Chen Mo didnât consider the current situation as any kind of dream; rather, he was a bit fearful, fearful of not waking up tomorrow.
"Master, donât you like it?" Chun Lan boldly spoke up.
Chun Lan had a more outgoing personality. Initially, she wasnât accustomed to everything when she first joined the Chen Mansion, which made her seem rather quiet. However, ever since following Chen Mo and doing the duties of the major steward of the Chen Mansion, occasionally serving him at night, Chen Mo indulged his women tremendously. As long as it wasnât anything serious, he would let them have their way.
This made Chun Lan somewhat arrogant, and she spoke more boldly.
"Cough, cough..." Chen Mo began to cough. The experiences of the past few days were still vivid in his mind.
Fortunately, Ye Wanqiu felt sorry for Chen Mo and said, "Chun Lan, donât talk nonsense. The doctor advised the master to rest well just a few days ago."
"Wanqiu is still the best." Chen Mo smiled and lay down beside Ye Wanqiu.
Ye Wanqiu raised her hand and gently caressed his face, saying, "Youâve been hustling all day and must be very tired. Let me give you a massage."
Chen Mo nodded.
Although Chen Mo had already entered the tent, none of the women left upon seeing him enter. Even Jiang Ruoqing, who often said one thing but meant another, remarked, "Someoneâs health hasnât fully recovered, so donât indulge in any wild schemes."
This was a reminder for Chen Mo to pay attention to his health and not sneak around.
Upon hearing this, Ye Wanqiuâs cheeks turned red.
Lianyi, lying on Chen Moâs other side, also became a little uneasy.
However, Chen Mo, unperturbed, said, "Ruoqing, youâre underestimating me. Even if you all teamed up, I could handle you alone."
Chen Mo was merely boasting again, convinced he was up to the task now that the skies had cleared.
"Pfft... lecher." Jiang Ruoqing blushed and scolded him, but she didnât say anything more to avoid tempting fate. Even though things were not going well, she was genuinely afraid that Chen Mo might act up, which would be quite embarrassing with so many people around.
Moreover, with Yaoyao present, Jiang Ruoqing had to be mindful of setting a good example as a teacher.
That night, even though all the women were together, Chen Mo didnât take any action. He simply held Ye Wanqiu and peacefully passed the night.
Two days later, the group arrived at Qinyang County.
Even though some time had passed, the bloodstains on the city walls were still visible.
Chen Mo paused at the city gate, able to faintly detect the scent of blood lingering in the air.
The battles surrounding Qinyang County that day were too fierce; the scenes of corpses strewn across the field were still vivid in Chen Moâs mind.
"Did the master really defend against King Yanâs two-million-strong allied forces here?" Zhao Jiangning looked at the majestic city walls and immediately saw the traces of intense warfare.
All the women got off the carriage, curiously observing.
Within the city, hundreds of guards left by Xiao Teng verified Chen Moâs identity before allowing him and his group to enter.
The city appeared somewhat desolate, and Chen Mo saw some homeless people. During that battle, Chen Mo had conscripted many local residents, and almost all of them were casualties.
Though Chen Mo had requested compensation from above, the national treasury was tight, with many places needing funding, so the compensation given wasnât much. Moreover, these civilians werenât actual soldiers, so even less reached their families.
Chen Mo sighed, "Chun Lan."
"Master." Chun Lan stepped forward and bowed to Chen Mo.
"Distribute the gold, silver, and jewels the Imperial Court rewarded me with last time to them." Chen Mo knew that his efforts were merely a drop in the ocean, yet he decided to distribute them, perhaps to ease the guilt in his heart.
Quickly, whether sincerely or not, upon seeing so many well-equipped soldiers, some were intimidated. Those refugees who received the silver from Chun Lan trembled as they spoke toward Chen Mo:
"Is it General Chen Mo?"
"Thank you, General Chen Mo!"
"General Chen Mo is a great person."
"Thank you for your great kindness."
"..."
Li Weiqiu, Zhang Lie, and others were unaware of these happenings; hearing the words of the commoners, they were all incredibly surprised, not expecting Chen Mo to be so beloved by the people.
For those like them, self-professed knights of the Jianghu, hadnât they once dreamed of wandering with a sword, punishing the wicked, and being revered by the people since childhood?
This scene also convinced them to stay with Chen Mo.
"Make haste; we should be on our way." Chen Mo didnât plan to stop at Qinyang County.
The procession left Qinyang County in great momentum.
Soon, the group arrived at Niu Shan, where Chen Mo had once led his troops to ambush the allied vanguard army.
Chen Mo was boasting about how decisively he had defeated the enemy when:
"Master." Gao Zheng approached him, his expression still anxious.
"Whatâs wrong?" Chen Mo frowned.
"A large number of civilians are following us from behind," Gao Zheng said, "It seems they all came from Qinyang County."
Chen Mo was stunned, "Whatâs going on?"
"Iâve sent people to investigate, and we should have news soon," Gao Zheng replied.
Chen Mo nodded and continued boasting to the women.
No one dislikes a general who can command tens of thousands of soldiers and exhibits extraordinary valor.
Moreover, under Chen Moâs boasting, in the eyes of the women, he became an outstanding figure. Indeed, except for Jiang Ruoqing, all the womenâs eyes became somewhat dreamy.
"Master is really impressive." Chun Lan led the praise.