The Tired Villainess

Han Suyin - 3.4

Han Suyin woke up the next morning fresh and ready to go. She left in a hurry with her horse so that no one will be able to see her.

'How long will it take for me to reach the military base, Arlo?'

'I'd say around a couple of hours.'

'Alright.'

...

A few soldiers were keeping watch in front of the base in the afternoon. The soldiers were discussing the problems around the border and how they might be sent to take care of it. In the midst of their conversation, the sounds of a horse trotting was heard.

The soldiers, who were engrossed in their conversation, looked up to the source of the noise. A man was seen on top of the horse, with mischievous eyes. The afternoon sunlight was around this person, creating a halo effect.

A chiseled face, sharp jawline, sword-like brows, this man radiated a dangerous aura. The scar on the eyebrow just added to it. His broad shoulders and defined neck, along with his enchanting eyes, made the soldiers weary of this person. He could either be extremely powerful or dishonest, maybe even both.

"May I speak to your Unit Commander?" A smooth, velvet-like voice came out of the person's mouth.

"What is your purpose for coming here? Our Commander will not be disturbed for no reason." A soldier spoke up. He chose his words carefully because nobody was sure of what this man was capable of.

"Oh? I'm sure he'll be very interested once he sees this." The man said while smiling. Something about him seemed so eye-catching and mysterious.

He pulled out a badge from the sleeve of his robe. The badge was very distinct and the sunlight made it shine beautifully.

On the badge, the name, 'Han', was clearly engraved on the top. Once the soldiers caught a glance of it, their backs became drenched in cold sweat.

"I-I'll go and call him." A soldier said and ran off.

The man jumped off his horse which showed his height and perfect build. He held his horse's reins and walked closer to the other soldiers.

"So, you're going to be sent to the border?"

"Y-yeah, we might since we noticed Zhuming soldiers lurk around the outside of Jiu."

"Oh?" The man raised his brow. "Have you ever been to war?"

"Not yet, I'm just on guard duty."

The soldier who ran off came back with an imposing older man. He seemed to be around mid-late 30s with a rugged and tough appearance.

The two men walked closer to the man and stopped when they were in front of him.

"Commander Bai, this is..." The soldier stopped speaking when he realized that he didn't know the man's name.

"Han Xiu." The man spoke and stuck out his hand. He was wearing gloves that prevented his hands from being seen. This was quite normal in Jiu, sometimes when soldiers got scars, they used gloves to cover it up. Gloves also helped in using bows and arrows, preventing redness and blisters.

Commander Bai shook Han Xiu's hand and said, "To my knowledge, the only son of the Han family is gone."

Han Xiu chuckled, the deep sound that came out of his mouth was very charming.

"You are correct, Commander Bai, well, partially. I was General Han's adopted son. He had sent me away to a village to fix a problem days before the tragedy struck." Han Xiu lied effortlessly.

"Ah, is that so?" Commander Bai said, assessing Han Xiu.

Han Xiu knew what he was doing so he slyly made the Han family badge more visible.

Commander Bai was a bit doubtful when he looked at Han Xiu but, when he remembered his old friend General Han, he recalled how kind he was and how he would have no trouble in adopting a child.

"Did General Han ever train you?" He continued speaking.

"Of course he did. He told me that once I grew up, I could come here and see what my position will be." Han Xiu said.

"Well, out of respect for General Han and his reputation, I'll start you off as a Captain, then you can work your way up." Commander Bai said and walked into the base.

Starting off as a Captain is already pretty high, but, thanks.

Han Xiu followed Commander Bai shortly after asking a soldier to keep his horse somewhere safe.

'How did you get such a deep voice, host?'

'I was practicing before I came here and a lady gave me her handkerchief and ran away so I thought that it was manly enough.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah.'

It was a few days after Han Xiu arrived and nothing changed drastically. Although the soldiers were a bit frustrated learning that there was a new Captain, once they saw what family he came from, they immediately held down their grievances.

They were pleasantly surprised however, Han Xiu was a very charismatic man and very social. He treated everyone fairly and didn't use his family's name to his advantage, apart from when he became Captain.

Han Xiu was in his tent talking to Arlo when he heard whispers going around.

"Is the Third Prince coming here today?"

"Why would he do that?"

"I heard that Commander Bai got a letter from him a week ago, in the letter it said that he's going to come and check the base."

'Why would Xing Yi Chen want to check the base? Wasn't he the one who laid low?'

'The reason he was on the Emperor's good side was because he helped the military and checked up on them.'

'Oh. Does that mean that he'll see through my disguise? He is the male lead.'

'Doubt it, you're really good at acting like a man.'

'Thank you! I try.'

'I think he's already here.'

'Wouldn't it take a couple of weeks to get here from the Capital?'

'Remember, host. He is the male lead. He can come to the base in a week because of his skills and people.'

'Yeah, yeah, I get it.'

A soldier came and opened Han Xiu's tent. It looked like he had been running to reach here. Out of breath, the soldier said, "Commander Bai wants you to go to his tent."

'Let me guess, I'll be meeting the Third Prince?'

'You most definitely will.'

Han Xiu sat up on his thin bed and said, "Alright, give me a second."

"Of course, I will be waiting outside."

Han Xiu stood up and fixed his clothes. He looked in the little bronze mirror he had and nodded to himself.

Please don't be as smart as I think you are, Xing Yi Chen.

...

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, I'm trying to get back on schedule for my uploads!

Hope you enjoy!