She tried to explain things to Xiao Si in terms that were easy to understand.

Bai Jinzhi nodded: “Xiao Si understands! From now on, when I meet people from the Crown Prince’s entourage, I’ll try to be as polite as possible!”

“Go quickly to the Tiger Eagle Battalion and arrange for someone to investigate where the Crown Prince’s advisor is headed.” After speaking, she instructed Bai Jinzhi again: “We depart early tomorrow morning, so get some rest early.”

“Elder Sister!” Bai Jinzhi gripped the reins tightly in her hands and called out to Bai Qingyan. “Elder Sister is the one who most needs proper rest! The Bai family and the Bai family army still depend on Elder Sister! Elder Sister absolutely cannot collapse!”

Bai Jinzhi’s eyes reddened. Ever since news of Grandfather’s and the uncles’ and brothers’ deaths had arrived, Bai Jinzhi had never seen Elder Sister sleep through a complete night.

After setting out on campaign, Elder Sister had practiced day and night without rest to master the Sun-Shooting Bow. Bai Jinzhi feared that if this continued, Elder Sister’s body wouldn’t be able to endure it.

“Elder Sister knows her limits. Go now! Finish your tasks and sleep early—you’re still growing, so be careful not to stunt your growth.”

Bai Jinzhi stood in place watching Elder Sister’s retreating figure, biting her teeth and wishing she could grow up quickly to help Elder Sister.

Outside the wounded soldiers’ tent, several lightly wounded Jin soldiers surrounded Ji Langhua, who was carrying a small bundle and preparing to leave. They shook out Ji Langhua’s bundle, and besides some medicine bottles and a purse containing travel money that fell out, there was also a spotlessly clean dark red cloak.

“Oh my, this little lady’s bundle is hiding a cloak!” A Jin soldier with fine cotton cloth wrapped around his head shook out the cloak and draped it over himself. “Little lady, which of our generals have you taken a fancy to? I’m a centurion… In this great victory for Jin, I beheaded two Xiliang generals in Wengshan Canyon. When I return, I’ll surely receive rewards and become a general myself. Why don’t you remove your veil and let me have a look? If you’re pretty, I’ll reluctantly take you as my wife!”

The wounded soldiers surrounding Ji Langhua jeered and laughed loudly.

Even those gathered around the tent entrance to watch the commotion couldn’t help but laugh along.

For over a month, the Jin army had been training rigorously and sleeping on their weapons, with the soldiers’ nerves tightly strung in life-and-death situations. Now that the peace treaty had been signed and they would return to the capital tomorrow, with generous rewards awaiting them, they inevitably became carried away with their success.

Ji Langhua bit her teeth tightly, her eyes swelling red. Instead of picking up the medicine bottles and money purse on the ground, she desperately rushed forward to snatch the cloak: “Give it back to me!”

The centurion wearing the cloak smiled and dodged to the side, instead grabbing Ji Langhua’s arm: “Little lady, from your accent, you must be from Feng County! We risked our lives to reclaim Feng County for you common folk, yet you won’t even let us look at you. Isn’t that a bit ungrateful!”

“Exactly, exactly! Little lady, your eyes are so beautifully shaped. Be sensible and let’s have a look! You won’t lose a piece of flesh!”

The soldiers who hadn’t seen women for a long time spoke frivolously and unreasonably.

Ji Langhua bit her teeth: “Give me back the cloak!”

Seeing Ji Langhua being so uncooperative, the centurion smiled and looked around at the soldiers watching the spectacle: “Brothers, what do you say—should we remove this little lady’s veil and see if she’s a celestial beauty?”

The Bai family army soldiers standing at the wounded soldiers’ camp entrance watched this situation and tried to intervene a couple of times, but when no one listened, they turned and went back into their tents.

“If you look, you’ll have to take responsibility and marry her!” a soldier laughed and jeered.

The centurion laughed heartily: “If I look and she’s beautiful, I’ll naturally take responsibility!”

“But I’m afraid if she’s taken a fancy to some general, you won’t have a chance, hahaha…”

The centurion pulled off Ji Langhua’s veil, and a face crisscrossed with blade scars suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes, startling the centurion into a daze.

Ji Langhua struggled violently and slapped the centurion across the face, then, like a madwoman, grabbed the centurion’s collar: “Give me back the cloak, you bastard!”

The centurion was suddenly slapped by a woman, his face scratched by fingernails, leaving two claw marks, burning with pain.

The centurion’s eyes turned cold, and his grip on Ji Langhua’s arm tightened, almost ready to break her arm. But Ji Langhua showed no fear at all, staring at the centurion with blood-red eyes, her teeth clenched, carrying the ruthless determination of mutual destruction.

After a moment of dead silence, the watching soldiers put their arms around each other’s shoulders and laughed.

“No wonder she wore a veil—turns out she’s an ugly monster!”

“Oh my! Old Du, you’re useless, letting a woman slap you! Hahaha…”

“Old Du, you’ve disgraced all of us Jin army men! If she were a celestial beauty, that would be one thing, but you got slapped by an ugly monster, hahaha!”

The mocking laughter around them was like stinging slaps across the face of the centurion surnamed Du. He clenched his teeth, flew into a rage from shame and raised his hand: “Damn it! I think you’re tired of living!”

But before the centurion’s slap could land on Ji Langhua’s face, Bai Qingyan arrived like the wind, pulled Ji Langhua aside, and kicked the centurion squarely in the chest.

The centurion was kicked so hard he staggered backward several steps and nearly fell before being caught by someone. Just as he was about to curse… seeing it was Bai Qingyan, his expression changed, his throat bobbed, and he straightened up to salute with clasped hands: “General Bai!”

The Jin soldiers who had been laughing and watching the spectacle, seeing it was Bai Qingyan, quickly restrained their laughter and stood at attention, saluting with clasped hands.

“General Bai!”

“General Bai!”

Bai Qingyan’s great victory in this campaign had earned her extremely high prestige in the army. Though she was a woman, no one in the Jin army did not respect and admire her.

Some sharp-eyed Jin soldiers, knowing their centurion had caused trouble, quickly snuck away to seek help.

Ji Langhua wiped away tears with her sleeve, ignored the veil on the ground, and quickly rushed toward the centurion to snatch back the cloak. Suppressing her hatred, she forcefully hugged the cloak to her chest and choked out through sobs as she bowed to Bai Qingyan: “Thank you, Little Marshal Bai!”

The Bai family army soldiers who had returned to the wounded soldiers’ tents, hearing that Little Marshal Bai had arrived, came out of their tents again, only to see Bai Qingyan’s eyes blazing with fury.

Her face was as dark as water, her gaze fixed on the centurion who was bowing and didn’t dare raise his head: “What impressive authority you have, Centurion!”

The centurion’s forehead broke out in fine sweat. He truly had the worst luck—he had merely wanted to remove the veil and see the true face of this young lady who had beautiful eyes but wore a face covering. Who could have known he would run into General Bai! General Bai was a woman and would naturally protect women, so he could only be the unlucky one.

“This subordinate wouldn’t dare! This subordinate was only joking with this young lady, but went too far. Please forgive me, General Bai.”

Hearing the word “joking,” she became even more furious. Taking three steps in two, she stepped forward and kicked the centurion in the abdomen again. The soldiers watching the spectacle hurriedly stepped aside, afraid of being implicated.