Chapter 503: IF Story 2: Change of Plans

“We’ve met…”

The General’s voice was the furthest thing from gentle—harsher than the biting wind on a snowy winter night.

Zhao Mingyan said frostily, “When have we ever met?”

‘Why is he being so difficult?’ Ji Qingwu quickly changed her wording. “Greetings, General.”

She then lowered her head, not daring to say another word, and waited with bated breath.

After a while, the voice, sharp as an icicle, spoke again.

“What’s your name?”

She answered honestly, “Ji Wu.”

After this exchange, the man before her fell silent again.

This time, she waited until her neck grew sore. Sweat trickled from her nape, sliding down her spine and soaking the coarse fabric of her clothes until it clung to her back.

He finally moved.

He took a long stride and walked away.

Ji Qingwu sighed inwardly. This first meeting was nothing like she had imagined.

Her planned “damsel tripping on flat ground” or “fainting delicately into his arms” tactics were all useless.

More accurately, she didn’t dare execute them.

This General of Extinction had a “keep away or I’ll chop off your head” kind of look.

Ji Qingwu was genuinely afraid that he might snap her neck in a fit of rage, or just end her with a single strike of the sword at his waist.

‘Looks like I’ll have to change my plan.’

Once the General left, the training ground gradually grew lively again.

Ji Qingwu returned to the southwest corner and forced down the rest of her millet rice. The soldiers ate quickly, and by the time she returned her bowl to the kitchen stoves, the training ground was almost empty.

Aunt Bai, the cook, gestured to her, signaling that she should just leave the bowl by the wash basin.

‘With a pile of bowls this high, when will they ever get washed?’

Ji Qingwu thought for a moment. She could use this time to coax some useful information out of the cook.

She rolled up her sleeves, ladled out a scoop of well water, and said with a smile, “Aunt Bai, I’ll help you out.”

The cook grabbed her by the wrist, her voice rough and grating. “No, no!”

Ji Qingwu was pulled aside as the cook pointed to several soldiers sweeping the training ground.

“Duty soldiers. General’s orders.”

The cook clutched her throat as she spoke, her brows knitted in a pained expression. She said succinctly, “They’ll wash.”

‘This General seems so cold, but he’s actually quite considerate, arranging for duty soldiers to help with chores.’

Ji Qingwu asked again, “Aunt Bai, did you eat something that hurt your throat?”

The cook made a hand gesture, and Ji Qingwu understood. It was caused by a fever.

Ji Qingwu said, “Aunt, if you trust me, I can prescribe some medicine to treat it.”

The cook’s eyes lit up, but the light quickly faded. She waved her hands and shook her head. Just as Ji Qingwu was about to persuade her further, someone cleared their throat behind her.

Ji Qingwu turned around. It was the old eunuch who always followed the General.

The cook quickly wiped her hands on a rag and stood respectfully by the wash basin.

The old eunuch said, “By the General’s order, all women are to take their meals in their tents from now on. Duty soldiers will deliver the food.”

The cook nodded vigorously.

Before leaving, the old eunuch glanced at Ji Qingwu several times. She might be afraid of the General, but not his attendant. She brazenly met his gaze, letting him look her over, and even offered him a smile.

‘If I can get on his good side, it would be beneficial for my mission.’

But the old eunuch reacted as if her smile had burned his feet, and he scurried away in a flash.

Ji Qingwu watched his retreating back, puzzled.

‘According to his message, women had to eat outside with the soldiers before. Now our treatment has improved. It’s a good thing, and I haven’t even had a chance to say thank you.’

Later, Ji Qingwu returned to her tent for a while. But because she felt bloated from eating too much, she went out again.

At a corner of the granary, she found a secluded spot. Seeing no one around, she summoned the system.

“Peanuts, I’ve met the target.”

[Congratulations, Host. For what reason have you summoned me?]

Ji Qingwu said, “I remember you telling me before that you could assist me in completing the mission.”

[That is correct, Host. This system is equipped with a full range of props. You may click the shop button on the smart interface to view them.]

Ji Qingwu clicked it open in pleasant surprise, then exited in disappointment.

She ground her teeth. “You really are just a childbirth system.”

All the props were various secret techniques related to childbirth. None of them were useful at this stage. ‘Looks like I’ll have to rely on myself to succeed.’

[A reminder to the Host: This mission has a two-year time limit. If the mission fails, you will return to your original world. Please do your best.]

Return to her original world to continue lying in a hospital bed as an invalid? No, she wouldn’t.

Ji Qingwu leaned against the granary wall, gazing up at the vast starry sky of the Northern Border, feeling exceptionally worried.

She counted on her fingers. The mission had a two-year time limit. Including the few months she had already spent in town, this meant she had to be pregnant within eight months at the latest.

With a man that bone-chillingly cold…

If she hurried to cultivate a relationship now, she should still have enough time.

After giving herself a pep talk, Ji Qingwu’s enthusiasm returned.

After returning to her tent, she asked Aunt Zhang for the location of General Zhenbei’s military tent and used hand signals to ask Aunt Bai about General Zhenbei’s favorite dishes.

「The next morning.」

Ji Qingwu was already pacing outside General Zhenbei’s military tent with a food box in hand. But after waiting for nearly half an hour, she saw no one enter or exit, and the tent remained dark inside.

The soldiers were already training. ‘Why wasn’t the commander-in-chief up yet?’

Just as Ji Qingwu was wondering about this, she suddenly heard a shrill voice.

“Our General is the most diligent of all. He went to the training grounds at the crack of dawn. Judging by the time, he should be there for another half hour or so.”

The patrol soldier, who had been grabbed by Li Yuzong, was completely bewildered. He nodded and said, “Yes, Eunuch Li. I just came from there. The General is still on the training ground.”

Ji Qingwu’s ears perked up. ‘So I was late.’

Seeing her trot off toward the training ground, Li Yuzong let the soldier go and clicked his tongue twice.

The Princely Heir had singled her out in front of all the officers and soldiers last night and even asked for her name.

He had clearly seen some soldiers secretly eyeing the beautiful young doctor, and he wanted to warn everyone to stay away from her.

And what’s more, after returning to the main tent, he had given the order that women could eat in their tents. Such special treatment…

Li Yuzong’s old eyes had seen it all.

But how had this new military doctor caught the Princely Heir’s eye?

The news that Ji Qingwu had shown up in the kitchens early this morning to help the cook had already reached his ears.

Li Yuzong thought to himself, ‘This little doctor is a smart one, knowing she should repay the Princely Heir’s kindness.’ Who would have thought she’d get muddled and run in the wrong direction, ending up in front of General Wei’s tent.

But it was a good thing he was keeping an eye on things.

The Princely Heir had finally found a girl he was interested in. It didn’t matter if she was a military camp doctor or a village girl from the countryside—he had to watch over her carefully.

Li Yuzong flicked his horsetail whisk and leisurely followed her to the training ground.

By the time Ji Qingwu ran to the training ground, the morning exercises were already over. Waves of soldiers were heading out.

Even though Zhao Mingyan had pointedly asked for her name yesterday, there were still some bold enough to approach and flirt with her.