Good. Am I finally about to go home? Long Heng! Make sure to take good care of our son! Don't wallow in your grief or I'll never forgive you! She had the urge to close her eyes after she was done with her thoughts of farewell. But for some reason, she didn't want to show defeat in front of that face. So, she glared up at him without even blinking once. The edge of her lips slowly curved upwards to form a mocking smile.
"You. Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
The commander had never seen someone look so fearless when admitting their fear and was genuinely surprised. He laughed, "Are you really afraid? I don't think I've inflicted enough fear into you. Why don't I... show you what it really means to be afraid?"
"No need. Why waste everyone's time? I don't have any secrets that you'd like to know. Just kill me to avenge your strategist already."
"Why would I want to avenge him? You're such a beauty. A beauty will always be more useful than a dead man. You would be useful as a seductress." He grabbed Bai Xiangxiu by the chin and lifted her face. Even though she looked bedraggled, her beauty was still astonishing. No man in his right mind would want to take their eyes off of her. Such a beautiful woman. Who in the world could bear having her do such a dangerous thing?
"My kin has been murdered by you and your army! Why would anyone be seduced by a woman like me? General, spare me your jests." Bai Xiangxiu didn't panic. She'd made up her mind to not reveal her relationship with Long Heng no matter what. Otherwise, they might exploit her and use her to threaten Long Heng. How would he choose if that happened? It'd be his beloved woman on one side, and his country and family in the capital on the other. He'd probably die of heartbreak if he was faced with that choice!
"Oh?" The commander didn't trust this woman at all, but he couldn't think of anything to ask.
Just as both of them were racking their heads for ways to deal with the person in front of them, they suddenly heard a hoarse and shrill voice yell, "Commander Lu! Commander-in-chief! Please return my child to me! He isn't... isn't Duan Yunying's child!
You must be kidding me! Bai Xiangxiu could feel goosebumps appear all over her body when she heard that voice. Why is the female lead be here? Can someone please tell me what's wrong with her? Shouldn't she have married into the Ji family and be living a peaceful life in the capital? Why is she all of a sudden here at the enemy camp? And she said something about returning her child? Why would the enemy soldiers take her child? Because her child is Duan Yunying's?
The female lead barged into the room a moment later. Even though she seemed to have suffered through some hardships, her white lotus looks hadn't been untarnished by age. As expected of a female lead. She's different alright! Bai Xiangxiu received quite a shock because the female lead might recognize her. She immediately let her head fall in hopes of reducing her sense of presence.
"This isn't a place where the likes of you can enter. Leave." The commander glanced at Lin Qianzi out of the corner of eyes, a frown creasing his forehead. He would've killed her already and taken her child a long time ago, if it wasn't for the fact that he'd heard that she'd tried to avenge his second brother after his death. She admitted in her husband's residence that the father of her child was Commander Ying, also known as Duan Yunying, but she'd rescinded her words just as quickly as she'd uttered them. Who else could the father be if it wasn't Duan Yunying? Was the jianghu man the true father?
The commander was irritated and disgusted whenever he had to deal with this conundrum. He would never have retrieved her if it wasn't for the fact he wanted to leave a descendant for his younger brother. She'd proven time and time again to be a troublemaker and extremely annoying. He would've normally tolerated her antics, but today had already been a series of unpleasant events. His strategist had been assassinated and a mysterious person had climbed over the wall to enter the city. More to the point, no one knew whether these occurrences had anything to do with Prince Li. "Men, drag the madame back to her residence. Don't let her out again."
"Return my child back to me! My child... he's still so young... Why would you want to take him away from me?"
"You'd best behave if you want your child to live. I am capable of unimaginable things."
"No! Don't hurt him! He's a very well-behaved child!" Lin Qianzi was truly afraid now and immediately calmed herself down. However, she still uttered, "Can't you let me take a look at him just for a short while? Just one peek."
"Men! Take the woman to the young prince and let her take a small look." Resignedly, the commander gave his permission to let Lin Qianzi have a look at her child. Lin Qianzi immediately left with the servant, but she seemed to glance at Bai Xiangxiu before she left. Panicking, Bai Xiangxiu immediately lowered her head further.
The commander lifted up Bai Xiangxu's face when everyone else had left and caught a trace of her panicked expressions. The edge of his lips immediately moved upwards to form a smirk. "You know that woman?"
After she'd calmed down, Bai Xiangxiu finally realized who the general bore resemblance to. No wonder she'd disliked him the moment she'd laid eyes on him. He bore a resemblance to that perverted little white rabbit Duan Yunying. The commander was actually an overbearing version of the little white rabbit. So that's why he kidnapped Lin Qianzi's child. He must view the child as someone who has inherited the bloodline of his family right?
"She's just a pitiful mother. Why would you kidnap her child? Are you even human?" Bai Xiangxiu was provoking the commander on purpose in hopes that he would grant her a clean death.
However, what she couldn't have possibly known was that the more unusual she acted, the more he wanted to understand her. If Bai Xiangxiu had known this, she surely would've gone back to her white rabbit antics. Unfortunately, the other side had mistaken the meaning behind her provocations. She'd failed at her attempt to seek death and now seemed ready to be tortured.
"Why don't you worry about your own situation before you worry about others? Men, take her to the interrogation room." Commander Lu wanted to know where her breaking point was. Will she break under pain? Fear? Something else?
Bai Xiangxiu was genuinely frightened now. I'd rather die than to be interrogated. But death wasn't possible even if she wished for it. They brought her to a little black house and tied her to a pillar. She tried struggling, but she couldn't break free. She was actually beginning to despair.
Commander Lu entered the room as well, holding a whip in his hand. Darker than night, and made of leather, it looked like it would hurt a lot. Bai Xiangxiu wanted to cry, but for some reason, tears just wouldn't flow. She wanted to beg for mercy too, but no words came out. All she could do was smile at Commander Lu coldly, which he responded to by lashing her fiercely.
"Mmm...!" It hurt, but it was obvious that he'd gone easy on her. Bai Xiangxiu gritted her teeth to endure the pain and gave him a hard glare without uttering a word.
Commander Lu was taken aback when he saw her glare. Is she trying to flirt with me? There's no ferocity in her eyes at all! However, it made sense. A woman's beauty was their sharpest weapon after all. Was she trying to make him go soft on her and spare her? His heart was wavering. What to do?
Bai Xiangxiu would've gone hysterical if she knew what he was thinking. She was 100% glaring at him alright!? She wasn't giving him a flirty look! She didn't need him to go soft on her! No! She wanted the commander to kill her!
But neither of them knew what the other person was thinking. So, after a moment of hesitation, Commander Lu decided to whip her again. It'd be incredibly humiliating if he didn't whip her some more when so many eyes were watching. But Bai Xiangxiu was prepared this time around. She bit down hard and received the lash without making a sound. She even closed her eyes, as if she didn't care.