CHAPTER 805: CHAPTER 235 DREAM NIGHT_4

He found peace in this play, if a woman could be fearless, what was there for him to be afraid of? Even if he spent the rest of his life without someone to rely on, it wouldn’t matter.

He slowly stood up from the wall.

On the other side, Xue Fangfei was swinging on a swing, her laughter spreading from the courtyard, a beauty’s smile that many wished to behold. Jih Heng stood below that very wall and, for a moment, suddenly felt that Xue Fangfei might truly be a beauty.

Beauty lies in the bones, not the skin, but this beauty was unaware of her charm. Her demeanor was gentle and adorable, appearing without temper, yet she was like a wildflower not yet in bloom, indistinguishable from other flowers before blossoming. When she bloomed passionately, no one knew what kind of colors she would show.

It was a pity she was planted in the Shen family’s courtyard, uncertain if she would ever have the chance to blossom for herself in this lifetime.

His lips curved up, his eyes brimming with affectionate warmth as he walked along the wall toward the Xue family’s gate. The gate, made of firewood, wasn’t very tight, and through the cracks, one could see the courtyard within. With just a glance, he saw under the night sky, a young woman in plain clothes, as beautiful as peach blossoms, sitting on a swing with a charming smile.

Under the milky way, her smile was gentler than the spring breeze, her eyes like stars, exceptionally bright and shining. She seemed to feel the gaze on her, turning her head to look toward the gate, her face still wearing an unretracted smile, an image so beautiful it was enough to linger in memory for a lifetime.

Xue Fangfei stopped the swing doubtfully, and Hai Tang asked, "Miss, what’s wrong?"

She shook her head, walked to the door, gave it some thought, and pushed it open, only to see the outside, empty, with nothing there, only the soft wind brushing against her face, like the cordiality of an old friend. She walked out of the gate, looking toward the end of the alley, seemingly able to see a red light, like the figure of a Spirit Demon, disappearing into nothingness.

Only a faint lingering fragrance remained.

...

In a night of swirling snow, she had a beautiful spring dream. The dream was filled with intoxicating spring breezes, and Jiang Li saw herself as she was when she was still "Madam Shen", left alone in the room by Mother Shen and Shen Ruyun during the Spring Festival. She saw the handsome man in red walking to the other end of the courtyard, a smile on his lips as he listened to her finish singing "Locking Kylin Pouch."

The dream was still filled with lilting voices, but the sound gradually faded into the distance. Strangely, her memory paused at the moment when someone walked past her gate, looking through the gaps in the firewood door, exchanging distant gazes with her. Her smile not yet faded, the other person’s eyes filled with laughter, one glance spanning countless millennia.

Until Jiang Li awoke from the dream.

Wen Ji and Zhao Ke had already arrived and were waiting outside the cave. When Jiang Li got up, Jih Heng was coming in from the outside. He handed her the water bottle, saying with a smile, "You’re awake?"

Jiang Li looked at his face, unable to tell if it was unfamiliar or familiar, just gazing at him blankly.

"What is it?" he asked with a puzzled smile.

"Jih Heng..." Jiang Li hesitated to ask, "Three years ago, on the Spring Festival night, did you pass by the Shen family’s gate?"

The scene in the dream was so vivid, it all seemed as if it had really happened. The time was so long ago, she didn’t know whether it was true or not. But she remembered everything that happened last night, Jih Heng’s singing of "Locking Kylin Pouch," which she had sung before.

Jih Heng was surprised, and sat down on the ground in front of her, saying, "It seems you have remembered."

"You... I..." Jiang Li couldn’t finish her sentence.

She once thought that the entanglement between her and Jih Heng in their previous life was nothing more than "beautiful yet utterly soulless," and although she agreed with what Jih Heng said, it didn’t count for much. But she had no idea that on that night, the night Jih Minghan died, he had sat outside her wall, listening to her finish the song "Locking Kylin Pouch."

Was this the entanglement of fate? Jiang Li didn’t understand, but if she could go back to that night now, she wouldn’t let Jih Heng just walk away like that, at least she’d talk to Jih Heng again. At his most desperate moment.

"I’ll teach you how to sing opera in the future," he said, touching Jiang Li’s head, "You’re off key when you sing."

Jiang Li: "..." She suddenly remembered something more important and looked at Jih Heng, asking urgently, "How are your injuries?"

Jih Heng was seriously injured the day before, and today he could laugh and joke so freely with Jiang Li, but she was still very worried, suspecting that Jih Heng was just putting on an act.