Jun Wu Xie gave her uncle a rather awkward glance as she had not thought that she would sleep for that long as well.
"Alright, alright. Just teasing you. Hurry up and eat. Don't starve." Jun Qing said with a helplessly laugh as he shook his head, sitting down on a chair by the side. Jun Wu Xie then picked up her bowl and chopsticks to begin eating her food slowly.
Having taken just two mouthfuls to line her stomach, she raised her head up again to look at Jun Qing.
"Uncle, you came here to see me for something?"
Jun Qing replied: "It's not much really. Didn't you tell your grandfather that you wanted to take a look at the Soul Jade? I heard about it and had wanted to bring it over to you but did not think that I would find you already fallen asleep. I got the men to stand guard at the door and instructed them to look for me when you wake up, to save you some steps running around to look for me."
The Rui Lin Army soldier guarding the door was arranged by Jun Qing. He knew that Jun Wu Xie had completely exhausted herself and she would definitely want to bathe and change when she woke up, and she would surely need to eat.
"Mm. Where's the Soul Jade?" Jun Wu Xie appreciated her uncle's thoughtfulness and upon hearing the first mention of the Soul Calming Jade, she immediately forgot about needing to eat and just opened her mouth to ask about the Soul Calming Jade.
Jun Qing raised a hand and flicked a finger on her forehead. "The thing is on me right now and it will not be going anywhere. You first take care of your stomach and if you do not finish the rice in your bowl, I will not be showing the Soul Jade to you."
In a year, Jun Wu Xie had grown quite a bit taller, but she was still a little too slender. Having not seen his niece for a year, when Jun Qing saw the skinny frame on Jun Wu Xie, his heart winced painfully. If not for the war, he would have gotten the men to gather all the most delicious delicacies and put them all in front of Jun Wu Xie to properly nourish her.
"Alright….." Jun Wu Xie lamented as she rubbed at her forehead where she had been hit. It had not been painful, but had instead made her heart feel a comforting warmth.
She had not experienced this warmth from her family for a long time and even the slightest bit of it was irreplaceably precious to her.
Seeing that Jun Wu Xie had buried her head into her bowl to eat again, Jun Qing finally relented, not entirely serious when he said Jun Wu Xie did not have to care about everything happening outside. She had become the Fire Country's Emperor and if he did not share a word about what was going on out there, her heart would still worry about it.
"The Fire Country's army has set up camp outside the city and the Qi Kingdom's soldiers and citizens are busy with restoring the city from the damage incurred. We also send food outside to the Fire Country's camp everyday. This is the first time I have come in contact with the Fire Country's army and I must say that the Fire Country's army is rather well trained. With so many of them just at our doorstep, there hasn't been any chaos and there hasn't even been a single incident of conflict with the citizens in the city." Jun Qing said, giving a highly simplified account of the situation outside over the period she had been unconscious after the war to Jun Wu Xie.
The Fire Country's army under the supervision of Lei Chen and Lei Xi had been well behaved and not only had they not stirred up any trouble, they had even asked to let them help to repair the city's walls. Of course the initiative could very well have been all due to Jun Xie's position.
But Jun Qing was nevertheless still very grateful for the help.
"That's what a soldier should be like. By leaning with the strong to bully the weak, that's not what makes a man. Our Rui Lin Army had always remained steadfast in this." Jun Wu Xie mumbled as she chewed on her food.
Long Qi who had been standing on one side, had his eyes fill up with pride upon hearing those words.
Jun Qing laughed aloud and shook his head helplessly. "You are now already the Fire Country's Emperor, how can you still say things like this?"
"The Fire Country's army is rather good, but the Rui Lin Army isn't too shabby as well. They could both be considered to be stalwart and rigorously disciplined forces, and I was just stating facts." Jun Wu Xie replied. She had not meant to compare the armies from the two countries but had only mentioned it in passing.
Only after Jun Wu Xie finally cleaned out the rice in her bowl did Jun Qing then bring out the Soul Jade he carried around with him on his body.