Forbidden to Bully the Storybook’s Heroine – Chapter 91

Victory

The army’s food couldn’t be considered good. The portions were large, but the taste was incomparable to the restaurants and teahouses in the capital. Jiang Yao had thought her little ancestor wouldn’t be able to eat it. After all, she had always been raised so well by her, using the best and eating the best. How could such coarse fare pass her lips?

But in reality, not only did she eat it, she ate quite happily. And with every bite, she would glance at Jiang Yao, as if Jiang Yao herself were some kind of appetizing side dish.​¹ When Jiang Yao looked up, the girl would meet her gaze with smiling eyes, looking incredibly cute.

            

Everyone knew that Jiang Yao’s wife had arrived. During meals, they would all sneak glances at her, sighing with admiration each time. Jiang Yao was truly blessed! To be able to find such a beautiful woman as a wife, even through “mirror-rubber,”​² was wonderful.

This bunch of rough brutes in the army hadn’t seen a woman as gentle as water in eight hundred years. They all stared, their eyes practically glued to her.

Jiang Yao could feel the gazes coming from all directions. Extremely annoyed, she pulled Song Muyun along, and they finished their meal early to head back.

            

Perhaps it was because she had eaten little on the road, or perhaps she hadn’t eaten much at all recently, but tonight, Song Muyun actually ate a lot of the big pot rice,​³ and her belly became round and full.

When Jiang Yao carried her back, she secretly gave it a pat. It was very nice to touch.

The young woman blushed. Carried like a child, she lay draped over Jiang Yao’s shoulder, her eyes moist and beautiful.

            

Jiang Yao turned her head to kiss her. Though she had chided her for coming unannounced, she was actually happy in her heart.

To be able to see her, to be with the one she loved, was in itself a joyous thing.

“The conditions in the camp are limited. Wait here, I’ll go heat some water for you.”

            

Back in the Jiang Residence, when had Jiang Yao ever done such chores?

In the capital, she was the young miss of a noble family. But once she was out here, she was just an ordinary soldier striving to climb the ranks, capable of anything and able to endure any hardship.

Jiang Yao borrowed the mess hall kitchen to heat some water for Muyun. Back in their tent, she mixed it with some cold water and told her to bathe. Then, for some reason, she started walking outside herself.

            

Song Muyun called out to stop her. She tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her expression. “Jiang Yao, where are you going?”

“I’m going to wash outside. There’s a small river over there,” she said frankly.

The young woman’s brows furrowed tightly, her tone reluctant. “Why are you going outside to wash? I’ve already heated the water. We can wash together.”

            

Jiang Yao’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly. “No need,” she refused. “You can wash by yourself. I’ll just wash up outside and be back soon.”

The two had only just been reunited; they should be at their clingiest. Jiang Yao ought to be sticking to her constantly, even insisting on bathing together.

Song Muyun’s knitted brows didn’t relax. An unsettling guess formed in her mind. Was Jiang Yao hiding something from her?

            

And so, she issued a command. “Jiang Yao, you’re not allowed to leave. Come here. Wash with me.”

Her voice had turned a few degrees colder. Jiang Yao stood frozen in place, not daring to move. It seemed she had made her angry.

But it wasn’t really her fault, was it…

            

She just wanted to go wash outside.

As she was thinking, Song Muyun’s voice became even colder than before. She uttered just two words, “Come here.”

Jiang Yao’s heart quailed. Not wanting to anger her wife to death right after they’d met, she obediently shuffled over, step by step.

            

“Take off your clothes.”

Her wife continued to issue orders.

…

            

“Actually, I already washed this afternoon. It’s fine if I don’t wash now.”

Jiang Yao was a little embarrassed. She didn’t undress, instead scratching the back of her head.

The moment she finished speaking, she met those dark, moist eyes that looked as if they were about to cry. Jiang Yao’s heart skipped a beat, and she reluctantly began to take off her clothes.

            

The wounds on her body, large and small, came into Song Muyun’s view. The most striking among them was the one on her left arm; the snow-white cloth was still soaked with blood.

Song Muyun stumbled back half a step in shock. The next second, she surged forward and grabbed Jiang Yao’s arm, staring at the wound and demanding fiercely, “How did you get this? Why didn’t you tell me you were injured? It’s still bleeding, why didn’t you ask me to apply medicine for you?!”

She was rarely this fierce, and it startled Jiang Yao. Her voice softened, tinged with guilt. “I got it on the battlefield yesterday by accident. I applied medicine, but I didn’t change the dressing today. I used too much force on the battlefield, and it split open again. It’s just a small wound, you don’t need to worry too much.”

            

How was she supposed to know her wife would come today? She had just been lazy and hadn’t bothered to change the dressing. Who would have thought she’d be caught red-handed?

Song Muyun was so angry she was speechless. What did she mean, a small wound? What did she mean, don’t worry too much? It was bleeding, and she called that a small wound?

She glared ferociously at the injury, then turned around in a huff. She rummaged through her bundle and finally found a bottle of high-quality Golden Sore Medicine​⁴ she had brought specifically for this, then looked at Jiang Yao with a blank expression.

            

Jiang Yao didn’t dare to talk back this time. She sensibly held out her arm, allowing Song Muyun to unwrap the cotton cloth, reapply the medicine, and then bind it with a fresh cloth.

Song Muyun kept poking the area around the wound with her finger, as if by doing so she were poking the wound itself. After venting her anger, she looked up and glared at her again. “Don’t let this touch water, you hear me?”

She had only been here a short while, and she had already been glared at countless times.

            

Jiang Yao nodded hastily. “I know, I know. We haven’t seen each other in so long, my little ancestor,​⁵ please don’t scold me anymore.”

The little ancestor turned her head away, her expression both coquettish and a little resentful. “I don’t want to scold you. It’s your own fault for not being obedient.”

She was furious. Jiang Yao was not obedient at all. She was always getting herself hurt, and when she did, she didn’t even know how to take proper care of herself. She was so careless with her own body. It was clear she couldn’t be left unsupervised.

            

A sudden determination flashed in Song Muyun’s eyes.

She would follow Jiang Yao from now on. Wherever Jiang Yao went to serve in the army, she would follow as a female physician!​⁶

That would prevent this person from neglecting her own health again.

            

“Now, you will wash with me. I’ll watch over you.”

She had to watch Jiang Yao to make sure that arm didn’t get wet.

When she’d touched the cotton cloth earlier, it had been a bit damp. Jiang Yao must have accidentally gotten it wet when she washed in the afternoon. With her here, she would not allow Jiang Yao to be so careless.

            

Jiang Yao was helpless but didn’t dare provoke her, afraid that if she got angry, she’d be kicked out to sleep on the floor. She could only nod in agreement. She was then led by the fuming young woman to sit in the bathtub, where her front and back were scrubbed by a certain someone.

After they were washed clean, Song Muyun’s anger finally subsided a little. Wearing a thin inner robe, she got into bed with Jiang Yao, naturally pulled a medical book from her bundle, and curled up in Jiang Yao’s arms to read.

Jiang Yao was astonished. “You’ve had such a tiring journey, and you’re still not sleeping?”

            

Song Muyun wriggled around, finding a comfortable spot in her arms. She began to read her medical book diligently, replying as she turned a page, “I’m not sleeping. I’ll memorize a couple more herbs. What if they’re useful?”

Jiang Yao felt like life was meaningless. “Wait, if you’re reading a medical book, what am I supposed to do?”

Before she arrived, Muyun had confiscated all her storybooks.

            

Now Muyun was here, comfortably reading her medical books. What about her?

What could she do?

Song Muyun gave her a strange look. “You can read with me. Let’s read together. It’s been so long since we read together.”

            

Jiang Yao: …

Before, they used to read storybooks together, which was at least somewhat interesting. What kind of dry and boring thing was a medical book?

She couldn’t understand a single bit of it!

            

Jiang Yao didn’t want to read it herself. She hadn’t seen Muyun in so long; she just wanted to hold her and be affectionate. Who would want to read this darn book with her?

She endured it for a while. Seeing Song Muyun completely engrossed in the book, she finally couldn’t take it anymore. A thin robe was silently lifted. The woman reading the book’s eyes instantly went wide. She was powerless to resist. The medical book fell to the floor by the bed, making a muffled thud in the tent. The woman’s fingertips clutched the bedding, so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to tell Jiang Yao to be gentler, to go slower, to touch the front, that a few touches would be enough, but when she opened her mouth, only fragmented, soft sounds came out.

Fortunately, their tent was not close to the others, and their movements were somewhat restrained, so no one heard them.

            

A long time later, the two lay on the bed resting, one on the left and one on the right. Jiang Yao mainly felt that all five of her fingers were sore and numb, while Song Muyun’s body was exhausted.

Having not been touched by anyone for a month, she had become even more sensitive. Just now, she had nearly lost control the moment Jiang Yao touched her.

This was on the march, and conditions were limited. Jiang Yao fetched a little of the remaining hot water, and the two of them gave themselves a quick wipe-down. The bedding was also changed for a fresh one. But Jiang Yao only had two sets of bedding. Lying on the fresh one, she heaved a long sigh and hugged Song Muyun, speaking as if to negotiate, “We can’t do this again in the future. Otherwise, we’ll run out of bedding to change into.”

            

The main issue was having to heat the water herself. It was a real pain.

Song Muyun buried her pretty face in Jiang Yao’s chest. Hearing this, she gave her a push, exceptionally displeased. “It’s not like I wanted to. You were clearly the one who bullied me on purpose.”

She had been reading her medical book just fine. It was Jiang Yao who had insisted on teasing her. Was she now trying to blame her for it?

            

Hmph, she could forget about it.

“Alright, I was the one who bullied you on purpose. I was wrong. I won’t dare to do it again. We’ll have a proper go at it when we get back.”

She lowered her head to nuzzle Song Muyun’s cheek.

            

Song Muyun felt she was being too direct and was a bit shy. She could only burrow deeper and whisper, “You work so hard marching and fighting. I’ll wash the bedding tomorrow. I wasn’t here for this period of time, so it must have been hard on you.”

She looked up to kiss Jiang Yao’s chin.

Jiang Yao swallowed hard and nearly lost her composure. In the end, she pressed the girl’s head into her chest and coaxed in a hoarse voice, “Be good. Don’t move.”

            

She couldn’t handle it when Muyun took the initiative. Not one bit.

“You don’t have to wash the bedding. When have you ever done such a thing? Remember, you married me to enjoy life, not to do chores, hmm?”

Jiang Yao said, rubbing that paw of hers.

            

Compared to killing people, washing bedding was actually a breeze. She was also much stronger than Muyun, so it would be easier for her.

Song Muyun didn’t say anything. Curled up in her arms, she seemed to have tacitly agreed, or perhaps she had fallen asleep. But the next day, after the Jin Army sent the enemy fleeing in defeat, Jiang Yao returned to find the bedding already washed, hanging wetly not far away.

Her Yun’er was becoming more and more virtuous.

            

Jiang Yao shook her head helplessly and went to the wounded soldiers’ camp to look for her.

Compared to yesterday, there were far fewer injured soldiers today. Not only were they better at marching and fighting than the enemy, but they also outnumbered them. It was an overwhelming victory. The enemy couldn’t fight back and quickly retreated, so not many of their own were injured.

The ones lying in the wounded soldiers’ camp were mostly the same ones from yesterday.

            

Sima Jushan was also there. When she went over, she happened to see Muyun changing his dressing.

Sima Jushan saw her too and actually rolled his eyes at her. Jiang Yao paused for a moment before continuing to walk over, frowning at him. “Did a donkey kick you in the head?”

What was he doing, acting like this?

            

Sima Jushan sneered. “Heh, forgetting friends the moment you see a beauty.”​⁷

…

“Stop acting nuts.”

            

Jiang Yao couldn’t be bothered with him. She walked over and sat down next to Song Muyun, asking softly, “Are there still many people to see?”

Song Muyun also whispered back in a low voice, “Mhm, I still have to change their dressings, but it’s quite fast.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for you then.”

            

Jiang Yao sat to one side and waited. Sima Jushan snorted lightly and said of her, “Putting on an act.”​⁸

He was met with an extremely cold glance and a warning. “If I punch you right now, you might die.”

Sima Jushan: …

            

A threat! She’s threatening me!

Once a master, always a father. I’m her brother, and she dares to threaten me!

This is outrageous! QAQ.

            

He really wanted to lecture his little sister, but he didn’t quite dare. In the end, he could only swallow his anger and hold his tongue,​⁹ lest he really invite a punch.

With Jiang Yao standing there, the soldiers who had previously been frivolous and would occasionally flirt with the little female physicians all became well-behaved. One by one, they kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts,​¹⁰ doing whatever the female physicians told them to. In any case, they no longer dared to make any bawdy jokes.

They had discovered it early on: Jiang Yao’s attitude towards women and men was completely different!

            

There were almost no women in the military camp, so at first, they naturally hadn’t noticed that Jiang Yao could be so gentle and graceful with women. But when she faced them, if they disagreed on a couple of things, she was already ready to raise her fists.

Forget it, can’t afford to provoke her. Who could blame her when she not only had a high family status but also martial skills that commanded respect?

The female physicians finished changing the dressings for all the soldiers. Seeing that the work was mostly done, Jiang Yao stood up, glanced at the sky, and said, “It’s almost time for the meal to be served. Everyone, go eat first.”

            

Song Muyun trotted over from nearby and stood beside Jiang Yao, waiting to be taken to eat.

Sima Jushan tugged on Jiang Yao’s sleeve.

Jiang Yao lowered her eyelids impatiently and glanced at him. “If you have something to say, say it.”

            

“Tsk, with that attitude of yours, it’s a wonder any woman is willing to be with you.”

…

“Say any more crap and I’ll beat you.”

            

She casually wrapped an arm around Song Muyun, pressing her into her embrace as if to declare her sovereignty. It was enough to make anyone’s eyes red with envy!

Everyone else had come to the army alone. Only Jiang Yao’s wife had come to find her. The two of them were equally beautiful, with equally outstanding temperaments, and they were dazzling in a crowd. They were stuck together all day long. How could people not be envious?

…

            

Lunch was big pot rice again, eaten together by everyone. There was meat and vegetables. The taste wasn’t great, but it was filling.

Jiang Yao had thought Song Muyun wouldn’t like to eat this, but when she turned her head, she saw her eating with relish, just like last night.

Last night was because she was tired from the journey, so she ate a lot. What was the reason now?

            

Could it be that she really liked it?

She stroked the hair at Song Muyun’s temple and asked her, “You like eating this?”

The young woman swallowed the food in her mouth. “Mhm. As long as I’m eating with you, I like eating anything.”

            

So it was because she was with her that she ate so happily.

The corners of Jiang Yao’s mouth lifted visibly, unable to be contained. A soldier who was more familiar with her laughed loudly. “Having a wife by your side is different from us bachelors,​¹¹ isn’t it? Look how happily she’s smiling. Before Jiang Yao’s wife came, she had a cold face every day, like we owed her money.”

The surrounding people burst into laughter. The female physicians laughed too, each thinking to themselves that these two were really the same. Before meeting each other, they both liked to keep a cold face and didn’t smile much.

            

“Don’t shout. My wife is shy. Don’t scare her.”

Jiang Yao protected her. Seeing them quiet down, she lowered her head and said to her gently, “If you’re happy, then eat a little more. You’ve gotten so much thinner without me around.”

There were many people here, so Song Muyun couldn’t say anything too affectionate. She just lowered her head and obediently complied, starting to eat.

            

She wasn’t a picky eater, eating almost anything that was available. Jiang Yao secretly observed her a few times. The young woman ate with a smile in her eyes, without a trace of reluctance.

That was good.

If she couldn’t eat, Jiang Yao would have had to hunt some game for her to improve her meals. She couldn’t let her get thinner right under her nose.

            

After they finished eating, Jiang Yao also packed some big pot rice for Sima Jushan and discussed her and Wen Yueyu’s upcoming plan with him.

In war, one always had to use some strategy. To achieve victory with the fewest casualties was what every general wanted to do.

“The one leading the Wei Kingdom’s reinforcements this time is Huan Jinghong, the son of General Wande, whom I shot and killed last time. He only brought ten thousand men with him. This person is arrogant by nature and has heard that he has few rivals within the Wei Kingdom. He was very close to his father. He’s probably here to kill me.”

            

Sima Jushan leaned against his bed and narrowed his eyes. “So you plan to act as bait yourself to lure him in deep?”

“The spies planted by Jin in Wei have sent word. This person doesn’t like to read military texts, thinking they’re all just armchair strategies​¹² and that no amount of planning can withstand his spear. Furthermore, he never follows the rules and is often reprimanded by his father for violating them. General Guide and I speculate that he will definitely not obey the commanding general’s orders when the time comes. We can make use of this.”

…

            

The two of them discussed in low voices while the others weren’t around. After they finished their discussion, Jiang Yao stood up to leave. Her wife was waiting for her outside. The moment she saw her come out, her eyes immediately brightened, as if little stars were kept inside them, always sparkling and beautiful.

Jiang Yao took her hand and led her away.

The Da Jin Kingdom had been reinforced with thirty thousand troops, and the Wei Kingdom had also sent ten thousand. The two sides seemed to be fighting again in full swing.

            

The newly appointed young general of the Wei Kingdom, Huan Jinghong, frequently stood before the battle lines and cursed at Jiang Yao.

He demanded that Jiang Yao come out to fight and pay for his father’s life.

In a battle between two armies, death was a perfectly normal occurrence. Jiang Yao paid him no mind. She didn’t appear in the next two battles, remaining steady as an old dog.​¹³ When she had nothing to do, she would go to the stream to catch a couple of fish to give her wife a special treat.​¹⁴ This continued until Huan Jinghong could no longer sit still. His challenges became so foul that they were unbearable to listen to, and his temper grew more and more volatile. Wen Yueyu and Jiang Yao both knew that their chance had come.

            

Early this morning, Huan Jinghong began his challenges again. Jiang Yao got up and put on the new clothes her wife had made for her. For some reason, her wife had suddenly sewn another iron plate into the back, protecting her heart from behind.

Although she felt it was unnecessary, Muyun said it would make her worry less. Fine, she was her wife, so it was best to just go along with her.

Jiang Yao put on the clothes. The somewhat hard iron plate pressed against her back, yet it also gave her a strange sense of security.

            

She chose a team of men to go out with her to meet the challenge.

Huan Jinghong held a long spear. Seeing Jiang Yao finally ride out on her horse, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred. “So this is the disciple of Sima Wujiang, a head-shrinking turtle​¹⁵ like you! You didn’t dare come out to fight me for several days. Are you afraid of me, Huan Jinghong?”

“Oh? The son of a defeated opponent dares to come before this young miss and act all high and mighty?”​¹⁶

            

Jiang Yao’s eyes held a trace of disdain, as if she looked down on him immensely. This instantly enraged the already proud and arrogant young man. His eyes seemed to fill with red, and his voice was filled with hatred. “You only won against my father because of a sneak attack. What kind of hero are you? Today, I will avenge my father and cut you, this villain, into eight pieces!”​¹⁷

Huan Jinghong had been extremely talented in martial arts since childhood. He was also a disciple of a Great General of Wei. The difference was, his master had students all over the Wei Kingdom, while Jiang Yao’s master only had her as the sole disciple to inherit his legacy.

“Jiang Yao! Your life is mine!”

            

The newly appointed young general ignored the dissuasions of those around him. Tucking his long spear, he spurred his horse and charged towards Jiang Yao amidst the flying dust.

Jiang Yao narrowed her eyes. With a beautiful flourish of the long saber in her hand, she also urged her horse forward, her blade locking Huan Jinghong’s spear.

A pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with hatred and youthful arrogance, met Jiang Yao’s sharp gaze. The spear and saber nearly scraped out sparks. With a final slide, Huan Jinghong retracted his spear and thrust it out again with internal energy, attempting to knock Jiang Yao’s weapon from her hands. Jiang Yao was no pushover either, her saber blocking Huan Jinghong’s spear time and time again.

            

She only parried and did not take the initiative to attack. Huan Jinghong was extremely annoyed and deliberately provoked her. “What, you don’t dare to fight me? Do you know you can’t beat me?”

It’s good for a young man to have confidence, Jiang Yao thought to herself, but her face showed none of it. With a heavy blow from her saber, she created distance between them. Panting lightly, she praised him aloud, “As expected of the disciple of your country’s Great General. You truly have some skill. Much better than those crooked melons and split dates​¹⁸ from the Sheng Kingdom.”

These words were carried by her internal energy, falling neither too lightly nor too heavily on everyone’s ears. The Sheng Kingdom’s army had been insulted, and they were all furious. A timely commotion arose from the troops Jiang Yao had brought, as they whispered amongst themselves, seemingly blaming Jiang Yao for boosting the enemy’s morale and diminishing their own prestige. Their voices were not quiet.

            

The Sheng Kingdom general, who had been waiting in the enemy ranks, narrowed his eyes. Hearing the indignant and morale-boosted shouts of the soldiers behind him, he suddenly waved his hand, and the dark mass of Sheng Kingdom soldiers charged forward.

Jiang Yao’s troops seemed to be caught off guard, hastily raising their weapons to defend themselves.

She looked at Huan Jinghong on his horse. “Didn’t we agree to decide a winner between us first?”

            

Huan Jinghong’s face was red with anger at the Sheng general’s unauthorized action. Unable to argue, he could only remain silent and angrily attack Jiang Yao.

Men were naturally stronger than women. After fighting for so long, this woman should be exhausted.

Just as he was thinking this, he indeed saw Jiang Yao’s movements slow down slightly. He then found an opening and, with a single thrust of his spear, sent her saber flying.

            

Jiang Yao reacted quickly. As soon as her saber was knocked away, she immediately spurred her horse to flee in another direction. Huan Jinghong, eager for revenge, pursued her with almost no hesitation, not even turning back as the Sheng general behind him shouted himself hoarse.

He was confident that he would take Jiang Yao’s head today, but he didn’t know that after he left, the Jin army also began to retreat. Someone set off smoke bombs to cover their withdrawal.

The Sheng general immediately sensed something was wrong. He wanted to lead his men to pursue Jiang Yao and Huan Jinghong, but ultimately, he didn’t dare to risk it himself. He only sent the team of men that Huan Jinghong had brought to chase after their young general.

            

And then, this group of men, along with Huan Jinghong, were completely annihilated.

The Jin soldiers were lying in ambush all around. They intercepted the Wei army, and another slaughter ensued. But the Wei army was unfamiliar with the terrain here. They were defeated almost without a fight, and many were captured alive by the Jin army.

When Huan Jinghong heard the commotion behind him, he hardly dared to look back. Those were all the soldiers he had brought…

            

Only then did it dawn on him. He pointed his long spear at her, his hands trembling. “You set me up?”

“A scheme this obvious could only fool you.”

Jiang Yao dismounted and drew a flexible sword from her waist. “Surrender without a fight.​¹⁹ We in the Jin Kingdom do not kill prisoners.”

            

Huan Jinghong’s eyes were red as he gritted his teeth. “I would rather die in battle than surrender!”

He charged forward with his spear. Jiang Yao’s eyes sharpened. She raised her sword to parry. The woman’s swordsmanship was unpredictable, so fast that one could barely see the blade, until her sword pierced through Huan Jinghong’s chest. Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

She had shown no mercy. Huan Jinghong’s right shoulder was pierced straight through. The proud young general’s eyes were filled with bewilderment, as if he still couldn’t believe that he had actually been defeated…

            

Wen Yueyu’s vice-general arrived in time. Very satisfied with today’s gains, he smilingly ordered his men to take Huan Jinghong into custody. They were going to use him to demand benefits from the Wei Kingdom.

Jiang Yao knew her part was over. Since she was already out, she figured she might as well hunt some game for Muyun. However, she hadn’t gone far when the vice-general, who had been speaking in a cheerful voice, suddenly called her name with urgent haste. Jiang Yao didn’t have time to react before something stabbed her viciously in the back. Fuck, the force of it almost knocked her to the ground.

She staggered several steps before she could steady herself. She turned around in shock, only to meet another pair of equally shocked eyes behind her.

            

Huan Jinghong was also shocked. This woman was actually this hard to kill!

---

---