Suddenly, a torrential downpour began. Terrified and helpless, she was startled when a venomous snake with its tongue flicking out suddenly darted out, causing her to collapse to the ground, thinking she was about to die.
Just at this critical moment, Ji Zhuo arrived gracefully on a white horse, quickly driving away the poisonous snake and saving her from her panic.
That day, Ji Zhuo wore this jade pendant at his waist, its warm color shining with a unique luster in the rain.
The young Ji Zhuo's face, along with the jade pendant, was deeply imprinted in Sun Ningxiang's heart. So many years have passed, but that image has not faded in her memory. Countless times she has dreamt of that day in the middle of the night.
Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns of time, we actually met again.
But who could have predicted that when they met again, he would be holding another woman in his arms?
Upon their first meeting, Sun Ningxiang looked at Lin Xihe and noticed that she was not dressed like a married woman. A secret expectation arose in her heart, and she secretly speculated that perhaps the two were just like brother and sister. Even if the relationship was different, they were not married, so she might still have a chance.
Once this thought took root, it grew wildly like weeds, making her want to get closer to Ji Zhuo, even if it meant being nameless and unrecognizable, just being by his side would be enough.
However, at this moment, she was filled with resentment, feeling that Lin Xihe was really petty and could not tolerate anyone.
She believed that having just risked her life to save Ji Zhuo, proposing to travel with him was not unreasonable at all.
Why would Lin Xihe interfere with such a small request?
Now that they knew Ji Zhuo's identity, returning to the capital was the most important step.
She comes from a distinguished family; what is there that she can't obtain even with all her might?
Once she returns to the capital, she will have countless methods at her disposal.
At this moment, Lin Xihe was only focused on Ji Zhuo's injuries and had no time to care about Sun Ningxiang's thoughts.
In her opinion, although Ji Zhuo and Sun Ningxiang were destined to be the male and female protagonists in the book, in reality the two had never met before and had no interaction, so how could they have a deep relationship?
So, taking advantage of the fact that Sun Ningxiang was only showing signs of being a little off, Lin Xihe separated the two of them, which made her feel much more relieved.
Lin Xihe disliked Sun Ningxiang, not only because the two were "love rivals," but also because when the matter of the deaths of Sun Ningxiang's two maids was mentioned earlier, the fleeting look in Sun Ningxiang's eyes was not one of sorrow and grief, but rather one of indifference and aloofness, as if the dead were just unrelated people. She then pretended to be very sad.
Lin Xihe initially thought she had misread the situation and offered words of comfort, but upon seeing that Sun Ningxiang was trying to give her an excuse to return to the capital, she realized that she hadn't been seeing things.
They've been servants for over ten years, and such a cold-hearted reaction is truly disheartening.
The government was very efficient and quickly arranged for a doctor and maid to take care of Sun Ningxiang. The group rushed over.
At that moment, the doctor was busy in another room bandaging, cleaning, and applying medicine to Ji Zhuo and the others' wounds.
Lin Xihe silently stayed by Sun Ningxiang's bedside. The room was quiet and somewhat oppressive, with only the occasional soft cry of pain.
Lin Xihe gently pulled Sun Ningxiang's blanket over her and carefully tucked the corners in.
The two remained silent, the atmosphere awkward and subtle.
Lin Xihe was filled with inner turmoil, wanting to ask countless times why Sun Ningxiang would so readily use her body to shield Ji Zhuo, whom she had just met.
But the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back down. She was afraid of hearing an answer that she couldn't bear, and that the reason might contain emotions she didn't want to hear.
Sun Ningxiang, filled with resentment and grievance, harbored a grudge against Lin Xihe for not allowing her to accompany her. She secretly complained in her heart, feeling that Lin Xihe was deliberately making things difficult for her and intentionally sowing discord between her and Ji Zhuo. However, she maintained a polite facade and did not reveal her true feelings at all.
Before long, Ji Zhuo had finished bandaging.
The group walked to Sun Ningxiang's bedside to say goodbye, their words filled with remorse. Sun Ningxiang responded to each of their farewells, but her gaze remained fixed on Ji Zhuo's figure until he stepped out of the room.
Seeing Ji Zhuo's worried expression, Lin Xihe knew he must be concerned about the safety of his parents at home. She suggested that instead of taking the carriage to the capital at a leisurely pace, they should ride horses and leave immediately.
The book originally did not include the plot of Ji Zhuo being hunted down a second time. Obviously, because of his rash intervention, the situation changed completely.
In the book, Ji Zhuo's parents are always well. Lin Xihe is full of hope that they will not suffer an accident because of her interference. She really can't bear to see Ji Zhuo suffer the pain of being separated from his loved ones.
Ji Zhuo immediately rode with Lin Xihe, with Lang Yue following closely behind. The three of them spurred their horses and sped off towards the capital.
Along the way, the sound of horses' hooves clattered, and the group traveled day and night, under the stars and moon.
When they were extremely exhausted, they would find a secluded spot by the roadside, hurriedly dismount, and rest against a tree trunk or a boulder for a while. Their eyelids would barely close before they would force themselves to get up again and continue on their way.
When they were hungry, they would swallow a few mouthfuls of dry food and cold water haphazardly, just to get to the capital as quickly as possible.
Three days and three nights passed in the blink of an eye, and the majestic and towering city gate of the capital finally came into view.
The sun was setting in the west, and the city gates were slowly closing, about to shut down.
The gatekeepers were taken aback when they saw Ji Zhuo, then their faces filled with awe as they shouted, "It's Lord Ji! Lord Ji is back!"
The guards worked together to open the heavy city gate again.
Before Ji Zhuo and the others could recover, the soldier rushed over in a panic, knelt down with a thud, and said in a trembling voice, "Lord Ji, something has happened to your family!"
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