Chapter 42

“Yan Fang.” Jiang Xiao suddenly set down his wine cup and said coldly,
“Wu Qi’s drunk. Haul him off and throw him into the Zhenbei River—let him sober up.”

Wu Qi snapped out of his drunken haze instantly, staring at Jiang Xiao in horror. Though it was only early autumn, northern nights were already bitterly cold. Getting tossed into a river in this weather was dangerous—people could die. He scrambled in panic, “General—no, I wasn’t…”

“Yes.” Yan Fang, faithful to duty, stood up without hesitation and slung Wu Qi over his shoulder.

As Wu Qi let out a desperate, guttural scream—”Noooo!”—the two of them quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The surrounding soldiers barely reacted—they were clearly used to this kind of scene. After a casual glance, they went right back to laughing and bantering among themselves.

At the command seat, only Jiang Xiao and Shen Yi remained.

Shen Yi took a leisurely sip of wine, then glanced at Jiang Xiao with a soft chuckle. “General, that rascal Wu Qi may be a bit out of line, but he’s not wrong. You should set an example for the men. You still have no thoughts of marriage?”

Jiang Xiao lowered his eyelids slightly, slowly rotating the wine cup in his hand, as if he hadn’t heard.

Shen Yi didn’t mind and went on in his calm tone, “General, I’ve watched you grow up. Forgive my boldness, but I suppose that makes me half a senior to you.”

Jiang Xiao raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Master Shen, you’re certainly a senior to Weiting.”

Even his courtesy name, Weiting, had been chosen by Shen Yi himself.

Looking at the tall, imposing man before him, Shen Yi couldn’t help but picture him as a child, once chasing after Lord Jiang and calling out “Father” with youthful innocence. He let out a soft sigh and said,
“General, for you to acknowledge that is a great honor. Six years ago, after you disappeared for a few days, you immediately sent your men back to that mountain—searching for a woman who had entered a certain cave the same day you did. Yet you couldn’t describe her name, her appearance, or even her age. That day was pure chaos. You were hunted by Jinmeng spies and even ambushed by one of their assassins. You’ve never spoken of what happened during those missing hours, and I’ve never asked. But surely—something remarkable took place. There must be a reason you’ve spent six years searching for that woman.”

Jiang Xiao’s lips pressed into a thin line. The orange firelight flickered in his dark, fathomless eyes, casting his entire figure in solemn stillness.

Shen Yi could read him clearly—this was a silent refusal. When their General didn’t wish to speak of something, not a soul in this world could pry it out of him.

Shen Yi shook his head quietly. “Regardless of what happened that day, General, you’ve done all one could by searching for her for six years. As Wu Qi said, you can’t remain single forever for her sake. That’s surely not something Lord Jiang and Lady You would wish to see from the afterlife…”

“Master Shen.” Jiang Xiao cut him off lightly. “As I am now, all I wish is to drive out our enemies and defend the peace of this land. Besides…”

He paused, and his lips barely curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile—carrying a trace of irony and weariness. “If any woman were to marry someone like me, it would be her misfortune.”

Shen Yi frowned. “General, how could you think such a thing? You’re young, accomplished, and full of integrity. You’ll surely be a good husband and father one day. What you say now is simply because you haven’t yet met the woman you’d want to spend a lifetime with. When she appears—no matter how difficult the road ahead—you’ll be willing to cross it for her. And then, General, only then will you truly understand what it means to carry such a responsibility. That’s when you’ll become the kind of man who stands tall beneath heaven and earth.”

As Jiang Xiao listened, a sudden image flickered through his mind—of that woman pressed tightly against his shoulder the morning before. His brows furrowed. He tilted his head back and drained the last of his wine, then stood up and said coolly, “My affairs—I understand them perfectly, Master Shen. There’s no need for you to concern yourself.”

“It’s late. You should turn in as well.” With that, he turned and walked away.

Though the camp around him bustled with warmth and noise, a quiet field seemed to envelop him. He walked alone, as if untouched by the glow and clamor of others—a solitary figure swallowed by silence and night.

Shen Yi sighed softly and shook his head, sipping his tea.

The General had lost both parents at a young age and grew up surrounded by wolves. Deep down, he’d long forgotten what home truly meant. But seeing him carry everything alone with such unflinching silence—it was exhausting to witness. What made it most frightening was the absence of any emotional tether. He had no attachments. No longing.

A man like that, when faced with extreme choices, was both terrifying and heartbreakingly tragic.

Back in his tent, Jiang Xiao unbuckled his sword, kicked off his boots, and sat on the edge of the bed. He sat quietly for a moment, then picked up the jade pendant from his waist and gently traced the carved frost blossoms.

A woman he might want to spend his life with.

Jiang Xiao had never considered that question before. In truth, before the incident six years ago, he had never thought seriously about marriage. There was no one around who would arrange such matters for him. But after what happened, driven by a sense of duty, he decided—if he found that woman and she was willing to marry him, he’d marry her.

After all, life had to be lived with someone. And if she didn’t feel burdened marrying a man like him, a soldier hardened by war, then so be it.

It was the first time someone had ever told him: You should marry someone you truly want to spend your life with.

That moment triggered another image in his mind—bright, confident features and a bold expression. His brows furrowed once more. Ever since yesterday, she had kept creeping into his thoughts.

Maybe it was because, for the first time in years, he’d interacted so much with a woman.

Meanwhile, in a humble house, Yun Shuang was making the bed when she suddenly sneezed loudly.

The sound startled Yun Yi and Yun Yin nearby.

Yun Yi immediately ran up to Yun Shuang, her face filled with worry. “Mother, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Yun Shuang smiled at her two children and joked, “Maybe someone’s missing me—that’s why I sneezed.”

Yun Yi’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Then it must be Father, who got lost and is missing you!”

Yun Shuang: “…”

“If Brother and I got lost and couldn’t find you, we’d definitely miss you a lot too!”

Yun Yi said earnestly, “Mother, when will Father find his way back home? I miss him so much—I bet Brother does too!”

Yun Yin gave a proud little huff and turned his head away. “Who’d miss a dad that dumb? Not me!”

Yun Yi pouted in protest and turned to Yun Shuang with certainty. “Mother, Brother’s lying! Whenever he lies, he won’t look me in the eye!”