Chapter 46: Unable to Get Out of Bed for Three Days

Inside the central military tent, the candle flames flickered.

Chen Yuanshan's cup of tea had long since grown stone-cold, yet he remained completely unaware of it.

He stared fixedly at Pang Dabiao, who was gesticulating wildly before his desk, his brows furrowing and relaxing by turns.

"That stone mine went 'boom,' and blew those Tatars completely upside down!"

Pang Dabiao danced about as he illustrated the scene, "The lad even took care to measure the fuse precisely, waiting until the Tatars had entered the gorge entirely before lighting it..."

Chen Yuanshan suddenly raised a hand to interrupt: "Wait, you're saying that fuse can control the moment of the explosion?"

"As true as the heavens, sir!"

Pang Dabiao nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow, "The lad calls it 'timed demolition,' saying it's calculated based on some... some burning speed."

Silence descended upon the tent.

Chen Yuanshan stroked his teacup, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

He knew all too well what this meant.

Gunpowder capable of precisely controlling the timing of an explosion was something even the veteran artisans of the Directorate for Ordnance in the capital could not achieve.

"General?" Pang Dabiao asked cautiously, "You don't believe it?"

"I believe it, why wouldn't I?" Chen Yuanshan suddenly smiled, "I simply never expected that in this godforsaken frontier, such a precious gem was hidden."

He rose and paced, his armor giving off a faint, clinking metallic sound.

As a veteran general of several decades, he fully understood the value of such talent.

Yet what startled him even more was Lin Chuan's age.

Not yet twenty years old, where on earth did he acquire such profound insight?

"Biaozi," Chen Yuanshan suddenly turned around, "You said he concocted that gunpowder himself?"

"You bet he did!" Pang Dabiao perked up, "The lad built an earthen kiln behind the blacksmith's shop and tinkered with jars and pots all day long. Old Blacksmith Zhao said he nearly blew the roof off once..."

Chen Yuanshan's pupils constricted slightly.

A gunpowder formula more formidable than the Directorate for Ordnance, springing from the hands of a mere frontier private?

If word of this got out, it would inevitably trigger monstrous waves...

"General?"

Seeing his superior lost in thought, Pang Dabiao probed tentatively:

"Lin Chuan said he didn't want to make a fuss about this, which is why... he let your subordinate claim the military merit instead. He also said he would send over the improved version of the stone mines in a few days..."

"Wise!" Chen Yuanshan exclaimed in admiration, "A tall tree in the forest catches the wind, and the wind will break it. The lad knows the stakes and understands how to keep his light under a bushel—truly rare!"

Pang Dabiao's eyes lit up: "General, since you like the lad so much, why not transfer him directly to your command?"

"No," Chen Yuanshan shook his head, his gaze as deep as a stagnant pool, "The day I first saw him, I knew he was no ordinary fish in a shallow pond."

He walked over to the tent flap, gazing at the starlight in the direction of Iron Forest Fortress.

"An eagle needs a vast expanse of heaven and earth; keeping it locked in a cage would only ruin it."

Pang Dabiao nodded thoughtfully.

Outside the tent, the night wind swept past, blowing the candle on the desk into alternating fits of light and shadow.

"Biaozi, make arrangements, but keep it quiet."

Chen Yuanshan pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Starting from today, the gunpowder ingredients requested by Iron Forest Fortress shall be supplied according to the standards of the Personal Guard Battalion."

He paused, a meaningful smile curling the corners of his lips.

"Just tell Lin Chuan it's a special privilege granted to the Deputy Director of Ordnance."

"Understood!"

...

The night was like ink.

The silhouette of Iron Forest Fortress appeared exceptionally solid.

In the barracks, wave after wave of snoring intertwined in the night sky.

Lin Chuan's quarters were illuminated by a dim, yellowish lamp.

It was a pair of adjoining rooms; the inner chamber belonged to Yun Niang, and the outer chamber was his.

After all, she had not yet been formally married into the household, and Lin Chuan understood the boundaries of propriety.

In this day and age, it was nothing like his past life, where cohabitation was casually treated as a trial marriage.

"Here." Lin Chuan pushed a heavy cloth pouch across the table, "Two hundred taels of silver, a reward I earned for myself."

When Yun Niang took it, her wrists sank, and the silver ingots collided with a crisp, pleasant chime.

"So much..."

Her voice tightened, "We'll have to dig a hole and hide it."

"Hide what?"

Lin Chuan pulled her hand over with a smile, "Things aren't like they used to be. I'll have a chest made specifically for your silver. From now on, whenever you're unhappy, you can just open the chest and look at it!"

"Looking at silver won't make me happy," Yun Niang muttered softly, "Looking at you makes me happy..."

"What did you say?" Lin Chuan didn't catch it clearly.

The tips of Yun Niang's ears turned red, too embarrassed to repeat herself, and she lowered her head to fiddle with the silver ingots.

The candlelight danced gently in its earthenware cup, casting both their shadows against the earthen wall.

Yun Niang thought for a moment and said, "When we get a big house, I'll set up a study for you, just to keep your books..."

"A study?" He chuckled softly, his breath laced with the scent of gunpowder brushing against the back of her ear, "Better to build a warm pavilion and lay a heated brick bed inside."

His burning lips grazed the side of her neck.

Yun Niang trembled all over, the tie of her undergarment somehow already undone.

"Ah! What—what are you..."

She frantically reached out to clutch at her parting garments.

Only for Lin Chuan to catch both her wrists and pin them down onto the earthen kang.

The dried grass beneath the coarse cloth mattress rustled faintly, mingling with her hurried, ragged breathing.

Lin Chuan's kiss landed on her collarbone: "Today at the front lines, seeing so many Tatars..."

He nibbled at her slipping ribbon, his voice muffled, "I kept thinking, I haven't even painted your eyebrows for you yet."

"Ah... you bad, bad..."

A soft sob escaped Yun Niang's throat, and her struggling strength melted away.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Chuan tore open her inner garment, and the candlelight spilled over her snow-white shoulders.

The wheat-hued skin born of lifelong toil intertwined with the sun-deprived snow-white where the fabric split.

"Ah-Chuan... don't, don't..."

Embarrassed, she pressed her legs together, but her ankles were caught by his large, warm hands.

His rough calluses grazed the delicate instep of her foot, causing her to arch her back instinctively.

Her disheveled dark hair spread across the entire pillow.

Garment by garment, her clothes were peeled away, revealing her delicate, tender body.

His palm traced the line of her waist upwards, lingering for a moment.

Yun Niang stiffened her body, biting her lip hard...

From outside the window came the murmur of patrolling soldiers:

"Chief, why is the light still on in the General's—ah, the Total Banner's room?"

"Mind your own business!"

The body pressing down upon her suddenly froze.

Lin Chuan heaved a heavy sigh and lifted his head, panting.

A bead of sweat rolled down his Adam's apple, dropping directly into her parted bodice.

Taking advantage of the pause, Yun Niang hastily pulled the thin quilt over herself to shield her modesty.

"Once the period of mourning is over,"

His throat bobbed as he panted, "I will definitely make it so you can't get out of bed for three days."

Blushing crimson, Yun Niang grabbed a silver ingot to throw at him, only to have her wrists pinned back above her head.

Lin Chuan buried his face in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, he rolled off the kang, grabbed the water urn in the corner, and poured the entire contents over his head.

The ice-cold water streamed down his well-muscled back, pooling into small puddles on the earthen floor.

"You big brute..."

Yun Niang murmured softly.

She buried her burning face into the bedding that still retained his body heat.

...

The edge of the sky was just turning a pale fish-belly white.

The training ground was still draped in a layer of morning dew.

Zhang Xiaonian crept stealthily out of the barracks, terrified of waking the brothers who were still fast asleep.

He skillfully strapped the sandbags to his legs, only to hear footsteps approaching from the direction of the training grounds.

It was the Total Banner again...

He rubbed his eyes, gazing at the figure faintly visible in the morning mist.

Lin Chuan maintained a steady, even rhythm.

Through this period of grueling training, this body had grown much sturdier than when he had first transmigrated.

"Still not enough..."

He ground his teeth inwardly, feeling the soreness radiating from his legs.

There was still vast room for improvement in explosive power, endurance, and speed.

Pang Dabiao had mentioned that some families in the military had martial arts passed down through generations, practicing breathing techniques since childhood that allowed them to engage in continuous combat on the battlefield without showing fatigue.

"Could it really be like in martial arts movies..."

Images of soaring over eaves and scaling walls flashed through his mind, but he quickly shook his head.

"Morning, Xiaonian!"

Running past Zhang Xiaonian, he offered a casual greeting.

"Lin, m-m-m-m-m-master..."

Zhang Xiaonian's mouth jammed the moment he tried to speak, watching helplessly as the Total Banner's figure jogged further and further away.

He stood in place and scratched his head; his stuttering affliction seemed even worse in the morning.

Should he continue trying to get the word out, or just give chase?

While he hesitated, Wang柱's mocking laughter came from behind:

"Well, stuck in the gear again?"

Zhang Xiaonian's face flushed red, and he simply lowered his head and bolted after him.

After the morning exercise, the aroma of porridge drifted from the kitchen.

Hu Dayong rubbed his round belly and let out a satisfied burp.

"Squad Leader Hu!" Lin Chuan walked over, wiping away his sweat.

"Present, Total Banner!" Hu Dayong scrambled to his feet.

"Let me ask you something..." Lin Chuan lowered his voice.

"What is it?"

"Do you know... internal energy?"

"Eh... what?"

Hu Dayong's jaw dropped.

Half a steamed bun slipped from his hand and hit the ground.