"Hey, sorry about that. Back then, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it back, so I just..."
Lu Chao shot Xiao Zheng an angry glare.
"Ahem, I thought you were ashamed of having a friend like me and didn’t want to acknowledge me."
Xiao Zheng’s lips curled slightly. The person before him had their arms crossed, head tilted up with a haughty glance—it reminded him more and more of his jade-white horse, which would turn its head away whenever it got upset. Adorable, really.
"Bullshit! You’re absolutely someone to be proud of! Because of you, even my grandfather calls me the lucky star of the Xiao family."
Lu Chao finally cracked a smile, thoroughly appeased.
"Here! Drink your medicine."
At those words, the smile instantly vanished.
"It’s too hot. Just leave it there."
Seeing Xiao Zheng about to argue, Lu Chao hastily added, "Damn, you’ve gotten so strong lately! Cough Last night, I saw you kick that enemy commander—a guy twice your size—back several steps. That was badass!"
Recalling the clean, precise moves and the thrilling, bone-crunching fight, Lu Chao swelled with pride. Seriously, that general who could take on ten men single-handedly was his best friend!
Xiao Zheng unconsciously straightened her back, an uncharacteristic shyness flickering across her usually proud expression. Flustered, she touched the side of the bowl to check the temperature before setting it down.
"You’re no slouch either. That formation of yours—how did you pull off a victory with such few troops? The soldiers were practically drooling over it. If you stepped outside now, you’d probably be mobbed."
Lu Chao grinned.
"It’s a formation my master taught me. I’d only ever practiced it on paper—this was my first time using it in battle. When we get back, I’ll ask if he can teach it to your men too. It’d be a great asset on the battlefield, something to benefit the nation. No dishonor to the school."
Xiao Zheng shook her head.
"Something so valuable shouldn’t be shared so lightly. Unless you want to get locked in a formation again and starve for a day."
They both laughed, the easy familiarity of old friends settling between them.
"I’m not scared of that anymore. The old man can’t trap me now."
Back then, after starving for a day, Lu Chao had written a letter cursing his master for a solid thousand words. Xiao Zheng had never seen such cultured profanity before and had studied it line by line, though the roughnecks in the barracks couldn’t appreciate it. That letter was still tucked under Yingge’s pillow.
"You’ve trained in martial arts for years—it must’ve been tough, huh?"
Lu Chao glanced at Xiao Zheng’s scarred hands.
"Not really. I actually like the feeling of having control over my own fate."
Xiao Zheng looked down at her rough palms. After escaping her father, she refused to let her life be dictated by someone she barely saw, nor did she want to end up like her mother, waiting year after year beneath the peach blossoms.
The hardships of training were nothing compared to the security her growing strength gave her. And when she’d bested every soldier in the army, she’d thought: if she was stronger than these men, why couldn’t she be a general?
"Don’t laugh at me, but... this was my first time seeing the brutality of war up close. Even from a distance, I still feel..."
Lu Chao trailed off, extending his slender hand.
"Last night, I killed people. A lot of them."
The adrenaline-fueled excitement had faded, leaving him staring at the enemy soldiers dragged away screaming, at the veterans clutching their wounds and begging for help—suddenly, he felt lost.
Seeing Lu Chao’s pale face, Xiao Zheng spoke.
"When I was thirteen, I sneaked onto the battlefield with my uncle. The first enemy I faced was a gray-haired Tartar. Just as I was about to stab him, he begged for mercy. I couldn’t do it."
"You never told me that. What happened next?" Lu Chao asked, curious.
Xiao Zheng wouldn’t normally share such dark memories.
"While I hesitated, the old man tried to stab me instead. My uncle saved me just in time. He chewed me out and made me kill the man myself. That was my first kill. I had nightmares for weeks after."
"Later, my uncle took me to a ruined village. That same Tartar unit had slaughtered the men and children, taken the women, and burned what they couldn’t carry. When the survivors heard I’d killed one of them, an old man knelt and thanked me for avenging his son. After that, the nightmares stopped."
"A life for a life. If they hadn’t invaded Great Yuan’s borders, we wouldn’t be living this bloody life either."
Lu Chao exhaled heavily. Xiao Zheng had endured this since before adulthood—the thought made his heart ache.
"The medicine’s cooled. Drink up."
Lu Chao’s moment of sympathy was cut short. He shot Xiao Zheng an exasperated look before resigning himself to the bitter brew, gulping it down with a grimace.
"Ugh. At this point, I can name every herb in here—ephedra, cinnamon, asarum..."
As Lu Chao rattled them off like a menu, Xiao Zheng held out a small ceramic jar.
"Here."
Lu Chao took it, popped the lid, and inhaled the sweet scent.
"Wow, where’d you get honey? Smells amazing!"
"Stumbled upon it. Heard it helps with coughs. Try it."
Back in Yingchuan, Lady Lu had gotten him jars of honey for his frail health, but he hadn’t brought any on the journey. Now, in Shuozhou, here was another. The warmth in his chest had nothing to do with the honey.
"Damn, you’re smooth! With skills like this, you’ll have no trouble finding a wife!"
Any sick girl would be over the moon with such a gift.
He nudged Xiao Zheng playfully, grinning.
Xiao Zheng stiffened, looking uncomfortable.
"Wife? Don’t talk nonsense."
If she could marry a woman, the world would truly be upside down.
"Whose wife?"
The door banged open as Zhou Qingyuan strode in, puzzled.
"Bro! Ever heard of knocking?"
Lu Chao glared at him.
"Knocking? If you passed out, should I wait for you to say ‘come in’? Besides, what’s there to hide between two men?"
Zhou Qingyuan shot a pointed glance at Xiao Zheng, his cocky grin begging for a punch.
Lu Chao rolled his eyes, baffled by his attitude.
"I’ve briefed Zhang Qing. We leave at dawn tomorrow—get some rest. The road won’t be comfortable."
Only then did Lu Chao remember he hadn’t told Xiao Zheng.
"The marquis already filled me in. Be careful on your way back. Don’t skip your medicine."
Lu Chao nodded, a pang of regret in his chest.
"We've only just met as brothers, and now we have to part again before we could even have a proper talk."
Xiao Zheng stood up and glanced once more at Lu Chao, who was half-reclining against the headboard. Six years ago, it had been much the same—Lu Chao lying in bed to recover from his injuries, with her and Lu Yuanyi keeping him company by his bedside. Though, truth be told, it was mostly because she had been too timid to sleep alone.
"There will be time for that. Who knows, we might have another chance to catch up later."
Today, he had scoured the city, asking around...
