Chapter 39: Little Stars, Blinking in the Sky

After their overwhelming victory, General Dayin was overjoyed and held a banquet that very night to reward the meritorious officers. Everyone praised Qingyun's cannons in unison. Qingyun covered his mouth and smiled, saying, "Actually, they're still in the experimental stage, not truly perfected. Sikong only had a vague understanding, which is why they were scared away."

"In any case, the greatest credit belongs to you," Dayin said, raising her cup to him. He didn't refuse and drained it in one gulp.

"In the military, justice prevails; where there are rewards, there must also be punishment. Our discipline demands it, doesn't it?" Dayin's gaze swept over to Chang Geng, sitting at the end of the table.

Chang Geng had been drinking sullenly, head bowed. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up and knelt before her. "I, Chang Geng, am willing to accept punishment."

"Commander Chang Geng, your temperament is too rash and your actions lacked composure, nearly causing a great mishap," Dayin said coldly. "You will forfeit two months of pay. If there are future assignments, you will have to redeem yourself in service!"

Chang Geng was stunned, looking up at her in surprise. The others were equally taken aback; even the whipping was omitted—Dayin's punishment was indeed lenient.

Qingyun laughed lightly, "The general is compassionate to her subordinates, rewarding and punishing justly—a true phoenix among men." He raised his cup to her.

Dayin replied with a smile, and only then did the others realize and hurriedly toasted her as well. For a time, wine and laughter filled the air in a lively celebration.

While the camp was bustling with merriment, Kaiming took a jug of wine, slipped away from her unit, and found a quiet hillside. Sitting there, she gazed at the star-studded night sky, drinking mouthful after mouthful.

How was Chunhua now? She was surprised that the first person she thought of was her. As for Xuan? So much time had passed that even his voice and features were blurred in her memory. Perhaps, subconsciously, she had never truly regarded him as a husband—she hadn't even reserved a place for him as family.

Was he just a passerby? Her fingers brushed against the pendant at her neck. She couldn't quite explain these strange feelings. Then there was the Lord of the Armies—a man even more peculiar. He clearly knew her situation, and here, she was considered a married woman, yet he insisted on treating her with one-sided affection.

A man cold on the outside but fiery within. Once he ignited, it would be a mutual destruction. Flirtatious, teasing—his gaze upon her was simply that of a man looking at a woman who piqued his interest. Did he find her amusing? Entertaining?

And then there was Subaru... Thinking of him, of his fiancée who had remained faithful for a year though they had not yet wed, she felt stifled, taking another large gulp. What did Subaru mean to her? Even she couldn't say.

"May I sit here?" A muffled voice sounded beside her.

Startled, she looked up to see Chang Geng, dressed in casual clothes, his face taut, standing nearby.

"Commander!" She made to stand and salute.

"No need for formalities," Chang Geng stopped her.

"Please, sit," she said hurriedly, making room.

Chang Geng sat down unceremoniously, surprisingly holding his own jug of wine. Glancing at hers, the corners of his mouth lifted. "It seems we are of like mind."

She replied timidly.

"Am I that frightening?" Chang Geng snorted through his nose. "People say I'm ruthless, a killer without remorse. You soldiers must think so too, right?"

A hard question to answer.

"I don't mind that, really." He shook his wine jug. "Without fear, where does authority come from?"

Kaiming couldn't help but interject, "Commander, sometimes winning hearts requires more than just a strong hand."

"A mere soldier—what do you know?" Chang Geng rebuked her.

Realizing she'd overstepped, Kaiming quickly fell silent and sat back on the slope.

For a while, neither spoke. The cool air flowed between them, gradually calming their restless hearts.

"It's beautiful," Chang Geng murmured, looking up at the sky, bracing himself with his right hand.

Kaiming, too, gazed at the stars. The twinkling lights reminded her of a childhood rhyme from home, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky..." She couldn't help but hum the melody.

"What's that song? It's lovely," Chang Geng asked.

"A children's song from my hometown..." She gazed longingly at the sky, her thoughts drifting to another world, where the myriad stars transformed into her daughter's sweet, smiling face, winking at her. Thinking of her child, a warm, motherly smile unconsciously spread across her face.

Chang Geng stared at her in a daze, amazed that such a hardened, low-ranking soldier could show such a gentle smile.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are..." She hummed again, her song floating like a wisp of smoke in the tranquil night, transforming into a graceful fairy dancing playfully before their eyes.

Chang Geng listened, transfixed, unable to describe the feeling—only that it was as if a soft hand had gently brushed his heart, stirring a tenderness he'd never known. For a fleeting moment, it was his mother's gentle face that rose in his mind.

"It's late..." he said, his voice thick.

"Yes, we should rest," Kaiming replied, rising and bowing slightly to him. As she turned to go, she remembered something and looked back, "You have injuries—don’t drink so much." With another nod, she finally walked away.

Chang Geng grunted, seizing his wine jug and gulping it down.

Kaiming had just descended the hill when a sharp crack sounded. From behind a crooked tree, someone stumbled out, falling toward her.

Startled, she caught the person instinctively. The pungent smell of alcohol hit her—it was a drunkard. She frowned, trying to push him away, but he clung to her sleeve, grinning foolishly, "Another cup, just one more!"

In the faint light, she saw his pale face flushed red, and his usually clear eyes were now unfocused. It was Qingyun.

"How did you get this drunk?" she whispered, glancing toward Chang Geng, then quickly helped Qingyun away. He staggered along beside her.

After a few steps, Qingyun suddenly bent over and began to retch violently. Kaiming quickly patted his back to help him breathe, but he couldn't bring anything up, only looking miserable.

"If you can't hold your liquor, you shouldn't drink," she scolded. Realizing this wouldn't do, she grabbed his hand and guided his finger into his mouth.

Qingyun glared, not understanding. "Put your finger on your tongue—clear it out, quickly!" Without hesitation, she pushed his finger in again.

Qingyun seemed to understand and obeyed. Soon, he was vomiting so hard it seemed his very guts would come up.

Afterward, he was limp, nearly collapsing. Kaiming managed to support him by the waist with one hand and his arm with the other, half-dragging him away.

Inside General Dayin's tent, the festivities continued, bonfire crackling, patrols passing by in small groups. Gritting her teeth, Kaiming finally got Qingyun back to his quarters.

She dumped his heavy body onto the bed, rubbing her sore shoulders and muttering, "Heavy as a pig." As she turned to leave, she heard Qingyun calling out weakly from the bed.

She took a few steps, but he called again. Exasperated, she poured half a bowl of cold water, knelt beside him, and held the bowl to his lips. "Drink up—I need to rest!"

But Qingyun only lay there, eyes closed and mouth slightly open, refusing to drink.

Annoyed, she gripped his jaw with her left hand, forced his mouth open, and poured the water down with her right. Qingyun choked and coughed hard.

Kaiming tossed the bowl aside and stood, but a sharp pain shot through her wrist—he'd grabbed her with surprising strength. She couldn't help but rethink her opinion of men; even a gentle scholar like Qingyun could display such power when drunk.

"What are you doing?" she tried to pull away, but his grip was like glue.

Through drunken eyes, Qingyun looked at her and smiled weakly, "Little star...little star..."

"What little star?" She blushed. Even drunk, this fellow had managed to eavesdrop.

"The song, can you sing it?"

"You want to hear it?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded, finally releasing her hand, his head drooping weakly on the pillow, his bleary eyes full of anticipation.

Kaiming leaned down, looking at his flushed face and dreamy eyes—he was quite adorable. Smiling, she sat cross-legged, "There's another star song for children—it's even better for coaxing someone to sleep."

"Little star, twinkle bright, shining in the sky tonight..." She sang the first two lines, but forgot the rest, so she just repeated them over and over. Though monotonous, her voice was so soft and gentle that it lulled any listener toward sleep.

Peeking at Qingyun, she saw his long lashes no longer trembling, his breathing even as he drifted into dreams. She sighed with relief, feeling that she had fulfilled her motherly role.

She stood, but couldn't move her feet—Qingyun's fingers were tightly clutching the hem of her clothes. She smiled, "Such a child." With deft hands, she slipped off her outer garment and left it in his grasp, quietly leaving the tent.

Dawn broke early; she herself felt as if she had been drinking, her head heavy and dull. Chang Geng was bellowing as usual, waking the soldiers, splitting firewood, starting the fires. Kaiming yawned, her mind still on the drunken Qingyun. When no one was looking, she slipped off to his quarters.

Lifting the tent flap, she found the air still thick with the smell of liquor. Qingyun was sprawled across the bed, sound asleep.

Shaking her head, she walked over to adjust his sleeping posture, as she did with her child whenever she saw her about to fall off the bed—just a mother’s instinct.

But before she could touch him, her eyes fell on something white peeking from his disheveled robe. She pulled it out—just a crumpled piece of paper. Unfolding it, she found it covered with circles and lines, with some squiggly writing below. She couldn't make sense of it.

Frowning, she studied it, a thought suddenly striking her—could this be a map?

Suddenly, the paper vanished from her hand. She looked up and met a pair of sharp, fierce eyes—all former gentleness gone, replaced by a stormy darkness.

His voice was just as harsh, "Who told you to touch that? Who sent you?"

Kaiming was startled—she had never imagined the gentlemanly Qingyun could have such a side. She almost collapsed, stammering, "No one—I just came to check on you..."

"What did you see?" Qingyun sat up abruptly, his hair in disarray, looking like a demon.

"Just some circles and dots, that's all," she retorted, her conscience clear, "No need to be so fierce. Looking at it won’t kill you!"

Qingyun stared at her for a long time without saying a word. As she shifted uncomfortably, he suddenly got up, went to the tent door, and checked outside before finally relaxing.