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Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Zhan Feng Provokes!
After leaving the tent with Blood Drop, Zhan Lan passed by the wounded soldiers’ camp.
From a distance, Chu Yin really looked like she had become a young doctor.
She had a pleasant personality, always making the soldiers burst into laughter.
However, when Zhan Hui walked over, everyone immediately restrained their smiles.
Chu Yin looked up and saw Zhan Lan, then bounced over and grabbed Zhan Lan’s hand.
Zhan Lan asked, "Your father, Mr. Chu, sent someone to urge you to return. When will you set off?"
Speaking of Chu Yin’s father, her smile froze on her face, and she stubbornly said, "I’m not going back!"
Zhan Lan turned to her side and asked, "In a few days, I’ll be heading back too. Wouldn’t you want to return then?"
Although they were dressed as men, they were indeed women by birth. Aside from female cooks, the two of them were quite the anomaly in the military camp.
In her previous life, Zhan Lan had already been a female general, so she was naturally accustomed to it, but Chu Yin’s family would likely be very concerned about this.
Chu Yin looked towards Zhan Hui in the distance, shyly lowering her head, and asked, "Will General Zhan and the others be returning as well?"
Pretending to be ignorant, Zhan Lan asked, "Which General Zhan? And who are ’they’?"
Seeing Zhan Lan glance in Zhan Hui’s direction, Chu Yin blushed and chided, "Zhan Lan!"
Zhan Lan smiled with a curve to her lips and said, "Perhaps. The Western Rong have been greatly weakened this time, and won’t be able to attack again soon, but ultimately it depends on the Emperor’s decree."
Hearing that Zhan Hui might return to Ding’an City, Chu Yin’s mood instantly brightened. She purposely said loudly, "If you leave, I’ll leave too!"
Zhan Lan smiled, "Alright, in a few days, we’ll set off."
...
After lunch, Zhan Lan went to Zhan Xincheng’s tent.
She wanted to witness the miserable state of Zhan Xincheng with her own eyes!
The mere thought of Zhan Xincheng filled her with a desire to kill him, but for now, she couldn’t let him perceive her hostility.
She brought a gift and entered Zhan Xincheng’s tent.
Zhan Xincheng on the bed was wounded by the Western Rong in the leg and chest.
The leg was a flesh wound, now set with a wooden plank, but the injury to the chest was internal. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
It wasn’t apparent from the outside, but according to the military doctor, Zhan Xincheng had suffered severe internal injuries and it would be impossible for him to recover in a few years!
What’s more, the second branch of Zhan Family had no idea about the severity of Zhan Xincheng’s injuries.
If they knew, they would surely feel anguished.
With these thoughts, Zhan Lan felt much more relieved.
She gazed at Zhan Xincheng’s face that bore some resemblance to Zhan Beicang’s and suddenly felt a pang of sorrow.
General Zhan had served the country all his life and had immense trust in his kin. Never did he doubt Zhan Xincheng.
Yet Zhan Xincheng had, without hesitation, betrayed General Zhan at a critical moment when Zhan Family was facing life and death!
A surge of hatred welled up from within Zhan Lan. She exerted great effort to suppress it and respectfully called out in front of the bed, "Uncle!"
Zhan Lan forced herself to bow in disgust to Zhan Xincheng.
Zhan Xincheng, lying on the bed, was startled upon seeing Zhan Lan. She had grown so much.
She was almost as tall as his Feng’er, not only beautiful but also exuding a valiant aura.
Her whole demeanor seemed to bear the mark of the Zhan Family!
How had he never noticed it before!
Zhan Xincheng still remembered Zhan Lan from a year ago, timid and hesitant, even greeting people nervously.
But the Zhan Lan before him now seemed like a completely different person.
"I heard you made a military achievement this time. Your uncle is proud of you, ahem ahem ahem..." Zhan Xincheng praised Zhan Lan while coughing.
Zhan Lan knew the true nature of Zhan Xincheng; he seemed amiable and approachable on the surface, without putting on airs.
But deep down, he was a person of sinister and ruthless character.
This time, with Zhan Beicang as the Main General forcing the Western Rong troops to retreat, Emperor Xuanwu will surely reward him handsomely!
Yet Zhan Xincheng could only lie in his sickbed, unable to partake in the spoils!
He must now harbor deep resentment towards Zhan Beicang, and her, for assisting Zhan Beicang in earning those military achievements!
Worried, Zhan Lan looked at Zhan Xincheng and said, "Second Uncle, you must take great care of your health!"
After exchanging a few courtesies, Zhan Lan left Zhan Xincheng’s tent, excusing herself to not disturb his recovery.
In a few days, Zhan Xincheng would also leave Fengyu Pass with them.
Once back in Ding’an City, Zhan Lan would surely settle the scores with the second branch of Zhan Family for their sins!
After Zhan Lan left, Zhan Feng came into Zhan Xincheng’s tent and saw the gift on the table.
Upon learning that the gift was from Zhan Lan, Zhan Feng grabbed the redwood box and smashed it on the ground.
Frowning at his angered son, Zhan Xincheng said, "Stop this nonsense, I’ve told you, if you want to achieve great things, you must first control your temper!"
Annoyed, Zhan Feng said, "Dad, Zhan Lan is the best at ingratiating and acting cute, she just came up with a few tricks for fighting the Western Rong army, and now Uncle is praising her for her military achievements, even rewarding her with Blood Drop!"
Zhan Xincheng sighed helplessly, "You, do not concern yourself with these minor favors, set your sights further. Sooner or later, everything will be yours!"
Zhan Feng looked into Zhan Xincheng’s firm and cunning eyes, nodding heavily, "Yes, Dad!"
Although Zhan Feng believed in his father, being reprimanded by him still didn’t sit well with him.
After he left the tent, he passed by the Martial Arts Arena and saw Zhan Lan practicing archery.
Zhan Lan shot three arrows, yet not a single one hit the bullseye!
Around Zhan Lan, a circle of soldiers watched, with one veteran expressing his disappointment, "Miss Zhan Lan, you need to practice your archery!"
Zhan Lan wasn’t upset; instead, she responded with a smile, "Indeed, I do need to practice more!"
As she turned to speak, she caught sight of Zhan Feng looking at her with a cold gaze.
"Everyone, I’ll go have my meal first; you carry on the competition!" Zhan Lan put down her bow and arrows, and stood up to leave.
Zhan Feng quickly stepped forward, blocking Zhan Lan’s path with his arm.
He challenged her, "Zhan Lan, why don’t we have a contest? If you hit the bullseye with one out of three arrows, you can choose anything of mine. If I hit the bullseye with all three, you give me one of your personal belongings. That’s fair, isn’t it?"
Zhan Lan gave an awkward smile, "Mr. Zhan Feng, my archery skills are not good; it’s better not to compete!"
After speaking, Zhan Lan turned to go back, but Zhan Feng firmly pressed down on her shoulder, warning her, "You have to compete even if you don’t want to!"
Zhan Lan felt the pressure of Zhan Feng’s hand on her shoulder; just a few days ago, Asi Han had punched her there, and the pain still lingered!
He was deliberately picking a fight!
Zhan Feng watched Zhan Lan wince with a sly smirk on his lips.
Ever since she was little, Zhan Lan was afraid of him. He didn’t believe that an adopted daughter could stir up much of a fuss!
Zhan Lan pushed Zhan Feng aside with a turn, hitting him in the arm with a punch, causing him to step back.
Grimacing in pain, Zhan Feng was astonished that Zhan Lan dared to fight back!
Zhan Feng glared at Zhan Lan, wondering who gave her the courage!
The soldiers around them were oblivious to the tension between the two; they enjoyed watching such competitions the most in the camp.
Thus, someone egged her on, "Miss Zhan Lan, hitting the bullseye with one out of three arrows isn’t hard, the young general here seems to want to give you a present!"
"Yes, yes! Come on, let’s compete, just for fun!"
Caught between the crowd’s urging, Zhan Lan found it hard to advance or retreat. She sighed and said, "Well then, I ask Mr. Zhan Feng to go easy on me."
Zhan Feng smiled triumphantly; it seemed that Blood Drop, which Zhan Lan had not even had the chance to warm up, would soon be his!
Some people are just not destined to enjoy the good fortune!
