Chapter 156: Encirclement of Bandits (4)

But Gu Yun didn't say anything, turned her horse's head coldly, and continued to rush forward.

Su Ling's sword eyebrows were tightly locked. He really couldn't understand a woman's thoughts and behavior, especially hers.

"He left?"

On the emerald peak, a clear shadow turned around abruptly. The emerald green dress rippled faintly. On her usually indifferent face, there was obvious surprise and disappointment, and her tone was a bit urgent.

"Yes." He was usually a bit impatient, but he wasn't stupid. It wasn't hard to see that the leader thought highly of the man named Su Ling. Yan Ge reported truthfully, "He left at the Shen hour, with that savage woman."

"Only the two of them left?" The woman felt inexplicable loneliness in her heart. He really left. Meeting again, would it be another five years, or ten? Turning her back indifferently, the woman mocked herself. She and he were actually unable to even be enemies.

"Only the two of them. Leader, Su Ling has already left. Can we go rescue Wuji now?" Su Ling was no longer in the army, so they didn't have to have so many scruples, right?

"No." When she spoke again, there was no trace of abnormality in her low, hoarse voice, as stable and hoarse as ever, "The Su Family Army camp is heavily guarded and cannot be acted upon rashly. Their trip is aimed at the gold, so they will definitely send a large number of soldiers to transport and protect it to ensure safety. The people escorting Wuji will naturally be fewer. We will act when they pass through the Long Canyon outside Pei City."

She was the guardian chosen by this forest and the leader of the tribes. In this life, she was destined not to be able to leave here. Since that was the case, it was better not to see him.

Autumn had arrived, and the night wind didn't feel cool. The moonlight was clear and moist, illuminating the quiet official road like a piece of light white silk embedded in the mountains and ridges. However, the sound of urgent horse hooves approached from far to near, breaking the loneliness of the night. Two horses, entirely ink-black, rushed over, drawing two ink marks on the "white silk."

The two horses, which were originally side by side, suddenly rushed three feet away. The person on the horse pulled the reins hard, and the horse felt pain and stopped, lying straight across the official road.

The horse behind was startled, and the rider could only hurry to grab the reins. The steed neighed long, and it was only after a great effort that it stopped dangerously where it was about to hit the horse in front.

Glaring at the man on the horse, Gu Yun roared, "What are you doing?" Did he know that if she hadn't pulled the horse in time, they would both

Su Ling dismounted nimbly, his face darker than the night, and said coldly, "We have been traveling for a day and a night; we must rest now."

Gu Yun also snorted coldly, "Whether you want to rest is your business; don't block my path." She hadn't asked him to travel with her; this man was sick!

Su Ling ignored her, stepped forward to take hold of the leather rope on the horse's head, and pulled it toward the small woods nearby.

Gu Yun was annoyed, "Su Ling! Do you understand what it means to respect others?"

"You can choose whether to rest on your own, or have me press your acupoints and force you to rest." Holding one horse in each hand, Su Ling did not turn his head, his overbearing reply challenging Gu Yun's nerves.

"Despicable!" Cold, icy glares shot toward the self-righteous, arrogant man in front, and Gu Yun tightened her grip on the Ice Refinement.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Su Ling replied in a cold voice, "If you still have the energy to waste on fighting me, Su is happy to oblige." It was not hard to hear that Su Ling was also trying his best to suppress his own anger. Not sleeping or resting for a day and a night, stopping only to eat dry rations and feed the horses—she hadn't stopped once. Just how far was this woman going to push herself? Was the person who wrote the letter really so important that she would risk her life to rush back!

Gu Yun took a deep breath, warning herself not to be impulsive, not to bicker with him, not to waste energy on him. Calm down, calm down...

After some mental adjustment, Gu Yun finally managed to get her temper under control and said in as calm a tone as possible, "I think it is necessary for us to have a good talk about this journey together. After all, we will be staying together for the next few days, and I can't stand us bickering all day, and neither can you. What do you think?"

After a long while, the man in front replied coldly, "Speak."

"Since we are traveling together, I believe respecting each other should be the most basic courtesy. Do you have any objections to this?"

After a long while, there was still no response from the front. Gu Yun automatically assumed he agreed and continued, "I must rush back to the capital at the fastest speed possible; it is impossible to dawdle slowly like we did on the way here. Resting every day is necessary; I understand this very well. The reason we have been rushing for these two days is because this is when our physical strength and energy are at their best. Therefore, for now, I will only rest for one hour. The further we go, the worse our physical strength will be, and I will extend the rest time by half an hour each day. Do you have any objections to this?"

If she really intended to risk her life to rush, then arranging the rest time this way—Su Ling had to admit that she was impressive and the arrangement was very reasonable. But the problem was, did she need to push herself this hard?

Gu Yun waited for a while longer, but the man in front remained silent. Could she once again automatically assume he agreed?

Shrugging her shoulders, Gu Yun concluded, "If you don't express an opinion, that is tacit consent. Then, I am very happy we have reached a consensus."

Gu Yun flipped off her horse and nimbly began preparing things for the night. At this moment, Su Ling, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly said out of the blue, "Are you really in such a rush?"

Coming back to her senses and understanding what he was asking, Gu Yun replied straightforwardly, "Yes!"

The single word "Yes" caused the temperature around Su Ling to drop by several degrees. Ice Refinement and Red Blood both sensed it, but unfortunately, for Gu Yun, who was somewhat slow in this regard, she usually automatically skipped over it.

Both were people well-versed in the ways of wilderness survival; they quickly found a place most suitable for an overnight stay, and a campfire was lit within half a quarter of an hour. Taking out the water bag and dry rations from their bundles, the two went about solving their hunger problems on their own. After eating and drinking their fill, Gu Yun suddenly said in a low voice, "Take off your clothes."

Su Ling's heart gave a sudden jolt. Before he could digest the meaning of Gu Yun's words, a packet of medicine was already tossed at his feet.

Su Ling stared at her, looking somewhat dazed. Gu Yun said impatiently, "Hurry up, don't waste my time." Before leaving, Su Ren had insisted on stuffing the medicine into her hands and repeatedly told her to help Su Ling change his dressing, even desperately reminding her that Su Ling was injured because he saved her, as if she would be guilty of a heinous crime and be heartless if she didn't help him change the dressing—she couldn't be bothered with him!

Understanding her intention, Su Ling felt a bit awkward, and his expression also turned somewhat unpleasant. He coldly refused, "I can do it myself..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Yun, while rummaging for medicine and fine cloth, replied in a "negotiating" tone, "You can choose to take off your clothes obediently, or you can choose to have me forcibly take off your clothes."

Su Ling suddenly felt like laughing. This woman really held a grudge, throwing his own words back at him.

Forget it, if she, a woman, wasn't shy, what did he have to mind! With his back to Gu Yun, Su Ling removed his upper garment in a few swift motions. His sturdy back was illuminated by the firelight, making the muscle lines appear even more prominent. Gu Yun raised her eyebrows slightly and secretly praised him; Su Ling had a strong and robust physique, wheat-colored skin, and perfectly lined muscles—it really made one envious.

However, Gu Yun limited herself to just admiring it. She untied the old fine cloth, took out a bit of ointment, and carefully helped him apply it to the wound. Under the careful care of the military physician, the wound was slowly healing, but a small circular pit remained on his back; it would likely leave a scar. On his back, there were also some old wounds, large and small. Gu Yun didn't find them hideous; instead, she felt a bit of admiration for him.

And Su Ling's composure from when he took off his clothes just now became somewhat strange when Gu Yun's slightly warm fingertips, mixed with the cool ointment, applied it bit by bit to his wound. It was the same ointment, and her movements couldn't be considered particularly gentle, so why did it feel so different from when the military physician changed his dressing! That feeling of being both hot and cold, painful and numb—to be honest, it wasn't very pleasant!

And when Gu Yun helped him tie the bandage, as the bandage wrapped around his chest, her breasts brushed against his back, whether intentionally or not. His mind uncontrollably recalled that night in the camp tent, rising and falling with her breathing...

Damn it! He was a normal man. At this moment, Su Ling regretted having her change his dressing more than anything.

By comparison, Gu Yun didn't have so many distracting thoughts; she had seen too many men's bodies. During her special training in the past, she didn't know how many male team members she had bandaged in the wild, so the current task was easy for her. Tying a knot nimbly and packing up the medicine and fine cloth, Gu Yun said coldly, "Done, rest. We leave in one hour."

After saying this, Gu Yun lay down by the campfire on her own, pillowing her head with her hands, and just like that, she lay flat on the ground in a carefree manner.

Su Ling's face turned black again in a flash. What woman would lie flat and sleep in the wilderness in front of a man without any reservations? At least he had never seen one! Was she truly not on guard against him at all, or was she always this bold in her actions? For the first time, General Su was so interested in studying someone other than an enemy, and it was a woman he had previously disdained to spend any effort on.

After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Su Ling simply closed his eyes. The best way to deal with this woman was—out of sight, out of mind!

After a long while, Gu Yun slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the man sitting cross-legged beside her, secretly regulating his breathing. With limited sleep time, Gu Yun would always choose the most comfortable way to get the most effective sleep whenever the environment allowed. She was a bit curious: could someone like Su Ling really rest like that? Wouldn't his legs go numb?

After a few days, Gu Yun's conclusion was that closing one's eyes to meditate like that wasn't very reliable.

Because Su Ling's complexion was becoming increasingly unsightly, his deep eyes were bloodshot, his black clothes were wrinkled, and his usually wild hair was even more disheveled. He—was simply a walking icicle. Gu Yun attributed the entire cause to severe sleep deprivation, but as for the reason for the lack of sleep, had she guessed wrong?

(End of chapter)