HXC Chapter53

In the vast white fog, the hazy figure of a bridge was barely visible. Ji Zhen walked in this unfamiliar place with extremely low visibility, feeling panicked. He pushed aside the mist, yet he still couldn’t see the face of the person in the white haze, so he raised his voice and asked, “Who are you?”

 

That person was wearing a wide robe the same color as the clouds and fog. As they slowly turned around, a bloody color, like a slithering snake, wrapped around them from all directions, instantly dyeing the white robe crimson, like a brocade robe for a new marriage. The lower robe was embroidered with two lifelike twin lotus flowers, but perhaps due to being battered by wind and rain, the red lotus petals were drooping weakly, as if they would wither at any moment.

 

Ji Zhen was scared out of his wits by the scene and turned to run, but a red silk ribbon wrapped around his neck from behind, forcefully dragging him onto the bridge. He struggled desperately, but his limbs were out of his control, and he ended up bowing to the young man.

 

As the couple performed the marital bows, he tremblingly raised his eyes and finally met a pair of peach blossom eyes that seemed both affectionate and emotionless.

 

Two lines of bloody tears meandered down his cheeks. “Ji Zhen, you’re the one who wanted to marry me. Don’t even think about backing out.”

 

Two towering red candles suddenly lit up in the white fog, the eerie scene no different from a ghost marriage—”Even if I die, I will never abandon this marriage contract.”

 

“Enough…” Ji Zhen thrashed his body, sat up with a gasp, and felt a cold sweat soak his inner clothes, dripping all the way down his spine.

 

He sat on the soft bed, breathing heavily and unable to escape from the bizarre nightmare for a long time.

 

The long arrow that had pierced Shen Yanching’s shoulder flashed before his eyes again. Ji Zhen evasively covered his face, not daring to think about the possible meaning behind the dream anymore.

 

Ji Jue’s voice sounded from outside the tent. “Zhen Zhen, are you awake? Yunyu said he’d take you to the market.”

 

Ji Zhen cleared his throat. “I’m coming.”

 

He composed himself, got dressed, and went out. Ji Jue and Jiang Yunyu were waiting for him outside, and both looked over when they saw him.

 

What made Ji Zhen curious was Jiang Yunyu’s attire today. The man was wearing a black and gold brocade robe full of embroidered patterns and a golden forehead ornament inlaid with tiny colorful jade stones on his smooth forehead. A few strands of his hair were braided into small plaits, wrapped with thin red and blue ropes. At a glance, he had both the uninhibited spirit of the northern desert and the aristocratic air of a Central Plains youth.

 

Ji Zhen stepped forward, walked around Jiang Yunyu, and took another look. He asked, “Are these the clothes from the northern desert?”

 

Jiang Yunyu spread his arms generously. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. How does it look?”

 

Ji Zhen, copying how he interacted with the soldiers by punched him on the shoulder. “The Young General has a fine figure.”

 

The two of them mostly bickered or contradicted each other, so with Ji Zhen’s unstinting praise, Jiang Yunyu felt a little awkward and turned his head. “Of course.”

 

Ji Zhen then looked at Ji Jue and said with regret, “If only Gege would change into something like this too.”

 

Ji Jue said, “If you like it, we’ll buy you a few sets of ready-made clothes at the market later.”

 

Ji Zhen hugged his elder brother’s arm and cooed, “Gege is so good to me.”

 

As the two brothers talked, Jiang Yunyu couldn’t get a word in, so he had a soldier bring three fine horses from the stable, and together they headed to the market.

 

Just as Jiang Yunyu had said, the market in the northern desert was very different from the capital’s but just as lively. Here, Ji Zhen finally saw the red-bearded, blue-eyed foreigners. They were all tall and burly, chattering in a language Ji Zhen couldn’t understand. He curiously rolled his eyes, looking here and there, finding everything incredibly new and strange.

 

If it weren’t for Ji An being too fond of drinking and unable to get up this morning, he would have definitely brought him along to see it as well.

 

Passing by a small stall, Ji Zhen curiously pointed to a bucket full of liquid. “What’s that?”

 

Jiang Yunyu said, “Horse milk. Do you want to drink it?”

 

Ji Zhen had drunk cow milk and goat milk before, but this was the first time he’d seen so much horse milk, so he was curious about the taste. “Yes, I want to drink it.”

 

Jiang Yunyu got him some warm horse milk and watched his reaction.

 

Ji Jue was also covering his mouth, trying not to laugh.

 

Ji Zhen took a big gulp of horse milk, thinking it would be sweet and rich, but he didn’t expect it to have an intense, fishy smell. His expression changed as he swallowed it and tried to fight the disgust. Seeing that Jiang Yunyu and Ji Jue were laughing, he realized what had happened. “You did that on purpose.”

 

They knew the horse milk was hard to swallow but didn’t tell him.

 

Ji Jue said with a laugh, “People who grew up in the northern desert are used to horse milk and think it’s delicious, but it’s normal for our tastes to be different since we’re from the Central Plains. But since we’re already here, wouldn’t it be a shame not to try it?”

 

Ji Zhen handed the remaining horse milk to Jiang Yunyu and asked, “Does that mean Gege has tried it too?”

 

Ji Jue frowned. “It is indeed a bit… peculiar.”

 

The group continued to stroll, and Ji Zhen also tasted some other local specialties like naan with fillings, milk skin, and dried beef, which were all quite palatable.

 

As dusk approached, Ji Zhen returned with a full stomach and a heavy haul. Ji Jue had bought him several sets of clothes and accessories, all of them luxurious and intricate, and he also placed some agate bead bracelets on his wrist, still treating him like the pampered young master he used to be.

 

After Ji Jue was exiled, Ji Zhen lived a life of extreme simplicity and hadn’t worn extravagant clothes for a long time. He didn’t feel a particular liking or dislike for these external things now, but seeing his elder brother’s genuine excitement, he was also happy from the bottom of his heart.

 

Back at the tent, Ji Zhen laid out all the purchased items for Ji An to see. Ji An had finally sobered up. The master and servant huddled over the table, examining the newly bought belt and chattering away.

 

“Young Master, did you see the foreigners who were as strong as bears?”

 

“Their eyes aren’t just blue; they’re also green and yellow…”

 

Ji Jue laughed softly to himself and went with Jiang Yunyu to the military tent to discuss matters.

 

A silver-hook moon hung in the sky when Ji Zhen appeared outside Jiang Yunyu’s tent. He could hear deliberately hushed voices from inside but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Afraid of disturbing their discussion, he waited quietly outside.

 

Two quarters of an hour later, Deputy General Lin lifted the curtain and saw Ji Zhen. He said in a loud voice, “Young Master Ji, you’re here to see the Young General?”

 

Just as he finished speaking, Jiang Yunyu appeared before Ji Zhen with some delight. “Why have you come?”

 

Ji Zhen entered the tent and looked around with his gaze settling on the silver-shining armor. The grand scene of Jiang Yunyu’s departure from court remained vivid in his memory, yet when he thought about it, more than a year had already passed.

 

Seeing that he was interested in the armor, Jiang Yunyu said, “I wouldn’t let just anyone look at this. But since you and I have known each other for many years, I’ll let you touch it.”

 

Hearing him say this, Ji Zhen couldn’t help but think of Chi Jin.

 

Jiang Yunyu still managed to present Chi Jin and those battle armors that no one else was allowed to touch to Ji Zhen. Wasn’t that itself is a kind of special favor?

 

This time, however, Ji Zhen just smiled and changed the subject. “I’m here for you; I have something to give you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Ji Zhen took the emerald cufflink out of his sleeve. The jade was lustrous and translucent in the candlelight.

 

Jiang Yunyu paused in thought before recalling the item that had been missing for many years, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

 

Ji Zhen grabbed Jiang Yunyu’s wrist, placed the cufflink in his palm, and after a moment’s thought, said, “Xiao Moli found them while tidying up his things and asked me to return them to you.”

 

Jiang Yunyu said dismissively, “After all these years, they’re still in perfect condition.”

 

He tossed the cufflink in the air, caught it mid-air, and then gazed deeply at Ji Zhen, saying softly, “Does this count as something that was lost and found again?”

 

Ji Zhen took a step back, patted his hands, and said, “The cufflink has been returned to you. I’m going back.”

 

But Jiang Yunyu stepped sideways to block him, took a deep breath, and called his name. “Ji Zhen…”

 

He was only an arm’s length away from Jiang Yunyu. Ji Zhen looked up and met his intense gaze, and before Jiang Yunyu could speak, he said, “All I want now is to live a simple life with my elder brother; I don’t want to think about anything else.”

 

It was a remark that seemed to come out of nowhere, yet both of them understood the depth of its meaning.

 

Jiang Yunyu’s eyes dimmed. After a moment, he finally let Ji Zhen leave, but not without one more question. “Do you really not want to touch my battle armor?”

 

Ji Zhen waved his hand. “How can a commonner like me casually touch the Young General’s battle armor, which has been on the battlefield and killed enemies…”

 

Jiang Yunyu watched him walk away with long strides out of the tent. A moment later, he casually put the cufflink away in a wooden cabinet.

 

Ji Zhen walked on the fine sand while looking up at the bright moon. He didn’t have a keen, perceptive heart and couldn’t guess anyone’s feelings; he could only cautiously hide his own true feelings.

 

Seven days later, Ji Zhen received a letter from Xiao Moli sent by his elder brother. In it, Xiao Moli wrote that he had settled in the countryside and met a gentle-tempered scholar.

 

“He is so funny. He’s a talented scholar but refuses to take the imperial examination. He insists on staying in this poor, remote village and hanging out with the children. He really has no ambition. The other day, he saw me in front of his door and actually fell down. I kindly went to give him some traditional medicine for bruises, and he even started to stutter…”

 

Ji Zhen felt as if he could hear Xiao Moli’s clear voice. He laughed uncontrollably, but as he laughed, his eyes grew warm.

 

In this world, there are far too many tales of “I offered my heart to the bright moon, yet the bright moon shone upon the ditch.” It’s not a matter of right or wrong; it’s only about the wind and the dew.

 

—

 

There’s a record in a book of the horrors of the plague.

 

The three men had walked scarcely ten paces when suddenly two of them collapsed dead across the road. At night, when death came, no one dared to weep; the plague spirits exhaled, and the lamps flickered with a greenish light. By day, most of the people you encounter are ghosts, but at dusk, when you meet a ghost, you take them for a living person[mfn]It means that what seems empty or unreal by day can appear real and familiar when perception grows dim, showing how easily we misjudge reality.[/mfn].

 

The plague remained uncontained and was getting worse. Every day, hundreds of unnamed corpses were taken to the mass graves to be burned. In order to prevent the plague from spreading to other areas, the emperor ordered Jinzhou to be sealed off. The city’s people cried day and night, turning it into a ghost town on Earth.

 

After a full month, Shen Yanqing’s external wounds had healed. He took large doses of medicine every day, yet he continued coughing up blood, barely hanging on to life.

 

The physicians from the Imperial Medical couldn’t develop a new medicine, so the court sent new medical officials and offered a bounty for physicians from the martial world. Many idealistic individuals rushed to Jinzhou to help fight the disaster.

 

Shen Yanqing’s face was constantly covered with a cloth. He was now able to get out of bed and spent his days walking through the streets. First, to ensure that porridge was being distributed. Second, to comfort the people. Third, to record the details of the disaster.

 

At the end of the street, patrolling officials were using sticks to intimidate displaced people who were trying to cause trouble. Under the natural disaster, too much evil had been bred. Besides the unfortunate people who couldn’t escape the plague, there were also innocent good people who died at the hands of evildoers in Jinzhou.

 

A few days ago, Wang Lingzhi’s father sent a letter to order her to return to the capital, but Wang Lingzhi was such a heroic woman that she burned the family letter to ashes and stayed in this place with Lu Chen.

 

Shen Yanqing had just walked through a street when he saw the two walking side by side—a perfect match of golden boy and jade girl in a world of chaos.

 

He wondered if Ji Zhen, in the distant northern desert, would spare a moment to miss him… The two things were completely unrelated, but Shen Yanching always found himself thinking of Ji Zhen at any given moment.

 

He was now trapped in Jinzhou and couldn’t leave, and besides feeling reluctant, he was somewhat glad that Ji Zhen was far from this living hell, which ensured his safety and well-being.

 

Shen Yanching brought a hand to his lips and coughed a few times. He looked at the devastation before him and felt deeply saddened.

 

He turned his head and saw the mist still swirling, with people and ghosts wailing together.

 

“I wish to ride a heavenly dragon to the Heavenly Palace to petition the Lord of Heaven, to entreat the Mother of Earth, to pour out wine, to spread heavenly milk, and to soften the thousand-foot soil of the nine underworlds. May all souls in the underworld live and return, and may the Yellow Springs be transformed into a rain from heaven…”

 

When will peace be restored?

 

The author has something to say:

Lord Shen (coughing up blood): My dear wife, I hope you’re doing well in the northern desert. Let me suffer this hardship alone, wuwuwu.

These few chapters will probably be like:

Northern Desert: A large-scale travel documentary.

Capital: The Mute Groom (76-episode uncensored version).

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T/N: It’s Jiang Yunyu and Ji Zhen guys xD