The Double-Chapter 642 - 194: Rescue the Beauty

"To think you would dare to bully my own people, you’ve really got some nerve."

After uttering those words, the man and woman in front of Jih Heng suddenly lunged at him!

It seemed they intended to take advantage of Jih Heng’s momentary distraction to launch a sneak attack. The young man’s smile grew cold as he opened and closed his fan, blocking the flash of silver heading toward his face. No one knew what material his fan was made of; it appeared soft and delicate, yet it was impervious to blades. Even the attacker’s knife couldn’t pierce through it. In the next moment, that fan gently swept across the necks of the two attackers, as if a butterfly kissing the blossoms of a newly opened peach tree, soft as a gust of wind.

The entire sequence happened too quickly for anyone to clearly discern Jih Heng’s movements. He then retracted his fan, standing before the two individuals with an indolent and detached smile. The man and woman maintained their previous stance, a line of blood appearing on their necks before they collapsed to the ground with a "thump."

A deadly strike.

Jiang Li struggled to look ahead, only to find the crimson figure standing before her inexplicably comforting. He turned his head to look at Jiang Li, his brows slightly furrowed, a smirk on his lips as he said, "To be this cunning and still fall into someone else’s hands."

Jiang Li’s eyes stung a bit.

Although Jih Heng spoke thus, he bent down to help Jiang Li up. When he grasped her arm, it seemed he only then realized she had been drugged, her entire body limp. He clicked his tongue and had no choice but to wrap his arm around her shoulder, lift her off the ground, and carry her horizontally.

His tall stature made carrying the frail girl effortless. Jiang Li’s clothes had been torn to shreds by her abductor, but fortunately, Jih Heng’s wide robe could envelop her securely. Carrying Jiang Li, he stepped over the bodies of the man and woman on the ground, looking utterly disgusted, as if fearful of soiling himself with even a speck of blood.

By now, the inn’s clerk and manager, having heard the commotion, were long gone, and the outside was empty. Jih Heng carried Jiang Li out, reaching the street outside. With such a beautiful man standing on the street, passersby cast curious glances his way. He sighed as if he found the attention bothersome. It was unclear how he had arrived since he had neither a horse-drawn carriage nor a sedan chair, and thus, he had no choice but to carry Jiang Li slowly along the street.

Though Jiang Li knew her face was still veiled and marred with rashes, which meant that even with Jih Heng carrying a girl in his arms, no one on the street would recognize who she was, she still blushed with shame at being carried by a man in front of strangers.

Shen Yurong was someone who strictly adhered to etiquette and prided himself as a gentleman. Even during their romantic moments, he had never done anything too audacious. Even after they got married, Shen Yurong was the type who would never hold Xue Fangfei’s hand in public. At the time, Jiang Li didn’t think much of it, even finding such old-fashioned conduct rather charming.

Jih Heng and Shen Yurong were entirely different people. Jih Heng had some similarities with Xue Zhao, but while Xue Zhao’s boldness was that of a carefree youth, Jih Heng was certainly no longer a youth. He was uninhibited because he liked to do as he pleased, without concern for anything.

Jiang Li suspected that Jih Heng hadn’t held many people before because the way he held her was like carrying a child. Jiang Li could see the night sky as dark as ink, with lights slowly lighting up along the way. This was the foreign Huangzhou, but perhaps because of Jih Heng’s presence, she felt nothing to be afraid of.

Jih Heng didn’t seem to care about the stares of others; instead, his appearance was too dazzling for them to gaze upon, making people lower their heads after a few looks, especially the young girls on the street who were bolder and stared intently at Jih Heng, not caring that he held a girl in his arms.

After walking for an indeterminate amount of time, Jiang Li felt Jih Heng stop in front of a residence. He knocked on the door, and soon someone came to open it. As the door opened, a familiar voice rang out, "My lord... hmm? Miss Jiang the Second?"

It was Zhao Ke’s voice.

Jiang Li was surprised that despite her disheveled appearance, Zhao Ke could still recognize her. Immediately afterward, Zhao Ke said, "My lord, did you go out tonight in search of Miss Jiang the Second? How did you find her? How did she end up in Huangzhou? Did she come here by herself? Was she following you?"

Jih Heng replied, "Does she look like she came here on her own?"

Jiang Li: "..."

Zhao Ke scratched his head, saying, "Doesn’t seem like it."

"Less nonsense," Jih Heng said impatiently, "let’s go inside."

Jiang Li was carried back inside by Jih Heng. The house wasn’t very large but was clean and tidy, resembling the dwelling of a local Huangzhou family. It was unclear how Jih Heng had found the place, but Jiang Li knew he was always capable and didn’t give it much thought.

As she was placed on the bed, the room lit up brightly, and immediately, a clamor approached from afar. Jiang Li, having been drugged and disturbed by their noise, felt her head spin.

It was Lu Jiu and Wen Renyao who walked in.

Surprised, Lu Jiu said to Jiang Li, "Second Miss Jiang, how come you’re here?"

Wen Renyao then said, "Isn’t everyone in Yanjing City looking for the whereabouts of Second Miss Jiang? We all thought she’d been abducted by thieves. Could it be that you came to Huangzhou with us?"

Wen Renyao’s mind was probably not much different from Zhao Ke’s, as their thoughts seemed quite similar. Lacking the strength to move or speak, Jiang Li could only look to Jih Heng, hoping he would understand her plea.

After glancing at her, Jih Heng took her wrist, probably to feel her pulse, and then said, "She’s been poisoned with Soft Muscle Powder."

"Heh," Wen Renyao was startled, "When we left, we borrowed medicine from Situ, but it seems there’s no antidote for Soft Muscle Powder, right?"

Lu Jiu shook his head, "An antidote isn’t necessary, as Soft Muscle Powder only lasts for 24 hours. After that, it naturally wears off. The question is how long ago Miss Jiang took the powder." He looked towards Jiang Li.

Jiang Li wasn’t able to speak.

"Ah!" Wen Renyao seemed to finally realize, "Why has Miss Jiang the Second been silent the whole time? She couldn’t have been fed Mute Medicine, could she!"

Jih Heng frowned and examined her for a moment, then pressed a couple of times on her acupoints. Jiang Li didn’t feel much, just a sudden lightness in her throat and a sense of breaking free from shackles. When she tried to speak again, her voice came out.

"Duke," Perhaps because she hadn’t spoken for a long while, her voice was hoarse, and weak due to the Soft Muscle Powder, she said, "Thank you, Duke, for saving my life."

Wen Renyao looked at Jih Heng, then at Jiang Li, and asked, "Miss Jiang the Second, didn’t you follow us willingly?"

"I was kidnapped and taken southward, ending up here," Jiang Li’s thoughts became clearer as she said, "I heard the people who kidnapped me say it was under Prince Cheng’s orders."

"Prince Cheng?" Lu Jiu pondered for a moment, "Is it to retaliate against Princess Yongning’s matter?"

Jiang Li said, "It should be so."

The room fell silent for a while, then Wen Renyao, looking puzzled, turned to Jih Heng, "How did Ah Heng find you? We were together the entire time; I didn’t see you signal him for help."

"Actually, earlier today around noon, in a tavern, while I was eating, I heard Wen Ji and Zhao Ke talking. But at the time, I couldn’t speak or move, so I couldn’t send a signal. When I came out, I saw the Duke’s sedan," Jiang Li paused, "I tried to make the Duke recognize me, so I took a tumble, but it seemed there was no one in the sedan. I truly do not understand, how did the Duke notice me?"

Jih Heng chuckled, "I was inside the sedan."

The few people in the room were stunned.

"When you fell, the Jade Pendant also fell to the ground. I’ve heard the sound of your Jade Pendant dropping before, the one engraved with civility, it has a very distinctive sound," he said.

Jiang Li was shocked. She really hadn’t thought that it could have been because of the Jade Pendant. But now that she thought about it, Jih Heng had indeed once picked up her Jade Pendant that fell to the ground. Come to think of it, the Civet Jade wasn’t taken by the man and woman, perhaps because they considered the Jade Pendant non-threatening, or maybe because the Civet Jade was of average quality and not worth much Silver, so they just couldn’t be bothered to take it.

Yet it ended up saving her life.

"Duke... you knew it was me just by the sound of the Jade Pendant falling?" Jiang Li asked.

"Don’t underestimate Ah Heng’s ears," Wen Renyao casually draped his arm over Jih Heng’s shoulder, "Not only does Ah Heng have exceptional martial skills and extraordinary hearing, but he also studied theater as a child. Those who learn theater have a very clear discernment of the subtle differences in sounds. To us, the sound of a Jade Pendant hitting the ground is all the same, but to him, there is a distinction between what’s distinctive and what’s not."

Jih Heng said, "Wen Renyao."

Wen Renyao’s smugness came to an abrupt halt, and he immediately stood up, saying, "Well, I’ll step out for a while. The Second Miss must be hungry, right? I’ll go find something for you to eat."

Lu Jiu said, "Miss Jiang, do you feel uncomfortable? If you are not feeling well, we could find a doctor now..."

"No need, Lu Jiu, you can go out first," said Jih Heng.

Lu Jiu was taken aback, then realizing something, he glanced between Jih Heng and Jiang Li, and then left the room. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji also departed.

Now only Jih Heng and Jiang Li were left in the room.

Jih Heng helped Jiang Li up, allowing her to sit up against the bed. He casually removed her veil. His movements were very natural, but Jiang Li felt her heart "thump" suddenly, and she felt somewhat at a loss.

She had seen her face in a Bronze Mirror, and it had also reflected in the water bowl she drank from, full of blotches and red marks, terribly horrifying, akin to a fierce ghost. No matter what, she was still a woman, and her once fine face becoming like this always made her feel stifled. Especially in front of Jih Heng, Jiang Li recalled the Duke favored beauty and detested ugliness, even wanting the manservants in his residence to have handsome appearances; seeing herself like this, he would surely find her repulsive.

Her heart was in turmoil, unable to move, and all she could do was lower her gaze, to be out of sight, out of mind. If she didn’t see Jih Heng’s expression, she wouldn’t have to worry. A rebellious frustration welled up in her, yet she didn’t understand why she was so fixated on this moment of invisibility.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Jih Heng raised an eyebrow, "Don’t dare to look at me?"