A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

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Anyway, finding the main advisor was a great achievement already. She was immediately escorted back to the main camp.

At the main camp, Ze Yin personally led the other commanders to welcome her back. The other women serving the military were asked to help her with a bath. After putting on clean clothes and some fragrance, she was led to the main command tent, where Ze Yin and the others were waiting impatiently for her.

"Congrats My Lady for the complete victory! Chu Beijie's invincible streak has finally come to an end." Ze Yin laughed for a while, adding, "Pity Chu Beijie's actions were too quick, while we were still doing preparations, he had already crossed the route. Otherwise, we would've completely defeated the Dong Lin army."

Ruohan's voice was still disturbed, "If it hadn't been for My Lady's advice, we would never been able to turn the tides so that the enemy would give up, or we would be long dead because of Chu Beijie."

"What's even more surprising, is My Lady's courage to die in order to trap the enemy. That's something that even us, men, can't do." A strong voice interrupted, said Sen Rong, the commander of the right wing.

Pingting felt ashamed as the Bei Mo commanders had misunderstood. This misunderstanding was difficult to explain so she gave up. Blushing, she whispered, "My Generals are overestimating me, if I hadn't everyone's support, how is Pingting, a weak girl, able to do anything? Unfortunately there are lots of berries in the forest below the valley, so Dong Lin has probably not lost their invincible general." Hoping that the Dong Lin army had already found Chu Beijie, she remembered his last words, "I'll wait for you in Dong Lin." Her heart was no longer lonely, as if flowers had blossomed instead.

Ze Yin saw Pingting blush, but thought that she was feeling guilty for not being able to die with the enemy commander, quickly adding, "My Lady has already completed the task. Today morning, we received the news that the Dong Lin Royal Residence is a mess." He secretly thought she's a woman who fell through dense forest and it was only luck that she managed to turn around, falling in a safe place. Such loyalty is incredibly rare in this world. Yangfeng was right about her personality, and her adamance to follow her every word, no matter how ridiculous they sound.

Remembering his wife back at home, his heart sweetened and he smiled.

"The Dong Lin Royal Residence is in a mess so the Dong Lin army will get the news too. In other words, Bei Mo's danger will be solved as Chu Beijie will leave when he hears the news." Pingting replied assuringly.

"Is My Lady sure?" Sen Rong was still a little doubtful. A few days ago, he was still trying to fiercely defend Bei Mo with his last drop of bitter determination and now suddenly the Dong Lin army was just going to retreat?

Pingting gave him a certain expression, nodding with a soft expression. "General Sen, that is something Pingting, as the main military advisor, is most sure about."

"A withdrawal!" A voice yelled outside the tent. The flap was thrown upwards as a spy exclaimed loudly, "It's a withdrawal! Announcing to all the generals that the Dong Lin army has withdrawn! The Dong Lin army has withdrawn!" The sound rumbled at his excited announcement.

Ze Yin couldn't help being startled and took two steps forward, grabbing the spy by the shoulder saying, "Have you spied properly? Dong Lin has really withdrawn? It's not another trick?"

"It's true!" The spy looked up, teary eyed, in a voice that seemed about to cry in joy. "When our brothers' heard this, they couldn't believe it so they went and checked themselves before reporting to all of you, Generals. The Dong Lin army are retreating away orderly, along with their luggage. Even their general, Moran looks pressurised. They're really retreating!"

Although Pingting had long planned this, but when it really happened, it was still something incomprehensible. The once at stake Bei Mo was saved? The wolf-like, tiger-like, Dong Lin army were obediently retreated, without even doing one last nasty surprise attack? The blood-stained sky, the desperate eyes on the bloody battlefield, was no longer in sight?

Stunned silence in the tent, as if they couldn't believe the brilliant news. After a while of silence, there was a loud cheer as Sen Rong jumped up from his chair, tugging the cloak on his shoulder. He fell on one knee in front of Pingting with a thump, his hands clutching onto his blood-stained and dirt-ridden cloak. Gazing upward, he said, "This cloak has been with Sen Rong through extensive travels, please accept it My Lady."

Pingting could never accept it and stood up, waving her hand, "How could I accept such an important thing?"

"My Lady...Does My Lady look down on me? I, Sen Rong, owe my homeland and my family to My Lady, who saved them all." This man's face was unkempt and although his voice was as loud as a tiger, he was choking with emotion right now.

Pingting was a little startled and grit her teeth. "Fine, I'll accept it." As soon as she received the cloak in Sen Rong's hands, she heard another thumping sound within the tent. All of the generals had fallen onto their knees, following Sen Rong's actions.

Ruohan didn't wait for Pingting to open her mouth and said, "In all of Bei Mo, only us who have fought with My Lady in this battle of Kanbu know that it was thanks to My Lady that the tables were turned in this battle that would have caused Bei Mo to be conquered. Only we know the heart stopping hardships that you have tolerated for us. This cloak has all of our deceased brother's blood and all of our appreciation and admiration for My Lady. If My Lady doesn't want to accept it, please burn it."

Pingting was at a loss for words and her crystal-like eyes slowly rolled once. She turned to the crowd with a solemn expression and moved quietly towards them, taking the cloaks off their hands softly. Including Ze Yin's, there were twelve cloaks in total. She laid them on the table, studying the cloth soaked in blood of their allies and enemies. She sighed, "War is really too scary, I hope I'll never participate in it again."

"Dong Lin army has retreated, therefore the war has ended." Ze Yin stood up, the colour returning back into his cheeks as he shook Pingting's hand, "The King has commanded for My Lady to return the command flag and go back to the capital, Bei Yali, to receive your reward." His expression was not without guilt.

Pingting nodded, "That's the way it should be." She took out the command flag and handed it to Ze Yin. She was once more free and at once relaxed quite a bit. Chuckling, she said, "From the capital city of Dong Lin to Kanbu, even on the fastest horses, the news would take at least five days, meaning that the Dong Lin King has probably been in a coma for five or six days." Seeing Ze Yin's stunned expression, she asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Sen Rong shook his head, bellowing, "My Lady doesn't actually know the latest news? The Dong Lin Royal Residence is chaotic not because the Dong Lin King is in a coma, but because two of the princes, who are not yet ten years old, have been poisoned to death. Now the Royal House is all fighting over the position of the crown prince."

Pingting's eyes widened, as if her head had been cracked open by lightning, and her world felt shaken.

Her ears buzzed and she dimly saw that the commander was opening and closing his mouth, but couldn't hear a word.

"What did you say..." She weakly croaked out the words, her throat parched. Pingting cried, coughing out fresh blood in shock. A blinding white light flashed in her mind and an overwhelming darkness surrounded her as she fell.

It was hot, causing sweat to drip continuously from faces.

"Give Pingting one last chance. Let Pingting prove herself to you with the truth, Pingting would never do anything to hurt you."

She was still in those arms, smiling upwards.

"PIngting doesn't dare hurt you, and would never hurt the people around you."

"I'll wait for you in Dong Lin."