Sun Fuling leisurely strolled out beyond the city gate, and He Lingchuan had no choice but to follow.
Outside lay the battlefield. The moonlight was dim tonight, yet the two could still make out the mottled stains of blood on the ground and the signs of fighting.
Sun Fuling kicked away a small pebble on the ground. "The invading enemy wasn't entirely made up of Jintao people, was it?"
He Lingchuan opened his mouth to reply, only to realize that what she had kicked aside wasn't a pebble at all, but someone's tooth—a back molar, at that.
"..." He decided it was better not to tell her.
Seeing that he hadn't made a sound, Sun Fuling asked again.
"There were Longchuan river bandits, drifters and bandits from Jintao and elsewhere, or hired mercenaries. There weren't any actual Jintao soldiers," He Lingchuan said, pulling his thoughts back. "In the end, Jintao doesn't dare raise an army to invade in broad daylight, so they had to make do with scattered stragglers. Even so, tonight's assault was organized quite decently despite them not being a regular army. Yeah, whoever whipped them into shape knew what they were doing."
"So we can enjoy at least a month of peace?"
"I expect they'll break up into smaller bands and stick to their old ways, sending small raiding parties to keep harassing the border," He Lingchuan said. "That's just my personal deduction, nothing certain, so don't go telling anyone."
Sun Fuling smiled with amusement. "Grand Commander He, who else would I tell?"
They stood beside a few fir trees. The trunk of the innermost tree was caved in with a hole, exposing the wood chips inside. Sun Fuling touched the mark, a little curious.
"Huh, what made this?"
At that exact moment, He Lingchuan blurted out, possessed by some odd impulse, "Master Qian?"
Master Qian was refined and fair-skinned, tall and slender. He Lingchuan had seen with his own eyes how Master Qian paid court to Sun Fuling back at Shumin Academy, his adoration plain as day.
Sun Fuling turned her head in surprise. "Master Qian? Isn't he at Shumin Academy?"
The moment the words left his mouth, He Lingchuan felt like an idiot. But keeping Master Sun's teachings firmly in mind—never readily admit to a mistake—he gave a light cough. "Isn't he about to be transferred over?"
"When?" Sun Fuling blinked. "I haven't heard anything about that. How are you better informed than I am?"
Amusement danced in her eyes, looking more radiant with every blink.
Knowing she was teasing him, He Lingchuan put on a stern face. "What I just said is classified military intelligence concerning the safety of everyone in the city! You are not to leak a single word!"
Sun Fuling bit her lip, but couldn't help laughing. "I know, I know!"
Beneath the dim moon and amidst the quiet grove, He Lingchuan could see her red lips, as vibrant and luscious as a freshly blossomed crabapple flower.
Whether fueled by the lingering bloodlust of battle or the rising flush of wine, He Lingchuan took her by the shoulders and pulled her close, lowering his head as he murmured, "Let me test and see if Master's lips are truly sealed."
Sun Fuling took half a step back by reflex, but behind her was the fir tree.
No sooner had her back pressed against the trunk than the man's shadow completely enveloped her.
Young Master He finally got to taste his crabapple blossom as he had wished. It was fragrant, soft, and so very sweet.
Now he understood why bees loved to hover around flower blossoms.
Now he understood why Lingguang loved eating pear-syrup candy so much.
Who could resist a taste like this?
Who knew how much time had passed before Sun Fuling gently pushed him away. Her gaze was hazier than the moonlight, yet she scolded softly:
"What did you eat? It's so spicy."
With that, she spat out a clove fruit and examined it in her palm.
Swift as the wind, He Lingchuan's fingers pinched it up and tossed it away.
"Why kiss me in a place like this?" She pointed outward; merely thirty or forty feet away lay streaks of blood and dead bodies.
Other people shared kisses amidst flowers under the moon, but not them—they took the unconventional route.
"Uh..." He Lingchuan hadn't really thought that far ahead; he had simply found Master Sun exceptionally enchanting in this setting, which had given him both the urge and the nerve.
Besides, she had responded wonderfully just now, completely unfazed by the lingering murderous aura and grim aftermath of the battlefield.
Then, his expression turned solemn.
Sun Fuling poked his arm with a fingertip. "Hey!" Did he think putting on a solemn face meant he didn't have to answer?
"Shh—" He Lingchuan looked into the distance and said gravely, "Follow me!"
Just now, when he glanced up, he had caught sight of several streaks of red light gliding through the low sky not far away before descending to the ground.
That glow looked somewhat familiar. Where had he seen it before?
Yet the logistics soldiers cleaning up the battlefield came and went, not one of them looking up at the sky, completely oblivious to the red lights even when they appeared right in front of them.
Couldn't they see them?
Seeing that he had serious business at hand, Sun Fuling—being no ordinary woman—dropped her playful manner and followed after him.
Both moved noiselessly through the night, advancing through the woods like specters.
Soon, a figure seemed to flicker ahead.
Several streaks of red light flew down, seemingly seeking this person out.
He Lingchuan glided forward, closing the distance in a flash like a darting swallow to stand right in front of him.
The man jumped in fright.
Stepping out, Sun Fuling also saw that this appeared to be a logistics soldier gathering discarded weapons and arrowheads from the ground. There seemed nothing out of the ordinary about him, leaving her wondering why He Lingchuan had stopped him.
The guard stammered, "M-My Lord?"
"'My Lord'?" He Lingchuan frowned slightly. "You call me 'My Lord'?"
"Ah..." The guard cowered submissively. "I... I just enlisted, I don't know..."
"Everyone in Yuheng City recognizes me," He Lingchuan declared shamelessly, pointing to himself. "Anyone who doesn't recognize me is a spy!"
Before the last two words were even fully out, the man raised his hand, shot a sleeve arrow right at him, spun around, and bolted.
Compared to his attack, his footwork was remarkably nimble and swift.
*Looks like he specializes in running away.* Sun Fuling leaned against a tree to enjoy the show, not moving an inch.
His act of showing off in front of the beauty had been cut short by this fellow's flight. He Lingchuan's face darkened.
The runner had bolted just three paces when his vision blurred, and he crashed violently into something rock-hard.
With a resounding thud, he was knocked back three feet, stars exploding before his eyes and blood streaming from his nose.
What he had crashed into was He Lingchuan.
He Lingchuan had flashed right in front of the spy, not even needing to strike; the spy had practically knocked himself out on him, collapsing to the ground and struggling to get back up.
Sun Fuling covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
*Has He Lingchuan's frame gotten this tough?*
"Useless trash. Is that how you shoot a sleeve arrow?" He Lingchuan shook his head. "Certainly wasn't me who taught you."
He stepped forward two paces and kicked the spy's shin.
With a crisp crack of bone accompanied by a miserable shriek, the man's leg snapped.
He Lingchuan almost crippled the spy before remembering the fair lady was right beside him. Would such violence lose him points in her eyes?
Looking back, he saw Sun Fuling leaning against the tree with a beaming smile. Where was there any sign of discomfort or displeasure?
This was a battlefield in the first place. Hundreds of lives had just been reaped here, and a faint stench of blood hung in the air, one that would likely take days to dissipate.
Tonight, she still wore her snow-velvet cloak. Standing in such a grim, eerie place, she seemed as pure and luminous as a white magnolia blooming quietly in the dark night—graceful, lovely, and entirely in harmony with her surroundings.
He Lingchuan hauled the captive up, propped his back against the tree, and began patting down his robes.
Soon enough, his fingertips brushed against something cold and metallic.
Chapter 735