Light and shadow swayed in the cave. Even the simple and crude environment appeared moving because of the firelight.
The shrubbery was tightly blocked at the entrance of the cave, and the cold wind could not enter. Jiang Ruan leaned against the stone wall in front of the fire and closed her eyes wearily.
At such a tense time, a man and a woman alone, she was relieved that Xiao Shao would not do anything to her. In her previous life, he was famous for his indifference towards women. Xuan Li had tried to send him beauties many times, but in the end, he could only return empty-handed. Moreover, she was only eleven years old, and she was in such a sorry state. If Xiao Shao really had any intentions, he would be blind.
After taking Xiao Shao's medicine and eating, her body gradually warmed up. After a day of running, she was too tired, and finally, she could not help but fall asleep.
Before she fell asleep, she thought about how Xiao Shao had answered the question she had asked him before.
He had said, "I, Xiao, owe you a life."
What did that mean?
Jiang Ruan fell into a deep sleep. After a while, the young man, who was staring at the fire, turned his head and stared at Jiang Ruan thoughtfully.
The girl had shed her usual sharp and vicious aura, leaving only a gentle and beautiful appearance. Her facial features were bright and beautiful, and under the light of the fire, there was a faint charm. Given time, she would definitely be a great beauty.
However, Xiao Shao's heartstrings were not moved by the beautiful scene in front of him. He only lowered his head and felt for an object in his sleeve. It was the pendant with a bright jade butterfly in love with a flower.
He slightly lowered his eyes, and his slender fingertips stroked the pendant. An indescribable emotion gradually emerged in his eyes.
Time seemed to rewind to five years ago.
Five years ago, he had been in the Imperial Bodyguard for five years. He had just left the school when he received a mission from a fierce commander of the Southern Frontier. This commander was not to be feared, but there was a strange shaman by his side. In order to establish his power in the Imperial Bodyguard, and also to keep the mission secret, he went deep into the Southern Frontier alone.
After seven days and seven nights, he killed the commander and shaman. The shaman also used his familiarity with the Southern Frontier's terrain to poison him.
The people of the Southern Frontier would not cure him. The fifteen-year-old boy rode back to the capital on a horse and narrowly escaped death. There were countless people in the capital who wanted his life. The people of the Southern Frontier also released the news that he was seriously injured, and the capital was full of murderous intentions.
However, no matter how skilled he was in martial arts, he was unable to defend against the onslaught of the poison. He was extremely weak, and on his way back to the capital, he was ambushed all the way. He was riddled with scars, and it was the heaviest injury he had suffered since birth.
In front was an ambush, and behind was a pursuer. In a hurry, he hid in a room in Bao Guang Temple.
But there was someone in the room.
Under the moonlight, a five or six-year-old girl stared at him, dumbfounded. Xiao Shao frowned, and the dagger in his hand flashed.
However, the girl clumsily rushed over and said in surprise, "Are you injured?"
There were countless injuries on his body, and his black clothes were already soaked. Although it couldn't be seen, it reeked of blood.
While he was in a trance, the girl had already knelt down beside him. She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and said, "This is medicine. Are you alright?"
. "It was just a normal medicine. The girl opened his clothes carefully. He was cautious, but when he saw the girl's clumsy posture, he found it funny. Such a small girl, she was a servant.
He really did think that she was a maid, because this little girl was dressed like a maid, and her words were simple and quick-witted. When the moonlight shone down, her face was clearly illuminated. She was as smooth as jade and as round as pearls, full of spirit. She had a pair of big eyes that were quick-witted and clear. She was a natural beauty.
Although she was a servant, she did not look like one.
He was surprised.
The girl insisted on helping him apply the medicine. His body was extremely weak and he could not move at all. He thought that he would definitely die tonight. Even if he could avoid being killed, he might not be able to endure until the poison took effect. Either way, he would die, so he let the girl do whatever she wanted.
The girl saw his breathing was getting weaker. Tears welled up in her eyes. She stood up and ran out.
He thought the girl must have gone out to call for help, but he did not have the strength to stop her. He was too lazy to stop her, so he sat in the room, waiting for the moment his life ended.
The moonlight was waning. The young man was beautiful, but his expression was cold. He walked through the sea of fire. The higher he went, the more stable he was, but the lonelier he became. He did not know the meaning of living, and he did not know what he was living for.
Not long after, the girl came back again.
She was holding food and clean water in her hands. Her face was still a little dirty. She timidly pushed the food to his side. "Eat. You'll have strength after eating."
Xiao Shao knew medicine. Seeing the marks on the girl's face, he knew she was injured. How could someone beat up such an intelligent and beautiful young lady like this? He frowned and looked at the food on the ground. Then, he understood. He thought that the little maid must have stolen food for him and was discovered by others. That was why she was covered in scars.
His heart moved slightly. The girl looked at him longingly. Seeing that he was not moving, she picked up the bowl and brought it to his lips. He was really thirsty, so he lowered his head and drank. Although the girl moved with difficulty, she looked very skilled. It seemed that she often served people tea.
"Don't die." The girl looked at him and said, "I won't tell others that you are here."
Xiao Shao did not speak.
The girl began to feed him steamed buns again.
She slowly spoke. It was nothing more than that in a few days, the pear blossoms on the West Mountain would bloom, and the peach blossoms on the East Mountain would also bloom. She wanted to go with her parents to see the flowers and grass. She wanted to make new clothes and shoes. The girl next door had a small hunting dog. She also wanted one. Her older brother's essay had been praised by the father and son. In the future, he would definitely be the top scholar.
She rambled on, trying to say something interesting to make him happy and not fall asleep. Her intentions were so immature that Xiao Shao did not understand. Although he was not interested in the other's intentions, he just listened as a joke.
He felt that this child must have a happy family. That was why she was so kind and warm. Even the things that came out of her mouth were full of interest.
That night, the poison unexpectedly did not act up. The simple medicine and food also gradually restored his strength. In the meditation room at the back of Baoguang Temple, the night was full of moonlight and a spring breeze. A young man and a girl, one sitting quietly, the other talking. The scene was surprisingly harmonious.
She talked the whole night. In the morning of the second day, the temple bell rang. Someone outside called softly, "Miss, Miss."
The girl suddenly stood up, "My maid is looking for me. You should leave now that you have recovered. Be careful not to be discovered. "
So she was not a maid.
Xiao Shao whispered, "Thank you."
The girl had already walked to the door. When she heard his words, she suddenly turned around and looked at him with a smile, "No need to thank me. Today, I saved your life. In the future, if I am also in danger and you happen to pass by, you can save my life again."
That day, he did not die. After his body gradually recovered in Baoguang Temple, he sent a signal to the Brocade Guards. When he returned to the city, with an unstoppable force, he swiftly and decisively dealt with the assassins in the city. He sat firmly as the master of the three hundred thousand Brocade Guards. For a time, the capital was secretly cleansed with blood.
Since then, everyone in the imperial court hated him, and he was known as a "rebel and traitor".
He did not know who the girl in Baoguang Temple was. He only picked up the earring that she had dropped. The Xiao family would always repay kindness. They sent Ye Feng to investigate. Ye Feng found out that the Jiang family's young lady went to offer incense that day. It was the Jiang family's Second Miss.
Therefore, on the Ling Long Boat, when Jiang Su Su was in a desperate situation, he remembered the promise of "In the future, if I am also in trouble and you happen to pass by, you can save my life again" and helped her once.
When Xiao Shao was young, he had lived a life of licking blood on the edge of a knife. He had endured what ordinary people could not and experienced what ordinary people could not. His intuition was surprisingly accurate. After saving Jiang Su Su, he already felt that something was wrong.
Jiang Su Su's reputation in the capital was excellent. She was also known as a fairy. She was kind, innocent, talented, and the apple of the Jiang family's eye. She was very much in line with the kind-hearted girl that night.
However, with one glance, he could see the girl's hypocrisy and pretentiousness. In fact, it was difficult to connect the two of them.
At this time, Jiang Ruan appeared.
Jiang Ruan's eyes were very similar to the girl's, but also different. The murderous intent in Jiang Ruan's eyes was too heavy. She was vicious and merciless. She was skilled in killing with a borrowed knife. With such shrewdness, she was like a different person from the girl that night.
Moreover, Jin One and Jin Two had investigated that Jiang Ruan had not been valued in the Jiang fu since she was young. Jiang Quan did not like her, her mother had died young, and her elder brother had been depressed. How could she be as happy as the girl had said?
Intuition and reality were poles apart.
Now that the truth had come to light, everything became clear. It turned out that Jiang Su Su was really not the girl that night.
Since Jiang Ruan was originally a member of Bao Guang Temple, how could she change from her usual innocent and kind temperament to become so overbearing? Five years of oppression in the rural residence, as well as her biological father and stepmother making things difficult for her, was it possible for her to change her temperament? Even if she had changed her temperament, how could these methods be used by a young girl?
There was also her mysteriousness. Hui Jue's prophecy was all thanks to her. She could also predict the flood in the capital in advance. Who was she? Xiao Shao put the pendant back into his sleeve. His eyes were like bright stars in the night, and he pursed his lips.
With this pendant as a trust, he owed Jiang Ruan his life. He would repay her in the future.
"Many thanks," he said in a low voice.
…
Jiang Ruan had a dream.
The time of this dream was too long ago. She was not very clear, but it seemed to be five years ago.
Five years ago, Zhao Mei was seriously ill in bed. When the doctors came to see her, they all said that there was no way to save her, and that they could only wait to prepare for her funeral. She looked at Zhao Mei's emaciated appearance as she lay on the bed, and the sorrow in her heart could not be contained.
Coincidentally, it was the annual day to go to Bao Guang Temple to offer incense. Bao Guang Temple's first incense was the most efficacious. She wanted to offer incense, but Jiang Quan said that Zhao Mei was seriously ill. As his biological daughter, she should stay in the fu to wait for her illness.
At that time, she was depressed and indignant, but she did not dare to openly refute Jiang Quan. Thus, she decided to secretly follow Xia Yan and her daughter's carriage, dress up as a servant girl of the Jiang fu, and sneak in. When they arrived at Bao Guang Temple, she would beg the abbot to allow her to offer incense and pray for Zhao Mei's illness to improve.
Thus, she asked Lian Qiao to go with her, and asked Bai Zhi to disguise herself as her. She changed into a servant girl's attire and really did blend in with the group of servants and old women of the Jiang fu, and they went together to Bao Guang Temple.
To her, that was the most daring thing she had ever done. After successfully blending in with the crowd, she was very proud of herself for a while. However, she did not know that such an easy way to blend in was because Xia Yan had long known that she was in the crowd and had deliberately let her pass.
Then, she hid in the meditation room when no one was paying attention, looking for an opportunity to slip out.
Since she had mixed in, she could not eat vegetarian food with the servants, lest she be discovered. She could only sneak into the temple's kitchen to steal food, not wanting to be discovered. She sent it to the leading old woman of the Jiang fu, saying that she would discipline her properly.
That old woman did indeed "discipline" her ruthlessly. She was beaten black and blue all over, but did not dare to make a sound, lest her identity as the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family be discovered. At that time, she was riddled with scars and barely managed to get a portion of food.
However, the matter did not end there. On the second day, the first incense was not burned. Even for a large temple like Bao Guang Temple, the incense money was actually based on donations. Xia Yan had donated quite a lot of incense money, so the first incense was burned by her.
Thinking about it, her wish at that time was nothing more than for Zhao Mei and Jiang Ruan to die a horrible death. In her previous life, this incense had indeed come true.
On the way back, Xia Yan had "accidentally" discovered her in the crowd. After returning to the fu in a panic, everyone knew about it. When Jiang Quan found out that Bai Zhi was pretending to be her, he flew into a rage. He made Bai Zhi and her kneel in the main hall of the fu to be punished according to the family rules. All the servants were present to listen.
Shame, indignation, anger, grievance — at that time, there were thousands of emotions, but in the end, they could only turn into useless tears. For her sake, Jiang Xin Zhi had opposed Jiang Quan, and in a fit of rage, Jiang Quan had punished him to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days. When Zhao Mei heard of this, her condition worsened, and she was on the verge of death.
The matter had caused such a commotion, and Xia Yan and Jiang Su Su had come to plead on her behalf.
Now that she thought about it, she really wished that she could peel off the skin of this mother and daughter pair.
It seemed that from then on, she had been grounded. The people of the capital only knew of the Second Miss of the Jiang family, and did not know who the Eldest Miss of the Jiang family was.
From then on, Baoguang Temple had become her nightmare. In this life, Xia Yan still wanted to scheme against her in Baoguang Temple, but she had to see if she would agree or not. If Baoguang Temple had been her execution ground in her previous life, then in this life, it was the starting point of her massacre. The Prime Minister's fu was just the beginning.
At the end of that dream, there seemed to be a trace of moonlight. It was as if in the gentle night, there was a pair of eyes like cold stars, shining brightly and indifferently looking at her.
Who was that?
It was as if, in the memory of stealing the food, she had not eaten the food in the end. It was as if something special had happened in that meditation room.
Time was like an old veil covering a precious treasure, quietly covering the memory. If one day, the spring wind just happened to pass by and lift a corner of the veil, the memory was like new, still emitting a faint luster.
In her ear, there seemed to be a faint and cold sentence, "Many thanks."
Who was it?
…
Sunlight gradually penetrated through the dense undergrowth and shone into the cave. Because of the starry sunlight, the cave appeared mottled with green.
The warm sunlight, which had not been seen for a long time, shone on the verdant mountain forest. In the empty mountains and high valleys, there was the crisp sound of birds chirping. Suddenly, they fluttered their wings and flew away. The tip of their tail touched the tranquil green lake, creating shallow ripples.
The rain stopped.
Jiang Ruan slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she did so, she saw the long-awaited sunlight enter the cave. After a night's sleep, her spirit was surprisingly good. She tilted her head, and suddenly, her body stiffened.
The place where her body was leaning against was warm, her arms were tightly wrapped around an unfamiliar waist, and the cold, hard, black brocade material. She looked up all the way and met a pair of beautiful, drooping eyes.
Jiang Ruan abruptly withdrew her hand. She had actually hugged Xiao Shao, no, hugged Xiao Shao's waist and slept for the whole night?
Looking at that posture, she had probably taken the initiative to hug him passionately.
Jiang Ruan sucked in a breath.
Xiao Shao was completely unaware. Seeing that she had woken up, he stood up and said, "I left a mark outside. If they see it, they will quickly rush over."
Jiang Ruan's clothes were already dry, so she took off the black and gold crane cloak covering her head and returned it to Xiao Shao, saying, "Many thanks, Xiao Wangye."
However, Xiao Shao seemed to have thought of something. He turned to Jiang Ruan and said, "Your body is very weak, and you have a cold illness. In the fu, pay more attention to the tea and food."
He did not go overboard, but Jiang Ruan understood tacitly. Someone had poisoned her?
Xiao Shao saw through her doubts and said, "The cold illness was born in the womb. After that, it has been worsening for many years."
Jiang Ruan lowered her head. So there was such a thing?
In her previous life, had Jiang Quan and Xuan Li already known about this matter, so they had not hesitated to let her enter the palace in place of Jiang Su Su and keep that healthy, perfect daughter of the Jiang family as the new Emperor's Empress?
No, that was not it. Even if she did not have such a cold illness, Jiang Quan would not have kept her. Xuan Li and Jiang Quan had chosen her as a sacrifice from the beginning.
However, Xiao Shao had still helped her by saying this.
Him helping her like this made Jiang Ruan recall Xiao Shao's words from last night. Did he owe her a life?
She wanted to ask clearly, but suddenly heard the sound of hooves in front of them. Xiao Shao swept away the bushes at the entrance of the cave, and sure enough, he heard a pleasantly surprised voice, "Wangye!"
Jiang Ruan followed him out. The sun was shining brightly outside, and in the forest, a troop of soldiers and horses saw them and rushed towards them.
The one at the front was impressively Guan Liang Han's Jiang Xin Zhi.
"Ah Ruan!"
"Lao San!"
After searching for an entire night without any results, Guan Liang Han and Jiang Xin Zhi were extremely anxious, especially Jiang Xin Zhi. He hated that he had to overturn the entire mountain, and his hands had been shaking the whole way. Now that he saw that Jiang Ruan was safe and sound, he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. Calling out Jiang Ruan's name, he galloped over on horseback.
The soldiers also followed him and rushed over. In front of the cave, the black-clothed youth and the plain-clothed young girl were bathed in the sunlight. Looking from afar, they were pleasing to the eye. However, when Jiang Xin Zhi approached, his expression became complicated.
Jiang Ruan's hair was disheveled, and her clothes were somewhat untidy. In her hands, she was still holding the black-gold rain-embroidered crane cloak that the man wore. Because she had just woken up, her face was still somewhat flushed. She was like the most beautiful cloud in the morning sky, very tender and beautiful.
On the other hand, Xiao Shao's countenance was cold and clear, but at this moment, it was unknown what he was thinking about. His gaze softened slightly. Such a scene fell into the eyes of the crowd, and immediately, different thoughts arose in their hearts. These two people's appearances were rare in the world, and even when they were in a sorry state, they did not conceal their charm. Coupled with their current smiling movements, it caused everyone to coincidentally think of a sentence.
Truly … exceptionally harmonious.
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