Chapter 7 Cannon Fodder White Moonlight 6 Inexplicably Softened
It was already midnight when He Zhiyan returned to the capital.
He was walking on the deserted street, leading his horse, with a hint of fatigue between his brows and his steps were slow.
Since he recovered from his injury five years ago, he has been helping the He family run the medicine shop and earning some money for medicine, but the family still lives in poverty.
He Zhiyan saw all of this and wanted to repay the He family's kindness.
But I have no special skills, only martial arts.
But his martial arts skills are too conspicuous and his background is unknown.
Although He's father told others that he was his distant nephew and had come to him for refuge after both his parents had died, there was no guarantee that no one knew the truth. Displaying his martial arts in such a small place would only bring disaster upon him.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but in the second year, He Zhiyan accidentally saved Bian Ye, the young master of the world's number one escort agency, "Bian's Escort Agency".
Bian Ye was a chivalrous man. Seeing He Zhiyan's inconvenience, he readily invited him to escort goods for the escort agency, which was also a job.
From then on, He Zhiyan often went out early and came back late, hiding his identity and traveling with the escort agency as a guard, earning some money and giving it to his father every month.
He's father asked him several times, but seeing that he was unwilling to talk, he did not force him. He just told him to take care of his health and be careful.
After going around three streets, the horse snorted impatiently. It was very tired after traveling for a long time today.
He Zhiyan stopped and patted the horse's back: "We'll be there soon, soon..."
He raised his eyes and saw nothing but emptiness and silence, as if he was the only one left in the world.
The name "He Zhiyan" was given to him by his father. He had no objection, or rather, he didn't know what to object to. Since he woke up, his past has been blank.
It makes no difference to him whether it is "He Zhiyan" or someone else.
Whenever he saw the father and daughter of the He family interacting, he felt like he was watching a play, a play that had nothing to do with him.
He Zhiyan pulled the reins and continued walking forward. Just as he turned the corner, he could see a little light in the distance.
There was a dim lantern hanging in front of the He family's courtyard. He had an idea and gently took it down.
Ever since Ali went home to recuperate, He Zhiyan could always see this lantern hanging in front of the door every time he returned home.
This can't actually be considered a lantern, but a flower lantern with a pattern of purple bell flowers printed on it. The color of Deng Sui is also light purple. The flower lanterns sold by the old lady in the countryside are crudely made, but they are Ali's favorite.
He Zhiyan carefully held the lantern in his hand and quietly pushed open the courtyard door. The light in the east room was not on and the people in the room had already gone to bed.
He hung the lantern in front of Ali's house. The candlelight illuminated his sharp profile, making it inexplicably softer.
Suddenly, there was a noise in the room, and then He Zhiyan heard A Li's voice: "Is brother back?"
She seemed to have just woken up, and her voice was very different from usual, with a coquettish tone that she only used in front of her closest people.
He Zhiyan listened and for a moment forgot to speak and forgot to leave.
The door opened from the inside. Ali was wearing clothes and holding a candle in his hand. The two lights lit in the dark night made the distance between the two people closer.
Ali squinted her eyes for a moment to adjust, then rubbed them again before she saw He Zhiyan standing in front of her. She was unusually angry: "Brother, why are you so late today?"
He Zhiyan came back to his senses and noticed the sweat on Ali's forehead and the panic in his eyes. He frowned and said, "Are you having a nightmare?"
Ali was stunned for a moment, then nodded sheepishly, saying in a low voice, "Father has been staying in the palace for days, and you didn't come back tonight."
Ali couldn't help but curse herself in her heart for being useless. She obviously didn't want to make her father and brother worry.
She hung her head gloomily, and He Zhiyan could only see a little of her pale profile.
He opened his mouth, and Ali stepped forward and gently pulled at the corner of his clothes: "But now that my brother is back, I'm not afraid anymore."
"I—" He Zhiyan wanted to explain why he came back so late tonight, but he didn't know where to start. Suddenly, A Li raised his head and said, "Ah! Brother's medicine! It must be cold by now!"
She made a bitter face and didn't dare to look up at him: "I lent the stove to the aunt next door today and forgot to bring it back."
Although he said this, Ali felt a little guilty and secretly happy, and his eyelashes trembled nervously.
In the past few days, she had done as she said, boiling the medicine and placing it in her brother's room. Worried that her brother would come home late, she even placed a small stove to keep it warm. However, she didn't expect that she really wouldn't be able to see her brother in the past few days.
Ali was feeling depressed. Seeing that her brother had not returned home until late today, she deliberately did not bring the small stove into her brother's room after she boiled the medicine, so that she could see her brother under the pretext of boiling the medicine.
Unexpectedly, because I kept thinking about this before going to bed, I was distracted and ended up having a nightmare.
Seeing Ali being so evasive, He Zhiyan didn't expose her, but raised his hand and touched her furry head.
Now both of them were beaten.
Under the candlelight, the tips of A-Li's ears turned red. He Zhiyan looked away and said, "You take a rest. I'll go warm the medicine."
Ah Li refused: "If you cool the medicine down and then warm it up, its medicinal properties will be lost. I'll boil another bowl."
As he spoke, A Li walked around He Zhiyan, not forgetting to turn around and wave at him: "It will be quick, brother, wait a moment——"
Ali was so focused on talking to He Zhiyan that he didn't notice the steps behind him. He stepped on empty air and fell backwards.
"careful!"
He Zhiyan's expression changed slightly, and his body reacted first. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Ali's hand, and pulled her back.
Ali stood up from He Zhiyan's arms with lingering fear, and saw that his mouth was tightly pursed, and his expression was even colder than usual.
Ali was so frightened that she didn't dare to make a sound for a long time. Her eyes were burning with heat uncontrollably. She had caused trouble for her brother again.
Ah Li hid her face in the shadows, not wanting He Zhiyan to notice her abnormality. She took a deep breath and tried her best to keep her voice from trembling. "Thank you, brother. I'll go boil the medicine."
He Zhiyan held her arm tightly all the time, and Ali couldn't break free. She looked embarrassed and tears were almost coming out of her eyes.
Without waiting for her to speak, He Zhiyan had already taken her hand and walked towards the pharmacy. The purple bell lantern had passed into his other hand at some point. The lantern hung low and shone brightly, illuminating the steps under her feet clearly.
Ali followed He Zhiyan blankly until the medicine pot made a gurgling sound of boiling, and then she came back to her senses.
The boiling brown medicine juice was poured into the bowl. He Zhiyan put the medicine pot back on the stove, turned off the fire, and the surroundings became quiet again.
Ah Li blinked, took a few steps towards him, and stammered, "Brother, why did you prepare the medicine yourself?"
He Zhiyan glanced at her and said, "You look like you've lost your soul the moment you entered the pharmacy."
Ali uttered a low "oh" and lowered his head like a quail.
Not wanting to see her look depressed, He Zhiyan picked up the medicine bowl and blew on it: "Your prescription is not complicated. I have been drinking it for these days and I can finally tell which herbs are in it. If I don't know this, I'm afraid my father will kick me out."
Ah Li finally smiled, his hands resting on the table. "Father is the one who can't bear to let me go. He often says that although my brother started school a few years later than me, his medical attainments far surpass mine."
As she spoke, she looked out the window: "I don't know when my father will be able to come home."
The medicine bowl in his hand gradually cooled down. He Zhiyan raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. Then, like a magic trick, he took out a paper bag from his bosom and handed it to Ali.
"What is this?" Ali's attention was drawn to it. He opened it and found it was a bag of apricot preserves.
She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The sweet taste of honey spread on the tip of her tongue. She was a little amused and said, "It's my brother who drinks the medicine, why is this candied fruit always given to me?"
He Zhiyan naturally knew what she was talking about.
That year, he was seriously injured and rescued by the He family. When he was recuperating, He's father made many prescriptions to nourish his body. However, He's father made medicines that were very bitter, and he said that bitter medicines were more effective.
Poor half-asleep He Zhiyan almost woke up on the spot after taking a sip because of the bitter taste, which made He Li's face wrinkle.
Later, He Zhiyan woke up. Because his father saved his life, he couldn't say much, so he drank the medicine in one gulp every time. He developed the ability to remain calm even when taking bitter medicine.
He's father looked very pleased, and he didn't forget to touch his daughter's head, saying quietly: "The medicine I made for you is not as bitter as A-Li said. You always make a fuss every time you drink the medicine."
Although little He Li was not convinced, he did not talk back. Instead, after his father left, he quietly walked to the side of He Zhiyan's bed and stuffed a candied fruit that he had treasured in his arms into his mouth.
He Zhiyan opened his eyes and saw a little girl with bright eyes lying beside his bed. She asked him, "It's very hard, right?"
Seeing that He Zhiyan didn't react, she patted him and said earnestly, "Don't worry, I'll give you half of the candied fruit. You can just secretly eat one pill after drinking the medicine. I've been doing this since I was a child."
"But," she touched the paper bag in her arms, which cost most of her money, "I don't have much candied fruit, so you have to get better soon, okay?"
Although he said threatening words, they didn't seem to have any deterrent effect.
He Zhiyan wanted to laugh a little, but still nodded obediently under He Li's extremely serious gaze.
He Li then sat up straight with satisfaction, counted the candied fruits in the paper bag again, and began to count on his fingers.
He Zhiyan looked at the little girl chattering beside the bed, blinked slowly, gently took a bite of the candied fruit in his mouth, and thought to himself, it's not bitter.
So later, all the candied fruits that He Li took out ended up in her stomach.
Ali was satisfied with the meal, and the sleepiness that had just woken her up came back like a tide. She rested her hands on the table and slowly lay down.
He Zhiyan held her hand and whispered, "Go back to your room and sleep."
Ali nodded with his eyes half closed, then stood up unsteadily and walked towards his room.
He Zhiyan silently protected her behind her. He opened the door and sent Ali in.
Half asleep, Ali leaned against the door and thought of something: "I met Master Pei from the Prime Minister's Mansion a few days ago. He invited my father and us to attend the Prime Minister's birthday banquet. The invitation will be delivered soon."
After she finished speaking, she tried to close the door but found that it would not close at all. He Zhiyan's tall figure stood in front of the door, one hand against the door frame, and asked, "Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Ali nodded randomly: "Yes, the Prime Minister's Mansion."
She couldn't grab the door frame, so she gave up and stumbled into the room based on her feeling, leaving He Zhiyan alone.
There was soon no movement in the room. He Zhiyan heard that Ali had fallen asleep, then he closed the door and turned back to his room.
The room was pitch black, and he was in no hurry to light the lamp. He was silent for a few moments, then looked out the window. The moonlight poured in, soft and lingering, but it could not dispel the gloom on his face.
Last June, He Zhiyan, who was still in Jin, encountered a sudden assassination attempt. He fought desperately and avoided the fatal blow. Although he almost fell off a cliff, fortunately he deceived the killers and saved his life.
Before he could find out who the visitor was and why they wanted to kill him, ten days later, the second assassination attempt came quietly.
This time he was well prepared and joined forces with his brothers from the Bian Escort Agency to fight back, catching all the killers in one fell swoop, but deliberately let a few of them go.
Then in July, He Zhiyan went to Beijing with the He family and entrusted the investigation to the brothers of the escort agency.
After entering Beijing, such assassinations never happened again. It seemed that the person behind it had given up on the matter, until Ali had an accident in Puji Temple last month.
At that time, the escort agency sent him a message telling him that there was some progress in the matter they had been investigating. He then secretly returned to Beijing from Jiangnan and personally went back to investigate the surrounding areas of the capital.
After learning that Ali was in trouble, he went to Beijing immediately without thinking too much. On the way to Beijing, the group of people appeared again, and this time they were even more brutal than the previous two times.
He Zhiyan lit a candle and took out a box from a hidden corner of the inner room. The pattern on the box was worn and dilapidated. When he opened the box, a dark black sword lay quietly inside.
He had been carrying this sword since he was unconscious five years ago. After he recovered from his injury, He's father gave the sword to him. He didn't remember the origin of the sword or who he was, but the strong smell of blood on the sword indicated that his identity was not ordinary.
Soon after waking up from a serious injury, he discovered his unusually superb martial arts and peculiar body movements.
At that moment, he felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. He intuitively knew that his martial arts skills and his origins would bring misfortune to the He family, so he had always been careful to hide his skills and never showed them to anyone.
But what happened in the past year made him realize that the people behind the scenes would not give up easily, and this was a situation where there would be a fight to the death.
He Zhiyan carefully wiped the long sword in his hand. His face was reflected on the sword, and his expression was unfathomable.
Today, news came from the escort agency that one of the people he let go had disappeared, and this person was related to a big family in the capital.
He Zhiyan narrowed his eyes, his expression cold and stern.
It was the Pei family.
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