After Exile, I Married the Amnesiac General [Rebirth] Chapter 58

“Looking for me?” Hearing this, Pei Er’s brows furrowed even more deeply, his expression growing increasingly puzzled.

Seeing this, Commandant Qian couldn’t help but remind him, “Brother Pei, did you commit some major crime in Bingzhou? Those people all had cold, steady expressions, their presence restrained, it was obvious at a glance that they were highly skilled. And they acted in secrecy, very much like that group in the capital that specializes in arresting people. At a glance, you could tell they were here to capture a criminal.

“After questioning me, they even told me not to spread the word. Think about it, if they were looking for someone, they would definitely make a big show of it so the person being sought would know and show themselves quickly, right? Only when they’re trying to capture someone do they act in secrecy, to avoid leaking information and alerting the target…”

Halfway through, he met Pei Er’s expressionless face and stiffened, quickly forcing a laugh. “Haha, I’m not saying you’re the target, I mean… if you really did commit a crime in Bingzhou, and these people are indeed here to arrest you, then you should be careful lately.”

Hearing this, Pei Er fell silent, unconsciously tightening his grip on the curved blade at his waist.

He had no memory of his past, how would he know whether he had committed a crime in Bingzhou? However… the name “Pei Er” indeed didn’t sound like a proper name, and his skills and abilities didn’t resemble those of an ordinary soldier.

Could it be that before losing his memory, he had really committed a crime, fled to Yongzhou, and changed his name to Pei Er to conceal his identity? Only later, after losing his memory, he forgot about hiding his identity, acted without enough caution, and no longer concealed his abilities, finally allowing others to discover clues and come looking for him?

At this thought, his expression changed slightly, and his grip on the blade tightened further.

Commandant Qian carefully watched him. Seeing this reaction, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, he had actually guessed correctly; Brother Pei Er was indeed a fugitive.

He lamented inwardly, but since Pei Er had once saved his life, he quickly added, “Brother Pei, don’t worry. When they asked me, I only said ‘I don’t know’, I didn’t give away any information about you. But from what I see, they seem to be checking each garrison one by one. They might reach Yongfeng soon. In my opinion, you should quickly think of a way to escape.”

Hearing this, Pei Er tilted his head and cast a cold, shadowy gaze at him.

For no reason, Commandant Qian felt a guilty sense of being caught showing favoritism. It was strange, clearly, his favoritism was meant to help the other party.

He quickly gave a dry cough and continued, “Although what I did wasn’t appropriate, I can tell that you’re not a bad person, Brother Pei. Maybe you were framed, maybe you were forced into it, had no choice… In any case, now that you know in advance, you should make plans early, especially about your wife. By the way, your wife doesn’t know about this, right?”

Hearing this, Pei Er’s grip on his blade tightened a few more degrees. His knuckles faintly turned white, and his expression grew tense and cold.

Seeing this, Commandant Qian knew that Miss Shen likely didn’t know, and immediately found it hard to say anything more.

After a moment, Pei Er finally came back to his senses. He cupped his fists toward him and said in a low voice, “Many thanks to Commandant Qian for informing me.”

“No need, no need, it’s only right. Calling me ‘Commandant’ is too distant, just call me brother,” Commandant Qian quickly returned the gesture. Seeing that he was about to leave, he stepped forward to see him off.

Just as Pei Er turned and reached the tent entrance, he suddenly looked back, his gaze settling on the furs on the table. His eyes grew slightly focused. “These furs… what price?”

Commandant Qian was stunned, then quickly said, “What price? Don’t be so distant. If you fancy any, just take them, no need to stand on ceremony with me.”

Perhaps once Brother Pei left, he would be fleeing from then on. There wasn’t much he could do to help, just giving some furs to express a bit of goodwill.

Commandant Qian sighed somewhat sadly.

Hearing this, Pei Er truly didn’t stand on ceremony this time. He walked to the table, rummaged through, and pulled out a strip of white fox fur. Seeing the snow-white color, he thought it would suit Miss Shen well, so he took it. Then he pulled out a strip of red fox fur, imagining that the fiery red would bring out Miss Shen’s lively features even more, so he took that as well…

All in all, he picked out four or five pieces, and in his mind imagined four or five times what Li Chanxiu would look like wearing them.

Finally, after putting the furs away, he turned and asked, “Is trading furs profitable?”

Commandant Qian was stunned. “It’s… alright, I suppose. Mainly, I’m in the military all day, so I don’t really have many opportunities to do this.”

Pei Er nodded, took out a small pouch of money from his chest, placed it on the table, and said, “If it’s not enough, I’ll give more next time.”

After saying that, he took the furs and strode away.

It took Commandant Qian a while to come back to his senses. He hurriedly grabbed the money pouch and chased after him. “Hey, wait, Brother Pei, no need for money, ”

But by the time he got outside the tent, Pei Er had already mounted his horse and galloped out of the camp.

***

Outside the Yongding garrison, the last traces of the setting sun sank behind distant hills, and the land was shrouded in vast desolation.

Pei Er rode through the cold wind, galloping over frozen earth and scattered snow. Before long, he even began to feel a surge of heat.

After passing Yongding Town, he suddenly reined in his horse, his gaze slightly darkening.

If what Commandant Qian said was true, that those people were checking each garrison one by one, then at this moment, they were very likely also on the roads in this area.

At this thought, Pei Er suddenly removed his armor. After wrapping it up, he tied it together with the furs to the side of the horse, then continued riding at full speed.

Outside Yongding Town.

By a snow-covered road leading to the county, Yang Yuanyi was holding his horse with one hand, a blade of grass in his mouth, leaning against a bare tree by the roadside.

Earlier, he had brought people to the Yongding garrison to investigate news about Pei Zhen. Commandant Qian at the garrison clearly knew something but deliberately concealed it. Combined with the need for secrecy on their trip, they simply pretended not to know and planned to sneak into the camp at night to investigate.

However, they had ridden hard all the way to Yongzhou. After arriving, they didn’t rest and immediately went to the garrison to investigate. By the time they came out of the Yongding garrison, everyone was exhausted and hungry, so they pretended to be traveling merchants and found a nearby shop to eat and drink first.

After eating his fill, Yang Yuanyi found the shop too stuffy and simply led his horse out for a walk.

At this moment, leaning against the tree trunk, he was frowning and thinking about “why Commandant Qian concealed things” and “whether Jianzhi was in the Yongding camp,” when he suddenly noticed someone riding quickly along the small road below.

He casually turned his head to look, after all, anyone riding in this area was likely a soldier from some garrison.

But the next moment, his gaze froze, and his expression changed abruptly, 

The man riding the jujube-red steed had sharp brows slanting into his temples, eyes like cold stars, and a resolute, stern profile. Wasn’t that… wasn’t that…!!

“Jianzhi!” Yang Yuanyi suddenly snapped back to his senses and hurried forward a few steps, shouting loudly.

That kid Wei Zizhou hadn’t lied to him, Pei Zhen was in Yongzhou. Pei Zhen was actually in Yongzhou!

A surge of excitement and joy rose in Yang Yuanyi’s heart. He ran a few steps, trying to call out and stop the other. But the rider was extremely fast, the jujube-red steed sped by like a streak of red, and the person on it seemed not to hear his voice.

Seeing that the man and horse were about to go far away, Yang Yuanyi didn’t have time to think. He quickly turned, mounted his horse, and while galloping after him, shouted, “Jianzhi! Pei Jianzhi! It’s me, Yuanyi!”

After tying his armor to the horse, Pei Er had not ridden far when he faintly heard someone shouting from behind. He couldn’t help but turn his head to glance back.

Yang Yuanyi was riding too fast. After shouting only a couple of times, a gust of cold wind rushed into his lungs, making him cough so hard his eyes nearly watered.

Just as he was anxious, he suddenly saw the rider on the jujube-red steed turn his head to look this way. Overjoyed, he hurriedly shouted again, “Pei Jianzhi, stop! It’s…”

Before he could finish, the man on the horse’s expression changed. He suddenly lashed the reins and spurred the horse into an even faster gallop.

Yang Yuanyi was stunned. Coming back to his senses, he quickly struck his horse with a whip and chased after him, shouting, “Pei Jianzhi, why are you running? Stop!”

The shouts carried over the biting wind from afar. Pei Er’s face was tense and grim.

So he had really run into them, this person must be one of the group Commandant Qian had mentioned.

And that person seemed to be shouting something… Pei Jianzhi? If that was truly him, then it seemed he really had been hiding his identity. “Pei Er” was only a false name. In that case, the identity and background listed in the military register were likely also false.

For no reason, forging a false identity, could it be that before losing his memory, he really had…

Pei Er clenched his teeth and urged his horse to go even faster.

But how could an ordinary warhorse from Yongfeng garrison outrun the superior steeds of the Bingzhou Black Iron Army? Before long, the distance between the two grew closer and closer.

Just as Pei Er’s expression was tense and he was about to gamble on it, leaping his horse from the small path down below to take a shortcut and escape, Yang Yuanyi’s horse had already overtaken him on the upper road.

Moreover, seeing that he still refused to stop, Yang Yuanyi gritted his teeth and suddenly leapt down first, directly blocking his path.

To avoid collision, Pei Er hurriedly reined in his horse. But he stopped too abruptly, the jujube-red steed raised its forelegs high, Pei Er’s body tilted backward, and he was thrown straight off the horse, rolling twice on the ground.

Startled, Yang Yuanyi quickly dismounted and ran over. “Pei Jianzhi, are you…”

Before he could finish, Pei Er had already stood up, brushing off the snow and dry leaves from his body.

Seeing that he was fine, Yang Yuanyi finally let out a breath of relief. Then, thinking of how he had just chased him all the way, nearly falling off his horse midway, he couldn’t help but pant heavily and complain, “I say, Pei Jianzhi, why were you running? And when I called out, you ran even faster…”

Pei Er avoided his gaze, trying not to let him see his full face. Lowering his eyes, he said, “You’ve mistaken me. My name is not Pei Jianzhi. I…”

His gaze shifted to the furs tied at the side of his horse. After a pause, he said, “I’m just an ordinary fur trader.”

“…You? An ordinary fur trader?” Yang Yuanyi choked, nearly unable to maintain his expression.

But he suddenly recalled what Wei Zizhou had said, that when he encountered Pei Zhen on the street, the latter had “not recognized” him.

At first, Yang Yuanyi had guessed that Pei Zhen had other matters and couldn’t acknowledge him in public. But now… there was no village ahead and no inn behind, aside from the two of them, there was no one else. There was really no need for Pei Zhen to keep pretending.

He couldn’t help stepping forward a few paces, reaching out to pat the other’s shoulder, his expression strange. “I say, Pei Jianzhi, are you pretending, or…”

Before he could finish, Pei Er suddenly moved swiftly, grabbing the hand he had extended and twisting it behind his back.

“My mother!” Yang Yuanyi immediately fought back in pain.

They usually sparred like this, testing and honing each other’s skills… mainly Pei Zhen training him. At this moment, he still thought Pei Zhen remembered everything, and that just now he had deliberately pretended not to recognize him to strike while he was unguarded.

Thinking this, Pei Zhen riding off without waiting for him earlier also made sense. After so long apart, he must have deliberately been testing whether his skills had declined.

With that thought, Yang Yuanyi began to counter in earnest. But after just a couple of exchanges, he suddenly felt something was off.

Even if it was a test, there was no need to strike this ruthlessly, was there?

“Wait, hold on!”

He hurriedly tried to call a stop, but Pei Er was fighting as if for his life. With a sharp elbow strike, he slammed directly into the side of his face.

Yang Yuanyi let out a muffled groan. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

After breaking free, Pei Er immediately flipped onto his horse. After glancing once at the person lying on the ground, he did not hesitate and continued riding at full speed.

It took Yang Yuanyi a good while to recover. When he finally opened his eyes again, there was no sign of Pei Zhen left before him.

“…D*mn!” After standing there in a daze for a moment, he finally couldn’t hold back and cursed aloud.

At that moment, a rapid sound of hoofbeats came from behind.

Soon someone reined in their horse and stopped. Seeing Yang Yuanyi’s disheveled state, the leading Black Iron soldier quickly dismounted, helped him up, and asked, “Young General, who beat you into this state?”

Yang Yuanyi turned his head, his tone dark. “…Other than that b*stard Pei Jianzhi, who else could beat me like this?”

“Ah?”

Only then did the others notice the bruising on his cheek, and one of his eyes swollen into a narrow slit.

Several Black Iron soldiers who hadn’t yet dismounted paused mid-motion, a few nearly unable to hold their expressions.

The leading soldier seized the key point and quickly asked, “You saw General Pei? Where is he?”

Yang Yuanyi wiped the corner of his mouth, hissing in pain, then frowned and pointed toward the mountain road ahead. “Is there a garrison in that direction?”

The leading soldier hurriedly took out a defensive map of Yongzhou, glanced at it, and immediately said, “Yes, Yongfeng garrison.”

“Good. Then we’re going to Yongfeng garrison.” Yang Yuanyi ground his teeth. “I refuse to believe he can escape both the monk and the temple!”

But to guard against the possibility that he wasn’t from Yongfeng garrison, Yang Yuanyi thought for a moment and also sent two men to Yongding garrison to inquire.

“If I’m not mistaken, he just came out from Yongding garrison!” He mounted his horse, pulled the reins tight, and ordered, “As for the rest, follow me to Yongfeng.”

After saying this, he whipped his horse forward, leading the Black Iron soldiers behind him straight toward Yongfeng garrison.

***

Winter days were short, and dusk quickly fell.

By the time Pei Er galloped all the way back to the garrison, it was already completely dark. He did not return to the military camp, instead riding directly back to the small courtyard.

Li Chanxiu was testing the heated kang bed. Seeing him return in such a disheveled state, like he had just rolled in the snow, with a bruise on his cheek, he was immediately startled.

“How did you… get hurt on your face?” he hurriedly stood and asked.