chased after her Brother Mo Jun. Hearing the call, the man snapped out of his daze. Seeing that he was already far away, he was about to give chase when he was stopped by someone behind him: "Your Highness, this place is not safe to linger. We should leave the city quickly! Otherwise, it will be terrible if Yelü Ying finds out."

"Yes, let's go." Yi Tian was right, this place was not a good place to stay, but that person... well, let's put the bigger picture first. As he turned to leave, he glanced in the direction where the two had disappeared, not even realizing that his eyes were filled with complex and confused emotions.

The Strategist and the Princess: Battlefield Chapter 5 - Accidentally Entering a Bamboo Formation

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To shake off that clingy Mo Qing, Ao Jun quickened her pace, almost jogging. When had Ling Ao Jun ever been so disheveled? It was all that infatuated Mo Qing's fault, and that inexplicable man too—he was infuriating! How dare he order her to marry Mo Qing? How could she, a woman, marry another woman? Besides, who did he think he was, daring to order her around like that! *Phew*, take a deep breath, calm down. She couldn't believe she'd been so angered by a man. If Xue knew, she'd laugh herself to death. No need to be angry, no need to be angry. He's just a nosy, meddlesome man! There's really no need to be angry! But for some reason, just thinking about him made her furious. All her 'cold face' and 'indifference' vanished. Was she possessed? Never mind, she'd better hurry! If they caught up with her, it would be terrible.

"Huh? Where am I?" After walking briskly for a while, Ao Jun realized that she was standing in a large bamboo forest. Hmm, what a refreshing smell! Bamboo has always been her favorite plant. In her eyes, the lush bamboo forest is even more beautiful than a sea of flowers. Moreover, the air in ancient times was not polluted, making the natural bamboo forest so intoxicating.

Mo Family Village doesn't seem to have a bamboo forest like this! Could she have already left Mo Family Village? Looking around, this definitely wasn't Mo Family Village. Then where was she? After thinking for a moment, ding! Could this be the place her father mentioned, a place called Bamboo Peak outside Mo Family Village? When her father mentioned it, she impulsively wanted to come immediately! But her father stopped her. It turns out that besides Bamboo Peak, this place also has another name—Mysterious Peak. It's said that once you enter this peak, it's very difficult to get out. As for why, no one knows. Some say there are ghosts here, and those who enter encounter a ghost wall; others say that immortals live here, and mortals are not allowed to enter… all sorts of rumors circulate. In short, in the end, no one dared to come up again.

These things were utter superstition and ignorance to her; she wouldn't believe them. She absolutely had to go to Bamboo Peak. But later, because of dealing with those 'admirers,' she couldn't find an opportunity. Unexpectedly, she'd stumbled upon this place by sheer chance. She really had to thank Mo Qing for her relentless pursuit! Heh… it seems she and this Bamboo Peak are truly destined for each other! Now let her see what this 'ghost, fairy' thing looks like! Hopefully, it won't disappoint her…

She kept walking, and walking... Ha, she really had circled back to where she started! Ao Jun looked at the marks she had made on the bamboo at the beginning. After walking for so long, she had returned to this place. It seemed there really was a mystery here! At this moment, she felt not fear, but excitement.

The usually aloof Ao Jun was unusually excited, and it turned out to be because of the fearsome Bamboo Peak, where she was currently trapped. Another monster from the Ling family, and the other… of course, was her cousin, whom she herself considered inferior—the current Empress of the Longxuan Dynasty.

After examining this closely, haha... I see. At this moment, Ao Jun doesn't look like a 'cold-faced saint' at all. Look at her expression, look at that incredibly bright smile (thankfully there's no one here). Who would think of the word 'cold-faced'? Right now, she's just like a three-year-old who has discovered something fun.

The bamboo array—this entire bamboo forest is a large formation, seemingly built according to the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. The Five Elements and Eight Trigrams array is essentially a Tai Chi Eight Trigrams array, fully utilizing the advantages of timing and location, incorporating the concept of time into the formation, and thus revitalizing the Tai Chi Eight Trigrams array. In other words, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams array is a dynamic Tai Chi Eight Trigrams array, constantly changing. The Five Elements are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Metal represents light and radiance; wood represents various vegetation; water represents mist; fire represents temperature; and earth represents the land. Here, all five elements are in flux. The Eight Trigrams are eight basic symbols used in the *I Ching* (Book of Changes), an important classic of ancient Chinese Confucianism discussing the changes of all things. They are composed of the symbols "—" and "—". Their names are: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui. They symbolize eight natural phenomena: heaven, earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain, and marsh, used to predict changes in nature and society. In other words, the Five Elements are contained within the Eight Trigrams. It is generally believed that the interaction of Yin and Yang is the root of all things, and the Qian and Kun trigrams occupy a particularly important position in the Eight Trigrams. The Taiji and the Eight Trigrams combine to form the Taiji Bagua diagram, which was later used by Taoism.

It was unexpected that such an exquisite formation existed in this remote place; no wonder no one could escape. But for Shen Aojun, this was a piece of cake. Judging from her current location, she should be inside the wind formation. No wonder the wind here always felt strange—sometimes a gentle breeze, sometimes a fierce gale, sometimes like a tornado…

Since this formation is so ingenious, it would be a disservice to her, a person whom her cousin jokingly calls a weirdo obsessed with various formations such as Qimen Dunjia, Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, if she didn't study it properly.

The more she studied it, the more she felt that the person who set up this formation must have been a master. The formation was intricately linked and endlessly regenerating—it was truly ingenious! Even someone who understood formations might not be able to break through such a wonderful formation and leave unharmed, except for her, of course.

"Hahaha..." Suddenly, a wild laugh reached Ao Jun's ears as she strolled casually through the exquisite formation. She couldn't help but frown, as she hated being disturbed when she was studying formations.

Is someone still trapped in this bamboo forest? Since she's in a good mood right now, I'll be a good Samaritan and take him out! Turns out I'm quite kind after all! (Feng Qingkuang vomits)

The sound seemed to be coming from that direction. Ao Jun lifted her foot and walked to the left, took a few steps, then took a step back, then took two steps to the right, seemingly pacing back and forth. With each step she took, the bamboo seemed to move slightly in response. Finally, she saw a figure in the center of the bamboo array.