Chapter 110

Su Yu flicked his sleeves and left. Gu Yun dropped the half-eaten cucumber, stood up, and stretched. She had eaten too quickly just now and was truly quite stuffed. This era had no protein powder, so to provide sufficient calories and accelerate muscle growth, she had to force herself to eat these high-protein foods. Looking at her still skeletal figure, Gu Yun felt depressed. When would she be able to recover to how she was before?

Frustrated, she lowered her head and met the old servant's somewhat resentful eyes. Gu Yun shrugged and smiled faintly; it wasn't that she was bullying his master, it was that he was too self-righteous. As the old servant cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, he shook his head and sighed to himself. This young girl was extremely shrewd and cunning; the Third Young Master was definitely no match for her. He just didn't know if the Great General would be able to handle her.

The old servant muttered to himself as he left the small courtyard. Gu Yun lay flat on the grass at will, squinting her eyes, and idly played with a piece of wild grass in her hand.

Qing was nowhere to be found, and she currently had no clues. The General's Mansion was not a place for her to stay long-term, but if she fled now, she would only be hunted down. By then, she would be unable to even take care of herself, let alone search for Qing. Staying in the General's Mansion for the time being, waiting until she found Qing and planned a retreat, would not be too late. Gu Yun was calculating her next plan in her mind when a sudden, thunderous drum sound arrived. Gu Yun opened her eyes abruptly and listened intently.

It was the sound coming from the back mountain again! For the past half-month, shouts, fighting, or brief drum sounds had been coming from directly behind the courtyard. These rumbling drum sounds, one after another, were full of power and restlessness, actually making one's blood boil.

She had always been a person of action. The moment curiosity ignited in her heart, her body had already acted a step ahead. She stood up nimbly and walked toward the place where the drum sounds originated.

What came into view was a high courtyard wall with a small wooden door left ajar. Gu Yun walked over, pushed the door open, and looked inside. Suddenly, the view opened up, and her spirit was also jolted.

As far as the eye could see was a vast, open space. Under the scorching sun, two or three thousand people stood densely yet very neatly on the open ground, in a formation of two armies facing each other. Su Yu, the man she had seen at noon, stood in the position of the commander of one side, wearing silver armor and holding a thick, heavy broadsword. He stood proudly, possessing quite a bit of a majestic air.

The war drums paused, and only Su Yu's low roar was heard, "Attack!" The formation immediately spread out, and the opposing side also set up a defensive stance.

Gu Yun leaned lightly against the door frame, watching this duel with great interest. After a while, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she laughed softly.

"Is it very funny?" A gentle male voice sounded from behind her.

Gu Yun was slightly startled. She had been too focused on the formation before her and hadn't sensed anyone approaching! She felt secretly annoyed, but her face showed nothing. She turned slowly to see a man in green standing behind her. He was very handsome; just looking at his features, Gu Yun guessed that this person must also be Su Ling's brother. However, compared to Su Ling's unruly coldness and Su Yu's hot-tempered dominance, his refined and clear demeanor gave him an extra touch of refreshing and pleasant temperament. Although he wore a polite smile, Gu Yun could see from his slightly narrowed eyes and upturned corners of his mouth that his mood at this moment was not as friendly as his face suggested.

Concealing the sharp glint in her eyes, Gu Yun replied lightly, "It is not funny; I just feel it is a pity."

"A pity for what?" Su Ren remained calm.

Turning her head to look at the two teams of people fighting intensely below, where the outcome was not yet clear, Gu Yun replied indifferently, "The main purpose of this offensive battle should be to test the strength of the attacking force led by Su Yu. I personally feel that this team has plenty of offensive power, but unfortunately, their defensive capability is too low." It might not be obvious at the start of the battle, but it would be exposed completely in a while.

Su Ren's eyes flashed, and he continued to ask with a smile, "How so?"

Gu Yun turned back, meeting Su Ren's deep eyes. Was he trying to test her? Gu Yun laughed softly; if he wanted to test her, she would oblige. Standing side by side with Su Ren, she whispered her analysis, "Whether it is the attacking side or the defending side, in a situation where they are unfamiliar with the opponent's offensive, the initial attack intensity is the same. At this time, who wins or loses depends on who discovers the opponent's flaws first, who can maintain defense while attacking, and who can withstand the opponent's offensive—that is who will win! If Su Yu's team encounters an average opponent, they can already win by relying on their strong offensive power, but if the opponent is also a group of elite soldiers and generals, then relying solely on offense is clearly not enough."

Gu Yun slowly raised her hand, pointing to Su Yu's right side, her voice firm as she laughed softly, "The right side—that is the loophole where his defense is insufficient."

As if to verify her words, as the two armies clashed, the formation on Su Yu's side had originally been like a butterfly spreading its wings, but unfortunately, the further it went, the heavier the two wings became. Su Yu and the vanguard had already rushed to the very front, but the entire formation was still lagging behind, especially on the right side, where the formation was clearly in disarray.

Su Ren's brows furrowed tightly, and his heart skipped a beat. When he first saw this woman standing outside the courtyard with a smile on her face, he had assumed she was a young lady from a wealthy family who didn't understand military law or formations, didn't understand the mysteries within, and was just smiling foolishly. Now it seemed that not only did she understand, but she was also very proficient!

Suppressing the astonishment in his heart, Su Ren asked, "In your opinion, how can one win?"

"Increase defensive power." As long as they could hold on for another half an hour, with this team's offensive power, they should be able to take down the opponent.

"How to increase it?"

After a moment of silence, Gu Yun replied coldly, "Increase individual combat capability."

Individual combat capability? Su Ren's eyes lit up. He and Su Yu had actually already noticed the flaw in Su Yu's formation, but they just couldn't find the crux of the problem for a moment. After she said this, he seemed to have a countermeasure in his mind. Looking at the woman beside him with new respect, Su Ren smiled, "Any interest in watching this offensive battle from up close?"

Gu Yun smiled readily, "Okay." Regarding this invitation, Gu Yun admitted she was very tempted. In this era, she had always felt there was nothing that made her feel familiar or interested, but this place seemed to make her feel familiar, and she inexplicably wanted to get to the bottom of it.

The two entered the drill ground. From this position, they could see the formation more clearly. Su Ren had been secretly observing the woman beside him. Gu Yun suddenly asked in a low voice, "What is your name?"

Su Ren was slightly stunned and replied, "Su Ren."

Gu Yun nodded and replied, "Qing Mo."

"Does Miss Qing also like to study military books and formations in her spare time?" Su Ren had long guessed the identity of any woman who appeared in the General's Mansion, but he hadn't expected that the rumored beauty of the Qing family would have her face completely ruined, and even less did he expect that she would understand military strategy!

Gu Yun shook her head frankly and laughed heartily, "It can't be called studying; I just know a little." She had indeed read the so-called military books of the ancient times, but she really hadn't studied them. What was in her mind were all modern military drills and combat techniques.

Su Ren raised his eyebrows slightly. Just know a little? She was truly humble. As the two chatted, this offensive battle ended as they had expected, with Su Yu's attack failing. He had already added two hundred people to the right flank, yet he still lost! Annoyed, he took off his armor, and looking up, he saw Su Ren standing opposite. Su Yu hurried over.

"Second Brother." Having been defeated in a battle for the second time, Su Yu was already in a bad mood. When he saw the petite woman beside Su Ren, Su Yu's face darkened, and he roared, "What are you doing here?! Who gave you permission to come? Get out."

Gu Yun's cold eyes turned icy, and she asked, "Does this place not belong to the scope of the General's Mansion?"

Su Yu didn't understand the situation and had a belly full of fire with nowhere to vent, so he continued to roar at Gu Yun, "Of course this place belongs to the General's Mansion."

Gu Yun nodded slowly and snorted, word for word, "Very good. A bastard who lost a bet to me promised half an hour ago to allow me to move freely within the General's Mansion."

Su Yu's expression stiffened. It was indeed he who had agreed to let her move freely in the General's Mansion, but he was a Deputy General of the army; how could he tolerate a woman shouting at him! Su Yu's anger burned even hotter. Pointing at Gu Yun, he roared with a nasty tone, "This is a drill ground, a place for men to train for battle. Women have no qualifications to enter, and women are even less allowed to watch wantonly!"

Su Yu's constant "woman" this and "woman" that, and that high-and-mighty attitude, completely infuriated Gu Yun. Her cold eyes swept over the group of soldiers on the drill ground who had just been defeated, and when she met Su Yu's gaze again, Gu Yun raised a mocking and disdainful smile. She said coldly and in a low voice, "A duel with a predetermined outcome is boring to watch! A general like you, who is eager for quick success, short-sighted, and fundamentally doesn't understand the art of war, had better not lead troops, lest you cause them to die with you on the battlefield."

As soon as Gu Yun finished speaking, the soldiers below couldn't help but gasp. Was this woman tired of living?! Su Ren also felt a secret headache.

This woman actually dared to humiliate him in public! "Presumptuous!" Su Yu finally came to his senses. The anger in his chest made him raise the broadsword in his hand and swing it toward Gu Yun's head. The sharp blade flashed with a ghastly white light under the sun's rays. Su Ren was shocked. His third brother had gone mad! If this blade landed, how could she possibly survive!

Just as Su Ren intended to intervene to stop it, the frail woman in their eyes was approaching a nearby officer at an incredible speed. Before he could react, she grabbed the hilt of the sword at his waist. Gu Yun drew the sword nimbly. As the long sword left its scabbard, it traced a mysterious white silver light. Holding the sharp sword, she swung it backhanded, meeting the broadsword that was hacking down toward her head.

In an instant, a clear clashing sound accompanied a dazzling spark. The long sword and the broadsword met; the thin blade of the sword was clearly no match for the broadsword. With one strike, the long sword actually chipped, and the fierce force also made Gu Yun's tiger's mouth numb, causing her to kneel on one knee.

Damn it! Gu Yun cursed inwardly. If it were before, she would definitely not be afraid of a head-on fight with him, but now what she lacked most was strength. After one move, Gu Yun already understood: Su Yu mainly relied on brute force when facing an enemy. She could not fight him head-on; she had to use skill!

The clear, cold sound of the weapons clashing also woke Su Yu up. He had actually attacked a woman, and what shocked him most was that she had actually blocked one of his moves! There were not many generals in the army who could block a strike from him while he was in a rage!

Su Yu was still stunned, but Gu Yun had already turned the sword nimbly, stabbing obliquely toward Su Yu's face. Su Yu hadn't expected her to have such a follow-up move and hurriedly dodged to the side. Gu Yun was also able to stand up, and the long sword immediately coiled around Su Yu's right hand holding the sword like a snake. Su Yu's expression turned cold; he gripped the sword hilt and swept it horizontally toward Gu Yun. Gu Yun did not retreat but advanced, dodging behind Su Yu. No matter how Su Yu attacked, Gu Yun seemed to be stuck to his back.

To the onlookers, everyone thought that Gu Yun was no match for Su Yu, and her petite body was constantly hiding behind Su Yu. Su Ren, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, had his eyes flash. This woman was so clever and had such handsome skills; to stick firmly behind a person was much harder than a head-on fight.

Agility was her advantage. She was constantly sticking to his third brother, and his third brother had no chance to attack at all. She was waiting for an opportunity; as long as his third brother showed the slightest flaw, she could strike with one blow!

Su Yu, who was accustomed to wide-open attacks, appeared increasingly irritable when facing Gu Yun's tricky close-combat tactics. Just as his breathing became disordered, Gu Yun found the breakthrough. As she flipped her sword and was about to pass under Su Yu's armpit to stab his right hand holding the sword, Su Ren also saw her intention. He flashed forward, grabbed Su Yu's right wrist, pulled him away, and shouted in a low, cold voice, "Stop! Have you had enough!"

Slowly withdrawing the long sword she was about to thrust, her gaze crossed Su Yu's broad back and met Su Ren's deep eyes. Gu Yun raised her eyebrows lightly; this person was much harder to deal with than the reckless Su Yu.

The two exchanged glances, with undercurrents surging. Su Yu, however, did not understand the situation and roared indignantly, "Second Brother, on the drill ground, how can a woman be allowed to point fingers and speak nonsense!"

(End of chapter)