Chapter 504: IF Storyline 3: Seeing Through and Calling It Out

A dark-skinned soldier with a brilliant smile stopped her. “Healer, I nicked my arm with a spear this morning. Could you bandage it up for me?”

Ji Qingwu glanced at his arm. There was indeed a scratch that had torn his sleeve. The scab had already dried to a dark brown, so it probably wasn’t serious.

She replied in a gentle tone, “Alright, in a moment…”

Suddenly, a cold voice interjected, “In a moment, you can do extra practice of the Nine Gun Array Forms.”

The so-called Nine Gun Array Forms included moves like Throat Stab, Shin Sweep, Armor Pierce, and Parthian Shot, requiring a hundred thrusts to be completed within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The dark-skinned soldier wanted to wail in misery, but seeing it was General Dingbei, he didn’t dare make a sound. He accepted the order and returned to the training grounds.

Ji Qingwu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she held the food container in her hands a little higher.

“General.”

Zhao Mingyan frowned, but still tossed the weapon in his hand to the adjutant behind him.

Ji Qingwu discreetly curled back the index and middle fingers of her right hand. She didn’t know how to make pastries or snacks; she was just putting her newly learned skills to the test.

Those two fingers had suffered quite a bit for her sake.

Aunt Zhang had even advised her to just take something the kitchen maids had made, but Ji Qingwu felt that wouldn’t do. It was better to do it herself.

She deliberately softened her voice. “General, this is…”

In the blink of an eye, she saw his brow furrow deeply. She quickly changed her tune, “I’m here to deliver breakfast to the General on behalf of Aunt Bai.”

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze swept from the food container to her face.

“You’re lying.”

Ji Qingwu’s heart fluttered in panic. ‘He can tell I’m lying?’

She paused for a moment, then said, “Actually, Aunt Bai didn’t send me. I came on my own.”

She lifted her lashes to peek at his expression, then continued, “And I made the food in the container myself, too.”

Zhao Mingyan nodded, looking directly into her eyes. “Why did you prepare this for me?”

This was the very question Ji Qingwu had been prepared for.

“I have long admired the great reputation of General Zhenbei. His night raids on Longxi, the fierce battles in Shuofang… they are often heard of in the city’s songs and stories. The General is brave and skilled in battle, so I wanted to come…”

Ji Qingwu’s voice trailed off as she spoke.

Because the face of the man before her was already darker than his Xuan Armor. ‘Could it be that he doesn’t like to hear such praise?’

Zhao Mingyan said coldly, “You have the wrong person.”

Ji Qingwu asked in surprise, “How could that be?”

With that, Zhao Mingyan strode away.

The adjutant quietly reminded her, “The one who conducted the night raids on Longxi and fought the fierce battles in Shuofang was indeed General Zhenbei, Wei Ting. But this is General Dingbei.”

Ji Qingwu froze on the spot.

There were two generals in the camp. ‘So who is my target?’

She had to confirm with the system first, but it was obvious she had already annoyed this General Dingbei. ‘What if it’s him?’

Ji Qingwu decided to take a gamble. Not wanting to let him just walk away, she gripped the handle of the food container and trotted after him.

Seeing him striding away so quickly, Ji Qingwu called out, “General!”

“General, can’t you tell whether I’m lying or not?”

Ji Qingwu ran a few quick steps to block his path.

“What I just said… can you tell if it was true or false, General?”

Zhao Mingyan walked around her. “What are you trying to say?”

Ji Qingwu followed behind him, saying, “I actually didn’t know anything about General Zhenbei’s famous deeds. I only found out last night after asking my roommate.”

“That’s all because I thought… I thought…”

Zhao Mingyan stopped in his tracks. Ji Qingwu crashed into his back with a pained grunt, her forehead knocking against his hard shoulder plate.

“You thought I was General Zhenbei.”

Ji Qingwu rubbed her dazed head and nodded.

The icy glint in the man’s eyes seemed to melt a little. She nervously touched her neck.

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze fell on the tips of her reddening ears. “So, why were you trying to get close to me?”

Ji Qingwu’s eyes darted back and forth, her fan-like lashes trembling.

‘I’m here to have your children. Can I really say that?’

Seeing her face flush pink as she held her breath, a red mark already appearing on her fair forehead, Zhao Mingyan took the food container from her hands.

“Go back and put some medicine on that.”

His voice was crisp, with no discernible trace of displeasure or annoyance.

Having bumped her head, Ji Qingwu paradoxically grew bolder.

In the bustling military camp, she grabbed hold of General Dingbei’s bracer. The silver bracer was cool and hard, and Ji Qingwu had to use all her strength to get a firm grip.

Zhao Mingyan turned to stare at her, his eyes darkening ominously.

None of the officers in the army could see that expression without feeling a sense of dread.

But this slender arm held onto him, refusing to let go. Though she was clearly afraid, she kept her grip on him.

Ji Qingwu looked up, her voice trembling and a little unsteady. “General, could you put the medicine on for me?”

Li Yuzong, who had been strolling over leisurely, arrived just in time to see this scene, and his heart nearly stopped in fright.

Ji Qingwu bit her lip and said, “After all, I ran into you, General. You have to take some responsibility.”

Zhao Mingyan looked as if he had just heard something absurd, and the corner of his lip curled up.

“Responsible?”

Ji Qingwu said resolutely, “Yes! Responsible! You have to take at least half the responsibility.”

Zhao Mingyan said, “You really want this general to be responsible? Don’t come crying to me later.”

‘What’s there to cry about? This is exactly what I’ve been hoping for.’

Ji Qingwu followed him into the main tent with a light spring in her step.

The interior was much plainer than she had expected for a commander’s tent. Other than being more spacious and containing a long table for meetings and a desk for official business, it wasn’t much different from a regular soldier’s tent.

Li Yuzong first attended to Zhao Mingyan, helping him wash his hands.

Ji Qingwu was a bundle of nerves and excitement. Without waiting for General Dingbei’s command, she sat down at the long table, tilted her head up, and waited for him to apply her medicine.

Zhao Mingyan unhurriedly wiped his fingers with a damp cloth. Seeing her posture, a hint of a smile touched his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

“You haven’t had breakfast yet, perhaps you should…”

Zhao Mingyan said lightly, “It’s fine.”

Li Yuzong could only swallow his words of persuasion. He turned and presented the medicine box. Ji Qingwu craned her neck to get a look and saw that it was all top-quality medicine for external injuries.

She hadn’t felt the pain before, but now that she’d relaxed, her forehead felt tight and sore even when she just raised her eyebrows. It must have started to swell.

She placed her hands on her knees, looked up with a smile, and said, “Thank you, General.”

Zhao Mingyan looked down at her, scooped some ointment from a porcelain jar, and warmed it by rubbing it between his palms.

Ji Qingwu immediately felt more at ease. He clearly had experience with this. But the moment his large palm touched her forehead, she changed her mind.

Never mind the burning sensation of the ointment; the calluses on his palm alone chafed her skin, making her forehead sting.

Ji Qingwu couldn’t help but cry out in pain, “HISS… Nngh…”

She tried to pull back, but he held the nape of her neck, keeping her head steady.

Zhao Mingyan said, “It will heal faster if I rub it in. Otherwise, it will leave a bruise.”

Ji Qingwu wasn’t afraid of pain or bruising. As long as she could complete her mission, there was nothing to fear. This was a rare opportunity for contact, and she had to make the most of it.

It was genuinely painful at first, but soon her cries of pain took on a different nature.

They sounded more like the whimpers of a small animal, the pitch rising and falling.

Her eyelashes fluttered nonstop, deliberately brushing against the inside of his wrist.

Seeing no reaction from him, Ji Qingwu went a step further and leaned her body against his arm.