When Sha Ying returned to report to Huo Tingshan, the latter had just finished interrogating the "hunters" at a small outpost outside the main camp where they were being held.
"General, we found the man," Sha Ying said, dragging the corpse over. "The scoundrel hid in a small cave isolated from the main cavern via an underwater passage, staying there for several hours. He likely sneaked out to spy on us several times during that period, making it quite difficult for the brothers to track him down."
Huo Tingshan's gaze swept over the body. The clothing was indeed the same style worn by the previous captives. "Well done."
Sha Ying quickly glanced behind Huo Tingshan. This wasn't the main camp with its rows of tents, so the view was unobstructed, allowing him to clearly see the numerous bodies lying on the ground.
Sha Ying couldn't help but ask, "General, did they talk?"
"Four of the 'hunters' claim they are from Yuzhou, acting on the orders of Lei Chengshuang, Governor Lei of Yuzhou. As for why they dumped waste and dead poultry into the river, they stubbornly insist they don't know. Their mouths and bones are surprisingly tough," Huo Tingshan said with a cold laugh. "The later batch call themselves Yongzhou scouts. Yongzhou? Hah."
Sha Ying frowned.
Yuzhou and Yongzhou?
If they're from Yongzhou, doesn't that mean the imperial army? It must be a lie.
After discussing the interrogation, Huo Tingshan turned his attention to Guo Dajiang, who had returned with Sha Ying. "How much crystal did you find?"
Guo Dajiang led his horse over. Two large hemp sacks were tied to either side behind the saddle. "Much of the crystal was growing high up, difficult to harvest. These are all from lower areas, pieces I believe are of excellent quality, General. Would you like to inspect them?"
Huo Tingshan: "Let's head back first."
Everyone mounted up. The vanguard unit led by Huo Tingshan departed first, while the black-armored cavalry behind was responsible for cleaning up the bodies.
Around the camp, torches were as numerous as clouds, illuminating the area as bright as day. The news of Huo Tingshan's return rippled through the camp, the waves of information spreading layer by layer until they soon reached Pei Ying's ears.
Pei Ying's brows relaxed. "He's finally back. That took an awfully long time."
Her share of the crystal was with Sha Ying. He hadn't had time to give it to her before Huo Tingshan sent him out again, a mission that lasted the entire afternoon and an hour after sunset.
Xin Jin, standing at her side, assumed the "he" Pei Ying was relieved to see return was Huo Tingshan.
Xin Jin had been by Pei Ying's side since Beichuan County. Apart from the two masters themselves, she dared guarantee no one understood the complexities between them better than she did. In the past, the lady almost never inquired about the General's affairs; even her first attempt at embroidering a pouch seemed to have been done out of necessity.
As a servant, she naturally hoped for harmony between her masters. Seeing her mistress pleased, Xin Jin was also happy and promptly suggested, "Traveling at night is arduous, and the wind is bitingly cold, ma'am. Shall I go prepare some ginger water?"
Pei Ying: "That would be good."
So Xin Jin left.
She assumed Pei Ying would wait in the tent, completely unaware that her mistress had also slipped out the moment she herself departed.
Pei Ying went to find Sha Ying.
After returning to camp, Huo Tingshan did not immediately go to the main command tent. Instead, he went to Guo Dajiang's tent.
Guo Dajiang grabbed a corner of a hemp sack and with a "whoosh," poured the entire contents of crystal onto a low table.
A lamp was lit inside the tent. The firelight fell upon the spread-out crystal, refracting into dazzling, starlike points of brilliant light, as if stardust had been scattered across the table.
Huo Tingshan took a seat beside the table and began sorting through the pile of crystal before him. He had never done anything like selecting raw materials for a lady's jewelry before, so his pace was not particularly fast.
This piece has a tiny crack, unsuitable. This piece has impure color, discard. This piece has internal impurities, unworthy of her.
Huo Tingshan tossed the rejected pieces into an empty hemp sack as if they were trash, the impacts making soft thuds on the ground.
Guo Dajiang watched wide-eyed from the side, his heart aching. He was the one who had initially picked the crystal, and he believed he had chosen only the finest quality. How could the General now treat them like dirt?
Unable to hold back, Guo Dajiang secretly picked up a discarded piece to examine. The crystal shimmered brilliantly under the candlelight. He sighed inwardly: Something this beautiful is also rejected?
Turning the piece in his hand, Guo Dajiang found the reason: at the very center of this crystal was a tiny, web-like fissure.
Extremely small, nearly invisible unless you looked very carefully.
Silently putting it back, Guo Dajiang thought: "..."
The hemp sack was over a meter deep and held a considerable amount of crystal. Huo Tingshan first picked out a portion he initially deemed acceptable. As he progressed, he even threw some of the earlier selections into the discard sack.
In another tent not far away.
Pei Ying was also sitting by a low table, sorting crystal. Not having anticipated encountering a crystal cave during the journey, she had brought only a small bag, so her quantity was far less than Huo Tingshan's.
The initial collection in the cave was the first screening; this was the second. During this second screening, Pei Ying examined each piece very slowly.
The lens had to be perfectly pure, otherwise it would be like looking through a fog.
Sha Ying wanted to stay in the tent to help Pei Ying, but he had some reservations.
It was already dark, and besides him and the lady, there was no one else in the tent. If he were a blockhead like Xiong Mao, he probably wouldn't care, but unfortunately, his own reputation regarding women was less than stellar.
For the first time, Sha Ying regretted his past libertine ways, which now prevented him from staying to help. If he didn't contribute much, how could he have the nerve to ask the lady for a telescope later?
Sensing Sha Ying's hesitation, Pei Ying said, "Platoon Leader Sha, don't worry about me. Please go have your evening meal first. I'll leave once I've finished picking the usable crystal. Could you please dispose of the leftovers when you return?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sha Ying replied, feeling both relieved and a bit disappointed as he left the tent for his meal.
Sha Ying's dilemma served as a reminder to Pei Ying that it wasn't quite proper for her to stay here too long.
Therefore, after Sha Ying left, Pei Ying placed the unexamined crystal back into the bag. The selected pieces went directly into her sleeve pocket, while the rejects were left on the table for Sha Ying to deal with.
Pei Ying also left the tent.
Returning to the main tent now was inadvisable, as she might run into Huo Tingshan. So Pei Ying changed course and went to her daughter's tent.
"Mother?" Meng Ling'er was surprised and immediately went to greet her.
Seeing the three bulging bags in Pei Ying's arms, she hurried to help carry them, but didn't expect them to be full of stones and failed to lift them on the first try.
Pei Ying chuckled. "No need for Nannan's help."
"Mother, what are these things? Why are they so heavy?" Meng Ling'er asked curiously.
"They're all crystal," Pei Ying said, walking to a corner of the tent. She set down the things in her arms, untied a bag, and poured the crystal out with a "whoosh."
The glow of the night pearl shone brightly, making the crystal exceptionally translucent. Meng Ling'er hadn't gone to the cave, so she hadn't known about the crystal there. Now, she stared wide-eyed.
Of course she had seen crystal before—her jewelry box even contained crystal hairpins and earrings—but those were finished pieces. She had never seen so many raw stones like this.
"So much crystal! Mother, what do you plan to do with it? Make jewelry?" Meng Ling'er picked up a piece to look at.
This piece was straight as a small blade, as long as her palm.
Pei Ying: "It's not for making jewelry, but for some military equipment."
Meng Ling'er, who had been about to toss the crystal in her hand upon receiving it, quickly set it down upon hearing this, her expression changing entirely.
Her previously casual demeanor vanished, replaced by immediate seriousness.
Seeing this, Pei Ying couldn't help but laugh. "The raw materials won't be used up entirely for the military equipment. If Nannan likes it, you can take some of the unusable pieces to make jewelry."
Cloudy crystal had its own hazy beauty; it just couldn't be used for lenses.
A question popped into Meng Ling'er's mind. "Mother, if it's for making military equipment, why bring it here? Is there something I can help with?"
"There is indeed a place where Nannan can help." Pei Ying told her daughter the truth. "I don't wish for your father to learn of this matter too quickly, so I can only borrow a spot in my daughter's camp."
Meng Ling'er's eyes shifted, her look becoming rather meaningful. "So Mother is preparing a gift for Father."
Pei Ying's hand, which had been sorting through the crystals, paused. She looked up at her daughter to see the young girl wearing an expression that said, "I understand, I understand."
A strange feeling, not present before, began to creep up. Although there was no strong source of fire nearby, Pei Ying felt as if she had been licked by a flame. She instinctively avoided her daughter's gaze.
The young girl earnestly promised, "Mother, don't worry. I absolutely won't breathe a word to anyone. When necessary, I might even tell some well-intentioned lies."
Pei Ying: "..."
Once fully immersed in work, time always flies. By the time Pei Ying realized it, she belatedly noticed it was already time for her to retire for the night.
Oh dear, it was rather late.
"Nannan, I'm going back. You should retire early too." Pei Ying rose from beside the desk.
Meng Ling'er respectfully saw her mother off.
Braziers were lit around the camp perimeter, so the path wasn't pitch dark. Pei Ying walked back alone. As she drew closer to the main tent, she began to think of an excuse.
Huo Tingshan was a domineering man. Previously, if she stayed out at the market too long, he would question her upon her return. She had been away from the main tent for at least two hours this time; he was sure to ask again.
If he asked, she would just say she went to see their daughter.
Rounding a corner, Pei Ying was about to continue forward when she suddenly spotted a figure emerging not far away.
The man's stature was imposing. He had just passed by a lit torch, his shadow stretching forward from behind, shrouding his face in darkness.
His features were not visible, but based on his build, his aura, and the intensely palpable gaze directed her way, Pei Ying knew exactly who it was.
The beautiful woman's steps faltered slightly.
Since she wasn't coming over, Huo Tingshan went to her. "Why is my wife here?"
"Just taking a walk," Pei Ying replied calmly.
Huo Tingshan nodded, his tone also sounding calm. "The moonlight is quite bright tonight."
Pei Ying looked up at the sky. It was a sheet of black, devoid of both moon and stars. She couldn't help but raise a delicate eyebrow slightly and turned to look at the man beside her.
He had clearly seen it too and gave a light cough. "There was a full moon just a moment ago."
Each harboring their own thoughts, the couple fell into a rare, wordless silence, the atmosphere inexplicably somewhat strange.
The two returned to the main tent. Xin Jin had been waiting by the tent entrance the whole time. Seeing them finally return, she seemed on the verge of speaking but held back.
Earlier, in the time it took her to boil some ginger water, the Lady had vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, the ginger water had cooled and been reheated, reheated and cooled again. The General, who was said to have returned to camp long ago, similarly hadn't come back.
Could it be that the Lady and the General went for a nighttime stroll around the camp?
Xin Jin pondered.
Pei Ying noticed the bowl of ginger water on the desk, still faintly steaming, and remembered that whole affair. "Huo Tingshan, drink that ginger water."
Huo Tingshan downed the bowl of ginger water. A wave of warm heat spread through his body. The man narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's getting late. Wife, come retire with me."
The lamps in the main tent were extinguished. Pei Ying lay down.
Now that early spring had passed, the nights weren't as cold as before. Pei Ying felt she no longer needed a warm furnace, but the furnace had its own ideas.
The man stretched out a long arm and, with practiced ease, pulled the person beside him into his embrace. With soft jade and warm fragrance in his arms, the emotions suppressed deep in his heart during the day began to surge forth.
Like oil meeting a fierce fire, they were difficult to restrain.
His kiss landed on the side of her cheek, then moved up to gently kiss the space between her eyebrows. Then, his shin was kicked, not too lightly, not too heavily.
"It's hot. Move over and sleep on your side." How could Pei Ying not sense his restlessness? She reminded him, "We are staying in the army camp now. You cannot be unrestrained."
Huo Tingshan didn't move. "I'm not being unrestrained. I'm just thinking about it, that's all."
Pei Ying: "..."
"How about my wife chats with me about something else," Huo Tingshan sighed softly. "I wish to know about your life in your era."
Pei Ying spoke softly, "It was a very ordinary life. On workdays, I taught classes to students. During holidays, I would rest at home or go traveling."
Huo Tingshan remembered her saying that transportation was exceptionally convenient then, taking only a few hours to travel from south to north. "Did you travel to all corners of the land?"
Pei Ying first said yes, then added, "In my time, schools had two long vacations: winter and summer breaks. Lingling, like me, also enjoyed traveling. Every summer vacation, I would take her out on trips."
Huo Tingshan raised a long eyebrow in the darkness. "Did that deceased husband of yours from your time not go?"
"The hospital was very busy. He almost never had time," Pei Ying stated the truth.
A smile curled at the corner of Huo Tingshan's mouth. He responded lazily, "Then he wasn't as good as me. I'm usually not that busy."
