Feng Jin rolled her eyes directly, "I'm not interested in listening to that."
Ling Mohan chuckled and slowly began, "I saw quite a few herbs in this cave; the flavor was enhanced with herbs."
"This is the first time I've known the young general to recognize herbs. How curious!"
"Having fought in wars for many years, if I didn't even know this basic thing, I wouldn't have survived this long."
The battlefield was extremely dangerous, and such incidents had happened many times before, but none were as perilous as this. If he didn't possess these life-saving skills, he would have long since died a tragic death.
"It's all my fault for being blind and underestimating General Ling before." Feng Jin meant this sincerely. She had never thought Ling Mohan was so capable before. Now that she thought about it, how could someone who was personally appointed Imperial Tutor at the age of twenty, achieved a great victory on his first battlefield, and was hailed as Imperial Tutor by the common folk, be an ordinary person?
"It's good that you know now. Now that you know how wonderful I am, you must understand that marrying me is your greatest honor. You must remember this at all times and try your best to please me, keep an eye on me, or I'll be snatched away by someone else."
Ling Mohan began to praise himself extravagantly, almost to the point of elevating himself to the heavens.
Feng Jin looked helpless and rolled her eyes, "Whoever you want to go with, go with them. I will never stop you. You must understand that out with the old, in with the new; the next one will be better."
"You still want to switch!" Ling Mohan said through gritted teeth, wishing he could pack Feng Jin up and throw her out. All day long, she only spoke useless nonsense, and she still wanted to find another? Did she really think he was dead or nonexistent?
"You said yourself that if I couldn't keep an eye on you, you would be snatched away by someone else. So why should I bother? It's better to just switch to someone else for a cleaner break."
"You truly are... Never mind, just pretend I didn't say anything just now." Ling Mohan, unable to match Feng Jin in their verbal sparring, simply chose to give up and admit defeat.
"It would have been better if you were like this earlier. Why did you have to pretend? Why bother! One must recognize reality." Feng Jin patted Ling Mohan's shoulder and educated him earnestly.
"Drink some water and go to sleep quickly. You'll have more energy tomorrow if you rest well." Ling Mohan handed Feng Jin the freshly boiled hot water, then went to find some dry grass to spread on the ground. "Alright, come and sleep."
Worried that Feng Jin wouldn't sleep comfortably, Ling Mohan took off his outer robe and spread it on the straw. Feng Jin looked at the clean and tidy, albeit makeshift, bed. She tried sitting on it and found it quite soft. To have a place to lie down in a cave, Feng Jin was already very satisfied.
"Aren't you coming up to sleep?" Seeing Ling Mohan still sitting by the bonfire, Feng Jin wondered what his intention was for staying there.
"You sleep first. I'll make the fire burn brighter before I sleep." Ling Mohan found more dry branches to ensure the fire burned even more intensely. Only when Feng Jin was fast asleep, her breathing even, did Ling Mohan get up, cover Feng Jin with his robe, grip his long sword tightly, and continue to guard by the bonfire. In the wilderness, wild beasts were a common occurrence. The reason he said he would make the fire burn brighter was not only to let Feng Jin sleep peacefully but also because wild beasts feared fire. Tonight, he was destined to keep watch here, so that Feng Jin could sleep more soundly.
...
On the cliff, Lu Shi was also sleepless, clutching a stone tightly in his hand and staring at the inscription on it. This familiar carving technique was from the young general. Having confirmed that the young general was unharmed, he could finally be a little more at ease. However, without seeing the young general safe and sound with his own eyes, he couldn't fully relax. This night seemed longer than usual. He had no idea what the scene below the cliff was like. If no one was guarding this place, he would have already jumped off the cliff to find out, to rescue the young general and his wife.
"Lord Lu, eat something to tide you over."
"You all eat first, then take turns resting. I'll go patrol first." Lu Shi said in a deep voice, gripping his long sword and getting up to patrol outside.
The next morning, bright sunlight shone into the cave. Feng Jin rubbed her eyes and got up groggily. This was no comparison to her bed at home; she slept so poorly that her body ached. Feng Jin stood up and stretched her neck, looking around but not seeing Ling Mohan. Her brows furrowed slightly, wondering where he could have gone so early. Full of questions, she walked outside and saw Ling Mohan at the cave entrance, holding some object and looking around.
"What are you looking at?" Feng Jin approached and asked.
"Figuring out how to get up."
As soon as Ling Mohan finished speaking, a rope as thick as a wrist was lowered from above.
"Lu Shi dropped the rope! Let's hurry up and go!" Feng Jin was eager to leave this dreadful place and immediately grabbed the rope, ready to climb.
But Ling Mohan stopped her, "How do you know this rope was dropped by Lu Shi? If it was dropped by the rebels, and we grabbed it to go up, we would be heading straight for our doom."
Feng Jin shivered, quickly letting go of the rope and throwing it away. It was too terrifying. If it was as Ling Mohan said, she had almost stepped into the gates of hell just now.
"Then how do you suggest we get up? We can't stay here forever. If the rebels find Lu Shi and his men and follow the clues down here, we'll be trapped like turtles in a jar if we stay. We'll be found even more easily." Thinking this, Feng Jin felt extremely endangered, caught in a dilemma with no way to escape death.
"My wife's thoughts are truly thorough, but unfortunately, my wife has forgotten one thing?"
"Forgotten? I haven't forgotten!" Feng Jin asked, bewildered, not understanding what Ling Mohan was implying. The man smiled, turned his head to look at Feng Jin in the sunlight, his eyes full of affection: "My wife has forgotten how formidable your husband is. Naturally, I will ensure my wife returns safely."
Feng Jin's lips twitched uncontrollably. What was all this? She now really missed the days when Ling Mohan was unsmiling. His cold demeanor seemed pleasing now, better than his current oily manner.
"You need to have a clear understanding of yourself. You are not at all suited for this kind of joking. Your previous cold demeanor suits your temperament better." Patting Ling Mohan's shoulder, Feng Jin said earnestly. She just hoped Ling Mohan wouldn't do anything that damaged his image. Ling Mohan's brows furrowed slightly. His smile wasn't good just now. Feng Jin had told him to smile more and not always have a stern face. Why had she changed her mind again?