The General’s Embrace

For a fleeting moment, Xia Qian felt as though she had been transported back to her high school days.

She recalled the terrifying sensation of happily playing on her phone in the back row during self-study, only to turn her head and be met with her homeroom teacher’s death stare—a feeling she would never forget.

“Uh-ah?! G-General…”

Who could have imagined that the General, known for her fiery first impression, could move with such spectral stealth?

A shiver ran down Xia Qian’s spine. Like an antelope startled by a lion, she instinctively recoiled, putting distance between herself and Long Yan, though she quickly regained her composure.

Her Adam’s apple bobbed as she swallowed her startled cry, replacing it with a strained, awkward laugh.

“G-General… how do you walk without making a sound?”

Long Yan leaned against the edge of the desk, arms crossed. Her fiery red hair slid from her shoulder, coiling like a snake amidst the piles of bamboo slips.

She tilted her head, scrutinizing Xia Qian. The candlelight cast a golden sheen upon her bronze complexion, and a mischievous glint danced in her eyes, hinting at a prank well-played.

“If a scout in the camp couldn’t even hide their footsteps, they’d have long been caught by the demonic scourges wandering beyond the pass and pickled into dried snacks for wine—”

Suddenly, Long Yan lunged forward, pressing close like a hungry lion pouncing on a rabbit.

“And you, what are you afraid of? Peeking at the military’s confidential documents and maps… worried you’ll be executed according to military law?”

“Uh…”

Xia Qian involuntarily stumbled backward again, her spine pressing against the cool bookshelf.

“—Haha, just kidding!”

Seeing that she was genuinely startled, Long Yan abruptly pulled back, a laugh escaping her elegant nose.

Following the female general’s lead, Xia Qian let out a breath and forced a dry chuckle.

However, Long Yan continued to speak casually, as if to herself.

“How could a mere commoner from the villages possibly understand military dispatches? You’re not some enemy spy… are you?”

As she spoke, she lowered her head, concealing a trace of loneliness she had never revealed before others.

Her crimson eyes gazed at the stacks of ‘troubles’ on the table.

They were all documents concerning the deployment of provisions, supplies, weapons, and military equipment.

Rejected applications for various military expenditures, orders for material transfers from other garrisons…

All manner of complex, unresolved military matters piled up on her desk.

Yet, when she looked up again, Long Yan saw the pale-clothed youth before her sporting a smile that was clearly forced.

“Uh, hahahaha…”

Xia Qian couldn’t hide the expression that plainly showed she had been seen through.

Long Yan’s gaze shifted abruptly, her scrutinizing stare giving her the illusion of facing a lion once more.

Simply being watched by her made Xia Qian feel that her nine years of compulsory education, which taught her to read and write, was the biggest mistake of her life.

She certainly knew when to adhere to the principle of leniency for confession, severity for resistance, so she quickly clarified.

“This humble one attended school in my hometown as a child and is literate, so I can somewhat read a thing or two, but I am absolutely not a spy!”

Long Yan let out a soft laugh, steadying a slightly askew mountain of bamboo slips with one hand.

“No need to be nervous. Whether someone is good or bad, I can tell with a single glance. Besides, the map is just a rough draft, made based on the scouts’ reports; it’s still far from complete.

As for the contents of the bamboo slip documents, the army is in dire straits, lacking provisions and equipment… alas, it’s hardly a secret.”

The General’s slightly heavy sigh caused the oil lamp’s flame on the desk to flicker.

With scarce military supplies, winter would likely be difficult this year.

This was not something that could be concealed by strict orders alone; the problem would surface sooner or later. Foreign wars were unlike internal camp affairs; military matters concerned all the border-guarding soldiers, from top to bottom, and could not be resolved by a commander’s whim alone—Long Yan always remembered her mentor’s teachings.

Thus, even though the General was naturally uninhibited and bold, she had to submit to its constraints.

Unconsciously, a myriad of complex thoughts surged within her.

Before these loose threads tangled into an unbreakable knot, Long Yan shook her head, as if this action could literally dislodge her worries.

“Though the Northern Pass of Liangqu appears peaceful on the surface, it’s actually as urgent as a raging fire, far more troublesome than a battlefield—even if you can understand these documents, their intricate complexities cannot be grasped with a casual glance or explained in a few words… Hahahaha, look at me, why am I telling you all this?”

“Oh, oh…”

Watching the female general before her, Xia Qian nodded frequently as she spoke, adopting the posture of an attentive listener.

Simultaneously, during the pauses in her monologue, her mind was busy searching for a countermeasure.

From the subtle shifts in Long Yan’s open expression, she recognized a familiar sense of helplessness.

It was the same feeling she experienced at the end of the month when expenses outweighed income, her bank account balance was zero, and her part-time job salary hadn’t yet arrived.

“Well… I can’t really comment on the specifics, but there’s one thing I know…”

“Hmm?”

Long Yan looked up abruptly.

Xia Qian’s heart skipped a beat, scorched by her crimson eyes, yet she still managed to force out a twelve-point empathetic smile.

“General, you must be very tired.”

Young Master Yan, her senior, had once said that dealing with women was like petting a cat.

Right, indeed. Even though she should be considered a lion, she still falls within the feline family, so stroking her fur the right way must be correct…

To escape the jaws of a beast, one must first appease it.

Maintaining his understanding smile, Xia Qian racked his brain for various comforting platitudes.

“Since you’re tired, General, you should rest well. The heavier the workload, the more you need to relax your mind and body…”

“Hahahaha, you little rascal, I didn’t realize you were so good at saying pleasing things.”

Long Yan blinked, her brows softening slightly, but then she shook her head.

“However, it’s easy to speak, but only those who carry the burden truly know its weight—the responsibilities of the army cannot simply be cast aside. With a thousand jun of weight on one’s shoulders, how can one sleep soundly?”

“Ah… indeed. After all, as a leader, with great power comes great responsibility, and thus, greater pressure.”

“Therefore, there must always be some way to vent—”

No sooner had Long Yan’s words fallen than Xia Qian, realizing something was amiss, looked down. Only then did she discover, without having noticed when it happened,

That the sash tied around her waist had been removed.

Her plain robe, which had been wrapped around her, now lay open, parting like two clouds of gauze.

There was no chance to dodge. In the next second, Xia Qian’s waist was encircled by the female general’s arm.

Her proud peaks pressed against her face, obscuring nearly half her vision. Yet, the hard breastplate encasing that softness dug painfully into her cheek.

The two, who had just been standing face to face, now met each other’s gaze at a distance where they could feel each other’s warm breath.

Long Yan spoke, her voice carrying a burning, desirous whisper.

“You’re quite pleasing, boy. Come, let this General relax a little.”

Xia Qian distinctly caught the faint scent of alcohol emanating from her body, accompanied by a subtle orchid fragrance.

Oh, when under pressure, it’s okay to indulge a bit to de-stress, right? I understand, I understand.

Relevant scientific research indicates that appropriate self-comfort can indeed effectively alleviate mental tension to some extent.

But can you please not use me as a tool for comfort?!