When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 20

The next day, Jiang Yan woke up naturally. It was almost noon when she opened her eyes. She would have still been dreaming with the Duke of Zhou if Jiang Zhen hadn’t come back to change her clothes.

Jiang Zhen thought she was still asleep, so she didn’t bother to be modest. She took off her heavy armor and changed out of her inner clothes.

When Jiang Yan opened her eyes and saw this alluring scene, tears of excitement almost streamed down from the corners of her mouth.

She briefly struggled between continuing to peek and alerting Jiang Zhen, then decisively chose the former.

It wasn’t really peeking, though. How could you call it peeking between sisters?

She was looking openly and honestly.

Jiang Zhen had just undone the cloth binder halfway when she looked up and saw the little thing on the bed staring at her without blinking.

Jiang Yan was caught red-handed, but she was not flustered at all. She put on a cheerful smile and said, “Good noon, Elder Sister. How’s the weather today?”

Jiang Zhen turned around and said angrily, “Why didn’t you say anything when you woke up?!”

Jiang Yan replied shamelessly, “I saw that you were so focused, so I was embarrassed to interrupt you.”

After Jiang Zhen realized that she couldn’t reason with Jiang Yan, she said nothing more. She quickly changed her clothes, coldly threw out the words “Come out and eat,” and left.

Jiang Yan’s mind was still blank. All she could remember was that it was very big and very white.

‘Wooo…’

‘I want to bury my face in it.’

After getting dressed and washing up, Jiang Yan went to find Jiang Zhen to eat together.

When Jiang Zhen saw her, she said faintly, “Just find a place to sit.”

Jiang Yan looked around and said to the soldier sitting next to Jiang Zhen, “Brother, can you move for me? I want to sit with my sister.”

The soldier next to her automatically moved, and other soldiers started to jeer.

“Little General Jiang, I’ve never heard you say you had a younger sister.”

“That’s right. She’s truly a general’s sister. She’s so beautiful.”

“Yes, yes, the little sister is so beautiful.”

Jiang Yan knew they had no ill intentions, so she accepted their praise and said “thank you” with a smile.

Jiang Zhen glanced at the smiling Jiang Yan, finding her inexplicably an eyesore. She picked up her bowl and chopsticks and stood up, saying to Jiang Yan, who hadn’t even had a chance to sit down, “Let’s go. We’ll eat in the tent.”

Jiang Yan obediently followed behind her, feeling very happy.

She felt that Jiang Zhen was starting to show some feelings.

If this wasn’t jealousy, what was?

However, Jiang Yan didn’t plan to let her know her true feelings so soon. Instead, she chose to change her slowly.

Jiang Zhen had a fierce personality. A slight mistake could be counterproductive.

The best way was to boil a frog in warm water.

After all, she had plenty of time and was in no hurry.

After lunch, Jiang Chengsha called Jiang Yan over and asked her to go back.

“Yan’er, Jingcheng is a place of trouble. The current peace is just an illusion. The war could reignite tomorrow. Your sister and I have no time to look after you. It’s too dangerous for you to stay here. Go back today. I’ll have someone protect you.”

Jiang Yan didn’t want to go back. She had just seen Jiang Zhen, and she didn’t expect to be separated so soon.

But her father’s worries were not unfounded. Once the war started, this place would be plunged into chaos again. If something were to happen to her, her mother probably wouldn’t be able to live.

She couldn’t be too selfish and disregard others for her own sake.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Yan went to say goodbye to Jiang Zhen. She was fighting against a soldier, holding a spear in her hand, looking heroic and valiant.

Jiang Yan felt that the female generals she read about in novels all had faces now.

Seeing her, Jiang Zhen kicked away the last challenger, threw the spear over her shoulder, and it landed in the weapon rack.

Jiang Yan applauded enthusiastically, her voice exaggerated: “Wow, Elder Sister is amazing!”

In response to her insincere praise, Jiang Zhen gave her a cold look.

She wiped the sweat from her face and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Seeing Jiang Zhen, the words of farewell got stuck in Jiang Yan’s throat. She pouted and said coquettishly, “Elder Sister, I want a hug…”

Jiang Zhen glanced at her, her eyes extremely complex.

“If anyone asks, don’t say you’re my sister.”

“Why?” Jiang Yan hugged her arm, dissatisfied.

Jiang Zhen pulled her arm out, walked past her without blinking, and had no intention of answering the question.

Jiang Yan chased after her and forcibly hugged her, burying her face in a soft spot. Her heart was full of contentment.

Jiang Zhen looked down at her, her voice as cold as ever. “Let go. Don’t waste my training time.”

Jiang Yan stubbornly hugged her for a minute before letting go. Then she waved with a smile: “Elder Sister, go train. I’m going back, too.”

Jiang Zhen thought that her “going back” meant returning to the tent, so she didn’t pay much attention. Only after she finished training and went back did she find that Jiang Yan’s belongings were gone. The military tent was the same as usual, simple and tidy, without a trace of her having been there.

She stood for a while, then went to the training ground to practice with her sword, swinging it until she was completely exhausted.

Something in her heart still felt off. It seemed she couldn’t stop thinking about that little thing who had left without saying goodbye.

…

Jiang Yan didn’t refuse her father’s kindness and took a soldier with her out of the city, asking him to take turns driving the carriage with the driver.

Because they left late, they hadn’t arrived in Jiucheng when it got dark.

[Host, you have a tail.] Oscar’s voice came out as a reminder, a little bit gleeful.

Jiang Yan replied faintly, “I know.”

These people were fast and were about to catch up to them.

An arrow shot through the air. Jiang Yan kicked the driver away. The arrow grazed her face and hit the carriage.

The driver was scared pale. He stammered, “Th… thank you.”

Jiang Yan had no time to spare. She pulled on the reins and pulled out the short sword from her waist.

Jiang Zhen had given her this sword when she left last time. She had kept it with her, and she didn’t expect it to come in handy today.

“Protect yourself! Don’t show your head!”

After Jiang Yan said that, she jumped out of the carriage and hid in the darkness.

Fortunately, there were only six of them. Besides the one who shot the arrow at the beginning, the others only had a saber.

At this moment, they were menacingly approaching Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan exchanged a look with the soldier who was sent to escort her. The two attacked at the same time. While the soldier was fighting with the men with the sabers, Jiang Yan seized the opportunity and used her short sword to cut the horse’s neck. The horse cried out in pain, its two front hooves rising high in the air. The person on the horse fell off without warning. Jiang Yan dodged and put her short sword to his neck. She said to the five men still fighting the soldier, “Stop, or I’ll cut his throat!”

The five men heard this and their knives paused. The soldier’s eyes narrowed. He took the opportunity to kill them with his sword.

Jiang Yan looked at him. He said openly, “This subordinate was ordered by the general to protect the second young miss. I have to ensure you are completely safe.”

Jiang Yan pursed her lips, feeling helpless.

‘Completely safe, indeed. When everyone is dead, there’s no more danger, right?’

The man under her sword’s eyes were filled with resentment, and he had a look of determination. “It’s my fault for falling for your trick today. My skills are inferior. But your Kingdom of Yu will definitely lose. Victory belongs to the Kingdom of Xia!”

After saying that, he bit his tongue and killed himself. Jiang Yan was stunned.

She had wanted to keep a survivor to get some useful information. Now, everyone was dead.

However, Jiang Yan could probably guess why they were here.

They must have found out her identity and wanted to capture her to threaten her father. They didn’t expect to be defeated by her.

She walked towards the “soldier” and raised her eyebrows. “What’s your name?”

The soldier was neither humble nor arrogant: “My name is Lou Xiao.”

Jiang Yan’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. “Lou Xiao, a good name! You will achieve great things.”

Lou Xiao said nothing. He jumped into the carriage, picked up the whip, and dutifully acted as the driver.

The rest of the journey went smoothly. When they returned to the capital, the sky finally cleared up. The gloom of the past few days was gone, and the streets were much livelier than before.

Jiang Yan had wanted to sneak home, but the General’s Manor had many informants. She hadn’t even returned yet when Yuan Feng already received the news.

After two such incidents, one could imagine Yuan Feng’s mood. The moment Jiang Yan entered the house, Yuan Feng appeared with a group of servants. It was as if she was about to go out and kill everyone.

Jiang Yan put on a fawning smile and sweetly called out “Mother.” Yuan Feng ignored her and said to the servant, “Close the door.”

After the door was closed, Yuan Feng said sternly, “Kneel down!”

Jiang Yan obediently knelt, looking like a victim ready to be beaten and scolded.

“Do you know your mistake?”

“Yes, I do.”

“What was your mistake?”

“I shouldn’t have left the manor without a word and made you worry, Mother.”

Yuan Feng knelt in front of her, sighed, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Yan’er, it’s not that Mother wants to control you. It’s just that Jingcheng is too dangerous. It’s not a place you can go. You’re the only child in our family. If anything were to happen to you, how could I explain it to your father and the ancestors of the Jiang family?”

As she spoke, tears fell from her eyes, making Jiang Yan feel guilty.

‘I was a little too much. I should have told Mother next time, even though she would definitely disagree.’

To teach Jiang Yan a lesson, Yuan Feng didn’t give in. She made her kneel for an hour before getting up.

Jiang Yan knelt for a full two hours, and her legs were numb when she got up.

Dong Xue and Qiu Yue sighed in admiration, as usual, and then took good care of her.

Qiu Yue was wiping the table when she suddenly laughed. “Young Miss, you really got the young master in trouble. I heard that when the Madam went to ask him where you were and found out you went to Jingcheng, she got very angry at your uncle. The young master was beaten badly by his uncle and was ordered not to leave the manor. The capital has lost a romantic scholar.”

Jiang Yan also chuckled, enjoying his misfortune.

Yuan Zhao wanted to peek into her secrets, which was why this happened to him. He didn’t deserve any sympathy.

After that day, Jiang Yan was much more well-behaved. She spent her days at home drinking tea, reading storybooks, or practicing calligraphy. She wrote to Jiang Zhen every three days.

However, Jiang Zhen’s replies became less and less frequent, from once a month to once every three months, then once every six months, and finally, they stopped completely.

In these three years, Jiang Yan never went to Jingcheng again. Instead, she often heard about Jiang Zhen from others.

She had transformed from the pitiful girl of the General’s Manor into a famous female general. She was undefeated for three years, forcing the Kingdom of Xia to cede its cities and sue for peace. The other countries that were eyeing the Kingdom of Yu didn’t dare to invade.

The people of the Kingdom of Yu were full of admiration for her. Even the Emperor praised her and issued an edict for her to return to the capital to be honored.

Jiang Yan counted the days, and she finally waited for the day of Jiang Zhen’s return.