Chen Mo didn’t consider the current situation as any kind of dream; rather, he was a bit fearful, fearful of not waking up tomorrow.

"Master, don’t you like it?" Chun Lan boldly spoke up.

Chun Lan had a more outgoing personality. Initially, she wasn’t accustomed to everything when she first joined the Chen Mansion, which made her seem rather quiet. However, ever since following Chen Mo and doing the duties of the major steward of the Chen Mansion, occasionally serving him at night, Chen Mo indulged his women tremendously. As long as it wasn’t anything serious, he would let them have their way.

This made Chun Lan somewhat arrogant, and she spoke more boldly.

"Cough, cough..." Chen Mo began to cough. The experiences of the past few days were still vivid in his mind.

Fortunately, Ye Wanqiu felt sorry for Chen Mo and said, "Chun Lan, don’t talk nonsense. The doctor advised the master to rest well just a few days ago."

"Wanqiu is still the best." Chen Mo smiled and lay down beside Ye Wanqiu.

Ye Wanqiu raised her hand and gently caressed his face, saying, "You’ve been hustling all day and must be very tired. Let me give you a massage."

Chen Mo nodded.

Although Chen Mo had already entered the tent, none of the women left upon seeing him enter. Even Jiang Ruoqing, who often said one thing but meant another, remarked, "Someone’s health hasn’t fully recovered, so don’t indulge in any wild schemes."

This was a reminder for Chen Mo to pay attention to his health and not sneak around.

Upon hearing this, Ye Wanqiu’s cheeks turned red.

Lianyi, lying on Chen Mo’s other side, also became a little uneasy.

However, Chen Mo, unperturbed, said, "Ruoqing, you’re underestimating me. Even if you all teamed up, I could handle you alone."

Chen Mo was merely boasting again, convinced he was up to the task now that the skies had cleared.

"Pfft... lecher." Jiang Ruoqing blushed and scolded him, but she didn’t say anything more to avoid tempting fate. Even though things were not going well, she was genuinely afraid that Chen Mo might act up, which would be quite embarrassing with so many people around.

Moreover, with Yaoyao present, Jiang Ruoqing had to be mindful of setting a good example as a teacher.

That night, even though all the women were together, Chen Mo didn’t take any action. He simply held Ye Wanqiu and peacefully passed the night.

Two days later, the group arrived at Qinyang County.

Even though some time had passed, the bloodstains on the city walls were still visible.

Chen Mo paused at the city gate, able to faintly detect the scent of blood lingering in the air.

The battles surrounding Qinyang County that day were too fierce; the scenes of corpses strewn across the field were still vivid in Chen Mo’s mind.

"Did the master really defend against King Yan’s two-million-strong allied forces here?" Zhao Jiangning looked at the majestic city walls and immediately saw the traces of intense warfare.

All the women got off the carriage, curiously observing.

Within the city, hundreds of guards left by Xiao Teng verified Chen Mo’s identity before allowing him and his group to enter.

The city appeared somewhat desolate, and Chen Mo saw some homeless people. During that battle, Chen Mo had conscripted many local residents, and almost all of them were casualties.

Though Chen Mo had requested compensation from above, the national treasury was tight, with many places needing funding, so the compensation given wasn’t much. Moreover, these civilians weren’t actual soldiers, so even less reached their families.

Chen Mo sighed, "Chun Lan."

"Master." Chun Lan stepped forward and bowed to Chen Mo.

"Distribute the gold, silver, and jewels the Imperial Court rewarded me with last time to them." Chen Mo knew that his efforts were merely a drop in the ocean, yet he decided to distribute them, perhaps to ease the guilt in his heart.

Quickly, whether sincerely or not, upon seeing so many well-equipped soldiers, some were intimidated. Those refugees who received the silver from Chun Lan trembled as they spoke toward Chen Mo:

"Is it General Chen Mo?"

"Thank you, General Chen Mo!"

"General Chen Mo is a great person."

"Thank you for your great kindness."

"..."

Li Weiqiu, Zhang Lie, and others were unaware of these happenings; hearing the words of the commoners, they were all incredibly surprised, not expecting Chen Mo to be so beloved by the people.

For those like them, self-professed knights of the Jianghu, hadn’t they once dreamed of wandering with a sword, punishing the wicked, and being revered by the people since childhood?

This scene also convinced them to stay with Chen Mo.

"Make haste; we should be on our way." Chen Mo didn’t plan to stop at Qinyang County.

The procession left Qinyang County in great momentum.

Soon, the group arrived at Niu Shan, where Chen Mo had once led his troops to ambush the allied vanguard army.

Chen Mo was boasting about how decisively he had defeated the enemy when:

"Master." Gao Zheng approached him, his expression still anxious.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Mo frowned.

"A large number of civilians are following us from behind," Gao Zheng said, "It seems they all came from Qinyang County."

Chen Mo was stunned, "What’s going on?"

"I’ve sent people to investigate, and we should have news soon," Gao Zheng replied.

Chen Mo nodded and continued boasting to the women.

No one dislikes a general who can command tens of thousands of soldiers and exhibits extraordinary valor.

Moreover, under Chen Mo’s boasting, in the eyes of the women, he became an outstanding figure. Indeed, except for Jiang Ruoqing, all the women’s eyes became somewhat dreamy.

"Master is really impressive." Chun Lan led the praise.