Transmigration: of Mysteries and Songs

Chapter 80: The Maze

"I was told that you'd wanted to hunt today?" Situ asked Feng Luodi as he entered the tent.

Feng Luodi shook her head. "Nope. Rose isn't feeling too well these few days."

Situ nodded, and quickly turned to return to training. Just before he left the tent, Feng Luodi swallowed a bite of breakfast and stopped him. "I'd wanted to play chess. Have some breakfast and join me in a game. I'll definitely do better today!"

"Alright then. We'll have a game in our tent." Situ nodded, and set down his armor on the stand. He strode to the other side of the screen and started taking off his clothes.

Feng Luodi swallowed. "Are you changing here?"

"Nope. I'm going to bathe." Situ said calmly. Warm water was already prepared for him in the tub behind the screen.

"Don't...don't you normally bathe in the other tents before coming back here?" Feng Luodi quickly stood up with her bowl of porridge and scurried over to face her own tent, trying her best not to turn around. Situ had always changed and bathed in the other tents before returning to rest in his tent, leaving the space in the tent for Feng Luodi to use for herself. It'd prevented much embarrassment and awkwardness in the past, but the sudden change rendered Feng Luodi helpless.

"The water will go to waste if I don't use it." Situ's logic was flawless.

I can hear him bathing! Feng Luodi swallowed again, and quickly hid in her tent. The rest of her breakfast was finished without paying any attention to the food. Only when Situ was done with bathing and his breakfast did Feng Luodi return to the main tent.

"Why are your cheeks so ruddy? Is it too cold for you?" Situ looked at her earnestly.

Feng Luodi glared at him, and started setting up the board. "Let's do this. I'll definitely be able to survive for more than an hour today!"

"Well, good luck to you then." Situ was already idly flipping through the stack of reports on the tea table beside him, barely paying any attention to the game in front of him.

What! How dare he underestimate me like that! I'll definitely prove him wrong!

Fifteen minutes later, Feng Luodi looked in desperation at the board in front of her, now dominated by black chess pieces. "How did I lose again? And so quickly this time round! I'm not stupid...but I don't understand why I'm always losing!"

"You're not stupid, but..." Situ swallowed the second half of his sentence. You're not stupid, but your every move can be read from your expressions and eyes. This girl can't hide her thoughts and intentions at all...

Feng Luodi was not one to admit defeat so easily, and she quickly steadied herself. "Let's go for another round."

"As many as you like." Situ gathered back the black pieces on the board.

"General Situ, General Zhang has returned." A shout came from outside the tent.

Situ looked at Feng Luodi, and Feng Luodi pursed her lips in the direction of the tent flap.

"I'm coming." Situ stood up, and turned to Feng Luodi. "I know you're dying to come along. Let's just go together."

Feng Luodi leapt to her feet in delight, and the two of them quickly made their way to the meeting tent. Inside, Zhang Xin and Cheng Shifei were discussing animatedly about something, Zhang Xin still clad in the dusty clothes he'd worn to the expedition.

"Are there any good news?" Situ smiled as he walked towards them.

"Of course! I'm the General of the Left of the army, after all." Zhang Xin beamed. "I've already located the Remembrance of the Desert, and it is indeed a maze like we'd suspected. But it's situated in the middle of quicksand, and we were unable to get close."