Way back home

The plan worked really well. In just month time, Chu has started to retreat.

Tang Xue caught some birds and starved them for 2 days before applying oil in their feet and went near the camp of Chu's and hid in the top of the hill. She then released the birds. As soon as the bird caught the bits of Chu's food supply, their starved selves quickly flew there and started to eat their supplies. The oil on their feet was applied on the supplies as well and then Xuan shooted their supplies with fire.

Just two arrows were enough for the fire to spread to the other batch of supplies and while the soldiers were panicking, The Tang pair quickly hid in their bush and watch as the fire grow from the hill.

And as days past after more than half of their supplies were burnt, they started to eat less and lost the energy they needed to fight.

While they were struggling to live while waiting for their food supplies to come, Tang Xuan brought his soldiers and ambushed their camp and by that time, their soldiers were already too weak to fight in their fullest potential.

While Chu received the news of defeat in despair, Qin went back home with their southern territory defended and with wine and celebration along the way.

"IT'S ALL THANKS TO TANG XUE THAT WE WON! HAHAHAHA!" Shao Kao, the general said in his happiness.

The cold general who just won the battle couldn't contain his happiness and immediately search for Tang Xue as soon as he reached the camp.

The moment he saw Tang Xue, who was happily eating the grilled fish they just caught with the soldiers who remained in the camp, he came over and carried her as he spun her around.

"Hey! I'm eating!" Tang Xue grabbed the fish tighter to make sure it didn't fell.

And he slowly put her down and hugged her.

"What happen?" Tang Xue asked, she gently shook his shoulder that won't budge.

"We won!" He shouted, he really didn't looked as what the rumors about him said. He wasn't cold, he was just ruthless when the situation needed him to be that way and he wasn't as quiet as a mute, he just hate to speak out unnecessary words.

"What?!" Even though she knew this would end in success, she was still shocked and excited when she heard the news.

She stared at him shocked and slowly flashed her toothy and mischievous smile to him.

"And that's why you hugged me infront of all your soldiers and your generals?" She said nudging his arms with her elbow.

His face changed and he looked over to the soldiers and generals standing around them.

"What are you all looking at?"

"Nothing general." They quickly acted like they're blind and turned to their backs.

He looked back at her and saw her giggling. His stoic face softened and the generals around him quietly snickered to themselves thinking that their quiet general was already smitten by their small adorable strategist.

"Then are you guys going back to Qin?" She handed him a bottle of wine while indulging in one herself.

"Yes, we are going back to Xuan Yang, capital of Qin. Will you go back with us?" He offered

He saw her smiling face turned to surprise befor4e it went back to her usual smiling face again.

"There's no place for me there." She said.

"Come with me... to my Tang manor. There's always a place for you there." He grabbed her shoulders as if saying she did have a place to go back to.

"Won't that cause gossips? Things like... Look at that girl the renowned general brought back, isn't she just a whore? a woman that he will throw when he was bored at her or maybe even worse things." She shoved his hands away from her shoulders.

"They won't and even if they do, you know that's not true, and none of those should ever bother you or me."

She wanted to ask more but seeing his confident face, she didn't dare to ask and just smile.

"Fine" She sighed in regret and drank her night away with her favorite general by her side.

---

*3 weeks later*

Thousands of horses and soldiers were walking through the vast open land. With their flag 'Qin' up high and their smiling faces all the way on the road with the icy man leading them along with a beautiful woman wearing a red dress on his side.

He turned to them and spoke in a loud voice.

"Stop. Let's stop here and rest. We will set out again tomorrow."

"Yes sir." The soldiers separated and did their own jobs and set their stay for the night.

---

"Xuan..." Tang Xue looked at the man sitting by the fire.

"Hm?" He looked over to her and said in a tired voice.

"Why don't you teach me to fight when we get back to Xuan Yang?"

His surprised look washed over his tired face and said in an excited tone.

"You should be prepared then." With another bottle of beer in their hands, they slightly cheered.

She gave him a knowing look before retrieving her eyes back to herself. His eyes never left her with a mixed feeling while watching her savoring the beer, he quietly sighed and think to himself.

'How are you doing this to my heart?'

---

"IT'S THE SOLDIERS!!! QUICKLY!!!"

"THE SOLDIERS HAVE COME BACK!!"

People scrambled everywhere, before spreading like the red sea to opened the path for the soldiers to walk through and loudly cheered when the gate opened

Tang Xuan lead the army, entering with his never changing face.

The moment the people saw Tang Xuan, the loud shouts grew even more loudly. But he being him, he just remained with his icy face.

And when Tang Xue comes along with the generals at her side. Some people quieted down when they saw her and started whispering as they thought about the fact that no woman left with them when they went to the war.

The cheering went all the way till they reached the Tang Manor. A woman in her forties and a little girl with her face similar to Tang Xuan's standing in front of the door awaiting for the general's return.

Their faces simultaneously brighten when they saw the figure in the horse coming from the crowd around them.

Tang Xuan went down of his horse and rushed to help Tang Xue down. He grabbed her arms and used his strength to carry her down. The two figures from the door approached them.

"Mind telling us who this stunning lady is, Xuan?"

Tang Xuan glanced at Tang Xue before declaring.

"Mom, she's Tang Xue, granny Ying only apprentice. She helped us a lot during the war and she's also the one who made this victory happen." He smiled at his mother.

"Mom... I like this sister. She's beautiful" The little girl said. She ran toward Tang Xue and grabbed the hems of Tang Xue's dress.

Tang Xue looked at the girl adoringly and carried her up.

"This is my sister, Tang Ning and my mother, Chen Yu Ming."

Tang Xuan has told Xue about his family on their way here so now he just needed to briefly introduce them.

"Nice to meet you, madam. I'm Tang Xue. I hope I'm not bothering you here."

Tang Xuan's mother smiled before softly saying.

"Of course not my dear, it's great that Tang Xuan finally brought home a girl or else I would have thought that he is interested in boys. Look at you, you are so polite." She said holding her arms and brought her inside without caring about her son and daughter.

"Is mom abandoning us now?" Tang Ning whispered to her brother.

"Maybe you are too naughty" The commander says flicking her forehead softly.

Tang Ning clutched her forehead and crunched her face toward her annoying brother.