Chapter 3

“Nanny Li told me you agreed to it this morning. Are you trying to back out now?”

“Agreed to what? What did I agree to?”

“Playing dumb won’t work. Starting tomorrow, you are coming with me to evaluate these young lords and masters. How old are you? When I was your age, Wenmu was already running around climbing trees, and you’re still not anxious?”

My earlobe was really hurting. Over the years, Auntie’s grip strength had definitely increased.

I had no choice but to nod in agreement. “Anxious, anxious, I’m anxious.”

Only then did she let go, grabbing me and yanking me back. The moment we turned the corner, an earth-shattering roar of laughter erupted from the training grounds.

I, Liu Min, the Great Jing’s only female general, suffered a total loss of face today.

But it wasn’t over yet.

The next day, I met the young master who had been so highly praised by Auntie and the Nanny.

Dressed in a flowing, elegant moon-white robe and holding a folding fan, he looked the picture of romance. When he saw me, he shook his head slightly. “How old are you, Miss?”

“I personally believe a woman ought to be gentle and virtuous.”

“What are your plans for the future, Miss? If you remain in the military camp mixing with those brutes after marriage, it would be highly inappropriate. It would be better for you to stay at home, assist your husband, and raise the children.”

With every sentence he spoke, my urge to sigh grew stronger. Using just my thumb, I snapped a chopstick in half with one hand.

The opposite side went silent.

That matchmaking session fell through.

After that, matchmaking sessions piled onto me like mountains. As long as I returned to the Ji Manor, I was guaranteed to be caught by Aunt Ji.

I finally managed to catch a break and slip away from under her nose. Before I could even catch my breath, I saw Ji Wenmu throwing stones into the pond. Wherever the fish swam, he threw a stone, hitting his mark every time.

He was clearly distracted. I sneaked up behind him and punched his back, startling him so much that all the stones in his hand went *plop, plop, plop* into the pond.

His string of reactions gave me a jump, too.

“What the…”

Before I could finish my sentence, his face drastically changed color.

He stepped backward, but right behind him was the pond. His foot slipped, and he tipped backward toward the water.

I instinctively reached out to grab him, but just as my fingers were about to close around his clothes, he violently twisted his body, dodging my hand, and crashed into the pond with a massive splash.

The startled fish scattered in a panic.

I wiped the water off my face and watched Ji Wenmu thrash around a couple of times before standing up in the water. I put my hands on my hips and stared at him for a while, completely unable to understand why he was so repulsed by me that he’d rather fall into a pond than let me catch him.

“What, did the Young General Ji find the weather too hot and want to cool off? You should have said so earlier! If I had known, I would have stood further away when you decided to take a dive.”

Uncharacteristically, he didn’t talk back. Instead, he avoided my gaze and waded to the edge to climb out on his own.

“Haven’t seen you for a few days, did someone saw off your mouth?”

He remained silent. It was a silence that made me a bit panicky. I walked over, crouched beside him, and met his eyes at eye level. He glared at me, then, as if suddenly remembering something, quickly looked away.

“You’re not still mad at me, are you? I only kicked you once, and you were the one who ran your mouth first.”

He snorted, then asked me, “Aren’t you going to see whatever young master or lord today?”

“You knew I was suffering and you didn’t come to save me?”

I hadn’t seen him for days. The military camp was huge, and our paths basically never crossed. I thought he had no idea I’d been captured by Aunt Ji, but it turned out he had simply left me for dead.

“What kind of trouble could you possibly get into…” he muttered under his breath, wringing the water out of his robes.

My ears were sharp, and I heard him loud and clear. My eyes involuntarily dimmed. I was just about to say something when I suddenly caught sight of a faint mark on his neck. It looked exactly like a set of teeth marks.

Several memories abruptly flashed through my mind. Though they weren’t entirely clear, I had a sinking feeling those teeth marks had something to do with me. My heart went cold, and I froze right there on the spot.