Chapter 495: He Found Out She’s a Woman?

Chapter 495: Chapter 495: He Found Out She’s a Woman?

They sailed smoothly with the current, gliding past mountains on both banks that the setting sun had turned to gold. The sight of the shimmering water before them ignited a new hope in Jiang Zhi’s eyes.

"Let’s stop here." Chen Shaobei moored the boat to a solitary tree in the middle of the river.

Jiang Zhi knelt at the bow, carefully arranging the offerings and candles she had prepared.

She opened a jar of fine wine, poured it into a cup, and murmured her father’s name.

Chen Shaobei sat in the boat’s cabin, holding a cup of simple tea.

His expression was detached and calm, and the rippling golden river was but a somber reflection in his eyes.

The General sat with his spine ramrod straight, occasionally glancing at Jiang Zhi, who was kneeling at the bow.

She had begun to cry softly to herself.

Chen Shaobei didn’t disturb her, knowing this time should be hers alone.

"Dad, don’t you worry. I’m training in martial arts and serving as a soldier under General Chen now. I will not disappoint you."

"You gave your life to change my fate. I know you didn’t want me to become a bandit and follow in your footsteps, and now I’m working hard toward that new goal."

"One day, I’ll make our Jiang Family’s Unstoppable Fist renowned. I’ll make the whole Cangyun Country, no, the whole world, know how powerful the Unstoppable Fist is. And it will all be because of you, Dad..." Sobbing, Jiang Zhi poured the wine into the river.

The paper money burning in the bronze basin caught the wind, swirling into flames. Against the twilight-splashed sky, it created a flickering red glow.

Like flowers, they fell into the water in the blink of an eye and vanished without a trace.

Jiang Zhi tossed all the offerings into the water, then picked up the wine jar and returned to the cabin.

Chen Shaobei watched quietly as she poured two cups of wine, handing one to him.

"General, a toast to you from your subordinate."

"Thank you, but I do not drink," Chen Shaobei refused calmly.

’He needed to remain clear-headed at all times; he rarely touched a drop of alcohol.’

Hearing this, Jiang Zhi raised her cup, knelt before him, and spoke respectfully.

"The Princess is my benefactor; she saved me from a life of filth. You, General, are my patron; you’ve given me the strength to live for myself."

"This cup is to thank you, General." With that, she tilted her head back and drained the cup.

Chen Shaobei caught the scent of the wine, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "This is Burning Blade liquor. Are you sure you should be drinking it like that?"

’An ordinary person would be drunk after three cups.’

Jiang Zhi waved her hand with a flourish. "This is nothing! When I was one, my dad would let me taste drops of wine from his chopsticks. By the time I was three, I could drink half a bowl on my own."

Chen Shaobei was silent for a moment, then shook his head with a small smile.

Jiang Zhi toasted him cup after cup. In no time, she had drunk half the jar herself. An unnatural flush appeared on her face, and her words started to become jumbled.

"General, you... The first time I met you, I thought you were a bastard. Who knew there were good people in the Capital City too!"

Chen Shaobei watched her pour yet another cup and stopped her hand. "You’ve had enough."

But Jiang Zhi picked up the jar and shook it, her eyes hazy with drink. "There’s just a little left. Might as well finish it! This is the good stuff Wang Er lost to me in a bet!"

She was drunk, her thoughts muddled, and she once again pushed the cup into Chen Shaobei’s hand.

"General, you drink too!"

Chen Shaobei shook his head. Jiang Zhi giggled and stood up. "Fine, then I’ll toast the heavens and the earth."

He watched her stagger to the bow, raise her cup to the sky, and laugh loudly.

Suddenly, she stumbled. Chen Shaobei, who had been watching her closely, moved in a flash and grabbed her by the sash from behind.

Jiang Zhi looked down. "Huh? Why is there a second me on the water?"

Chen Shaobei closed his eyes. ’She’s completely plastered.’

He shoved Jiang Zhi back toward the cabin, letting her collapse onto the floor, unable to get back up.

Chen Shaobei picked up the boat pole. "We should head back."

As he poled the boat, he said to Jiang Zhi, "Your tolerance for alcohol isn’t as high as you think. Remember this in the future. With a liquor like Burning Blade, you can handle five cups at most."

As Chen Shaobei was speaking, he heard Jiang Zhi muttering behind him.

"This is so annoying! So annoying! I don’t want to be bound up anymore, it hurts!"

He turned around in confusion to see that Jiang Zhi had stripped off her top! All that was left were the tight white bindings wrapped around her chest.

Chen Shaobei’s expression changed in an instant. He immediately averted his gaze and spun around.

He snapped harshly, "Jiang Zhi! Put your clothes back on!"

After drinking, Jiang Zhi felt unbearably hot. The bindings were always tight, and now they were soaked with sweat.

She focused only on unwrapping them, completely ignoring what Chen Shaobei had said.

After a moment, she managed to get the bindings off, tossed them on the floor, and lay back down. "Finally... much cooler..."

Chen Shaobei glanced down and saw that the white cloth bindings she’d been wearing were now lying at his feet.

The tips of his ears flushed a deeper red than ever before.

In his peripheral vision, he could see Jiang Zhi’s back. She seemed to be falling asleep, her smooth shoulders startlingly white.

’In her current state, he couldn’t possibly pole the boat back to shore. The guards on the bank would definitely see her.’

Bracing himself, Chen Shaobei backed toward the edge of the cabin. He bent down, picked up her outer robe, and tossed it over her before daring to turn and look.

Half-asleep, Jiang Zhi felt something being thrown on her and frowned slightly, her eyes still closed.

Her hair, which had been tied up, had also come loose.

’Helping her get dressed was out of the question.’ He could only use the clothes she had taken off to wrap her up in layers.

Then, he took the fishing rope from the boat and wound it around her, tying her up.

Jiang Zhi groggily opened her eyes and found herself completely tied up!

She was so startled she broke out in a cold sweat, the shock sobering her up by half.

"Who is it? What do you want!" In a daze, her mind flashed back to that helpless time when she had to disguise herself as a man to avoid danger.

Jiang Zhi looked up in a panic, only to see Chen Shaobei’s cold, stern face above her.

"Ge-General..."

"You drank too much. Now that you’re awake, get yourself dressed properly." Chen Shaobei cut the rope.

The layers of clothing instantly loosened. Jiang Zhi looked down, and her scalp went numb with horror.

’I... I was naked!?’

She looked over at Chen Shaobei, who was already standing at the bow, his hands clasped behind his back.

The golden sun had already set, and the mountains were awash in the deep azure that comes just before nightfall.

Jiang Zhi hastily put her clothes back on, but felt something was missing.

She glanced over and saw them—the white bindings for her chest were lying at Chen Shaobei’s feet.

Jiang Zhi’s pupils constricted, and her mind went blank. ’It’s over!’

She could only crawl over, hastily snatch the bindings back, and stuff them inside her robes.

Chen Shaobei remained silent, his expression frigid. Jiang Zhi was so mortified she didn’t dare speak.

When the skiff reached the shore, Chen Shaobei had one of his guards fetch a horse-drawn carriage.

’He had no intention of just leaving Jiang Zhi there.’

Jiang Zhi kept her head down the entire time. When a guard glanced over with a questioning look, Chen Shaobei furrowed his brow, and the guard immediately looked away.

A moment later, the carriage arrived. Chen Shaobei told Jiang Zhi to get in.

"Take her to a nearby inn and get a room. Make sure you’re clean and the stench of alcohol is gone before you return to the barracks." Chen Shaobei delivered the cold order, then spurred his horse and rode off with his guards.

Jiang Zhi didn’t even have time to thank him and could only climb into the carriage in disgrace.

The driver was a servant from the Chen Mansion and cast a couple of curious glances at Jiang Zhi.

When they arrived at the inn, Jiang Zhi got out with her head still bowed low and thanked the driver profusely.

She hurried into the inn.

It was at that moment that Su Zhirou, who was just leaving the teahouse across the street, saw her.

Su Zhirou recognized the Chen Family crest on the carriage, but then saw a strangely dressed woman disembark.

The woman’s attire was what struck her as odd. She was wearing men’s clothing, like those of a young servant, but her chest was conspicuously bulky. Very strange indeed.

Unfortunately, the person’s long hair obscured their face, so Su Zhirou couldn’t get a clear look.

However, Su Zhirou was certain of one thing, and a scornful look gradually crept into her eyes.

’Heh, and here I thought Chen Shaobei wasn’t interested in women. Turns out he’s been keeping a lover on the side all along!’

’Her eyes darted about as a plan for revenge began to form in her mind.’