Following a breeze around her ears and the blurring of the surroundings, Ling Yue only knew she had left the depths of the Black Valley by the time she came to.
A tad disoriented at first, she glances around and realized this place was where she first entered the valley. It was like a dream, every part of it, but the soft glowing vine in her hand told her otherwise. What she experienced and heard was real and she must return by tomorrow noon.
âLing Yue!â A sudden eager cry brought her back to attention. It was Lan Caier and the soldiers of Da Xia sprinting over from the distance.
Not wanting to divulge her secret, Ling Yue hurriedly stuffed the vine away to await the groupâs arrival. Shockingly for her though, among one of the soldiers was her very own mother, Ye Huang Yu!
âSister, Iâve finally found you,â sweeping the girl up, the mother was full of concern and anxiousness.
ââ¦.â
After a brief introduction and a thorough explanation by her sister Lan Caier, Ling Yue now knew her mother had become one of the soldiers inside the Tiger Wolf Army, the most elite battalion in Da Xia. In addition, the news of the Northwest Caravan being murdered to the last men by the mercenaries were also mentioned, reaffirming Ling Yueâs ideal of slaying that woman and her men with those lizards.
âSo you are Ye Huangâs sister?â Nie Feng Hang eyes the girl up and down and found the siblings to be oddly similar in their facial features. This roused the generalâs suspicion.
Isnât this Princess Yue a foster child, why is she so similar to Ye Huang?
âReporting to general, I am indeedâ¦. brother Ye Huangâs little sister.â First casting a glance at her own cautious mother, then back at the stern faced general, Ling Yue quickly realized her mother was acting strangely fearful of the man.
This struck her as odd. According to Ling Yueâs impression of her own mother, no one can make strike fear into her mother, especially a man who means no harm.
âI heard you broke into the Black Valley. How did you come back out?â Nie Feng Hang was very surprised by how frail and thin the girl was, rousing his suspicion even more that she was able to escape unscathed from that dangerous valley.
âReporting to general, this is in fact a misunderstanding. I did not enter the Black Valley. Last night when the Blood Knife Mercenaries attempted to ambush me, I fled into the Black Valley out of desperation. However, before I could reach very far, I accidentally slipped and lost consciousness when I fell. By the time I awoke, the sky was already bright and thatâs when I stumbled upon everyone.â
While Ling Yue babbled on with her reasonable lies, Lan Caier and Ye Huang Yu on the other hand only had this to say about the girl: âActing! Thatâs right, keep acting youâ¦â
They know the girl far too well to see through those lies. As for General Tiger Wolf, heâs not so fortunate. Out of consideration for the frail looking girl, plus her young age, he can only assume the story was true.
âI see then. Itâs good that you are back safe and sound, otherwise I donât know what Ye Huang wouldâve done considering how desperate he was,â the general then gives the disguised woman a stern look.
If not for his threat as a military commander, thereâs no doubt in Nie Feng Hangâs mind that this subordinate of his wouldâve rushed into the Black Valley despite everything.
Intrigued by the remark from the general, Ling Yue first glanced at the man before turning back to her own mother. For some reason, sheâs got the strange sensation that something was off here and itâs related to this man.
After a series of routine inquiries, Nie Feng Hang then left the trio alone to take care of his business. Thereâs still the matter of gathering up the bodies from the caravan and sending word to the nearby garrison to come clear the field.
With the man gone and only them left, Ling Yue couldnât wait to get the details about the past four months from her mother, especially the part where she joined the army.
âOh my daughter, you mustnât blame your godparents, it was I who asked them not to tell you. But seriously, how can you rile up so many things in this short span of time while I was away from the capital?â First it was the dismissal of Hong Fang, then the abolishment of the crown prince. Even for Ye Huang Yu was scared to the bones despite knowing the outcome had ended well.
This daughter of mine is simply too fearless.
âMother, if I dare do it then I wonât have any regrets. I only want to ask one thing. Mother, would you blame me if I end up killing Hong Fang one day?â In the end, the girl wanted to hear it first-hand whether or not her mother still had any lingering feelings for that man.
âHeâs done so many evil deeds, what feeling could I possibly have left for him? That person can even murder his own daughter, thereâs no hope for him. The only regret I would have is that I canât personally carry out the task myself and exact revenge.â The main reason why Ye Huang Yu would join the Tiger Wolf Army was to improve her own strength. This way she might have the opportunity to destroy the Hong House with her own hands one day.
Seeing the appearance of her motherâs aggressive attitude, Ling Yueâs original boulder inside the heart can finally be put aside. Thereâs nothing holding her back now.
âAuntie Ye, what you say is right. Thereâs so many men in this world, itâs a shame to only pick one. Take that General Tiger Wolf for example, heâs quite the good candidate you know.â Ahowing a beaming smile, Lan Caier also joins in on the conversation.
âSister is right this time. I also think that general is not bad. From what I can see, his personality is good and heâs concerned about Mother.â Working in tandem, the girls conversation had left the woman both ashamed and embarrassed.
Normally this wouldnât be the case; however, due to need and demand, sheâs been closely sleeping with the man inside the same tent for the past few days. To make matters worse, one morning she was shocked to find herself sleeping on the generalâs bed instead of on the floor like she usually does!
Just thinking of the child like face when Nie Feng Hang falls asleep and how intimate sheâs been with the general, Ye Huang Yu would blush incredibly red like a young maiden meeting a lover. Towards that behavior, the girls naturally wouldnât miss it and started to get roudy like nosy neighbors.
âOh you two, how can you make fun of your own elders. Thatâs it, watch how Iâll give you two a good spanking on the butt.â Putting on an angry face, she pounces forward to send the girls jumping around in playful fun.
Due to the commotion the three were raising, Nie Feng Hang who was already some way out had to turn around because the screams were too attractive. What he didnât expect though was how blessfully mesmerizing Ye Huang Yu was when he pulled open the curtain.
Messy hair and panting for air, Nie Feng Hang nearly lost his breath at the unprepared womanâs appearance. In fact, he couldnât stop his eyes from oggling hard at his target. Fortunately there was still Ling Yue and Lan Caier giggling on one side, otherwise the woman and man wouldâve stared at each for god knows how long.
âPrincess Yue, someone is looking for you outside,â coughing at the awkwardness, the general averts his gaze from everyone.
Huh, who would come looking for me in this kind of place? Clueless on who it could be, Ling Yue swiftly came out of the tent to meet the person.
âIâll also go have a look outside,â being a good girl, Lan Caier also left the tent to give the pair some space.