Thanks to Old Zhang’s big mouth, everyone in the camp now knew that General Huo and his wife had swapped souls. And just like that, every oddity that had been puzzling them suddenly made perfect sense.
“Did the swap happen when the general told us to go home and fetch our parents and wives?”
“No, no, it was even earlier than that! They switched when the general could drink all night without getting drunk!”
“I know! It happened when Deputy General Xin was acting all mysterious and wanted to splash the general with black dog blood!”
At those words, understanding dawned on everyone.
“Exactly. Deputy General Xin knows the general best, and he’s the one closest to him. Of course he’d notice earlier than any of us!”
“It started that early?”
The soldiers gradually fell silent.
If that was true—then from retaking the iron mines in Qingzhou, to building houses for their families, to helping them find wives, all the way to this campaign that crushed Beiluo—was it the general’s wife who had been leading them all along?
The men exchanged glances. Old Zhang couldn’t help but sigh in admiration: “Who says women are inferior to men!”
When Jiang Xingyan trudged back to camp, covered in dust and grime, she found the soldiers staring at her with blazing eyes. She startled. “Wh-What’s going on?”
In perfect unison, the men dropped to one knee and declared: “Greetings to the general’s wife! The general’s wife is mighty! We bow to you with all our hearts!”
Jiang Xingyan stood frozen.
Only when the soldiers’ respectful chant thundered through the air for the third time did she snap out of it. Fighting back tears, she clutched Little Ya in her arms and choked out, “Please, all of you, rise! You’re giving Xingyan too much credit—I truly don’t deserve this!”
“The general’s wife is too modest!”
As the soldiers rose to their feet, Jiang Xingyan swept the hem of her robe aside and bowed toward the Huo Army troops gathered in every direction.
“Xingyan is incompetent. We’ve lost too many brothers out there. Please, accept my deepest condolences.”
“General’s wife, you’re being too formal.”
“Exactly. The day I joined the Huo Army, I already made peace with dying on the battlefield.”
“The vanguard died with honor!”
“We finally crushed Beiluo!”
Tears streamed down Jiang Xingyan’s face. “When we return to the capital, I’ll host a three-day feast! I’m treating all of you!”
“The general’s wife is mighty!”
So when Xin Zhui came galloping over, calling out “A-Xing!” at the top of his lungs, not a single Huo Army soldier felt any warmth toward him—if anything, there was a hint of resentment. He’d known for ages, hadn’t he? Why didn’t he tell them? Didn’t he consider them family? Was he still keeping secrets?
Xin Zhui rode up to Jiang Xingyan, but before he could even say a word, his brothers swarmed him. Their eyes were full of reproach as they blocked him from all sides, cutting off his path to her.
Xin Zhui looked baffled. “What’s with you guys?”
Xiao Mi shoved him aside. “Are you even our brother? You kept something this big from us all this time?”
“That’s not cool, Deputy General Xin.”
“Aren’t we family anymore?”
“Come on, let’s go have a word over there!”
Xin Zhui panicked. “N-No, wait. At least let me say something to A-Xing first!”
The soldiers shouted in unison: “No way!”
Dragged off with a look of utter grievance, Xin Zhui knew what awaited him—the army’s highest form of greeting: a human pyramid!
“Ahhh—A-Xing, save me!”
Jiang Xingyan pursed her lips to hide a smile, pretended not to see anything, turned her head away, and hurried off. Behind her, the soldiers cheered and hooted, nearly crushing Xin Zhui, who was still recovering from his injuries.
Their rowdy distraction gave Xiao Zhenhuai the perfect opening to become the first person to properly greet Jiang Xingyan.
“Miss Jiang, it’s been a while.”
Jiang Xingyan looked closely and saw that the pallor of death that had once clung to Xiao Zhenhuai’s face had completely vanished. In its place was a rosy complexion and a body growing stronger by the day. “Yun Ge’er’s medicine really works that well!”
Xiao Zhenhuai’s heart twinged with a hint of sourness, but he couldn’t hide his joy. “Yes. I no longer have to live in constant fear, counting down the days to my death.”
Jiang Xingyan reached out and patted his shoulder. “It’s good to be alive. You can do whatever you want from now on.”
Grateful for her words, Xiao Zhenhuai walked beside her toward Shanhaiguan Pass. “Where’s the National Teacher?”
A deep worry suddenly clouded Jiang Xingyan’s eyes. “He exhausted his energy and collapsed. He still hasn’t woken up.”
Xiao Zhenhuai’s throat tightened—he cursed himself for being so tactless.
But then Jiang Xingyan lifted the corners of her mouth again and said firmly, “He will wake up. I’ll wait for him. No matter how long it takes.”
The bitterness in Xiao Zhenhuai’s heart grew even sharper. He quickly changed the subject. “What about General Huo? I don’t see him either.”
Jiang Xingyan sighed. “He took two hidden projectiles for me. He’s still not out of danger.”
Xiao Zhenhuai noticed the bandages peeking out from her collar and figured she must have been badly hurt too.
“And Tuoba Hongxue—Linglong, that visitor from beyond, tortured him until he was barely clinging to life. Plus, he doesn’t have much will to live. If he doesn’t wake up soon, we’ll have to dig a hole and bury him.”
Before Xiao Zhenhuai could respond, Jiang Xingyan continued, “There’s one more patient—my father, Shangguan Hanshan. He also took a projectile for me. He was fine at first, but after a night, he developed a high fever that won’t break. There are signs of poisoning, so we brought him back too.”
“What?! The ruler of Great Xia?!”
It was as if a massive bell had been struck inside Xiao Zhenhuai’s mind. Miss Jiang was the biological daughter of the Great Xia emperor! With a status so noble, he could never aspire to her again.
But before his spirits could sink too low, another thought struck him: Miss Jiang had already given her heart to someone else. Whether she was a merchant’s daughter or a princess of Great Xia, she would only ever love Yun Chunfeng. What did that have to do with him?
Xiao Zhenhuai forced down the bitterness in his chest and managed a faint smile. “Then I really must congratulate you, Miss Jiang. Not only have you accomplished extraordinary feats, but you’ve also found your father.”
Jiang Xingyan, however, didn’t seem particularly happy about it. Her eyes grew distant, and she murmured, “What good does it do to find him? My mother will never come back. I’ll never get to experience the joy of our family of three being together again.”
“What?”
Her near-whisper was carried away by the howling wind, and Xiao Zhenhuai didn’t catch a single word. “Nothing. Let’s head inside the pass!”
Xiao Chonghua reined in his warhorse and watched “Huo Ci” walking toward him, unsure whether to address him as General Huo or the general’s wife. “Uh… you’re back?”
Jiang Xingyan shot him a puzzled glance, gave a grunt in reply, and rode past him into Shanhaiguan Pass. Xiao Chonghua whipped his reins in frustration, while Xiao Zhenhuai gave a wry smile. “Now that you know, just call her Miss Jiang.”
“Second Brother, was it really that obvious?”
Xiao Zhenhuai coughed lightly. “Let me put it this way—even Xin Zhui could tell.”
Xiao Chonghua’s heart sank. It’s over. I’m an idiot. Here I am, a scheming Third Prince, and I’ve sunk lower than Xin Zhui!
