Safety - Chapter 8
I seemed to hear screams. It was still bright outside. The swords, spears, and halberds around the carriage reflected the last rays of the setting sun, dazzlingly bright. At the last moment, I blamed myself for being stupid.
Why jump headfirst? If you jumped with your face up, you might be able to get a better look at him.
~~ ...
Hai: Ping An, why did you jump? There are many ways to solve problems. Just because you jumped doesn't mean everyone will know everything... There aren't many people in this world as smart as you. *sigh*
Ping An: ...Come here for a moment.
Hai: What?
Ping An: Come here for a moment.
Hai: ...You want to bite me to death, don't you?
Chapter 23
A sharp gust of wind tore through the air, aimed straight at my temples, chilling and piercing, causing a sharp pain as if my brow had been pierced. But almost at the same moment, a powerful force suddenly surged from the side, and my body was instantly sent flying far away in this whirlwind of air, landing on the ground with a thud. My bones felt like they were about to shatter, and I could no longer move.
I braced myself on my elbows, trembling with pain, and tried to lift my head to see what was happening. But dust clouded the sun all around, and countless clanging sounds and shouts rang out overhead like firecrackers. Countless people flew out of the doors and windows that were originally closed on both sides of the street, and in the chaos, someone shouted "Protect the Emperor!"
Although the scene was really chaotic, I still suddenly felt like laughing.
Protect me? Protect what? Hundreds of eyes watched me fall from mid-air, then be violently knocked away, and now I'm tumbling to the ground in a sorry state, practically dying. Where are these idiots protecting me?
I struggled to get up, but that sharp gust of wind pierced through the air again, and I fell into a deep alleyway by the street, with a stone wall behind me, leaving me nowhere to retreat. The sharp wind was like a leech, and I could vaguely see a glimmer of light in the dust, but the murderous aura it carried was as turbulent as a wave, forcing me to instinctively close my eyes tightly. The breath of death was clearly audible.
When I jumped down, I was prepared to die, but now the smell of death came unexpectedly for the second time. All I had left was the animalistic desire to survive. I turned my head in a panic, wanting only to avoid the force that could pierce me.
With a clang, I opened my eyes wide, trying to see where I had been pierced, but instead I saw a familiar back standing in front of me, holding a long stick still wrapped in cloth, the tip of the stick tilted to one side and the end touching the ground, as immovable as a mountain.
It was Ji Feng. My eyes welled up with tears, and everything I could see blurred. A person stood in front of Ji Feng, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit. He was now rising up, stepping on the eaves and looking down at us. The long sword in his hand still had the sound of a dragon's roar. His voice was very low and hard, sounding extremely strange.
He said, "Get out of the way."
Ji Feng remained silent, gently twitching his hand, and answered with only one word, "Please."
The cloth wrapped around the long staff fell like withered leaves, revealing the jade-white spear shaft. The staff head grew extremely long, revealing the sharp spear tip, which was more than a foot long and covered with frost. Suddenly, a vast killing intent arose in the twilight, as if a thousand troops and ten thousand horses were galloping in.
The murderous aura pressed down on the man in black on the roof, but I felt a thunderbolt looming over me, and my whole body turned ice cold. I felt all the noise outside the alley suddenly disappear in my ears, all the sound sources were annihilated in this chilling aura, and even the blood-red sunset dimmed for a moment.
The man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he brandished his long sword, seemingly extremely pleased, and whispered with a smile.
"I have long admired the Ji family's spear technique, renowned for its ability to take the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army. To meet them today is an honor in this lifetime." With that, he swooped down like an eagle, his sword strikes like a bursting river, fierce and surging, engulfing the entire alley. I struggled to breathe, yet I refused to close my eyes. Ji Feng did not retreat an inch, his spear tip swung, and his long staff swept a snow-white arc at his waist, like snow splashing in the twilight, blocking the surging sword strike in mid-air. The spearhead, passing over the sword light, pounced fiercely, the sound of it cutting through the air sharp as an arrow, seemingly echoing throughout the alley.
The man's figure was like a wisp of dust amidst the explosive spear thrust, swaying uncertainly. Finally, his body twisted violently, instantly escaping the vortex and returning to the rooftop. The sword tip had already fallen, and a trickle of blood meandered down the blade, a glaring red line.
He glanced down at us again, then turned and left, moving with ghostly speed, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Ji Feng didn't chase after me, but remained standing in front of me. I wanted to speak, but when I opened my mouth, I found that I was already mute and couldn't make a sound. Suddenly, someone flashed in from the alley entrance. It was the smiling Cheng family member from before. He floated to my side, picked me up, glanced at Ji Feng, and suddenly gasped. He then asked him a question.
How are you?
Chapter 24
I was about to struggle when I heard this and was startled.
Ji Feng turned around. Dusk had fallen, and his face was as white as snow in the dim light. I had never seen him so pale. Even though the night had no warmth, he seemed like he might melt into the last bit of light at any moment.
I was terrified, truly terrified. The commotion outside the alley gradually subsided, and blood was everywhere. More troops poured into the street, the sound of horses' hooves and armor clashing, the clash of weapons accompanied by countless screams—it was like hell.
I don't know what happened, or why it all happened. I just jumped down from the restaurant. Why did things suddenly change so drastically? Everything is beyond my comprehension.
The monsoon winds came toward me, the tip of my spear trailing on the ground, making a very soft, sharp sound.
I was held captive by the Cheng family member, and I watched helplessly as he bent down and brought his face close to mine. There was blood on the ground, dark red, but it was more dazzling than the sword light from before. I cried, tears streaming down my face. The blood flowing from his body soaked my face; it was hot, and as it fell, it cut my skin like lava, causing me even more excruciating pain.
"Peace." He spoke in a hoarse voice, each word striking my most vulnerable heart. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but my fingers trembled so badly that I couldn't follow my own will. He spoke again, his voice as low as a whisper.
"Why are you disobeying me? What do you want to do? And what do you want me to do?"
He spoke slowly, but I couldn't understand. No, it wasn't that I couldn't understand, it was that I couldn't believe it. At that moment, I was terrified beyond anything I'd ever experienced before. I felt as if all the air around me was being sucked away by his words, my chest tightening as if I were about to die. I gasped for breath, trembling, and pleaded with him, "No..."
He didn't answer me. He turned and leaped towards the alley entrance. I gasped in surprise, struggled, and desperately reached out my hands, wanting to grab him no matter what.
Behind me, I heard a sigh. It was the Cheng family member who held me tightly in his hands, leaping onto the rooftop with a light touch on his toes. The street had become a living hell. Many people lay on the ground, and there were flames. Later, the iron hooves of the knights galloped by, trampling over many corpses. I didn't understand how all this happened, and I didn't want to know. All I could see was a figure getting further and further away from me, holding a long spear in the flames. He flew down to the very center of the chaos, landing in front of the carriage that was already half-tied up on the ground.
There were few Imperial Guards left in front of the carriage. As soon as he landed, he was surrounded by many men in black. Spears flew like snow amidst the countless flashes of swords and spears. The iron hooves pounded and trampled the blood-red sky. Someone shouted, "Archers, prepare!"
I saw him lift the princess, dressed in the clothes I had once worn, out of the carriage with one hand. I saw her embrace his neck in the way I used to be most familiar with. I saw him leap towards the armored cavalry behind him in the firelight, slicing through the night sky like an eagle.
I trembled, feeling as if the hellfire was devouring my flesh and blood, burning me to ashes. The sound of horses' hooves trampled the streets like a battlefield of carnage. His words echoed in my ears. I think I knew what he was going to do, but no, please don't, I beg you not to...
The archers stood silently, bows drawn, waiting for the princess's safety. Suddenly, everything fell silent, with only the cold wind swirling around my ears.
Then, with a sharp sound, a beam of light shot in reverse, heading straight for the princess in Ji Feng's arms. I was filled with terror and screamed with all my might, but only broken sobs came out. In that instant, Ji Feng seemed to turn around and look at me. Even across the vast distance and the dark night, I could see clearly that he was looking at me, his eyes gentle as water.
I wanted to plead, to beg him not to be so cruel. I would rather die than face what was to come. But it was too late. He didn't dodge. The light pierced straight into his back before my eyes, blood splattering everywhere. I could no longer see anything; all I could see was blood, a crimson expanse.
Monsoon, is this your punishment for me? Is this the price I pay for my willfulness? I was overwhelmed by immense pain. My body convulsed involuntarily, I struggled to breathe, clutched my chest, tasted salt in my mouth, and a hot stream gushed out, landing on the ground as dark red specks.
I heard a sigh again, it was the same Cheng family member. He seemed to be speaking, but I couldn't hear a single word anymore. The blood-red color before my eyes gradually disappeared into darkness. In my last moment, I prayed that I would never wake up again. I would rather go to the deepest, most insane hell in the world, I would rather suffer in the most terrible cycle of reincarnation.
My heart is shattered at this moment.
Chapter 25
Hai: Many readers said they didn't understand...
Narrator: ...Your logic is flawed.
Hai: Fingers... Ping An, I think there's a problem with your storytelling...
Ping An: ...Cheng Wei, poke her with the needle, quick, I've already held her down.
P.S.: There are many mysteries to be solved as you read on... Sigh, first-person perspective is definitely a challenge for me. *rolls away*
~~ ...
I had a very long dream. In it, there was the fragrance of flowers, and the Imperial Garden was lush and shaded. Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled golden rays on the ground. Cicadas chirped softly, and I practiced the Five Animal Frolics under the trees. The nannies and maids clapped their hands beside me, but I felt annoyed.
What are you clapping for? And laughing! Do you think I'm performing the Five Animal Frolics for you to watch as a monkey show?
Even in my anger, I didn't want to stop. I kept doing one thing after another, silently waiting.
Ji Feng taught me the Five Animal Frolics for a whole summer. As I practiced, each movement became automatic and spontaneous. When it was time to stop, I felt sad and didn't want to show it in front of others, so I simply closed my eyes and started practicing randomly.
There was a shadow on my face. Someone bent down and straightened my posture, silently, with gentle gestures. I was suddenly overjoyed and wanted to open my eyes to see him, but I couldn't.
I was frantic and started struggling with my whole body, but as soon as I moved, I felt a sharp pain and couldn't help but groan.
Someone spoke in my ear, "Stop struggling, or you'll grow crooked bones."
I opened my eyes with a start, and felt as if the whole world trembled as the light fell into them.
The light illuminated the stone chamber from before, and two people were looking down at me at the same time. For a moment, I thought I was seeing things, that I could see double images as soon as I opened my eyes, but one of them spoke, his tone as cold as his face.
"Cheng Wei, if she doesn't die, then get her out of the city quickly. This kind of trouble will only cause more problems if we leave her here any longer."
The other one chuckled. "Chengping, have you been scared out of your mind by Yi Xiaojin? Why do you frown whenever you see a woman now?"
Cheng Ping snorted and stood up, turning to leave. I couldn't be bothered with him at all, and tried my best to keep my eyes open, staring intently at Cheng Wei, who was still by the bedside.
He held scissors in one hand and wrapped a white veil with bloodstains on it in the other, I didn't know whose it was. After watching Chengping leave, he started to busy himself, but he didn't look at me.
I didn't want to talk, so I stared at him relentlessly, watching as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Finally, he turned around, sighed, and spoke, his voice full of helplessness.
"Stop looking, he's not coming back."
He didn't say it harshly, but it felt like I was hit by a huge force. My vision flashed with white light, and I couldn't even breathe.
A sudden sharp pain shot through my fingertip, and I regained consciousness. When I opened my eyes, I saw a trembling, inch-long gold needle on my finger, the end of which was still being held in Cheng Wei's hand.
I gritted my teeth and said, "Get away from me! I won't allow you to save me!"
I used all my strength to say those words, but the sound was barely audible to him. He still heard it, and after a moment, he choked and came to his senses.
"No, I already promised them. Besides, you're already a patient that Chengjiazhuang has taken in. If you die, what will become of Chengjiazhuang's reputation?"
I ignored his mutterings, silently closed my eyes, and in the darkness, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, firelight dyed the night sky red, and a sharp arrow pierced through the air, plunging straight into the back of the monsoon...
Even though I couldn't move my whole body, those scenes still made me tremble with pain, and a series of sharp pains struck my body. I was furious and opened my eyes again.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Try sticking another needle into me and see what happens!"
He held a gold needle in his hand, looking at me intently, and then suddenly smiled.
"What are you thinking? I only said he wouldn't come back, I didn't say he was dead."
I was gathering all the vicious words I knew when I heard this sentence and suddenly my breath stopped halfway through. My whole body went limp, the shock was too great, and I started coughing before I could even open my mouth.
He inserted the needle he was holding into my acupoint without saying a word. He then reached up with his other hand, pinched my mouth shut, and carefully examined my tongue.
How could he be so rude? I bit him, but he stopped very quickly, straightened up in the blink of an eye, and took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.
"Do you still want to die?"
"What about the monsoon?" I had no time to answer his question and went straight to the point.
"I don't know." He bent down to tidy up the mess around him.
I was furious, but unfortunately my body was wrapped up so tightly that I could hardly move a finger, so I could only use my mouth.
"Tell me immediately, or you will be sentenced to death."
He paused for a moment, then laughed, a very soft whisper, and turned to leave.
The hem of the man's clothes brushed against the edge of the bed. I wanted to bite him, I wanted to curse him, I wanted to use every means to threaten him into telling me the answer, but the actions I ultimately took were unbelievable even to myself.
I grabbed the hem of his shirt with my only movable hand. He stopped and turned around to look at me, while I just watched him silently, my fingers tucked inside his shirt, my eyes full of pleading.
Cheng Wei sat down.
This man, I drank from him, he ignored me, I cursed at him, he turned away, I was in despair, but he stopped, looked at me calmly, dusted off his clothes, and asked me.
"What do you want to know?"