The Slender Waist-Chapter 241 - 170: Xiao Cheng’s Retribution

Feng Yun’s heart jolted, but she said nothing.

Ao Qi slowly turned his face to look at Pei Jue.

When he was hiding in the mountains as an ambush soldier, he had heard about Pei Jue’s grand wedding in Bingzhou City.

But at that time, he simply thought it was an uncle’s ploy to lure Xiao San into a trap; the emotional impact wasn’t as intense as being reminded face-to-face to call the woman "auntie."

Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.

At least in Ao Qi’s ears, there was no sound.

He didn’t call her "auntie." He couldn’t bring himself to do it; it was as if his throat was clogged, and suddenly his eyes became moist.

The dreams of a young man shattered unexpectedly, and he didn’t even have time to properly tell the girl about the shyness of his feelings that he dared not show; the person in his dreams had become "auntie..."

"It’s getting late," Pei Jue, with an indifferent face, turned his head and ordered the people accompanying him, "Board the ship."

"Understood!"

The unanimous response called Ao Qi back to his senses.

With reddened eyes, he looked at Feng Yun and asked in a low voice, "How are Azuo and Ayou?"

Feng Yun felt the intensity of the young man’s gaze shifting from passion to a cool detachment, along with a restraint and forbearance that seemed beyond his years, making her heart uncomfortably prick.

But she didn’t say much, just smiled faintly and nodded.

"They are well-behaved and adorable. When I left Huaxi Village, it was the Lord of Pingyuan County who came to pick them up. They should have already returned to Central Capital by now."

Ao Qi swallowed the bitterness in his mouth and forced a stiff smile.

"That’s good. Thank you, young lady."

Having said that, he didn’t care about his uncle’s expression and walked toward the shore, supporting his sword.

His tall figure seemed lonely.

All the guards around him sensed something but said nothing.

-

Everyone boarded the ship in succession.

Horses, weapons, and luggage were also loaded on.

Ghost River ran between the Hengqu Pass and the Hongye Mountain Range, leading to the Huaishui, with lengthy mountains on both sides, dense forests and overlapping ridges, extremely treacherous. Not only was the river perilous, but it was also said the mountains were teeming with poisonous snakes, insects, rats, ants, ferocious animals, and even toxic miasmas; therefore, the area was uninhabited. Save for the army, barely any signs of human life could be seen.

It wasn’t until Feng Yun had boarded the ship that Ao Qi approached Pei Jue again, somewhat resentfully asking, "General, why did you give up Bingzhou to Xiao San?"

He was a young man full of vigor, at an age that wouldn’t concede a single step.

In his eyes, after dragging out the defense of Bingzhou for so long, causing so much trouble, summoning the young lady, and even setting up a sham of a wedding to lure the enemy, to then simply give it up and leave was incomprehensible.

There was a hint of grievance in his question.

Pei Jue did not answer him.

Instead, he looked to Wen Xingsu and asked, "General Wen, what do you think?"

Wen Xingsu turned to look at Ao Qi upon hearing this and gave a wry smile.

"After two sieges, the trenches and barricades set by Bingzhou have been largely destroyed by the Qi Army. Moreover, Deng Guang’s betrayal led to the gates being opened; the cost of defending the city is too steep. That’s one reason..."

Ao Qi listened to them.

He thought, is there another reason?

Pei Jue listened calmly.

Wen Xingsu continued: "Secondly, Bingzhou only has Hongye Valley as a single perilous path leading to Xinzhou, hanging like an isolated land. Supplies, military provisions will all be untenable in the long run. Defending the city these days has already exhausted our resources, and it’s better to retreat gracefully than clinging on to a lost cause..."

Ao Qi said, "But isn’t that just giving Xiao Cheng an easy advantage?"

Wen Xingsu pondered for a moment, his dark pupils growing dimmer, "Not really an advantage. Kou Shan’s and Xie Congguang’s troops are Xiao Cheng’s main forces, the elite brought from Tai City, akin to Xiao Cheng’s left and right arms. Now that an arm has been removed, is that really a small loss?"

Beyond that, after such a costly sacrifice, they still lost Feng Yun, for Xiao Cheng, it was nothing short of a disgrace marked by blood and tears.

Pei Jue looked at Ao Qi, "General Wen is right; you shouldn’t only look at the surface of things, nor should you fight on mere impulse." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The uncle was teaching him to learn more, to listen more, and to communicate more with experienced generals.

Had it been any other time, Ao Qi would certainly have listened intently, analyzing each word and then earnestly seeking advice...

But at that moment, his mind was in complete disarray.

Everything he looked at seemed off, as if he had lost the entire world.

"I am slow to understand. I’ve learned my lesson," he said in a low voice, then turned and left to do something else.

After boarding the warship, Feng Yun went to the cabin to catch up on sleep.

After a night of chaos and heightened tension, she was thoroughly exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open.

Lying down still dressed, she quickly fell into a deep, oblivious sleep.

Daman and Xiaoman sat by her side, also with their heads drooping, leaning against the ship’s wall, and fell asleep.

They were all too tired.

They slept soundly, unaware and untroubled.

As the cries akin to those in a storm erupted outside, Feng Yun did not react in the slightest...