A sharp, piercing pain spread through every limb and bone of Huo Ci’s body.
He was in agony, yet unable to wake up, trapped in torment on both sides.
Smack!
Suddenly, Huo Ci felt as if his forehead had been firmly patted by a small, round little hand.
A babyish voice reached his ears:
“Hurry up and wake up, you useless fool!
Dragging your feet like that—what kind of look is that?
Don’t let my good future disciple’s wife think I took those two thousand taels of silver for nothing, hey!”
Huo Ci shot up from the bed, startling Sun Yaxiang, who was needling him.
“Ah!”
“What’s going on!”
Jiang Xingyan rushed in hurriedly, and found herself locking eyes with Huo Ci, who was covered in needles like a hedgehog.
“A Yan.”
For a moment, Sun Yaxiang’s brain short-circuited.
What?!
Why did “she” just call General Huo “A Yan”?
Wasn’t A Yan “her own” name?
She turned stiffly to Sun Miao, her eyes filled with terror, her voice already trembling with tears:
“Grandfather, did I stab her brain dead?”
Sun Miao felt both sorry for her and irritated at this couple. Look how they’d scared his precious granddaughter!
“Of course not!
How could a few needles make her brain dead? For all we know, she wasn’t all that sharp to begin with. Come, Grandfather will take you outside to rest. Look at you, all sweaty from exhaustion. I wonder if anyone has the decency to offer the two of us a cup of water.”
The corner of Jiang Xingyan’s mouth twitched. Ever since Imperial Physician Sun had figured things out, he’d become more and more unrestrained.
“Yes, yes, yes! The General long ago ordered us to prepare the finest West Lake Longjing tea, waiting for Divine Physician Sun and Doctor Sun!” Wang Qi hurried over, bowing and scraping as he welcomed them in.
Sun Miao gave a cold snort. “That’s more like it.”
“Divine Physician Sun, you truly heal the world and work miracles!
Miss Jiang has been unconscious for a whole day and night, and with one round of needling from you, she’s cured. Isn’t that incredible? Tell me—isn’t that just like Hua Tuo reborn or Bian Que come back to life? What? It was Doctor Sun who did it? Oh my heavens! Divine Physician Sun, don’t think me rude, but truly—the student has surpassed the master! For Western Zhou to have the two of you, it’s a blessing to the nation and the people!”
Wang Qi’s flattery poured out like it cost nothing, leaving Sun Miao thoroughly pleased, stroking his beard and laughing heartily.
Sun Yaxiang, simple in her thoughts, paid no attention to their chatter. Her eyes fell on the freshly brewed tea and laid-out refreshments in the courtyard. She was exhausted from the needling, so she sat down, downed a cup, and took a good rest.
Only when Jiang Xingyan heard that Imperial Physician Sun was no longer being sarcastic did she breathe a sigh of relief. She turned to Huo Ci: “You’re finally awake. His Majesty ordered me to set out for battle immediately. I’ve delayed for five days. You—”
“I’ll go with A Yan!”
“No, the Huo Family Army needs to split into two forces. His Majesty has also assigned the Second and Third Princes to accompany the campaign. I plan to have Xin Zhui and the Third Prince lead one army to Shanhe Pass. They both know the truth about the soul swap. You can assist them from the side.”
Huo Ci lowered his gaze. No matter how they divided things, A Yan wouldn’t end up with him. Still, he nodded.
“Alright!
I will not fail the mission!”
He would never refuse A Yan’s request again.
Jiang Xingyan breathed a sigh of relief. With Huo Ci holding the fort, she felt much more at ease. After all, Shanhe Pass was the true throat of Western Zhou. If the enemy broke through, she would be attacked from both sides.
“Rest well these next few days. I’ll take good care of your body.”
“A Yan, after this war is over, will we swap back?”
Jiang Xingyan was startled and blurted out, “How did you know?”
Huo Ci’s heart sank, and bitterness welled up in his throat. No wonder his soul hadn’t wanted to wake up—it had already sensed this. He forced himself not to dwell on it, managed a smile, and changed the subject.
“What about Little Ya?”
Jiang Xingyan hesitated. On impulse, she had thought of entrusting Little Ya to Shangguan Hanshan. But after calming down, she found the idea utterly absurd. Not only was Little Ya not fully familiar with him yet, but his personality—sometimes erratic, sometimes bloodthirsty—how could anyone feel at ease? Could she rely solely on the deep affection he had shown for his mother? That was far too intangible.
“I think… I’ll bring her with me.”
Huo Ci had expected this outcome, but he had other concerns. “A Yan, I’m afraid His Majesty won’t allow it.”
Jiang Xingyan stood up abruptly. “Who is he to forbid it!”
Huo Ci looked at Jiang Xingyan with deep sorrow. “Serving a ruler is like being with a tiger. His Majesty both relies on the Huo Family Army and secretly fears it. If he finds out that I’m taking my wife and daughter along on this campaign, he will not agree. Because he’s afraid—”
Jiang Xingyan, jolted by Huo Ci’s reminder, suddenly felt a chill run through her and understood. “He’s afraid that I’ll defect with a hundred thousand Huo Family Army soldiers.”
“Exactly. That’s it.”
“But I absolutely cannot leave Little Ya behind as a hostage!”
Huo Ci gazed steadily at Jiang Xingyan. The maternal radiance about her made her look like a female warrior capable of cutting through thorns and brambles. She would do anything for Little Ya, even give her own life.
“A Yan, actually, you just need to make His Majesty feel that you have someone you can’t bear to leave behind in Western Zhou.”
Jiang Xingyan slowly sat back down, mulling over his words carefully.
Huo Ci was truly farsighted. In the past, Xiao Ao might not have doubted Huo Ci’s loyalty. But this time, Shangguan Luoyue had come, explicitly demanding that Huo Ci become her consort. Back then, Jiang Xingyan had nearly agreed, just to swap their souls back as quickly as possible. That would have planted a seed of suspicion in Xiao Ao’s mind. If she then took Little Ya and Huo Ci away, it would magnify that suspicion a thousandfold. He would never allow even the slightest possibility—not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
Jiang Xingyan, stuck in the thick of it, bit her thumb and pondered restlessly. Watching her, Huo Ci suddenly realized how long it had been since he and A Yan had sat down and spoken so calmly together.
“The needles can be removed.”
Sun Yaxiang, full from her snack, walked into the room with a blank expression, not sparing “Huo Ci” a single glance as she headed straight for “Jiang Xingyan.”
She truly couldn’t understand it. How could such a beautiful, gentle woman who made such delicious snacks fall for a hypocrite like Huo Ci? What a pity for such a fine sister.
As if sulking, she pulled out all the gold needles, gave a cold snort, and turned to leave.
“Wang Qi, the General and I still have matters to discuss. See Divine Physician Sun and Doctor Sun back to the Imperial Hospital properly.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Sun Yaxiang’s impression of “Huo Ci” grew even worse. See? Miss Jiang knew how to care for people! Such a mighty General Who Pacifies the North, yet he was pettier than the eye of a needle! Hmph! Next time she prescribed him medicine, she would definitely add extra coptis root and make him suffer from the bitterness!
Huo Ci couldn’t bear to see Jiang Xingyan so distressed any longer. He gave a light cough to interrupt her thoughts. “A Yan, I have an idea. But—”
“Tell me. Don’t hem and haw.”
“Then you must promise me not to get angry.”
“Alright. Hurry up and say it.”
“Perhaps we could do it like this…”
