Sentimental General

He Mu Li took in the annoyed look on her face and did not tease her anymore. Instead, he sat up, picked up 'Hurricane' from beside him and held it up in front of her.

"Here."

His voice was low and his face was expressionless but De Xue could detect he was laughing at her.

Despite the anger in her heart, the G.o.dly weapon emitted a chill icy light which involuntarily attracted her gaze.

After staring at 'Hurricane' for a while, she raised her head, looked intensely at him and asked. "Are you giving me the sword just like this?"

Prior to this, he had an expression on his face which showed his distrust for her but now, why did he seem to trust her completely? He did not even find out more about her. Why did he just directly handed the sword to her? She knew that to a swordsman, his sword is as precious as his own life and will never allow anyone else touch it.

"You are the Forge Master." He Mu Li said naturally.

De Xue wrinkled her eyebrows and looked at him with annoyance. After a while, she still did not take the sword from him but left the sword in his hand as she looked at the sword seriously from one end to the other. Then she reached out and gently flicked her finger on the blade. Instantly, 'Hurricane' emitted a crisp sound.

De Xue listened to the sound with her eyes closed and had a very serious expression on her face. She quickly opened her eyes and reached out to flick her finger on several different sections on the blade. In the tent, the light and beautiful crisp tingling sound waves lingered and extended in length without a break. She closed her eyes to listen attentively and confirmed.

"This 'Hurricane' is forged at least a hundred years ago. In the sections of 3-inch, 4-7/8-inch, and 8-inch, there are different degrees of defects and cracks. About 40 years ago it was given a major repair by a very brilliant Forge Master. During the recent 10 years, it has not suffered any major damages but the last time it was given a proper repair was at least 20 years ago."

She opened her emerald crystal eyes after speaking seriously and stared at He Mu Li.

"Am I right?" She held her breath and waited for his reply.

He Mu Li stared straight at her and his dark deep eyes shone with a slight brilliance. The corners of his mouth curved and he said slowly. "This Forge Master truly lives up to her reputation."

After listening to his words, De Xue heaved a big sigh of relief. Although she was confident of her own ability but to be able to get his approval was like having a big rock lifted off her heart.

Wrong! Whether he approves or not, what has that to do with her? Anyway, she does not intend to help him repair his sword!

De Xue's inner heart resisted the kind of joy she felt when he showed his approval of her.

"Since Miss De can detect the defects of 'Hurricane' by just listening to the sound it emits, then there must be a way it can be repaired." His low voice was decisive and firm as if it was a matter of righteousness.

In fact, when he handed over 'Hurricane' to De Xue just now, he did not expect any amazing performance from her. It was just an intuition after seeing her serious eyes that he was willing to let her take a look at 'Hurricane' but did not expect to be given such a big surprise. By only just looking and flicking on the blade she could detect damages to the sword and the history of the repairs done on it.

This kitten really has some skills and this time, she had wormed her way into his heart.

"Miss De?" Hearing He Mu Li had changed the way he addressed her, De Xue felt that this man is very realistic. When he thought she did not have any value, he had addressed as 'You' but now since he had found out she is valuable, he had addressed her as 'Miss De'!!

"Do you dislike the way I addressed you? That's alright. In the future, we will have to cooperate with each other for a long time, so I will call you Xiao Xue." Someone made a decision without hesitation and in a high-handed manner.

"Who said you can call me Xiao Xue? Who is going to cooperate with you for a long time?" She retorted in surprise. How can he be so shameless? Who is willing to cooperate with him for a long time? She will not stay in such a ghostly place. And also, who said he can call her Xiao Xue? Even her father did not call her in this way!!

"Well, Xiao Xue......for us to be able to cooperate for a long time actually

"He Mu Li, don't you understand what I said? I said that I don't plan to cooperate with you for a long time and you're not allowed to call me Xiao Xue!" De Xue hastily retorted. Did he actually say that he hoped she will not let him down? Who does he think he is? The Heavenly King?

"You don't have to be nervous. I know it is not easy to be a Forge Master of my He Mu Family but I believe you have the ability. I will give you several chances."

He Mu Li had always been straightforward and stern without any feelings of sentiment. If he did not favor De Xue, he would not have said he will give her several chances.

However, De Xue did not appreciate this kind of partiality.

"Barbarian! Can you listen to others for once? I said I will not cooperate with you and also will not be a Forge Master for your He Mu Family!"

This must be a joke! How many wealthy and powerful businessmen with excellent conditions had offered her a position as their private Forge Master but she had refused them all. Why should she be a Forge Master to this overbearing, barbarous man in his territory and allow this man to bully her?

But He Mu Li looked at her without any expression, patted her shoulder and said. "When the sky has completely brightened up, we will pull out and return to the city. Wait until we have returned to Hou Mansion, we will then slowly discuss how to repair 'Hurricane'."

When she was heavily patted on her shoulder by his big palm, she felt grieved and indignant. This man really did not understand the human language! She felt she was about to die with anger!

No matter how much De Xue expressed her dissatisfaction, in the eyes of He Mu Li, she is just like a little sand cat which is throwing tantrums and acting spoilt. He did not mind her resistance at all. On the contrary, he found her very interesting.

Coincidentally, the training exercise scheduled this time had ended and they were going to pull out to return to the city today. He intends to take De Xue back to Hou Mansion with him and if she can really repair 'Hurricane', letting her remain as the Forge Master of He Mu Family seems to be a good idea.

He had always disliked weak women and if his voice was a bit louder, the women would look so frightened as if they would faint any moment. Then there were those who were dignified and observed ethics but in actual fact, they were boring and had set their eyes high on top of their heads, those pampered spoilt daughters of wealthy families.

Although De Xue's temper is wild, she dares to do what she says. Thinking of yesterday when she dared to throw things at him, He Mu Li raised his eyebrows and a hint of tenderness sparked in his eyes.

He really did not know whether she was brave or she was dizzy with anger but he felt she was very high-spirited and he liked it.

To be able to survive in Mohan Sea of Sand, one must possess the vitality for life and on this point, he felt De Xue totally did not have any problem.

Compared to someone's thought that she would not have any problem surviving in the desert, De Xue's only thought was.......this is a nightmare for her. Everywhere there is sand. She can drink sand when drinking water, eat sand when eating a meal, sand in her hair, sand on her face and even sand on her clothes........she feels so sad, ah!

She must escape!

Hence, along the journey back from Mohan Sea of Sand to the city of Haizhou, De Xue tried to escape twice but immediately she was carried back by He Mu Li.

For a respected General to play the game of 'run and catch' with a kitten was really outrageous. But He Mu Li did not want his men to stand guard over her. So to maintain the army's dignified appearance, he simply pulled her up to his horse and wrapped her in the folds of his black cloak.

With one hand, he held her arms and waist tightly to prevent her from escaping and with the other hand, he leisurely held on to the reins of the horse and settled the problem.

Wrapped in He Mu Li's cloak, De Xue struggled hard.

She was held tightly to his strong chest. Her waist and b.u.t.t were intimately flushed to his body. Although they were separated by his silver armor and war robe, his male breath and warmth still burned through reaching her back. This kind of close contact that she had never experienced before made her feel panic-stricken and at a loss.

As of yesterday, De Xue's voice had become hoa.r.s.e from shouting and today, after two failed escapes, it had resulted in a sprained ankle for her. Now, she was tightly clamped by He Mu Li's arm. She felt her arms were sore because of his tight grip and her heart was full of grief.

From young until now, she had never suffered from this kind of treatment. When she was at home, she was pampered and loved by her father. Thinking of her father, De Xue felt sadness welling up in her heart and her tears fell uncontrollably.

Father.......Father.......someone is bullying me! She cried in her heart.

She wants to go home......she hates it here......she hates this horrible man!

Feeling little droplets of wetness on the back of his hand, he realized that the body of the kitten was shaking slightly in his arm and He Mu Li lifted his eyebrows. He loosened his hold slightly and asked. "What is the matter with you?"

He thought. Just now she had kicked up a great ruckus and he was very strict with her. Aside from that, she is still a girl. Could it be that she was scared by him?

"Humph!" De Xue snorted. She did not want to show any weakness but the more she wanted to stop her tears, the more she cried.

"Don't cry. Did I hurt you? Like this......if you don't struggle, I won't hold you tightly. Since you have sprained your ankle, so don't think of running away anymore. You must understand that you will die if you get lost in the desert. Go back obediently with me."

It was rare for He Mu Li to coax anyone. If there is anyone in this world that can make him speak in such a soft tone, probably it is only the nanny in Hou Mansion who had taken care of him since he was a child.......and De Xue is the second one.

Maybe it was because she was tired or maybe she noticed he had yielded........after he had really released his hold, she did not struggle again.

Seriously, in this boundless desert of sand, where can she escape to? She is just not willing to give in so easily!

After a long time, from within his embrace, a vague voice full of resentment and censure could be heard.

"You only know to bully me......."

When He Mu Li heard, his lips curved slightly. He held the reins in his hands and urged the horse to move forward. De Xue sat in front of him and he could feel the soft body in his embrace lean against him from time to time. For the first time, he thought of the words.....'scented soft jade'.

(Scented soft jade means a young woman's soft body with a scent.)

Again he thought of her tears just now. He could not help but sigh and lamented that women are really made of water. Then he shook his head and dispelled those thoughts. In his mind, there are very few such gentle thoughts. A woman has always been a dispensable existence to him. It seems this kitten had really brought him a lot of new experiences.

Nestled in the arms of He Mu Li, the initial dissatisfied feeling in De Xue slowly changed to acceptance of reality. Anyway, even if she wanted to escape, it was not possible. She just simply regarded him as a pillow otherwise she really would not be able to hold on for long on the tiring b.u.mpy journey on horseback.

She had never thought that one day she would be nestled in the arms of a man who could be considered as a stranger. The two of them would have to share a horse for a long time and not to mention that this man is also called the 'Fierce General', He Mu Li.

She felt at a loss and did not know what kind of fate would await her at the end of the journey. Just like this, all along the way, confusing thoughts clouded her mind until finally, De Xue fell asleep.

Sensing that the kitten in his arms had softened, He Mu Li's eyebrows relaxed. Adjusting his body to her sitting posture, he did not hesitate to support her with his strong chest and arms so that she would be comfortable until she finally slept in his embrace.

His thoughts were........the stubborn kitten had finally calmed down.