Chapter 14

I seemed to have ruined Ji Wenmu’s marriage prospects.

This wasn’t something he could resolve just by beating me up.

Tormented by this matter day and night, I lost a significant amount of weight, and my face grew increasingly haggard.

The soldiers looked at me with inexplicable, teasing gazes. Someone even ran over with a cheeky expression and said, “General, for whom are you pining away?”

My brain couldn’t process it in time. I glanced at him just as a familiar set of footsteps sounded.

“Ji Wenmu.”

The soldier’s mouth fell wide open. “Little General Ji? Didn’t they say it was a departed…”

“A departed what?”

Ji Wenmu slung his arm over the soldier’s shoulder. The soldier shuddered, backing away as he said, “I’m leaving, leaving. This subordinate is going to drill.”

He fled in a panic, as if chased by floodwater or wild beasts. Ji Wenmu cast a glance at him, then turned to look at me. Feeling guilty, I didn’t dare meet his eyes.

“Is it that hard on you now that he’s gone?”

“What?”

“Are you that reluctant to part with Doctor Liang?”

“I am quite reluctant.”

His face instantly turned extremely ugly. That made me even more afraid to tell him I had ruined things between him and Huang Yue, so I could only beat around the bush.

“Ji Wenmu, if you were a bird, would you want to be a house sparrow raised by someone, or fly everywhere?”

“What bird?” He lowered his brows, clearly not understanding my meaning. He was already exceptionally tall, and with a foul expression, his aura became even more intimidating.

“Whatever bird you want to be.”

“My point is, why would I want to be a bird?”

That was a problem. My guilt deepened. “Just a casual chat. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Saying that, I wanted to leave. Just as I took a step, my wrist was caught.

Ji Wenmu looked down at me, looked at the ground, then looked back at me.

I tugged my wrist but couldn’t pull it free.

He looked at me, his expression serious and focused. “That depends on who is raising the bird. If… I have my heart set on her, sacrificing some things wouldn’t matter.”

Meeting his gaze, a wave of sorrow washed over my heart. So this was how he felt. The high-spirited Little General Ji didn’t actually mind being kept in captivity.

I’d rather tear down ten temples than ruin one marriage.

Was my sin utterly unforgivable now?

“I… I couldn’t tell. You’re actually someone of deep passion and true nature.”

He let go of my hand, his expression darkening inexplicably. The scorching light in his eyes dimmed inch by inch. I don’t know what he thought of, but he was suddenly enveloped in shadow.

“A’min, do you want to remember those things you forgot?”

He looked so sad, making me feel sad as well. What incredible thing had I forgotten? I didn’t feel like I had forgotten anything particularly important.

“Is what I forgot very important to you? Tell me, maybe I’ll remember it.”

He suddenly let out a soft sigh, as melancholic as could be, completely unlike his usual carefree self.

“It’s nothing. Xiaoyue issued an edict for the Shenfeng Battalion to eradicate the bandits at Mount Yan. Go get ready.”

I wasn’t wearing a helmet. His hand came down toward my head. I had already braced myself for a head-on blow, but what landed on my head was only a gentle force. It wasn’t casual like his usual pats; rather, it was somewhat cautious.

After he left, I touched the top of my head, deeply sensing that something was wrong with him. Normally, taking advantage of his height, he loved slinging an arm over my shoulder or smacking my head, never caring about his strength. When had he ever taken the wrong medicine and acted so gentle like today?

What wrong medicine did he take?