"General, has something happened?" Shortly afterward, a few personal guards entered the tent, their eyes full of confusion as they looked at the overturned table.

"Don’t worry, it’s nothing, nothing at all. I just... accidentally fell, and it knocked the table over." Ye Shikai casually found an excuse to brush it off.

"Cough, cough, you may leave. I’m fine." Ye Shikai worried the guards would see the sword marks on the table, so he quickly ordered them out.

"Yes."

"Yes."

Ye Shikai stood up from the ground, enduring the pain. Fortunately, he had concealed the sword wound; otherwise, if it were seen, rumors would surely spread within the army.

"Are you really alright?" Mi Wen realized the mistake she’d made earlier. She was very flustered and wanted to check Ye Shikai’s injuries, but was stopped by him.

"It’s fine, you don’t need to worry." Ye Shikai circulated his Inner Strength, and the bleeding from the wound soon stopped. He also began to feel relieved; if he hadn’t regained his Inner Strength, life might have been in danger, or perhaps the Sword Qi just now was enough to take his life.

"Let me take a look at the wound." Mi Wen still worried, kept asking.

"Really, there’s no need." After shaking her off, Ye Shikai left the tent directly.

This sword, destined to add a barrier between the two.

Back mountain.

"This woman, why is she so ruthless?" Ye Shikai found a deserted place and lifted the clothes inside his battle armor. He hastily treated the wound in the tent earlier but did not carefully examine it. Now, taking advantage of being alone, he lifted his shirt. Even though the wound had been treated, it still looked "frightening," with the Longsword having pierced through his body, one opening at the front, another at the back.

Ye Shikai’s body bore numerous wounds, aside from knife and sword injuries, there were gunshot wounds as well. These resulted from previous battles, the large and small wounds resembling a "painting."

"What are you doing here?" Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him. Ye Shikai was so startled he almost lost his soul. The clothes in his hand fell to the ground, and he turned around to see Mi Wen standing behind him like a Ghost, her gaze sweeping over him like a blade.

"Damn."

Ye Shikai couldn’t help but curse, now standing bare-chested, with the wounds on his abdomen, chest, and back fully visible to Mi Wen.

In a hurry, Ye Shikai quickly picked up the clothes from the ground to cover his upper body, embarrassed like a young lady being teased.

"Why do you have so many wounds on your body?" Mi Wen asked.

"Since you joined the Qin Army, although you’ve been through numerous battles, you haven’t been injured many times, at least not as much as the wounds on your body." Mi Wen’s face turned cold, questioning with a chilly voice.

"I’m becoming increasingly curious about your identity." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You’re a lord yourself, yet you’re spying. Do you not know that men and women shouldn’t touch?" Ye Shikai disregarded etiquette, cursed, but worried about being overheard by patrolling soldiers, didn’t dare shout too loudly.

"I... I was just worried about you."

"Unless it hits the vital organs, for a cultivator, it’s merely a bit of flesh wound. I’m alright, so you can rest assured now." While speaking, Ye Shikai quickly dressed. Goodness, even hiding in the bushes, he was discovered. He suspected Mi Wen might be following him. If the patrolling soldiers found him bare-chested, standing with Mi Wen in the grass... those soldiers would be restless.

"Have you seen enough? Let’s head back to the camp." Ye Shikai tidied up his attire, turned to leave. Mi Wen had nothing more to say, so she had to follow him.

...............

Ye Shikai had just returned to the military camp when he received some good news.

Shangguan Jian had returned, though heavily injured, his spirits were still intact, and only seven soldiers remained beside him.

Man Cang, without further ado, immediately sought out the best local doctor to treat his injuries.

"How’s the situation?" Ye Shikai hurried to the Wounded Soldier Camp, asking the doctor.

"General Shangguan’s injuries are severe, mainly due to blood loss and exhaustion from traveling overnight without timely treatment."

"Get to the point; can he be healed?" Ye Shikai asked impatiently.

"Rest assured, General, as long as he can find a quiet place to recuperate for a month or two, he will recover completely."

"That’s good." After hearing this, Ye Shikai finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the internal organs weren’t injured, Ye Shikai could assist Shangguan Jian in healing with his recovered Inner Strength.

"How about now, you can finally relax, right?" Mi Wen said lightly. Ye Shikai didn’t speak, just nodded gently.

"Xue San, I heard from the soldiers guarding the camp that it was you who brought Shangguan Jian back. What exactly happened?"

"Reporting to the General, I led the team back to Nanyang County. After several days of searching, we couldn’t find General Shangguan until yesterday evening when we found him in a small village. General Shangguan was severely injured, likely due to being hunted by the Qin Army."

Back then, to cover the main force, Ye Shikai planned to organize a small squad to draw the Qin Army, a mission with little chance of survival. Whoever went would most likely not make it back alive. Shangguan Jian volunteered himself. Initially, Ye Shikai disagreed but relented after Shangguan Jian insisted.

Now that Shangguan Jian had returned to the camp, this ’big stone’ in Ye Shikai’s heart was finally laid to rest.

Thus, the entire unit was able to shake off the Qin Army’s pursuit and successfully move south.

"So now, you’re ready to head to Changsha, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Ye Shikai originally intended to depart once Shangguan Jian’s injuries improved, but Mi Wen did not agree. Ye Shikai didn’t insist either, as the medical conditions in the camp were far inferior to those in the city. Arriving early in Changsha would allow Shangguan Jian to receive timely treatment.

The next day.

All seven thousand troops broke camp and set off. According to plan, Ye Shikai’s family should have set out for Changsha ahead of time, but He Linghan insisted on staying in camp with Ye Shikai.

"Your condition has only just improved, traveling with the army outdoors, don’t you find it exhausting?" Ye Shikai didn’t have the habit of ’special treatment.’ All levels of the army, whether soldiers or generals, had the same food standards. Although he broke the rules somewhat for He Linghan, buying dishes from roadside inns, they weren’t much better than ’big pot meals.’

"No problem, being with you, I don’t feel tired. Besides, previously we had to evade the Qin Army, fleeing the whole way. Now it’s different, we can march slowly, I think it’s no issue."

"Right, we’ve survived the hardest times. Once in Changsha, we can finally settle down." Thinking of this, Ye Shikai felt a wave of comfort in his heart.