CHAPTER 13

The next morning, Yi Qiancheng woke Lian Sheng.

“Find a sturdy branch in the cave. Tie a brightly colored piece of cloth to it and place it in the cracks at the cave entrance.”

Lian Sheng did as instructed, tearing off a strip of fabric from her skirt. Fortunately, her pleated skirt had enough material to spare. Yi Qiancheng watched her calmly, his attention elsewhere, as if listening for something.

Lian Sheng guessed his guards must be close. Their speed surprised her—had they been searching the cliff face all night?

Sitting beside Yi Qiancheng, she waited. After a while, he said, “Help me up.”

She quickly propped him against the stone wall. Yi Qiancheng seemed to be in good spirits. The sun had yet to rise, and only thick fog was visible outside the cave.

Perhaps it was the haze that softened her view of him, but Lian Sheng thought that, despite his injuries, Yi Qiancheng’s face now held a certain steely determination.

Before long, muffled noises came from outside the cave, followed by a rough male voice calling loudly, “General, is that you?”

Lian Sheng’s spirits lifted. Yi Qiancheng glanced at her, and she obediently moved to the entrance of the cave, shouting, “We’re here!”

Yi Qiancheng’s guards arrived quickly. One of them, secured by a thick rope, agilely climbed into the cave and knelt before Yi Qiancheng, his expression filled with emotion. “General, we finally found you.”

Yi Qiancheng gave a slight nod, his authority undiminished.

Suddenly, Lian Sheng understood why he had insisted on sitting up. Lying on the ground truly lacked the demeanor of a “General.”

She found it oddly amusing, as if she had glimpsed an unseen side of Yi Qiancheng.

The guards worked efficiently. One of them blew a whistle into his hand, the sound echoing across the cliff. After several repetitions, distant replies began to respond.

Lian Sheng couldn’t help but admire Yi Qiancheng. His soldiers were indeed exceptional.

Once they were pulled up from the cliff, Lian Sheng exhaled a long sigh of relief.

Looking up, she saw an unexpected person.

It was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in plain green attire. Her features were refined and otherworldly, though her expression was somewhat distant. When she saw Yi Qiancheng, her gaze finally softened.

“Brother!” she called out, hurrying over to support him.

So, this was Yi Huan.

“Huan’er, I’m fine,” Yi Qiancheng said.

Yi Huan’s gaze shifted to Lian Sheng, her expression tinged with hesitation before she softly called, “Sister-in-law.”

Lian Sheng was slightly surprised. She had assumed all of Yi Qiancheng’s family would hate her, just like he did, harboring enough resentment to want to drink her blood. But Yi Huan clearly wasn’t the same.

Though she didn’t show any warmth or friendliness, neither did she exhibit overt hostility or rejection.

That was good enough.

Lian Sheng smiled lightly at her, nodding. “Hello, Huan’er. I’m Lian Sheng.”

Yi Qiancheng needed time to recover, and their purpose for coming here was to fetch Yi Huan. Thus, they returned directly to the City Lord’s residence.

This time, Yi Qiancheng wasn’t as stingy. When calling for a doctor, he didn’t deliberately “forget” about Lian Sheng.

Lian Sheng’s body was covered in bruises. Xiyu and Lvr both teared up upon seeing her. “Miss, how did you get hurt like this?”

Lian Sheng shook her head, not saying anything further. In her heart, she sighed—this was already nothing compared to Yi Qiancheng’s injuries.

In the eastern city barracks, soldiers cheered in celebration.

“Commander, your strategy was brilliant! We completely caught the Xiqiang forces off guard, haha! Their faces—like they’d seen a ghost—when we launched our counterattack!”

Lian Qi smiled and raised his cup, downing the wine in one gulp.

The night before, he had led a surprise assault with elite troops, catching the Xiqiang army unprepared. This was Yingdong’s first victory since the Xiqiang siege began.

Not only that, but they had successfully burned some of the Xiqiang’s grain supplies.

Still, beneath his composed exterior, Lian Qi’s thoughts were heavy.

This victory was only possible because the Xiqiang were accustomed to attacking and lax in their defenses. Next time, they would certainly strengthen their guard, making another successful strike far more difficult.

Though the soldiers were jubilant, Lian Qi, as commander, knew the truth—they were already at their limit.

If no new solutions emerged, once the Xiqiang forces regrouped, Yingdong would face an even fiercer counterattack.

Just then, a soldier approached with a letter in hand. “Commander, a message from the City Lord.”

The sounds of revelry continued around him as Lian Qi opened the letter. He read it carefully, his brows furrowing.

The Second Prince intended to assist Yingdong?

Yingdong had been under siege for so long, and the surrounding cities had done nothing but watch from a distance. Meanwhile, the old emperor lay gravely ill, dragging out his condition for nearly half a year as his sons fought tooth and nail for the throne.

A cold sneer tugged at Lian Qi’s lips. Those fools—did they not realize that if the country fell to an enemy, seizing the throne would mean nothing?

The Second Prince’s offer of aid was intriguing. Lian Qi’s fingers lightly brushed the letter, his eyes devoid of warmth.

Lian Qi did not think the Second Prince was acting out of some grand sense of righteousness or awareness of the principle that the lips perish when the teeth are gone.

Clearly, he was plotting something!

Lian Qi’s face darkened. What else could a prince vying for the throne be after? Obviously, he wanted his sister, Lian Sheng!

Perhaps the City Lord was unaware of the past, but Lian Qi remembered it vividly. A year ago, the Second Prince had come to Yingdong on an imperial decree to conduct inspections in place of the Emperor. He had taken one look at Lian Sheng and was smitten.

The Second Prince had gone to great lengths, using various schemes to approach Lian Sheng, but she had managed to avoid him each time.

When Lian Qi sensed something was wrong, he was furious, feeling a possessive anger as if something of his was being coveted by another.

The Second Prince, though blessed with a fine exterior, was, in truth, a lecherous man with a cruel temperament. If Lian Sheng were truly to fall into his hands, her life would be ruined forever!

Thus, Lian Qi had orchestrated a plan to send the Second Prince back to the capital ahead of schedule. He had also subtly set up obstacles to ensure the Second Prince could not see Lian Sheng. Only then did the Second Prince temporarily give up and return to the imperial city to compete for the throne.

Now, in Yingdong’s moment of peril, he had offered his assistance. Whether or not he could actually mobilize troops was one thing, but Lian Qi knew his father would be filled with gratitude upon hearing this news and would likely grant the Second Prince any request.

The City Lord would send Lian Sheng away.

Lian Qi suddenly clenched the letter tightly, crumpling the paper in his grip.

The soldiers looked at their commander, whose expression had abruptly changed, and felt a growing sense of unease. Lian Qi steadied his emotions and gave them a smile.

“Celebrate well, everyone. I have some matters to attend to and will return later.”

Lian Qi returned to his tent and took out the letter again, carefully reading it over. There was not a single mention of Lian Sheng, which only deepened his unease.

His father knew how important Ah Sheng was to him. To calm him, his father would not have left Lian Sheng unmentioned.

Unless his father was feeling guilty or anxious.

Anger surged in Lian Qi’s heart, and he even felt an impulse to return to the city to see for himself. He had worked so hard to defend this city, yet his father intended to harm the person he cared about most!

Reason tamped down his impulsiveness. He could not leave now. The soldiers needed him. Lian Qi had already become the spiritual pillar of Yingdong’s forces. If he left, Yingdong would be in grave danger.

He could not abandon this city.

There were countless innocent, defenseless civilians within the city. If he abandoned them, they would be at the mercy of the Xiqiang forces. Besides, his own family was still in the city. He could not act rashly just because of his unease.

Lian Qi calmed himself and considered the situation from a different angle—even if the Second Prince had such intentions, he could not act on them in the short term.

Lian Qi still had time to send a letter to his father, warning him not to have designs on Lian Sheng.

As long as Ah Sheng was alive, he would defend Yingdong to the death. If she were gone, his resolve would collapse. He believed his father could discern what mattered most.

After a moment of thought, Lian Qi picked up his brush and began to draft a reply.

When Fu Chengyu returned to Sandthorn, he saw Song Yuan guarding the City Lord’s residence with a worried expression on his typically expressionless face.

Raising an eyebrow, Fu Chengyu called out, “Oh? Song the Dimwit got dumped by a girl?”

The veins on Song Yuan’s forehead twitched. This menace, Fu Chengyu, was back. After a year, Fu Chengyu hadn’t changed a bit—still foul-mouthed and cunning.

Song Yuan knew he was no match for Fu Chengyu in verbal sparring, so he kept a stoic face and refused to engage.

Fu Chengyu glanced toward the City Lord’s residence, noting the personal guards stationed every five paces, standing straight as arrows.

“Did something happen to Yi Qiancheng?”

“Shut up! Don’t curse the General. He’s just a little injured.”

“Oh, so something did happen. What was Yi Qiancheng doing? Couldn’t enjoy peaceful days and decided to go get stabbed? Don’t tell me his wife tried to assassinate him?”

Song Yuan had resolved not to respond, but that resolve crumbled every time! He couldn’t tolerate Fu Chengyu’s slander against the General!

“Stop talking nonsense! The General was injured while rescuing a girl from the mountain and running into bandits!”

The smile on Fu Chengyu’s face froze for a moment. The playful glint in his eyes was gradually replaced by a thoughtful look.

His gaze carried a turbulent undercurrent as he lifted his lips slightly. “You mean, the girl has returned?”

“Yes.”

Then, Song Yuan saw Fu Chengyu, this lunatic, laugh twice for no apparent reason. The laughter carried a hint of menace and a chilling undertone. After laughing, Fu Chengyu even licked his lips.

Inwardly, Song Yuan grumbled that this version of Fu Chengyu seemed even more deranged.

“I’ll go pay the girl a visit,” Fu Chengyu said calmly, lowering his gaze to hide the wolfish gleam in his eyes.

As Fu Chengyu was a subordinate of the General, and his father was the General’s most trusted advisor, Song Yuan couldn’t stop him from entering. He could only issue a warning: “Don’t disturb the General’s recovery!”

Fu Chengyu smiled. “I won’t.”

He had no intention of disturbing Yi Qiancheng. That wasn’t his interest. He had his sights set on someone else entirely.

Inside the City Lord’s residence, Fu Chengyu’s gaze lingered momentarily on the western courtyard—the direction of Yi Huan’s chamber in Sandthorn’s City Lord’s residence. Lowering his gaze with a faint smile, he briskly made his way toward Yi Qiancheng’s quarters.

As luck would have it, he encountered Lian Sheng stepping out.

Lian Sheng looked at Fu Chengyu curiously. With a quick mind, Fu Chengyu immediately guessed her identity.

“Greetings, Madam. I am Fu Chengyu, a subordinate of the General,” he said.

Lian Sheng acknowledged him with a polite nod. “Mm.” Anyone who could move freely within the City Lord’s residence was clearly someone Yi Qiancheng trusted.

“I heard the General was injured. I came to check on him. Would it be convenient?”

“The General... doesn’t stay here,” Lian Sheng replied, her tone tinged with awkwardness.

The fact that Yi Qiancheng didn’t share a room with her was common knowledge within the City Lord’s residence, but because Yi Qiancheng kept a tight lid on things, outsiders remained unaware that he did not touch his wife.

“I imagine the General is recuperating elsewhere. Could Madam point me in the right direction?”

“I happen to be going to serve the general as well; you can come along with me.” Lian Sheng sized up Fu Chengyu, thinking to herself that this was yet another sharp and perceptive individual. He refrained from pointing out that she wasn’t favored by Yi Qiancheng and even helped her save face by suggesting Yi Qiancheng had merely gone elsewhere to recover from his injuries.

When dealing with such people, Lian Sheng’s policy was always to avoid offending them and to keep her distance as much as possible. The two of them walked one after the other toward the courtyard where Yi Qiancheng was resting.

The faint scent of medicine lingered in the air. Yi Huan, dressed in light green, was carrying a medicine pot, about to enter the room.

“Huan’er,” Lian Sheng called out to her.

Yi Huan turned around, saw Lian Sheng, and softly greeted her, “Sister-in-law.” Then she asked, “Did you get hurt too, Sister-in-law? Was it serious?”

“I’m fine,” Lian Sheng replied.

Yi Huan turned her head and naturally noticed Fu Chengyu standing not far behind Lian Sheng. Fu Chengyu’s gaze was fixed on her with a burning intensity. A faint ripple of emotion flickered in Yi Huan’s eyes but was quickly suppressed.

She had to avoid extreme emotions—joy or sorrow—due to a congenital condition. So she maintained her usual calm demeanor, without a hint of fluctuation.

Fu Chengyu’s fingernails were digging deeply into his palms, but his face remained composed, wearing his usual amiable smile.

Lian Sheng asked, “How is my husband?”

“The doctor has already checked on him. Brother is fine, Sister-in-law, so you don’t need to worry.” Yi Huan glanced at the medicine pot in her hands. “I was just about to bring him his medicine. Sister-in-law and... Fu, Fu daren, please come in.”

After interacting with Yi Huan twice, Lian Sheng had a rough idea of her personality.

Although she appeared aloof, she was kind-hearted and intelligent.

Seeing Yi Huan’s frail figure, Lian Sheng stepped forward and took the heavy medicine pot from her hands. Feeling its weight, Lian Sheng smiled and said, “Let me do it.”

“Alright.” Yi Huan didn’t insist on personally delivering the medicine and walked into the room with Lian Sheng.

Fu Chengyu followed them at a leisurely pace.