"This general must have a lot of money on him. Brothers, we outnumber him. Let’s attack together, kill him, take the money, and then find a mountain to become kings."

"We’ll follow big brother’s orders."

"Attack."

Bam.

Ye Shikai let out a cold laugh and kicked the wooden table in front of him, sending it flying like a cannonball towards the brigands. The wooden table shattered into two pieces.

"Damn."

The brigand leader only felt a blazing light flash before his eyes, and before he could react, Ye Shikai had already reached him from ten paces away. His speed was so fast that even the innkeeper and diners beside him didn’t see clearly, as if he had flown over with the table.

Ye Shikai drew his sword, and with the unsheathing of the blade, it was destined to be a fatal strike to the throat. The brigands in front had no time to react and had their throats cut; they were merely ordinary people, strong at best, nowhere near match for a cultivator. Moreover, Ye Shikai had already decided to kill.

"Get him together, kill him."

"Courting death."

Ye Shikai swung his sword, and Sword Qi filled the air, instantly shattering the rest of the brigands’ inner organs. It was internal damage, and outsiders couldn’t even see what had happened - they simply saw those brigands immediately spitting blood, falling down, twitching, and quickly dying.

"Innkeeper, this is for compensation for the broken tables and chairs." Ye Shikai took a tael of silver from his coin bag and threw it on the cash counter.

"Also, quickly report to the authorities. Let them come to handle these bodies; these men must be notorious criminals wanted by the government. If there’s a reward, feel free to take it." Ye Shikai said indifferently. After speaking, he left the inn and departed.

"Thank... thank you, sir."

Ye Shikai mounted his warhorse and continued eastward. According to the innkeeper, he would soon reach the borders of Changsha Commandery, and at this speed, he should arrive within two days.

The next day.

Linxiang City.

"Finally back." Ye Shikai dismounted, having traveled tirelessly day and night without rest to compress two days’ worth of travel into one day and night. By the time he reached Linxiang, it was already dusk. Any later and the guards at the city gates would be closing them.

Ye Mansion, at the entrance.

"The Family Head, it’s the Family Head returning."

"Quickly, inform the Madam."

The house servants guarding the gate saw Ye Shikai and immediately rushed up to help remove his armor. They seemed quite surprised at his return, though it was understandable given Ye Shikai’s travel overnight - with the army, it would have taken at least a week.

"Greetings, Family Head."

"Hehua, why are you here? Where’s the Madam?" Ye Shikai inquired.

"The Madam is in her room, Family Head. She’s been quite worn out while you were away." Seeing Ye Shikai, Hehua’s face lit up with delight. He Linghan had developed a "heart illness," and the cure was Ye Shikai.

"What’s wrong with her?" Ye Shikai quickly asked.

"She’s lost interest in food and drink, always talking about you." Hehua explained. Ye Shikai listened for a long time before realizing what He Linghan had gone through during this period - though it wasn’t battlefield cruelty, longing was also a kind of torment, especially since Ye Shikai had only left a letter without much explanation, creating a deep misunderstanding between them.

"It’s my fault. Since I promised to accompany her for three months, I shouldn’t have broken my word. Instead, I broke it and didn’t explain things clearly to her." Ye Shikai felt deep remorse; he thought He Linghan was just showing a small woman’s temper and didn’t take it seriously - little did he know things would turn out this way. Luckily, it had only been half a month; otherwise...

"Alright, now it’s my turn. Hehua, go to the kitchen and prepare a bowl of porridge and bring it here." Ye Shikai instructed.

"Yes, Family Head, you must comfort the Madam properly."

.................................

"Cough, cough." Ye Shikai slowly pushed open the door to the room, only to find He Linghan sitting at the dressing table. Once attentive to appearances, she hadn’t groomed herself and was staring at the copper mirror. The room was "dead silent," and Ye Shikai knew she was too disheartened to care about grooming right now; perhaps she had kept this "slovenly" appearance for several days. Hehua said she had lost interest in food, and most of the meals had been left untouched - in half a month’s time, she probably was malnourished, looking weary and spiritless.

Ye Shikai slowly walked behind He Linghan, his footsteps light, yet she saw him through the copper mirror...

"Hus... Husband."

"Ling’er, I’m sorry, I came back late."

Before Ye Shikai could approach, He Linghan had already thrown herself at him, disregarding decorum, tightly clinging to him like an octopus. She exerted great force, seeming to want to "press" herself into Ye Shikai’s body. He understood what He Linghan felt and didn’t stop her.

"Husband, I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you that day. Are you okay in Ba Shu?" He Linghan’s tears dripped steadily onto his shoulder, and thinking of the brutal battlefield, she showed traces of fear, carefully examining Ye Shikai’s entire body.

"Don’t worry, everything’s fine. The army has withdrawn from Ba Shu, and everything went smoothly." Ye Shikai gently kissed He Linghan’s cheek and recounted the past half month. When talking about Ye Shikai leading troops at the rear during battle, He Linghan tightly gripped his arm, nestling in his embrace, trembling gently. She just wanted to live peacefully with her husband, and upon hearing scenes of clashing blades, she naturally felt fear, especially fearing Ye Shikai might slip up, and then...

"Ling’er, this time it was also my fault. You got upset, and I didn’t comfort you, only leaving you a letter. But I hope you understand, the military situation in Ba Shu was urgent, and if I’d been one or two days late, who knows how many in Linxiang City would have bought coffins." Ye Shikai sighed softly.

"It... it was my fault. I was too capricious, Husband. I didn’t stand in your shoes. I just wanted you to stay with me back then..."

"Alright, don’t say it anymore." With the misunderstanding resolved, Ye Shikai felt much relieved. Hehua also brought the congee over, so Ye Shikai had He Linghan eat first to restore her strength and then used Inner Strength to help her recover. After half a month without much eating, her body almost collapsed.

"Ling’er, take your time here eating. I have to step outside for a moment." Ye Shikai was about to leave but was stopped by He Linghan.

"No, you must stay with me here."