Chapter 317 – Three Years of Langya (Seventeen)
Crack, crack!
The pebble in Jiang Pengji’s hand shattered with a snap, her fingertips splitting open, blood staining the fragments around her.
She curled up in pain, her consciousness battling against wave after wave of excruciating agony while desperately clinging to that last sliver of clarity.
Her lower lip was bitten into several grooves, muffled groans escaping uncontrollably from the corners of her mouth. In just a few breaths, her eyes and nostrils began to ooze thin, serpentine streams of crimson, the air growing thick with a hint of iron.
Big White, the spirited war horse from the northern front, felt anxious at Jiang Pengji’s state, its hooves incessantly scraping the ground.
Splash!
A heavy splash echoed as Jiang Pengji tumbled straight into the creek water.
Big White snorted and stomped in circles, then turned and galloped off the way it came.
At this hour, deep into the night, except for the watching servants and the Book Boy, most people had already drifted off to sleep.
Those scholars who liked burning the midnight oil remained inside their carriage, reading by the dim candlelight.
Lü Zheng sprawled out comfortably, having eaten and drunk to his heart’s desire, wrapping himself up in blankets like a spring roll, while Wei Ci leaned against the carriage, absorbed in a text. Perhaps due to recent experiences, he found himself gaining new insights from familiar passages.
“Really…” After finishing a book, feeling drowsy, Wei Ci was ready to sleep fully clothed when he noticed Lü Zheng lounging so carelessly, stretching in an unrestrained manner, taking up nearly half the carriage space, making him feel like he had nowhere to step.
He really shouldn’t have taken in this overly familiar Lü Zheng; who knew this guy would have such a terrible sleeping position?
Disgusting.
“Did I hear hoofbeats?”
Just as he was about to nudge Lü Zheng awake, he vaguely caught something in his ear.
Lifting the carriage curtain, he found the nightwatching servant was utterly still, leading him to doubt whether he had misheard.
“Maybe I’m just imagining things…”
A while later, one of the nightwatching servants stretched, blinking wide, and exclaimed, “Isn’t that Young Master Liu’s horse?”
Big White, pure white without a hair out of place, stood strong and stately, clearly a prize-winning northern war horse, standing out even in the dark.
Young Master Liu?
Hearing that title, Wei Ci’s heart skipped a beat. He tightened his cloak and descended from the carriage, clutching a hand warmer.
“What happened?”
There were five guards keeping watch, and one moved forward to take hold of Big White’s reins, calming the agitated horse.
“I’m not sure, but this horse just ran from over there, and it looks like something happened.”
Wei Ci frowned. As he approached, Big White nudged him with its head and let out a series of impatient snorts.
“Could it have discovered something?” Wei Ci raised an eyebrow, a sense of foreboding creeping into him.
This horse was prideful; during the day, many envied it but no matter how flattering the compliments, it wouldn’t give anyone the time of day.
If Big White discovered something, now would be the time to seek out its master, not linger with outsiders.
“Stay here. I’ll follow this horse and see what’s up. If I’m not back in half an hour, inform the Master.”
Although Wei Ci was a scholar, he was also skilled in the six arts of a gentleman, and although not as strong as a military general, he was far from useless.
“Excuse me, take me to your master.”
Wei Ci patted Big White’s mane, gripping its reins, and climbed onto its back, surprisingly managing not to be thrown off.
The guards exchanged glances, helpless to do anything but follow orders as Wei Ci and Big White galloped away.
The creek where Jiang Pengji had fallen wasn’t far from the campsite, and a round trip would only take about fifteen minutes.
Wei Ci feared Jiang Pengji might have had an accident, his lips pale with worry that he almost kicked Big White’s belly too hard.
However—
With many trees obstructing his view, it was hard to see, but his ears were still functioning. The splashing water didn’t sound like anything good…
Before Wei Ci could arrive, Jiang Pengji had already regained consciousness in the creek.
She was feeling good, but her legs were still weak, and even lifting her hands felt like a great effort.
Relying on her good health, she decided to soak in the icy creek water to adjust her breathing.
Noticing her skin was covered in bloodstains, she splashed water onto her arms and neck, scrubbing away the residue along with her clothing.
Upon hearing familiar hoofbeats, Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow but didn’t turn around immediately.
“Who is it?” she called out, her voice hoarse and lazy.
From behind the trees, Wei Ci shifted his gaze to another spot, his ears growing slightly red.
“Your horse ran back to camp, and I thought something had happened to you, so I came to check…”
Jiang Pengji replied, “I found this creek was clear during the day, and I sneaked back at midnight for a bath. It must be quite the sight for Zixiao.”
Wei Ci’s face turned a shade darker, standing beside Big White, uncertain whether to move or remain still.
“Well, if there’s nothing wrong, then I won’t linger here.”
Others may not know Jiang Pengji’s gender, but Wei Ci was aware, and he had no intention of letting anyone else in on the secret.
“Wait a moment,” Jiang Pengji called out, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “I snuck out in a hurry and forgot to bring a change of clothes. Could you trouble Zixiao to head back with Big White, ask Ta Xue to prepare a set, and hang it on Big White’s saddle? It will bring it to me.”
Wei Ci’s face turned a stormy shade.
So… Big White came to camp not for help, but just to deliver a set of clothes for Jiang Pengji?
He looked at Big White, who seemed to innocently tilt its head, its big, watery eyes regarding him without guilt.
With a stern expression, Wei Ci mounted his horse. “Understood.”
He had the nagging feeling that all his worry was just being wasted.
Big White let out a snort, galloping away at a much calmer pace than before.
Listening to the receding hoofbeats, Jiang Pengji finally relaxed, leaning back against the creek.
The creek water flowed, not frozen, but that didn’t diminish its bone-chilling chill.
Fortunately, for Jiang Pengji now, that coldness meant nothing.
Looking at her personal attribute panel, she smiled weakly.
Other things didn’t matter much to her, but [Basic Martial Power 31 points, Fusion Martial Power +56 points] clearly proved she made the right choice.
She lifted her hand to inspect her arm. On the surface, it didn’t seem to have changed much, but she could feel the internal strength building.
After rinsing her hands in the creek, Big White galloped back with a bundle of clothes.
Noticing how the hem of her outfit clung snugly above her ankles, Jiang Pengji frowned. “These clothes are a bit small…”
She understood—it was due to her recent growth spurt.
After fusing her martial power, her genes gradually optimized, so she had grown taller, reflecting this optimization externally as well.
At least the changes weren’t drastic, and given that her body was only twelve years old, she hadn’t yet reached her thirteenth birthday; it was normal to grow quickly.
Besides, this growth came with another benefit.
Women, due to physiological reasons, averaged shorter than men, and this particular body of Liu Xi was no exception.
Now that she had grown taller, appearing as a man wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.
She swept her damp hair back and mounted Big White.
“Let’s go, Big White!”
