Chapter 5: His Promise

Wen Wan felt that if she hesitated for even a second, it would be a sign of disrespect to such a handsome man!

A dragonfly-skimming kiss, quick and precise.

Wen Wan subconsciously licked her lips, still feeling a bit unsatisfied.

In stark contrast to Wen Wan’s relaxed demeanor, A-Chai was completely stunned!

His face turned visibly red in an instant, and his dilated pupils held a mix of shock and fury.

"You, you..."

In his twenty-some years of life, this was the first time he had been rendered speechless by someone!

Noticing his mood, Wen Wan explained with a pitiful look, "Uh... you were the one who told me to kiss you, so I did."

She couldn't be blamed for acting like a hooligan.

A-Chai gritted his teeth in frustration. Unable to refute her, he could only swallow his anger, turn around, and storm off.

Not far away, Jin Mu saw him getting the short end of the stick and instinctively wanted to hide, but he was grabbed by the arm just as he turned.

A-Chai said coldly, "Take advantage of the chaos later and kill that girl!"

Jin Mu’s mouth twitched, and he bit the bullet and said, "General... didn't you just say that the strategy the girl proposed for dealing with the enemy coincided with your own, and that she was a talent?"

"You also said that since the map hasn't been found, and this girl can locate graves and find tombs, she’s still useful?"

A-Chai: "..."

He had indeed said those things, but he truly couldn't swallow this insult.

Jin Mu earnestly advised, "General, a grown man getting kissed by a girl—what’s the big deal..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by A-Chai’s sharp glare. He shrank his neck and changed his tune.

"General... could it be that you’ve never kissed a girl before?"

That shouldn't be possible, right?

Jin Mu’s curiosity was written plainly on his face.

A-Chai frowned, "What nonsense are you spouting? I have seventeen or eighteen women in my backyard!"

Jin Mu tilted his head and thought, "That’s true. With so many concubines in the General’s mansion, the General must be a veteran of the battlefield of love."

"Of course!" After saying this, A-Chai loosened his grip and dismissed him, "Alright, go prepare to face the enemy."

"Yes!"

Jin Mu immediately slipped away, fearing that if he were half a step too slow, he would be caught in the crossfire.

As soon as he left, the expression on A-Chai’s face turned completely gloomy.

"Heh, those seventeen or eighteen women... I haven't even looked at them once!"

But he couldn't tell his subordinates that; it would damage his masculine pride!

He raised a hand to wipe his mouth, ignoring the lingering, gentle sensation on his lips, and couldn't help but look back in the direction of Wen Wan.

Damn girl, I don't know if she’s truly oblivious or just pretending!

He was just joking, yet she actually dared to go for it!

*

Once the fires of war were ignited, the wind fanned them, and they soon spread down the mountain in a frenzied manner.

This was Wen Wan’s first time experiencing an ancient battlefield.

Although it lacked the destructive impact of modern warfare’s explosions, the sight of blood splattering wherever the long blades struck was still enough to strike fear into one’s heart.

A-Chai bent down and pulled the dazed Wen Wan onto his horse.

There was no romance in sharing a mount; she was slung horizontally in front of him like a piece of cargo.

With her head hanging down, Wen Wan couldn't see the situation around her at all; she only knew that the person behind her was killing enemies with clean, decisive movements.

One blade for every man from Mobei!

He was like a reincarnated god of war, majestic to the extreme.

Another splash of blood poured down over her, and Wen Wan spat out a mouthful of it. Struggling, she looked up and glanced at the young man.

The firelight reflected on his face; his brows and eyes were sharp and deep, showing no cowardice, only the tenacity of someone fighting for survival.

Many years later, in the middle of the night, Wen Wan could still clearly recall that scene.

Soldiers fighting in a bloodbath, holding onto their faith, charging forward...

A-Chai and his men broke through the Mobei ranks like a hot knife through butter, fighting for a full hour before they finally broke out of the encirclement.

The horses ran for who knows how long, only stopping when the sky began to brighten.

As soon as they stopped, the person behind her tumbled off the horse.

He fell onto the grass with a loud "thud."

Only then did Wen Wan have a chance to look over, and she saw that A-Chai’s clothes were soaked through with blood—she didn't know if it was his or the Mobei soldiers'.

He closed his eyes and panted continuously, appearing utterly exhausted.

The small squad of about a hundred men was now reduced to fewer than fifty.

The soldiers who had broken out showed no joy at their survival; all of them wore grim expressions.

Wen Wan knew they were grieving for their fallen comrades.

After resting for a while, A-Chai, who had fallen onto the grass, sat up, his gaze fixed on the distant mountain peak.

The morning glow from the sunrise dyed the world in the most dazzling colors.

He didn't say any tearful words; he simply raised his hand and plunged his long sword into the soil, then climbed back onto his horse.

The troop began to move forward again.

Wen Wan lay on the horse’s back, looking at the long sword left behind on this land.

At that time, she didn't understand why he had left his sword there.

It wasn't until three years later, after he had trampled the Mobei royal court, that he made a special trip back to retrieve it.

Only then did Wen Wan realize that this sword was his vow of revenge.

*

In a small town near the border, the troop was finally able to stop and rest.

The town was small, and there weren't many rooms at the post house.

Wen Wan was the only woman in the troop, but she received no special treatment due to her gender.

She was assigned to share a room with A-Chai.

In the room, she and A-Chai stared at each other.

Wen Wan: "We’re a man and a woman alone; isn't it inappropriate for us to share a room?"

A-Chai raised an eyebrow, "A man and a woman alone?"

Wen Wan nodded.

"Heh," A-Chai gave a mocking laugh, "Go look in a mirror first."

As he spoke, he walked behind the screen, and soon, the sound of bathing water came from behind it.

Wen Wan was bewildered. After a moment of hesitation, she walked to the bronze mirror by the window.

When she saw herself in the mirror—covered in dirt and looking three times uglier than a monster—she understood his mockery.

Did he mean that in his eyes, she didn't count as a woman?

Wen Wan was very unconvinced and marched angrily to the screen.

"I might be a bit dirty right now, but once I’m washed clean, you can still tell I’m a woman. I don't really care, I’m just a merchant’s concubine anyway, but you..."

"You’re a leader of sorts, aren't you? If rumors spread later that our Duan Dynasty soldiers have poor conduct, you’ll be the one losing out."

Behind the screen, the man remained silent. After a long while, he walked out wearing clean cloth clothes, tying his belt as he went.

He didn't even look at Wen Wan. He walked past her to the door, opened it, and said

"The other brothers are sleeping eight to a room. If you don't want to stay with me, go squeeze in with them. I have no objections."

Wen Wan’s face was pitch black, with only her eyes remaining relatively clean. She pursed her lips and asked in a low voice

"No other options?"

Hearing this, A-Chai slowly closed the door and came to stand in front of Wen Wan.

He looked down at her, "Weren't you very proactive when you kissed me? What’s the matter, scared now?"

"Who’s scared of whom?" Wen Wan instinctively retorted, biting the bullet as she headed behind the screen to wash up.

"You just wait! Once this lady is washed clean, I’ll come and deal with you!"

When it came to trash-talking, whoever backed down was a coward!

(End of chapter)