Chapter 454: Await Our Triumphant Return? Not So, Not So

Ji Qingwu tagged along like a little shadow, following him all the way to the entrance of the campaign tent.

Zhao Mingyan stroked the soft hair at the nape of her neck. "I wish I could just tuck you away and take you with me, Ah Wu."

Ji Qingwu looked hesitant, but a flicker of anticipation crossed her face as she asked, "Really? Could I?"

’I may not be a great warrior, but I fancy myself a decent strategist,’ she thought. ’I really do want to go.’

Seeing that Emperor Wu Su had reached the entrance, Li Yuzong bowed and lifted the tent flap.

Outside, the cold wind howled, whipping up sand and dust that pattered against the canvas of the tent.

Ji Qingwu squinted against the wind. The open ground outside was filled with soldiers, and a jet-black warhorse stood waiting before the tent.

Zhao Mingyan turned back. "I know you’re capable, Ah Wu, but things haven’t reached the point where I need you to step in."

The light in Ji Qingwu’s eyes dimmed.

She watched his valiant, armored figure step out of the tent. With a long stride, he vaulted onto his horse.

Ji Qingwu clutched the tent flap, her eyes fixed on him.

Suddenly, she heard a stir ripple through the army.

The iron-blooded Emperor, known in the Northern Border for his stern, cold, and ruthless demeanor, was now smiling from ear to ear. He crooked a finger at the woman by the tent.

Ji Qingwu hurried forward. The wind and sand outside were so strong she could barely open her eyes. She tilted her head up to look at him.

Zhao Mingyan leaned down from his horse, his palm caressing the nape of her neck.

"Wait for my victorious return."

The breath from his lips fogged in the cold air, and the frost on his brows seemed to melt into pools of tenderness.

But to everyone’s surprise, Ji Qingwu suddenly seized his armored wrist. Using the leverage, she placed a foot in the stirrup and vaulted onto the horse. As she rose, her pale cyan skirt flared open like lotus petals. She landed on the horse with her back to its head, facing him.

Suppressed gasps of surprise rose from the crowd behind them.

The two were once again on the same warhorse, only this time Ji Qingwu sat before him, facing him.

The Hu Family’s three brothers were all present. The great hammer in Hu Lie’s hand dropped and slammed into the dirt, gouging out a deep hole.

He exclaimed excitedly, "That Doctor Ji is so nimble! She flew onto that horse like a little bird."

Hu Chen stroked his chin. "Second Brother, what do you think Doctor Ji is planning to do up there?"

Hu Feng stared straight ahead, his gaze unwavering. "That’s the Emperor’s business," he warned them. "According to regulations, you should look away. Don’t stare."

Hu Lie said, "But Big Brother, look! General Wei is staring too. His eyes are practically glued to them."

Hu Chen was about to chime in but swallowed his words when his eldest brother shot him a glare.

Hu Feng glanced at General Zhenbei, who was standing ahead and to their side. Sure enough, he was staring intently.

With a stern face, he scolded, "We’re just common soldiers right now. You can talk once you’ve earned the position of Great General."

A moment later, something else happened, causing both Hu Lie and Hu Chen to stare wide-eyed and cry out in shock.

Even Hu Feng couldn’t resist looking over...

Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow, surprised by her action.

But Ji Qingwu had something even bolder in mind. She hadn’t mounted the horse just to share a ride with him.

’Just thinking about what I’m about to do makes my heart pound with a mix of nerves and excitement.’

She grabbed the collar of his inner tunic with both hands and pulled him toward her, managing to move his powerful frame.

Amid the sharp, collective gasp of the soldiers, Ji Qingwu tilted her head up and crushed her lips against his.

But in her excitement, she didn’t control her strength. As their lips and teeth knocked together, she tasted the metallic tang of blood on her tongue.

Ji Qingwu licked her lips. ’Doesn’t seem to be mine.’

In her surprise-attack kiss, she had split the corner of Zhao Mingyan’s lower lip. A faint sting pricked him as he moved his mouth.

He was surrounded by his men, and their initial gasps had already turned into a roar of good-natured catcalls and cheers.

Eunuch Li, smiling, used his horsetail whisk to cover his eyes. He also took the opportunity to grab a she-wolf that had darted out from nowhere by the scruff of its neck and drag it aside.

By the time Ji Qingwu breathlessly pulled away, the bead of blood on his lip had already begun to set.

Zhao Mingyan wiped the small cut with the pad of his finger and suddenly let out a low chuckle, his eyes twinkling like stars.

The world seemed to fade away. All Ji Qingwu could hear was her own breathing; all she could see was the man before her.

She released his collar and lowered her head, resting it against his chest.

"Don’t make me wait too long."

Zhao Mingyan cupped her face in his hands.

"Seven days."

Ji Qingwu nodded against his palm. "Alright. In seven days, I’ll be at the camp gates to welcome Your Majesty back in victory."

"Not quite," Zhao Mingyan said.

Her lips parted slightly as his thumb pressed a small dimple into her cheek. "Didn’t Your Majesty say seven days?" she asked, baffled.

"In seven days, we return to Lin’an."

He suddenly raised his whip, pointing it toward the heavens. His voice rang out, clear in the night air.

"For I will be returning to marry you, Ah Wu!"

A heaven-shaking cheer erupted from the entire army.

With the Emperor’s declaration, the morale of the Beili soldiers soared. It was as if they now shouldered an even greater mission.

Ji Qingwu stood in the swirling sand and wind, under a dark, moonless sky, watching the torrent of Xuan Armor surge toward the Northwest.

She touched her still-burning lips. The parting kiss had been born of her reluctance to see him go, but also from a hope that it might bring a little more luck to this battle.

Ji Qingwu took a deep breath, only to choke on the dust and begin coughing.

"Miss Ji, you should head back inside the tent and rest," Eunuch Li urged.

Ji Qingwu held out her hand, feeling the wind’s strength and direction.

"This sandstorm is getting too strong," she muttered to herself.

Eunuch Li agreed. "It is. You should hurry back and rest. The Holy Emperor would be distressed if you caught a chill."

"Eunuch Li, you should go rest as well," Ji Qingwu said. "I’ll call you if I need anything."

She returned to the tent alone. After vaguely counting the days in her head, she drifted into a groggy sleep.

「Two days had passed.」

Ji Qingwu was up before the sky had fully brightened.

She hurriedly summoned her system. "Peanuts, how many instances of National Luck have I accumulated?"

[Host, according to system evaluation, you have accumulated three B-level and two D-level instances.]

"Huh?" Ji Qingwu said in surprise. "How did I get so many?"

’And there are several B-level ones, too. This is a far cry from the system’s usual scams and tricks.’

The system’s mechanical voice rang out: [The three B-level instances were for: achieving the ’Conjugal Bliss’ accomplishment, unlocking a new position, and triggering a hidden...]

The first few were understandable, but Ji Qingwu’s ears burned as she cut it off. "A hidden what?"

[It was detected that the target’s Heartbeat Value reached its maximum before his departure for battle. Host has completed a hidden task. Reward: one B-level instance of National Luck.]

"Whoa, hold on," Ji Qingwu said. "Since when was there a Heartbeat Value function? How come I didn’t know about it?"

[This function was added the last time you signed a new agreement with the system.]

Ji Qingwu was completely baffled, but that wasn’t the most pressing matter. "Peanuts," she said, "help me release the National Luck first."

[Which level would you like to release, Host?]

"All of it," Ji Qingwu said.

[To confirm, you wish to release all three B-level and both D-level instances?]

"That’s right," Ji Qingwu said calmly. "All of it."

Earlier, Emperor Wu Su hadn’t tried to hide his strategic discussions with the Hidden Guards from her, and she had heard everything from the inner chamber.

’A bloodless victory, leaving the enemy an escape route—that is the mark of a master strategist.’

’It seems the alliance between Prince Xijin and Gao Zhao Yue is about to crumble.’