Chapter 234 Past
That arrow was the one Yin Zhili shot when Ji Heng took Jiang Li away. He originally wanted to aim at Jiang Li, because as long as he killed Jiang Li, Ji Heng would be in agony, but at the last moment, he felt a little reluctant and still aimed the arrow at Ji Heng.

The scene at Hongshan Temple 23 years ago was repeating itself, the same lonely army deep in the enemy's territory, the same ambush from all sides. If there was any difference, when Ji Minghan went there, Yu Hongye was already dead, and when Ji Heng went there, Jiang Li was still alive. Perhaps it was because his beloved was still alive that he was able to hold on for so long with the desire to protect her.

Jiang Li didn't care about anything. She was thin and frail, but she was so anxious that she burst out with great energy and dragged Ji Heng into the cave. She tied the horse to the stone in the cave and went to find water and firewood in the dark. She had to make a fire and boil water to bandage Ji Heng's wound. She was not familiar with this jungle, but she had some experience in the woods in Tongxiang. It was just that it was not easy to find dead branches in the snow. Jiang Li walked a long way before she found some. She carried the firewood and the kettle filled with water and ran back to the cave.

Fortunately, there was a tinder in Ji Heng's horse armor bag. Jiang Li also searched Ji Heng's body and found some medicine powder, which was probably prepared by Situ Jiuyue before he left. Jiang Li used the tinder to light a fire, and found a stone bowl to boil water. She took off her outer robe and spread it on the ground, letting Ji Heng lie on it. Ji Heng closed his eyes and looked unconscious. Jiang Li's tears flowed down in an instant.

She always thought that nothing could stump Ji Heng, because he was so strong that people would naturally have the illusion that he would not get hurt, bleed, or die. But in fact, Ji Heng was just an ordinary person, about the same age as Yin Zhili, and when he was hurt, he was also very fragile and might die forever.

Jiang Li's hands were shaking as she tried to calm herself down. She could only clean Ji Heng's sword as she had seen the doctors do before, take off his armor, and use the sword to cut open his clothes that were stuck to his flesh and blood, and see the scars all over his body.

He ran in the rain of arrows today, blocking them with his shield, but he was also wounded by some arrows, including knife and sword wounds, and was covered with bruises. His skin was actually very fair and his figure was very graceful, but at this moment, these scars and blood were like cracks on a white porcelain vase, making people want to cry when they saw them.

Jiang Li wants to pull out the arrow.

She grasped the arrow by the handle.

Suddenly, Wen Renyao's words in the past came to his mind. He said that he had told Ji Heng about his fortune when he was fourteen years old, and the fortune said that ten years from now, Ji Heng would eventually be robbed because of a female disaster, and his body would be lying in the wilderness, being eaten by hawks and dogs. Now it seems that she is indeed Ji Heng's disaster. If it weren't for saving her, Ji Heng wouldn't have to go into danger, let alone get covered in wounds and endanger his life.

She pulled out the arrow.

The subordinate's body trembled suddenly, and it seemed that Ji Heng could hear a painful groan. Jiang Li quickly turned her head to look at Ji Heng's expression. He frowned and seemed to be in great pain. Jiang Li called him softly, but he did not move or answer.

Jiang Li held back her tears, soaked her torn skirt in hot water, and cleaned his wounds bit by bit. The powder came in handy at this time, and it was at this time that Jiang Li discovered that Ji Heng still had many old wounds on his body. They were not arrow wounds, and it seemed that he had gone through a lot of thoughts, new and old wounds, scars all over, and looked horrible.

He had walked on the edge of life and death many times. Just looking at those shocking wounds, one could imagine how dangerous his past was. He was indeed lucky to be alive until now, but behind this luck, he had paid a price that ordinary people could not imagine. He was only 24 years old now. How many years ago did he get used to this life on the edge of a knife? Twenty years old? Fourteen years old? Or even earlier?

Jiang Li couldn't think any more. Her heart was like a ball of cotton, and she couldn't breathe. Tears fell to the ground bit by bit, and no one saw it. In her mind, she recalled the day outside the tent, in the snow, on the plain, watching the red dress running towards her. He was a person who paid attention to his appearance. He liked to do everything slowly and gracefully. But now, just to see her, he hurried and couldn't afford to delay for a moment.

How could she have done that? Jiang Li thought sadly. She had not given much to Ji Heng. Her power was so small that she became a burden to him in these tit-for-tat confrontations. However, Ji Heng had given her the most precious thing, his sincerity.

Jiang Li thought that in her life, she would never tolerate anyone else, and she would never fall in love with anyone else. Sometimes, a moment is eternal. No matter what happens in the future, she will never forget everything today.

She carefully wiped Ji Heng's wounds and bandaged every wound carefully. At this time, there was still no news from Wen Ji. Jiang Li was afraid that the firewood would burn out at night and encounter wild animals, so she went out again, took a tinder to find some firewood, and made a few traps to see if she could catch one or two lone rabbits. Ji Heng was seriously injured now. If Wen Ji didn't come, Ji Heng would have to eat when she woke up, otherwise her body would be weak and her body would only recover more slowly.

At this moment, she displayed all her former courage and strength, knowing that just sitting beside Ji Heng and crying would not accomplish anything. She should do her best to salvage what she could. She and Xue Zhao had once set traps in the jungle to catch prey, and after so many years, it was not difficult to do it again.

She ran back and forth many times, not daring to go too far. Seeing that there was enough firewood in the cave for a whole night, and even caught a gray hare, she was overjoyed. She used Ji Heng's sword to cook the hare clean, covered it with snow, and waited for Ji Heng to wake up so that she could roast it for him.

After she had done everything, she wanted to do more, as if she would feel more at ease if she did more. Until there was really nothing left to do, she put all her clothes on Ji Heng, and she wore only a single piece of clothing, hugged Ji Heng, and stayed with him. The fire burned quietly beside her, and Jiang Li suddenly had an illusion that she had spent her whole life in such a peaceful life. Even if she had nothing, no need for luxurious clothes and delicious food, as long as she had this person by her side, she would have nothing else to ask for in this life.

She just held Ji Heng in her arms. She didn't know how long it had been. The fire in the cave gradually got smaller. She stood up and added some new firewood. At this moment, Ji Heng moved. She hurried forward and ran to Ji Heng's side, calling his name nervously: "Ji Heng!"

Ji Heng opened his eyes, and he seemed to want to move, but he was covered with wounds, and he couldn't help frowning when he moved. Jiang Li said, "Don't move. If you want some water, I'll get it for you." She went to get a kettle filled with hot water, sat on the ground, let Ji Heng's head rest on her legs, and fed him a little bit at a time.

His lips were moistened by the water and regained their color. He only asked, "Where is this?"

"We walked into the jungle, I didn't know where it was. You fainted, so I took you to the cave. I used up all the medicine you had with you, and bandaged your wound. Are you hungry? I hunted a rabbit and roasted it for you." She said ramblingly.

Jiang Li was not a talkative person, but now she kept talking, as if this could dispel some of the fear in her heart. Ji Heng smiled, held her hand, and said, "Well done, Ah Li."

Jiang Li's tears fell in an instant.

Her tears were so hot that they almost burned people's hearts. Ji Heng said, "Don't cry. I used to see you rarely cry and you loved to laugh. But now you don't like to laugh and you love to cry. If your father sees this, he will blame me for making you cry."

When he first met Jiang Li, she always smiled, a calm, gentle smile that didn't reach her eyes. Even when she smiled, she still seemed to be hiding something in her heart. At that time, he wanted to see her lose her composure, panic or fear, and take off her mask. Now that she was naked in front of him, revealing her most vulnerable side, he began to feel sorry for her and would rather she never be sad.

He reached out his hand, gently wiped away Jiang Li's tears, and said, "Don't cry, Ali."

"You...you shouldn't do this," Jiang Li choked up and said, "No matter what time, your own life is the most important."

"You are the most important." He replied gently.

Jiang Li shook her head: "When Master Wenren told you about your fortune, I was afraid that I would kill you. Ji Heng, if I kill you, I will never be happy in my life, and it will be meaningless to me."

"Silly girl," he touched her head and smiled. Jiang Li had never seen him smile so calmly, as if he was relieved and unloaded a lot of things. He said: "How could you kill me? It was you who saved me."

Jiang Li frowned.

"Last time when I was unhappy, you sang a song for me. This time you are crying, so I will sing an opera for you, okay?" He was like a man coaxing his beloved girl, extremely doting, gentle, and giving her whatever she wanted.

Jiang Li looked at him, and before she could say anything, he rested his head on Jiang Li's legs and began to sing slowly, slowly.

"In an instant, all my past feelings were forgotten, and I understood the bitterness and pain so well that my clothes were soaked with tears."

His voice was gentle, echoing in the cave. Unlike the actors on the stage, he was not very excited, but spoke gently, as if he was telling a story. It was also like the audience was the most immersed in the play at the end. The joys and sorrows were scattered in the night.

Jiang Li wanted to see what Ji Heng's expression was, but he closed his eyes, and she could no longer see into his heart. The corners of his lips curled slightly, and his voice was filled with memories. In the deep mountains and forests, it was like a demon who lured tourists into the abyss with his singing, and the song was full of romance.

"I thought that wealth and honor were destined in life, but who knew that life could be determined in a few moments. I used to act like a spoiled child, and even now I don't believe in the past."

Jiang Li's eyes were solemn. Why did this play sound so familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before? In her memory, it seemed that someone had sung it before, a clear and smiling female voice. On a certain night of intoxicated spring breeze, by the wall, in the yard, on the swing, the female voice and Ji Heng's voice gradually overlapped.

"This is also a lesson from God: He taught me to put away my resentment, stop being coquettish, reform myself, change my character, stop lingering on the passing water, turn back from the sea of ​​suffering, and realize the cause of the orchid as soon as possible."

Jiang Li's lips began to move gradually, and her voice merged with Ji Heng's, gentle and sad.

"He taught me to put away my resentment, stop being coquettish, reform myself, change my temperament, stop lingering on the passing water, turn back from the bitter sea, and realize the cause of the orchid." The words of "The Unicorn Bag" are sour and self-deprecating. Chewing them in the mouth, it seems that one can also think of the bitterness of the character. Ji Heng rested his head on her legs, eyes slightly closed, as if he had fallen asleep. And a night deep in memory, that night with flowers and willows in the city, moonlit night and spring breeze, was like a dusty painting, which was suddenly peeled off and slowly unfolded in front of Jiang Li. ...

In spring, the flowers are red and the willows are green. Even the night wind is gentle and lingering, blowing across people's faces, romantic and frivolous. The night in the Duke's Mansion is cold and gloomy. There is no sound of people talking in the yard. In the secret room, the person lying on the couch is pale, with his eyes closed. His once handsome face has become skinny due to weight loss, and his facial features are sunken, which is very scary.

Situ Jiuyue stood beside the bed and whispered, "I'm sorry, I can't save him. The poison I made... is useless."

Hearing this, General Ji staggered and nearly fell. Situ Jiuyue helped him up and prevented him from falling to the ground. He pointed at the man on the bed, his eyes clearly full of grief, but he still managed to force a smile and said, "This... is good, for Minghan, he is finally free. Ah Heng," he patted the young man standing next to him and said, "Don't be sad, this is not your fault."

The person lying on the bed was Jinwu General Ji Minghan. Ever since Wen Ji's father risked his life to bring Ji Minghan back more than 20 years ago, General Ji had been looking for a miracle doctor who could detoxify him. Later, Ji Heng rescued Princess Molan from Molan. The poisonous princess Situ Jiuyue searched for all the strange poisons in the world. Situ Jiuyue used poison to fight poison and restrained the spread of the poison, but it was the last moment. She had to either wait for death or fight hard.

Ji Heng's choice was to give it a try, but unfortunately, God did not favor the Ji family. The poison that Situ Jiuyue had worked so hard to develop could not save Ji Minghan, and Ji Minghan died just like that. From the time Ji Heng was born to now, from the time Ji Heng saw him, he looked like he was about to die. Now he is indeed free, but he died without opening his eyes to look at his son, nor could he say a word to Ji Heng.

He left so heartlessly.

The young man stood in front of the couch. He lowered his head and could see his beautiful silhouette, but he could not see the light in his eyes. He had been here for many years. From a young child, he gradually grew into a handsome boy, and now a gorgeous young man. He grew up day by day, but Ji Minghan on the couch never opened his eyes to look at him. The young Ji Heng felt wronged for this, thinking that he had done something wrong and his father was unwilling to open his eyes to look at him. But when he grew up, he wandered in the darkness himself and knew the terrible and ugly truth. He no longer had vain hopes, but threw himself into hell and made a deal with the devil in order to exchange for a glimmer of hope for the Duke's Mansion.

This ray of hope was now extinguished by him. General Ji was worried that Ji Heng would feel guilty again, so he had to put on a brave face even though he was heartbroken.

Ji Heng raised his head. His face even showed a kind of sad beauty in such a bleak atmosphere. However, he just curled his lips, his expression was calm and his tone was calm. He said in the tone he usually used when watching a play, the tone that he could not empathize with and forget after watching it: "Then just scatter the ashes in his mother's grave as he wishes."

When Ji Minghan was taken away by Wen Ji's father, he was still conscious. The last thing he told his men was that if he died, his body should be burned to ashes and buried with Yu Hongye, and no one should know about it. Ji Minghan himself knew that his opponents were the Queen Mother and Yin Zhan, and now there were only his young son and his old father in the Duke's Mansion. If the Queen Mother wanted to kill people to silence them, it is very likely that she would not even let this pair of grandparents go. Without perfect preparation, one must not act rashly and can only play dumb.

It was General Ji who originally decided to play dumb. In the matter of Yu Hongye, he played dumb, but it made his son become like this. Later, General Ji had to play dumb. He wanted to hide it from Ji Heng at first, and wanted to wait until Ji Heng was a little older to tell him, but he didn't know when Ji Heng became capricious and even his grandfather sometimes didn't know what he was thinking. It wasn't until the young Ji Heng brought Situ Jiuyue back from Molan, and asked General Ji in the study if he knew who killed Yu Hongye and Ji Minghan. At that moment, General Ji realized that this grandson had grown up at a rapid speed without knowing it. He had already found out the truth himself and was ready for revenge.

General Ji could no longer influence Ji Heng's decision. He didn't even know what Ji Heng wanted to do. Ji Heng refused to have a long talk with him. Whenever General Ji asked, he would just smile and perfunctorily answer. Even the gardeners in the mansion could see his absent-mindedness.

But tonight, General Ji felt that although Ji Heng was smiling on the surface, he was crying in his heart. Although he was talking and laughing, as if he didn't care about anything, General Ji suddenly thought of the young Ji Heng crying and shaking Ji Minghan on the bed, and aggrievedly asked why his father didn't get up to see his appearance.

After many years, the young Ji Heng and the Ji Heng in front of him overlapped again, making General Ji feel dazed for a moment.

Ji Heng didn't look at the person on the bed any more. He turned around and walked out. General Ji stopped him and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Go out for a walk."

General Ji wanted to speak, but Situ Jiuyue pulled General Ji's sleeve, shook his head at him, and said softly, "Leave him alone for a while."

When General Ji looked at the door again, Ji Heng had already left.

Today is the Spring Festival. At night, the temple fair becomes more and more lively. The lake in the city is densely covered with lanterns. Young ladies wearing carefully selected clothes are releasing lantern boats on the lake. On the street, the crowd of jugglers burst into cheers from time to time. There are also people making clay figurines and blowing sugar figurines. Children pull their parents' hands, holding so many small toys in their hands that they can't hold them all. In the restaurant, talented people are constantly competing in poetry, showing off their skills. It is a good scene everywhere.

Ji Heng walked slowly along the lake. He held a gorgeous golden folding fan in his hand, and his red robe reached the ground. His appearance could be described as the four words "turning the world upside down". Walking here, everyone couldn't help but cast their eyes on him, with love and fear, just afraid that the moody Duke Su would be furious and start a killing spree. Only the young lady who went out for the first time dared to stare at Ji Heng, but she was distracted by this rare beauty in the world, and lowered her head in shame.

From the boats in the lake, the sounds of singing and dancing could be faintly heard. Not far away there was a stage where someone was performing. The audience gathered below, and no one knew what they were singing. He was walking slowly in this bustling and lively atmosphere. He was more moving than the prosperity here, but out of tune with the bustle. He was like a beautiful woman transformed from a demon, walking in a market in the human world. He did not pay any attention to the beauty in the world and looked down upon her with disdain.

Ji Heng had a smile on his lips, and his amber eyes were filled with endless frivolity and romance, but his heart had turned cold as ice during the warm spring days.

His father died. If he hadn't asked Situ Jiuyue to try to save Ji Minghan, Ji Minghan could have lived another year, and in this year, there might have been other chances. Because he chose to try, Ji Minghan had to take such a risk, so Ji Minghan died, died in this lively spring night, and he didn't shed a single tear.

Perhaps he was really heartless, as cold-blooded and ruthless as the rumors said, so he was indifferent to his father's death. But Ji Heng also felt that a huge crack had been cut in his heart, and a fierce wind was blowing in from the outside, filling him up with an empty feeling.

The Duke's Mansion was full of flowers and power, but ever since he could remember, it was as deserted as a magnificent tomb. He grew up here, and he didn't seem to be particularly naive. He was terribly precocious. Now that he thought about it, it seemed that he had been preparing for revenge for a long time.

The targets of his revenge were the queen who was high above him and now was the empress dowager. The other was the prince who was far away in the clouds. The soldiers under his command were strong and fierce, but what did he have? Only an empty Duke's Mansion and the Jinwu Army that did not obey his orders.

From nothing to something, it is a long process. During this long process, Ji Heng had no expectations. Revenge is different from other wishes. Some people want to be an official, so they study hard and hope to pass the imperial examination. Some people want to get rich, so they do business with others and work hard. Some people want to marry into a wealthy family, and some people are willing to travel around the world. Everyone has their own wishes. After they work hard and realize their wishes, they will naturally get what they want.

But what can he get?
He knew from the beginning that this revenge was nothing but a debt of life owed many years ago. Even the debt could not be redeemed by ordinary means. Justice and righteousness were just passing clouds. Where in the world could such things exist? It would be better for him to find a way out in the darkness. But at the end of the road, he would not get anything. Ji Minghan and Yu Hongye would not come back to life, and the time he had lost, which should have been as carefree as that of a noble family, would not return.

The end of darkness is still darkness, and he seems to never find the light he should chase. When Ji Minghan was alive, Ji Heng still held a glimmer of naive hope. Maybe one day Ji Minghan will wake up, and he will look at himself and proudly praise that his son has grown so tall and so strong.

But the ending was nothing. It seemed that God punished him for having such a naive thought, so he cut off even this naive thought. He was completely trapped in darkness and it was impossible for him to come out.

That's fine, there's nothing wrong with that. Life is just a journey through a sea of ​​suffering, sooner or later, it will come.

He looked up, his smile growing colder.

He followed the bustle and the cheers of the crowd and walked slowly. Gradually, the lights and prosperity were left behind him. He gradually walked into the street. It seemed to be where the poor lived. There were not many people walking in the alley at night. He walked slowly, blending into the night and walking into the darkness.

A breeze blew in the distance. In the spring night, the wind was intoxicating. Ji Heng looked up at the sky. The stars in the sky were bright and the gentle gaze of a human being seemed to him. He leaned against the wall and slowly, slowly slid down to sit down.

He was really tired.

Just keep walking, keep walking, not knowing when it will end. In the past years, Ji Heng never thought that he couldn't hold on. He was young, cunning, insidious, ruthless, and could do anything. He was willing to sacrifice and use anyone and anything as long as he could achieve his goal.

But this determination suddenly collapsed tonight. Ji Minghan's death made him feel really tired. He was not afraid, but confused. He felt that he didn't know how long this kind of life would last, and he didn't know if everything he did had any meaning. Yu Hongye had died for many years, and Ji Minghan had also died. Neither of them could see what he had done. His enemy was living a life of luxury, so what could he do?

He was so desperate that he wished he could die.

At this moment, a woman's voice was heard from the wall separating him. Someone said, "Madam, they are all out. Aren't you sad to be left alone in the mansion?"

Then, he heard a clear voice with a smile: "What's there to be sad about?"

(End of this chapter)