A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

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On his horse, Dong Lin's main general, Chu Beijie carried his head held high. His confident figure looked more than ready to battle, his infamous sword was hanging by his waist and bow held against his horse.

He made his way through no man's land to the Kanbu gates when he suddenly glanced up. She glanced down and their eyes happened to meet, causing sparks. Immense excitement raged through both of them.

His army of a thousand horses and men wasn't afraid of anything, yet she continued to breezily sit inside the palanquin.

When Pingting felt the electric but fiery spark, her body seemed to have gone limp like energy had been drained from her limbs or as if her body was completely dry of blood. Her vision was temporarily blurred and her uncoordinated body was only stretched after clutching against a stone pillar.

Looking down, she couldn't see the soldiers standing at the Kanbu walls. She could only see those eyes which seemed to burn right through her.

Chu Beijie always made her lose her will, energy, and concentration. With a wry smile, she realised that she couldn't wait to see every inch of him once more. Little did she know that her body unconsciously took two steps forward.

"Be careful My Lady!" Cautioned Ruohan, the bodyguard ordered to stay by her.

Jolted out of her trance, she realised that she was standing at the edge. A few more steps could have sent her plummeting to her death.

"My Lady?"

Pingting came fully back to her senses. Right, she was the main military advisor. Kanbu's future, Bei Mo's future, even Yangfeng and her child's future were all in her hands.

The glow returned to her black pupils. She took brisk footsteps away from the edge to sit in front of the prepared ancient qin.

Calming her hands and spreading incense, she had done everything.

Pingting softly directed, "Pass on this command: continue to follow the plan."

"Yes."

From below, Chu Beijie's gaze never left the elegant figure in the palanquin.

She wasn't afraid of anything, just as he'd expected. Her indifference and bold movements were unique.

Moran finished his rounds before approaching Chu Beijie, whispering, "Duke, it really was her."

Looking up into the high palanquin, you could see her fine figure.

"She guessed it all right." Chu Beijie sighed.

"Should we immediately release the poisonous wasps?"

Chu Beijie was about to reply when he frowned.

Ping!

The sound of a qin floated down from the palanquin. Just one sound, crisp yet steady, moved the crowd like a needle striking their hearts.

Chu Beijie's strong gaze that could silence his army easily made a complicated expression towards the palanquin. His eyes were narrowed as he muttered, "The string broke."

Ping! Another sound was heard, this time resonating even louder than the one before.

"The second string."

Ping!

"The third string...that's your plan to force me in retreat? My Little Pingting." Chu Beijie eyed the figure while understanding flooded through his once dumbstruck expression. He held up one hand and called, "Pass on this order: retreat ten kilometres."

"Retreat?" Moran was shocked, almost horrified.

The other commanders exchanged looks then looked back at their main commander.

"Retreat." Almost spitting out the word, Chu Beijie looked at his woman one last time before turning his horse away.

"Duke has commanded, retreat!"

"Pass command: Retreat!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

With their thundering footsteps, the entire Dong Lin army retreated like a tide.

Chu Beijie was at the very front of the retreating soldiers, his expression like usual, not conveying any emotion.

Chu Beijie rode for a moment then slowed to a canter, beside Moran.

Chu Beijie had galloped for some time before his pace slackened, letting Moran catch up.

"If we were to attack, Pingting would use her body to defend the city. If we were to release the wasps, she wouldn't be able to live."

"That was her plan?" Moran carefully chose his words, "In other words, if Duke wishes Pingting to be alive and safe, the poisonous wasps plan won't be used. She really is too brave, betting on her life like that. If Duke didn't care so much about the past, wouldn't she have lost her life over nothing?"

"That basically sums up that you know that I'm not as good as Pingting." Chu Beijie laughed. "I would never have commanded the continuation of the attack. She is the main advisor of the Bei Mo army at the moment, the hope of the Bei Mo army, yet she doesn't hesitate to sacrifice her body. This has one effect – it gives her soldiers courage. If I were to kill Pingting in front of the crowd and continue the attack on the Bei Mo army in hope to conquer Kanbu, her army would want to avenge her death and will attack us without reservation. Our loss then would be unimaginable. An army that is ruled by intense anger cannot be controlled by any normal strong force therefore I concluded that Pingting's death would mean Dong Lin's defeat."

Moran immediately understood and he lowered his head, sighing. "Not only that, but if Duke did continue, it would give everyone the impression that you had used poison against a defenceless girl. It would ruin your reputation as the best commander and damage our army's pride. The after effects could be even worse."

Chu Beijie looked at Moran admiringly for a few seconds, before softly saying, "Although her counter-tactic was more psychological, I am relieved. If she didn't completely trust in me, she wouldn't have bet her life and use this tactic."

Moran could hear that Chu Beijie was in a good mood, so he laughed. "That's what they call 'Damming.' I mean, Duke promptly reacted and quickly told the army to retreat back ten kilometres. Although there are many men in this world, there aren't many people who'd easily give up a city for a woman." After laughing he sighed again as there was still something he wanted to know.

"Duke, please be angry with Moran for his bluntness, but there is still something Moran is unsure about."

Of course Chu Beijie could guess what his second in command was thinking. The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin. "Even if there wasn't a valid excuse, I would have never continued to attack the city. Losing Pingting would be more than just a lifetime of regret. A mere Kanbu could never compare to the loss of half a strand of her hair."

Moran had guessed the true intention of his Master long ago but hearing it himself made him feel a rush of pride for the man's honour. "Miss Pingting sure is one lucky woman to deserve such love from Duke. But, what should our army do? Stop and rest when we got to the ten kilometre mark?"

Chu Beijie had already come up with a plan as he gazed ahead. "In three hours, attack again."