Finest Servant

Chapter 541

Chapter 541 Walking with the Tiger

The next morning, they broke camp and set out early. Lin Wanrong rode alone at the head of the group, his head hanging low and his expression lifeless. It seemed as if dark circles had appeared under his eyes overnight. Hu Bugui couldn't resist pulling aside Gao Qiu beside him and nodding toward Lin Wanrong's forlorn figure. "Brother Gao, what's going on with the general? Wasn't he perfectly fine last night?"

Old Gao blinked, his face equally puzzled. "Hmm? Could it be that something went wrong last night? That can't be; he was laughing so joyfully with Yueya'er. We all heard it. He should be basking in the heat of love, not looking like this. Perhaps he lost himself rather than messed things up!"

Hearing mention of Yueya'er, Old Hu turned his gaze toward the exquisite carriage at the center of the procession. The curtain was slightly lifted, revealing the figure of a Turkic young woman. Her graceful body, charming face, and deep blue eyes all exuded calm, and she even wore a faint smile.

The young woman, Yujia, carefully carved a delicate curved knife into a bamboo flute she held. Occasionally, she would lift the flute to her lips and play a few cheerful notes. Her long eyelashes trembled from time to time, and a soft smile lit up her eyes, making her look exceptionally sweet.

Seeing this, Old Hu was bewildered. Was this a captive? She seemed more at ease than someone sipping tea at a teahouse.

Comparing Lin Wanrong's mood to Yueya'er’s, one looked as lifeless as rotting wood, while the other was as cheerful as a bright spring flower. The contrast was striking and inexplicable.

After a long observation, Old Gao suddenly slapped his thigh. "This is bad, Old Hu. This is really bad."

Hu Bugui was startled. "What do you mean, 'really bad'?"

Having spent considerable time with Lin Wanrong, Old Gao had picked up some of his lingo. The phrase "won him over" rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

"You can't be serious," said Hu Bugui, utterly shocked. "General Lin is the most charming man in our Empire. He's faced countless challenges and women without a scratch. How could he be defeated by a foreign woman? This is inconceivable."

Old Gao sighed deeply. "What's so inconceivable? As the saying goes, a crab eventually dies in water, and a general faces his fate on the battlefield. General Lin has lived a life of conquests. If he finally meets his match amid a field of flowers, it's not that big a deal."

Despite their speculation, the more they talked, the more they feared. What if General Lin really couldn’t resist her and decided to stay in the grasslands? Not only would it endanger this isolated expedition, but it would also spell disaster for the two princesses, Miss Xu, and even the entire Empire.

They glanced at each other, seeing mirrored fear and panic in each other’s eyes, as if the apocalypse were upon them.

Finally unable to contain themselves, Old Gao and Old Hu let out a synchronized yell, "Go!" Both whipped their horses, sending them galloping to catch up with Lin Wanrong.

The Turkic young woman, leisurely fiddling with her jade flute, slightly lifted her eyelids. Her gaze settled on the three fine horses converging ahead. A faint, mocking smile crept into her eyes.

It was dawn, and the eastern steppe was just beginning to show a glimmer of light that resembled the belly of a fish. The vast sky remained an unyielding black. Lin Wanrong had just let out a yawn when the sound of galloping hooves came from behind him. Hu Bugui and Gao Qiu hurriedly caught up, taking positions on either side of him.

"Ah, you two are in high spirits, up so early for a horse race?" Lin Wanrong waved and laughed.

Gao Qiu exchanged a glance with Hu Bugui. Gritting his teeth, Hu began, "General, there's something unclear to me. It's about this jade-flute girl—"

"Jade-flute girl?" Lin Wanrong's expression shifted awkwardly. "Why bring her up out of the blue?"

Hu Bugui carefully observed the general's face as he carefully spoke, "I'm wondering how your interaction with her went last night. Will there be, um, further 'engagements'—I mean, will there be a deeper level of 'offensive' against her?"

‘A deeper level of offensive? Isn't my level deep enough already?’ Lin Wanrong sighed and shook his head. "Brother Hu, Brother Gao, you've come at a good time. Concerning this 'Yueya'er,' I have only one thing to say."

"One thing?" Hu Bugui and Gao Qiu exchanged puzzled glances. They worried Lin Wanrong had been swayed by this Turkic woman. Gao Qiu reacted quickly, "What is this one thing, Brother Lin? Speak freely. We are prepared for anything."

Lin Wanrong covertly glanced towards the carriage at the center of their entourage, lowered his head, and spoke deliberately, "Cherish—Your—Lives—Stay—Away—From—Jade—Flute—"

[TL: Yujia also means Jade Flute]

As he finished uttering these words, he took a deep breath, appearing to have lightened his load significantly. Hu Bugui and Gao Qiu were stunned. Was it that serious? It was just a Turkic girl, but in the eyes of General Lin, she seemed like a dangerous beast.

"Don't believe me, eh? I knew you wouldn't!" Lin Wanrong bitterly shook his head. "If it were yesterday, I wouldn't believe it either. But the reality is cruel. Think about it. A beautiful girl like her is in our hands. What can we do to her? As long as Little Li remains unconscious, we can neither hit nor curse her, let alone kill her. We have to treat her well, and even sending her away has become a luxury. To put it bluntly, she could easily sabotage us a hundred times over, while we have no avenue to harm her."

Lin Wanrong expressed his anguish and indignation. Never before had he understood so deeply the saying that it's easier to invite a deity than to send one away.

"Ah, so that's how it is," both Gao Qiu and Hu Bugui said, stretching out the word 'ah,' but then burst into carefree laughter, showing not a shred of concern. Whether Yueya'er was easy to deal with wasn't their worry. As long as Brother Lin hadn't been bewitched by the Turkic woman, all was well. As for dealing with Yueya'er, who would believe that Lin Wanrong was truly helpless? He was just being modest.

"Hey, you two, are you even listening to me? Do you know how dangerous this Yueya'er girl is?" Seeing both men laughing lasciviously, without a care for their future, General Lin couldn't help but roar in exasperation.

Gao Qiu hastily nodded, "Brother Lin, here's what we're thinking. Little Li's injuries cannot be left untreated, and we have no choice but to keep Yueya'er with us for the journey. Although she has some tricks up her sleeve, as you said yesterday, she is ultimately under our control. At worst, we can resort to coercion; rest assured that we won't let you suffer any loss."

"Yes, yes," Old Hu added, "Another crucial point is that Old Gao and I both feel that this Yujia’er holds a significant position among the Turkic people. Keeping her with us could prove advantageous at a critical moment. We are considering the safety of our brothers."

Their back and forth made it clear that although they weren't deliberately keeping Yueya'er, the implication was there. Yueya'er was now Little Li's savior, and driving her away was out of the question. Instead of figuring out how to get rid of her, it was better to think of how to win her over.

Of the three, Lin Wanrong had the most interactions with Yujia’er, and he understood best just how formidable this Turkic girl was.

At the moment, Yueya'er was as mysterious as the moon in the sky, her origins unknown. Yet given her understanding of the language and medical arts of the Empire, no one would believe that she hadn't heard of Lin Wanrong. In their conversation the previous night, she had displayed a keen wit. When she spoke, her words were incisive, as if targeting Lin Wanrong's vulnerabilities. It was both accurate and ruthless.

One of them operated in the shadows, the other in the light. ‘I haven't even made my move, and I'm already at a disadvantage. How can I win this fight?’ Lin Wanrong mused silently, then finally shook his head with a wry smile. "Brother Gao, Brother Hu, keeping Yujia’er with us is akin to dancing with a tiger."

Gao Qiu grunted in agreement and chuckled, "What's there to fear? Even if she's a ferocious tiger, she's still a female. Old Hu and I have faith in you; go ahead and do what you need to do."

It seemed there was truly no turning back. Lin Wanrong looked towards the carriage. The curtain was rolled up, and the Turkic girl sat on the floor, carefully picking herbs. She hummed a tune that Lin Wanrong couldn't understand, her face covered by a light veil. Every so often, her face radiated a smile as warm as spring flowers, incredibly beautiful.

In a moment of delight, she grabbed some herbs and lightly scattered them on the carriage floor, forming the characters of her name—"Yujia." Satisfied, she nodded her head. She then mysteriously produced a small, exquisite golden curved knife from somewhere. The knife's sheath shimmered in golden hues, looking incredibly valuable. Yujia placed the golden knife below her name, examining it closely. A touch of blush appeared on her face, and she couldn't help but bite her lower lip as she smiled.

Watching her every move was like feeling the gentle breeze sweeping across the plains—pure, natural, and flawless. At this moment, Yueya'er was just an innocent and carefree Turkic girl, and no one could associate her with the formidable Yujia from the previous night. Hu Bugui muttered, "Who would have thought that such pure and lovely women existed on the plains? I've truly broadened my horizons."

"Pure and lovely?" Lin Wanrong found it impossible to associate the Turkic girl, Yujia, with the words 'pure and lovely' after her behavior the previous night. To say she was hateful was already a compliment.

Seemingly sensing someone's gaze, Yujia slowly lifted her head and offered a smile, radiant like fireworks, her eyes deep and shimmering like water.

"Damn it," Old Gao couldn't help but grab Hu Bugui's shoulder, saying fiercely, "A femme fatale, a disaster for the country and its people! Brother Lin, on behalf of the people of Great Hua, I strongly request that you rein in this temptress to uphold the might of our great nation."

Staring at Yujia's moist, water-like eyes, Lin Wanrong's heart skipped a beat. An involuntary phrase came to his mind—Walking with a Tiger!

"Report—urgent military news!" From a distance, a steed galloped toward them like an arrow, the scout's shout echoing across the plains. The Turkic horse was soaked through, its rider covered in dust and sweat, charging straight for the central army.

Gao Qiu quickly stepped forward, grabbing the galloping horse's reins. With a loud neigh, the horse came to a stable halt. The scout dismounted but stumbled forward, his knees buckling from exhaustion.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Hu Bugui swiftly moved to steady him. "Calm down, General Lin is here. What's the urgent military news? Speak!"

The scout panted, "General, this is bad. The 20,000 Turkic people who were originally heading toward Bayanhot suddenly changed direction this morning. They are now moving southwest toward our army. Their vanguard is now approximately 77 miles away."

"What? How could this happen?" Both Hu Bugui and Gao Qiu were shocked, leaping to their feet. "How could the Turks know we are here? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"General, I swear it's true!" The scout said anxiously. "Three more scouts are still hidden up ahead. They will have more information in an hour."

It seemed to be true then. Old Hu's face turned pale. He turned to Lin Wanrong, "General, how could this possibly happen? How could the Turks suddenly change course?"

Lin Wanrong's eyes flashed as he quickly glanced towards Yujia's carriage. The curtain had been quietly drawn. Yueya’er's silhouette was faintly visible, appearing and disappearing; there was an eerie quietness inside the carriage.

"Wait for me!" Lin Wanrong shouted, slapping his horse's rear. The Turkic steed sprinted out, heading straight for the exquisite carriage.

"Ah—what are you doing?!" Amid Yujia's scream, Lin Wanrong tore open the curtain, leaped inside, and slashed his knife toward Yueya’er's head.

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