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"Alright, Uncle, I have something important to discuss with you. Besides, we won't be here forever, and even if they were completely naked, they wouldn't compare to you."
Seeing Shen Muhan's face darken, Xia Muxin's eyes flickered as she interrupted him. At the same time, she lowered her head shyly, her hands nervously twisting together.
Shen Muhan sighed as he rubbed his forehead and directly pulled her away.
"Uncle, will you die if bitten by that kind of spider?"
While glancing at Shen Muhan's stunning profile, the sunset cast a layer of rosy light over his tall figure. He pressed his lips tightly together and didn't turn to look at her, which made Xia Muxin's heart tighten. Yet, she still bravely asked.
Shen Muhan paused in his steps and finally turned to look at her. He stared at her for a moment before suddenly saying:
"Xia Muxin, do you believe I could take you right now?"
His eyes glinted with a faint wolfish light; his tone was calm yet carried a hint of helplessness. Xia Muxin shrank back slightly, biting her lip and not daring to speak.
A shadow crossed Shen Muhan's gaze. Just as he was about to pull her along again, she broke free from his grasp and ran off while saying:
"Uncle, it's getting late; I need to go cook."
With that, she disappeared from sight. Shen Muhan exhaled heavily, rubbing his temples in frustration.
Meanwhile, Xia Muxin arrived in the kitchen and demonstrated how to prepare an eel for everyone. She skillfully pinned the eel down on a bamboo board with a nail. Grabbing a medium-sized eel, she secured its head onto the nail and took up the Willow Leaf Knife. With a swift motion, she sliced through the wriggling eel, opening it up. She then removed the innards and cut them into four or five pieces with the Willow Leaf Knife, discarding the head and placing the remaining flesh and bones into a small bowl prepared nearby.
"Alright, did everyone see that? Just like this."
Peeling a willow leaf knife, she handed it to the onlookers beside her. Seeing them nod, she washed her hands and headed to the kitchen to prepare the wild vegetables.
The wild vegetables were already cleaned and just needed to be cooked.
Xia Muxin circled around the kitchen, her mind filled with Shen Muhan's angry and stern expression from earlier. Suddenly, it dawned on her—no wonder he reacted so strongly; the person bitten by the spider was only wearing a pair of shorts...
Sure enough, dinner was as special and sumptuous as Xia Muxin had described. She didn’t prepare meals for over ten thousand people but instead let each team leader take ingredients back to their own teams to cook. Xia Muxin explained the general method, and within a short while, the air was filled with the fragrant aroma of eel. The soldiers each held their bowls, saliva dripping from their mouths.
Xia Muxin had only prepared food for their table. Shen Muhan was the last to arrive; by the time he came in, Xia Muxin had already finished eating. However, there was a bowl beside her filled to the brim with dishes. Qingyue was eating in a way that completely lost her usual composure; the food was simply too delicious.
Although Shen Muqing didn’t particularly like Xia Muxin, he couldn’t help but admire her cooking skills. She made the most delightful flavors from the simplest ingredients; even the imperial chefs would struggle to reach this level.
However, today’s atmosphere between the two was quite strange. As soon as Shen Muhan entered, Xia Muxin stood up and left, leaving everyone stunned. Qingyue quickly smiled and served more food to Shen Muhan, sweetly saying:
“Senior Brother, we’re almost done eating. Why are you so unenthusiastic about your meal?”
Shen Muhan looked at his bowl piled high with food but found himself losing his appetite. He turned his gaze toward Xia Muxin's departing figure, his eyes darkening. After a long moment, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat tastelessly.
*
“Hey, did you hear? The future wife of the General is utterly shameless; she even barged into the infirmary and touched an injured soldier's leg.”
“Is that true? People really have fallen so low. The General lost all his positions for such a woman; it’s simply not worth it.”
“You don’t know? The Retired Emperor did this to make the General realize how ridiculous his choice is—ruining his reputation for such a woman, unable to enjoy fortune or return home.”
“Exactly! Didn’t General Wei’s subordinate say that if the General gives up on this woman, the Retired Emperor would immediately send troops for rescue? If not, then we’re left to fend for ourselves.”
“......”
“The saying that beautiful women bring disaster has never been more accurate.”
“What does she count as a beauty? You haven't seen Su Xiuning; she is the true embodiment of grace and elegance. She has endured so much for the Great General, and yet she is bullied by that barbaric woman.”
Xia Muxin finished her meal and used the hook she made to climb up a tree. The branches were lush and numerous, and given her petite stature, once she settled in, she could enjoy the view without being easily noticed. The gentle breeze felt pleasant, but suddenly, a conversation nearby made her frown.
She had always known that the gap between them was vast—so wide that it couldn't be bridged by a mere hook, but rather represented an entire capital city; it was like heaven and earth. She worked tirelessly, striving upward, greeting each day with a smile, hoping that one day, even if she didn't step into the court as an official, she could still become a renowned merchant in Tianli Kingdom.
However, no matter how hard she tried, outsiders would never see her efforts. It wasn't just because she was an ordinary and plain woman; it was also because she would drag him down. If he were to lose all his positions because of her, how could she not feel heartbroken? Although she knew everything was part of a conspiracy, her heart still ached for him. He was such a lofty man, praised by everyone, yet he rolled up his trousers to work in the fields and dug in the mud for her. How many men in this world would do such things for a woman?
But love is love; she didn't want to let go. If he chose to give up due to pressure and rumors, then she would have nothing to say.
Suddenly, she felt exhausted. This journey had been filled with struggles; just as things began to improve, thorns appeared along the way. She didn’t have those constrained thoughts—what did it matter if she touched that man’s foot? Did it mean anything to her?
Wasn’t it all for the sake of these people's lives?
She didn't compare herself with anyone else—be it Su Xiuning or Qingyue or Zhao Qiushui—she just wanted to be herself, a carefree Xia Muxin.
At this moment, Xia Muxin's expression was desolate; her eyes were downcast, and her butterfly-like lashes glistened with unshed tears but did not fall.
She curled up her knees and hugged herself tightly as she slowly closed her eyes...
As night fell and the air turned cool as water, the person in the tree still hadn’t come down, nor had Shen Muhan returned to the camp.
“Are you really willing to give up the entire Celestial Glass for her?”
In Shen Muqing's tent, the candlelight flickered as the two brothers sat facing each other. A wine jug lay tipped over on the table, and the rich aroma of alcohol filled the air. Shen Muqing had drunk a bit too much but was not yet fully intoxicated. He glanced at Shen Muhan, who sat quietly in contemplation, and sighed as he asked.
Shen Muhan's pretense of being disabled had been exposed, causing an uproar throughout the capital. Everyone was criticizing him for abandoning the common people for a woman, and the situation had even escalated to Daimiao Village.
The main target of this backlash was Xia Muxin.
In times of national crisis, everyone acted selfishly. Moreover, their social statuses were vastly different, making it impossible in anyone's eyes for such a relationship to exist. Their selfishness had thrown the entire court into disarray. Su Rong made matters worse by colluding with the Zhao Family, inciting all the ministers to urge the Retired Emperor to arrange a marriage between Shen Muhan and Su Xiuning, and this marriage proposal had already reached here.
Shen Muhan had always been revered by many; he was a war god in the hearts of the people. When he was still a general, no nation dared to offend him. Now, however, the Five Nations had joined forces against him, and the royal family would naturally not abandon such a capable hand. The previous dismissal was merely the last resort of the Retired Emperor and Su Rong.
Deep down, Shen Muhan understood that those who exposed him were none other than Qing Zhan and Ouyang Xuan.
One for Qingyue, and one for Xia Muxin.
“If our positions were reversed, and it were you with Zhou Zhou instead of me with Muxin, what would you do?”
A mocking smile curled at the corners of Shen Muhan's lips as he suddenly turned to ask Shen Muqing. At that moment, a young soldier entered carrying several jars of wine. Upon hearing Shen Muhan's words, he paused in his breath, his hand trembling slightly as his gaze fixed on the somewhat tipsy Shen Muqing, waiting with bated breath.
“Haha... if it were me,” Shen Muqing hiccupped, glancing at the soldier delivering wine. His handsome face twisted slightly as he paused before saying, “I would definitely abandon personal feelings and choose loyalty to my country.”
Shen Muhan smiled bitterly, looking at him for a long time before unsteadily rising to his feet and softly uttering two words: “Is that so?”
As he spoke, he leaned against the table and staggered away.
Shen Muqing quickly grabbed a jar of wine and stumbled after Shen Muhan. He flipped open the lid of the jar and took a large swig before handing it to Shen Muhan.
“Brother, it's not often we have a chance to get completely drunk; why not drink until we can't anymore?”
Shen Muhan's gaze fell upon the dark tent, a mocking smile curling at the corners of his mouth as he took the wine jug and tilted it back to drink...
The next morning, everyone was up early, each going about their tasks as usual.
Xia Muxin had spent the night curled up on a branch, waking several times in the cold but never descending from her perch. Now, feeling dizzy and heavy-headed, her thoughts were a muddled mess. Recalling the events of the previous evening, her heart ached slightly.
At the same time, a trace of sarcasm crossed her lips; he hadn’t even looked for her...
As dawn broke, the sky began to lighten over the undulating mountains below, casting a beautiful glow.
Not far away, soldiers were practicing in orderly formation, while some had already started preparing breakfast.
Yet she had no appetite at all. Feeling stifled, she remained perched on her branch, hugging her knees and staring blankly into the distance toward Daimiao Village.
She had never understood the meaning of returning to one’s roots until now; perhaps only those on the brink of death could truly grasp it. At this moment, she felt she finally understood...
Inside Shen Muqing's tent, wine jugs lay scattered across the floor, soaking the ground with their contents. The rich aroma of alcohol wafted through even to those outside.
Meanwhile, Shen Muhan lay sprawled over the table, showing no signs of waking up. Shen Muqing had simply collapsed on the ground in a careless position that was hard to look at.
Suddenly, his brow twitched as he jolted awake. His eyes flew open to see a small creature crawling across the tent floor. He rubbed his forehead and cursed under his breath; that damned little thing was urinating on him.
He couldn't tell if it was urine or saliva, but Shen Er Ye was furious—very furious. With a push of his palms against the table, he sprang up and lunged at the small creature.
This commotion startled Shen Muhan awake. He blinked his still-dazed eyes and shook his heavy head as memories of last night’s drunkenness began to surface.
At that moment, he slapped his palm down onto the table. The empty cup shot upward just as Shen Muhan reached for that little creature; it spun in mid-air before crashing down onto the ground, landing upright as if stuck there by some unseen force.
The little creature had vanished.
Shen Muqing smirked slightly before leaping down. He glanced at the cup on the ground and let out a cold snort.
"This thing's saliva is toxic. Go find an antidote yourself later, or you can just wait to be disfigured."
Shen Muhan also shot a glance at the cup, said something blandly, and then stood up to leave.
Shen Muqing's handsome face turned ashen with anger. He clawed at the air towards his retreating figure. Not everyone was like him, capable of leading troops into battle and being a peerless doctor; aside from poison, he knew nothing about medicine.
Disfigured...
At that moment, he wanted to curse. He was determined to roast that thing and then beat its corpse.
As Shen Muhan stepped out of the tent, he noticed the wind picking up, and dark clouds were moving in their direction. The ominous mass seemed to carry a destructive force.
He realized he had overreacted yesterday; after all, it wasn't Muxin's fault but rather his own family background and identity. When the retired emperor took such actions and announced them to the world, he had even contemplated murder.
And when he saw Xia Muxin emerge from among the disheveled men without changing her expression, his anger flared up, causing him to overlook her feelings.
- End of Chapter -
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