Chapter 107.2
In the afternoon, the heavy rain continued, casting a dim light on the tiles, creating a veil of mist over the mansion in the rain. Lotus leaves began to emerge in the pond, occasionally breaking the water's surface with the tails of fish, causing droplets to fall like transparent crystal beads.
Zhao Heng suddenly stopped writing and turned to look at the young man standing behind her, asking, "So, do we really have to leave?"
"Yes," Li Wenjian replied blandly before taking a sip of tea. From under the half-covered teacup, he could see her staring at him, lips pursed in confusion. He then let out a long sigh.
"I will also miss the vegetables in the garden."
The young man moved his gaze from her face to see his increasingly studious self on the yellow rosewood table, with delicate feathers covering his mischievous eyes. His voice was calm and soothing, "If it's not absolutely necessary, I won't abandon the garden that we worked so hard to cultivate."
"Don't worry, Ah Heng. We'll be back soon."
His tone was gentle and indulgent.
Emperor Li was treacherous and ruthless. In his previous life, before leaving the capital, he set a fire at the An residence; later, when the remnants of the Yang faction were eliminated, his father and mother returned to the capital within three months. This time, they would probably not be away for long.
"Are we going far away?" Zhao Heng looked up at him.
Upon hearing this, Li Wenjian, again meeting her eyes, smiled with a hint of nonchalance, looking incredibly gentle and clean, "Yes, very far. We will walk for many, many days. Are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid," Zhao Heng shook her head, pushing down the confusion in her eyes. "As long as you're with me, I'm not afraid of anything."
"Then it's settled," he reached out and touched her increasingly dark hair. "We'll go together."
Zhao Heng felt a warm sweetness in her heart. She remembered the talismans of peace her grandmother had given her and couldn't wait to take them out from her sleeve. Opening them, she handed one to him.
"Grandma got peace charms from Baimasi for us," she handed it to him. "One for each of us."
Li Wenjian glanced at the colorful charm. On it were two bats, one on the left and one on the right, forming a pair perfectly.
The young man's eyes sparkled, and he hung the peace charm around his waist, letting the deep red tassel sway on his golden robe.
Following his lead, Zhao Heng also tied the peace charm around her waist. She reached out to adjust the dangling tassel on his robe, then hers.
"We'll live long and healthy lives together," the young girl smiled with slightly narrowed eyes.
*
Two days later, Wei Zhan returned from Shuzhou.
Shuzhou was the hometown of Princess Wuyou, and her cousin, Wang Zhao, had once been a prominent young man there. On this return trip, he finally confirmed the identity of Liang Xingyan.
It turned out that he was indeed the orphan of Prince Wuyou. After the prince deposed his consort, Wang Zhao took them, mother and son, south. Unfortunately, his mother passed away midway, and Wang Zhao brought him back to the capital, secretly preparing the Huanxian Manor.
That night, An Yuanqing quietly led a group of people to Huanxian Manor.
Li Wenjian and Wei Zhan escorted him to the gate. Wei Zhan clenched the jade pendant at his waist, watching An Yuanqing's figure disappear into the thick night, lips tightly pressed, saying nothing.
"The real Liang Xingyan is dead. They killed him in Dajue Temple," Wei Zhan gritted his teeth and said painfully.
Li Wenjian was not surprised. He also knew who had killed the real Liang Xingyan.
"Don't you want to know what I told my uncle about dealing with him?" Li Wenjian asked.
Wei Zhan shook his head, saying, "An eye for an eye, there's nothing more to say. Only blood can cleanse blood."
Li Wenjian nodded slightly, then fell silent for a moment. "Uncle's intelligence found out that Wang Zhao's men noticed someone was secretly watching Huanxian Manor. They intercepted Liang Xingyan on his way back to the capital, intending to take him south. Uncle's men had already left the capital in the afternoon to intercept and kill them."
Wei Zhan suddenly clenched his hand hanging by his side into a fist.
Seeing the pouring night rain, he recalled the grasslands of the spring day in the capital last year, with an abundance of sorrel grass and the fragrance of green grass. Beyond the vast green grassland, they rode their horses wildly, startling the nesting birds.
Chasing the setting sun back home on horseback, the young men laughed carefree and hearty, their laughter echoing under the azure sky.
Liang Xingyan's maroon cloak fluttered in the wind, and he said, "Let's come back for horse races every year."
It felt as if a blade had cut through Wei Zhan's heart, and he watched the rain under the eaves, his throat making faint sounds, unable to utter a word.
He didn't understand how they had ended up like this today.
"I understand," he said calmly, suppressing the coldness in his chest.
Li Wenjian looked at him and suddenly said, "After all, we have been brothers for seven years. Are you really going to let me kill him?"
Wei Zhan glanced at him again, still puzzled.
"I told my uncle to send him to Bailu Academy and have Dong Qi Uncle take good care of him," Li Wenjian said.
Wei Zhan hesitated, asking, "Aren't you afraid he might come back one day?"
Li Wenjian shook his head, saying, "If I worry about being criticized by the world for not killing traitors, does that mean I have to kill everyone?"
He always remembered how Liang Xingyan had protected him from a fatal blow at Hejiang Mansion in his past life. Liang Xingyan had said he didn't want to kill, steal someone's name and identity, or fight Wei Zhan to the death.
He was willing to believe that human hearts were inherently good, that Liang Xingyan was acting out of necessity, and he was willing to give him another chance.
*
Li Wenjian had just told Zhao Heng about their upcoming departure from the capital when the steward of the mansion came to inform Xue Shi to pack her things, causing Xue Shi to feel anxious and conflicted.
Outside, the drizzling rain fell continuously, each drop hitting her heart, making her restless.
"Why do you look so worried, grandma?" Zhao Heng brought in the last basket of cucumbers and saw Xue Shi looking troubled as she packed.
Xue Shi looked at the innocent and cheerful girl in front of her, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She sighed and said, "After living here for so long, it's hard to leave. "
Although the steward did not explicitly say it, Xue Shi guessed that An family's departure this time was to avoid the war. She had lived a bitter life, only beginning to live in peace in her old age. When one gets older, they naturally crave stability, especially after a lifetime of suffering. Therefore, she cherished this new and peaceful life even more.
"That's nothing to worry about," Zhao Heng chuckled, her eyebrows lifted. "Brother Shulong said we're just going out to play and will be back soon."
Xue Shi's face darkened with worry. She knew little about the war, and analyzing the situation was beyond her. However, the war had been going on for too long, and now An family's whole family was leaving the capital. Things didn't seem very optimistic, and returning wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.
Seeing her disbelief, Zhao Heng quickly defended, "It's true. Brother Shulong told me himself."
Xue Shi looked at Zhao Heng, noting how the girl believed in the words of the young master without a doubt. She forced a smile and said, "Alright, I understand."
Thinking she had convinced Xue Shi, Zhao Heng turned back to help with the packing.
After a while, while folding clothes, Zhao Heng heard Xue Shi's muffled sobs. She turned to face Xue Shi, puzzled, "Grandma?"
Xue Shi quickly wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve.
"Why are you crying?" Zhao Heng felt flustered, putting down her work to walk over and comfort Xue Shi, patting her back gently, trying to wipe away her tears with her small hand.
"I'm fine." Xue Shi tried hard to control her tears, but they dripped down her wrinkled cheeks unbidden.
She had lived like an ant for decades, and no one cared about whether she lived or died. Suddenly, someone was considering her in every way, providing her with food, shelter, and even taking her with them when seeking refuge.
It was as if a dilapidated ferry that had drifted in the river for decades had finally arrived at the crossing.
"Why are you crying then?" Zhao Heng started to feel helpless.
"The young master has been so good to us; we must repay him well in the future," Xue Shi choked with sobs.
Zhao Heng's eyes also welled up with tears from seeing Xue Shi cry. She hugged her gently, patting her back with her small hands, comforting her, "Of course."
Xue Shi cried for a long time until it was almost dark. She rarely cried in front of Zhao Heng, but this time, she couldn't hold back. She feared she would never be able to repay this deep affection from the young master towards their family.
After dinner, the two packed their belongings by lamplight.
They had come empty-handed and over the course of several months, they had accumulated quite a few boxes of belongings.
While they were folding clothes, Zhao Heng heard Xue Shi's hoarse voice say, "Ah Heng, can you bring out two of your books? This bag of green bean seeds has nowhere to go."
"No." Zhao Heng replied without hesitation, "Brother Shulang said that there are wars everywhere now, and books are not easy to come by. Just take a few select seeds with us, we should be able to buy new ones outside."
Xue Shi muttered, "What's the point of taking books? Wei's eldest young lady doesn't study anymore."
She was extremely puzzled, but still placed the books in the box and closed the lid.
Seeing Grandma put the books back, Zhao Heng breathed a sigh of relief. She had tasted the sweetness of studying with Wei Wanyu. She had found a few people in the clan to do their homework. She wanted to study hard while seeking refuge, and after returning, she planned to see if anyone needed homework done, so she could save money for her dowry.
*
Early the next morning, Li Wenjian got up to greet An Jingliu.
The old man didn't sleep much, and he was already up early, sitting at the desk reading his disciples' homework.
Seeing Li Wenjian come in, he raised his eyes slightly and smiled, "You're just in time."
Li Wenjian walked towards him with a smile. "Grandfather is waiting for me."
An Jingliu picked up a few sheets of paper placed separately on the desk and handed them over with a smile, "Take a look at these."
Li Wenjian took the papers and looked at them carefully, a smile playing on his lips, "This handwriting is really poor."
"These people had someone else write their homework for them?" An Jingliu stood up from his chair and walked with Li Wenjian towards the lake. "It's obvious they had someone else write it, just like you, intelligent enough to change their handwriting."
Li Wenjian's eyes showed a hint of mockery.
An Jingliu was referring to his childhood, when Wei Zhan only liked martial arts and disliked studying, so he had asked Li Wenjian to write his homework in exchange for teaching him horse riding. Li Wenjian did the task diligently, studying Wei Zhan's handwriting every day and copying his assignments.
He thought he had done it flawlessly, but this crude method had not fooled An Jingliu, and they both ended up copying the assignments one hundred times.
"Grandfather should definitely punish this kind of unethical behavior," Li Wenjian suggested.
An Jingliu nodded, "Of course."
Li Wenjian noticed that An Jingliu's tone seemed a little off, so he turned to look at him and saw an even stranger smile on his face.
*
In mid-June, An family's last group of people finally set off for Yingzhou.
The day was just beginning to brighten, and the morning mist lingered outside the Baqiao. An's people disguised themselves as a merchant caravan and left the city gates.
Zhao Heng sat in the carriage, dozing off in a daze, hearing the sound of the carriage rumbling. She wanted to wake up and see the excitement but couldn't muster the energy. In a half-awake state, she heard rustling sounds around her ears, and a gentle breeze occasionally brushed her face, bringing a coolness.
She half-squinted her eyes and saw the fair fingers of a young man sitting on the other side, holding a sandalwood fan and occasionally fanning it. She only glanced quickly, let out a long yawn, and then leaned back on the soft cushion and fell asleep again.
After an unknown period, her forehead suddenly felt a coolness.
She groggily opened her eyes and saw the serene face of the young man very close to her. She raised her head, and their eyes met. Still a bit groggy, she sat up, and the young man reached out to touch her head, "Is there anything wrong?"
Zhao Heng, now fully awake, glanced at his wide and cool hand hidden under his sleeves.
"No," she shook her head.
Li Wenjian furrowed his brows slightly, "Why do you keep sleeping? "
Perhaps sensing his probing gaze, Zhao Heng felt a bit embarrassed and looked down, telling a white lie, "There were too many mosquitoes last night, so they bit me all night."
Li Wenjian nodded and spoke in a gentle and clear voice, "Tonight, I'll ask Ying Que to burn incense for you early so the mosquitoes die before bothering you."
Feeling even more guilty, Zhao Heng nodded aimlessly, unable to lift her head. She was already calculating when she would finish copying the one hundred assignments.
She had only copied around ten pages by midnight yesterday. At this rate, it would take her another four to five days to finish.
Thinking about this, a hint of bitterness appeared on her face.
"We should reach Ning County by noon." Li Wenjian saw that she was already awake.
He took out a book from the side table and opened it to see a beautifully painted landscape. His finger stopped on a black dot in the direction they were heading.
"Ning County has delicious cold noodles, very sweet when you taste them."
Following his finger, Zhao Heng indeed saw the words 'Ning County'. She turned to look at him, and he appeared calm and composed, showing no signs of the hardship of seeking refuge. Her uneasiness and anxiety diminished considerably.
"In a few days, we'll reach Xu County, where you can enjoy your favorite sweet dates." Li Wenjian moved his finger to the words 'Xu County'. "It's a pity that there won't be any sweet dates to eat this season, but you can go see the flowers of the sweet date trees."
"You like farming, right? You can see how sweet dates are grown. If possible, when we return to the capital, you can plant a few trees, and then you'll have an endless supply of sweet dates."
Zhao Heng's mouth watered at the thought.
"Okay, let Brother Wei carry the trees for me." Zhao Heng said.
When Wei Zhan was mentioned, she hadn't seen him in the past few days. She leaned against the window and looked around, noting that Wei Zhan liked horse riding but was nowhere to be seen today.
She asked Li Wenjian, "Where is Wei Brother?"
"He didn't come with us," Li Wenjian replied.
Zhao Heng was surprised, "Why not?"
Li Wenjian was also puzzled, "I don't know, he's been elusive recently, always disappearing."
Zhao Heng giggled.
"He's gone to see Sister Ah Li."
Li Wenjian couldn't help but glance at her, "How do you know?"
Zhao Heng said meaningfully, "Sister Ah Li lives by hunting for a living and uses a special scent to mask the smell of blood. I remember the scent, and I've been smelling it on Brother Wei these past few days."
"Really?" A smile played on the young man's lips.
Zhao Heng nodded eagerly, "Yes."
Meanwhile, the topic of their discussion, Wei Zhan, was lounging half-reclined on a tree in a small peach village. His hands were behind his head, his legs crossed, a leaf in his mouth, occasionally blowing it to produce sounds similar to bird calls.
The sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting shards of golden light that danced on the young man's face.
He found the sunlight glaring, so he picked two leaves and placed them over his eyes to shield them from the harsh light.
Every time someone passed by under the tree, his ears would twitch slightly, hoping to hear something, but would sigh disappointedly when he didn't.
As the sun set in the west, Yue Li and her father walked back home in the lingering twilight.
They had been lucky today, catching a lot of prey, including a small wild donkey. Yue Li was especially happy; wild donkeys were rare and could be sold for money or used as transportation. When the donkey was grown, she and her father could ride it to town to sell goods.
"Father, shall we go to the back mountain in a few days to cut some bamboo and build a pen for the donkey?" Yue Li asked in her clear voice.
Yue's father nodded, saying in a deep voice, "That's good."
Knowing her father to be a man of few words, she was content with his response. She added, "You must be tired today. I'll cook when we get back; you can rest.
"No need," Yue's father said concisely. "You're injured; you rest." Yue Li was about to retort when her loyal companion, Anu, suddenly leaped up and flew towards the canopy overhead.
At the same time, a dark figure leaped down from the dense foliage. As Yue Li recognized the person, she hurriedly called out, "Anu, no!"
But it was too late. Anu leaped past Wei Zhan's side, and though he managed to dodge in time, the sharp claws still left a shallow blood mark on his face.
Yue Li's pupils dilated as she hastily dropped the prey she was holding and rushed forward, her gaze falling on the faint bloodstain on the handsome face of the young man.
"What kind of cat is this?" Wei Zhan looked at the little cat that scratched him and then returned to Yue Li's shoulder, his eyes shining.
"It's not a cat, it's a lynx," Yue Li said regretfully, pulling out a handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe the blood. However, the handkerchief had already been used to wipe sweat that day, so she hesitated.
Wei Zhan nodded, smiling, "It's talented. It came at me before I could react."
He then took the handkerchief from Yue Li and pressed it against the wound, causing him to hiss in pain.
"This is a hunting companion I trained." Yue Li explained apologetically, looking at the blood on his face, which refused to be wiped clean like a mountain spring. She furrowed her brow unconsciously.
"I see," Wei Zhan noticed that the bleeding wouldn't stop, so he put down the handkerchief, took out a white porcelain bottle, poured some white powder on the cloth, pressed it for a while, and when he removed it, the bleeding had stopped. "I wanted to surprise you by sneaking up."
Yue Li relaxed her brows, looking up at the thick canopy overhead, "Why were you hiding up there?"
"Didn't I say? To surprise you." The young man laughed, revealing sharp canine teeth, a charming yet mischievous smile.
Seeing the brilliant twilight stretching across the sky, Yue Li said, "It's getting dark; I must go home."
Wei Zhan looked at the prey she had left on the ground and smirked, "You caught so many today; quite impressive."
Yue Li turned her face towards him, her eyes rebellious, ignoring him and shaking the longbow on her shoulder before turning to leave.
Wei Zhan hesitated for a moment and quickly reached out to stop her.
Yue Li winced in pain and exclaimed, "Ow," as she grasped her wrist, looking at Wei Zhan, "What are you pulling me for?"
Wei Zhan withdrew his hand, his ears slightly red, and said calmly, "I have something to give you."
Yue Li stood up straight, observing Wei Zhan with a mix of doubt and curiosity, asking, "What is it?"
From behind, Wei Zhan took out a quiver filled with arrows and handed it to Yue Li, sounding a bit flustered, "I noticed your arrows were blunt, so I had these specially made for you."
He casually picked one out, waving it in front of her; its feathers plush and bright, the cold iron arrowhead flashing with a dazzling glint, clearly crafted from fine iron.
Pointing to a mark on the arrow's end, he said eagerly, "See? It's a pear blossom, like your name, Yueli."
Yue Li's eyes brightened with delight. She reached up to wipe the sweat-dampened bangs sticking to her forehead and looked at Wei Zhan with shimmering eyes, "All of these are for me?"
Wei Zhan nodded earnestly, "Of course. I had artisans work tirelessly, day and night for over ten days to make this quiver. Look at the plum blossom star on the arrowhead; I personally drew it. They are sharper than regular feathered arrows."
But just as he finished speaking, Yue Li, who had been hopeful moments ago, suddenly handed the quiver back to him, shaking her head, "My father said I can't take something for nothing."
"No!" Wei Zhan blurted out, a mixture of panic in his expression.
"What?" Yue Li looked at him with some confusion, her noble brows furrowed slightly, wondering why the seemingly confident young man was now so flustered.
"Not for nothing!" Wei Zhan blurted out, a hint of urgency in his tone.
"What?" Yue Li looked at him with some confusion, her noble demeanor and the slight smile on her lips adding to the puzzlement of why the normally composed young man seemed so flustered.
"Not for nothing," he repeated, looking at her intently before saying, "I'm not good at archery. Can you teach me?"
As her eyes met his, the deep darkness in his eyes flickered for a moment.
Wei Zhan forcibly handed the quiver back to her, "Let's make a deal. When I return, you'll teach me archery."
Lowering his eyelashes, his gaze fell on her moving lips, he silenced her words, âIf you donât speak, that means you agree.â
"You're really strange," Yue Li's voice was barely audible.
Wei Zhan lowered his eyelids, his expression unclear, his voice echoed uncertainly, "I don't think so."
"What kind of gentleman are you looking for?" Yue Li tilted her head slightly, and Anu gently nuzzled against her cheek, all gentleness now without the ferocity it had shown towards Wei Zhan earlier.
As if unable to sense the coldness in her gaze, Wei Zhan lifted his chin slightly, meeting her eyes, "What's so strange? Many tutors couldn't teach me well, I'm just a slow learner. Can't you teach me either?"
She hesitated for a moment before shifting her gaze back to him.
"I'm not sure," Yue Li murmured, her lips pressed together uncertainly.
"Give it a try," Wei Zhan said with a smile, a hint of mischief in his eyes as he added, "You won't lose anything, anyway."