vstars Chapter 165 Reunion
Chapter 165 Reunion
"Pfft, ptooey—"
Xie Yan plucked a bunch of fluttering paint off her face and spat out a mouthful of bird feathers.
At this moment, the officers and soldiers could no longer remain calm. They all opened their mouths wide, looking at Xie Yan with shock and astonishment.
They had only ever seen this gyrfalcon's ferocious appearance on the battlefield, pecking at people's eyes and scratching their faces; they had never seen it be so affectionate towards anyone other than the prince.
Could this person really be an acquaintance of the prince?!
Just as everyone was stunned, another figure rode up from a distance.
The person who came this time was also an acquaintance.
The voice came before the person even stopped in front of them—
"Young Master Xie, you've finally arrived!"
Yu Bai dismounted with a happy expression and walked straight to Xie Yan, saying, "Young Master Xie, the Prince ordered me to come and meet you."
Xie Yan held down Danqing, who was about to flutter over, with one hand, and removed the feathers covering her eyes with the other.
He glanced at Yu Bai and asked curiously, "How did you know I would arrive today? Did your prince secretly send someone to follow me?"
Yu Bai scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile. "No, no, it's because the prince doesn't know when you'll arrive, so he sends us into the city every day to check on you."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yan paused for a moment, but couldn't help but curl her lips into a slight smile.
But he quickly regained his composure, coughed as if to cover up his misunderstanding, and asked, "How is the battle going? Have you suffered any casualties?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, Yu Bai's originally bright expression immediately wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant.
He looked around, and only under Xie Yan's increasingly serious gaze did he force himself to speak, saying, "Young Master Xie, let's talk as we walk."
Once outside the city gate, the two people and the bird sped northward.
The sandstorm was so strong it could almost blind people. The sand, carried by the north wind, lashed at their faces and could even scratch exposed skin.
Xie Yan rode alongside Yu Bai, listening intently.
Amidst the sandstorm, Yu Bai's voice sounded somewhat low and suppressed.
"...The situation in this battle is actually not very optimistic."
"Although we arrived in time and temporarily repelled the barbarians."
"But this time the enemy came prepared and came with great force. Over the past month, we have fought several battles, but we have not been able to gain any advantage."
"The enemy not only knew our movements very well, but also our troop deployment. Our ambushes failed time and time again, but they were able to escape unscathed in every engagement."
“And if our deployment changes, they can react very quickly... as if they have control over our every move.”
Xie Yan frowned, looking at Yu Bai through the sandstorm, "You mean..."
Yu Bai nodded, a worried look on his face. "We suspect there's a traitor in the military camp."
"What about the casualties..."
Yu Bai sighed, "Fortunately, the soldiers are all battle-hardened and experienced, and with the prince's skillful command, there were no major casualties. Except for..."
At this point, Yu Bai paused, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping himself, and his gaze darted away when he looked at Xie Yan.
"Except what?"
Xie Yan frowned, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.
"Could it be..."
In the military camp—
"Is that why you're hesitant to speak?"
Xie Yan stood in the tent, looking speechlessly at Meng Lan, who was lying on the bed with her buttocks wrapped in layers of gauze.
Yu Bai scratched his face and said awkwardly, "Because... it's really embarrassing to be shot in the butt by an arrow from one of our own."
Xie Yan closed his eyes, poked Meng Lan's buttocks with his sword sheath, and said earnestly amidst Meng Lan's whimpers, "If your eyesight isn't good, you shouldn't go to the battlefield."
"Next time, it might not be your ass that gets shot, but your brain."
Meng Lan burst into tears: "Waaaaah..."
Seeing Xie Yan's speechless expression, Yu Bai quickly said tactfully, "Young Master Xie, let me take you to the Prince's place. He should be in his tent at this time."
For some reason, the closer Xie Yan got to Chu Ling's camp, the tighter his heart became, and he inexplicably felt a sense of trepidation as he approached home.
"Thank you, sir."
Yu Bai suddenly spoke, interrupting Xie Yan's thoughts.
"This is the prince's camp. I... I have some things to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, without waiting for Xie Yan's reply, Yu Bai hurriedly bowed and ran away in a flash.
Xie Yan composed herself, looked up, and saw that the tents in front of her were simple and tidy, no different from those around her.
He subconsciously took a few deep breaths, stood outside the tent for a long time, and finally made up his mind to lift the curtain and enter.
Xie Yan stepped into the tent, where it was so quiet that not a sound could be heard.
Looking up, one sees a desk covered with all sorts of documents and letters.
A candle flickered nearby, its wick about to go out because no one had trimmed it in so long.
Chu Ling, who should have noticed this, was leaning back in his chair, one hand on the armrest supporting his chin.
His eyes were closed, as if he were asleep.
Xie Yan paused for a moment, and after thinking it over, she removed her disguise.
After finishing everything, he quietly approached.
In the flickering candlelight, Chu Ling's face looked somewhat tired and haggard; even in his sleep, his brows remained tightly furrowed.
Xie Yan stood by and watched for a while, then thought it over seriously and gave up the idea of carrying Chu Ling to the bed.
Although he should be able to easily lift Chu Ling, this whole process might wake him up.
Let's just cover him with a blanket.
So Xie Yan turned around and quietly pulled a quilt from the couch.
He moved gently, making almost no sound.
But just as he was about to cover Chu Ling with the blanket, his hand suddenly felt heavy as a hand gripped his wrist tightly.
Xie Yan was stunned for a moment, then looked down and realized that Chu Ling had opened his eyes at some point.
Perhaps it was because the candlelight in the room was too dim that a hazy light clouded his eyes, making his expression appear very dreamy and gentle.
His voice sounded a little hoarse, whether because he had just woken up or for some other reason.
"I'm dreaming again."
He stared intently at Xie Yan.
Xie Yan felt a shiver run down her spine from his gaze. She pursed her lips and was about to say something when Chu Ling suddenly pulled her away!
At the same time, Chu Ling himself also bent down and stepped forward.
Feeling the weight from his arms, Chu Ling smiled slightly and gently stroked Xie Yan's cheek.
The next moment, their foreheads touched, their noses brushed against each other, and there was no distance between them anymore.