He Yan went to Changmao Iron Shop to look for someone and she went there very early. As for the chaos after she left, I think Chi Wu would comfort Qingmei. The first time is new, the second time is familiar. This time she knew the way, so it was much smoother.

But she didn't expect that there would be guests at home today.

When Xiao Jue arrived at the He family's house, no one was there. Qingmei was not there, Chiwu was not there, and He Yan was not there either. The front door of the He family's house was closed, and it was already shabby, looking like an abandoned old house with no one living in it.

Xiao Jing and Bai Rongwei had come here once before. After returning home, Bai Rongwei tactfully mentioned whether they should find another house for the He family. Xiao Jue refused. Although it was not a difficult thing to do, with He Yan's temper, he would probably say something like "no merit, no salary". Emperor Wenxuan was also an emperor who did not care about the sufferings of the world. He conferred a title of marquis but did not give him a mansion. Even his salary was fined for a year. However, when He Yan was in Liangzhou Wei, he also received some silver as a reward. These silvers should be enough to temporarily change a house.

The street where He Yan and his family lived was full of ordinary people. They all went out to work during the day, so not everyone came to watch like they did at night. No one was home, Xiao Jue thought for a moment and was about to leave. As soon as he turned around, he bumped into someone head-on.

The man was surprised when he saw Xiao Jue, "Commander Xiao, why are you here?"

It turned out to be Jiang Jiao.

Jiang Jiao didn't wear the uniform of the new soldiers today, but only a red brocade robe. Xiao Jue didn't recognize him for a while. But as soon as Jiang Jiao said this, he cursed himself in his heart for being so stupid. Since He Yan was Xiao Jue's fiancée now, it was only natural for Xiao Jue to come to her. Why was he so surprised?

"Commander Xiao, are you here to look for Brother He...Miss He?" Jiang Jiao wanted to take back what he had just said, and looked at the closed door behind him. "I just passed by here and asked a fruit vendor, and he said this is the He family... Why, is there no one at home today?"

Xiao Jue shook his head and looked at him again: "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm here to give Miss He a sword." Jiang Jiao nodded, "The soldiers who live in the camp in Shuojing have one day a month to go home to visit their families. I went home yesterday and should return to the camp today. Before I go back, I want to give this sword to Miss He."

Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows slightly. Jiang Jiao came back to his senses and thought something was wrong. He was afraid that Xiao Jue had misunderstood him, so he explained, "It's because Miss He was assassinated in Shuojing a few days ago. The news spread throughout Liangzhou. The brothers were worried that something might happen to her. My family runs a martial arts school, so I wrote a letter to my father to find a sword for Miss He." He weighed the long sword wrapped in cloth in his hand, as if embarrassed. "It's not a precious sword, but it's light and sharp. Miss He can have a sword on her body. If she goes out in the future, even if there are assassins who are blind, she will not be without a handy weapon in her hand."

"Sword?" Xiao Jue frowned, "Why did you think of giving me a sword?"

"Ah?" Jiang Jiao seemed to have not expected Xiao Jue to ask this. "Miss He's swordsmanship is exquisite. If I were to give her a weapon, I would definitely give her a sword. Although her whip and knife skills are very good, I think her swordsmanship is better, so I took the initiative to choose this."

Xiao Jue stared into his eyes, "How do you know that He Yan's swordsmanship is so exquisite?"

"It was when we were in Rundu before." Jiang Jiao suddenly realized, "Oh, right, when Miss He used the sword, the governor had not arrived in Rundu yet, so he didn't see it. At that time, Wang Ba and I saw it. That day, Miss He led us to attack the enemy camp of Wutuo at night. We all wore devil masks, but the mask Miss He wore was different. I heard from Lord Li that it was the same mask that General Feihong had worn. That day, Miss He wore the mask and pretended to be General Feihong, and beat the Wutuo people to pieces. At that time, she used the sword. Although I have never seen how General Feihong used the sword, I think Miss He's swordsmanship is no worse than his."

Jiang Jiao finished speaking in one breath, and then realized that he had said too much. Although he and He Yan were friends and had nothing to do with romance, now that He Yan had become Xiao Jue's fiancée, he should still avoid suspicion, so he coughed lightly and said, "I came here today to give Miss He a sword, but I didn't expect that Miss He's family was alone. Since I met Commander Xiao here, it would be better for Commander Xiao to give the sword to Miss He."

He handed the cloth bag in his hand to Xiao Jue and said, "It's getting late. I have to hurry out of the city and return to the camp. Thank you for your trouble, Commander Xiao." He bowed to Xiao Jue, picked up the bag he brought from home, and turned to walk outside.

Jiang Jiao's figure disappeared at the end of the long street. Xiao Jue lowered his head and looked at the cloth-wrapped long sword in his hand. The long sword was very light and looked thin and small. He lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking about. After a while, he turned and left in another direction.

…

On this day, He Yan returned empty-handed again.

The old master of Changmao Iron Shop told He Yan that Niu the blacksmith had not shown up in the past few days, and the ten iron hammers ordered last month had not been delivered. The old master and Niu the blacksmith also had some friendship, and although the iron hammers were important, Niu the blacksmith would not break his promise if nothing happened.

He Yan asked the old master if he knew where Niu the blacksmith lived. The old master shook his head and said that Niu the blacksmith lived on a deserted mountain, and no one knew where exactly. Niu the blacksmith usually didn't like to tell others about his family affairs, so it was inconvenient for others to ask too much.

The matter was almost clear. Niu the blacksmith and Qin Ma had most likely been found by Xu Zhiheng's people before her.

This is indeed a frustrating thing.

When she got home, because she had gone out early today, He Sui and He Yunsheng had not come back yet, and had not yet noticed her sneaking out. Qingmei was sitting on the doorstep waiting for someone, and when she saw He Yan leading the horse to the door, she immediately stood up happily, "Girl, you are finally back!"

"I just went out for a walk and forgot the time." He Yan continued perfunctorily.

"Miss He goes out before dawn. Which market are you visiting?" Chi Wu walked out from behind the door and said in a bad tone. He and Qingmei had just arrived home not long ago. To be honest, Chiwu didn't think there would be any results in going out to find someone. He Yan Anxin wanted to avoid them. Who could find them? But whenever he showed the slightest thought that he didn't need to go out to find someone, the little maid in front of him would immediately shed tears. Chiwu almost doubted whether Qingmei wanted to go out on the street and was so persistent in looking for He Yan for a whole day.

It was a pity for a grown man like him to be dragged around the streets by a little girl for a whole day. The Xiao family had many secret guards in the capital, and who knew how the Nine Banners Camp would spread this matter tomorrow. What made him even more frustrated was that He Yan not only left by herself, but also took a horse with her. He didn't notice anything right under his nose, and was even mocked by Qingmei for not being a good learner.

God knows how He Yan escaped.

However, today He Yan was even more frustrated than Chi Wu. He went out early and came back late without any gain. What was even more distressing was the money he had spent on bribing Fu Wang. He finally got a clue, but now it was all gone. He really lost both his money and his life.

She said a few perfunctorily in a listless manner, and then added, "I'm a little tired after walking around all day. I'm going to go back to my room and rest first." Without waiting for Qingmei to answer, she rushed into the room.

Qingmei stood outside the door, blinked her eyes, and said to Chiwu, "Chiwu guard, don't sleep too deeply today. Listen carefully to the noise in the girl's room at night."

Chiwu: “…”

Now he doesn’t even call him Master Chiwu anymore, but directly calls him Chiwu Guard. What does this mean? Is he telling him not to sleep at night?

Haha, ridiculous.

…

At night, when the lanterns were lit, the singing of drunkards could be heard from the distant market town.

The first snow of this winter finally arrived in Shuojing City.

The snowflakes were like salt fluff, and the wind blew in from outside the city, sending snowflakes flying. The pomegranates on the pomegranate tree in front of the window were already ripe, weighing heavily on the branches, as if they would fall off by themselves and land in the snowy soil if you touched them lightly.

Tea was simmering on the stove in the room, and the four windows reflected a snowy scene. Someone was standing in front of the window, staring at the snow outside.

"Although I have never seen how General Feihong wields a sword, I think Miss He's swordsmanship is no worse than his." Jiang Jiao's words echoed in his ears again. He turned around, walked to the table, and picked up the long sword on the table.

The silk cloth wrapped around the sword has been pulled open, revealing the full appearance of the sword. The blade is very narrow, probably to make it easier for women to hold it. It is completely black, and the scabbard is engraved with fine patterns and is also very light.

Everyone knows that the two famous generals of the Wei Dynasty, General Feng Yun's Yinqiu Sword and General Fei Hong's Qinglang Sword, are the sharpest weapons in the world, cutting through gold like mud. Even more precious than their swords is their swordsmanship, which is so sharp and powerful that it has reached perfection.

When he was young, he met He Rufei. He Rufei's swordsmanship was not very good. Later, he secretly taught him how to use a sword, which was better than before. However, since He Rufei joined the army, he had never had the opportunity to see He Rufei use a sword, so he had only heard about He Rufei's swordsmanship.

There was a thick pile of letters on the table. Xiao Jue picked it up casually, flipped through it a few times, and his eyes fixed slightly.

He Rufei and Grandma Xu were born on the same day of the Spring Equinox. When she was fourteen, He Rufei entered Xianchang Hall. When she was fifteen, He Rufei joined the Pacification Army. When He Rufei's military exploits became more and more prominent, not long before he returned to Beijing to receive his reward, the second daughter of the He family, "He Yan", who had been recuperating on the farm, also returned to Beijing with her.

He Rufei's acceptance of the award and the title of "General Feihong" happened almost at the same time as the second Miss He and Xu Zhiheng's marriage.

Miss He Er became Grandma Xu. Three months after marrying into the Xu family, Grandma Xu became blind. A year later, she accidentally fell and drowned.

There is very little that can be found about the deceased grandmother Xu. Apart from marrying Xu Zhiheng, she did not do anything worth noting in the He family. She was like an inconspicuous speck of dust that few people noticed. The only thing in her life that was tinged with some vividness and glory was that she had a good marriage that everyone envied after returning to Beijing. Unfortunately, it was this little bit of good news that seemed to have exhausted her luck. Then, she became blind and died, and like a speck of dust, she returned to nothingness.

Her birth and death, against the backdrop of her brother He Rufei, were like a tiny stone thrown into the sea, hardly causing any splashes. When people heard it, they could only sigh at most.

A poor, humble, ignored woman.

He picked up another letter. This letter was different from the one containing Grandma Xu. It contained densely packed records of all the interesting things that happened to another girl with the same name since she was born.

He Yan, the daughter of the city gate captain He Sui, lost her mother at a young age and came from a poor family, but under the care of her father, she was well-behaved. She was lively and like all the ordinary girls in the market, she loved rouge, powder, and beautiful dresses. She couldn't lift anything with her hands or shoulders, and her biggest wish was to marry into a wealthy family. If there was a man in the family who held a position and her husband was handsome, she would be thankful.

Her relationship with Fan Cheng was known to all the neighbors. If a girl who had grown up on the street wanted to know her past, it would be easy to ask every household. It was because of this that the "Miss He" in the neighborhood's mouths and the current Wu'an Marquis "He Yan" were two completely different people.

Miss He loves beauty and coquettishness, but He Yan only wears men's clothes all day long. Miss He is particular about her clothes and accommodation, and it doesn't matter if He Yan squeezes into a big bed with a dozen men. Miss He is petite and weak, and she has to gasp after walking a few steps. He Yan runs on time every day in Liangzhouwei, and can throw stone chains weighing hundreds of kilograms with ease.

Same face, completely different temperament.

She can recite Wuzi's Art of War, knows the military formations in practice, can see the weaknesses of Wutu's military tactics at a glance, and can face the enemy's long swords without changing her expression. There is no such a genius in the world, and it is impossible for such a genius to appear in Liangzhou Guards. But if this person is not a genius, but a brave general who grew up in the treacherous battlefield, it seems that all the inexplicable things have a reasonable explanation.

Xiao Jue was silent for a moment, put all the letters in his hand back into the drawer, turned around and walked out.

His yard was very large, with many empty rooms. Xiao Jue walked straight to the innermost room. There was a guard guarding the door. When he saw Xiao Jue coming, he made way.

Xiao Jue walked in.

In the room, Nanny Qin and Niu the Ironsmith were sitting by the couch, talking about something. When she saw Xiao Jue, Nanny Qin was so scared that she stood up immediately and said, "Sir."

Now Xu Zhiheng was looking for Madam Qin's whereabouts. There were two brothers who were brought back from outside the city in the other courtyard. It would be troublesome for Madam Qin to live there, so Xiao Jue asked someone to send them to his own courtyard. Even if Xu Zhiheng had the courage of a god, he would not dare to go to Xiao's house to look for someone. There were guards guarding the door, so Madam Qin could not escape.

After Xiao Jue came in, he didn't say anything, but just looked at Nanny Qin.

Nanny Qin shivered slightly. Until now, she still knew nothing about this handsome young man, but every time she looked into his eyes, she couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine.

"How did Grandma Xu die?" Xiao Jue asked.

Nanny Qin was stunned and answered subconsciously: "He was killed by Aunt He."

"I'm asking, how did she die?"

Nanny Qin finally came to her senses, swallowed her saliva, and said, "I don't remember much about what happened that day. I only know that the maid gave her a cup of tea with something in it. She is a good martial artist, so maybe... they were afraid that she would run away. Later, she couldn't move, so the servants beat her with sticks, dragged her to the edge of the pond, and pressed her head down..."

As if she was recalling the tragic scene of that day, Nanny Qin felt a chill run down her spine as she spoke.

Grandma Xu died in such a tragic way. She didn't struggle, scream, or beg for mercy. She didn't collapse like those dying people. She just stubbornly resisted her fate. She was blind and couldn't see anything, but there was a fire in her eyes. She resisted resolutely, stubbornly, and hard. That's why it was so shocking when the body was pressed into the pool and gradually stopped moving and lost its breath.

Nanny Qin closed her eyes and said, "Grandma was drowned. However, she didn't fall and drown. She was pushed into the pond and drowned alive."

Xiao Jue's fingertips trembled.

The past gradually emerged in front of my eyes. The canal was filled with thick smoke and a sea of ​​fire. The river water was still cool in spring, and the girl underwater was not as lively as usual. She could swim, but her body was gradually stiffening. She looked painful, and her long hair spread out underwater, as fragile as glass, as if she would disappear underwater in the next moment.

People who were burned by fire would avoid fire when they see it again, and people who fell off horses and were injured would never ride again. So the woman who died in the cold pool of water would never be able to let go of it if she thought of the coldness of the water and the despair of the daylight being so close yet unattainable when she went into the water again.

so it is.

Nanny Qin didn't know what the other party meant by asking this question, and she continued to apologize: "My lord, I really didn't participate! It was all done by Madam He. No, it was all done by the master. I just stood among those old women. I didn't do anything..."

Before she finished her words, she saw the young man in front of her open the door and walk out.

The door was closed behind him, and Xiao Jue took a few steps forward. The wind was particularly cold in the snowy night, which also dispelled some of the dull and suffocating feeling in the house.

He walked slowly along the corridor. There was no moon tonight, and in the dim light of a single lamp, the past flashed before his eyes as quickly as a revolving lantern. Those familiar scenes finally pierced his heart like a sharp sword, gradually spreading a sharp pain.

Time and space overlap. Under the moonlight, a girl in tight clothes pulls up a longbow with great effort, over and over again without getting tired of it. In the wilderness of Liangzhouwei, she slowly blurs into a familiar figure. A masked boy clumsily swings the long sword in his hand and falls with a bruised face.

He sneered: "Someone tried so hard, yet was still so vulnerable."

The girl, smelling of alcohol, asked angrily, "Why do you prefer to like Lei Hou instead of me? In terms of appearance, skills, and the relationship we had in the past, I am very disappointed!"

The boy who used to stumble while reciting "University" in Xianchang Hall can now recite the entire article effortlessly after getting drunk, but he still has to hold his waist and beg for praise from his father.

She looked at the new soldiers training below her in the drill field, and answered her questions fluently. When she was praised, she smiled and boasted, "Sometimes I even think that I was a female general in my previous life."

The highest level of a liar is probably to hide the truth behind a seemingly innocent lie.

Hua Youxian smiled and asked him, "Is the girl next to you the little girl from that year?"

Is she the little girl from that year?

Is she the girl who is terrible at archery and swordsmanship, serious and stubborn, hardworking and aloof?

Is she the little girl who would say, "The person holding the sword should understand where the sword is pointing, whether it is aimed at the enemy in front of him or the weak person behind him. I will never draw the sword at the weak"?

Is she the little girl who was forgotten on the farm by her classmates and refused to betray her friend and reveal his whereabouts even after being beaten black and blue?

It was still the same Grandma Xu who had come a second time behind Yuhua Temple, on Xuelian Mountain, after failing to commit suicide the first time, crying in front of him, looking fierce yet inexplicably pitiful.

He had held an umbrella for her, given her a piece of candy, and presented her with a non-existent moonlight, but he didn't know that her life was so miserable, so miserable that she didn't even have a real name. On moonless nights, she hid behind a mask, alone and humbly, and spent many years.

He saved her once, but failed to save her the second time.

At the Water God Festival in Jiyang, He Yan's face was hidden under the lying mask that was said to be punished for lying, and he told ten secrets and ten truths.

"The governor and I have had a connection since our last life."

"I was a female general in my previous life!"

So that’s it. So that’s it.

He raised his head, the sky was dark, there was no bright moon like frost, no gentle wind like water, no infinite clear scenery. Tonight was so cold, he only lied to her once, but she lied to him for many years, so when the lie was revealed, it was particularly painful.

Xiao Jue walked slowly to the end of the corridor, in front of the study, under the pomegranate tree under the flower wall. It seemed that a girl with a beautiful smile was trying to reach out and pick the still green pomegranate, again and again, and her back gradually overlapped with a spring day many years ago.

He was on the tree, she was under the tree, the mask tightly covered the little girl's face, revealing only a pair of bright eyes and a funny posture of trying hard to catch a yellow loquat. The young man in white robe landed gracefully, looking at the thin and short girl in front of him, with a slight smile on his lips.

That day the spring breeze was warm, the sky was blue and the water was clear, just as when we first met.

Someone's voice rang out in the sky, in the fields, and by the springs, carrying with it an unspeakable sadness, and scattered in the night wind along with the flames from the depths of the countless dense forests.

“Sometimes when you’ve been a stand-in for someone for so long, you’ll inevitably forget who you are.”

"Captain, you must remember my name."

"My name is ..."

A dark color gradually spread across the young man's beautiful and clear eyes. He lowered his eyes, looked at the sachet that was tightly held in his hand, and softly uttered two words.

"He Yan."