18
Just past noon, the streets of Chang’an’s West Market were bustling with lively activity.
Ruan An lifted the carriage curtain with her slender, fair hand—white and soft as tender grass. Gazing into the distance, she saw Li Yifang walking toward the carriage she and Ruan Xi were riding in, coming from the direction of the West Market Bureau.
The man, impeccably dressed, gave her a gentle, refined smile.
Li Yifang was signaling to her that he had finished his official duties and would soon be able to escort her and her son on their journey back to Jiazhou.
Ruan An nodded back at Li Yifang. She had not deliberately made herself look older today, but she had prepared a veiled hat inside the carriage in advance, just in case of unexpected situations when leaving the city.
A moment later, Li Yifang had already reached the side of the carriage.
Seeing the beautiful woman who had not yet lowered the carriage curtain—her ethereal, pure aura as captivating as an orchid by a misty stream—his heart still swayed with emotion.
Li Yifang clasped his hands and cleared his throat softly, concealing his distraction.
Ruan An wore a plain white garment. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her thick, dark hair was half-coiled with only a wooden hairpin. She wore no powder or makeup at all, yet she possessed a soft, radiant, jade-like beauty of peerless grace.
Her features were pure and youthful; no one could tell she was already the mother of a three-year-old child.
Ruan An once again expressed her gratitude to Li Yifang, saying softly, “Thank you very much, Lord Li, for escorting my son and me back to our hometown.”
Li Yifang replied, “There is no need for thanks. This is the least I could do.”
After Ruan An lowered the carriage curtain, Li Yifang also got into the carriage. Before he could even settle into his seat, Ruan An felt Ruan Xi, beside her, tugging gently at her thumb with his small hand.
Ruan An looked at Ruan Xi and asked softly, “Xi’er, what’s wrong?”
Ruan Xi lowered his thick, curled eyelashes and pleaded softly, “Mother, I forgot to buy Jushengnu for Brother Sun Ye.”
Ruan An couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out and gently tapped her son’s little nose, teasing him, “I think it’s Xi’er himself who wants to eat it.”
Ruan Xi repeatedly shook his little head and quietly protested, “No, I don’t~”
Hearing the exchange between mother and son, Li Yifang said, “There’s still plenty of time. Since we’re right on the main road of the West Market, I’ll take Xi’er to buy some. We’ll be back quickly.”
Ruan An did not refuse. She had prepared some easy-to-store snacks for the child beforehand, but none were as exquisite as those sold in the West Market shops.
A child this young was bound to crave sweets. Besides, this time, once they left Chang’an, they would never return to this place. After returning to Jiazhou, it would be hard to find such delicate pastries as those in Chang’an’s West Market.
Thus, Ruan An extended her slender index finger and reminded Ruan Xi, “Alright, but you must listen to Uncle Li and come back quickly.”
Ruan Xi obediently nodded his little head. “Mm-hmm~”
After Li Yifang got off the carriage with the child in his arms, Ruan An thought about lifting the carriage curtain to take one last look at the West Market.
But after a moment of hesitation, her slender hand hovered in midair, and she ultimately chose not to.
Though Chang’an was a prosperous, bustling imperial capital, for her, ever since she had set foot in this city in her previous life, her existence had been like an endless nightmare.
Her desire to leave this place grew more urgent by the day. Yet Ruan An still fulfilled her duty as a physician.
Although she had clashed with Li Mu, she still took her pulse and examined her every day, nor did she mention to Li Yifang what Li Mu had said to her that day.
After drinking several doses of the formula Ruan An had prepared, He Xinyuan’s face had finally improved. The girl’s personality had become much more cheerful. Seeing a patient’s smiling face after recovery was a great comfort to her as a physician.
But there was still regret in Ruan An’s heart.
She still worried about her cousin Fang’s health and very much wanted to see an old acquaintance at Daci Temple. In her previous life, without that acquaintance’s comfort, she would never have lasted so long. She would likely have lost her will and been tormented to death by those people in the palace.
And the greatest regret—one she dared not even acknowledge as regret—was that she still had not had the chance to see Huo Pingxiao.
That unruly, defiant young man from years past had said that when they met again in the future, he would grant her two wishes.
On the day they parted, Ruan An had made those wishes in her heart. Even now, those two wishes remained unchanged.
In her previous life, even trapped deep within the palace, whenever she heard news of Huo Pingxiao setting out for battle, she would kneel before the Buddha for a long time. She would pray devoutly before the golden Buddha statue in the palace and silently recite those two wishes in her heart—
First, may the Marquis of Dingbei achieve a great victory and return safely.
Second, may peace come to the Central Plains, with no more war, so that the Marquis of Dingbei need not go off to battle again and again.
Later, when Li Shuying forbade her from seeing Ruan Xi again, a third wish was added.
The third wish was that she might soon find her child’s whereabouts and never have to be separated from her son again.
Thinking of this, Ruan An gave a bitter smile.
She sighed at herself—here she was, living her life all over again, yet she still couldn’t let go of those infatuated feelings for him.
Outside the Vermilion Bird Gate.
The man’s figure riding his horse along the main road was as strong and swift as a fierce wind. Behind him, Huo Changjue, struggling to keep up on horseback, was suffering miserably.
Huo Changjue couldn’t quite understand what had caused Huo Pingxiao to lose control of his emotions so completely.
Though he had not spent much time with his elder brother, he knew his temperament well. In peacetime, Huo Pingxiao always appeared carefree and languid, as if even the sky falling down had nothing to do with him—nothing was worth his attention.
Yet as a commander-in-chief, Huo Pingxiao, while seemingly arrogant and sharp-edged when confronting enemies, was actually very steady in his actions.
After all, his orders affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of men. So, his temperament was outwardly unrestrained but inwardly restrained—strong, but not stubborn or arrogant.
Huo Changjue had never seen him so anxious before. It seemed that ever since he had mentioned Li Yifang, the man’s state had been off.
The Prime Minister’s Mansion was some distance from the West Market. As a civil official, Huo Changjue had not ridden a horse for a long time and naturally could not keep up with Huo Pingxiao, who had practically grown up on horseback.
Huo Changjue secretly thought that if his brother continued at this speed for a few more sticks of incense’s worth of time, even a horse with ordinary stamina would be ridden to death.
Finally, they arrived at the main road of the West Market.
Huo Pingxiao reined in his horse and dismounted, then strode toward the direction of the West Market Bureau. The luxurious leather belt at his waist caused the jade pendants on either side to clink against each other. His exceptionally handsome appearance and noble, commanding aura drew the gaze of passersby, yet the cold, imposing presence radiating from him made them dare not look too closely.
“Brother—wait for me!”
Huo Changjue had just dismounted. He was nearly sprinting, but still couldn’t keep up with Huo Pingxiao’s pace.
Meanwhile.
Li Yifang happened to encounter several of his subordinate street enforcers. The leader of the enforcers, unaware that Li Yifang had already requested leave from the Jingzhao government office, proceeded to report to him on the recent market conditions they had observed in the residential alleys.
Ruan Xi saw that the vendor at the food stall ahead had just pulled golden-fried Jushengnu out of the oil cauldron with a strainer. Seizing the moment while Li Yifang wasn’t paying attention, he trotted off on his little legs—tap, tap, tap—toward the stall.
Last time, because of the long queue, he hadn’t gotten to eat this Jushengnu. Now, he would be the first to buy it!
The boy’s dark, bright pupils sparkled as he ran forward, panting slightly, his chubby little cheeks flushing pink.
Just then, Huo Pingxiao and Ruan Xi were only a few steps apart.
The man was tall and imposing, while the little dumpling barely reached his knee. Ruan Xi was nowhere within Huo Pingxiao’s line of sight, and the boy hadn’t anticipated that the man beside him would be walking so fast.
Before he could dodge out of Huo Pingxiao’s way, Ruan Xi went thump as he collided with him.
The boy’s small hands had been holding a paper-wrapped package. The biluo inside scattered all over the ground as he fell flat on his bottom. They tumbled a few times, their surfaces now covered in dust.
Ruan Xi’s little face gradually fell with disappointment. Ignoring the pain, he asked the fierce, unfamiliar man before him in a soft, milky voice: “Uncle, why weren’t you watching where you were going?”
Huo Pingxiao’s brows furrowed slightly. He helped the boy up from the ground and was about to ask how he was doing.
But as soon as he got a clear look at Ruan Xi’s features, the man’s expression froze.
Could this be the child?
With this thought, Huo Pingxiao used his large hands to grip the boy under his armpits and lifted him up into the air.
Squinting against the sunlight, the man gazed silently at the boy’s face without saying a word.
Though Ruan Xi was a little frightened, he had been bolder than most children since birth.
Thus, being suddenly picked up by a stranger, the boy didn’t cry or fuss. He simply kicked his little feet back and forth a few times and pleaded, “Uncle, put me down quickly~ Otherwise, the street enforcers will come and arrest you!”
A child as young as Ruan Xi could only judge people by their demeanor.
Huo Pingxiao’s features were exquisitely sharp and handsome—his looks were striking at first glance. But the man’s presence was too intense. The fierce, scarred mark on his neck alone drew almost all of the boy’s attention.
Moreover, his entire body carried a warm, rich amber scent. This thick, piney fragrance was just like his temperament—powerful and piercing.
Li Yifang, on the other hand, had a very gentle presence. The corners of his clothes carried a faint scent of ink and books. That was why Ruan Xi wasn’t afraid of him and actually felt quite fond of him.
Meanwhile, Huo Pingxiao caught a faint, familiar scent of medicinal herbs coming from the boy. He set the little dumpling back down on the ground and was about to ask about his identity.
Just then, Li Yifang finally noticed that Ruan Xi was no longer beside him. He quickly scanned the area with his eyes. When he saw the tall man standing in front of the boy, his expression changed slightly.
It was the Marquis of Dingbei.
Li Yifang walked briskly to the two of them and scooped Ruan Xi up into his arms.
Ruan Xi, as if granted a reprieve, called out to him in a clear voice: “Uncle Li!”
Uncle… Li?
Huo Pingxiao’s brows furrowed even deeper.
This meant that the boy before him was not this man’s child.
“The child’s impudent behavior—I hope the Marquis will forgive him,” Li Yifang said coolly.
After speaking, Li Yifang noticed that Huo Pingxiao stood there motionless, his expression unreadable, as if lost in his own thoughts. The look in his eyes held both bewilderment and astonishment—almost as if he had suddenly gone mad.
Li Yifang did not wish for any complications. He also knew that their departure could not afford further delay. So, taking advantage of Huo Pingxiao’s dazed state, he quickly walked toward the carriage with Ruan Xi in his arms.
A moment later, Huo Changjue finally caught up with Huo Pingxiao, panting heavily. “Brother, what’s wrong with you? Li Yifang was right in front of you—how could you just let him leave?”
Huo Pingxiao was aware that Huo Changjue seemed to be saying something to him, but he had no idea what it was.
All that flashed through his mind was the timid, evasive expression on Ruan An’s face when she woke up in the thatched hut, and the soft, watery look in the young woman’s bright apricot eyes.
—”Did something happen between us that day?”
—”What could have happened? I have a fiancé in Chang’an, you know.”
—”Chang’an is full of talented men. Of course, he has to focus single-mindedly on preparing for the imperial exams—he wants to become the Prefect of Chang’an who serves the people. After he passes the exams and his official career stabilizes, we will naturally choose an auspicious day to marry.”
Huo Pingxiao suddenly recalled that conversation with Ruan An in the cave. The familiar, faintly bitter scent of medicinal herbs still lingered in his nose from the boy.
It smelled just like her.
He grew increasingly certain of the thought in his mind—that young woman seemed to have given him a son.
When he finally snapped out of it, there was no sign of Ruan Xi anywhere nearby. Huo Pingxiao asked in a deep voice, “Where’s that child from just now?”
“Li Yifang carried him away,” Huo Changjue said, then pointed to a carriage gradually receding into the distance on the main road. “They’re in that carriage. Looks like they’re heading out of the city.”
No sooner had he spoken than Huo Pingxiao, his face dark and fierce, strode briskly toward his horse.
The man mounted swiftly, whipped the horse’s flank with a sharp crack, and galloped straight in the direction the carriage was heading.
**