A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Upon learning that their wives were outside, the soldiers inside the military camp rushed over.

Even if we are temporarily restricted by military discipline from meeting in person, it would be good to exchange a few words while looking at each other through the gate.

Gu Xixi glanced at the lively scene around her and said to Mu Nanzhao:

“I’ll go with you. Once the military families return safely, I should give Huo Jiang a proper explanation.”

Mu Nanzhao leaned forward and reached out his hand to Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi looked at him without moving.

Suppressing his unease, Mu Nanzhao calmly explained, "You know how big the military camp is. In order to get there faster, I can only ask you to ride with me on one horse."

With a valid reason, Gu Xixi generously placed her hand in Mu Nanzhao's palm.

When Mu Nanzhao held her soft hand, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

He steadied himself and gently applied a skillful upward force.

Gu Xixi immediately lifted her feet off the ground and sat steadily in front of Mu Nanzhao.

She wrinkled her little nose and said, "I didn't want to get on the horse. I thought the smell of horse manure would be too strong and I was afraid it would be choking."

"I didn't expect that you would find a place to take a bath amidst your busy schedule?"

Mu Nanzhao's temple throbbed violently, and the rare moment of romantic mood he had felt vanished in an instant.

"how do you know……"

The man, who was obsessive about cleanliness, had to smear horse manure on his body.

Mu Nanzhao wished this experience would never be known to anyone.

But now Gu Xixi brought it up jokingly. Isn't this deliberately provoking the tiger?

Gu Xixi faced forward and urged, "Aren't we in a hurry? Let's hurry up and talk as we go."

The two followed the main force into the military camp.

Gu Xixi said, "It's not hard to find out this. To conceal the smell, the only material available in this area that can be found everywhere and is present on both sides is warhorse dung."

Mu Nanzhao sensed the triumphant smile in Xi Xi's tone and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"That night you said you smelled medicine on me, was that something you said on purpose for Huo Jiang to hear?"

"You actually noticed I was in the inner room a long time ago."

General Huo was always cautious and meticulous in his battles.

Since we know there is a vulnerability, we must address it.

It's not surprising that Gu Xixi was able to foresee this.

The warhorse trotted forward steadily, but Gu Xixi keenly sensed a familiar sense of danger, and her heart skipped a beat.

This was an instinct she had developed through countless days of trying to figure out Mu Nanzhao's thoughts and save her own life.

Gu Xixi secretly cursed herself, realizing that she had been too happy and had forgotten that there was a dangerous object behind her that could take her life.

So she forced a smile and said, "I did say it on purpose for the General to hear."

"However, I can smell the lingering scent of medicine on you, that's definitely true."

Gu Xixi thought to herself that as long as she insisted that she could smell it, it wouldn't matter who questioned her.

Without any evidence, Mu Nanzhao couldn't very well turn against him, could he?

Mu Nanzhao gazed at the top of Gu Xixi's head, but a faint gloom settled in his eyes.

She was afraid of him, and that wasn't a misconception.

Because he noticed more than once that when she saw him get the short end of the stick, she would occasionally become smug, lively, and cheerful.

But as soon as he asked one more question, she would immediately become flustered and start explaining to him earnestly, sometimes even with a hint of ingratiation.

Mu Nanzhao wondered what he had done to be so terrifying in Gu Xixi's eyes, making her so wary of him.

Both of them had their own thoughts on their minds.

Outside the military camp.

When Aunt Lin saw Meng Chengping standing there with his horse in his arms, she realized that he was looking at He Jinglan.

As someone who's been through it all, how could Aunt Lin not understand what that look meant?

She deliberately pulled He Jinglan aside and said, "Thanks to General Meng and others who found us last night and protected us in a safe place. When it was dawn, we heard that the enemy had been completely wiped out, so he organized his troops and sent us back."

Meng Chengping was ignored by He Jinglan, and only dared to watch her chatting and laughing with others, not daring to approach her for a long time.

Hearing what Aunt Lin said, he seized the opportunity and quickly moved forward a few steps, forcing himself back into He Jinglan's line of sight.

Meng Chengping smiled at He Jinglan like a puppy, almost as if he wanted to grow a tail from behind and wag it.

With Aunt Lin standing nearby, He Jinglan couldn't pretend she didn't see her anymore.

She bowed and said, "Thank you, General Meng, for protecting everyone."

Seeing that she treated him so politely and distantly, Meng Chengping's previously warm gaze immediately turned disappointed.

Taking the opportunity, Aunt Lin said, "You two chat, I'm going over there to give my husband a few words of advice."

Aunt Lin fled as if she were running away, and He Jinglan, seeing this, also tried to leave.

Meng Chengping called out to her, "Jinglan, I just saw you, and I haven't had enough of looking at you yet. Can you please not run away?"

Her voice was pleading, and sounded rather pitiful.

He Jinglan's pent-up anger suddenly found an outlet.

She stopped and sneered at Meng Chengping, "Run? Who was it that was hiding from me all this time?"

"Who is it that's about to go to war, yet won't spare a moment to see me? They can't even be bothered to leave me a single word. What do they take me for?"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Meng Chengping lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, I made you worry."

Looking at He Jinglan's indifferent profile, he panicked completely.

"Jinglan, I have my reasons."

"I know I'm not good enough for you, I can't possibly promise you a future, I..."

He Jinglan's anger flared, and she angrily interrupted Meng Chengping, "Since you've thought it through so clearly, let's go our separate ways. I never want to see you again!"

Meng Chengping was struck dumb.

"Get out of my way! Don't block my way!" He Jinglan stomped on his foot hard and ran towards the family village.

Meng Chengping felt as if his heart had fallen into an ice cave, chilling him to the bone.

He couldn't feel the pain in his feet, nor did he know he was going to chase after He Jinglan.

The phrase "I never want to see you again" kept echoing in my mind.

Mu Nanzhao and Gu Xixi had already entered the central command tent and drunk two cups of plain water with Huo Jiang.

Only then did they see Meng Chengping walk in, his steps unsteady and his eyes lifeless.

Huo Jiang was already seething with anger, and seeing his expression, he slammed his fist on the table and roared, "You disregarded military orders, delayed your return with your troops, and now that you're finally back, you're acting like you've lost your soul! Stand up straight!!"

Meng Chengping was a qualified soldier; upon hearing the order, he immediately stood up straight.

Huo Jiang pointed at the relaxed-looking Mu Nanzhao and asked Meng Chengping, "This man says he doesn't know anything, he follows your orders in everything, and all the spoils of war are with you."

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Meng Chengping was utterly despondent at that moment and said, "No."

He took out a roll of cloth from inside his breastplate, walked to Huo Jiang, put it down, and then returned to his original position.

Huo Jiang glared at Meng Chengping unhappily, muttering "What a mess," as he opened the scroll.

He looked down and his pupils suddenly contracted, his face showing a look of wild joy.

"Map of the northern border!"

The ink on it is half dry, so it must have been a fresh rubbing.