Il arrive souvent des choses désagréables

Chapitre 68

Mo Li didn't accompany me up the mountain. Before I went up the mountain, I asked him for a long time, wondering who he wanted me to see. He wouldn't say, he just smiled and nudged me.

"You'll see when you get there. Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

He pushed me forward two steps, and I felt something was wrong. I looked back at him, and he was still standing there, his hands behind his back in the sunlight. When he saw me turn around, he just smiled and repeated.

"Don't worry, I'll wait for you."

That smile made me shamefully lose my mind again, and when I came to my senses, I was already halfway up the mountain as he had instructed.

I leaned against the rocks and sighed. How could things continue like this? Would I be at his mercy for the rest of my life?

"Ah!" A voice rang out in front of me. I looked up abruptly and saw a pink blob.

For a fleeting moment, I thought I was seeing a mirror! After that scream, a white figure appeared before her in the blink of an eye. I blinked again and couldn't help but cry out, "Dan Gui!"

Dan Gui's eyes were clear and bright, and her white hair was neatly tied back with a black ribbon. She wasn't too surprised to see me, and her beautiful features were still evident as she smiled. She took the hand of the person next to her and said, "It's Ping An who's here, Cheng Feng."

Riding the wind...

I took a step back, then two steps forward, and watched helplessly as a pink blob rushed toward me.

My mother, a grown woman, actually held me and burst into tears, sobbing and slurring her words.

“I’ve been waiting for you for so long, Ping An. Why is your hair white? But it looks good even when it’s white. Where is that good boy, Mo Li? Dan Gui found me, he found Dan Gui, and said he wanted you to come see me. I’ve been waiting for so long, so long…”

Before I could recover from the shock, my arms instinctively reached out and hugged the person who had thrown herself at me. She was so excited, so incredibly excited… it made me want to cry…

My elder brother said that after giving birth to me, Mother's health deteriorated, so she left the palace. In the dead of night, I often secretly hope that my mother is not actually dead, but is waiting for me somewhere to find her. But I never imagined that all of this would happen so quickly.

"I want you to see someone first," Mo Li's voice rang in my ears. He knew, he had known all along, but how did he manage to do it? And what method did he use?

I hugged my mother tightly and called her name again. Her tears flowed even more profusely, so much so that Dan Gui couldn't bear to watch. She pulled her close and wiped her face.

Dan Gui is always so gentle. Seeing him by her side, I don't know why, I was incredibly happy.

But I have more important things to do now. I turned around and ran back the way I came, looking back as I ran, "Mo Li, wait for me at the foot of the mountain. I'll be back soon. You all wait for me too."

My mother cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to me, "Call him up here, I want to hold a wedding banquet for you..."

I stumbled, and no matter how strong my desire to run down was, I couldn't help but turn back.

My mother... she's truly a miracle!

Wildflowers were in full bloom, and white clouds swirled around. I sped through the beautiful scenery and saw a blurry figure in the distance, standing quietly where I had left, just as he had said, waiting for me.

My tear tracks were still wet on my face, but I was already smiling. I couldn't help but fly up from a distance and into his outstretched arms.

Side Story: Wende's Memories

When I saw the man who claimed to be from the Ji family, I was momentarily skeptical of his authenticity, but the Qingcheng gold token in his hand was unmistakable. Qingcheng is not a sect that cultivates goodwill; there are only three such gold tokens in the entire world, all issued by my master when he was alive. After I took over Qingcheng, there were none left.

When I was young, I traveled with my master to the border region. At that time, the Central Plains and the Mo Kingdom were still in a standoff, and the situation was tense. We were ambushed by Mo Kingdom guerrillas in a small border town. My master was busy rescuing people, and I was accidentally injured in the chaos of war. I was also separated from my master and was eventually pardoned by the Ji family army guarding the border.

Avenge wrongs and repay kindness, especially such a life-saving grace. When my master presented me with the gold medal, he told General Ji in front of me that upon seeing this gold medal, I would obey his orders.

I never imagined that this gold medal would return to me more than a decade later.

Of course I remember what happened back then.

After I was pardoned, I stayed in the Ji family's military camp for quite some time.

General Ji was a man of great dignity. He had ten sons, all of whom were stationed on the battlefield, some of whom were not much older than me. I was rather cold-hearted, and after being injured and separated from my master, I remained silent all day. They would often try to amuse me, and once they even brought me a sugar figurine, a rare treat from the border region.

I don't like being treated like a child, but there was a boy slightly younger than me following behind them. When he saw me staring at the sugar figurine for a long time without reaching out, he smiled at me.

They said it was the monsoon, our youngest brother.

Thinking about it later, I realized that maybe that sugar figurine originally belonged to him.

That's how I met Ji Feng. He was handsome and the youngest in the Ji family. I didn't understand why the Ji family would send such a young child to the battlefield to experience life and death. Later I learned that any man in the Ji family who could pick up a gun had to go to the battlefield, no matter how old he was.

I strongly disagree. Loyalty to the emperor and serving the country is certainly not a bad thing, but to go to this extent, General Ji is being a bit too blindly loyal.

Moreover, I feel that his attitude towards his youngest son is very strange.

I rarely even saw General Ji pay attention to him. So, when he led his troops back to camp, he saw Ji Feng practicing his spear technique alone in front of the camp. He actually turned his horse around and walked until he could no longer see him.

Because of that sugar figurine, Ji Feng and I were practically friends. I felt quite indignant for him, and he probably knew it too, so even though he was young, he was always quiet and rarely spoke.

However, this was something I agreed with. The Mo army's surprise attack was repelled, and for a while they didn't dare to invade again. They were quite well-behaved for a while, so during that time I often went in and out of the mountains with Ji Feng. He liked to practice his marksmanship in secluded places, and I would meditate beside him to heal my injuries. Sometimes the two of us would climb trees together to look into the distance, and I would point in the direction of Qingcheng and say to him.

"Once I recover, I'll go back to the Qingcheng mountain area, and you can come back too."

He shook his head. "No, our Ji family army is to guard the border. Wherever my father and brothers are, that's where I'll be." After saying that, he probably felt a little bad for my rare enthusiasm, and gave me a slightly shy smile.

His answer made me even more disgusted with his father's attitude towards him.

If it were said that General Ji treated all ten sons equally, it would be understandable. But he avoided this one son so much. If he really disliked him to the point that he didn't even want to see him, then why did he keep him by his side?

The border region is really not a good place. I am a few years older than Ji Feng and have been practicing asceticism since childhood. Even I find this place boring and dull. As time goes by, I even miss the clear breeze and bright moon on the top of Qingcheng Mountain.

I secretly thought that if he could go back with me, I might as well ask my master to accept him as a disciple, and it would be nice to be fellow disciples.

What I didn't expect was that the seemingly delicate and shy monsoon would actually save my life.

That day, I entered the mountain with him again. He practiced his marksmanship by the mountain stream, while I rested for a few days and gradually felt my skills recover. When I saw a wild rabbit leap by, I was tempted to chase after it. Just as my fingers were about to touch its long ears, a gust of foul wind came towards me, and it turned out to be a large, striped tiger.

I was only eleven or twelve years old at the time. I had been practicing asceticism on the mountain with my master since I was a child and had no experience in fighting enemies. Otherwise, I would not have been injured in the war. When I suddenly saw a ferocious beast, I had no weapon in my hand and was almost slapped to the ground by it.

Fortunately, I still had my agility, and I hastily retreated several feet. But the tiger clawed and leaped forward, pressing me closely. When I took another step back, there was a cliff behind me. My heels were halfway out, and loose rocks were falling. I was just one step away from falling backward.

Just as things were getting critical, a gust of wind suddenly rose from the side, and the spear swept past like a rainbow, its gleaming tip scattering like shattered silver, plunging fiercely into the tiger's left eye.

It turned out that Jifeng arrived just in time, risking his life to stop the tiger and save my life.

The tiger roared in pain and turned to pounce on the attacker. Ji Feng was just a child under ten years old and couldn't stop his gun in time. He was knocked away by the tiger. In shock, I immediately rushed over and struck the tiger's soft ribs with my palm. The tiger's tail swept out and sent me flying.

A flurry of footsteps echoed through the forest. The tiger, badly wounded, finally retreated when it saw the situation was dire. I tried to get up to check on Ji Feng, but my legs were too weak to move. Just then, I saw a group of people rushing towards me. Leading the way was General Ji, who reached out from afar and scooped up his youngest son. His face was deathly pale. He only recovered after the son opened his eyes and called out "Father."

Ji Feng lay in bed for three whole days. Although no one from the Ji family mentioned what happened that day to me, I still felt uneasy. So I stayed in his room all day. He was quite tough. He didn't utter a sound when they were setting his bones and changing his dressings. However, he seemed a little uncomfortable with my expression and even comforted me instead.

"It really doesn't hurt. Which of our brothers doesn't have old injuries? This is nothing."

It took me a long time to reply, "I will remember this. If you need me to do anything, just let me know."

He just smiled and said, "I can't figure out what you're doing."

I thought about it for a moment and then said, "No rush, it's effective for a lifetime."

A few days later, my master found me.

Before leaving, Master handed the Qingcheng Gold Medal to General Ji. Ji Feng stood behind his father and brothers watching us. I wanted to go over and say a few more words to him, but then I felt that I had already said everything I wanted to say to him.

Whether he wins a gold medal or not is not important to us. As long as he remembers my promise, that's enough. Even if he doesn't remember, I will.

General Ji personally saw us off for a while, and at the last moment I finally couldn't help but ask him, "Why don't you want to look at Ji Feng more? What did he do wrong?"

General Ji remained silent for a moment before saying, "You are friends now."

I nodded. I am an only child, and my parents died early. In my heart, I have long regarded Jifeng as my brother.

He looked away. “I originally had eleven sons, but Feng’er’s twin brother was lost at the border during the war when he was born. Their mother is still heartbroken. I also… don’t want people to look at his face.”

It took me a long time before I finally said "Oh," and even longer before I spoke again. "Aren't you afraid he might also encounter danger on the battlefield?"

The general's face hardened. "Defending the country is what the Ji family should do."

I realized that this person was determined to dedicate himself to the country with all his family and friends, even unto death.

That day, my master and I first looked back from a distance. The mountainous terrain made the military camp no longer visible, but I always remember Ji Feng's quiet face and his occasional smile, which was very warm.

When I think back to the way the Ji family looked at each other, it was all so natural, with each person showing pride in the other.

But I don't think being born into the Ji family is something to be envied.

Unexpectedly, more than a decade later, when the news of the entire Ji family being imprisoned spread throughout the Central Plains, this statement became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

For many years, I have not been to the border, and naturally I have not seen the Ji family members who are stationed there.

After my master passed away, I took charge of Qingcheng. There were many affairs on the mountain, and later I was elected by everyone as the leader of the Three Villages and Nine Sects, so I had no free time at all.

The martial arts world and the imperial court have always kept to themselves. So-called national affairs are of little concern to us martial arts people. Besides, the imperial court has been in turmoil in recent years, and the country is on the verge of collapse. It is not uncommon for the court to change its officials every few years.

But when the Ji family ran into trouble, it truly shocked everyone in the world.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the whole country was shaken.

Even the most ignorant common people will feel a chill in their hearts. Even if they dare not speak out, they will still ask themselves, "Who will guard the frontier from now on?" It's like a dilapidated mansion; no matter how many scars it has inside, the doors are wide open and there is no shelter, which always makes people uneasy.

But these are not within my consideration. The first thing that comes to my mind is the current situation of the Ji family, especially Ji Feng.

I quickly made up my mind: no matter what, I would rush to the capital first and save the person.

I never expected that someone would come knocking on my door before I even set off.

The man was covered in dust from his journey, his face full of worry. When he saw me staring silently at the gold medal for a long time, he became anxious and raised his voice.

"Didn't you say that the Qingcheng Sect would repay any favor upon receiving a gold medal? How come you're so untrustworthy? Do you suspect that my gold medal is fake?"

I looked up at him. "Shouldn't the entire Ji family be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison?"

His dark face flushed crimson, and his voice was so loud it was almost a roar at me, “Yes, I’m not a member of the Ji family. I was just a groom who led the general’s horse. Before the general was taken into custody, he dismissed everyone around him, telling us to find our own way. But I wasn’t afraid of death. If it weren’t for delivering this gold medal, I would have preferred to go to prison with the general. This gold medal was given to me by the madam. She said she and the general didn’t care about life or death, she only hoped that at least one of his children would survive. You don’t remember me? I remember you. That year at the border camp, our general saved your life, and young General Ji Feng also saved your life. Because of you, the young general was almost eaten by a tiger…”

I interrupted him, "Is Ji Feng also in the Heavenly Prison now?"

He was still fuming, but when he spoke again, his eyes were red. "No, our young general has entered the palace to serve as a servant to the emperor's daughter. He's the only one who isn't in the imperial prison."

In that instant, my mind was in complete chaos. Countless fragments rushed towards me with light, only to disappear into darkness even faster. I was speechless for a moment, and finally, just like back then, I could only manage a long "Oh" after a long while.

Over the years, I've been focused on what I believe an author should do, without any distractions. It's not that I haven't paid attention to news about the Ji family, but I always thought that what should be there would always be there, no matter what. But I was wrong.

At least I should have paid more attention to the court's actions toward the Ji family. I overestimated the current emperor, thinking that no matter how absurd he was, he wouldn't destroy his own defenses and puncture himself in front of a powerful enemy.

Because of this oversight, I failed to lend them a helping hand in time, to help my only friend and brother during my lonely and solitary youth.

Qingcheng is remote, so I sent an alliance letter instructing Chengping to lead his men to the capital to make arrangements. I also set off with my men. Chengping is reliable, and he kept sending messages by carrier pigeon along the way. I had someone contact Jifeng. Although the palace is deep, it is not difficult for true masters to enter and leave.

So I soon received a long letter from the monsoon.

This is the first time I've seen his handwriting. Ji Feng has beautiful handwriting, each character has a strong character. The Ji family has many talented people who are good at both literature and martial arts. Unfortunately, war is merciless, and many of his fine sons have died on the battlefield in recent years. The last news I received was that after the eldest and seventh sons, the fifth son also died in a battle with the border barbarians. His horse got stuck in the quicksand river, and he was pierced by a thousand arrows.

Even such a death is better than being betrayed at will by the ruler to whom one is loyal and devoted.