Chapter 41: The Logistics Camp and a Weary Smile

The Logistics and Supplies Camp? What kind of place was that?

It was the most desolate and remote corner of the entire Frost Iron Defense Line, a place utterly devoid of prospects.

Only the old, the infirm, the disabled, or soldiers banished for their misdeeds were sent there.

To send an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect—even one with the lowest cultivation—to perform the menial tasks of mortal soldiers, this was no mere slight. It was outright, blatant humiliation!

“General Tuoba!” Gu Chang’an finally spoke, her voice laced with suppressed fury. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Immortal Gu, please calm yourself.” Tuoba Yanxue turned, facing Gu Chang’an directly, her height even slightly surpassing the other woman’s.

Despite the overwhelming pressure from a Sword Immortal at the Grand Completion of the Void Refinement Realm, she stood her ground, her gaze as placid as ever.

“I have no other intentions,” she stated clearly, each word precise. “As the General says, on the battlefield, there is no distinction between immortal and mortal, nor do we tolerate idlers.”

“Since her combat prowess is insufficient, it is better for her to contribute what she can in the logistics camp than to needlessly die on the city walls, or worse, burden her fellow disciples.”

The final four words were barely a whisper.

Gu Chang’an’s pupils constricted sharply.

‘Yes, dragging down her fellow disciples.’

She could forcefully declare Shen Zhaoqing her own and untouchable. Yet, in this harsh frontier, where military merit and strength dictated everything, such blatant favoritism would only appear unreasonable, potentially breeding resentment among other Qingyun disciples.

Observing Gu Chang’an’s rapidly changing expression, Tuoba Yanxue delivered the final blow, her tone utterly detached. “Should she prove incapable of even that, then Immortal Gu may care for her personally. However, her military rations… will have to be provided by the Immortal herself.”

Her implication was clear: the army’s resources would not be wasted on useless individuals.

Shen Zhaoqing watched the exchange, utterly dumbfounded.

“You, come here.” Tuoba Yanxue dismissed the ashen-faced Gu Chang’an, directly commanding Shen Zhaoqing.

Shen Zhaoqing shrugged, then slowly ambled over.

“Deputy General Zhang,” Tuoba Yanxue instructed the deputy beside her. “Take her to report at the supplies camp and hand her over to Old Liu San. Inform Old Liu San that this is an immortal, with delicate hands and feet, and that he should give her extra ‘care’.”

“Yes, General!” The burly man, Deputy General Zhang, rumbled his assent. He approached Shen Zhaoqing and made a ‘please’ gesture. His face remained expressionless, yet Shen Zhaoqing still caught the subtle hint of amusement in his eyes, as if anticipating a good show.

Shen Zhaoqing sighed.

‘Well, it seems my label as a ‘pampered young lady of the immortal sect’ is officially cemented at the Frost Iron Defense Line today.’

Resigned, she prepared to follow Deputy General Zhang away from this troublesome place, but her wrist was suddenly seized.

The grip was so strong it made her bones ache.

Without needing to turn, Shen Zhaoqing knew exactly who it was.

“She cannot leave my sight.” Gu Chang’an’s voice was so cold it seemed to drop ice shards. She stared fixedly at Tuoba Yanxue, enunciating each word carefully.

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Yanxue slowly turned her head, her gaze falling upon Gu Chang’an’s tight grip on Shen Zhaoqing’s wrist. A playful glint entered her eyes.

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “Is Immortal Gu… afraid your junior sister will get lost?”

“The supplies camp is located at the innermost part of the defense line, barely ten li from here, with guards patrolling along the way. It is the safest place in the entire army. Or perhaps…”

Tuoba Yanxue’s gaze sharpened. “Is Immortal Gu questioning the military discipline of my Yan State?”

Another weighty accusation was laid upon them.

Gu Chang’an’s breath hitched.

She could disregard the opinion of a mortal general, but she could not disregard the fragile alliance between the Qingyun Sect and the Great Yan Dynasty.

To openly question Yan discipline here would be tantamount to inciting conflict between the two sides. This responsibility was not one she could bear.

For a moment, no one spoke. Caught in the middle, Shen Zhaoqing suddenly gave a gentle tug. She covered Gu Chang’an’s hand with her other hand, patting it lightly.

“Senior Sister,” she looked up, meeting Gu Chang’an’s storm-filled eyes, and offered a rare, comforting smile. “It’s alright.”

“It’s just going to the logistics camp, no big deal. Besides, these past few days of sitting on the Wind-Riding Skiff have left my back aching, so some exercise would do me good.” She spoke with a relaxed, almost roguish tone. “Don’t worry, I won’t get lost.”

Gu Chang’an gazed at her, her expression complex.

Shen Zhaoqing merely winked at her. “Senior Sister, give them some face, alright? Don’t start a fight here; it makes things really difficult for me caught in the middle!”

Eventually, Gu Chang’an’s grip on her wrist slowly loosened.

It wasn’t that she had compromised; rather, she had read a long-unseen, ‘weary’ emotion in Shen Zhaoqing’s eyes.

She couldn’t push any further. That string, it might truly snap.

“Deputy General Zhang, take them away,” Tuoba Yanxue commanded crisply.

“Yes!”

Shen Zhaoqing felt as if she had been granted a great pardon. She waved at Gu Chang’an, then turned and followed the tall deputy general, stumbling slightly as they headed deeper into the camp.

It was truly cold.

Shen Zhaoqing shivered, pulling her head into her collar, and quickened her pace.

This cursed place, from top to bottom, inside and out, exuded an unsettling strangeness.

She just wanted to find a corner, bury herself, and hope no one would ever remember her again.

****

Life in the Logistics and Supplies Camp, in Shen Zhaoqing’s words, was both painful and joyful.

The pain was purely physical.

The northern winds were like knives, stinging her face. The army’s food was of legendary toughness; black flour steamed buns were hard enough to be used as bricks, and a bowl of meat soup contained only three or four strands of meat, which had to be fought for.

Her tent was a leftover allocated to new recruits, open on all sides, threatening to freeze a person into an icicle at night.

Yet, the joy was equally real.

Heaven was high and the emperor far away; Gu Chang’an couldn’t control her here.

She had been assigned to the camp’s old supervisor, a one-eyed veteran named Old Liu San.

Old Liu San was a grizzled old soldier, his face a mass of wrinkles, perpetually reeking of alcohol. Initially, he looked at Shen Zhaoqing as if she were a delicate but inedible pastry, full of disdain and impatience.

General Tuoba’s order, “delicate hands and feet, give her extra ‘care’,” had only further cemented the impression of ‘troublemaker’ in his mind regarding Shen Zhaoqing.

On the first day, he tossed Shen Zhaoqing a thick inventory ledger and a pile of messy herbs, instructing her to sort and store them, clearly intending to give her a harsh welcome.

However, Shen Zhaoqing only took an hour to categorize all the herbs, arrange them neatly, and even straighten out the accounts in the ledger, pointing out two errors left by previous record-keepers.

She couldn’t help it. Back at the tavern, the first books the old shopkeeper made her memorize weren’t cultivation techniques, but the *Hundred Herbs Market* and an account book so thick it could kill someone if dropped.

This kind of work was effortless for her.

Old Liu San checked her work, his single eye wide with shock. After a long pause, he managed to stammer, “You, an immortal… you can do this too?”

“No choice, life’s necessities,” Shen Zhaoqing said, hands tucked into her sleeves, letting out a lazy yawn.

From that day on, Old Liu San’s attitude toward her changed. Though he still spoke sharply, often calling her “hey, immortal,” the tasks he assigned became increasingly light.

He even tacitly allowed her to ‘accidentally’ dampen her wine gourd while inventorying the army’s strong liquor, ‘Burning Blade’.

Shen Zhaoqing was content with the leisure. Every day after inventorying supplies, she would find a sheltered corner to bask in the sun.

Aside from being a bit cold and tough, this life was practically everything she had ever dreamed of.

She even began to think that the ruthless General Tuoba might actually be a good person.

Shen Zhaoqing had almost forgotten that her constitution was officially called the “Asura Field Attractor,” also known as “Trouble Seeker.”