FBC – Chapter 170 Taking the Punishment on His Behalf

Gu Hua had never witnessed such a bloody scene before. As they neared the wounded soldiers’ tent, she silently reminded herself not to be afraid, not to show any hint of weakness.

But the moment she stepped inside, she froze.

A heavy stench of blood mixed with the acrid smell of medicine rushed at her, almost making her vomit.

She quickly held her breath, steadied her nerves, and looked around.

The tent wasn’t very large, but it housed a dozen or so wounded soldiers—some with broken legs or arms, others missing eyes.

Her heart ached at the sight.

Not far away, she spotted a tall figure—he was holding a steamed bun in one hand, munching on it, while the other hand carefully examined a wounded soldier’s injuries.

Gu Hua quickly adapted to the smell and strode toward him.

The wounded soldiers all stared at her, stunned.

Though she wore a thin jacket meant for male soldiers, with her long black hair tied up into a bun secured by a single wooden chopstick, and not a hint of jewelry on her, her beauty was striking. Her face was pure and delicate, as if untouched by the world, her skin fair as jade, and her bright, clear eyes only added to her radiance.

Sensing something odd, Mu Junyan straightened up and followed their gaze. Still chewing on his bun, his cheeks puffed out, he stood there, momentarily dazed.

Gu Hua walked briskly over to him and gave him a smile. “I’m not eating noodles. I want to eat what you’re eating.”

The soft and sweet voice of the young woman was like a heavenly melody. The injured soldiers and other men in the tent immediately snapped out of their trance and lowered their heads, not daring to stare.

Without waiting for Mu Junyan to respond, Gu Hua turned and took a still-steaming bowl of noodles from the lunchbox Chi Yu was holding, then placed it in front of the wounded soldier Mu Junyan had just been attending to.

The young boy was probably no more than thirteen or fourteen. One of his legs had been amputated, the bandages already soaked through with bright red blood—likely a fresh wound that hadn’t yet healed, bleeding again with each dressing change.

He had been crying from the pain, his eyes red, while Mu Junyan tried to comfort him.

Suddenly, a “fairy” carrying a bowl of fragrant noodles knelt in front of him, smiled sweetly, and gently coaxed him, “Eat this bowl of noodles, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Chi Yu hurried forward. “Madam, allow me.”

“No need, I’ll do it,” Gu Hua said.

She picked up a mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks and held it up to the boy’s mouth, coaxing him as if she were feeding her own younger brother. “Shall I feed you?”

Mu Junyan stopped Chi Yu, swallowed the bun in his mouth, and smiled helplessly. “Let her.”

The entire tent full of injured soldiers looked on with envy. They weren’t jealous of the food—they were jealous that the fairy-like lady herself had brought it over.

The boy seemed startled and didn’t know how to open his mouth.

Gu Hua’s tone grew even softer. “Seeing you reminds me of my younger brothers. I have two—one is thirteen, the other twelve. The younger one is always getting hurt. Whenever he cries, I cook something tasty just for him. Once he eats it, he doesn’t feel the pain as much.”

Her voice was gentle as spring rain, like sweet dew dripping into the parched heart of the boy with the broken leg.

Eyes red, he nodded. “Thank you, Madam. I can eat it myself.”

Gu Hua smiled and handed him the bowl. “Be good and finish it.”

Then she turned to Mu Junyan. “I’ll eat the same as you. I don’t need special treatment.”

Mu Junyan’s eyes were full of admiration. He reached out and ruffled her hair. “Alright.”

Chi Yu picked out a softer steamed bun for her and scooped some porridge into a bowl that Mu Junyan had just used.

Gu Hua sat down on a wooden stool outside the tent and began to eat with great appetite.

But inside, she was truly shocked.

Even though she had delivered so much grain, it still wasn’t enough to feed them for long. So, the soldiers mixed coarse grains with fine grains to stretch the rations.

If it weren’t for the war, the rice would have been cooked into congee so more people could eat refined grain.

Gu Hua felt deeply guilty. Last night, she had only eaten half a steamed white bun.

Today, she had to eat every last bit of the bun and porridge in her hand in front of everyone.

The bun really was hard, but she pretended to be at ease as she forced down the last bite.

Mu Junyan went off to take care of more business, so Gu Hua helped the military doctors look after the wounded and chatted with the soldiers.

Only then did she realize that many of them were very young. The soldier who had just lost his leg was only a year older than Gu Ruiwen.

Most of them were sons of families from the southern border of Daliang.

Many had lost their families to war—separated from their wives and children, their homes destroyed.

Some had joined the Mu Army to avenge their loved ones. Others just wanted food and clothing.

And there were those driven by a burning desire to protect their homeland.

The once-bustling camp soon quieted down.

Word of what Gu Hua had done in the infirmary quickly spread throughout the camp. Many soldiers developed a new fondness for this young lady who had delivered grain from a thousand miles away.

Not only was she stunningly beautiful, she was also kind-hearted—without any of the delicate airs of a noble daughter, nor the arrogance of a general’s woman.

Even if the General hadn’t taken the flogging in her place, no one would’ve blamed her.

Not long after 9 PM, the evening rest drum sounded.

Accompanied by Chiyu, Gu Hua made her way to the main tent. Most of the tents they passed had already extinguished their lights, and loud, thunderous snores could be heard from inside.

Gu Hua couldn’t help but laugh and whispered to Chiyu, “With snoring that loud, can they even sleep?”

Chiyu replied softly, “They’re always so tired. Once they lie down, they fall asleep quickly—they don’t even notice.”

Gu Hua laughed through her tears, her eyes turning red.

She couldn’t stop thinking of those young boys—so small, with no parents to love them, facing life and death every day.

How would they survive in the future with broken arms and legs?

She had heard from Chiyu that once a soldier became disabled, he received a small payout and was discharged from the army. After that… how would they live?

All of this was the result of war. Her heart was a tangled mess of emotions.

Mu Junyan wasn’t someone who loved battle. But his opponents were ambitious and had attempted to seize Daliang’s land. If they had given in out of fear, it would’ve only led to more bullying.

Violence had to be met with violence. War had to be answered with war.

And yet… Brother Ji had played a villainous role in this foreign invasion.

Gu Hua waited in the tent until her eyelids began to droop, but Mu Junyan still hadn’t returned. She had no choice but to crawl into bed and wait for him there.

It wasn’t until midnight that Mu Junyan crept into the tent, quietly took off his outer robe, and slipped under the covers. But just as he did, the woman who had seemed asleep suddenly moved in and hugged him.

Mu Junyan gently stroked her cheek and kissed her face. “Did I wake you?”

Gu Hua murmured, “No, I wasn’t asleep. I was waiting for you.”

Mu Junyan felt a warmth bloom in his chest—for the first time, he realized how wonderful it was to have someone waiting for him to come home.

Pulling her into his arms, he said, “You’ve had a long day too. Why didn’t you sleep earlier?”

Gu Hua said nothing, just snuggled into his embrace and reached for the inner ties of his robe.

Before Mu Junyan could react, she had already loosened his collar and slipped her hand behind his back. He immediately understood—she still suspected he was hiding an injury on his back.

He quickly caught her hand and chuckled, “Missing me this much, huh? Your back doesn’t ache anymore? Careful or you’ll stir up my fire and regret it later.”

Gu Hua glared at him. “There’s no use hiding it from me. I’m going to check.”

Mu Junyan simply picked her up completely, tightly wrapping her in his arms. “Alright, be good, listen to me. Sleep early. Tomorrow at first light, Chiyu will take you back to Juzhou.”

Gu Hua was stunned. “Didn’t you say I could stay a few more days? Why are you making me leave so soon? Do you really not want to see me?”

“What nonsense. Of course I want to see you. But this is the front lines—we could be fighting at any moment. And when that happens, I won’t have time to take care of you.”

Gu Hua’s face darkened. “I didn’t come here for you to take care of me. I made this journey across a thousand miles on my own.”

Mu Junyan hadn’t expected her to be so stubborn. He had no choice but to say, “When you’re here, I get distracted. Behind me are hundreds of thousands of soldiers—I have to be responsible for them.”

Gu Hua’s eyes reddened, and she stared at him in a daze.

Then, suddenly, she leaned in and kissed his lips.

Mu Junyan’s heart stirred—but tonight wasn’t the time.

He had just received word that a royal inspector would arrive at the camp tomorrow. He didn’t want Gu Hua to be caught up in any trouble.