Chapter 22 Imprisonment
You are imprisoned in a dark and gloomy prison, where the judges have placed many restrictions on you, using heavy iron chains to pierce your shoulder blades and lock your limbs firmly, making it impossible for you to move.
You finally understand Danfeng's situation; you dare not imagine how long he will be imprisoned in this dark and cold jail.
Thousands of miles apart, you and he are bound by heavy chains, longing for each other while gazing at the dark prison.
The harsh cold in prison, coupled with your already weakened body, made matters worse as the cold air invaded your body.
...
On the other side, Jing Yuan was still busy with Dan Feng's matter, trying his best to reduce his punishment.
Ultimately, the Ten Kings made their judgment: to forcibly remove their scales and banish them from Luofu forever.
Jing Yuan brought the judgments of the Ten Kings to Dan Feng. Dan Feng did not react after hearing them.
"Before you shed your scales, if there's anything else you want to say or do, you can bring it up, and I'll try my best to fulfill your wishes." Jing Yuan, in his capacity as a general, secured a brief period of freedom for Dan Feng.
Upon hearing this, Danfeng pondered for a long time, then looked into Jingyuan's eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "I want to... write her a letter..."
Danfeng is unaware of your situation. In his plan, you should make a clean getaway and completely sever ties with this sinner.
Jing Yuan closed his eyes and did not tell him the truth.
He called for someone to bring over tables and chairs, as well as paper and a pen. Danfeng, who had been bound by chains for so long, was finally able to move his wrists. He endured the pain, picked up the pen, and tremblingly wrote "To my wife" on the envelope.
Danfeng has a lot to say to you, but when he picks up his pen, he doesn't know where to begin.
Jing Yuan stood not far away, watching his former friend sketch on the paper stroke by stroke, his eyes filled with deep longing and affection. This was the first time he had shown such rich emotions since he went to prison.
Danfeng truly loves you deeply.
Alas, life is unpredictable...
After a long while, Danfeng carefully put the letter she had written into the envelope and gently stroked the large characters on the cover.
He fought back tears and urged Jingyuan to personally deliver the letter to you.
"Please, Jingyuan." This was the first time Danfeng had ever begged someone so humbly.
"Don't worry, I will do it," Jing Yuan replied to his wish.
"Thank you..." Danfeng closed his eyes, letting the jailer re-tie the chains on his wrists, returning him to the dark and boundless prison.
...
45
Time flows on, and the seasons change.
You have been in that dark, desolate prison for who knows how many years.
As time goes by, your memory gradually becomes blurred. You begin to forget the past, you can't remember Danfeng's face, and eventually you gradually forget Danfeng's name.
You start having frequent dreams in which a group of men and women, their faces indistinct, appear, calling your name and running forward with all their might. You chase after them, but you can never catch up. Every time you're just one step away, they instantly teleport in another direction, still calling your name, making you chase after them.
Over the years, your neighbors have come and gone, but you remain locked up here, just as always.
You repeat the same things day after day: sleeping and daydreaming.
You begin to weave a series of fantasies in your mind, with men, women, young and old of different personalities playing different roles in your mind, enacting joys and sorrows, partings and reunions.
You start imagining the future. You want to be a seafaring ranger, fighting evil and helping the weak from humiliation. You'll travel to different planets, seeing different landscapes and eating different cuisines. You'll meet many new people and make new friends…
Until one day, the judge and the jailers stood outside the cage and coldly announced that you were free.
Released from prison, you were taken out of the dark cell and returned to the sunlight.
Having not seen sunlight for a long time, your eyes stung and welled up with tears from the intense light. You shielded your eyes from the sun with your hand, and it took you a while to adjust before lowering your arm.
"Sister, here you go. Don't cry after you eat this candy." A little girl appeared in front of you and put a piece of fruit candy into your palm.
You looked at her with a puzzled expression, and just as you were about to ask her a question, she ran away quickly.
You stand there stunned, realizing that you've been in tears for some time.
You clumsily unwrap the candy and put it in your mouth.
It has a sweet strawberry flavor with a hint of sour lemon.
So sweet...
You wander aimlessly through the streets, enveloped by a profound sense of confusion.
You don't know where to go or what to do.
A century has passed, and the Ming Dynasty has changed.
You walk along the path you remember, and suddenly you hear an anxious female voice calling your name.
You stop and turn around to look in the direction of the sound. There is a woman in green whom you do not recognize.
"Miss! It really is you!" The woman in green was very excited. She looked you up and down and said words of concern to you.
"Who are you?" You don't remember who she is at all.
"I am Xiaoyu, your former maid. I haven't seen you since you went to Luofu, but I have seen your picture. The general specifically ordered me to go to the prison to fetch you, but I was too late. Luckily, I asked other people and managed to find you. Come back with me quickly, the general must be getting impatient."
A girl named Xiaoyu hurriedly tugged at your sleeve. Confused, you followed her, wanting to see what was going on.
She led you through unfamiliar streets and alleys, straight to the General's Mansion.
Soon, the scenery along the roadside changed from unfamiliar to familiar. At the end of the road, you saw a familiar person.
It is your father, Huaiyan.
He looked much older. He quickly stepped forward and embraced you, murmuring that you had suffered.
You stiffly hugged him back, and long-buried memories were quickly awakened.
"Father..." you called out those two words once again.
"...My precious daughter...Father misses you so much...You've suffered so much..."
In an instant, the father and daughter burst into tears, and the maid beside them was also moved to tears.
Afterwards, Huaiyan arranged for the maids to help you undress and bathe, and also prepared a large table of dishes to welcome you back and wash away the dust of your journey.
No matter how many mistakes you make, in his heart you will always be his most beloved little princess.
During the Rebellion of Yinyue, he was leading the Cloud Cavalry in a battle of wits and courage against the people of Fengrao.
After he quelled the war, he received news that you had been imprisoned.
Looking at the verdicts of the ten kings and listening to the marshal's warning, he silently withdrew his request for a retrial.
He knows your true nature; you would never be someone who craves immortality. It's just a pity that you were so determined to take the blame for Danfeng, repeatedly breaking the rules and making grave mistakes, which led to the current situation.
As an Allied general, he was obligated to carry out orders; but as a father, he couldn't bear to do it.
In the end, he could only watch helplessly as his daughter was imprisoned in a dark and gloomy cell, enduring a hundred years of loneliness and solitude.
This was his failure as a father, a pain he could never make up for.
Looking at your thin face and frail body, Huaiyan secretly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.
If anyone's to blame, it's that he's a useless father who couldn't be there for his daughter when she needed him most, and couldn't offer her any advice or solutions.
If he could do it all over again, he would never agree to your request to study at Luofu.
...
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