Captain Tian immediately frowned, "Major General, deserters should be beheaded!"
"He's my newly recruited private on personal service. He wasn't trying to desert," Lin Yuan took off Yi Zhici's bag. "I sent him to fetch some hot spring water for me."
Captain Tian was completely confused. He couldn't figure out the situation. After patrolling all night, he still didn't understand what was going on. When did the major general get a private on personal service? When had the major general ever been so gentle with anyone? Was he actually asleep and dreaming instead of patrolling?
Lin Yuan pulled Yi Zhici to the campfire, added some firewood, but kept silent with a cold face, as if angry.
Yi Zhici was quite experienced in dealing with such situations. All she needed to do was act coquettishly. "Ouch, my feet hurt from walking."
Sure enough, Lin Yuan's expression softened. He came over to warm her hands, but still didn't say a word.
Yi Zhici didn't give up. "It's so cold. I want a hug."
At this late hour, except for Captain Tian who had just finished patrolling, few people were still awake. She wasn't afraid of being seen now, just as she wasn't afraid of going to the hot spring earlier.
Of course, the failed attempt to go to the hot spring was purely because she was too frozen to move quickly. Otherwise, she would be soaking in the hot spring by now.
Lin Yuan let out a long sigh. "When did you come?"
Seeing that Lin Yuan was talking to her, Yi Zhici beamed. Even the ashes on her face couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes. "I've been following since the start. Am I amazing?"
"Extremely amazing," Lin Yuan said, whether out of joy or helplessness. "You sneaked into the troop but didn't come to find me?"
Hearing this, Yi Zhici felt a bit embarrassed. She scratched her head. "I was afraid of causing you trouble. I planned to tell you the truth when we reached Hanyu Pass."
"Come here."
Lin Yuan didn't dwell on this anymore. He made the fire burn brighter.
When Yi Zhici walked over, Lin Yuan took off the big coat that the kind - hearted guy had given her and put his own cloak on her.
"You shouldn't wear other people's clothes," Lin Yuan tightened the collar of Yi Zhici's cloak. "I'm not worried about the trouble you might cause by entering the military camp, but I'm afraid you'll catch a cold. Your health is the most important thing."
Lin Yuan's cloak was much warmer than the big coat. As soon as she put it on, it felt like the wind around her stopped and couldn't reach her.
Yi Zhici warmed her hands and feet while observing Lin Yuan. Seeing his cold face, she let out a scoff. "Are you jealous?"
Lin Yuan replied coldly, "No."
Yi Zhici chuckled. "I won't wear other people's clothes in the future, jealous guy."
Lin Yuan's expression softened a bit. "I'm not jealous. I'm just afraid you'll catch a cold."
"Okay, okay, you're not jealous," Yi Zhici coaxed him like a child. "Let's go to sleep then."
It was the coldest winter month, just a few days after the New Year. They were in the middle of nowhere. Not far away, a few crows were flapping their wings. The icicles on the trees fell down because of the flapping. The leaves were covered with snow, shining silver in the night, looking like a wonderland of ice and fire.
But while it was beautiful, it was also extremely cold. Since they set off, Yi Zhici hadn't had a good night's sleep. She was either woken up by the cold in the middle of the night or couldn't fall asleep at all.
The ground at night was freezing cold, especially in the middle of winter. Moreover, Yi Zhici was naturally sensitive to cold.
Lin Yuan had always known that Yi Zhici was sensitive to cold, so he laid the blankets layer by layer. As the leader of the vanguard army, he should have had the best supplies. But since he didn't know Yi Zhici was following, he had distributed most of the supplies to the soldiers under him.
Even though Lin Yuan tried his best to make the place warm and comfortable, it still looked rather shabby.
Yi Zhici felt heart - ache. "Stop tidying up. I don't want to sleep. Let's just sit and chat. We'll reach Hanyu Pass tomorrow anyway."
"I'm sorry, Aci," Lin Yuan lowered his head, looking extremely embarrassed. "I can't even prepare a decent place to sleep..."
Yi Zhici pulled Lin Yuan over. Seeing that the soldiers around were sleeping soundly and the sentry wasn't around, she gave Lin Yuan a kiss on the cheek. "If I hadn't followed, you wouldn't have to go through all this trouble. Isn't it my fault?"
Lin Yuan had no resistance to Yi Zhici's initiative. He could only smile foolishly. "We'll reach Hanyu Pass tomorrow. We won't have to sleep on the ground there."
Yi Zhici nodded.