He walked towards her step by step, steadily and lightly. The distance between them wasn't long, about thirty paces, but when he reached the twelfth step, a snapping sound came from his foot, and a sudden, sharp pain shot through him. He saw her sly smile, and following her gaze, he looked down to see that his left foot had fallen into a trap, blood flowing from his ankle. He frowned deeply, and someone behind him cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty!" The crowd rushed towards him.
He frowned slightly, and then heard the person opposite him laugh: "What a pity. I thought I could fight you again today. Since you are injured, even if I win, it won't be very glorious. Let's do it next time." After saying that, the person had already flown away.
Chen Dongyao moved to stop her, but a sharp pain shot through his ankle. He quickly ordered the people behind him, "Chase her! Go quickly! We need to catch the one who's moving, don't hurt her!"
Several people accepted the order and flew off in pursuit.
He frowned and bent down to pry open the animal trap. He had been incredibly strong since childhood, so breaking open the trap was no difficult task for him. However, by the time he removed the trap from his foot, Hua Wuduo had already disappeared without a trace, and the others who had chased after him also returned empty-handed.
Back at the imperial palace in Dongyang County, Chen Dongyao was somewhat dazed as he recalled the scene from that afternoon. He ordered someone to bring him Yan Ruoxi's portrait, and as his fingertips touched it, it was as if the person in the painting was right before him. Her eyes were clear and bright, possessing a captivating spirituality; her demeanor was composed, unrestrained, flamboyant, and provocative. She showed no fear of him whatsoever; not only was she unafraid, but she could also calmly lure him step by step into a trap, leaving him battered and bruised. He should have been angry, but he felt none at all; in fact, he felt a sense of excitement. At this moment, something seemed to be scratching at his heart, making him both itchy and uncomfortable.
He looked at his injured ankle, which had been treated, and asked, "When will it be healed?"
"Your Majesty, the injuries are not serious, just some superficial wounds. They will heal in a few days," the doctor, who was packing his medicine box, replied cautiously.
He waved his hand and said, "Go down and call Wei Qian here."
"Yes." The servant attending to him replied and led the doctor out of the hall first.
Chen Dongyao lay down on the bed and closed his eyes to rest.
A short while later, Wei Qian entered the hall, quickly walked into the inner room, and bowed, saying, "Your subject Wei Qian greets Your Highness."
"Hmm... Get up," Chen Dongyao said.
Wei Qian stood up.
Chen Dongyao kept his eyes closed and said calmly, "I saw her today. Just as you predicted, she was wearing a mask and disguised as a man in Song Zixing's military camp."
Wei Qian stood to one side with his head bowed. Upon hearing this, his gaze shifted, and he stroked his goatee repeatedly. After a long while, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you mean..."
Chen Dongyao suddenly opened his eyes and said, "She boasted that she wanted to fight me, so I will grant her wish. However, I don't want to hurt her; I want to possess her!"
Wei Qian smiled and said, "Very well, I will take care of it right away."
Chapter Thirty-Four: Deep Affection
Hua Wuduo returned to the camp and squatted on the tent roof, watching Xu Qing, who was running in and out, running and sitting, covered in sweat, muttering to himself, "Why isn't he back yet? Why isn't he back yet... Should we report to the general? Should we report to the general..."
A moment later, a soldier ran over and whispered to Xu Qing, "I didn't see anything." Xu Qing looked pale and collapsed to the ground with a thud. His disoriented appearance startled the soldier, who quickly asked, "Commander, Commander, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Hua Wuduo was engrossed in watching when she saw the curtain of a tent in the distance being lifted, and a person stepped out first. Just as the person peeked out, Hua Wuduo slid down from the tent roof and landed steadily in front of Xu Qing. Upon seeing her, Xu Qing jumped up from the ground, nearly slipping back down in excitement, but then stopped abruptly, as if remembering something. He wiped the sweat from his brow, glanced at the soldier still standing to the side, staring wide-eyed, and said sternly, "You can go down now."
The soldier quickly replied "Yes," and ran off.
Xu Qing withdrew his gaze from the soldiers and was about to speak when he saw Hua Wuduo suddenly stand up straight and shout loudly in one direction, "General!"
Xu Qing quickly turned around and saw Song Zixing walking towards them. He straightened up and said, "General."
Song Zixing walked over and glanced at Xu Qing: "Why are you sweating so much?"
Xu Qing bowed and said, "This humble general has something to report to the general."
Seeing this, Hua Wuduo imitated the other guards' manner towards Song Zixing and said, "General, please come into the tent. This humble general also has something to report to you."
Song Zixing glanced at Hua Wuduo, a smile in his eyes, and said loudly, "Alright, you two come into my tent and we'll talk in detail."
Song Zixing entered the tent first, followed by Hua Wuduo, and Xu Qing walked in last with his head down. After entering, he hurriedly knelt down again.
Song Zixing asked, "What happened?"
Xu Qing was about to speak when he saw Song Zixing looking at Hua Wuduo, clearly asking her rather than him. So he swallowed back the words he was about to say. Once inside the tent, Hua Wuduo immediately changed her demeanor. She first poured herself a cup of water to moisten her throat, then found a comfortable spot to sit down before replying, "Today, when General Xu was going on an inspection tour, I went with him. We encountered a group of people of unknown origin, sixteen in total. I recognized one of them as Chen Dongyao as soon as he spoke."
Upon hearing this, Song Zixing's gaze sharpened as he looked at Xu Qing and asked, "And then?"
Just as Xu Qing was about to reply, Hua Wuduo said again, "We were discovered by Chen Dongyao. When he appeared, I told Xu Qing to ride away first, and I stayed behind to deal with them alone." Seeing Song Zixing's face darken, Xu Qing said firmly, "This humble general failed to protect Miss Fang. Please punish me, General."
Hua Wuduo hurriedly said, "Don't blame Xu Qing for leaving first. At that time, there was no other way. Chen Dongyao alone was enough for Xu Qing and me to handle, not to mention the other fifteen people. I weighed the pros and cons. With my skills, it wouldn't be difficult to escape unscathed, but it would be difficult to take Xu Qing with me. So I had no choice but to let him ride away first."
After Hua Wuduo stopped speaking, the tent fell silent. Xu Qing knelt on the ground with her head down, seemingly lost in thought. Song Zixing shifted his gaze from Xu Qing to her face and asked calmly, "How did you escape?"
"When Xu Qing ran away, two men chased after him. I shot their horses' legs with silver needles, allowing Xu Qing to escape smoothly. In front of Chen Dongyao, I put on my ten-finger gold rings, intentionally letting him recognize me. I had fought with him before, and he indeed remembered. I lured him off his horse and walked towards me step by step. Coincidentally, I had picked up a trap that day, and I secretly threw it into the bushes while retreating. He was only focused on me, afraid I would escape, and didn't pay attention to his footing. As I expected, he stepped on the trap and injured his ankle. I then took the opportunity to run away." At this point, Hua Wuduo added, "Very calmly."
The tent fell silent for a moment.
Hua Wuduo thought for a moment, feeling that running away would be somewhat embarrassing, so he said, "I thought there were too many of them, and I might be at a disadvantage if I fought him, so I decided to run from the beginning." As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zixing tightly gripped his right hand. Hua Wuduo awkwardly tried to pull away but couldn't, so he gestured to Song Zixing that Xu Qing was still kneeling inside the tent. Seeing that Xu Qing was still kneeling upright on the ground, head bowed and silent, Hua Wuduo asked curiously, "Xu Qing... why aren't you saying anything? Are you feeling inferior because your martial arts are worse than mine?"
Xu Qing's body trembled slightly, and Song Zixing couldn't help but cough lightly. But then Hua Wuduo continued, "You don't need to be sad or upset that your martial arts are worse than mine. In fact, you can make up for it with your intelligence, although... although your intelligence is also worse than mine..."
Xu Qing's body stiffened. Hua Wuduo, trying to salvage the situation, continued, "Alright, you can still think like this. Some things are innate and can't be forced. As the saying goes, there are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable. You can only blame your parents for not giving you a better birth..." Song Zixing interrupted her, saying, "Xu Qing, you can go down now."
Xu Qing stood up, looking pale and sullen, and left the tent. Just before leaving, he heard Hua Wuduo say confidently, "What should we do? Xu Qing was sent back because I thought his martial arts were too bad and he was dragging me down. He's become so self-conscious... From now on..." Xu Qing strode away.
Hearing Xu Qing's footsteps fade into the distance, Song Zixing said to Hua Wuduo, "Don't say anything more, he'll be fine tomorrow."
Hua Wuduo sighed and said, "I was a bit too blunt just now. I was only thinking about not letting you blame him, and I forgot that he might feel that he didn't do anything because of it."
Song Zixing said, "You're right. There are always people more capable than you, and there's always a higher level to reach. He naturally understands this. Today, he couldn't protect you and instead expects you to protect him, so he's naturally unhappy. Perhaps he just wanted to use my punishment to make himself feel better, but you managed to shield him from it all. He won't take what you said to heart."
Hua Wuduo said, "I actually came back a long time ago. I've been hiding in the tent watching him anxiously up there. Now that I've said these words, will he hold a grudge against me for it?"
Song Zixing laughed and said, "No. Not only will he not hold a grudge, but he will also respect you even more from now on. Your wit and courage have surely impressed him."
"Hmm?" Hua Wuduo murmured, "I just won him over like that?"
Song Zixing chuckled upon hearing this. She had never understood the extent of her influence over others. She always treated her actions as mere amusement. Xu Qing would surely be astonished by what she had done today. In that situation, she not only managed to protect him and escape unscathed, but also injured Chen Dongyao and then calmly left—all feats beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. Having clashed with Chen Dongyao for years, and yet still managing to injure him and leave so easily, were all extraordinary feats. Xu Qing naturally knew how formidable Chen Dongyao was. The dozen or so bodyguards surrounding Chen Dongyao were all top-notch fighters. Let alone injuring Chen Dongyao, even escaping unscathed right under his nose would be no easy task. Hua Wuduo's account of the process seemed simple, but he and Xu Qing knew perfectly well the intelligence and courage required to injure someone like Chen Dongyao. Xu Qingyan had every reason to be impressed.
Hua Wuduo naturally had no idea what Song Zixing was thinking. She only felt his grip on her hand tighten, but then she seemed to suddenly remember something and fell into deep thought. Song Zixing said she was clever, but Gongzi Yi used to say that she was just a little bit clever and that she was a bit dim-witted.
Thinking of Gongzi Yi, she felt a strange longing in her heart. She wondered how Gongzi Yi was doing now. Thinking of Gongzi Yi naturally reminded her of Gongzi Qi, and also... Hua Wuduo was so stunned that she didn't hear what Song Zixing said next.
At the same time, Wu Qi handed Wu Yi an exquisitely packaged brocade box, saying, "This is a gift from Li She, who repeatedly instructed that this gift must be handed to you personally."
"Oh?" Wu Yi smiled faintly, took the brocade box, but did not open it.
Wu Qi said, "Why don't you open it and see what's inside?"
Wu Yi said, "No rush, I'll look at it when I have time." He casually put the brocade box aside and continued to concentrate on the map.
Wu Qi's eyes flickered, and he said nothing more.
Night had fallen, and only Wu Yi remained in the military tent. The nearly burnt-out candlelight flickered wildly, casting his shadow on the tent flap. He leaned against the edge of the couch, his eyes half-closed. He wasn't asleep. Tomorrow's battle against the Xiongnu was crucial to success or failure; it was very important to him. He needed rest; he had to sleep. But suddenly, his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't fall asleep. It was as if something he couldn't foresee was about to happen. His hand unconsciously reached for the brocade box beside him. He trembled, as if he had touched something he had longed for yet feared. He opened his eyes, looked at the brocade box, and in that instant, he couldn't resist any longer. He grabbed the brocade box, held it to his face, and opened it…
Huh? Another brocade box. Let's open it again!
Keep opening, keep opening, keep opening... Hua Wuduo! What are you doing! Are you kidding me?!
Just as Wu Yi was nearly driven to madness by the thumb-sized box, he opened it. This time, he didn't see the box again, but instead found a small note inside. Wu Yi took out the note and, without any patience, quickly unfolded it. Upon reading it, he was stunned. After a long silence, he suddenly chuckled foolishly, and then, hugging the box with a smile on his face, he actually fell asleep fully clothed.
The next morning, this was the scene Wu Qi witnessed when he entered the tent. He quietly took the note from between Wu Yi's fingers, opened it, and saw the word "idiot" written on it. He paused, then recognized the handwriting as Hua Wuduo's, and smiled knowingly. Seeing the faint smile on Wu Yi's lips as he slept, he carefully tucked the note back between Wu Yi's fingers.
From then on, Wu Qi noticed that whenever Wu Yi was thinking or extremely bored, he would take out this strange brocade box, open it again and again, and then put it back, repeating this process over and over, but he never opened the note in the last brocade box. But Wu Qi knew that the note was still there.
Spring turned to winter, and Wu Qi saw Wu Yi playing with that set of boxes again from afar. She couldn't help but sigh to herself: Wu Duo, how can we forget you?
I never knew that this longing had become so profound, transforming from concern into yearning.
Song Zixing did not seem to be in a hurry to seize Dongyang County. For several days, he only shouted insults outside the city but did not attack it. The generals of both sides went out of the city to fight several times, and both sides suffered losses, but there was no major conflict.
Hua Wuduo also followed to the front lines. Seeing the two generals fighting fiercely, he wanted to go and try. He mentioned it to Song Zixing, who asked, "Do you really want to go?"
Hua Wuzhong nodded emphatically.
Song Zixing immediately granted his request, much to Xu Qing's astonishment. Aside from Wu Zheng, who was completely dumbfounded, no one knew who this man named Wu Duo was. They only knew he was a close lieutenant under the general, who usually obeyed only the general's orders. This man was handsome and refined, yet when he requested permission to lead troops into battle, the adjutant Xu Qing knelt down and wept, pleading against it. The generals were wondering why Xu Qing was acting this way. Was this young general just a pretty face? Unexpectedly, the general's words were quite blunt, making them all look at this young general named Wu Duo with even greater respect. The general said to Xu Qing, "Even if you go into battle against her, you will not be her match."
So what reason is there not to let her go?
When she arrived at the front lines, facing the deafening roar of ten thousand soldiers, Hua Wuduo, who had been brewing her heroic spirit and yearning for it all along, not only failed to shout it out, but was also so frightened by the deafening sound that she almost fell off her horse with a leg cramp. Only then did she realize that going into battle was no fun at all.
Hua Wuduo stood at the front of the formation, imitating the previous generals, raising her spear and waving it to boost morale. The roars behind her made her tremble, and she almost dropped her spear.
She breathed heavily, wiping the sweat from her forehead, and stared into the distance at the gap in the enemy camp from which a person emerged.
The man, mounted on horseback, wielded the long sword "Soul Moon," and with a flourish in the air, the Qi army roared deafeningly, and even the drummers seemed to have gained an extra pair of hands.
Hua Wuduo knew who the newcomer was just from the large sword. She was startled, never expecting that Chen Dongyao would be the one to fight her.
Hua Wuduo's first thought was, if she deserted on the battlefield, would she be beheaded according to military law? What should she do? But then she thought, losing her head is like losing her mask; she can just change her face. She could still escape. With that thought, she calmed down.
Just as she was about to spur her horse forward to meet the attack, a deafening roar suddenly erupted behind her. Startled, she turned around and saw that Song Zixing had appeared behind her.
With the commander leading the charge, she, a junior officer, should have retreated to the sidelines. But instead, she rode up to his side and whispered, "I'll take over."
Song Zixing said, "It's him, no way."
Hua Wuduo said, "Trust me. Prepare your bow and arrows."
Song Zixing's gaze darkened, and he murmured, "My indulgence of you is even frightening to myself."
Hua Wuduo laughed and said, "Then let's continue to indulge them."
Song Zixing said, "Be careful, if you can't beat them, run away."
Hua Wuduo laughed and said, "It depends on the head."
Song Zixing said, "It's alright, I can just change my mask."
The two exchanged a smile, their hearts in perfect harmony, understanding each other without words.
Hua Wuduo turned her horse and galloped towards Chen Dongyao, spear in hand. After galloping several meters, she looked back at Song Zixing. She realized that every time she had gone far away, she would instinctively turn back and see his gaze, fixed and unwavering. Just like now. She suddenly had a feeling that if he was always behind her in this world, even if there were thorns all around her, she might not be afraid. Thinking of this, Hua Wuduo's spirits lifted, and when she looked back at Chen Dongyao, she was full of confidence and composure.
Song Zixing ordered someone to bring him a bow and arrows, which he then held in his hand.
Chen Dongyao wouldn't harm her, but he was very likely to capture her alive. From the moment Chen Dongyao suddenly appeared on the battlefield, Song Zixing already understood this.
His gaze followed Hua Wuduo intently, unsure whether his actions were right or wrong. The battlefield was different from other places; Chen Dongyao had never been defeated in single combat since his youth, and his title of "Number One Warrior Under Heaven" was well-deserved. Even he himself could hardly match him. As he looked at the two in the arena, his horse seemed to sense his unease, stamping its feet a few times in a frenzy.
He didn't want to keep her under his wing, protecting and guarding her all the time. He didn't want to restrict anything she wanted to do; in fact, he would fully support her if possible. She was sometimes absent-minded, but never willful; sometimes impulsive, but never irrational. At this moment, her confidence and radiance on the battlefield made him smile. She made him trust her.
He gripped the bow and arrow tightly; he trusted her.
Upon reaching the front lines, Hua Wuduo abandoned his horse and threw down his spear. Chen Dongyao followed suit, and the two of them drove their horses back to their respective positions.
Hua Wuduo put on the ten golden rings on his fingers and laughed, "Finally, I can fight you."
Chen Dongyao said, "I've been waiting impatiently too."
Hua Wuduo blinked and said, "It's shameful to lose to a woman."
Chen Dongyao said, "I will capture you alive."
Hua Wuduo said, "There's something I forgot to tell you."
Chen Dongyao asked, "What is it?"