Her knees slammed hard onto the gravelly ground, and a searing pain instantly spread through them.
Ji Qingwu pushed herself up. Her palms were scraped raw by the coarse grit, bleeding, but she didn't even have time to cry out in pain.
Because the sound of hooves was growing closer.
Without even stopping to smooth her skirt, she staggered in a run to the wooden fence at the entrance of the military camp.
'Could Emperor Wu Su be back at camp?' Ji Qingwu's heart pounded.
The horn from the watchtower suddenly blared.
A rider reined his horse to a halt at the main gate. His silver armor was caked in yellow sand. As he dismounted, the gilded scabbard at his waist clinked sharply against his saddle.
Through the fence, Ji Qingwu saw clearly who had returned.
She took a disappointed step back, fumbling to pull the scarf from her neck up over her head.
It was Wei Ting, along with several of his trusted aides.
The guards cupped their fists in a salute. "General!"
