Chapter 7

I jumped, my whole body jolting. “That’s not it, Auntie.”

“Heh.” A laugh abruptly broke the air.

I looked over. Ji Wenmu chuckled and said, “Men should marry when they come of age, and women should wed. No need to be shy.”

A sudden surge of anger rose in my heart, feeling as if I’d been pricked. My face and voice darkened. I shot him a sidelong glance. “I won’t trouble Little General Ji to worry about my marriage.”

Then, turning to Aunt Ji, I said, “I was just thinking of my mother. If only someone had stepped in to help us right then…”

Aunt Ji’s expression turned to one of pity as she looked at me.

If someone had stepped in to help us back then, my mother wouldn’t have been forced to death by the landlord after my father died in battle. The county office didn’t dare provoke the landlord, leaving us with nowhere to report the crime. It was only when Uncle Ji’s army passed through and he remembered he had a subordinate’s widow living there that he found me and sought justice for us.

Aunt Ji patted my hand but said nothing more, revealing a look of fatigue. She turned and got into the carriage, pulling back the curtain to say, “You two go wherever you want; no need to follow me.”

Ji Wenmu and I watched the carriage rumble away. Remembering I hadn’t ridden my horse out, my eyes searched for Ji Wenmu’s horse, intending to snatch it and ride off while he wasn’t looking. Suddenly, he patted my shoulder. Feeling guilty, I swayed slightly.

He gave me an unreadable look. “Is that little doctor really that good-looking? Are you still searching for his silhouette now?”

I recalled the young doctor’s appearance, and his pair of eyes floated into my mind.

Eyes like autumn water, born on a man.

“He is quite good-looking. I haven’t seen anyone better-looking than him so far.”

He sneered. “So you care about a man’s looks too.”

The anger in my heart made me uncomfortable, so naturally, my tone wasn’t pleasant either. Forcing myself to suppress it, I said, “What’s so strange about that? Spending all day facing you rough men in the military camp, I couldn’t see a handsome face even if I wanted to. Aren’t you guys the same? The moment you’re let out, you love staring at older girls and young ladies.”

“What do you mean ‘you guys’? I definitely do not.”

“You don’t, huh? Since you get to see the prettiest girl around, why would you bother looking at any others…”

I bit my tongue and furrowed my brows, secretly hating myself for sounding so jealous and bitter. I had already decided not to like him anymore, so why was I acting this way?

I scanned the area quickly and spotted his horse.

“What did you mean by ‘the prettiest’?”

He chased right behind me asking. I ignored him, hopped onto his horse, and he grew frantic behind me. “How am I supposed to get back?!”

Riding his horse, I didn’t go to the military camp, didn’t return to the Ji Manor, nor did I go back to my own estate. I circled the East Lake several times before finally venting my anger.

As the sky grew dark, I finished a bowl of wontons at a street stall. By then, it was completely pitch-black, but the night market was still bustling, the lanterns flickering.

I put down my copper coins and prepared to leave, but someone called out to me.

“General Liu?”

I turned my head and saw the young doctor from earlier in the day, looking at me with slight surprise under the lantern light.

I nodded to him. “Is the matter resolved?”

He broke into a light, brisk smile. “The Minister of Justice is perceptive. After investigating the facts, he let me go.”

He took a few steps toward me, reaching for his waist and pulling out the dagger I had given him. “This item should be returned to its rightful owner.”

“Keep it. There’s no reason to take back something that’s been given.”

I went to untie my horse’s reins. The night market was too crowded for riding, so I led the horse and walked slowly. He followed silently by my side, not too far and not too close—just enough for me to feel his presence without feeling intruded upon.

“Doctor, is there something else?”

“Just call me Liang Ji.” He revealed a gentle, warm smile. “General helped me out of a tight spot during the day, and I’ll escort the General back to her manor at night. Isn’t this how it should be?”

*Liang Ji.* I repeated the name silently in my heart, stealing a few extra glances at him. He was quite an interesting person. “Isn’t this returning of a favor a bit too casual?”

“It doesn’t count as returning a favor. Though public order in the city is good, the world is unpredictable. The General is a lady; safety comes first.”

He looked at me frankly, feeling completely oblivious to the incongruity in his words.

“You know I’m a general, yet you still want to protect my safety?”

“Are you not also a girl, General?”

Before I joined the military camp, Uncle Ji warned me: there are no women in the camp, only soldiers. I was no different from the other troops. Aside from the inconvenience of bathing, I never minded the boundaries between men and women in eating and sleeping. Gradually, they stopped treating me like a woman, and I fought harder and risked my life more than any of them.

Usually, I was the one saving people. I never thought there would come a day when someone would worry about my safety, especially someone I had just rescued from a mob not long ago.

I curled the corners of my lips. The feeling wasn’t bad at all.

As the night thickened, he escorted me to the front of my manor.

Under the lantern stood a tall figure, blending into the night. Even though I couldn’t see his face clearly, I could feel an oppressive aura.

“Who is that?” His tone held a hint of worry.

I withdrew my gaze. “He’s a colleague of mine.”

“That’s good, then.” Liang Ji nodded and bid me farewell. “I’ll probably be at the clinic for the near future. If Miss Liu needs anything, come find me.”

He abruptly paused. “It’s best if you don’t come looking for me.”

“Hmm?”

He blinked at me, looking somewhat playful. “Those who come looking for me are either sick or injured. It’s best if the General stays safe and well.”

I blinked back at him in the same manner. “I’ll borrow your auspicious words.”

His straight, pine-like figure vanished into the night. Ji Wenmu walked over and silently took the reins of his horse.

“You didn’t go home this afternoon, didn’t return to the camp, and didn’t come here. Were you with that little doctor this whole time?”

“His name is Liang Ji. We happened to bump into each other, and he was just walking me back.”

“Walking you back? You’re not some weak, delicate woman. Is he looking down on you by escorting you?” He leaned closer, a sudden smirk appearing on his cold face. “You’re even on a first-name basis now. Could it be that General Liu is finally going to get married?”

I cast a sideways glance at him. The annoyance in my heart soon sank into a cold heaviness. Cracking my knuckles, I tilted my chin at him. “Wanna fight?”