My Wife Is The Female Lead In A Scum Alpha Novel - Chapter 79

79

The elegant small regular script—Gu Qingci recognized at a glance that it was Ruan Zhi’s handwriting.

Seeing the words was like seeing the person; the face of the one she missed appeared in her mind.

“Months apart, and my longing for you runs deep.”

The first line brought tears to Gu Qingci’s eyes.

Ruan Zhi was thinking of her too!

Missing her.

Just these few words made Gu Qingci feel Ruan Zhi’s reserved yet profound emotions.

Later in the letter, Ruan Zhi mentioned that she had secured the position of a provisions officer and was currently in Chu to gather supplies. She would travel by water to Daheng and then switch to land routes, urging Gu Qingci not to worry. More provisions would be sent later, ensuring she had no logistical concerns.

“Written in haste, my words cannot fully express my thoughts. I hope you take care, and I long for our reunion.”

Gu Qingci stared at the letter for a long while before pressing it to her chest.

If not for the hordes of Turkic cavalry still in the north, and if she weren’t the commanding general of these two hundred thousand troops, Gu Qingci truly wished she could mount her horse right now and ride toward Jin City.

It took several deep breaths before she managed to suppress the impulse.

A knocking sound came from outside the door, and Gu Qingci allowed the person to enter.

“Gu—why are you crying? Did something happen in Yanjing again?” Wen Renyi entered and saw Gu Qingci’s tearful, reddened eyes, looking utterly heartbroken, he was startled.

“It’s nothing.” Gu Qingci quickly wiped her face with a handkerchief.

“Where did these provisions come from? They don’t seem like nearly enough either?” Wen Renyi, seeing that Gu Qingci didn’t wish to elaborate, didn’t press further.

“Here are two of them, with eight more to come. Hurry up and interrogate those people. I’m going to a meeting to make arrangements.” Gu Qingci said, her expression resolute.

Gu Qingci needed to ensure the safe receipt of the provisions that Ruan Zhi had carefully arranged to be sent via different routes.

At the same time, she had to prepare for Ruan Zhi’s arrival.

She absolutely could not allow the Turkic cavalry any opportunity to reach the road between Jin City and Wu City.

Gu Qingci convened an emergency meeting, summoning all the commanding officers.

The officers had just witnessed Gu Qingci ordering the execution of several soldiers who had spoken out of turn. Now, as they gathered for the meeting, they saw her as if she had become a completely different person.

Without wasting words, Gu Qingci marked on the map the positions each officer was to defend, assigning roles for the vanguard, rearguard, and so on.

“If there is the slightest mistake in any of this, military law will be enforced!”

After finalizing the arrangements, Gu Qingci once again addressed the group sternly.

If there were still spies among them, Gu Qingci had countermeasures ready—she would show no mercy once they were caught.

Over the next three days, the remaining provisions arrived safely.

With the provisions secured, the morale of the entire army soared.

The construction of anti-cavalry barriers sped up significantly, and the soldiers digging trap pits felt reinvigorated.

The barriers formed a defensive line against the Turkic cavalry, giving the Daheng soldiers the upper hand.

In several subsequent small-scale clashes, the Daheng forces emerged victorious each time.

With the first batch of provisions from Ruan Zhi safely delivered and the arrangements in Wu City nearly complete, Gu Qingci left Cao Hang in charge. She then set out under the cover of night with 500 Tiger Guard and 100 Feilong troops, heading toward Jin City.

As dawn approached, she spotted a figure in plain clothes riding a horse in the distance.

Gu Qingci led her troops forward to meet them.

Upon seeing Gu Qingci, the rider dismounted and knelt before her.

“My lord!”

This form of address made Gu Qingci realize something. Upon closer inspection, the person before her was none other than a disciple taken in by Min Guiyi.

“Why are you alone?!” Gu Qingci exclaimed as she dismounted from her horse and grabbed the man by the shoulders, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

“My lord, we encountered bandits on the road. Master helped me break through to deliver the message.” the man reported, wincing slightly from the force of Gu Qingci’s grip but disregarding the pain.

“Lead the way!” Gu Qingci’s heart tightened as she immediately ordered.

They had prepared for Turkic cavalry but had not anticipated the mountain bandits nearby.

Some were people who could no longer survive under Turkic rule or in the Great Heng’s territories. Skilled in horsemanship, they formed outlaw gangs to resist the imperial court, plundering and pillaging. Their ferocity was no less than that of the Turkic cavalry.

The nearby provisions had already been requisitioned, leaving nothing behind. Faced with such a large shipment of grain, the bandits would likely risk their lives to seize it.

Suppressing the anxiety in her heart, Gu Qingci urged her horse forward at full speed alongside the man.

The road ahead grew increasingly broad. The borderlands adjacent to the Hu territories featured vast grasslands—expanses of flat, green plains where galloping on horseback was a thrilling experience.

Yet at this moment, Gu Qingci felt no such exhilaration. Her gaze remained fixed ahead, unblinking.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, Gu Qingci saw thick, billowing smoke in the distance. The dread that had been weighing on her heart erupted. Her eyes turned bloodshot, her vision blurred with fury, and her hands trembled slightly as she gripped her bow.

“My lord, you must cover your mouth and nose. Do not inhale that smoke. It can sap your strength. It’s extremely dangerous.” the man accompanying her shouted.

Gu Qingci paused, tearing off a piece of her sleeve to cover her face.

“Cover your mouths and noses! Charge in!” she ordered the soldiers behind her, then spurred her horse even faster toward the smoke.

Within the haze, a group of bizarrely dressed, vicious-looking bandits on horseback howled as they encircled the grain transport convoy.

The smoke came from torches they held aloft, as well as from several grain carts that had been set ablaze and then extinguished.

“Surrender and join us, and you’ll be spared! Identify the person in charge, and you’ll be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold! Those who resist—we’ll keep killing! Let’s see how long you can hold out!”

A rough, booming voice rang out across the scene.

The voice was like a guiding beacon. As soon as the words fell, a volley of arrows whistled through the air.

The owner of the voice was alert, dodging two arrows, but the third struck his arm.

“Who among you isn’t afraid to die? Who shot that arrow? Show yourself, damn it!”

The man shouted.

A few more arrows were loosed.

The man avoided them in advance, but several of his companions were hit.

Just as he was secretly gloating, a cold glint suddenly shot toward him. Through the smoke, he barely had time to catch a glimpse of a pair of crimson eyes before he lost consciousness.

The newcomer was none other than Gu Qingci.

The bow in her hands had been replaced by a horseman’s lance, its head a sharp double-edged blade. Wherever its tip pointed, bl00d sprayed.

“Someone’s come to save us!”

“It must be someone sent by the master!”

The besieged group exclaimed excitedly.

Originally a long grain transport convoy, they had clustered together to avoid being picked off one by one after encountering bandits. The grain carts were arranged in several rings, with guards on the perimeter and non-combatants at the center.

Exhausted and haggard from days of forced travel, their faces grew even paler from the smoke the bandits had released. Many sat slumped on the ground, utterly drained.

A few still fought back with crossbows.

The arrival of Gu Qingci’s squad reignited hope in their despairing eyes.

On the outskirts, Gu Qingci was already in a bloodthirsty frenzy.

The bandits weren’t numerous, but aided by the strange smoke, their speed, and ruthless tactics, they had been slaughtering the grain convoy with little resistance.

Had it not been for the abundance of crossbows among the guards, they would have long been wiped out, and the grain stolen.

Gu Qingci’s body had not yet fully recovered to its peak condition. After fighting for a while, her arms began to tremble slightly.

However, she paid no heed and continued to charge forward.

Hundreds of Tiger Guard soldiers rushed up to assist.

The bandits numbered no more than a thousand, and against the elite troops Gu Qingci had brought—each capable of taking on ten—they were quickly routed and attempted to flee.

But the Tiger Guard and Feilong Army pursued them, leaving none alive.

As the battle subsided and the smoke gradually cleared, Gu Qingci looked toward the innermost crowd.

At first glance, among the cheering crowd, not a single figure resembled the one she had been longing for.

Yet, Gu Qingci recognized one person at once.

Dressed in men’s clothing, with a simple bun and wooden hairpin, dark skin, and coarse cloth robes—outwardly, no different from the others.

Only those eyes—like water, like mist, as if brimming with boundless emotion.

It was Ruan Zhi!

It was her!

Gu Qingci dismounted, climbed over the grain carts, and reached Ruan Zhi.

Her voice was already choked with sobs, unable to utter a single word.

Gu Qingci could only reach out and pull Ruan Zhi into an embrace, feeling the slight tremble of the body in her arms, the sharpness of her shoulder blades against her palms.

Her wife, always so fragrant and soft, now carried a faint earthy scent.

Tears streamed uncontrollably from Gu Qingci’s eyes, soaking through Ruan Zhi’s coarse clothes.

A gentle hand patted her back.

“Don’t cry. I’m fine. Thankfully, you arrived—I may have been a bit overconfident.” Ruan Zhi said softly.

For others, the hardest part of the journey was procuring grain in Chu.

For Ruan Zhi, it hadn’t been difficult.

In her past life, she had done business with people from Chu and knew who had stockpiles.

The great merchant of Chu was a man who cared only for profit—as long as there was silver, grain could be bought.

Transporting it back to Daheng had been relatively smooth.

She hadn’t expected to encounter bandits.

These bandits wielded weapons Ruan Zhi had never faced before.

Skilled fighters in her ranks, such as Min Guiyi, had already been rendered powerless and could only rely on crossbows.

Their combat power plummeted drastically.

Once the arrows were exhausted, they would likely be waiting for death.

Ruan Zhi and the others held out for a long time, and just as they were beginning to feel despair, they caught sight of Gu Qingci.

Even though Gu Qingci’s face was covered, Ruan Zhi recognized her at a glance.

At that moment, seeing the young general charging through the smoke, Ruan Zhi’s eyes welled up with tears.

With Gu Qingci here, even the worst situations seemed to take a turn for the better.

Gu Qingci was still sobbing, unable to hold back her tears.

Her heart ached for Ruan Zhi.

If not for her, how could Ruan Zhi have suffered like this?

The delicate and soft omega, raised in luxury and never having endured hardship—even under the original host, she had never been exposed to wind or sun—had disguised herself and traveled thousands of miles for Gu Qingci’s sake.

Once soft and boneless, with a voluptuous figure, now her bones could be felt beneath her skin.

“Alright, we have work to do. The smoke those bandits used was very strange. I don’t know if there’s an antidote. Master Min and the others are just like you were when you were poisoned—they have no strength left.” Ruan Zhi said softly to Gu Qingci.

Gu Qingci forced herself to steady her emotions and let go of Ruan Zhi.

“Stay here and rest. I’ll go take a look.” Gu Qingci said, gazing at Ruan Zhi.

This was no time for tenderness.

Gu Qingci knew that.

Reluctant to part, she took a few more glances at Ruan Zhi before stepping out of the inner area.

“General, the few who escaped have all been captured, and none of the horses got away. Everything on them has been confiscated and piled up here.” Wu Duo of the Feilong Army reported to Gu Qingci.

“Did you ask about the smoke?” Gu Qingci asked as she walked toward the captured bandits.

“Yes. Inhaling this smoke weakens a person for two hours, after which they recover.” Wu Duo, being sharp-witted, shared some of the information Gu Qingci wanted to know.

Gu Qingci had a few more questions and went to interrogate them personally.

“The smoke from burning these things can weaken people. Did you buy them from the Turks? Why didn’t some of you need to cover your mouths and noses? Speak honestly, and I might spare your life. If not, you’ll only meet death.” Gu Qingci asked one of them.

“This… this thing was indeed bought from the Turks. I really don’t know why they didn’t cover their mouths and noses. I truly don’t. It’s as if they weren’t afraid of the smoke at all.” the man said fearfully, the blade pressed against his neck.

“Were they all foreigners? Of Turkic descent?” Gu Qingci’s heart stirred as she asked.

“Y-yes, I think so. That must be it. Maybe it’s because they’re Turks that they weren’t afraid of the smoke.” the man replied.

“…” Gu Qingci paused, sensing that this might be related to the poison affecting her.

Both came from foreign lands, and both could render people weak and powerless.

But the poison she had been afflicted with was so difficult to cure, while the effects of this smoke dissipated on their own after just two hours.

It was indeed strange.

Could it be because one entered the bloodstream through a wound, while the other was inhaled through the nose and mouth, passing through the lungs?

Gu Qingci couldn’t be sure and didn’t dwell on it further, deciding to take it back for Wen Renyi to study.

As for those bandits who didn’t cover their noses and mouths—if they were all foreigners, perhaps they had some innate immunity, or maybe they had taken something to counteract the poison.

This could very well be the key to curing the lingering toxicity in her body.

For now, there was nothing more to uncover.

Gu Qingci could only set the matter aside.

After gathering the items and waiting for the effects of the drug to wear off, the group set out again.

Gu Qingci and her men had ridden swiftly to get here, but with the grain convoy in tow, the pace would be much slower—likely taking two or three days.

As the group resumed their journey, Gu Qingci rode on horseback, surveying the surroundings.

Ruan Zhi sat inside the carriage. Though she hadn’t changed her clothes, she had wiped her face clean with water and finally dared to feel refreshed.

With her mind at ease, the discomfort she had been suppressing began to make itself known, each ache and pain demanding attention.

Ruan Zhi’s lips curled into a faint, bitter smile.

Her estrus cycle had been forcibly triggered.

In her past life, her gland had been useless, so she had never experienced this before—never had to endure such sensations.

After traveling all the way to the Great Chu, she had finally managed to connect with that prominent merchant through various intermediaries.

Most of those people were Alphas.

Especially during the negotiations with the merchant in Great Chu, which had taken place at the Jiaolou Pavilion.

There, pheromones had been wantonly unleashed.

After leaving Great Chu, Ruan Zhi’s gland had been throbbing with a dull pain, feverish to the touch.

She had tried cooling it with cold water, relying on sheer willpower to endure.

Then, when they encountered the bandits—many of whom were Alphas—the air had been thick with the chaotic scent of pheromones.

Even among the grain convoy, frightened Alphas had released their pheromones.

Covering her nose and mouth hadn’t been enough to block it out.

And then, just moments ago, Gu Qingci had embraced her.

The scent clinging to Gu Qingci had been the final trigger.

Beneath her calm exterior, a storm raged.

This was the hardship of an unmarked omega venturing outside.

Ruan Zhi closed her eyes.

She hadn’t bathed properly in days. She was filthy, her scent unpleasant.

And now, in such a state—how could she possibly call for Gu Qingci?

The convoy marched on from the scorching midday sun until dusk began to settle.

The more experienced members of the group selected a resting spot near a small river.

Many of the Alphas rushed to wash away the dust of the journey.

After arranging the guard shifts, Gu Qingci rode over to Ruan Zhi’s carriage.

She slipped inside, intending to speak to Ruan Zhi, but instead found her biting her lip, her face slightly flushed.

“Sister, are you unwell?” Gu Qingci reached out to touch Ruan Zhi’s forehead. It wasn’t burning, but the red flush spreading from her neck made her look feverish.

Gu Qingci’s fingers brushed against the skin over Ruan Zhi’s gland at the nape of her neck—scalding to the touch.

Ruan Zhi shrank her body slightly.

“I’m fine. Once we reach the city…” Ruan Zhi whispered, her voice trembling.

“…How can we wait until we reach the city?” Gu Qingci’s heart ached terribly.

The carriage couldn’t prevent the leakage of pheromones, much less block out sound.

After a moment’s thought, Gu Qingci untied her cloak, wrapped it around Ruan Zhi, and carried her out of the carriage, placing her on the horse.

She seated Ruan Zhi sideways, facing her.

By now, the sky was dimming into dusk, and everyone was busy with their own tasks. No one paid attention to Gu Qingci.

After informing the guarding soldiers, Gu Qingci rode off with Ruan Zhi along the small river upstream.

As darkness fell, the moon and stars emerged, casting a hazy glow.

When the sounds of people faded away, Gu Qingci freed Ruan Zhi from the cloak.

“There’s no need to hold back anymore.” Gu Qingci murmured, lifting Ruan Zhi’s chin.