Hearing Shen Yiru’s response, the tension in Song Jinchen’s nerves finally eased. The young girl before him was as gentle and understanding as she had been in the past. Every word he spoke to her felt like a breath of fresh spring air—just as it had all those years ago.
He remembered five years ago, when he was seventeen. He had followed his father into battle to repel the Nanman invasion. Caught off guard, he had fallen into an enemy encirclement. He fought his way out with his life on the line, but he sustained severe injuries and became separated from his troops. By the time he collapsed into a puddle, having lost too much blood and unable to hold on any longer, he grit his teeth against the searing agony, forcing himself to stay conscious. He knew that if he closed his eyes and drifted off, he might never wake up again.
It was then, in his moment of near despair, that a girl’s soft voice suddenly reached his ears:
Chapter 46