The moonlight illuminated the snow, and the two stood facing each other in the flowing light and shadow.

No need to hide.

He Yan's eyes fell on the Yinqiu Sword in her hand. Only then did she realize that the sword was so heavy. It was so heavy that she felt she could hardly hold it.

"When did you know?" she asked softly.

"I found He Wanru's wet nurse." Xiao Jue replied.

He Yan suddenly raised his head and looked at him.

His expression was as calm as ever, as if what he said was just a trivial matter. A myriad of complex emotions surged in her heart, sour, flustered, nervous, and finally all turned into a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," He Yan tried to look more relaxed, "I didn't mean to lie to you."

But why did she lie? Even she herself couldn't give an acceptable reason.

Xiao Jue leaned over and picked up the broken sword on the ground. The long sword in his hand was cut into two by He Yan's Yin Qiu.

He Yan watched his movements quietly, and when he bent down and stood up, he said, "Do you already know everything?"

"Almost." Xiao Jue's eyes were calm and indifferent, "You are Xu Zhiheng's deceased wife, and also He Rufei wearing a mask."

As soon as the word "deceased wife" came out of her mouth, He Yan's heart was shaken, as if the secret that she didn't want to be discovered was exposed, and she showed a bit of arrogance for no reason. She had been brave enough to move forward all her life, and she was never afraid of facing thousands of troops on the battlefield. However, when facing the person in front of her, at this moment, she had the intention to retreat.

But she couldn't run away. Now that she was found, she had to face it. Whether it was the past full of conspiracy and calculation, or the future with no way forward.

"Yes," He Yan said, "I am He Yan, and also He Rufei, your classmate."

Xiao Jue's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment, he asked, "Why did you become the daughter of the city gate captain?"

"If you have already found Nanny Qin, you should have known how I died." He Yan smiled bitterly and looked at the icicles hanging on the tree not far away. The icicles were like dripping tears, hanging in clusters on the treetops. "After I die, when I wake up again, I will be the current 'He Yan'."

"Maybe God has pitied me and given me another chance," He Yan shrugged. "No one would believe me even if I told them about such supernatural things. Some people might even think I'm talking nonsense. But since you've found me, I think you already believe it."

"Why do you want to exchange identities with He Rufei?"

He Yan was stunned for a moment. His usually bright eyes were now covered with a layer of fog, and he felt a little confused.

"Xiao Jue, no one can decide their own destiny when they are born. It's the same for me. As far as I can remember, I have been 'He Rufei'." She spoke slowly, "I only know that my eldest brother will not live long. If I don't become 'He Rufei', the title of the He family will be taken back. Therefore, I must live as 'He Rufei' and spend my life like this."

"However, I was too young at that time and did not succumb to this fate, so I left the He family and joined the Fuyue Army, where I won military merits and was rewarded. I never expected that my eldest brother, who was destined to die young, did not die and was even safe and healthy. So when I returned to Beijing, everything went back to its proper place. He became He Rufei again, and I became He Yan again. This was great."

There is nothing wrong with this. Although I felt a little wronged at the time, this is the best outcome I can think of. Both He Rufei and He Yan can escape unscathed.

He Yan tilted her head slightly, as if to force back the tears. She smiled and said, "He Rufei is the famous Feihong General, and the second Miss He is just a sickly girl with poor health. When she gets older, she can use He Rufei's name to find a good marriage for herself. Originally, the matter ended here."

"It's just that they might be afraid that I would reveal my true intentions and bring trouble to the entire He family. They don't trust me, so they want to kill me after this." He Yan laughed at himself, "This should be God's punishment for me."

Those who resist fate will eventually be wiped out by it. If she had been a good girl in the He family, not going to the battlefield, not competing for military merit, and not becoming a general, perhaps when the time came, she and He Rufei would have returned to their positions and she would not have lost her life.

But……

If someone asked her, if time could go back and she had a chance to choose again, would she still leave the He family? He Yan thought, she would still do so. It was because she embarked on a path that was completely different from her predetermined destiny that she discovered that the vastness and fireworks of the world were completely different from those hidden in the four houses.

"Your eyes..."

"It was the He family who blinded me." He Yan interrupted him, "But they probably didn't expect that I could live well without my eyes. It's all thanks to you." She smiled slightly, "I remember what you said to me behind Yuhua Temple that day. Even if I become a blind person, I want to be the most different one among the blind people."

Xiao Jue's breathing became heavier.

What he said was not meant to hurt He Yan. If He Yan had just been blind, she might have been able to save her life after she had lost the threat to the He family. It was because she refused to accept her fate that the He family became uneasy again, and her life was taken away.

"Xiao Jue, please don't blame yourself." He Yan seemed to see what he was thinking, "I don't regret my choice at that time. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't even have the courage to live. On the Mid-Autumn Festival night at Yuhua Temple, there would be no such person as 'He Yan' in this world."

Fate is cruel, but also mysterious. Every seemingly careless choice leads to unpredictable results. Now that she is He Sui's daughter and no longer blind, her old friends appear before her one by one. She can't tell whether she feels more regretful or more fortunate.

"I am He Yan, and I am also He Rufei." She smiled slightly, "After I woke up, I accidentally ran into the Liangzhou Guards' new recruit camp. It was not false when I told you that I wanted to make achievements, because only by standing on the same level as He Rufei can I expose his lies. My life is not important, but because of me, He Rufei killed many innocent people, which is unforgivable. I will take back what is owed to me."

"Now that I have become the Marquis of Wu'an, I am more capable of fighting him than before. These are the things I will do next. I'm sorry, Xiao Jue, I didn't mean to deceive you, but some things are absurd to say out loud. Maybe I am timid and don't know how to face you."

"You've been lying to me," he said.

He Yan curled his fingers slightly and took a deep breath, "Sorry."

"Are you lying to me about liking me?" he asked.

He Yan raised his head suddenly. He stood in the wind, his posture upright, just like in the past, yet it was as if he had returned to the beginning, a distance that was forever out of reach.

"no."

Xiao Jue looked at her indifferently.

"I didn't lie to you." He Yan paused, swallowed the sourness in his throat, and continued: "When I was He Rufei in Xianchang Hall, you took care of me a lot, applied medicine for me, and taught me swordsmanship. When I was He Yan in this life, you always protected me."

"You always show up when I'm in trouble, Xiao Jue. I liked you before, and now, I like you even more."

Once some words are spoken, it seems that all concerns are gone. He Yan knew very well that Xiao Jue hated betrayal and deception, which was related to the incident of the Xiao family. That's why he was so sensitive when he found out that she was disguising herself as a man to deceive people in Liangzhou. And now, she was hiding a bigger secret that was exposed. For Xiao Jue, it was a complete lie from the beginning to the end since they met.

She had no power to ask Xiao Jue for forgiveness.

"I'm not the real Miss He," she took a deep breath and smiled lightly, "It's not my intention to drag you into this. I just wanted to make achievements in Liangzhou Guards and be your right-hand man, but I didn't expect that we would come to this. His Majesty has granted us a marriage, and we cannot disobey the order, but...but..." She looked at Xiao Jue, "You don't have to take this marriage to heart. Just think of us as a cooperative relationship. If you have a girl you like in the future, I will explain to her that we are just playing around. When the time comes, you can cancel the engagement or divorce me, it doesn't matter."

Xiao Jue's eyes turned cold, and he slowly asked back, "Divorce you?"

He Yan pretended to be indifferent and sighed, "Actually, getting married is meaningless, really. Don't think that getting married has many advantages just because Yan Nanguang is so happy. I've been married myself, and if you think about it, I was happier before I got married. Maybe I'm more suitable for one person, and both of my marriages are so unlucky." She joked, "After you divorce me and I settle all the grudges, I'll ride alone and travel around the world. It's better than living in this house like an ordinary woman. It's not very good. It's just a pity for you," she seemed to be really worried about Xiao Jue, "for no reason, your marriage was ruined for nothing."

Xiao Jue said coldly: "He Yan."

"Don't look so angry." He Yan smiled and said, "I should be the one who is sad. I finally managed to cheat on a relationship, but now it's exposed. Fortunately, I am a very broad-minded person and I can always think positively about everything. After today, you and I will just be classmates like normal. Xiao Jue," she said seriously, pausing every word, "thank you, both in the past and now."

She smiled lightly, looking like she didn't care at all, like a heartless young man in Liangzhou Guards. However, only He Yan herself knew that when she said this, every word was like a knife cutting her heart.

She liked a person so much and had experienced a lot with this person. Xiao Jue gave her warmth and care that she had never had before. She thought she had caught the moon, but in fact she had only caught the reflection of the moon under the water. Now, she has woken up from the dream, and she should get back on her own path.

Avoid being greedy in a relationship. If you didn't have that greedy thought, maybe you wouldn't be so sad now that we're parting.

He Yan smiled widely, thought for a moment, and then reached out to Xiao Jue, "Here, this is your Yin Qiu, now it has been returned to its original owner."

The young man did not move, his beautiful eyes fixed on her, surging with emotions that He Yan could not understand. The next moment, he strode forward, and He Yan handed the drink in her hand back to him.

He did not take the sword.

The hand grabbed He Yan's arm, pulled her gently, and held her in his arms.

He Yan was surprised. Under the seemingly cold black robe, there was actually an extremely warm embrace. Just like the bravest general, he had the softest heart.

"Xiao Jue, you..."

He Yan leaned in his arms and could hear his heartbeat clearly and powerfully, which was more intense than any other time, as if it was revealing the young man's unknown feelings. She raised her head and saw Xiao Jue's chin. He held He Yan's waist with one hand and pressed He Yan's head against his chest, as if to comfort her, but also as if he was afraid that she would escape from his confinement.

"sorry."

"What?"

The young man's voice was hoarse and low, and he said, "I didn't recognize you at first sight."

In an instant, He Yan's eyes became moist.

For a long time, it was as if she had been walking alone in the dark night for a long time. No one noticed her existence, and no one cared about her sorrow or joy. No one apologized, and no one cheered. Happiness or sadness, beginning or end, it was all her story.

Until one day, someone found her.

The only person in this world is her light and the source of all her brilliance.

"Hey," she said, trying to lighten the mood, "Xiao Huaijin, I won't be able to bear the thought of you being like this."

He hugged He Yan tighter and whispered in her ear: "I missed you twice."

“I won’t miss it again this time.”

He Yan was stunned.

She broke away from Xiao Jue's embrace and looked at him in surprise, "I'm not Miss He, I'm He Yan."

"I know."

"I have lied to you, from my last life to now."

"I know."

"I'm already married." She seemed to be embarrassed. "Xiao Jue, even so, are you still the same as before?"

She does not think that being married makes one inferior. There are so many divorced women in the world, and even if they are divorced, they are no worse than others. It is just that they are unlucky or have no choice but to choose a wrong marriage, which does not hinder their right to obtain happiness.

But it turns out that when people are facing someone they really like, even if they are fairies, they will secretly worry about whether they are compatible with each other. Happiness makes people timid, and timidity makes people humble, not to mention... She received too little love, and even little affirmation.

Under the night sky, the young man's eyes were as cold as autumn water, all the indifference and ridicule gone, and they were incredibly warm.

Xiao Jue smiled and said, "Why are you so unconfident? Even if you are married, in my eyes, you are just a girl."

He leaned forward slightly and looked into her eyes.

"So what if you're General Feihong? I'm only here for He Yan."