Chapter 142 -
Slowly, Yueqing lifted her head from his chest. Her soft hair was a messy halo around her face, her cheeks were flushed a brilliant pink, and her inner robes were still slightly disheveled. She tried her absolute best to glare at him, but with her wide, dazed eyes and kiss-swollen lips, she just looked like an indignant kitten.
"You..." Yueqing huffed, her voice small and slightly hoarse as she weakly pushed against his solid shoulders. "You are a shameless bully, General Wenzhe."
Wenzhe didn’t argue. A quiet, genuine smirk sat on his lips as his large hand gently reached out, smoothing down her messy inner collar and pulling her robes back into place with surprising care.
"I am your husband," Wenzhe replied smoothly, his raspy voice dropping into that low, dangerous tone she was beginning to realize meant he was thoroughly pleased with himself. "And as long as you are under my roof or in my tent you will not go running off with Third Princes, giving away gold taels, or getting carried away by street performers."
Yueqing rolled her eyes, though her heart gave a silly little leap at the possessive edge in his voice. "He was a good comedian! You just have zero sense of humor!"
Wenzhe’s expression hardened, the subtle warmth in his dark eyes instantly vanishing, replaced by the grave seriousness of a military commander. His hand on her waist tightened just a fraction, holding her steady in his lap.
"The Third Prince is not just some street performer, Yueqing," Wenzhe warned, his voice low and laced with sharp caution. "He is dangerous. He does not fully support this war, and you need to understand why. I am openly aligned with the Crown Prince. If anything happens to me on this battlefield, or to the Crown Prince in the capital, the Third Prince stands to gain everything."
He leaned in closer, his gaze burning directly into hers. "He did not appear in that village by coincidence. Stay away from him."
Yueqing blinked, processing the sudden political gravity, but her inner voice rang out loud and clear directly inside Wenzhe’s head:
[Oh, so NOW he wants to give me a lecture on court politics after holding me hostage on his lap?!] her mind huffed, her internal persona crossing its arms and blowing a raspy raspberry. [I knew the Third Prince was second lead material, but I don’t need a lecture from Mr. Overbearing!]
Wenzhe’s brow twitched slightly as her inner thoughts echoed in his mind. Completely ignoring her internal rebellion, he slid his hand up to cup her chin gently. His thumb brushed over her bottom lip as he tilted her face up, his heavy, dark eyes softening once again as he leaned down to capture her lips in another deep kiss.
[Oh no you don’t! NOT THIS TIME, GENERAL!] her mind shrieked.
Before his lips could even touch hers, Yueqing snapped her jaw forward and bit down firmly right on the soft meat of his hand.
"Ouch—!" Wenzhe hissed, his head snapping back in pure surprise as his grip instantly loosened.
"REVENGE IS SERVED!" Yueqing squeaked triumphantly.
Taking full advantage of his momentary shock, she scrambled off his lap like a panicked cat, her fluffy white fur coat trailing wildly behind her. Her boots hit the rug, and without waiting a single second to see the terrifying look on his face, she bolted straight for the tent flap.
"Yueqing!" Wenzhe roared behind her, lifting his hand to stare in disbelief at the neat set of red teeth marks she had left on his skin.
[RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, NINE! HE’S GONNA KILL ME!] her frantic inner scream echoed loudly in Wenzhe’s head as she sprinted away.
"See you after the battle, husband!" Yueqing yelled over her shoulder, diving out into the cold night air and fleeing toward her own tent before he could catch her for round two.
Wenzhe sat alone in his quiet command tent, hearing her chaotic internal screaming fade into the cold night. He looked down at the bite marks on his hand, and despite himself, a low, quiet chuckle broke through his lips.
The freezing night air bit at Sue Yueqing’s flushed cheeks the moment she burst out of Wenzhe’s command tent. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird, half from the lingering heat of his kiss and half from the absolute terror of having just bitten a feared military general.
She didn’t stop running until she was well past the main guard posts, her fluffy white coat fluttering behind her like a trailing winter cloud.
[He’s going to skin me alive!] Yueqing shrieked mentally, clutching her chest as she finally slowed her pace, her boots crunching softly in the fresh snow. [Did you see his face, Nine?! He looked like a demon general from a dark fantasy novel! I bit him!]
She was weaving her way down the quiet, shadowy path toward her assigned tent when her eyes caught a sudden movement near the edge of the supply perimeter.
Two dark figures slipped past a stack of heavy wooden crates, moving silently into the deep shadows where the torchlight didn’t reach.
Before Yueqing could even blink, a sharp, red flashing screen popped up in her mind.
[SYSTEM 009 ALARM!]
[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL PLOT SCHEMING DETECTED NEARBY]
[Threat Level: Severe]
Yueqing froze in her tracks, her hand instantly going to her chest. ’Nine! What is that? Who are those shadows?’
She waited for the usual sarcastic rundown, but Nine remained unusually quiet. The blue interface flickered, hovering silently before her eyes without giving away a single name.
’Nine?’ Yueqing urged, her brow furrowing. ’Don’t play ghost with me now! Who are they?’
[Nine: Host, I am officially advising you to turn around and go straight to your tent. Do not interfere.]
’Why?!’
[Nine: Because every time you interfere, you mess up the original timeline! If you try to force a change in the story right now, the butterfly effect will tear the main plot to shreds. If the butterfly damage gets any worse, the main storyline will collapse, you won’t complete your mission, and you will end up trapped in this world forever.]
Yueqing bit her lip, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the dark silhouettes hidden between the supply wagons. ’I know the rules, Nine! I know about the butterfly effect! But you can at least tell me who they’re scheming against!’
Nine let out a heavy, digitized sigh inside her head.
[Nine: ...Fine. They are targetting Wenzhe.]
The moment the name left Nine’s lips, Yueqing’s breath hitched.
Without thinking twice, she ducked low, gathering her heavy white coat tightly around her body to keep it from making a sound. Keeping her footsteps light as a feather, she crept toward the heavy wooden crates, sliding into a narrow gap between two grain wagons just a few feet away from where the shadows stood.
The wind whistled softly, but through the chill air, the voices carried clearly.
One of the speakers was unmistakably female. Her voice was smooth, low, and sharp, though she was speaking in a quiet, muffled pitch that made it hard for Yueqing to pinpoint her exact identity.
"I don’t know how the general became aware of our original plan," the woman hissed, her tone laced with frustration. "He has completely changed his battle tactics now. He won’t be taking the main valley pass tomorrow. Instead, he is moving his primary force through the northern ridge."
A second voice, deep and belonging to a soldier, grunted in irritation. "The northern ridge? That narrow path is treacherous in this weather. If he takes the ridge, our ambush at the valley will be completely useless!"
"Then change the trap," the female voice commanded coldly. "He cannot be allowed to return from this battle alive."