The Slender Waist-Chapter 682 - 493: Never Despicable

Hou Zhun was sitting in the guest hall, sipping tea.

The tea from Changmen was fragrant, a flavor not found elsewhere; each visit found him indulging, sometimes even taking some tea with him.

Feeling quite at ease, he heard footsteps and instinctively stood up, greeting the newcomer with humble respect.

"Princess."

Originally an officer in the Qi Army, even after siding with Feng Yun, he need not be overly humble.

Yet he couldn’t help himself.

It wasn’t because of Feng Yun’s beauty, or anything else, but beneath her gentle smile, there was always a sharpness that seemed to peer into one’s soul, a spirited confidence and unwavering certainty that made him willingly look to her for direction.

"General Hou has been waiting," Feng Yun, usually quite amiable, said with a slight smile.

"Shall we set out now?"

Hou Zhun bowed his hands, "Yes."

The two of them stepped out together.

Just as Feng Yun boarded the carriage, she saw Guan Wei coming from outside of the yard, dressed in martial attire with a long sword hanging at her waist, carrying an air of brisk valor. Approaching Feng Yun, Guan Wei greeted her with a fist salute.

"Subordinate happens to be heading to Shiguan and hopes to travel together with my lady."

She no longer referred to herself as "concubine."

Instead, she used "subordinate," eschewing self-pity for her status as a woman.

The women of Changmen, and even the young ladies of Huaxi Village, seemed to unconsciously imitate Feng Yun from a certain point onward...

Guan Wei was among those who imitated her thoroughly.

Looking out from the carriage, Feng Yun smiled, "Then come aboard."

Guan Wei lowered her gaze, "I prefer to ride, protecting my lady’s carriage from behind."

Feng Yun didn’t say much more.

Guan Wei skillfully led a chestnut horse from the stable, healthy and robust. As she mounted, whether due to carelessness or distraction, her foot slipped from the stirrup, nearly causing her to fall...

Hou Zhun reached out to assist her.

"Be careful."

Guan Wei looked up, thanked him, and, steadying herself on his arm, remounted.

Hou Zhun steadied her but said nothing.

Guan Wei also remained silent.

Yet Feng Yun, sitting quietly in the carriage, watching the two of them, felt something in the air between them... it was off.

The procession joined Ren Rude and Jin Ge at the edge of the village and set off from Huaxi toward Shiguan. Ge Guang, Ge Yi, Ye Chuang, and several guards kept close throughout the journey, their impressive entourage impossible to overlook...

On the road, many of the locals who saw Feng Yun’s carriage couldn’t help but speculate...

Was the Princess of Yonghuai headed to the battlefield again?

-

Upon reaching Shiguan, Guan Wei came to say farewell to Feng Yun.

Noting her flushed cheeks against her pale complexion, Feng Yun slightly frowned and looked toward the sky.

"It’s not that hot, you’ve been riding with the wind, why are your cheeks so red?"

Guan Wei’s eyelids twitched, and she dropped her gaze.

"...Subordinate is feeling somewhat hot."

Feng Yun turned to Hou Zhun, "General Hou, are you hot?"

Hou Zhun murmured an acknowledgement, glanced at Guan Wei, and pursed his lips, "Hot."

Feng Yun chuckled in response, "It’s not yet summer, and you two are already this heated. What will you become when summer comes?"

Both remained silent.

That strange atmosphere and ambiguous vibe returned.

Feng Yun sized up the situation, half-closed her eyes, and said to Guan Wei, "I won’t return to Huaxi until the day after tomorrow. You may go back on your own after finishing your tasks, or come to the camp to meet with me."

Guan Wei responded, "Yes."

She mounted, gave Hou Zhun a nod, and he stepped aside to return her salute.

The carriage procession continued, and Feng Yun lowered the curtain before questioning Xiaoman.

"In the past few days, have you noticed anything unusual about Guan Ji?"

Xiaoman instinctively shook her head.

As the carriage passed through Shiguan County, something seemed to occur to her, and she abruptly spoke up.

"Guan sister doesn’t usually fancy needlework, yet yesterday I saw her embroidering a sachet... My lady, would that be considered unusual?"

Feng Yun replied, "It would."

Her voice had just faded when the sound of galloping hooves came from outside.

The farther east they went, nearer to the frontline, the more cautious everyone became.

The group exchanged glances, their hands silently resting on the hilts of their swords.

Feng Yun was about to inquire when she heard Ye Chuang’s surprised shout.

"It’s the Dragon Cavalry General, the Dragon Cavalry General is coming!"

Feng Yun drew back the curtain and immediately caught sight of Wen Xingsu, distinctly prominent among the approaching riders.

He spurred his horse into a breakneck gallop, distancing his followers far behind.

Having not seen him for days, he seemed to have changed much, clad in armor, with a steely visage and dark eyes that held a fiery yet silent gaze.

In the blink of an eye, Feng Yun almost thought she saw Pei Jue...

Had her elder brother changed so distinctly today?

The Nanqi Great General from her previous life, who could rival Pei Jue, was back...

Gone was his cultured and refined demeanor, replaced by a chill and fierceness forged on the battlefield. Her elder brother was no longer the cautious governor of Xinzhou, but the self-reliant Dragon Cavalry General.