Chapter 22: Delicate Beauty Songstress vs. Strong and Sturdy General Help!

Every time he spoke those words with that abstinent-looking face, it always made her heart itch.

“Dear husband.” Her voice was so sweet it carried a slight tremor.

The wooden tub was narrow, and with her petite frame, she only reached his shoulders. She could hear the pounding rhythm of his wildly beating heart.

“Wanwan, do you really want to wash my back?”

His slightly upturned peach blossom eyes curved into a teasing smile, as if he had seen right through her ulterior motives. He was tempted to expose her but left her some dignity.

“Does husband think I’m not serving him attentively?”

“Not to my satisfaction.”

She curled her red lips. “Then, how does husband want to be served?”

He lowered his head. “Wanwan, you’re not cut out for this. Let me serve you instead.”

Her cheeks instantly flushed red. “Husband, what are you thinking? I really just wanted to help you wash your back.”

“Oh?” He narrowed his eyes and smirked. “Then what is your hand doing?”

Caught red-handed, Ning Wanguan remained unfazed, arguing shamelessly, “I accidentally touched it.”

The kiss that followed was even more intense than usual.

“Husband—”

…

Afterward.

The water in the tub gradually cooled. Wei Chenheng, worried that she would catch a chill, lifted her out, carefully dried her with a towel, and carried her onto the soft couch.

The couch was much more spacious than the wooden tub.

Ning Wanguan hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

“Wanwan is so proactive today. Quite a surprise.”

Her face burned, and she muttered shyly, “Husband, keep your voice down. Someone might hear.”

Outside the tent, footsteps could be heard from time to time, indicating that patrols were making their rounds.

He chuckled, his breath brushing against her ear as he murmured hoarsely, “They’ve already heard. You were quite loud just now.”

Ning Wanguan was so embarrassed that she buried her face in his chest, too ashamed to look at him.

Afterward.

As the tent gradually returned to tranquility, Ning Wanguan lay in Wei Chenheng’s arms, utterly exhausted, her red lips parting slightly as she caught her breath. It took her a long time to recover.

After such a long drought, both of them were eager to make up for lost time, leaving them both thoroughly satisfied—and thoroughly drained.

A hint of indulgence softened Wei Chenheng’s chiseled features as he lowered his head and kissed her hair. “Worn out?”

“Mm…”

Looks like she’ll need to replenish her strength with a couple of vitality pills. If he keeps tormenting her like this, all the progress she made recovering will be undone.

“Rest well,” he said considerately. “We’ll continue tonight.”

“Mm???”

Wei Chenheng paused before adding, “I’ll take you back to Jin City soon.”

Ning Wanguan was surprised. “You’re allowed to leave?”

“Yes, the situation is settled.”

“Alright then.” She lowered her gaze, recalling the peach trees on Twin Peaks, and said softly, “Once we pass Twin Peaks, let’s pick some of those flat peaches.”

“Alright.”

---

Not long after, the court dispatched troops to relieve Wei Chenheng’s forces, officially putting an end to the border conflict. With his military duties completed, Wei Chenheng prepared to return to Jin City with his wife and child. However, there was still one unresolved matter weighing on his mind.

On the day of departure, a sudden fire broke out in the military camp.

Wei Chenheng instructed Ning Wanguan to stay inside their tent and not go anywhere, then took his deputy to put out the fire.

But he hadn’t been gone long before trouble found her.

At first, she heard strange movements outside the tent and assumed it was just the patrol. Then, an unusual fragrance seeped in through the gaps. By the time she realized something was wrong, it was already too late—she lost consciousness.

When she woke again, she was bound and tied up inside a cave.

A few rough-looking men in strange clothing were gathered around a bonfire, leering at her. At a glance, Ning Wanguan immediately recognized their attire—they were barbarians.

Wei Chenheng had mentioned before that although the barbarians had surrendered, some of them had scattered and gone into hiding. She hadn’t expected them to be bold enough to sneak into the military camp.

Her thoughts quickly pieced things together. If she hadn’t been taken, would Wei Chenheng have been ambushed and killed by these men? Did this mean she had unknowingly taken the disaster upon herself instead?

Still, she had no intention of dying here.

Noticing that she had woken up, the barbarians grinned wickedly and walked toward her, tilting her chin to examine her face from different angles.

“So this is Wei Chenheng’s wife?”

“She’s got quite the face, I’ll give her that.”

“Not just a pretty face—I bet she’s wild in bed too. Otherwise, why would that bastard Wei Chenheng be so obsessed with her?”

“You’ve got a point, boss!”

They erupted into laughter.

Ning Wanguan turned her face away, her expression filled with disgust. “Hah! Cowards who couldn’t beat my husband on the battlefield resorting to dirty tricks to bully a defenseless woman—what kind of heroes are you? If you’ve got guts, fight my husband one-on-one instead of using me to vent your frustrations, you cowards!”

The barbarian leader sneered. “You little wench, do you think goading me will make me let you go? Dream on!”

Ning Wanguan stared at him coldly.

“Brothers, don’t you want to have some fun with Wei Chenheng’s woman?”

“Of course! Bet she’ll be a real treat!”

“I’ll go first, then you guys can have your turn!”

“Thanks, boss!”