Chapter 26
The sunset over Tian Ce Mansion was deep red. The blood-red clouds looked as if they had been soaked in a dye vat for years, just beginning to dry on the horizon. The dripping water was blown by the wind and clung to other clouds.
Jiang Chengfeng rode a white horse with a rider on its back. The horse was panting heavily. Just as they reached the Qingzhi Ranch, the horse stopped and refused to move.
Jiang Chengfeng knew it was exhausted from traveling all day, so he immediately turned around and said to the man in bright yellow:
"We've arrived."
Upon hearing this, Ye Min jumped down with both feet together, looked into the distance, stepped across the grass, and walked to the front of the horse.
Jiang Chengfeng dismounted and straightened the saddle, stroking the horse's mane. The horse buried its head in the grass, nibbling on the tender green roots. He turned to look at Ye Min and was surprised to find that the boy had grown quite a bit taller since the last time he saw him.
"My senior sister once told me that the best thing in Tian Ce Mansion is this fiery cloud that stretches for thousands of miles. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation!"
Jiang Chengfeng smiled and walked to his side.
"You didn't call me here just to tell me that the scenery of Tian Ce Mansion is like this!"
Ye Min looked down at the ladybugs on the grass, and the smile on his lips slowly faded.
"Where is the person who asked you to deliver the jade pendant?"
Jiang Chengfeng was taken aback by the question, and forced a smile as he looked at him: "Why are you suddenly asking this? I thought you wanted to..."
"Although you've hidden her away, you know that walls don't stay closed forever. The world is so big, and gossip will eventually give you away."
Ye Min crossed his arms and looked towards the horizon. The white horse was already running in the pasture in search of food, its long neck lowered and its mane hanging down to one side.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Jiang Chengfeng asked.
Ye Min lowered his eyes, suddenly drew a light sword from behind his back, turned around and pressed it against Jiang Chengfeng's neck.
The grazing horse raised its head and looked at the two people standing there, their atmosphere tense.
Jiang Chengfeng shook his head, indicating that it didn't need to be bothered.
So the horse lowered its head and continued to graze.
Ye Min activated the sword energy within his body, achieving a resonance between man and sword, causing the light sword to emit a luster reminiscent of ginkgo leaves. Jiang Chengfeng remained calm, looking into Ye Min's eyes.
"You still won't tell me, Jiang Chengfeng?"
The general in red robes and silver armor remained unmoved.
"You're still protecting that woman even now? Do you know how many lives she holds in her hands? As soldiers of the Tian Ce Mansion, you're actually condoning such a person to continue causing harm. You're a disgrace to Commander Li!"
Ye Min's face flushed red with anger. The young man, full of vigor, suddenly felt a surge of sword energy coursing around his body. Jiang Chengfeng, however, remained fixed on his eyes, unmoving.
"This matter has nothing to do with you, so why are you getting involved?"
"Huh? None of my business. Yeah, it's that indifferent look on your face that makes me want to give you a good beating every time I see you!"
"But you just watch as the same tragedy repeats itself on different people time and time again. Is that it?"
Ye Min brought the light sword an inch closer to his neck, the blade lightly touching the skin and leaving a bloody mark.
"Jiang Chengfeng, how come I didn't see this inhuman side of you back then? You're a heartless beast, unworthy of the clothes you're wearing!"
The white horse suddenly neighed, and something wrapped in cloth on its back shook violently. It broke free of its restraints and charged towards Ye Min.
Ye Min listened intently to the noise behind him, jumped back, and was tightly grabbed by Jiang Chengfeng. With a shake, the contents inside were revealed.
A long spear made of black iron.
Ye Min was startled when he saw this, and something suddenly flashed before his eyes. His sword energy became chaotic, and his light sword slipped from his hand.
"Ye Min, once you've finished forging this gun, I'd like to invite you to the desert, okay?"
“Ye Min, Ling Yi told me that he wants you to repair his sword again. He will come to thank you in person when his senior brother lets him go.”
"Ye Min, does it snow in Jiangnan? Is it completely different from the desert? What does it look like when it snows?"
"Ye Min, I'm waiting for you."
A jumble of images flashed before his eyes. Ye Min clutched his aching head as the memories buried deep within him surged forth like a burst dam, overwhelming him completely. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he slowly knelt down.
Jiang Chengfeng immediately rushed over to support him. The long spear on his back gleamed in the afterglow, making Jiang Chengfeng's vision go white and almost causing him to faint.
Jiang Chengfeng could tell from Ye Min's expression that this matter, which had been kept secret for so long, was finally about to be exposed. He and Luo Qingyan had been entrusted by Yita to keep this matter buried forever, but seeing Ye Min like this now felt like forcibly dragging each of them back to reality.
"Ye Min, Ye Min, look at me and listen carefully to every word I say." He cupped Ye Min's suddenly pale face and said to him, "Regulate the sword energy in your body, take a deep breath, and calm down immediately. Do you hear me?"
Ye Min couldn't see anything, his head was throbbing and his whole body was shaking. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't utter a single word. He frowned, then opened his mouth in pain, then twisted it tightly together again. Jiang Chengfeng immediately grabbed his clenched fists, moved them to the sides, and pulled his head to make him take a deep breath.
"Ye Min, Ye Min, don't think about it anymore, don't think about it anymore! It's all in the past, that person is gone, don't think about those things anymore, Ye Min!"
Ye Min was stunned. After she finished speaking, Jiang Chengfeng was also stunned. The Ye Min before him had transformed into a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, also dressed in bright yellow, crying so hard she was almost fainting in his arms, clutching his sleeve and pleading hoarsely:
"I have to go save A-Yuan! A-Yuan isn't dead, he's still alive! There are still wounded people in Maple Valley! Fang Lin can save him, and Wu Shuang can save him too!"
"Brother Chengfeng, please, I beg you... please let me go find Ayuan! I beg you, he's waiting for me, he's waiting for me in Maple Valley, please let me go save him!"
...
Time ticks by, fleeting like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall.
He remembered clearly how he ripped her hand away, threw her back into the room, walked out while she stared in shock, and locked the door. He ignored her banging and crying.
Her current state seems to be inextricably linked to me.
Jiang Chengfeng slowly reached out and hugged Ye Min, the pain causing Ye Min's forehead to instantly bead with sweat. He loosened his clenched fist and leaned against Jiang Chengfeng.
“I’ll tell you everything, I’ll tell you everything one by one. Including Ita, including Amo, I’ll tell you everything.”
Upon receiving Jiang Chengfeng's message, Luo Qingyan rushed to the Tian Ce Mansion. She dismounted at the gate, her flowing skirt nearly smearing the guards' faces. She quickly identified herself, and her junior sister, who had come to greet her, immediately led her inside.
Seeing Ye Min lying weakly on the bed, Luo Qingyan couldn't help herself and slapped Jiang Chengfeng across the face. The Tian Ce female soldier who had just brought in a bowl of water was startled and didn't know what to do.
Jiang Chengfeng turned around, took the basin of water, and closed the door.
Luo Qingyan stared at Jiang Chengfeng with her bright eyes. When she saw him put down the basin, rinse a towel with water, and apply it to Ye Min's forehead, her eyes involuntarily reddened.
"What did we agree on back then? Have you completely forgotten about what you promised Yita? Are you blind or what? Why is Ye Min being tortured like this too!"
"I was so blind to have helped you and Wu Shuang back then!"
Luo Qingyan blurted out those words in a fit of anger, causing Jiang Chengfeng to momentarily lose his footing.
She glanced at Ye Min; besides his chest still heaving, his once rosy lips were now as white as paper. She slumped into the chair next to him, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The crying gradually became clearer in Ye Min's ears. His hearing sensed the surrounding environment before his eyes. A figure appeared in his blurry vision. He seemed to realize that Ye Min had opened his eyes and was looking at him, and immediately leaned closer to look at him.
"Jiang... Chengfeng?" Ye Min's vision slowly returned, and Jiang Chengfeng helped him by placing a pillow behind his back. Ye Min turned his head and saw Luo Qingyan, who was crying with tears streaming down her face.
"Qingyan, why are you...crying?" Ye Min asked softly, which brought another burst of tears from Luo Qingyan.
"Ye Min, do you remember what just happened?" Jiang Chengfeng asked.
Ye Min touched his head, recalling what had just happened at Qingzhi Ranch, and his head began to throb again.
Jiang Chengfeng reacted quickly and grabbed his hand. Luo Qingyan wiped away her tears and rushed over to pull Jiang Chengfeng away, then pressed his acupoints and took his pulse to observe him.
Thankfully, it wasn't anything serious, and Luo Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to Jiang Chengfeng and told him to keep a close watch on things, then left the house with the prescription she had taken.
The empty room was now empty except for the two of them. Ye Min glanced at Jiang Chengfeng, coughed, and handed him the towel in her hand.
Jiang Chengfeng slowly reached out and took the basin, walked to the basin, looked at the reflection in the water, and said softly:
"That year marked twelve years since you entered Cangjian Manor. You were not even as tall as my shoulder, yet you could lift a heavy sword made of black iron. The force with which you gathered sword energy and smashed it into the wooden stake made me nervous. Qingyan said that you would definitely become an excellent swordsmith in the future, but I felt that you would not be content with the two swords on your back being used only for sparring in the manor."
"When you turned twelve, you couldn't stand it and wanted to come with us to Kunlun. Your senior sister secretly granted you a pardon without the master's knowledge. You rode ahead happily. It was your first time riding a horse, and your bottom hurt so much that you couldn't say a word. When we arrived at the post station, you endured the pain and lay on the bed, letting Qingyan apply medicine to you. You were laughing and joking all the time, not serious at all."
Ye Min leaned his head against the headboard, listening intently as Jiang Chengfeng recounted the past, memories he had no recollection of.
“You usually help us transport goods, and you remember the routes clearly, but you never learn from small things. Kunlun is full of people and troublemakers, and we’ve always told you not to go looking for trouble. Who knew you would run off by yourself, get tricked by some Ming Cult disciples, anger the disciples of Ba Dao Manor, and get beaten black and blue, so much so that you can’t even recognize yourself.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Min suddenly burst out laughing. Jiang Chengfeng walked to a chair, sat down, and let out a long sigh.
"The one who brought you back was a female disciple of the Ming Cult. She was not very old, only thirteen or fourteen years old, and she was wearing a thick cloak. You took out two gold ingots from your pocket and gave them to her, but the girl threw them back at you, leaving you in a very embarrassing situation."
"The next day, several Ming Cult disciples came to make trouble. They said that you had injured some of their brothers the day before and they wanted compensation. The girl who brought you here had also disappeared. They thought that you had hit someone and were denying it, and that the girl had seen you and kidnapped you."
"The boss wanted us to explain things clearly, so Qingyan and I went out to mediate. I immediately recognized someone in there who was stirring up trouble. It was obvious but not clear, so I was thinking of finding some people to settle things privately. Suddenly, someone started a fight, and the two sides started fighting in the inn. They called for reinforcements to ambush us. There were four or five of us, and we were no match for these Persian cats."
Jiang Chengfeng was startled by his own calmness. The scene that was once so thrilling was now just a memory.
"Seeing several brothers injured and the inn difficult to defend, I was thinking of fighting to the death. But then that little girl suddenly rushed in. The Ming Cult disciples were stunned and exchanged a few words in Persian. The girl walked up to you alone. Before we even noticed, you saw snow on her face and took out a handkerchief to wipe it off. Before I could react, the knife on her back... pierced through your chest."
Ye Min reached out and touched his chest; the uneven scars were still very noticeable.
"No one dared to move. Suddenly, the girl said in Mandarin, 'You hurt my people, so I'll stab you back. It's not a bad deal.' Then she drew her knife and left with the group of people."
"That knife pierced your chest, and blood was flowing. We immediately went back to find healers from Changge Sect and Wanhua Valley to treat your wound. Unfortunately, Kunlun didn't have enough medicine, so we had to go to the nearest post station, Mawei Post Station. But the snowstorm in Kunlun was too severe, and on the night we rushed back, you suddenly developed a high fever, your temperature was alarmingly high. We rushed to Mawei Post Station overnight, and the disciples from Wanhua Valley treated you for three days and three nights. When they came out of the room, they said that if we had been any later, we would have gone to order a coffin for you and prepared for your funeral."
Jiang Chengfeng hadn't expected to say so much, and looking at Ye Min, he was actually listening attentively.
"Three years later, you recovered, but you forgot about this incident. At first, we discussed that you had accidentally injured yourself when you came back to forge swords a few days ago. We lied to you like that, and you believed us."
"Later, the girl even sent a letter. At first, Qingyan was so angry when she found out about this that she argued with me every day. When you went to ask her about it, she said in a fit of anger that the girl had arranged a marriage for you, but now she didn't want you anymore and wanted you to break off the engagement."
Jiang Chengfeng lowered his brows sadly, looking at his palm.
"But you believed it to be true. Not only did you not agree, you also started corresponding with her. When Qingyan saw this, she was so angry that she went to the gate of Yangzhou every day and challenged any Ming Cult disciples to a martial arts duel. If she lost, she had to make them call her Sister Xiu."
“On the day of the Ghost Festival, you ran out alone late at night. I followed you secretly on your senior sister’s advice, but I didn’t expect that the female disciple of the Ming Cult would actually come to the Central Plains. I thought it was just a simple meeting, but you suddenly fainted. I rushed up and took you away. She didn’t say a word.”
Jiang Chengfeng looked at Ye Min, who was staring at the ground, patting his chest, listening to him tell his story. Sometimes he would smile, but most of the time he just listened quietly.
"She said her name was Ita. She had hoped you would forgive her, but she never expected you would marry her."
“I never imagined that that stab would make me completely forget her, and fall in love with her again.” Ye Min suddenly spoke up, drawing Jiang Chengfeng’s attention.
"Heh...hehe..." Ye Min laughed as he fell onto the bed, covering his face with one hand before slowly letting go.
"She said that those people were a rebellious faction within the sect who had been committing murders in Kunlun. That stab was to let us go and leave that place."
She also said that for them, there was nothing to do but not live. Since she caused you so much pain, you might as well hate her.
Ye Min let go of her hand, looked at the window frame, and suddenly smiled as he remembered what A-Lu had once said.
"Is she still alive now?"
"...Do you still remember the person who delivered the jade pendant to A-Lu at Longmen?"
Ye Min's pupils suddenly dilated, and he gripped the quilt tightly.
"...Where is the body?"
Jiang Chengfeng covered his face, trembling.
Ye Min let out a long sigh of relief. Through his thin shirt, he placed his palm on the scar beside his heart, trying hard to recall that person's face.
It doesn't exist at all.
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