Chapter 217 Past Fate
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Xiang Xiang, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, quietly returned and stood under the tree, silently watching them.
He Yan stared at him in a daze. “Is what you said true?”
“I see that your swordsmanship has improved a lot, but why are you still the same as before?” he lazily sneered, “Clumsy and short.”
This sentence seemed to pull He Yan back to the embarrassment of the past, unconsciously dissipating much of it.
A warm feeling surged in her heart, and all the uneasiness turned to ashes at this moment. She raised her head, and the smile couldn’t conceal her true feelings. “But you are still the same as before.”
Xiao Jue coughed lightly and turned his head. He Yan became energetic, unwilling to let him off, holding onto his sleeve without letting go, and asked, “You personally guided me in swordsmanship. However, back then, I was dressed as a man. Why did you take care of me so much? Could it be that you already liked me at that time?”
This shameless statement left Xiao Jue speechless. He sneered, “I’m not a homosexual.”
“But you look like a homosexual.” He Yan suddenly realized, “No wonder Yan Nanguang always looked at me unpleasantly at that time. I guess he thought I was some kind of male fox spirit, tarnishing the only genius he considered a rival.”
Xiao Jue stared at her incredulously. “You’re not sad now?”
“I wasn’t sad to begin with.” He Yan retorted with a stiff face.
“You were about to cry just now.” He raised his eyebrows. “Are you that reluctant to part with me?”
He Yan couldn’t keep up the pretense on her face and argued, “How could I cry? You must have seen it wrong. Naturally, I can’t bear to part with you. Between us, there is at least the camaraderie of classmates.”
“Is it just the camaraderie of classmates?”
He Yan ignored him and approached him, saying, “Don’t change the subject. First, tell me why you guided me in swordsmanship at Xianchang Academy. You’re not the type to help others for fun. You must have been infatuated with me back then, Xiao Huaijin, could it be that you are truly a homosexual?”
Xiao Jue’s face darkened, reprimanding, “Nonsense.”
“Then tell me why.”
He Yan had wanted to ask him this question a long time ago. At that time, she and Xiao Jue didn’t have much deep interaction, but Xiao Jue was willing to carefully guide her in swordsmanship during that night at Xianchang Academy. Even Yan He couldn’t figure it out, let alone herself.
Xiao Jue smiled slightly, “Do you still remember the winter solstice when we first entered Xianchang Academy, the competition at the Dongshan Hunting Ground in the capital?”
He Yan was taken aback. “I remember, what about it?”
She still remembered that it was during that time when, in her previous life, she first saw Shen Muxue. The elegant and ethereal Miss Shen from the Shen family and the handsome young master Xiao stood together. Even from the perspective of this life, they were an impeccably matched pair.
He Yan muttered, “At that time, His Majesty personally visited the hunting ground, and all the students of Xianchang Academy had to participate in the competition. The student who caught the most game would be rewarded, and those who didn’t catch anything wouldn’t have food to eat. Who came up with such an idea? It was freezing, and it’s normal not to catch any game. How could they be so harsh on students and let them go hungry!”
Talking about this matter, she was still indignant. The reason was simple—because He Yan of that time had not caught any game and went hungry.
Xiao Jue lightly chuckled and said, “But wasn’t it your own choice?”
“What?”
“Clearly, you had caught a rabbit, but you let it go,” he turned his head to look at He Yan, “Wasn’t it your own decision?”
He Yan was dumbfounded, stammering, “You… How did you know?”
“Because,” Xiao Jue curved his lips, “I was the one who released that rabbit.”
At that time, it was winter in Shuojing, and the hunting ground was covered with vast white snow. Xiao family had not encountered any trouble yet, and Xu Jingfu had not reached the point of having absolute power. Emperor Wenxuan, on a whim, visited Dongshan to watch the Xianchang Academy students compete in archery and horsemanship.
Originally, it was just a routine competition in the academy, but due to the Emperor’s presence, it had to be more colorful. To motivate the young talents and prevent them from losing face for Xianchang Academy, someone in the academy, perhaps a brilliant teacher, came up with the strict rule: those who failed to catch any game would go without food today.
In He Yan’s mind, she cursed the person who proposed this idea. She was not outstanding in martial arts, and her horsemanship and archery were terrible. Being with these young men, she had no advantages. There was no doubt that as soon as they entered the hunting ground, her classmates were all in high spirits, full of excitement, but He Yan felt particularly helpless.
At that time, Xiao Jue was undoubtedly the most eye-catching among all the young men. Riding a horse with a sable fur coat, he was splendidly beautiful. In just a short while, a long string of game was tethered behind his horse.
Lin Shuanghe, being a weak young master who couldn’t lift shoulders or carry burdens, followed Xiao Jue closely, obtaining many benefits. Whether or not there was any game didn’t matter; in the end, from Xiao Jue’s catch, he would get one or two, and it would be enough to make up for his effort.
The two walked through the woods in the hunting ground. Suddenly, not far away, a gray feathered arrow flew from a slanting angle and accurately hit… a stone.
The two paused.
Soon, a small figure ran out of the woods. She reached the stone, forcefully pulled the arrow out, looked at it, then sat down on the ground, sighed, and muttered to herself, “Hunting is difficult, more difficult than reaching the heavens!”
Xiao Jue and Lin Shuanghe: “…”
They both recognized that the masked figure who was lamenting was none other than the brother He, who ranked last in Xianchang Academy.
Lin Shuanghe, who had “progressed together” with He Yan earlier, had developed some sympathetic feelings for He Yan. Seeing this scene, he said, “Our brother He is really pitiful.”
Xiao Jue coldly observed, unmoved. In his view, this young master from the He family often had something wrong with his mind.
“Look at his horse; there’s not a single piece of game on it. When he goes back, he won’t have any food to eat, and he’ll go hungry. In this cold winter month, going hungry is unbearable,” Lin Shuanghe, with a doctor’s compassion, showed some mercy, “Why don’t we give him a badger, so he won’t return empty-handed? What do you think?”
Xiao Jue sneered, “You go.”
Lin Shuanghe really went to Xiao Jue’s horse, picking and choosing from the game tied behind it. But halfway through, he suddenly realized, “No, even though He Rufei is incapable of doing anything, his temper is extremely stubborn. If we give it to him like this, he probably won’t agree and will reject it resolutely.”
Just like when he suggested that He Rufei intentionally rank last to let him secure second-to-last place, this brother had strong principles and was difficult to persuade. Lin Shuanghe thought he had a good eye for people; this straightforward offer of help might not be accepted by He Rufei.
“So,” Lin Shuanghe had a clever idea, “Huaijin, your archery is pretty good. Later, you shoot and injure a rabbit. When He Rufei passes by, the injured rabbit won’t run fast. If he still can’t hit it, there might really be something wrong with his brain.”
“What does it have to do with me?” Young Xiao Jue frowned, “I won’t go.”
“Saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. Look at this kid; he’s really pitiful. We’re all classmates, and helping him is just a small favor… Huaijin, Huaijin?”
This Lin Shuanghe was especially patient with trivial matters and knew that Xiao Jue was the most impatient person. Indeed, after talking for a while, Xiao Jue became annoyed. He picked up the bow and arrow on the horse’s back and shot an arrow in a direction, making a “swoosh” sound.
A gray wild rabbit immediately jumped out of the short bushes.
The arrow was skillfully shot, not hitting the rabbit but barely grazing its leg. As a result, the rabbit’s movements slowed down, and the arrow fell into the bushes, unnoticed by anyone.
He Yan, who was sighing next to the stone, suddenly saw a rabbit jumping out of the woods. First surprised, then happy, without saying a word, she picked up the bow and arrow and followed. He Yan didn’t know what was going on with the rabbit; its movements were slower than the one encountered earlier. He Yan guessed it might be because of the cold winter; even rabbits had become less agile. But this was also a good thing. If fast-running rabbits couldn’t be caught, could the slow ones fly away?
Lin Shuanghe quietly praised Xiao Jue, “Wonderful, Huaijin. Your assistance is seamless and flawless. This kid probably thinks he’s gotten a big advantage. Come, let’s go and see.” He pulled Xiao Jue, who had a reluctant expression, and secretly followed He Yan.
The rabbit ran for a while, and it seemed to be running out of strength, slowing down even more. He Yan thought for a moment, put away the bow and arrow, hung it on his back, and felt that even without a bow and arrow, the rabbit probably couldn’t run anymore. He could easily catch it with his bare hands. Just like the ancient saying “guarding a stump waiting for rabbits,” now he could wait for the rabbit to become exhausted. He Yan applauded himself inwardly for having time to carefully observe the rabbit.
The rabbit was very thin, probably hungry from the lack of food in winter. Even if fried, it probably wouldn’t have two ounces of meat. She thought in her heart, wondering if the game she caught could be shared with the students. However, the rabbit brought back to the He family wouldn’t be enough for each family member to have a piece of meat.
Not long after, the rabbit stopped, scraped away some grass, revealing a hole. He Yan, quick-witted, grabbed the rabbit’s ear before it could go inside and muttered to herself, “It’s said that a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and ancient people were truthful. At this moment, something seemed to be moving at the entrance of the hole. He Yan, holding the rabbit in one hand, curiously opened the bushes with the other. Inside the small hole, three furry little balls were huddled together, like three yuanxiao, shivering.
It turned out to be three baby rabbits.
He Yan was stunned for a moment, looked at the struggling gray rabbit in his hand, and suddenly realized that this was a mother rabbit, and the ones in the hole were her offspring.
He Yan fell silent.
Lin Shuanghe, who was watching the show from a distance with Xiao Jue, exclaimed with joy, “He Rufei is lucky! He actually encountered a rabbit hole. If he hands over this batch of rabbits, I think this time he won’t be the last, at least he’ll be second to last. But… why is he holding the rabbit and daydreaming?”
The rabbit in his hands hopped silently. He Yan looked at the three sesame dumpling-like rabbits in the hole and sighed after a while. She took out a small white bottle from her bosom.
“What is he doing?” Lin Shuanghe was surprised.
The teenager named He Rufei was applying medicine to the rabbit’s ears, and he even tore a piece from his robe to bandage the rabbit’s leg, which had been grazed by the arrow earlier. While dressing the wounds, He Yan muttered, “Forget it, blame it on you encountering me. I’m a good person and can’t do things that separate mothers and children. I’ll let you go.”
She complained incessantly, “Little rabbits, you must remember, it’s all because of you that I’m going hungry today.”
He Yan worked quickly, and in no time, she finished bandaging. She placed the gray rabbit at the entrance of the hole, and with a release of her hand, the rabbit gained freedom, rushing back into the hole with a swift motion.
“Don’t even say thank you?” He Yan sighed, “Truly, times have changed.” Although she said that, she still spread the stones around the entrance of the hole to prevent other wild animals from discovering it.
Lin Shuanghe watched in astonishment, “Is He Rufei’s brain okay? Is he here to hunt or to set animals free? Showing compassion at this time, is he acting like a girl? Is he sympathizing with this rabbit?”
He turned to look at Xiao Jue, “Huaijin, what do you think…”
Xiao Jue’s gaze fell on the masked youth, and for some reason, he suddenly recalled something from his youth.
Before he descended from the mountain, he practiced martial arts and learned scriptures with a master on the mountain. The teacher was strict, not comparable to the conditions at Xianchang Academy. If a task failed or was poorly done, the punishment was severe and extremely difficult to endure.
On the mountain, there was also a trial of his archery and horsemanship. At that time, Xiao Jue caught a deer.
The deer was fat, but not as agile as others when it tried to escape. He caught it, and when he was about to lift his knife, the deer knelt in front of him.
It was a pregnant doe.
At the age of twelve or thirteen, he was not as indifferent as he would later become. Witnessing such a scene, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
His master stood by the waterfall and said lightly, “Don’t be softhearted.”
The youth stood in place, looking at the deer with tearful eyes. After thinking for a moment, he half-knelt down and removed the rope from the doe in front of his master, watching it escape into the forest.
His master wasn’t angry, only looking at him, saying, “Do you know what you’ve done? You shouldn’t be softhearted.”
“I just wanted to protect what I wanted to protect.” The youth, clad in a white robe like snow, calmly replied.
He was punished with three months of breaking formations in the mountains.
Xiao Jue did not regret it. In his youth, he simply thought that he didn’t want the doe to die. But now, seeing He Rufei here, carefully dressing a rabbit’s wound, it wasn’t mere kindness or hypocrisy. He suddenly understood what he had wanted to protect back then.
A heart that pities the weak.
A person wants to become strong to protect the ones they care about. If, in the pursuit of strength, one loses their true nature, it is akin to reversing priorities.
“Huaijin, I think He Rufei really has a problem with his brain. If he weren’t a boy, he could be my ‘little sister’…” Lin Shuanghe continued to mutter incessantly, but the white-robed youth was momentarily stunned, lowering his head and pulling the corners of his mouth into a faint smile.
That day, He Rufei truly got nothing. He was the only one among the Xianchang Academy students who failed to catch any prey. It was also from that day on, the second day, that Xiao Jue, in the middle of the night, walked to the courtyard behind the bamboo forest. Watching the clumsy youth with a mask “studying diligently,” he began his seemingly inexplicable connection with the last-ranked individual.
He Yan listened in stunned silence. She never imagined that she and Xiao Jue had such an unknown past. The concealment of Xiao Jue’s arrows at that time was subtle, and she did not realize that the injured rabbit was his doing. She simply felt pity for the rabbit and acted on her compassionate heart, unexpectedly moving Xiao Jue.
“Was my kindness the one that moved you?” He Yan shuddered. This sounded a bit creepy.
Xiao Jue seemed speechless. “It’s not about kindness.”
However…
However, at that time, Xiao Jue saw his own shadow in “He Rufei.”
He Yan became cheerful. “So that’s it. So, when we were classmates, you were already paying a lot of attention to me? Then why did you pretend not to care?”
Once this person starts being indifferent, it’s really hard to fend off. Xiao Jue changed the subject, “It’s getting late. You haven’t gone home yet. Your father and brother should be worried.”
“True.” He Yan came to her senses, looked at the deepening night, and estimated that at this time He Sui and He Yunsheng should be home. They might be searching for her whereabouts again. Concerned that they might be worried, He Yan said, “Shall we go back first?”
Xiao Jue whistled, and Green Ear ran out of the woods, stopping in front of Xiao Jue. He Yan also mounted her Xiang Xiang, and the two trotted down the mountain together. While riding, He Yan gradually recalled, “So, Xiao Jue, today when you had Chiwu ask me to fetch the sword, was it a test for me? Have you been following me?”
With a nonchalant expression on his face, Xiao Jue answered slowly, “This matter is strange. Naturally, I had to confirm it.”
“So, you wanted to force me to draw the sword. You went in such a big circle for that?” He Yan pondered for a moment. “But what about Master Lu Daichuan? When I went to his mansion, he seemed to know something and said I already had a sword, so I shouldn’t have another one. Did you inform him about this?”
“No.” Xiao Jue’s eyes flickered slightly. “Apart from you and me, no one else knows about this.”
“Then…”
“Even if he knows something, it’s not surprising. He is my master.”
He Yan was surprised, “Master?”
“I have many masters, and he is just one of them. It’s not uncommon for him to figure out your background. But he is already a transcendent figure. Even if he knows, he won’t interfere. You don’t need to worry.”
“It’s not about whether to worry or not,” He Yan didn’t know what to say for a moment. “This person is your master. You should have informed me in advance. Fortunately, I didn’t do anything reckless. If…”
Xiao Jue glanced at her and, seeing her anxious expression, smiled faintly. “What are you afraid of? Even if you really did something, with me around, no one dares to trouble you.”
He Yan clicked her tongue, “So, you mean I can swagger around in Shuojing City now?”
“Do as you please.”
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