Jiang Xingyan hadn’t expected that the first thing Huo Ci said upon waking would be those words.
She frowned and didn’t respond.
Huo Ci was in agony inside, and he kept rambling on. “Ayan, we originally… originally had a wonderful ending.
You and I were simply made for each other.
You can feel that too, can’t you?
It’s just that someone tampered with our lifelines.
My mother—she was supposed to pass away early, and I wouldn’t have—”
“Huo Ci, that was just—”
“I know, Ayan. You want to say it was just a dream I had while I was unconscious.
But I know it wasn’t!
It definitely wasn’t a dream.
It was something that truly existed—the ending you and I were supposed to have.”
Huo Ci paused, his loose hair falling by his temples, making him look utterly pitiful.
Ever since his rebirth, he had never once opposed Jiang Xingyan so stubbornly.
He was desperate for Jiang Xingyan to believe what he had seen.
“Ayan, it’s okay if you don’t believe me.
When Yun Chunfeng wakes up, you can ask him. He definitely knows what’s going on.”
“Huo Ci.”
“Really, Ayan. I’m not lying to you.
I’ve never lied to you, Ayan.”
Huo Ci’s pain was plain for anyone to see.
But Jiang Xingyan was calm, like a lake that would never ripple again.
“Huo Ci, I believe you.”
She said those three words with utmost seriousness.
Huo Ci’s frantic emotions suddenly settled.
Like a child who had been soothed, his eyes were wet as he stared at Jiang Xingyan.
“I believe that originally, we would have had a wonderful ending.
But you’ve seen it too—that was the original.”
“Ayan…”
“I don’t know what fate is, but I don’t want anything predetermined.
The heavens can only dictate one possibility.
You and I might end up together, with a very happy ending.
Or we might not.
It all depends on our own choices.”
Jiang Xingyan hadn’t wanted to reopen old wounds, but Huo Ci’s obsession left her no choice.
“I made my choice—to be with you. We had Xiaoya.
You were the one who didn’t choose me.
That’s something you need to understand.”
Her tone held no blame or resentment—just a simple statement.
A statement of the fact that she had been abandoned.
The color drained from Huo Ci’s face instantly.
His lips moved, but in the end, he couldn’t say another word.
“Are you two ever going to let me sleep or not?!
If you’re going to wake up, can you wake up together?!
You just had to wait until I’d barely dozed off before another one wakes up.
Give me your hand!”
Huo Ci was startled and instinctively held out his hand.
Sun Yaxiang barely touched his pulse for a moment, then stood up and left without another word.
“No illness. Go ahead and live it up.
I’m going to check on your father now!
And after that, nobody had better disturb my sleep again!”
Jiang Xingyan was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
“Yaxiang really is lively. She’s becoming more and more like Doctor Sun.”
Huo Ci still hadn’t recovered from the earlier sorrow and surprise.
When he saw Jiang Xingyan smile, a mist instantly rose in his eyes.
In Ayan’s life, he had become an insignificant passerby.
He wasn’t even as important as Sun Yaxiang.
“Ayan, I… I want to rest for a while.”
Jiang Xingyan nodded. “Alright. You just woke up, so don’t overthink. Rest well.”
She picked up Xiaoya and turned to leave. When she reached the tent entrance, she suddenly paused.
“I’m grateful that you blocked that hidden weapon for me.
If you ever need anything in the future, I will go through fire and water to repay you for saving my life.”
Huo Ci nodded at Jiang Xingyan, then turned and lay on his side facing away from her.
Bitter tears burst forth like a broken dam, soaking most of the pillow.
Ayan, all we have now is the past.
——–
When Jiang Xingyan arrived at Shangguan Hanshan’s tent, she thought Sun Yaxiang would have gone back long ago.
To her surprise, she saw her pressing down on Shangguan Hanshan’s hand, her expression serious, frowning in silence.
Jiang Xingyan quickened her pace, set Xiaoya down by the bedside, and urgently asked Sun Yaxiang:
“How is he? Is there an antidote for the poison?”
Sun Yaxiang pondered for a long time. “This poison is complex and ever-changing.
It seems like several poisons are tangled together. The antidote for one is the poison for another.
It’s like a chain lock—extremely difficult to unravel!”
A wave of panic surged in Jiang Xingyan’s heart. “I still have the antidote pill.”
Sun Yaxiang shook her head. “Ever since the State Preceptor lost his powers, the antidote pill lost its effectiveness and became just an ordinary pill.”
Jiang Xingyan staggered back in alarm. “H-how could that be?”
Sun Yaxiang quickly tried to comfort her. “Xingyan, don’t panic. I’ve already contained the poison so it won’t invade his heart.
But he needs to be sent back to the capital as soon as possible for my grandfather to treat.
In this world, only my grandfather can cure this poison.”
“Alright! Shadow Guards, where are you?”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three dark figures flashed out from somewhere.
“What are your orders, Princess?”
“Take the Lord of the State back to the Western Zhou and find Doctor Sun Miao to cure the poison.
There’s no time to lose. Depart immediately!”
“Yes!”
Watching the figures carry Shangguan Hanshan on their backs and disappear from sight in mere moments, the awkwardness Jiang Xingyan felt toward Shangguan Hanshan vanished completely.
Father, you must survive. I’ll take you back to Jiangnan, back to Mother’s grave.
When she came back to her senses, Sun Yaxiang had already collapsed over the desk, fast asleep.
These past few days, in order to minimize the casualties among the soldiers, she had barely slept a full night in three days.
Jiang Xingyan gently lifted her and laid her on the bed.
“Rest well.
Tomorrow is my birthday. I’ll treat you properly.”
Jiang Xingyan stepped out of the tent and gave a few instructions to the guarding soldiers. When she turned around, she saw Xin Zhui happily hurrying over.
“Axing, can I take Xiaoya out to play?”
Xiaoya was no longer afraid of strangers now, and she could recognize the uncles who truly cared for her mother. She reached out her little hand and let Xin Zhui pick her up.
Jiang Xingyan took the opportunity to pat her little bottom. “Don’t run off. Stay close to Uncle Xin Zhui.”
“Don’t worry, Mommy. Xiaoya will be careful.”
Xin Zhui held Xiaoya properly, the affection in his eyes utterly pure.
“Oh, by the way, Axing, my birthday was originally on the twenty-seventh of the fourth month. At that time, the two countries were at war, and I was unconscious, so I never brought it up.
I was thinking, tomorrow I could celebrate it together with Axing’s birthday. How about that?”
Before Jiang Xingyan could answer, Xiaoya giggled. “Uncle Xin wants to eat longevity noodles with Mommy.”
Xin Zhui’s face instantly turned red, and he stammered, “Eating longevity noodles together is perfectly normal. Let’s go ride horses quickly.”
He wanted to hurry and take Xiaoya away, but before he had run more than a few steps, Xiaoya shouted at the top of her lungs:
“Uncle Xin also wants to smear the red egg dye on his forehead with Mommy, so they’ll look just like a bride and groom!”
