Chapter 456: A Shocking Sight, You Two Got Together?

The Beili Army marched on.

Their morale was high, but not high enough to overcome the sand and grit that whipped their faces and filled their ears. The raging sandstorm made every step a struggle.

Suddenly, a soldier staggered and fell to his knees, having lost his balance from a sudden, powerful gust of wind.

Hu Lie yanked the soldier, whose head was now buried in a sand dune, back to his feet. "What is this hellish weather? You can’t even open your mouth without getting a mouthful of sand." He spat out the grit in his mouth.

Hu Chen, who could read the skies, looked up and said worriedly, "From the looks of it, this wind will keep blowing for another three hours. And there are signs of snow, too."

The soldier wiped his face haphazardly and offered his thanks. "Thanks, brother."

Hearing Hu Chen’s words, his face fell. "What? Not only do we have to fight this wind, but it’s going to snow too? The heavens are not on our side."

Hu Feng, walking at the front, overheard them. He turned and shouted, "Man can conquer nature! Are you scared by a little wind, sand, and snow?"

The soldier retorted, "Who’s scared? I was just complaining. Beili will be victorious! With the Emperor and his god-like military strategy leading us, I’m not afraid of anything!"

The two Hu brothers behind them exchanged a glance. It was clear the Emperor’s authority in the army was profound; his presence alone was enough to stabilize morale.

As long as he was there, no matter the adversity, the soldiers’ spirits wouldn’t scatter like loose sand. Instead, they would remain firm in their belief of certain victory.

Hu Lie pressed his large war hammer against the small of the soldier’s back. "You’re too scrawny. I’ll push you along."

Just then, an order came from the front. The men were to walk huddled closely together, forming a human wall. This would effectively block the wind and sand. They would also rotate the soldiers on the outer edge at regular intervals to ensure everyone got adequate rest.

Before long, the ink-black sky seemed to tear apart. The clouds that had blotted out the heavens dispersed, and soft moonlight shone down upon the soldiers’ armor.

The sandstorm, which had just been roaring, seemed to freeze in mid-air. Millions of suspended grains of sand coalesced into a golden mist under the moonlight.

The red tassels on the soldiers’ helmets stopped whipping about wildly, now falling slowly in an unbelievable arc.

The marching army halted, and the tall horse at the very front slowed its pace.

Zhao Mingyan lifted his gaze to the bright crescent moon that had appeared in the night sky. He turned to the man at his left rear and asked, "General Zhenbei, what do you make of this celestial phenomenon?"

Business was business. Neither the sovereign nor his subject allowed their private affairs to interfere with military matters.

Wei Ting was quite knowledgeable in the study of celestial phenomena. After a moment’s thought, he replied, "Your Majesty, a bright moon with few stars is a good omen. It foretells fair weather ahead."

Vice General Feng Xiang’s face lit up with joy. "Last time, we had a timely rain, and this time the clouds part to reveal the moon. These are truly good omens!"

Feng Xiang wasn’t wrong. The omen was almost unnaturally good.

The soldiers of Beili had never seen moonlight so bright. It was more brilliant than a thousand torches combined.

A gentle breeze caressed the faces of the Beili soldiers, softly scattering the dust and letting it settle. The sand that had been howling and tormenting them just moments before now lay soft beneath their feet.

However, the moonlight’s radiance did not stop there.

Not only did it illuminate the path for the Beili soldiers, but a mirage appeared before their very eyes.

In the night, it was as if a brilliant screen had appeared before them, and projected upon it was...

It was...

Zhao Mingyan violently reined in his horse.

Wei Ting’s eyes were fixed, and Feng Xiang’s lips trembled with excitement.

The soldiers at the rear stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them.

The entire Xijin Camp was laid out before them in full view.

The details within the camp were crystal clear: where the granaries were piled high like mountains, where the armory storing their weapons was located, where the training grounds for martial practice were...

Everything was in plain sight.

Zhao Mingyan took a breath, his voice deep. "Record it."

Feng Xiang immediately snapped back to his senses. He quickly pulled a piece of deerskin from his robes, his brush moving swiftly as he sketched and wrote upon it.

*

「Northern Border Camp.」

When Ji Qingwu awoke again, it was already late in the morning.

She changed her clothes and stepped outside the tent. The sky was clear and bright, and even the north wind had softened, gently curling the ends of her hair.

Seeing that she was up, Li Yuzong quickly called someone over to fill in the hole the wolf had dug in the tent.

The she-wolf wiggled its rear and rubbed against the hem of her skirt. Ji Qingwu stroked its head and sighed contentedly, "What beautiful weather."

"Isn’t it, though?"

Qi Peiyao walked up to Ji Qingwu, her large belly preceding her. She smiled and said, "I can’t even remember the last time I saw weather this nice."

Ji Qingwu’s gaze swept from Qi Peiyao’s round belly to her face. Noticing her swollen eyelids, she asked in surprise, "Have you been crying? Is your stomach bothering you?"

’Otherwise,’ she thought, ’I can’t imagine what would make this straightforward and hearty woman cry.’

Qi Peiyao replied, "It was just the sandstorm last night. I got some in my eyes."

’Sand got through the thick military tent and into her eyes?’ Ji Qingwu smiled to herself.

In the middle of the night, the Hu Brothers had received urgent orders to deploy. Qi Peiyao had only pretended to roll over lazily, not going out to see them off.

She hadn’t seen the farewell kiss between Ji Qingwu and the Emperor.

Qi Peiyao noticed that Ji Qingwu’s face was fair and tender, completely unaffected by the wind, sand, and harsh sun of the northern frontier. Her skin seemed to glow with a jade-like luster, a clear sign that she had rested well.

Unlike herself, who had tossed and turned for the latter half of the night, secretly shedding tears several times.

It was the first time all three of the Hu Family’s Three Brothers had left her side at once. Even though her blankets were thick and warm, she just couldn’t feel comfortable.

Moreover, she was in the final stage of her pregnancy and didn’t know when she might go into labor. Deep down, Qi Peiyao was afraid.

That was why she had been lingering near the main tent since early morning, hoping to see Ji Qingwu and remind her that there was still a pregnant woman in the camp.

Ji Qingwu saw the dark circles under her eyes and offered a thoughtful explanation.

"That makes sense. The wind was so strong last night, and the tent was howling. It’s normal that you’re not used to it."

Qi Peiyao asked, "Is Doctor Ji very used to it?"

Ji Qingwu nodded. "I lived in this camp for a year or two before. The conditions then were even worse than they are now."

As she spoke, her eyes curved into a smile. ’Back then, I never could have imagined I’d one day be living in the main tent of the army camp.’

Qi Peiyao studied her expression and asked curiously, "Is that when you met the Emperor? Did you two hit it off back then?"

Luckily, there was no one else nearby, only the guards standing at a distance. Ji Qingwu’s heart skipped a beat at her bold question.

She thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "I suppose so."

’After all,’ she mused, ’we even had a child after that.’

Unsatisfied with the ambiguous answer, Qi Peiyao nudged her arm and pressed, "What do you mean, ’I suppose so’? It’s either a yes or a no."

Ji Qingwu glanced at her and said, "Yes, yes, it’s a yes."

Only then did Qi Peiyao realize her behavior might have been impolite. She said cautiously, "The great families of Lin’an have many rules. If I’ve offended you unintentionally, please don’t hold it against me."

Ji Qingwu said dismissively, "It’s fine."

She had come out with something else to do. "I need to go find Vice General Chi. You..."

Qi Peiyao said, "I’ll go with you."