Chapter 7

Startled, my whole body jolted. “No, Auntie.”

“Heh.” A sudden laugh broke the air.

I looked over to see Ji Wenmu smiling. “Men should marry when they come of age, and women too. There’s no need to be shy.”

A surge of anger suddenly rose in my chest, as if I’d been pricked by a needle. My face and voice darkened. I shot him a sidelong glance. “I won’t trouble the Young General Ji to worry about my marriage.”

Then, turning to Aunt Ji, I said, “I was just thinking about my mother. If someone had been there to help us in time back then…”

Aunt Ji’s face filled with pity as she looked at me.

If someone could have helped us then, my mother wouldn’t have been driven to her death by the landlord after my father died in battle. The county office hadn’t dared to offend the landlord, leaving us no place to seek justice. It was only when Uncle Ji’s army passed through and remembered a subordinate’s widow lived there that he found me and sought justice on our behalf.

Aunt Ji patted my hand but didn’t say anything more. Looking weary, she turned and got into the carriage, lifting the curtain to say, “You two go wherever you want. You don’t need to follow me.”

Ji Wenmu and I watched the carriage rumble away. Remembering I hadn’t ridden a horse out, I scanned the area for Ji Wenmu’s horse, planning to steal it and ride off when he wasn’t looking. Unexpectedly, he patted my shoulder. Feeling guilty, I stumbled.

He gave me an unreadable look. “Is the little doctor so good-looking that you’re still searching for his silhouette?”

Thinking of the young doctor’s appearance, his eyes surfaced in my mind.

Eyes like autumn water, but set on a man’s face.

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

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

The anger in my heart made me uncomfortable, and my tone naturally wasn’t very good. Suppressing it, I said, “What’s so strange about that? Spending all day in the military camp facing you rough men, I couldn’t see anyone good-looking even if I wanted to. Aren’t you guys the same, ogling pretty girls the moment you get out?”

“What do you mean ‘you guys’? I certainly don’t.”

“Maybe you don’t. Since you get to see the most beautiful girl, why would you bother looking at anyone else…”

I bit my tongue and frowned, secretly cursing myself for sounding so jealous and sour. I had already decided to stop liking him, so why was I acting like this?

I scanned the area quickly and found his horse.

“What do you mean, ‘most beautiful’?”

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

Riding his horse, I didn’t go to the military camp, nor the Ji Manor, nor my own estate. I circled the East Lake several times until I finally vented my anger.

As the sky turned dark, I finished a bowl of wontons at a stall. Night had completely fallen, but the night market was still bustling, the lanterns swaying.

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

“General Liu?”

I looked back. The young doctor from earlier today was looking at me with slight surprise under the lantern light.

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

He broke into a brisk smile. “Lord Shaoqing investigated the matter thoroughly and let me go.”

He took a few steps toward me, reached for his waist, and pulled out the dagger I had given him. “I return this to its rightful owner.”

“Keep it. There’s no rule that says a given gift must be taken back.”

I went to untie my horse. The bustling night market wasn’t suitable for riding, so I led the horse and walked slowly back. He followed silently by my side, neither too far nor too close, keeping a distance that let me feel his presence without feeling intruded upon.

“Doctor, do you need something else?”

“Just call me Liang Ji,” he revealed a gentle smile. “General helped me out of a tight spot today; escorting the General back to her manor tonight is only right, isn’t it?”

*Liang Ji.* I repeated the name in my heart and took a few extra glances at him. He was quite interesting. “Isn’t returning a favor this way a bit too casual?”

“It’s not about returning a favor. Although the city’s security is good, things are unpredictable. General is a girl, after all; safety comes first.”

He looked at me frankly, entirely unaware of the discordance in his words.

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

“Is a general not also a girl?”

Before I joined the military, Uncle Ji warned me that there were no women in the army, only warriors. I was no different from the other soldiers. Aside from the inconvenience of bathing, I never minded gender boundaries in eating or lodging. Gradually, they stopped treating me as a woman, and I fought even harder than they did.

Normally, I was the one saving people. I never expected that one day someone would worry about my safety—and just shortly after I had rescued him from a mob.

I hooked the corners of my lips into a smile. The feeling wasn’t bad at all.

As the night deepened, he escorted me to the gates of my estate.

Under the lantern stood a tall figure, blending into the darkness. Even without seeing his face clearly, I could feel an oppressive aura.

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

I withdrew my gaze. “A colleague of mine.”

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

He suddenly paused. “Actually, it’s better if you don’t come find me.”

“Hm?”

He blinked at me, looking somewhat playful. “Those who seek me out are either sick or injured. It’s best if the General remains safe and sound.”

I blinked back at him. “Borrowing your auspicious words.”

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

“You didn’t go home this afternoon, didn’t go to the military camp, and didn’t come here. Were you just with that young doctor?”

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

“Escorting? You aren’t exactly a weak woman. Is he looking down on you by escorting you back?” He leaned in, a sudden sneer appearing on his cold face. “You’re even calling each other by name. Is General Liu finally going to marry?”

I cast him a sidelong glance, the annoyance in my heart chilling and sinking deep down. Cracking my knuckles, I tilted my chin at him. “Wanna fight?”