Dingyuan City was not far from southern Molan, but when winter came, it was oddly cold.

Early in the morning, when Jiang Li walked out of the inn, she couldn’t help but sneeze.

Tong’er hastily draped a cloak over Jiang Li, saying, “Madam must not catch cold. Catching cold while traveling on the road is truly terribly uncomfortable.”

Even though it had already been a year since they married, every time she heard Tong’er call her “madam,” Jiang Li still couldn’t quite adjust. Perhaps this was different from her previous life—after marrying, she had not stayed in the inner quarters like an ordinary woman to support her husband and teach children, but instead traveled through famous mountains and great rivers. The dreams she had not completed in her youth were surprisingly fulfilled after marriage. Thus she felt she was free, still an unmarried young lady, and naturally could not get used to the title “madam.”

“Where is Ji Heng?” Jiang Li asked. When she woke up, Ji Heng was no longer in the room. Baixue came over and said, “His Grace knows you like eating the red bean cake we bought on the road last night. He went early this morning to buy it for you. Hongfu Restaurant’s red bean cakes are only sold ten portions a day. His Grace feared going late and having none left. When this servant woke up today, His Grace was already about to go out.”

Tong’er giggled. “His Grace truly treats Madam very well.”

Jiang Li was also somewhat speechless. If others knew that Ji Heng would actually queue up with commoners early in the morning to buy a portion of red bean cake for her, they would probably think she was lying. However, Jiang Li also understood Ji Heng’s way of doing things. If he went, he would most likely buy all ten portions of red bean cake at once and send them all to her. This kind of thing could actually be done by servants, yet Ji Heng insisted on going himself. It was not that he was being deliberate. In the many past years, Ji Heng had not experienced such an ordinary person’s peaceful life, so during this year when they were on the road, he always tried many new things. Those small matters that were utterly ordinary in others’ eyes were all special to him.

This was very good.

After marrying, Jiang Li once had a conversation with Xue Zhao that Ji Heng happened to overhear. Xue Zhao spoke of his and Jiang Li’s youthful dreams. Xue Zhao hoped to travel the four seas and act as a chivalrous hero, while Jiang Li hoped to go out more and discover life’s countless possibilities.

After Ji Heng heard this, the next day he made a decision to take Jiang Li out traveling.

This seemed very strange to others. Old Madam Ye thought Jiang Li had stayed with Ye Mingyu too long and been influenced by Ye Mingyu. She scolded Ye Mingyu until he was bruised and battered. Ye Mingyu felt very wronged. It was still Xue Huaiyuan who came out to explain, saying this was Jiang Li’s own wish all along.

Xue Huaiyuan understood Jiang Li’s wishes from childhood to adulthood. In this current era, ordinary husbands still found it very difficult to accompany their wives to fulfill their wives’ dreams, but Ji Heng had done it. Even if this decision seemed very absurd in others’ eyes, he thought it was entirely natural. A husband should naturally support his wife and accompany her to do what she wanted to do.

In her previous life, as a wife, she had always been “giving.” Now in this life, she was constantly “being given to.” Sometimes when Jiang Li woke from sleep, she would feel dazed, thinking this was a dream. How could such a good husband exist in this world, yet she had happened to meet him? The two of them were perfectly compatible. His indulgence of her seemed to have no bottom line.

Just as they were speaking, footsteps came from outside. Jiang Li looked up and saw that in the ice and snow, his red robes were especially conspicuous. He came in from outside, his cloak still bearing unmelted snowflakes. He pulled out a large string of oil paper packages from his bosom. This would normally be somewhat comical, but in Jiang Li’s heart at this moment, there was only emotion. She stood on tiptoe and brushed the snowflakes from Ji Heng’s shoulders, saying, “Why did you go out so early and not even know to hold an umbrella?”

“You like them,” he said, gently pressing the oil paper package against Jiang Li’s cheek. Jiang Li felt a wave of warmth spread across her face—they were still hot. She supposed he had come and gone in a hurry, and kept them in his bosom, all to prevent the red bean cakes from cooling before he returned to the inn.

“In the future if I want to eat red bean cakes, I’ll just go buy them myself,” Jiang Li said. “Like this, I dare not say I like eating them.”

Just as she finished this sentence, she heard a noisy voice from outside. “Red bean cakes? Where, where? Xiao Yao, do you want to eat red bean cakes?”

The two looked back and saw Wenren Yao pulling Lin Yao down the stairs of the inn, yawning as he walked. He walked to Jiang Li’s side, making as if to take the oil paper package from Jiang Li’s hands, while saying, “Sister-in-law, how did you know I was hungry? Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”

Ji Heng glanced at him and said, “Wenren Yao.”

Wenren Yao shivered. His reaching motion paused. He stood properly and squeezed out an elegant smile. “What is it, Aheng?”

He was accustomed to playing dumb. Jiang Li smiled and shook her head, took out a red bean cake and stuffed it into Lin Yao’s hands. Lin Yao obediently said, “Thank you, sister.”

“Wenren,” Jiang Li looked at Wenren Yao, “from here to Huyang Mountain, how much longer?”

Wenren Yao looked somewhat longingly at the pastry in Lin Yao’s hands. Only when he heard Jiang Li’s words did he reluctantly withdraw his gaze and said, “Soon. If we travel for another day, before noon tomorrow, we can reach Huyang Mountain.”

“Finally we’re about to arrive,” Jiang Li murmured.

She and Ji Heng went to a new place every year. This winter, they went to Huyang Mountain in Dingyuan City. Why go to Huyang Mountain? It was because Wenren Yao also happened to need to return to his sect to register Lin Yao on the genealogy. Huyang Mountain was where the Fuji Sect was located. Wenren Yao had also not returned for many years.

Jiang Li would not have made a special trip to visit Wenren Yao’s sect. After all, there were countless beautiful scenes in the world that one could not finish seeing. How would she have the leisure to look at the place where Wenren Yao had lived since childhood? The reason for going was that Wenren Yao said that when Ji Heng was small, he had also lived at the Fuji Sect for a very long period. One could say it was also a place where Ji Heng had lived in childhood. Precisely because of these words, Jiang Li wanted to go see. She had missed many parts of Ji Heng’s past. Just as Ji Heng understood her, she also wanted to do her utmost to understand Ji Heng, to fill in the time Ji Heng had spent alone before she appeared.

“The masters of our sect haven’t seen Aheng for many years either,” Wenren Yao said. “Sister-in-law doesn’t know—back then, Aheng was very good-looking. My masters all liked him very much. They almost wanted to accept him as a disciple. But Aheng is someone who never believes in fate and really wasn’t suited to the Fuji Sect. Otherwise, if he had truly entered the sect, when I see him now, I would still have to call him senior martial brother.” Wenren Yao recalled with relish. He was always like this—give him a bit of sunshine and he became brilliant, not knowing when to quit while ahead. Now he had forgotten Ji Heng’s warning glance from just before and spoke of childhood matters.

“Accept disciples just because they look good?” Jiang Li teased. “On this point alone, your masters really are like Ji Heng.” They all equally loved beauty and hated ugliness.

“Tsk tsk tsk, isn’t that so?” Wenren Yao said. “Precisely because the masters favored him, this outsider, they weren’t even as good to their own disciples as they were to Aheng. My martial brothers, both senior and junior, were all very dissatisfied because of this and often caused trouble for Aheng. Once…”

“Wenren Yao.” Ji Heng interrupted his words. “You seem very idle.”

Wenren Yao suddenly shut his mouth and looked at Ji Heng, blinking. “Ahem, actually I’m not very idle either. Xiao Yao, come, follow your master to pack up the luggage. We need to depart soon.”

He actually had no luggage to pack. All along the way, even his clothes were bought at ready-made clothing shops using Ji Heng’s money. It was nothing more than finding an excuse to slip away. But Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng. Ji Heng raised an eyebrow and said, “Why aren’t you eating the red bean cake?”

Jiang Li picked up a red bean cake and tasted it. It was sweet. She held it to Ji Heng’s mouth. Ji Heng took a bite from her hand, almost licking her fingertips. Tong’er and Baixue were so embarrassed their faces turned completely red. They turned their heads away. Jiang Li glared at him.

He looked as if nothing was wrong and even had the mind to tease her here. But Jiang Li remembered very clearly—just now Ji Heng had interrupted Wenren Yao’s words. What had he interrupted? What did he not want her to know? At that moment, he had clearly been somewhat displeased.

A past he was unwilling to let people know about? Jiang Li fell into deep thought.

…

After breakfast, everyone set out together for Huyang Mountain. The mountain paths of Huyang Mountain were difficult to traverse. The carriage traveled especially slowly. Jiang Li sat in the carriage, listening to Wenren Yao speak of interesting incidents from his childhood at the sect, finding them quite lively. However, she noticed that in the stories Wenren Yao recounted, he almost never mentioned Ji Heng. Logically, Ji Heng had also lived here for a long time, and they were all children. No matter what, there should be Ji Heng’s shadow. Jiang Li did not know if Wenren Yao had forgotten or if there were other reasons, so she asked directly.

Wenren Yao waved his hand. “Aheng was so unsociable back then. Aside from me, he didn’t pay attention to any of those martial brothers. The martial sisters did like him very much, but he never gave them a pleasant expression either. After a long time, everyone stopped calling him either.”

Was that so? Jiang Li always felt something was not quite right, but could not say what exactly was wrong. Ji Heng seemed lackadaisical about childhood matters and did not follow Wenren Yao’s words to continue speaking, instead bringing up other topics. Jiang Li understood his meaning. Since he did not want to speak of it, she would not ask.

By the second day, true to what Wenren Yao had said before, before noon they arrived at Huyang Mountain’s “Fuji Sect.”

The Fuji Sect looked like it had all the characteristics of a dwelling place for worldly immortals, located at a mountain peak. Because the terrain was very high, clouds and mist swirled around, as if in a paradise. When Jiang Li’s party arrived, two young boys were sweeping at the entrance. Wenren Yao walked down. The two young boys were startled and asked, “Who are you?”

Wenren Yao smiled and displayed a colored tassel at his waist—probably their sect’s insignia. When the young boys saw it, they said, “Grand Master, Grand Master! Junior martial uncle has returned!”

Junior martial uncle—hearing such a title applied to Wenren Yao, Jiang Li was still somewhat unaccustomed. Before long, the two young boys came out supporting an elderly white-haired man from inside. This old man looked kindly with an immortal bearing. Seeing Wenren Yao, he was stunned for a moment and said, “Ayao, it really is you. You’ve come back.”

“Isn’t that so?” Wenren Yao said proudly. “I came back specifically to see you, Master. I’ve also taken a little disciple. Look, this is Lin Yao. This time I brought him back to register him on the genealogy. Disciple, come over and meet your grand master.”

Lin Yao stepped forward, looked at the old man, and said, “Grand Master.”

The old man patted Lin Yao’s head and smiled. “Good, good. Well-behaved.” After looking at Lin Yao for a while, his gaze fell on Jiang Li and Ji Heng. When he saw Ji Heng, his gaze froze.

“Master, Aheng has also come back this time. You don’t know—Aheng has even married now. This is Aheng’s wife, Jiang Li, formerly the second young miss of Chief Minister Jiang’s family. Sister-in-law, this is my master, Daoist Master Jingxuan.”

Jiang Li stepped forward to bow. “Master Jingxuan.”

Daoist Master Jingxuan looked at Jiang Li, extremely moved, and said, “Good, all good.” His gaze lingered even longer on Ji Heng, saying, “Aheng, so many years have passed. You’ve grown up.”

“Sister-in-law, the one I mentioned before who wanted to entice Aheng into our sect just because he looked good—that was my great master. Master valued Aheng so much back then, protecting him in everything. Aheng and Master also had a very good relationship. At that time, because of this matter, I almost ran away from home, thinking Aheng was going to steal my rice bowl and not wanting to play with him anymore.”

Jiang Li noticed that Ji Heng’s expression softened considerably when he saw Daoist Master Jingxuan. It could be seen that, just as Wenren Yao said, when Ji Heng was at the Fuji Sect, he received much care from Daoist Master Jingxuan and was indeed closer to him than to others.

“Ah, Master, we’ve traveled for a long time and are truly hungry. Do you still have food? Let’s go inside and talk while eating.” Wenren Yao muttered. He was already somewhat childish, and now before Daoist Master Jingxuan, he became even more like a small child. Even Lin Yao looked more mature than him.

Daoist Master Jingxuan also truly cared for his juniors and did not scold Wenren Yao, only smiling and saying, “Good. We were just about to eat. Aheng, Miss Jiang, please come in together. The food is simple—I hope you won’t mind.”

Jiang Li only said she would not.

Several people walked into the Fuji Sect together. The Fuji Sect looked more like a Daoist temple, with immortals enshrined in the hall. However, the entire sect was cold, quiet, and empty. A black water buffalo lay at the entrance, raised its eyes to glance at the group, lazily swished its tail, and then did not move. Aside from the two young boys sweeping at the entrance at the beginning, in the entire sect, there was surprisingly no one else.

Jiang Li asked, “Master Jingxuan, where did the other people of the Fuji Sect go?”

“Other people?” Daoist Master Jingxuan was first stunned, then smiled. He said, “There are no other people. Zhenyi and Shuiying are the last two grand-disciples I accepted. The Fuji Sect’s fortunes are running out. My disciples have either died or gone down the mountain to travel. Now here, there are only the three of us.” Seeing Jiang Li’s expression, he explained with a smile, “Miss Jiang need not feel sad for this old man. Prosperity at its peak leads to decline—this has been the principle since ancient times. The Fuji Sect had its prosperous times. That it has declined in my generation is very natural. In the future with Ayao to carry on, one day it will restore the former grand scenes. This is the law of cycles.”

This master truly thought openly about it. Jiang Li could not help but feel admiration. Several people arrived at the dining hall. The food was all simple light dishes. It was said that all were grains and vegetables planted by Daoist Master Jingxuan and the two young grand-disciples themselves. During the meal, Daoist Master Jingxuan asked about many events that had occurred to Ji Heng and Wenren Yao over these years. Wenren Yao was fine—he returned every three to five years. But Ji Heng had truly not been seen again since parting many years ago. Learning that Old General Ji had died, Daoist Master Jingxuan also let out a long sigh.

“When your grandfather entrusted you to me back then, it still seems like yesterday. Now old friends have all departed,” Daoist Master Jingxuan sighed. “Seeing you today, I don’t know if in this life there will be another chance to see you again.”

“Master, we’re eating properly. Why say such inauspicious things?” Wenren Yao was displeased. “Those who don’t know would think you’re cursing Aheng.”

“You brat.” Daoist Master Jingxuan pretended to be angry. “You speak nonsense all day. How can you be a master to others!”

“Hey, my disciple is much more obedient than your disciples.” Wenren Yao was triumphant.

Ji Heng looked at the scene of them squabbling before him, only smiling faintly. But Jiang Li could see he was happier than usual and finally felt at ease.

After saying some more words, Wenren Yao needed to take Lin Yao to register on the genealogy. Daoist Master Jingxuan had Ji Heng take Jiang Li to look around the area.

Jiang Li followed Ji Heng out. At the peak of Huyang Mountain, there was only this one sect location. The entire mountain had few people. Precisely because human traces were rare, the scenery was extraordinarily beautiful. Forested valleys, steep peaks. As Jiang Li walked, she inquired of Ji Heng, and Ji Heng answered one by one. Back then, the young masters of the Fuji Sect learned their arts here. They learned divination and spirit-writing, but also learned mechanisms and hidden weapons, martial arts and medicine—each had their focus.

Old General Ji, when Ji Heng was four or five years old, had placed Ji Heng here, letting Ji Heng stay for a full three years. Those were the most insane years for Lin Roujia. To prevent them from making a move against Ji Heng, Old General Ji thought to hide Ji Heng here. At the foot of Huyang Mountain were mystical formations. Ordinary people walking up the mountain would get lost. Others could not discover Ji Heng’s whereabouts.

“Then what did you learn here?” Jiang Li asked.

“Political stratagems, the way of employing people,” Ji Heng answered.

Jiang Li thought about it and understood. Later, Ji Heng had balanced the three powers of Prince Cheng, the Jiang family, and Emperor Hongxiao very well all along. It turned out that at such a young age, he had already begun learning these things.

Jiang Li walked to the lakeside. The lake water on the mountain had long frozen over, a vast expanse of white. Occasionally white-feathered birds stood in the grass at the shore, making chirping sounds. Jiang Li said, “When I first woke up, it was because Second Miss Jiang learned the marriage arrangement was stolen and threw herself into a lake. Thinking about it now, it truly feels like a dream.”

Because Second Miss Jiang threw herself in the lake, her fragrant soul disappeared without a trace, but by strange coincidence, this allowed Jiang Li to become Second Miss Jiang.

“When I was small, I also almost died in a lake,” Ji Heng said. “Speaking of it this way, we truly are fated.”

Jiang Li was startled. “You? You also accidentally fell into a lake?”

“You could say so.” The corner of his mouth curved up as he said with a smile, “It was this lake.”

“What do you mean ‘you could say so’?” Jiang Li frowned. “Either it is or it isn’t.”

“In my view, it isn’t. In others’ view, it is,” Ji Heng said. “So I say ‘you could say so.'”

Jiang Li carefully pondered the meaning in his words and suddenly understood. “You were framed? Someone pushed you into the lake, but no one admitted it, saying you fell into the lake yourself?”

Ji Heng smiled. “Very clever, little girl.”

After marrying, he still liked to call Jiang Li “little girl,” appearing especially doting and intimate.

Hearing this, Jiang Li did not have his good mentality and said angrily, “Who would do such a thing? It’s too much!” Precisely because Ji Heng always appeared very strong, learning of Ji Heng’s heavy past made one feel especially heartbroken. Now knowing someone had bullied the young Ji Heng like this, Jiang Li became even more indignant.

Ji Heng smiled and said, “It’s nothing. It’s all in the past.”

Jiang Li frowned. She recalled the words Wenren Yao had said and asked hesitantly, “It wasn’t those martial brothers, was it?”

Ji Heng did not deny it.

Children are the most innocent. Therefore, when they harbor malice, they are also the most terrifying. Because in many cases, they fundamentally do not understand what they are doing, nor do they understand how much harm they will cause another person.

Jiang Li grasped Ji Heng’s hand. Ji Heng raised an eyebrow and said, “It’s fine, Ali.” He in turn comforted her. Jiang Li really could not bear to inquire further into those details, to make Ji Heng recall past injuries once more. To him, that would be too cruel.

“Just consider that they were jealous of me. After all, they truly were very ugly,” Ji Heng said unhurriedly. “Thinking of it this way, will you feel a bit happier?”

Was it merely this? Jiang Li did not think so. When Wenren Yao brought up the past, Ji Heng had shown unwillingness to discuss it or recall it. She feared this matter’s harm to Ji Heng was far more serious than the casual understatement he was displaying now.

Exactly why those martial brothers bullied Ji Heng like that was unclear, but perhaps precisely because of their harm, in the formation of Ji Heng’s character afterward, he became especially ruthless and merciless. Wenren Yao still returned to the Fuji Sect every few years, but Ji Heng did not like coming back. She feared that aside from not wanting to see those martial brothers, he also did not want to see that past self who was weak and bullied by others.

Jiang Li did not know what to say. She hugged Ji Heng’s arm and said, “If I had been present then, I definitely would have protected you.”

Ji Heng laughed. “You were present? Ali, at that time, you were still a little baby who couldn’t even walk.”

Jiang Li thought about herself at that time—indeed, saying such words was somewhat laughable. But she still stubbornly said, “If I could return to the past, I would definitely help you chase them away, then have you come with me, and never let you be bullied again.”

She naturally knew these were just joking words, such a thing would not happen. However, she just said it—it seemed that only by saying it out loud could her heart feel a bit better. Ji Heng said, “Alright then. Legend has it there are immortals on Huyang Mountain who can fulfill people’s wishes. Perhaps they heard your words and will specially let you return to my childhood to help me vent my anger once.”

Jiang Li raised her fist. “I’ll find Azhao’s slingshot and shoot them all away!”

Ji Heng smiled and ruffled her hair. “My, what a terrifying fierce wife.”

Seeing Ji Heng speak and speak until he seemed to completely emerge from that gloomy mood, she finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, she was still uncomfortable, as if there was a blockage in her chest. Even at night when she went to bed together with Ji Heng, she was still thinking about this matter.

Huyang Mountain’s terrain was high, so at night it was especially cold. Jiang Li slept halfway through when, in a daze, she did not know what time it was, but suddenly heard the sounds of children playing noisily outside, mixed with several sounds like curses. Jiang Li opened her eyes and sat up. Looking back at her side, there was no sign of Ji Heng. The bedding was neat and tidy, as if from beginning to end there had only been her alone.

She was stunned for a moment. She should have first gone to look for Ji Heng, but somehow, hearing the sounds outside, she was inexplicably compelled to put on her outer garment and walk out of the room.

Outside the door, moonlight was like water, but the thick snow from daytime had all disappeared. It was more like late autumn or early winter—there was already coldness, but not yet to the point of severe cold. The surroundings were very quiet, with only the wind, yet the sounds of children’s laughter and play entered her ears so clearly.

Jiang Li walked forward without hesitation toward where the sounds originated, not feeling afraid in her heart, only feeling as if someone in the unseen realm was leading her forward. As she walked and walked, she felt this path looked extraordinarily familiar, as if it was the very road she had walked with Ji Heng during the day.

After walking for who knows how long, she saw a huge lake. The lake water rippled with coolness—unlike during the day when it had frozen into ice. Standing by the lakeside was a group of young boys.

These young boys all appeared to be six or seven years old. The oldest would not exceed ten. They wore white robes and white pants, their hair uniformly bound with blue ribbons, appearing like the dress of one sect. Among them stood a five or six-year-old boy. That boy was born extremely delicate and beautiful, with red lips and white teeth, almost not seeming like a person of the mortal realm. It was hard to imagine that at such a young age his features would be so vivid. He was different from the other boys—he did not wear white robes and white pants, but instead wore a red narrow-sleeved small robe that made his skin appear even more fair. Under the moonlight, he seemed like a celestial child descended from some immortal mountain to play, or like flowers and plants that had gained sentience and become a beautiful flower spirit.

The boy in the lead said, “His mother was a woman from a brothel, not a good person. He’s not a good person either! Ji Heng, get out of the Fuji Sect!”

Ji Heng? Jiang Li’s heart shook tremendously. How could this be Ji Heng? She carefully examined the features of the small boy in red robes before her. Those amber eyes already had their beautiful shape. The small red mole beneath his eyes remained the same as always. This was indeed Ji Heng, but he appeared to be five or six-year-old little Ji Heng.

How could she be seeing five or six-year-old little Ji Heng? Jiang Li also called out Ji Heng’s name once, but Ji Heng did not answer her. Those boys also seemed unable to see Jiang Li.

Just then, little Ji Heng let out a cold laugh. Standing without moving, he said, “My mother is not a bad person. You are the bad people. If you want me to get lost, go tell Daoist Master Jingxuan yourselves. I don’t want to stay here anyway. A bunch of worthless people!”

At such a young age, his face was frosty, his body stood straight, but Jiang Li seemed able to see through his defiant eyes to the sadness hidden in the shadows.

He was merely a child, but seemed already accustomed to this, having experienced it many, many times. These martial brothers, no matter what reason they could not stand Ji Heng, to secretly bully him at night behind the masters’ backs was truly detestable.

Hearing this, the others were naturally furious. Among them, a slightly older youth stepped forward directly and pushed Ji Heng hard. Little Ji Heng was still young, without much strength. With a “plop,” he fell into the lake.

Those boys laughed uproariously on the shore, watching his wretched appearance before strutting away, leaving only little Ji Heng struggling in the lake. Jiang Li could do nothing. She anxiously ran to the lakeside. She reached out to touch the water surface—the lake water was ice-cold and bone-piercing. Ji Heng struggled and swam toward the shore with all his might. In her urgency, Jiang Li reached out to pull him. Just at this moment, she suddenly discovered she could actually grasp Ji Heng. Delighted, she grabbed Ji Heng’s sleeve and pulled him up.

Little Ji Heng climbed onto the shore. He was drenched all over, shivering slightly from the cold. Yet he still looked at Jiang Li warily and asked, “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

“I…” Jiang Li was at a loss for words. She had not expected Ji Heng would be able to see her, but she herself could not figure out what exactly was going on. At this time, Ji Heng did not recognize her. Before she could speak, she heard Ji Heng ask, “Are you someone Wenren arranged?”

Jiang Li was momentarily surprised. Only then did she remember that in the group just now, she had not seen Wenren Yao’s figure. It seemed that usually only Wenren Yao took extra care of Ji Heng, so this time he thought she was someone Wenren Yao had found.

“Yes,” Jiang Li said. “He had me come see how you are. How are you?” After saying this, she took off her outer garment and draped it over little Ji Heng. Ji Heng’s body stiffened as he looked at her, suspicious and strange.

“What’s going on with you?” Jiang Li asked gently. “Why did those people treat you like that just now?”

Ji Heng snorted coldly. “A bunch of fools. It’s just jealousy at work.”

He was merely a child, yet seemed to understand human nature thoroughly. Jiang Li asked, “You’ll just let it go like this? Won’t you tell Daoist Master Jingxuan?”

“No need,” Ji Heng interrupted her words. “I’m already used to it.” He got up from the ground. Jiang Li helped him a bit. This feeling was somewhat strange—that tall man had now become a pink jade-carved child. Ji Heng at this time was quite different from the later Ji Heng. If it were the current Ji Heng, if someone dared to humiliate him like this, he would probably return it a hundredfold. But the little Ji Heng before her eyes was different. He was probably considering Daoist Master Jingxuan—after all, one palm cannot clap alone, and he could not make things difficult for Daoist Master Jingxuan.

At such a young age, he thought quite deeply.

Jiang Li’s heart ached. She reached out and took his hand. Ji Heng’s hand was also very cold. He looked at Jiang Li and asked, “Who exactly are you?”

This child was truly strange. He did not call Jiang Li “sister,” but repeatedly called her “you,” yet did not make Jiang Li feel it was disagreeable. Jiang Li just said, “Who do you think I am?”

“You don’t seem like someone Wenren found,” little Ji Heng said. “Are you an immortal?”

Such a cute question—only the childhood Ji Heng could ask it. Jiang Li said, “Yes, I am an immortal. I saw someone bullying you from heaven and really couldn’t bear it, so I came to help you.”

Little Ji Heng turned his head away. “I don’t need anyone’s help. Having myself is enough.”

“By your side, there isn’t only yourself. I am also someone by your side,” Jiang Li’s voice became increasingly gentle, as if coaxing a child. She said, “For example, today, those children harmed you, and you just let them go like this. I really feel very uncomfortable.”

Ji Heng turned his head and asked, “Then what do you want to do?”

“You’re soaked all over. Let’s go light a fire and warm you up. I heard that in your Fuji Sect, every morning you must check homework, and those who don’t complete their homework will be punished by the masters. You cannot discipline them, so let the masters discipline them. Let’s go steal all their homework and then use it to light a fire.”

Little Ji Heng stared at her dumbfounded. This method was originally Xue Zhao’s usual trick when being mischievous. In those years, Xue Fangfei had scolded him countless times for it. Who would have thought that now she would actively do this very thing? She did not know if this was a dream or reality, but those children could not be beaten or scolded. Just letting them be so unscrupulous also made Jiang Li very angry, so she could only use a child’s method to solve it.

Seeing Ji Heng’s dazed appearance, Jiang Li let out a “pfft” of laughter and said, “Let’s go now.”

Little Ji Heng was almost dragged by Jiang Li to do these things. For some unknown reason, those martial brothers and junior martial brothers, since just now, had never appeared again. Jiang Li pulled Ji Heng to steal all the homework they had left in the study, ran to Jiang Li’s own room, and burned it all to cinders in one fire. Jiang Li even dug up two sweet potatoes, placed them in the fire to roast until cooked, and handed them to Ji Heng.

Ji Heng stared blankly at everything Jiang Li did, as if shocked. For a long while he could not say anything else. Aside from Wenren Yao and the masters like Daoist Master Jingxuan, he had never had much interaction with people his own age. He also did not want to pay attention to those martial sisters—they were not people from the same world to begin with. But today, being with this strange woman Jiang Li, inexplicably, he did not feel much resistance, as if bewitched.

“Why are you helping me?” Little Ji Heng took the hot roasted sweet potato Jiang Li handed over. He did not immediately take a bite, but asked hesitantly.

“I am an immortal. I like you,” Jiang Li said.

Little Ji Heng’s face flushed slightly, as if he did not know what to say. After a while, he asked again, “Are you really an immortal? Will you go back afterward?”

Jiang Li was startled. In Ji Heng’s gaze at her, there was faintly a trace of expectation. Her heart suddenly felt some reluctance. She said gently, “I do have to go back.”

Little Ji Heng was immediately disappointed.

“But you needn’t worry. We will meet again in the future,” Jiang Li said softly. “After that meeting, I will always stay by your side and never leave again.”

“In the future?” Little Ji Heng asked. “When is that?”

“In the future, you will become a very, very high official, and you will also become very, very good-looking. You will fight a war that makes you famous throughout the realm. You will be revered by the common people. The things you want to do will all be accomplished. The people you want to see, you will see them all.” Jiang Li smiled and said, “You are not doing well now and are very sad. That’s alright. In the future, everything will get better. I will also walk to your side. When that day comes, you will discover that all the suffering of the past was worth it. Please wait patiently.”

These words—she did not know if Ji Heng understood them. He looked at Jiang Li in confusion and finally said, “Will it get better in the future?”

Jiang Li said, “It will get better.”

After saying this sentence, she felt her body becoming light and airy. Everything before her became blurred. Little Ji Heng’s figure also gradually became unclear. She heard a young child’s tender voice, yet also like an adult man’s deep alluring voice. The two voices overlapped, impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion. Little Ji Heng asked, “What is your name?”

She said, “Jiang Li.”

…

The sound of roosters crowing outside still rang in her ears. Jiang Li suddenly opened her eyes. The sky was bright. Everything from last night was merely a dream.

She lay in Ji Heng’s embrace. Looking up, she could see his beautiful features. She reached out her hand, tracing Ji Heng’s brows and eyes. So this was what Ji Heng looked like as a child?

A hand grasped her fingers. The man smiled and said, “Awake?”

He opened his eyes, which still carried the languid look of just waking. Jiang Li was eager to share that wondrous dream with him and said, “I just had a dream…”

“I had a dream last night…”

The two spoke in unison, then both froze.

“I dreamed I saw you as a child…”

Ji Heng curved his lips. “You took me to do bad things, Ali.”

They had the exact same dream? Jiang Li was so shocked she could not speak. After a long while she said, “What’s going on?”

“I told you,” Ji Heng said. “There are immortals on Huyang Mountain. What you said yesterday, perhaps the immortals heard it and specially sent a dream to let you get your wish.”

“If I could return to the past, I would definitely help you chase them away, then have you come with me, and never let you be bullied again.” Yesterday’s words floated in her ears again. Jiang Li stared blankly. “But you didn’t come with me.”

“How could that be?” Ji Heng said. “Haven’t I been walking all along?”

Perhaps in the unseen realm, it was just like this. From that real or illusory dream, she appeared like an immortal, giving him a moment of warmth. Later, just like this, under fate’s guidance, step by step, until one day, he walked to her side.

Perhaps from that time on, everything began to get better.