Chapter 2.3

As the city of Liangma City came into clearer view, her heart grew heavier with anxiety. Could she muster the courage to face a man rumored to be terrifying in both appearance and demeanor?

Perhaps noticing her unease about meeting the general, Feng Yufeng arranged for her to work in the pharmacy, where she didn’t have to face anyone and could focus on studying medicine. Three days passed. While she appreciated this thoughtful arrangement, she was also growing anxious. Without seeing the general, what was the point of her long journey? Even though she was stationed within the military camp, getting an audience with the general seemed as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Every checkpoint had strict security, and no one could get near the general’s tent without special orders. She was in the rear camp, about five or six kilometers away from the general’s quarters. Every day, she read books and ground medicinal herbs, frustrated by the slow pace of events. Although the war hadn’t fully broken out yet, there were daily skirmishes, large and small. When Feng Yufeng wasn’t tending to the wounded soldiers, he educated the junior medics and even taught basic medical skills to soldiers in case manpower fell short in the future. Meanwhile, she continued grinding herbs to prepare for the possibility of mass casualties.

She was still very much a part of the war, whether she liked it or not. No matter how much she opposed killing, it was impossible to simply walk away.

One person who often sought her out for conversation was the dual-natured Sha Pingwei. In private, he was a cheerful, boyish man, but the moment he donned his armor, he transformed into the stern and commanding officer he was. He made a clear distinction between the two sides of himself. His interest in her stemmed from his curiosity about people from Jiangnan, often asking if she had any unmarried sisters. She could only laugh, unsure of how to ease his disappointment, assuring him that there were plenty of beautiful women in Jiangnan, so it wouldn’t matter even if she had no sisters.

When would she finally meet Yuan Buqu? Or rather, when would she find the courage to face such a man? What kind of terrifying figure was this general, revered like a deity by all? She began to realize her own heart was not as strong as she had thought.

It was past the second watch of the night when she slipped out of the camp. The advantage of being in the rear was that no guards patrolled this area. About twenty feet behind the camp was a stream where she could wash herself in privacy, without fear of being seen. This area was a dead zone, shielded by the large surrounding tents, so there was no need to worry about enemy infiltrators. The soldiers rarely disturbed her or the other medics, granting them as much privacy as possible. This allowed her to secretly bathe and wash her clothes under the cover of night without being noticed.

There will be an opportunity, she reassured herself. Once her fear subsided, she would be able to face the general confidently. Ah… Yuan Buqu… With such a rigid name, he must surely be an equally rigid man.

She strolled absentmindedly toward the stream, loosening her headscarf and letting her silky black hair fall down her back. The moonlight was bright tonight, reflecting off the water’s surface. And then — her almond-shaped eyes widened as she felt herself being grabbed. Before she could scream, strong arms pulled her into the stream. A large hand covered her mouth, stifling her cries. She was entirely restrained against a bare, muscular chest.

Oh my God! There’s someone here! There’s a naked man in the stream! And… her feminine traits were now fully revealed. She was only wearing her undergarments, with no binding around her chest… Her body was tightly pressed against this strange man’s bare chest. My God! Who is he? He held both her wrists behind her back with one hand, leaving her utterly immobile.

“Who are you?” a low, cold voice demanded, filled with an undeniable authority.

The tall man pulled her away slightly, pressing her back against the shore, though he still had her pinned. He seemed certain she wouldn’t dare scream, so he released the hand that had been covering her mouth.

Her entire body was soaked, and her wet white clothing clung to her, outlining her round breast and slender waist. The water revealed her long, snow-white legs, while her pale, beautiful face turned ghostly white. She saw a man’s rugged face with sharp features; in the dim moonlight, she couldn’t make out every detail, but his terrifying presence was enough to make her faint. His eyes, so fierce they seemed to pierce through her soul, filled her with dread.

Who is he?

The water only reached his waist, and he was completely naked. The firm muscles of his body made her acutely aware of the difference between men and women. She dared not look directly at him, but her senses screamed at her with the undeniable awareness of the man’s “outstanding”… holding her close… Dear heavens! She had seen a man’s body, but this man wasn’t her husband… What… what did he intend to do? Who is he? And why was he here?

“Who are you? Don’t make me ask a third time,” he said, gripping her chin and forcing her to meet his terrifying gaze. He was clearly rough and quick-tempered.

Trembling like a fallen lead in the autumn wind and trying to keep her voice steady, she countered, “Who are you? This is a military camp, no outsiders are allowed here!”

“If you know this is a military camp, you should know no women are allowed here. Speak!”

“Let me go! You’re hurting me!” Her wrists throbbed in pain, as did her jaw and shoulders, which were being crushed under his grip. She was in agony! This man could crush her effortlessly if he wanted to!

“A woman about to die won’t feel pain for long,” the man’s icy voice dripped with murderous intent.

Dumbfounded, Du Bingyan stared into those inhuman eyes… He… he was going to kill her? Could he be an enemy infiltrator?

Death! The fear of it quickly seized her!

“You won’t escape even if you kill me! The entire camp is heavily guarded. As soon as dawn breaks, you’ll have nowhere to hide!” She tried to speak in a calm voice, but her words still carried overwhelming fear.

“Clearly not guarded well enough! After all, you managed to get in, didn’t you?” The man shifted her body to face the moonlight, fully revealing her exceptional beauty. Even though her face was as pale as paper, it was still astonishing.

In contrast, she could no longer see his face. He stood with the light behind him, allowing only two cold glints from his eyes to pierce through the darkness.

Was he going to kill her? Was he an enemy or an ally?

“I was already inside, but I don’t know any military secrets!”

“You’re lying! No military camp allows women, unless they are camp prostitutes! And they’re all locked up fifty miles away. You’re not one of them, are you?”

“I’m not!” She curled up, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break free from his grip. “Don’t touch me!” She saw the man reaching for her collar and cried out in panic, but she couldn’t stop him from tearing off her left shoulder’s clothing! It seemed like he was searching for something… Right! She remembered hearing that camp prostitutes had a brand on their backs, but all he found on her snow-white skin was smooth, flawless perfection.

“I told you I’m not… a prostitute!” Dear heavens! This man had seen her body!

After finding nothing on her left shoulder, the man, unsatisfied, pulled down the other side. The only thing he found was a plum blossom-shaped red birthmark on her right upper arm. His brow furrowed in confusion. His rough hand gently stroked the mark, and then, as if burned, he let go of her and gave her arms back their freedom.

Du Bingyan quickly pulled her clothes back up, turning away from him as tears slipped from her eyes.

“Who are you?” she asked, trembling.

“Who I am isn’t the issue! You are. There’s nothing in this camp I don’t know about. Your presence means someone’s been hiding things from me. You’d better confess who helped you, or by dawn, many people will face military execution!”

The man walked past her and climbed out of the water. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at his naked body. But… his words were so terrifying… At this moment, she couldn’t worry about her own virtue! The bigger issue was that he had seen she was a woman—in a place ruled by strict military laws. How many innocent people would be affected because of her reckless actions? Oh! She had been far too careless!

She caught a glimpse of the man putting on a white military robe—likely an officer’s uniform. Soldiers wore jackets, while officers wore robes, symbols of their great authority. She couldn’t risk implicating others… But… what could she do now? She couldn’t reveal anything unless she was sure it wouldn’t harm anyone.

“Come up.”

The man threw a red cloak to her, and only then did she dare to come ashore. She couldn’t figure out his rank or status. Did he have more power than Sha Pingwei? How could she escape? Although the man wasn’t restraining her anymore, she knew that if she tried to run, he would catch her and humiliate her in an even worse way!

Now fully dressed, the man looked even more commanding, exuding an aura of kingly power. He stood facing her, arms crossed, his star-like eyes catching every move she made. He puzzled her, but her presence troubled him as well.

Tightly wrapped in his cloak, her hand brushed against something inside. Ah! Yesterday, she had packed a pouch of sleeping powder for Brother Feng and forgotten to give it to him. Maybe… this powder could help her escape this danger.

“Who brought you in? Will you tell me now, or should I hand you over to military law? I doubt you’ll survive the first round of punishment,” he said, his eyes briefly glancing at her delicate fingers.

If his goal was to scare her, he had succeeded! But she knew he wasn’t the type to make idle threats. This cold, hard man wouldn’t waste time trying to scare people for no reason.

“What if… I came in disguised as a man? No one else knows…”

“You think I’m a fool? Every squad leader personally inspects their soldiers’ bodies. Every morning, ten thousand soldiers train shirtless. How could you have hidden among them unless someone was protecting you? How else could you have made it this far without falling into my hands?” He refused to let her keep her head down and lifted her chin. “Who helped you? And what’s your purpose for sneaking in?”

She swatted his hand away, furious that he had humiliated her enough already. “You want to know who? What if I told you it was your general? He’s my husband! I came to find him! Show some respect! I’m your general’s wife!”

“You!” The man grabbed her wrist angrily.

Taking advantage of his grip, Du Bingyan swiftly used her other hand to press a handkerchief soaked with sleeping powder over his mouth and nose. No matter how sharp he was, he hadn’t expected this from a weak woman. But her success only lasted so long! In an instant, he swatted the handkerchief away, and the force of his push knocked her to the ground, hurting her shoulder and back. Bingyan feared that she had failed!

The man had always been intimidating, but now, filled with rage, he seemed even more terrifying as he approached her. She bit her finger, terrified to the point of fainting. She had used a strong sleeping powder—was it not working?

Oh! Thank the heavens! It worked! The man collapsed in front of her, his body finally succumbing to the drug. But his indomitable steel-like eyes were still fixed on her, filled with fury, as they stared nose-to-nose.

“You—” His eyes were a storm of anger.

“You shouldn’t have seen me… Ah!” She was terrified and tried to push his heavy body away, but the man still had enough strength to bite at her neck! She felt a sharp pain and thought he was going to bite her to death; however, he only bit her once. For some reason, he seemed satisfied, shifted his body to free her, and then fell into a deep sleep.

She crawled away to a safe distance, holding her neck and staring blankly at the giant of a man. Who was he?

Oh, heavens! She had let a stranger see her entire body and… and bite her. Everything that should have belonged exclusively to her husband had been taken lightly by this stranger…

No! This wasn’t the time to think about that! She jumped up, grabbed her clothes, and hurried towards her tent! That was the only safe place! Once this man woke up, he would only search among the soldiers, and as long as she stayed in the pharmacy, she would be safe! He would never find her among the hundred thousand soldiers! Let him search slowly!

Heaven help her! She would be safe!

And… who exactly was he?

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