FBC – Chapter 158 Reunion

The next day.

Before dawn had even broken, Gu Hua quietly got out of bed, mounted her horse, and set off with the supply convoy.

The head guard reported that the messenger who had delivered the letter the previous night had already returned. The military camp was aware that the Pei family was sending grain and supplies—just yesterday, the winter clothing delivered by the transport unit from the Pei family had also arrived—so their contact had been extremely welcoming and had specifically arranged someone to receive them the following day.

The large convoy trekked through the rugged mountain roads for over half a day. Whenever they encountered especially dangerous paths, Gu Hua and the others carefully led their horses, protecting the wagons of grain one by one as they passed.

After traveling for three full hours, the convoy finally arrived at the outer perimeter of the Luodian border garrison, where someone came out to greet them from afar.

The head guard stepped forward and saluted the approaching officer alongside Gu Hua. “This humble commoner greets Overseer Luo.”

Gu Hua also cupped her hands in salute. “This humble commoner, Pei Wulang, greets Overseer Luo.”

Overseer Luo was a towering, broad-shouldered man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. A beard covered half his face, and his voice boomed like a drum. As soon as he saw them, he burst out in hearty laughter.

With a big slap on Gu Hua’s shoulder, he laughed boldly. “Young Master Pei, your Pei family is quite generous! The court’s rations haven’t even arrived yet, and you’ve already sent this much grain. You must have emptied out the family vault, eh?”

Gu Hua’s small frame couldn’t withstand his iron-like slap and was nearly knocked off balance.

The head guard, who had only learned last night that this “young master” was actually the wife of the Duke Yong, dared not reach out to steady her.

Gu Hua quickly steadied herself on the wagon, fumbling to keep her hat from falling off, and forced a dry laugh, deliberately rasping her voice. “It’s nothing, really.”

Gu Hua was petite, with a slender waist, yet curvaceous in all the right places. Even though she bound her chest and dressed as a man, her posture was still graceful and fluid.

And her stunning appearance inevitably drew attention. To counter this, she had padded her shoulders and waist with layers of cotton last night.

She’d also applied a thick layer of turmeric powder to her face and dotted on several fake moles, making her appear somewhat more like a young man.

But compared to the robust head guard and the towering soldiers of the Mu Army, she still looked extremely delicate.

Even when she deliberately roughened her voice, the slight lilt in it was hard to mask.

Overseer Luo, seeing that he had nearly knocked her over, chuckled. “Young Master Pei, with looks like yours, I’m afraid the ladies won’t be lining up. Girls like men like our commander!”

Gu Hua blushed.

Fortunately, the turmeric on her face masked it.

She glared at him with a mock fierceness. “Overseer Luo, I’m here to deliver rations.”

Her milk-teeth fierceness amused Overseer Luo so much he laughed heartily again. “Alright, alright. We’re really grateful you brought the supplies so promptly. Come with me.”

He rested a hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist and strode off with confidence, still joking with the adorable little “young master.”

“So, Young Master, are you married yet?”

Gu Hua froze. How was she supposed to answer that?

Overseer Luo saw her hesitating and turned to glance at her. Seeing her anxious expression, he became even more entertained and deliberately teased her.

He casually slung a thick arm around her shoulders.

The head guard walking behind them broke out in a cold sweat. He didn’t dare pull that arm off—if Gu Hua’s real identity as a woman was exposed, wouldn’t he be flogged?

Gu Hua stiffened completely, dragged along by Overseer Luo’s arm.

Overseer Luo teased with a grin, “Don’t be shy now. A man must marry sooner or later. Just stay in our camp for a while—toughen up, bulk up that little frame of yours. When you go back, I’m sure you’ll win yourself a fine young bride. Show her just how manly you are!”

Gu Hua: “…”

Thanks, but no thanks.

She tried desperately to pull away, but Overseer Luo’s arm was too strong. She could only walk stiffly, making for an incredibly awkward posture.

She didn’t dare speak more, afraid of revealing herself, and could only offer a sheepish smile.

Though her face was coated in turmeric powder, her bright, limpid eyes couldn’t be concealed. Embarrassment added a hint of bashfulness to her gaze, which only made her look more lively and enchanting.

Overseer Luo was still grinning as he spoke when he happened to glance her way and met that radiant gaze head-on. His heart skipped a beat, and his ears inexplicably grew warm.

He quickly looked away and awkwardly removed his arm from her shoulders.

Gu Hua instantly relaxed and darted her gaze around curiously.

It was her first time in a military camp, and she found it all fascinating.

Where was Mu Junyan?

Would they meet unexpectedly?

And if they did… how would he react when he saw her?

Surprise? Shock?

Or would he scold her?

Gu Hua suddenly felt uneasy. What if he didn’t want to see her?

Maybe she shouldn’t see him after all. Once the supplies were handed over, she could just leave a message saying she was in Juzhou.

If he wanted to see her, he would. If not, then she wouldn’t force it.

That way, it wouldn’t be awkward.

With her mind in a complete jumble, Gu Hua followed along.

The Mu Army’s camp was, as expected, strictly controlled. There were checkpoints all along the way.

When they reached the main command camp, every step was guarded by patrol soldiers moving in perfect sync. All wore neat armor and held long spears, marching with pride and discipline.

There was no trace of the exhaustion from nearly two months of brutal warfare. Not a single patrolling soldier looked weary.

Gu Hua couldn’t help but admire them inwardly.

This was exactly the kind of army Mu Junyan would lead.

Even though he was a general, he always maintained a meticulous appearance in the Duke’s residence.

At that moment, inside the command tent, Mu Junyan had no idea that Gu Hua had arrived in Juzhou—

—much less that she was inside the Luodian border camp.

He was currently seated in the central command tent with his senior officers, enjoying a banquet and discussing the next steps in their campaign.

Though the coalition army gathered by the Dali Commandery had been defeated time and again, their true goal was to capture Shicheng Commandery and frighten Dali into submission.

But Shicheng was nestled deep in the mountains and protected by fast-moving rivers—easy to defend, hard to attack.

The Mu Army was already exhausted and running dangerously low on food and clothing. They couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

Even during the temporary truce, they hadn’t dared to rest. New recruits were constantly joining, so they had to intensify training while also finding ways to keep everyone fed—only a full stomach could fuel a strong army.

On top of that, the weather had suddenly turned cold.

Many in the camp had begun coughing, and signs of a spreading illness had started to show.

The lack of medicinal herbs was another major issue.

It had always been said that epidemics followed natural disasters, and the same held true after war.

After a month and a half of continuous battle, the border was littered with starving civilians. Military rations still hadn’t arrived, and most cities had already given their food to the people.

The army only had enough rations to last half a month at most.

Thus, they had to take Shicheng as soon as possible.

During the battles, this problem hadn’t surfaced clearly. But during the truce, Mu Junyan had ordered inspections and realized that even minor colds could spiral into something serious.

Just yesterday, he had issued an order to all towns and border cities under Juzhou’s jurisdiction: find medicinal herbs by any means necessary and suppress the illness.

After two days of effort, the situation was stabilizing.

Today, the camp was able to finally relax a little, and a banquet had been arranged to reward the hard-working soldiers.

By the time Gu Hua and her group entered the camp to hand over supplies, the sky was already dark.

Inside the command tent, the generals were quite drunk—faces flushed red, arms draped around one another as they discussed heading off to the brothel tents to “let off steam.”

One of them asked Mu Junyan if he wanted a camp girl sent to serve him.

Mu Junyan rubbed his forehead. “You all go ahead. I still need to study the topographic maps.”

The other generals weren’t surprised.

Their Duke was not only strict with his troops but also extremely disciplined himself.

Most soldiers, after nearly two months of constant bloodshed and tension, were desperate for a break and sought comfort with a pretty woman to ease the strain on their hearts.

But Mu Junyan was the only one in the entire camp who had never summoned a camp girl.

Even when soldiers flirted with military courtesans in front of him, his expression never changed.

Everyone knew that after the death of his wife, Mu Junyan had refused to remarry. Most assumed he simply had no interest in women and lived a life of restraint.

But then, a few commanders who had returned from Bianjing claimed that before he came to the front lines, he had taken in a favored concubine—and the entire camp had exploded with gossip.