Chapter 505: IF Route: The Woman of Destiny Has Arrived

Ji Qingwu leaned against him, little by little.

First, she gingerly pressed against him. When he didn’t seem to notice, Ji Qingwu shifted her full weight onto him.

In contrast to his cold expression, his body was warm and carried the pleasant scent of agarwood.

Aside from the initial sting, having her forehead massaged was surprisingly comfortable. Before long, Ji Qingwu dazedly closed her eyes, forgetting she had come to tease him.

Watching from the doorway, Li Yuzong frowned.

‘Such a blatant and shameless attempt at seduction… He couldn’t believe his wise Princely Heir wouldn’t see right through it.’

In the past, bold Hujie had snuck in during the winter, hiding in his thick quilts to try and seduce him. But once the Princely Heir discovered them, they were thrown out naked.

‘Is the Princely Heir reaching the limits of his patience?’ Li Yuzong wondered. ‘Is he about to throw her out of the tent?’

Ji Qingwu suddenly let out a soft grunt and sat bolt upright.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him.

He had taken her by surprise, flicking the bridge of her nose with a long finger.

It didn’t hurt, but it stung, and a sheen of tears instantly welled up in Ji Qingwu’s eyes. She blinked hard, forcing them back.

Zhao Mingyan withdrew his hand, picked up a nearby handkerchief to wipe his fingers, and said, “You didn’t cry. Not bad.”

‘I have no idea where he got the idea that I’m a crybaby,’ Ji Qingwu thought. She lowered her head and pouted, but by the time she looked up again, her expression was composed.

She asked, “Are you finished with the medicine already, General?”

Zhao Mingyan stood before the long table, gazing at her. “And what of it?”

‘I really can’t bear to leave,’ Ji Qingwu thought. ‘Our time together was too short. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get into his tent again.’

She had heard from Aunt Zhang that the border was currently unstable, with both enemy forces and pirates. The General often had to lead his troops out on campaigns, sometimes for two or three months at a time.

Ji Qingwu couldn’t keep using her minor injury as an excuse. She picked up the food box from the table, scooted closer again, and said, “General, why don’t you try the breakfast I made myself?”

Zhao Mingyan’s gaze swept over her unusually red fingers. “After I’m done eating, I’ll have to put medicine on your fingers as well.”

‘That’s exactly what I was hoping for!’ She smiled, leaned closer, and asked, “Really? You will?”

Her eyes, bright and sparkling, were filled with anticipation.

Zhao Mingyan held her gaze for a few moments before replying, “No.”

Seeing his expression turn cold again, the smile vanished from Ji Qingwu’s lips. Her shoulders slumped. “Then you don’t need to apply my medicine, General. But please, just have a taste. After all, I worked on it all morning.”

She opened the food box. Inside were milk-skin rolls filled with hawthorn and a few sesame-sugar flatbreads of varying sizes.

They didn’t look like much, but the aroma was enticing. It was the best Ji Qingwu could do.

Seeing this, Li Yuzong shook his head. ‘The Princely Heir dislikes sweets, and he won’t touch anything sour.’

Sure enough, Zhao Mingyan glanced at the food box’s contents, then returned to the long table, picked up a military treatise, and began to read, not sparing Ji Qingwu another glance.

Disappointment washed over Ji Qingwu as her hard work was met with a cold shoulder.

‘I should have been prepared for his rejection. It’s just that… the way he so carefully treated my injury gave me the wrong impression…’

The only sound in the quiet tent was the turning of pages.

Staying any longer would just be shameless, so Ji Qingwu had no choice but to pick up her food box and walk out.

She had only gone a dozen yards when Li Yuzong caught up with her from behind.

“Doctor Ji, wait!”

Ji Qingwu sniffled, but by the time she turned around, a smile was back on her face.

“Did the General change his mind?”

Li Yuzong sighed. “Doctor Ji, the breakfast you made caters to the tastes of General Zhenbei, Wei Ting. General Wei loves sweet and sour food, but our General can’t stand it.”

Ji Qingwu had forgotten about that. Suddenly, she understood why he had refused her.

‘The root of the problem is that he thought the food wasn’t prepared for him, so of course he wouldn’t eat it.’

Ji Qingwu’s mood instantly lifted. As long as he wasn’t rejecting *her*, everything was fine. The sky even seemed a little brighter. She asked, “What kind of food does the General like?”

Li Yuzong replied, “The General prefers simple flavors. He dislikes anything too sweet, greasy, or gamey.”

Ji Qingwu seized the opportunity to ask about his other preferences, but Li Yuzong was tight-lipped. Aside from a few hints about his eating habits, he revealed nothing more.

When Ji Qingwu returned to her tent, Aunt Bai and Aunt Zhang were both out working.

Taking advantage of the privacy, she called out her system, and the two of them began to compare notes.

Ji Qingwu said, “Peanuts, my target—the ‘General of Extinction’ of the Northern Border—is he General Zhenbei or General Dingbei?”

As soon as she asked the question, an image of his face surfaced in her mind.

Before the system’s mechanical voice could respond, her heart began to race. Only she knew which answer she was hoping for.

When Aunt Zhang entered, she found Ji Qingwu sitting on her bed, cheek propped in her right hand, grinning foolishly to herself.

“Miss, I heard you went to the General’s tent this morning?”

Ji Qingwu nodded. ‘Since I dared to do it, I’m not afraid of people finding out.’

As Aunt Zhang drew closer, she asked in surprise, “Miss, why do you smell of medicine? It smells like notopterygium root.”

‘Notopterygium root has a pungent scent, like pepper mixed with ginger, but it’s easily confused with common spices,’ Ji Qingwu thought. ‘This washerwoman certainly knows her stuff.’

Ji Qingwu said, “I bumped into something by accident. It’s nothing serious.”

Aunt Zhang sat down, rubbing her chapped forearms. “There are rumors going around outside,” she said. “They’re saying that you came to a place as harsh as the Northern Border just to…”

Seeing her trail off, Ji Qingwu finished for her, “To social climb?”

“Miss, that’s not what I meant,” Aunt Zhang said.

Ji Qingwu replied, “But being able to climb is a skill in itself, wouldn’t you agree, Auntie?”

Aunt Zhang let out a dry laugh.

*

Li Yuzong trotted back to report to his superior.

“Princely Heir, Doctor Ji said she will bring you breakfast again tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyan stared at the military treatise in his hands, not turning a page. After a long moment, he said, “Send someone to investigate her background.”

Li Yuzong asked, “Princely Heir, do you suspect she is also connected to…”

Zhao Mingyan cut him off. “Just investigate.”

Li Yuzong bowed his head in acknowledgment. He left but returned a moment later, respectfully presenting an envelope. “Princely Heir, a letter has arrived from Master Liao Ran.”

Zhao Mingyan opened the letter. After reading it, his eyes darkened alarmingly.

‘The woman of destiny foretold by Master Liao Ran has arrived.’

‘This also means the time to mobilize the army is here.’

‘But how am I to confirm the identity of the woman of destiny mentioned in the letter?’

Zhao Mingyan picked up his brush and penned a reply. “Send this by express courier. The faster, the better.”

As Li Yuzong took the letter and turned to leave, Zhao Mingyan spoke again. “Assign more men to watch her tent.”

“Wait.”

This was the first time Li Yuzong had ever seen the Princely Heir so indecisive.

Zhao Mingyan frowned. “Move her to a different tent. The one next to mine.”