“To actually dare bully someone who’s mine—your courage truly isn’t small.”
After saying this, the man and woman before him suddenly lunged at Ji Heng!
They probably wanted to strike while Ji Heng was off guard and kill him. The young man’s smile turned cold. Between the opening and closing of his fan, he blocked the silver gleam rushing at him. That fan of his, made of who knows what material, looked clearly soft and delicate yet was impervious to weapons. Even the opponent’s blade couldn’t pierce through. The next moment, that fan had already lightly swept across the necks of these two people, like a butterfly kissing a newly bloomed peach blossom, gentle as a breeze.
All of this happened too quickly. Almost no one could see Ji Heng’s movements clearly, yet he had already withdrawn his fan and stood before the two people, smiling lazily and indifferently. The man and woman still maintained their previous movements, a line of blood across their necks, before they fell with a thud.
Killed in one strike.
Jiang Li struggled to look ahead, only feeling that the crimson figure standing before her inexplicably brought peace of mind. He turned his head to look at Jiang Li, his brows slightly furrowed, as if mocking. “So cunning, yet you fell into someone else’s hands.”
Jiang Li felt very wronged.
Though Ji Heng said this, he bent down wanting to help Jiang Li up. When he grasped Jiang Li’s arm, he seemed to only then discover that Jiang Li had been drugged and her entire body was soft and weak. He clicked his tongue and could only extend his arm around Jiang Li’s shoulder, lifting Jiang Li up horizontally in his arms.
His build was tall and he carried the delicate girl effortlessly. Jiang Li’s clothing had been torn ragged by that man, but fortunately Ji Heng’s robe was wide and could wrap her up tightly. He held Jiang Li and stepped over the corpses of the man and woman on the ground, as if extremely disgusted, afraid of being contaminated by even a bit of blood.
The server and innkeeper downstairs at that inn had long since fled in fear upon hearing the commotion. There wasn’t a single person outside. Ji Heng carried Jiang Li out and walked outside to the street. Such a beautiful man standing on the street drew the gazes of passing pedestrians. He sighed, as if finding this very troublesome. She didn’t know how he had come over—there was no carriage, no sedan chair. He could only hold Jiang Li and slowly walk forward along the street.
Though she knew her face was still covered with a veil and had red spots, even if people outside saw Ji Heng holding a young lady, they wouldn’t recognize who he was holding. But being held in a man’s arms before strangers still made Jiang Li blush, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Shen Yurun was someone who strictly observed propriety and considered himself a gentleman. Even when they were together under the moonlight and flowers, he never did anything improper. Even after they were married, Shen Yurun would definitely not hold Xue Fangfei’s hand in public. She didn’t think anything of it at the time and even found this rigidity endearing.
Ji Heng was a completely different person from Shen Yurun. He was somewhat similar to Xue Zhao, except Xue Zhao had the recklessness of youth. Ji Heng was naturally no longer a youth. The reason he was so unrestrained was simply because he liked to do things according to his own wishes, without any scruples.
Jiang Li suspected Ji Heng had never held anyone before, because his posture holding Jiang Li was like holding a small child. Jiang Li could see the night dark as ink, the lamps along the way slowly lighting up. This was unfamiliar Huangzhou, but probably because Ji Heng was there, it didn’t seem frightening at all.
Ji Heng didn’t care about others’ gazes either. Rather, his appearance was too dazzling to look at directly. Others would look a few times then have to lower their heads, especially the young ladies passing by on the street. They were bolder, staring directly at Ji Heng without even minding that Ji Heng held a young lady in his arms.
After walking for who knows how long, Jiang Li felt Ji Heng stop before a residence. He knocked on the door. Very soon someone came to open it. When the door opened, a familiar voice rang out. “My Lord… Eh? Second Miss Jiang?”
This was Zhao Ke’s voice.
Jiang Li was very surprised. She had become such a sight, yet Zhao Ke could still recognize her. Immediately after, Zhao Ke said again, “My Lord, did you go out tonight to find Second Miss Jiang? How did you find Second Miss Jiang? How did she get to Huangzhou? Did she come on her own? Did she come chasing after you?”
Ji Heng said, “In her condition, does she look like she chased after me on her own?”
Jiang Li: “…”
Zhao Ke scratched his head and said, “Doesn’t really look like it.”
“Less nonsense,” Ji Heng said impatiently. “Let’s go inside first.”
Jiang Li was carried by Ji Heng back into the room. This residence wasn’t very large but was very clean and tidy, like the home of a local Huangzhou family. She didn’t know where Ji Heng had found it, but Jiang Li knew he was always capable and didn’t pay it much mind.
After she was placed on the bed, the room lit up brightly, and immediately a clamor of voices rang out from far to near. Jiang Li had just been drugged, and with their commotion, she felt dizzy and faint again.
Lu Ji and Wenren Yao walked in.
Lu Ji saw Jiang Li and said in surprise, “Second Miss Jiang, how are you here?”
Wenren Yao said, “Isn’t everyone in Yan Capital currently searching for Second Miss Jiang’s whereabouts? Thought she was abducted by bandits? Could it be Second Miss Jiang that you came to Huangzhou following us?”
Wenren Yao’s brain was probably the same as Zhao Ke’s, and her thoughts weren’t far off either. Jiang Li had no strength to move and couldn’t speak, so she could only look toward Ji Heng, hoping Ji Heng understood her meaning.
Ji Heng glanced at her and reached out to grasp her wrist, probably taking her pulse, then said, “She’s been given Muscle-Softening Powder.”
“Oh my.” Wenren Yao was startled. “When we left, we borrowed medicine from Situ, but there doesn’t seem to be an antidote for Muscle-Softening Powder.”
Lu Ji shook his head. “No need for an antidote. Muscle-Softening Powder only lasts twelve hours. After twelve hours, it naturally resolves. Just don’t know how long ago Miss Jiang took the medicine.” He looked toward Jiang Li.
Jiang Li couldn’t speak.
“Ah!” Wenren Yao seemed to finally react. “Why hasn’t Second Miss Jiang been speaking? Could she have been given mute poison!”
Ji Heng frowned and looked at her for a while, then reached out to press on her pressure points twice. Jiang Li didn’t feel it very clearly, only felt her throat lighten with a sense of breaking free from restraints. When she opened her mouth again, she could make sounds.
“Duke.” Probably because she hadn’t spoken for so long, her voice was hoarse. Also because she’d been given Muscle-Softening Powder, it was weak and soft. She said, “Thank you, Duke, for saving my life.”
Wenren Yao looked at Ji Heng, then at Jiang Li, and asked, “Second Miss Jiang, you didn’t follow us here on your own?”
“I was abducted and brought south all the way here.” Jiang Li’s mind was clearer now. She said, “I heard the people who abducted me say it was Prince Cheng’s orders.”
“Prince Cheng?” Lu Ji pondered for a moment. “Is this revenge for Princess Yongning’s matter?”
Jiang Li said, “It should be so.”
The room was quiet for a while. Wenren Yao looked at Ji Heng with puzzlement again. “Then how did Aheng find you? We’ve been together the whole time. I didn’t see you call to him for help.”
“Actually, at noon today, at a tavern, while eating, I heard Wen Ji and Zhao Ke talking. But at the time I couldn’t speak or move and had no way to signal. When I came out, I saw the Duke’s sedan chair.” Jiang Li paused here. “I tried to make the Duke recognize me and fell down, but there seemed to be no one in the sedan chair. Actually, I don’t understand either—how did the Duke discover me?”
Ji Heng smiled and said, “I was in the sedan chair.”
The several people in the room froze.
“When you fell, your jade pendant also fell to the ground. I’ve heard the sound of your jade pendant falling. That jade carved with a civet cat has a very distinctive sound,” he said.
Jiang Li was stunned. She truly hadn’t thought it was because of a jade pendant. But thinking about it now, Ji Heng had indeed once picked up her jade pendant that fell on the ground. Speaking of which, this civet cat jade hadn’t been confiscated by that man and woman. Perhaps because they thought this jade pendant had no offensive capability, or perhaps because this civet cat jade was of average quality and not worth much silver, they were too lazy to take it.
Yet it barely saved her life.
“The Duke… knew it was me just from the sound of the jade pendant falling?” Jiang Li asked.
“Don’t underestimate Aheng’s ears,” Wenren Yao familiarly placed her hand on Ji Heng’s shoulder. “Not only does Aheng practice martial arts and have exceptional hearing, when he was young he even studied opera. People who study opera can distinguish very clearly the subtle differences in sounds. To us, jade pendants falling on the ground all sound the same. To him, there’s a distinction between distinctive and not distinctive.”
Ji Heng said, “Wenren Yao.”
Wenren Yao’s smugness came to an abrupt halt. She immediately stood up and said, “Well then, I’ll go out for a bit. Second Miss definitely hasn’t eaten anything, right? I’ll go find something to eat.”
Lu Ji said, “Miss Jiang, does your body feel unwell? If you’re unwell, we can find a physician now…”
“No need, Lu Ji, you go out first,” Ji Heng said.
Lu Ji paused, becoming aware of something. His gaze turned between Ji Heng and Jiang Li before he withdrew. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji also left.
Only Ji Heng and Jiang Li remained in the room.
Ji Heng helped Jiang Li sit up again, having her lean against the bed, and casually removed her veil. His movements were extremely natural, yet Jiang Li’s heart skipped a beat, feeling somewhat at a loss.
She had seen her face in a bronze mirror and reflected in water bowls—covered all over with red marks, extremely frightening, looking like an evil spirit. No matter what, she was still a woman. Having a perfectly good face become like this, her heart always felt stifled. Especially before Ji Heng—Jiang Li still remembered that this Duke loved beauty and hated ugliness. Even the servants in his mansion had to be handsome. Seeing herself in this state, wouldn’t she be even more detested?
She felt very flustered inside, yet couldn’t move. She could only lower her eyes. Out of sight, out of mind. Not seeing what expression Ji Heng had, she wouldn’t care. A sense of defiant resignation arose in her heart, yet she didn’t know why she was so conflicted about this matter.
“Why are you hiding from me?” Ji Heng raised his eyebrows. “Don’t dare to look at me?”