Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

His lips trembled as he thought he shouldn't have done it.

But he had waited too long, and he didn't want to wait any longer.

He slapped himself hard in the chest, trying to use the pain to bring himself back to his senses.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He leaned close to Lin Ruoshui's ear, his breathing erratic, and asked, "Yingying, why can't you give me a chance? Why?"

Lin Ruoshui was so angry that she was speechless, her face turning red and her neck bulging, as if she was about to explode on the spot.

No answer was needed; the high wall of his rationality was crumbling layer by layer.

Baili Heng touched her cheek with his hand, ran his fingers through her soft, long hair, picked up a strand of hair, and smelled it.

He used a dagger to cut off a strand of her hair and then one of his own, intertwining their long hair together.

He said, "We'll grow old together, loving each other and supporting each other. Yingying, even if you don't want to, I'll stay by your side until we're old."

Baili Heng felt that he must be the most tragic emperor in history.

He was afraid of angering her, so he never dared to break through her last line of defense.

As he watched her fair, jade-like skin turn pale pink, Baili Heng's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

He hesitated whether to go all in, but he dared not, and could not; what he wanted was her willingness.

But then he thought that he probably would never get her willing love in his entire life.

His body moved uncontrollably, slowly drawing closer to her again.

Just as he steeled himself and prepared to act, Ouyang Xuri barged in.

Ouyang Xuri stood there, stunned! A million exclamation marks!

After figuring out what was happening, Ouyang Xuri threw a punch, and feeling unsatisfied, he followed up with a series of punches on Baili Heng.

Baili Heng regained his senses. He did not retaliate but turned his head away.

Ouyang Xuri helped Lin Ruoshui get dressed, then picked her up and carried her out of the tent.

Lin Ruoshui thought to herself, "Hey! Release my pressure points, I can dress myself and walk by myself, hey!"

Ouyang Xuri carried her into his tent, fed her some water, and said, "Why are you so obedient, lying there motionless and letting people bully you?"

Where's your iron whip? Take it out and use it on him! You're only good at hitting me.

If I had been any later, he would have taken you! Tell me, what's the point of being so beautiful! Being this beautiful is so dangerous!!

Lin Ruoshui thought to herself, "Could this idiot have not noticed that I've been acupunctured? Is it my fault that I'm beautiful?"

Ouyang Xuri continued, like a chatterbox, "You should stay away from Baili Heng in the future, or I can stay by your side and keep a close eye on him for you."

He pinched Lin Ruoshui's face and moved it up and down, saying, "So that means you agree! From now on, I'll protect you and beat all those pretty boys away."

Lin Ruoshui rolled her eyes. She thought to herself, "If today's meeting hadn't been so long, and if she hadn't let Xiuyi and the guards come along, things wouldn't have turned out like this. You don't need to protect me at all!"

After Ouyang Xuri removed his hand from Lin Ruoshui's face, it seemed as if he had been burned.

He recalled how he had helped Lin Ruoshui get dressed earlier, and how her incredibly slender waist and graceful curves made him blush.

He turned and left the tent, returning only half an hour later.

He returned and released Lin Ruoshui's acupoints.

After Lin Ruoshui left, Ouyang Xuri murmured, "It's really hard to control myself when I'm close to her. I should keep my distance from her in the future."

Lin Ruoshui returned to her tent feeling unwell, where Xiu Yi was waiting for her.

She threw herself into Xiuyi's arms.

Xiuyi was puzzled, so she asked, "How did the meeting go? Who gave Yingying a hard time?"

Lin Ruoshui hesitated whether to tell Xiuyi.

Seeing her hesitation, Xiu Yi said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

Lin Ruoshui said, "Xiuyi, you are so kind. Meeting you is a blessing I have earned."

Xiu Yi smiled.

The fire that had been stirred within Lin Ruoshui had not yet dissipated.

She asked for hot water and soaked in the bathtub, scrubbing herself thoroughly.

Seeing her expression, Xiuyi seemed to have guessed a bit of what was going on.

He asked, "Shall I rub it for you?"

A faint blush rose on Lin Ruoshui's face, like clouds in the morning light. She said, "Okay."

Xiuyi wrapped her arms around her from behind and said, "Don't rush, I'll give you a good rub."

Lin Ruoshui was struck by electric current and said, "Xiuyi, you are really wicked."

Xiu Yi asked, "Am I bad?"

Lin Ruoshui winced in pain and said, "Xiuyi is the best."

Xiu Yi narrowed her eyes and said with extreme allure, "You've become increasingly difficult to control lately, how can I let you go?"

The blush on Lin Ruoshui's face was like a delicate, beautiful flower, captivating all who beheld her.

They were deeply in love and reluctant to part.

The wind stopped and the rain ceased, and the two fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Lin Ruoshui's letter was delivered to Jiang Jiaheng.

Jiang Jiaheng thought to himself, "The commander-in-chief of the army actually wants to come into the city to meet me. Isn't this like walking into a trap or a lamb entering a tiger's den?"

He believed that Ying Yu must have ulterior motives and ulterior motives!

Jiang Jiaheng was in a dilemma: should she meet him or not?

He summoned his advisors and generals to the council chamber.

"General Jiang, there is no need to worry. No matter what tricks she tries to play, as long as she enters the city, we will take her down without hesitation."

"Make sure he can't escape, then we won't have to worry about what tricks he might pull," said strategist Wang Moxiang.

Jiang Jiaheng said, "What you say makes sense, sir, but without a foolproof plan, how dare Ying Yu enter the city alone?"

Yu Tao, a junior officer, said, "General, I believe that killing Ying Yu immediately after he enters the city to prevent future troubles is a good strategy."

Jiang Jiaheng asked, "Is everyone's opinion that Ying Yu should enter the city?"

Everyone felt this was an excellent opportunity to eliminate the legendary and seemingly invincible Ying Yu without firing a single shot.

Why refuse such a tremendous contribution and something so effortless?

Jiang Jiaheng thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then please reply to Ying Yu. Let's set the meeting time for noon tomorrow."

Lin Ruoshui received Jiang Jiaheng's reply and smiled. As long as she could enter the city, the matter would be half settled.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Baili Heng requested an audience outside Lin Ruoshui's tent.

He had prepared a whole host of excuses, but no matter what he said, what he had done was unforgivable, at least Lin Ruoshui didn't want to forgive him right now.

Lin Ruoshui refused to see Baili Heng, partly because she didn't know how to face him.

Another reason is that if Baili Heng knew about her plan, he would definitely not agree to her taking the risk, so it's better not to meet him.

The biting winter wind cuts like a knife.

Baili Heng stood outside all day wearing a blue-black mink coat.

Lin Ruoshui was getting anxious. It was getting dark, and if he didn't go back soon, he would definitely get frostbite.

Lin Ruoshui said to Xiuyi, "Xiuyi, can you help me think of a way to get him to leave?"

Xiu Yi said, "Why don't you go and talk to him yourself?"

Lin Ruoshui said, "No, I don't want to see him."

Xiu Yi said calmly, "Alright."

Xiu Yi stepped out of the tent, and there was a thud, as if someone had fallen. Lin Ruoshui didn't go out, but sat down instead.

She understood Baili Heng's feelings, but she had Xuanyuan Yu before, and now she had Xiuyi. She didn't want to accept anyone else's feelings.

It wouldn't be fair to anyone, so she had no choice but to refuse.

Although he only loves her now and can only allow her to get close, what if a better girl comes along in the future? She has to plan for Baili Heng's future.

After all, her heart was already broken, and giving it to Xiuyi was already a disservice to him.

She felt a deep sense of brotherhood with Baili Heng, a bond forged through thick and thin.

……

Despite the freezing weather, special forces soldiers are still training.

Meng Tuo and Xue Tingfeng watched from a distance as the tall, imposing, and indomitable soldiers ran laps around the military camp.

Meng Tuo asked Xue Tingfeng curiously, "Brother, do they consider appearance when selecting special forces soldiers?"

Xue Tingfeng asked, "Brother Meng, what makes you say that?"

Meng Tuo asked, "Why are all ten thousand of them tall men with square faces and broad backs?"

Xue Tingfeng actually wanted to join the special forces, and he looked down on Ying Yu during the selection process.

Disdainful of joining his army, he never expected that the special forces would be trained by Ying Yu into an iron-blooded legion in less than two months.

Especially the weapons they used—those were bombs.

They practiced martial arts their whole lives, but they couldn't withstand the power of a single explosive charge.

Xue Tingfeng said, "These people were all personally selected by the King of Chu. I am not very clear about the selection criteria, but it is certain that only those with square faces are qualified to be selected."

Meng Tuo asked, "Are soldiers with square faces easier to lead?"

Xue Tingfeng said, "You should ask Commander Ying about that. I think with your oval face, it's unlikely you'll catch his eye."

Meng Tuo stroked his chin and said, "Then I'll try eating more."

Xue Tingfeng glanced at him and thought that Meng Tuo was too old to be thinking about joining the special forces.

He wondered if he should also talk to Commander Ying, since he was a man of the King of Chu, surely Ying Yu would give him this much face.

……

The next day, Lin Ruoshui woke up feeling refreshed.

She and Xiu Yi had already mastered the fifth level of the "Unrivaled Demon Subduing Skill" yesterday. Xiu Yi said that she had a great talent for cultivation and her speed was astonishing.

Lin Ruoshui was smug and thought that she would be able to talk people to death in the future, which made her feel incredibly awesome.

Xiuyi got up and combed her hair, saying as she did so, "Today will be very dangerous, so please be careful."

Lin Ruoshui said, "Yes, don't worry, we'll be fine."

After saying that, the two embraced and kissed passionately.

Xiu Yi said, "It's still early, so why don't we..."

Lin Ruoshui pushed Xiu Yi away and said, "Xiu Yi, are you too confident? Aren't you afraid I won't be able to run?"

Xiu Yi said, "Don't worry, I can carry you and run."

Lin Ruoshui said, "I am a military leader with serious business to attend to, not the kind of military leader who is blinded by lust."

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sudden dizziness, and her hair came loose.

Before long, the military leader, who claimed he was not blinded by lust, began to be blinded by lust.

Lin Ruoshui took a deep breath and cursed, "This is a slap in the face, Xiuyi, you're just slapping me in the face."

Xiu Yi's forehead was beaded with sweat, but she smiled.

Aiguo, standing outside the tent, sighed helplessly and said, "I don't know if I'll be able to go today."