Chapter 148: How to Verify Identity (1)

The voice behind her, like an ice block and almost devoid of emotion, stopped Gu Yun's footsteps. Turning around, before Gu Yun could speak, Su Ling said unceremoniously, "You were the one who thought of using the water system map to infer the rebels' location; now you want to wash your hands of it?"

Gu Yun was annoyed. When did she say she was washing her hands of it! He hadn't called her, so was she supposed to squeeze in and "offer advice"? Sorry, she wasn't that cheap!

"Su Ling, you—" Cold eyes met cold eyes. Gu Yun was about to explode when Yu Shijun smelled the gunpowder and hurriedly tried to appease them, "Yes, yes, it's a brilliant plan thought up by the Madam; how can you not participate in the discussion of the encirclement and surprise attack? Sit, please sit!" What on earth was going on with this couple? It seemed like they hadn't met if they didn't have a fight.

Gu Yun didn't buy it, still keeping her lotus-like face cold, standing at the tent entrance, using Su Ling to practice her eye strength. Su Ling, on the other hand, looked indifferent, letting her glare.

Su Ren found it secretly amusing. Big Brother clearly wanted to keep her, but didn't say a single nice word. No matter how unique and resilient Qing Mo was, she was ultimately a woman; couldn't he coax her? The atmosphere in the tent was a bit bad. Su Ren's gaze swept over Su Ling's bandaged shoulder, his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, sighing loudly, "Let's all sit down and talk. Big Brother's wound finally stopped bleeding; the military physician specifically instructed to be careful and not let the wound tear open again."

Those dark eyes were still as aggressive as ever, but his complexion was indeed very poor. Gu Yun secretly gritted her teeth. Considering he had saved her yesterday and was still a patient, she would endure it this time! Walking to the desk, she pulled out a stool and sat down with a thud, her displeasure undisguised, though she said nothing.

Fortunately, Su Ling didn't say anything else to provoke Gu Yun's anger, and the group finally sat down at the desk. Su Ling, as the Commander, naturally deployed the troops. Pointing to the location of the rebels' camp on the map, Su Ling said, "According to Lou Muhai, the rebels number at least ten thousand. Tomorrow, Deputy General Yu will lead five thousand elite troops to open the path first and set fire to the mountains. I will lead fifteen thousand elite troops to follow, encircling the thieves' den with a fishing net formation, slowly closing the net with the fire. We must absolutely not let the rebels escape."

Su Ren had seen with his own eyes how deep the blood hole in Su Ling's shoulder was, and he couldn't help but say urgently, "Big Brother, you are injured—"

"It's fine, I have my own measure." Su Ling coldly interrupted Su Ren and continued, "The location where the gold is hidden is accessible from all directions. Ren, you lead ten thousand elite troops and split into four routes, blocking from four directions. You must not let them transport the gold away. Once the gold is found, transport it out immediately. I will arrange for Lou Muhai to meet you then."

"Yes." Su Ren didn't try to persuade him again and accepted the order loudly. He knew his Big Brother's temper best; more words were useless.

After listening for a long time, Han Shu didn't hear his name in the charge. As a Vanguard, he was a bit anxious, "What about me?"

Su Ling replied indifferently, "Your injuries haven't healed yet; stay in the camp."

Han Shu stood up abruptly and said seriously, "General, these minor injuries can't stop me. Please let me lead troops into battle as well."

His resolute face was full of persistence, and his upright shoulders showed his determination. Su Ling looked at him and finally said readily, "Good, you go with Ren and make sure to transport the gold back."

"Yes." The loud voice showed Han Shu's good mood.

They had been talking for a long time, and Gu Yun had remained silent throughout. Su Ling thought she was still angry, but upon closer inspection, he realized she was in a daze and hadn't been listening to them at all. Su Ling was slightly annoyed, and Su Ren asked directly, "Sister-in-law, what are you thinking about?"

After pondering for a while, Gu Yun decided to tell them about the woman she saw in the rainforest this morning, "I saw a special woman in the rainforest today. Her martial arts are not weak, and she is very familiar with the rainforest environment. Judging by her attire, she looks like a local who has lived in the rainforest for a long time."

A woman? "Maybe she's the rebel leader's woman." Han Shu could only think of this possibility. Otherwise, why would a woman appear in the deep mountains and forests for no reason, and be so familiar with the terrain?

Thinking of the short time she spent with the woman, Gu Yun shook her head decisively and replied, "Unlikely! She has a kind of pure, lonely, and arrogant temperament that is simply not something a woman kept in captivity could compare to."

Captivity?! Several men looked at each other; this woman's thoughts were truly unique.

Gu Yun was immersed in her own thoughts and didn't notice their changing expressions, continuing, "I am mainly worried that besides the rebels, there are other natives in this rainforest. Their existence is also a potential threat to us. If we burn the mountains, we are destroying their living environment, and I fear it will cause trouble." If they attacked in groups, even if General Su had thirty thousand men, he might not be able to handle it.

What Gu Yun said wasn't impossible, and several people fell silent. They had all focused their targets on the rebels, and now this side issue had arisen! What exactly was the identity of that woman?

The atmosphere, which had been high due to tomorrow's surprise attack, now seemed a bit low. Su Ling's firm and deep voice sounded at the right time, "Regardless of whether she is a rebel's woman or a so-called native, the fire attack tomorrow is imperative. Our army is only burning a very small part of the mountain wilderness. The humidity in the rainforest is high; without fire oil and sulfur to help ignite it, the fire will soon go out. As long as our army can settle it quickly and end the surprise attack within ten hours, even if there are other natives, by the time they discover our army and gather to head over, our army will have already withdrawn."

Su Ren nodded in agreement, "Yes, if we don't attack tomorrow, we will have to wait at least half a month. Doing so will definitely exceed the deadline on the imperial decree." Even the Su Family Army could not bear the consequences of defying the decree.

Feeling vaguely that something was wrong, but unable to say where the problem lay, and with the deadline right there, Gu Yun could only nod and reply, "Alright, we can only do this for now."

Gu Yun looked a bit absent-minded, and Han Shu and Su Ling were both injured. Su Ren looked at Su Ling and said, "It's almost the Zi hour, and everyone is tired. Let's stop the discussion here for today. We will deploy specifically at the Chen hour tomorrow. Big Brother, what do you think?"

Su Ling didn't insist and nodded, "Hmm."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gu Yun stood up and walked away without saying a word. Su Ling's eyes were cold and dark, and he didn't look at her again. Su Ren was secretly puzzled. One saved the other's life, and the other helped with all his might; shouldn't there be mutual affection? How could it be like this?

As the crowd dispersed, Su Ling was preparing to return to his tent when the long-absent red shadow wandered in. With a smile in his phoenix eyes, Mu Yi looked Su Ling up and down, clicking his tongue and laughing, "I've only been gone for two days, and you've been injured to this state. Being a hero is indeed not easy, especially a hero saving a beauty."

"Disappear from my sight if you're done talking nonsense." Su Ling had long been numb to Mu Yi's teasing and ridicule and couldn't be bothered to look at him. Su Ling put the water system map into a wooden box and placed it on the bookshelf behind him.

Completely ignored, Mu Yi wasn't annoyed, sighing as he walked toward the tent exit, "Alright, I finally found out about Miss Qing's family background and life. I originally wanted to talk to you about the interesting stories of this Third Miss Qing. Since you're not interested, I'll go."

The hand holding the wooden box paused. Su Ling turned around and called out coldly, "Stop."

The voice wasn't loud, and if one listened carefully, there was a hint of urgency. With a slight curl of his lips, Mu Yi didn't continue to keep him in suspense, sat down on a chair, and said with high interest, "Qing Mo, fifteen years of age. She could write poetry at five and compose music at seven. At ten, she played against the most famous chess master in Haoyue, Fu Yue, and became famous everywhere with a draw. Later, she defeated envoys from various countries. At a young age, she was known as one of the Three Wonders of Haoyue, thanks to her superb chess skills, along with the eldest sister's zither music and the second sister's calligraphy and painting. It's just that she is very timid, afraid of meeting strangers, and her body is delicate..."

"Wait." Su Ling coldly interrupted Mu Yi, his dark eyes full of disbelief, "Are you sure the person you're talking about is the Qing Mo I know?" The first part was barely listenable, but the latter part was simply outrageous. Timid and delicate? If Qing Mo could be considered timid and delicate, was there any bold and healthy woman in this world?

Having guessed he would have such a reaction, Mu Yi shrugged, replying pointedly, "I'm talking about the Third Miss Qing. Whether it's the Qing Mo we see before us is another matter."

Su Ling frowned, "Could it be that she has been biding her time, and what the world sees is just the facade she deliberately put on?"

Mu Yi's phoenix eyes flashed. Su Ling's first reaction wasn't that the Qing Mo in the army was an impostor, but that those were just facades she used to bide her time. It seemed that unknowingly, Su Ling had already taken a fancy to her. Laughing inwardly but looking disapproving on the surface, Mu Yi sighed, "With her skills and knowledge today, it's absolutely impossible that she could have acquired them by staying at home and reading a few military books or boxing manuals. She must have undergone a lot of training. As far as I know, the Third Miss Qing has always lived in the Haoyue capital."

Vaguely understanding what Mu Yi meant, Su Ling still didn't point it out, "Perhaps she had some fortuitous encounters or an unknown past."

Mu Yi chuckled, his eyes full of arrogance, "How can there be so many fortuitous encounters in the world, and there is no past that I cannot uncover."

Although Mu Yi spoke arrogantly, it wasn't an empty statement. Su Ling pondered, "You mean to say that the Qing Mo currently in the army is actually not the Third Miss Qing, but someone else impersonating her!" It wasn't that he hadn't thought of this possibility, but he couldn't connect those frank and arrogant eyes with a spy.

"I didn't say that." Mu Yi looked innocent, distancing himself completely. Under Su Ling's icy gaze, Mu Yi smiled, "Actually, there is a simplest and most effective way to verify if she is Qing Mo. This is thanks to your mother-in-law, but it's difficult to verify, and ordinary people might not be able to do it."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, speak." The malicious light in Mu Yi's eyes was too dazzling. Su Ling had already guessed that what he was about to say would definitely be frustrating, but he had to ask.

"Madam Qing is a famous tattoo artist in Haoyue. When the three young ladies were a month old, she tattooed the last character of their names on their bodies. You just need to check if there is a 'Mo' character on Qing Mo's body to know if she is the Third Miss Qing. It is said—that tattoo is not an ordinary tattoo; the characters tattooed on it are usually invisible and only appear when the person is emotionally excited or their body temperature rises. And the position of the tattoo is exactly on her right chest. You say, to see her chest when her body temperature rises, is it difficult for an ordinary person to do?" Mu Yi deliberately said the words "body temperature rises" slowly and loudly. Su Ling's face grew darker the more he heard, while Mu Yi's mood grew better and better. Seeing Su Ling's expression, he knew he hadn't eaten her yet. He was truly a good person, giving Su Ling a legitimate and good opportunity...

Su Ling's face was stiff and cold, silent for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking. Mu Yi decided to be a "good person" to the end and give him another push, "Ling, if it were an ordinary family, it wouldn't matter who she is, as long as you find her pleasing to the eye and keep her by your side to warm the bed. But you are a General, and now she has even mixed into the army and is deeply loved by the soldiers. If she is not Qing Mo but an impostor with ulterior motives, or even a spy sent by the rebels to lurk in the Su Family Army..."

Before he finished, the meaning was clear. Mu Yi closed his mouth in satisfaction after seeing a flash of dark light in Su Ling's hawk-like eyes.

Tomorrow they would launch a surprise attack on the rebels' camp. As a General, he had to be responsible for the entire Su Family Army and absolutely could not keep a person of suspicious identity by his side! The tall figure stood up abruptly and walked straight out of the tent.

"It's so late, where are you going?" The question, neither light nor heavy, drifted out from the tent. Listening carefully, it wasn't hard to hear a hint of secret joy.

The night scenery tonight was truly enchanting.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 149 =====