ebookland Chapter 143 You're also interested in training?
Chapter 143 You're also interested in training?
Davar's brows relaxed slightly, and his stern expression softened a little.
He slowly walked down the hill, approached Gu Jinyan's easel, and carefully examined the paintings she had created.
In the painting, he has a firm expression and his eyes are fixed on the distance, looking forward to the future of the entire Tiger Clan.
"Your painting skills are quite good." Daval nodded slightly, his tone carrying a rare hint of appreciation.
"The leader is a man of imposing stature, a true guardian of this land," Gu Jinyan replied with a smile, his words carrying a hint of sincere respect.
Under the guise of painting, she slowly approached Davar and asked in a casual tone, "The chief guards this land day and night; surely you often ponder its future?"
A barely perceptible flicker of emotion flashed in Davar's eyes as he gazed into the distance.
He sighed softly, his tone tinged with disdain: "The future? This land was originally ours, but the Tiele tribe treated us as followers and regarded us as their vassals."
He paused for a moment, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Once they've had their fill of smugness, I'll show them the Tiger Clan's decisiveness."
Gu Jinyan listened attentively, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
She continued painting calmly, but her mind was racing, trying to decipher the meaning behind Davard's words.
The Tiele tribe's contempt for the Hu clan seemed to have been brewing in Dawar's heart for a long time, as evidenced by his slight sneer.
This seems to foreshadow an upcoming operation.
Although this conversation was just casual chatter, it allowed her to glimpse the secrets hidden deep within Davar's heart.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Dawar gave her a slightly appreciative look, unaware of her intentions.
He turned and looked into the distance again, the setting sun casting a resolute shadow on his face.
Gu Jinyan quietly put down his paintbrush, gently put the painting away, and said casually, "The general's ambition is as far-reaching as this vast land."
If one day the Tiger Clan truly becomes independent, the Northern Desert will surely be incredibly vast and magnificent.
Dawar gave her a deep look, nodded, and said with an undisguised pride, "This land is destined to belong to those who have determination."
He paused, then said coldly, "And the Tiele people will understand this sooner or later."
Gu Jinyan nodded slightly and replied with feigned admiration, "General, you have lofty ambitions, which is admirable."
He casually tidied up his art supplies, his eyes filled with a subtle admiration and respect.
This brief conversation yielded her unexpected and important information.
The Hu clan's camp was illuminated by scattered campfires under the cover of night. The firelight flickered between the tents, illuminating the figures of soldiers who were either on guard duty or resting.
Wearing a coarse cloth cloak, Gu Jinyan mingled in various corners of the Tiger Clan's camp, sometimes pausing, sometimes bending down to draw carefully.
Her gaze swept over every corner imperceptibly, as if she were merely casually observing the scenery in the night, but in reality, she was memorizing every detail.
In a corner of the camp, she saw several young soldiers sitting together chatting. They held bowls of steaming meat soup in their hands, laughing and talking, completely unaware that she was passing by and doing nothing unusual.
Gu Jinyan smiled slightly, took the initiative to walk forward, sat down near them, and began to chat with them in a gentle tone: "Your meat soup smells so good. You must have had a hard day of patrolling today?"
A soldier with a youthful face looked up and smiled憨厚ly: "It's not that it's hard, it's just that we've been repeating the same route every day, which is really boring."
He wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth, looking somewhat relaxed.
Gu Jinyan looked curious and asked softly, "Are all the patrol routes the same? Won't the enemy have a chance to figure out our whereabouts?"
Another older soldier shook his head, his tone somewhat dismissive: "This land is ours, who dares to come?"
Besides, we won't let outsiders know the location of the truly vital areas, like the weapons depot.
Gu Jinyan smiled and continued chatting casually, pretending to be nonchalant: "Oh, I see. It seems that the Tiger Clan is indeed well-prepared."
But it must be really hard work for you to patrol back and forth like this every day.”
Her tone was gentle and sympathetic, which made the soldiers lower their guard, and they laughed as they recounted their daily work and hardships.
Through these casual conversations, she gradually figured out the soldiers' shift schedules and patrol routes, and even roughly deduced the location of the weapons depot from their words.
She silently noted down this information, and a plan had already been made in her mind.
A few days later, Gu Jinyan unfolded a map in his tent.
This is a detailed map of the Hu clan's territory that she spent several days drawing; it is so meticulous that it resembles a work of art.
She used ink lines of varying shades to mark the soldiers' patrol routes and encampment areas, with lighter lines indicating places where the soldiers were lax and negligent.
The dark lines show the fortresses that are on high alert, especially near the weapons depots, which she depicted with exceptional detail.
She carefully examined the map, gently running her finger over the markings, as if replaying every detail she had observed in her mind.
Every mark and every line represents the information she has secretly gathered during this time in the Tiger Clan's camp.
She skillfully concealed this information beneath the surface of the landscape, and only those truly familiar with these codes could decipher the metaphors within.
In the dead of night, she quietly left her tent and carefully folded the scroll, hiding it in her sleeve.
She avoided the patrolling soldiers' gaze, detoured through the open space at the edge of the camp, and finally arrived at the agreed-upon secluded spot.
This was a low thicket of bushes, far from crowds and patrol routes, the meeting place she and the spy had agreed upon.
The spy arrived as promised, cloaked in black and hidden in the night.
His gaze was as sharp as a knife, but when he saw Gu Jinyan, a hint of relief flashed across his eyes.
He took the scroll she handed him, quickly unfurled it, and examined it closely by the moonlight.
Gu Jinyan stood quietly to the side, observing his expression and waiting for his evaluation.
The spy's eyes followed the lines on the scroll, and when he saw the different shades of ink markings, his eyes lit up.
He murmured in praise, "Every stroke is truly exquisite."
It not only recorded the soldiers' deployment and the location of the warehouses, but also marked the soldiers' morale, information that was crucial for our subsequent operations.
Gu Jinyan smiled slightly and briefly explained to him the details he had observed in the Tiger Clan's camp during those days.
Her tone was gentle, as if she were talking about something very ordinary, but in reality she was extremely nervous.
The value of this map will directly affect their next move and determine her safety.
The spy nodded, put away the scroll, and gave her a grateful look: "You took such a big risk, it must have been hard for you."
This intelligence will greatly improve the accuracy of our analysis of the enemy's defensive weaknesses.
Gu Jinyan smiled faintly, "This is what I should do. I hope this information can help you make the right decision."
The two nodded to each other, and then the spy turned and disappeared into the night.
Gu Jinyan stood there, watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance.
She let out a soft breath, pulled her cloak tighter around herself, and quietly returned to her tent.
The night wind whipped up the fine sand in the camp, making a low whistling sound.
She sat in the tent, gazing at the flickering campfire, pondering her next steps.
That map was just the beginning; she had to continue hiding in the shadows of this land, uncovering every weakness of the Tiger Clan.
All of this had to be done discreetly, and she remained just that exotic painter who loved painting, not a spy infiltrating the enemy ranks.
She carefully organized the remaining painting tools in her hands and hid the scroll in a corner of the tent again.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she were looking through the gaps in the tent at the unknown distance.
Under the cover of night, her paintbrush is as sharp as a knife, each stroke silently foreshadowing future uncertainties.
The desert was silent and vast at night, with a gentle breeze blowing across the open fields outside the tent.
Gu Jinyan sat in his tent, gazing quietly at the painting before him, but a sense of unease gradually rose within him.
She knew that she was gradually penetrating the core of the Tiger Clan. Although the mission was progressing, her identity could be exposed at any time.
She had to secretly prepare an escape route—a silent substitute, just in case.
During the day, she still greeted the soldiers in the camp with a smile.
Disguised as just that curious and harmless alien painter.
She moved freely in the camp, carefully observing everyone's temperament, words, and actions.
On one occasion, she saw a young soldier near the weapons depot.
The soldier was counting the crossbows with his head down, his expression showing a bit of dullness and weariness, as if he was not enthusiastic about the work at hand.
Gu Jinyan approached discreetly and asked softly, "You must be tired after a long day?"
The young soldier looked up, a hint of listless weariness in his eyes, and forced a smile. "It's just routine stuff, nothing much to do."
Gu Jinyan smiled slightly and casually asked, "What's your name? Where are you from?"
As he organized his weapons, he casually replied, "My name is Tukur."
They came from the southern part of the Tiger Clan... Actually, I don't really like all this fighting and killing.
His words were light and airy, and his eyes held a sense of bewilderment about the future.
These few simple words caught Gu Jinyan's attention.
Tuker seems to have little ambition or aspirations; he was simply assigned to the Tiger Clan and was forced to stay in the camp against his will.
This is exactly the kind of person she's looking for—an ordinary, unremarkable soldier who might be enough to divert attention at a crucial moment.
Instead of taking any action, she chatted with Tukur from time to time, ostensibly just to depict the lives of the soldiers of the Tiger Clan, but in reality, she was testing his character and motives step by step.
In the morning light of the camp, Gu Jinyan packed up his painting tools and strolled among the soldiers of the Tiger Clan.
Occasionally, she would pause amidst the soldiers' conversations, listen intently, or quietly pick up her pen and quickly sketch a few lines of scenery.
This aloof attitude gradually made the soldiers accustomed to her presence, regarding her as a harmless "scenery in the camp."
One day, Gu Jinyan found Tukel in a corner of the camp.
He was bending down, repairing the crossbow, his expression weary and somewhat listless, as if he had become numb to everything.
Gu Jinyan, carrying a paintbrush, casually sat down a short distance away, gently opened his painting tools, and occasionally glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
She didn't rush into conversation, but instead quietly sketched a corner of the camp, subtly depicting Tukkel's figure as he worked with his head down on the drawing paper.
"Do you always paint so quietly?" He seemed to sense that someone was watching him, raised his head slightly, and asked in a low voice with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Gu Jinyan smiled slightly, raised his head, and said in a gentle tone, "Yes, time seems to stand still when you are painting."
Lower your head again and add a soft line to conceal Tukkel's outline in the background.