Rebirth in Heaven
When a person is dehydrated and unconscious, even a small amount of water can revive their life force. This was the case for Jingwan. Her instincts told her that what was flowing through her lips was what her body needed most, so she sucked on it desperately, as if she would never be satisfied.
"Slow down, slow down..." someone said.
She didn't actually hear clearly; she only felt noise in her ears. But when she tried to inhale more, she couldn't inhale anything at all.
She was a little anxious and groaned with her eyes closed. Fortunately, the surroundings were cool, which made her feel much better. Before long, she fainted again.
When she regained consciousness, the water came again, and she drank a few mouthfuls, but soon there was nothing left to drink.
Jingwan was a little annoyed. She opened her eyes to see who was playing a trick on her. As her vision gradually cleared, she saw a familiar yet unfamiliar face.
She felt she had seen him somewhere before, but doubted that she was remembering correctly, so she stared blankly at the person in front of her.
Seeing that she looked dazed as before, the man couldn't help but lightly tap her forehead and laugh, "What's wrong? Don't you remember me?"
The young men were full of vigor and high spirits; their dark complexions made their white and neat teeth stand out even more.
Jingwan remembered immediately when she was tapped on the forehead. She tried to sit up, but her limbs were weak, and she could only manage a weak smile. Her throat was dry, and she couldn't speak, so she could only mouth the words to Azhiqi.
She recognized herself; her mind was clear, and she hadn't gone mad from the sun. Azhiqi brought her some water and gave her a small sip first.
Jingwan turned her head and saw that she was in a simple tent. Looking out the door, she saw a vast desert with a camel standing there, its big mouth twitching.
Azhiqi knew what she wanted to ask and said, "We'll be out in two more days." He looked at Jingwan and found it quite unbelievable: "Even if you know the way well, you can't just wander into the desert without anything. If I hadn't arrived in time, you would have become a dried-up corpse!"
Jingwan swallowed hard and asked him in a hoarse voice, "Why did you come to find me?" She didn't think meeting Azhiqi was a coincidence. Why was he not at the horse farm? What was he doing in the Water Dragon Desert?
Azhiqi opened her hand to show Jingwan, revealing a sand onion flower in her palm. The flower had been picked long ago and pressed against a book for a long time; it was dry and thin, with some parts of the petals even becoming transparent, and every vein, regardless of its thickness, was clearly visible.
She gently picked up the flower and chuckled in a hoarse voice, "Lord Yuan doesn't actually like sand onion flowers; he just likes that they're purple." Yuan Cheng had been gone for a long time, and she wanted to ask Lu Chang where Lord Yuan had gone, but then she remembered that she and Lord Yuan always met unexpectedly, so she didn't ask.
But recalling the words of the people who fled to Lingnan, she couldn't help but feel saddened. The emperor had died, the eunuchs had been beheaded, and the treacherous concubines had been killed. She had no good feelings towards the first two, but she knew about Consort Dong from other people's stories.
They naturally didn't have any kind words for her, but Jingwan could always recall that glance at Yuying Pavilion. She was so beautiful that all the women in the world would be ashamed of themselves. The fragrance of osmanthus still lingered in her nose. She remembered the peace buckle on Lord Yuan's hand.
In the Jade Pavilion, the Imperial Concubine also bought that jade buckle. It was carved by Jingwan. She had observed it when she was fastening a button for Yuancheng, and it was the same thing.
As her thoughts drifted to the horizon, Azhiqi waved his hand in her eyes: "What are you thinking about?"
Jingwan snapped out of her daze, sat up, and said, "Let's get out of here quickly while there's no sandstorm."
Azhiqi wanted her to rest some more, but seeing her resolute attitude, he had several friends who had come with him pack their things and ride camels back.
On the way, Azhiqi told Jingwan that the army from the south was about to attack.
"When we heard that General Lu's son had brought his troops, everyone was incredibly excited. People from our horse farm said that when General Lu's son came, we would borrow their horses and fight alongside them to drive away that old prince."
A man about the same age as Azhiqi heard this and asked, "Where would we get any horses? Weren't all the horses from the horse farm taken away by the prince's men?"
At the mention of this, Azhiqi was filled with anger. That Prince of Runan was causing trouble in the northwest, collecting taxes for two years in advance, and conscripting soldiers everywhere. Even he was conscripted into the army because of his skill in raising horses.
Now that it's spring planting season, all the men have gone to war, leaving the women, children, and elderly to work in the fields. Countless fertile fields are lying fallow, and no one knows how they will survive this autumn and winter!
He kept complaining to Jingwan the whole way, and Jingwan listened quietly without saying anything.
Azhiqi looked up at Jingwan in front of him. Under the setting sun, the soft light shone on her profile. The flesh on her chin seemed to be transparent, and light shone through, revealing the tender white flesh inside.
Her long, black hair was simply braided diagonally and hung down her left shoulder, with a fluffy texture at the back of her head, making one's hands itch to touch it.
Jingwan turned around: "Why did you stop talking?"
Azhiqi quickly turned his head to look at the setting sun. When he was a child, seeing her would make him blush, and now that she was even more beautiful, he couldn't bear to look away.
He looked up at the sky, trying not to let Jingwan notice anything unusual about him.
Jingwan pouted, turned around and looked in the direction ahead, ignoring him.
The light was dazzling. Azhiqi turned his head again, and after a long while, asked her, "Did you go back to the Northwest a few years ago?"
Jingwan was taken aback, thought for a moment, and nodded gently.
Azhiqi smiled helplessly but didn't say much. He only asked Jingwan why she was in the desert.
Jingwan asked, "Did you see anyone on your way to find me?"
"have!"
Jingwan looked at him suddenly, her eyes wide with surprise. Azhiqi noticed the panic and fear in her eyes and wondered if he had made a mistake in joking.
"Of course, it's the bones of the dead! Besides you, who else could escape this black sandstorm? Even if they did, they wouldn't be able to get out." Seeing Jingwan breathe a long sigh of relief, Azhiqi finally felt a little relieved: "Lord Yuan told me to look for you along the route of the ruined city, saying you were nearby. Hey, he's really right. You'll be at the ruined city if you just walk a few more steps."
A century ago, there was an oasis in the Water Dragon Desert. At that time, the water had not dried up, and merchants often replenished their supplies in this oasis. Later, sandstorms became frequent, the underground river was cut off, and the small town that had flourished for decades was swallowed up by the desert and was called the abandoned city by the locals.
Although it's called a ruined city, encountering it in the Water Dragon Desert can be a lifesaver. The broken walls and ruins still offer shelter from the sandstorms, and caravans that are about to leave the desert will leave water bags here to quench the thirst of others who are thirsty.
This is also why Jingwan dared to run away.
She knew why Lord Yuan had asked Azhiqi to come to the ruined city to find her. Jingwan had once saved Yuan Cheng, who was lost in the desert, and she brought him here; the water bag left behind there saved Yuan Cheng's life.
He made the right bet.
Good fortune comes to those who give it. As Jingwan watched the setting sun, a faint smile finally appeared on her beautiful face.
Jingwan never expected to see Lu Chang. After all, before arriving at Xiangpu Village, she was still thinking about how to escape Li Ling's eyes and secretly go to find her cousin.
So when she saw the man with his back turned, talking to the villagers at the village entrance, she thought she was seeing things.
The camel knelt on the ground, but the person on its back did not get off, so it could only wait patiently.
"What are you thinking about? Come down here!"
Jingwan remained motionless. Azhiqi tugged at her skirt, and Jingwan slowly came down, but she still stared blankly at the person in front of her, not giving Azhiqi a single glance.
Azhiqi followed her gaze and saw another camel caravan ahead, with about a dozen people, all loading supplies onto the camels. He laughed and said, "How strange, why are there so many people coming here to die this year?"
Going to the desert in the summer is understandable, but now it's March or April, the season when the sandstorms are at their worst. What else could it be but courting death?
He was curious when he saw Jingwan slowly walk forward, each step cautious. He guessed that he must have seen wrong, but he still held onto that little bit of hope and hesitated to walk forward. When she was still some distance away from the person, she stopped.
The person who had been putting on her clothes with her back turned seemed to have a telepathic connection; she stopped what she was doing and remained still.
Lu Chang noticed the gaze behind him and first turned slightly to look. The strange feeling became more and more obvious. He was still holding the pouch, but he turned around to look at the person who came.
Good heavens, is it because he misses her so much that he has this kind of illusion?
Lu Chang narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the person in front of him, not daring to take a single step forward. Even his breathing became much lighter, as if he feared it was all just a mirage.
As soon as the person ran towards him, Lu Chang subconsciously dropped the pouch in his hand and embraced the person.
He was still somewhat dazed. Instinctively, he reached out his hands until she bumped into his arms and touched her back, which was much thinner than before. Only then did Lu Chang realize that it wasn't a dream.
He hugged her tighter and tighter, choosing this way to affirm her existence. She was still so small and soft. Like a treasure that had been lost and found again, Lu Chang shed a tear.
Tears streamed down her neck and onto her tender skin. Jingwan felt a surge of heat in her heart and impulsively bit his shirt.
Azhiqi looked at the people embracing, their hands clenched tightly. Gone was his previous composure; now he looked dejected and turned away, unwilling to look any longer.
I missed a chance to meet you a few years ago, and it turns out I've missed it for a lifetime.
Lu Chang took Jing Wan's hand and said, "Let's go, let's leave here."
Jingwan nodded, then ran to Azhiqi and said shyly, "My...my brother came to pick me up. I'll go to your house to thank you in person later!"
After saying that, she turned and ran away, but after only two steps, she turned back and urged him to run away quietly and not to join the army.
Azhiqi wanted to ask her where her brother came from, but he felt that asking would be self-deception. He could feel her joy and vitality at this moment, and it was all because of another person.
He watched her ride away on horseback with that tall, handsome man, but he couldn't call out her name.
If he had spoken up earlier and told her his true feelings, would she be his wife today?
Jingwan followed Lu Chang to Xinli, where Lu Chang's army was stationed. To avoid attracting attention, the dozen or so people split into several groups, disguised as people with different identities, and left the territory controlled by Li Ling.
Lu Chang, disguised as an ordinary farmer, walked ahead, leading a small donkey. On the donkey sat Jing Wan, engrossed in eating pastries. Her face was covered in pastry, and crumbs littered the ground as they walked. The two looked like a young married couple, unremarkable, and leisurely left Li Ling's territory.
Spring had been waiting for a long time. When she saw Jingwan, she rushed over and hugged her. After going through such a hardship, the two couldn't help but embrace and cry.
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