BLHO Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Is it very honorable?

The next day, the soldiers who hadn’t had a full meal for several days finally ate a good one.

As the sun rose, everyone sat together, eating and warming themselves by the fire. They still found the sight of Han Mao getting beaten up thoroughly enjoyable.

Amidst the laughter, He Yuncheng arrived late. Vice General Qin made room for him and looked behind him, asking casually, “Where’s the young master? Isn’t he up yet?”

He Yuncheng sat next to him and replied calmly, “He’s not feeling well today. I told him to sleep in.”

“What’s wrong?” Vice General Qin asked worriedly, “Did he catch a cold? The wind is strong and cold outside the pass, and it’ll get colder in the coming days. He needs to add more layers of clothing.”

“Mm.” He Yuncheng didn’t explain further. He quickly finished his dry rations, took a bowl of hot porridge, and stood up.

“You guys eat, I’ll go check on him.”

Inside the military tent, Lin Shuangxu was still asleep. His collar was slightly open, revealing a few red marks on his collarbone.

He Yuncheng placed the porridge aside, sat down by the sleeping mat, leaned over, and embraced him. He gently kissed the thin skin of his collarbone.

Having just come in from outside, his nose and lips were cold. Lin Shuangxu felt uncomfortable from the cold and groaned, finally waking up.

“What time is it?” he asked groggily. At first glance, he didn’t notice anything wrong with He Yuncheng, but after a moment, he was startled and sat up abruptly.

His drowsiness vanished. He lifted the blanket to look at himself—

The disheveled inner garments and the faint red marks all proved that last night’s passion had really happened.

He frustratingly held his forehead, unable to remember how he had fallen asleep last night.

Now it was broad daylight, and the soldiers were all outside. If he left He Yuncheng’s tent now, what would that look like…

“I must have been out of my mind,” Lin Shuangxu sighed softly, quickly straightening his clothes.

He Yuncheng looked at him amusedly, unhurried and even a little smug. He teased, “Is being with me such a shameful thing?”

Lin Shuangxu glared at him absurdly. “Is it very honorable?”

He Yuncheng shrugged, not arguing with him.

“Don’t move.” He grabbed Lin Shuangxu’s arm, staring intently at his lips.

A trace of bright red stained the soft surface of his lips.

Extremely endearing.

He Yuncheng’s heart softened, his body following his eyes, involuntarily moving closer to Lin Shuangxu.

Lin Shuangxu watched his movements warily. Seeing that he was about to kiss him, he didn’t seem to react or perhaps didn’t know how to, and just sat there without dodging.

The two pairs of lips slowly drew closer, and in the cold morning breeze, tender affection quietly rose.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent, accompanied by an urgent call, “General!”

It was Vice General Qin’s voice.

In a moment of panic, Lin Shuangxu pushed He Yuncheng away with a palm.

Vice General Qin then lifted the curtain and entered. He saw the two in the tent, Lin Shuangxu’s face slightly flushed, and He Yuncheng with a smile in his eyes. Although they were both properly dressed, he inexplicably felt that the atmosphere was ambiguous.

One foot inside and one foot outside, he awkwardly stood there, unsure whether to come in or retreat.

He Yuncheng was very calm. He shifted his gaze from Lin Shuangxu’s face to Vice General Qin, adopting a serious demeanor. “What is it?”

Vice General Qin composed himself and reported the exciting news to He Yuncheng, “General, a military dispatch from the border! Two days ago, Yan Zhao launched another attack. Our army defended firmly, and the barbarians failed to breach the city!”

“Good.”

“The urgent matter is still the provisions,” he said. “The letter said that the food previously borrowed from the surrounding areas has been exhausted and needs to be replenished as soon as possible.”

He Yuncheng nodded. “I understand.”

Normally, it would take about five more days to reach the destination. If they sped up, they could arrive in as little as three days.

The soldiers quickly packed their gear and set off.

Han Mao’s arm had been broken by He Yuncheng last night. Today, when the two sides met, Han Mao, with his arm in a sling, hated and feared He Yuncheng and dared not approach him. His appearance was both awkward and comical.

He Yuncheng had thought he would use his injury as an excuse to deliberately delay, but he didn’t expect this man to learn from his mistakes. When the He family army sped up, he gritted his teeth and endured the pain to keep up.

Such cooperation made one suspect what crooked plans he had brewing.

In the evening, the army arrived at Shili Village. From here on, they officially entered the border war zone. When the barbarians were most rampant, the villagers here had been massacred, blood flowing like rivers for ten *li*, hence the village’s name.

After many years, Shili Village had been rebuilt. Scattered lights dotted the riverbank, and the starlight filled the sky, creating a peaceful scene.

Lin Shuangxu used the starlight to see the stone statue standing at the entrance of the village—a general holding a long saber, riding a warhorse with its hooves raised high, majestic and seemingly imbued with a spirit, guarding the peace of this area.

“It’s my father,” He Yuncheng said to him. “Can you tell?”

“Mm,” Lin Shuangxu nodded.

The villagers had sculpted the teacher’s features vividly. Anyone could recognize him at a glance.

“Back then, my father sent me to another battlefield. I didn’t participate in the battle of Shili Village, otherwise there would be a stone statue of me here too,” He Yuncheng said.

Vice General Qin chimed in, “That battle was truly tragic. The court had already given up, issuing an order to withdraw the troops. If we hadn’t fought to the death, this place would have long become barbarian territory.”

Back then, He Yuncheng was only at the age of hair-pinning, his figure not yet fully developed, but he was already following the army, fighting to the death, and wielding his saber in battle.

It could be said that he gained fame at a young age.

But the true heartache and sorrow could only be understood by his family.

Words couldn’t express his feelings. Lin Shuangxu only felt endless heartache and affection.

The sound from behind was carried by the cold wind to his ear. Han Mao said, “As expected, the rumors are true. The Bei Sheng empire is divided in two. Within the pass is the emperor’s land, and outside the pass, it’s the He family’s territory. The people here revere the He family like gods. General He, your prestige is truly something to be envied.”

His words were superficially flattering, but in reality, they were accusing He Yuncheng of a serious crime.

Possessing military power and the hearts of the people, how could the court not fear him?

He Yuncheng glanced back at him. After the conflict last night, and with the border urgently needing supplies, he preferred to avoid trouble. Without Lin Shuangxu needing to remind him, He Yuncheng would naturally not argue with him. He laughed and said, “General Han is overpraising me. My father sacrificed himself for the country. I’m just basking in the glory of my ancestors. Where would I get any prestige?”

Han Mao also laughed, reined in his horse, waved his hand, and ordered, “Rest the troops! Distribute today’s rations to the He family army. It’s freezing cold, give them more so the brothers can fill their bellies!”

Han Mao spoke generously, but he was meticulous and calculative when it came to doing things, distributing the food one meal at a time, afraid that the He family would eat even a single grain of the court’s rice more than they deserved.

He Yuncheng would put up with him for a few more days and smiled as he thanked him.

The soldiers rested on the spot. The temperature at night was extremely low, and the ground was frozen solid.

Later in the night, snow began to fall from the sky.

The vast expanse of snow weighed down everything. The night was tranquil and silent.

He Yuncheng’s suspicion was correct. Han Mao’s good behavior throughout the day was indeed a pretense.

The soldiers on night watch discovered something was amiss in the early hours of the morning and hurriedly came to report to him.

“General, something’s wrong! The Han family army has run off with the provisions!”