Chapter 1678 – Retrieve from Nan Sheng, Kill An Huan (Eighty-Six)
“It’s been ages since we last met, and I can’t help but miss you, so I had to tease you a bit.”
Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow with a chuckle and casually untied the ropes binding Lü Zheng, tossing them aside.
Lü Zheng shivered at her words, his brows twitching, his face caught in a limbo between endurance and collapse.
He leaned back slightly, trying to avoid her closeness.
Now free, he couldn’t help but rub his sore wrists and awkwardly remarked, “Liu Lanting, do you still think you’re a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy?”
This was a military camp, not some tavern where she could indulge as she pleased.
“If I stroll out among the crowd, calling me twelve or thirteen would be an exaggeration, but fifteen or sixteen still works,” Jiang Ji joked with a smile. “If I remember correctly, your age is not much different from Zixiao’s, yet you look far more haggard and aged than him. Add ten years to your age, and people would believe it. An is quite a handful; you must have cleaned up his messes more than a few times these years, right? Up before the rooster, asleep after the dog, working harder than an ox—truly living up to the saying about rising early and resting late!”
Lü Zheng looked at Jiang Ji, and in a daze, he felt as if time had jumbled. The person standing before him was still that noble youth in splendid attire, as though the years had left no mark on her.
“Hmph, your tongue is still as sharp as ever, always insisting on your point like a stubborn child.”
When she was twelve or thirteen, that stubbornness was cute and innocent.
Over a decade had passed, and she remained just as stubborn… he wasn’t Wei Zixiao to indulge her whims!
“This is called arguing with reason and facts. When did I ever ‘insist on my point’?” Jiang Ji reached out to him, saying, “My tent is indeed tidy, but the muddy ground is still dirty. How long do you plan to sit on the ground? Aren’t you afraid of getting a cold backside?”
Lü Zheng stared at her hand, struggling to suppress the impulse to swat it away.
“At the very least, I’m a scholar. The teacher doesn’t instruct you to use such crude words every day.”
Jiang Ji couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I thought you’d say something like, ‘At least you’re a lady; try not to speak so coarsely.’”
Even now, some still liked to make an issue of her gender, and though it might not be intentional, subconscious biases still peeked through. Jiang Ji didn’t mind; after all, they were outsiders, mere nobodies to her.
If Lü Zheng were like that as well, she’d be quite disappointed.
Lü Zheng looked up at Jiang Ji’s face. Today, she wore a short robe of stone blue, looking tidy and sharp, with her handsome features, eyes brimming with feelings, and a half-smile on her lips… At first glance, she resembled an elegant young aristocrat. One could hardly find the familiar “female labels” people were used to, like “delicate” or “virtuous”…
But it couldn’t be denied that she indeed was a woman, embodying a rare kind of beauty.
“Do you have any awareness of what you look like?”
Lü Zheng admired her inwardly but wouldn’t let her off that easy.
He firmly grasped Jiang Ji’s hand, using her momentum to stand up.
As Lü Zheng was still unwell, standing up suddenly made him dizzy for a moment, nearly causing him to stagger and topple forward.
Jiang Ji instinctively steadied him, and Lü Zheng caught a glimpse of her profile, mentally mumbling.
Back then, he didn’t recognize her gender, and it wasn’t because he or those around him were mistaken; it was just that she looked too extraordinary.
“Has An deprived you of meat to the point of being sick of it?”
When they shook hands, she noticed Lü Zheng was even thinner than she had expected, his palm almost devoid of flesh.
Zixiao was thin, but still had some meat on him; Lü Zheng, however, was nothing but bone.
More than half a year ago, Jiang Ji had sent Fang Zhi to persuade Lü Zheng.
Fang Zhi returned defeated but brought back plenty of information for Jiang Ji.
According to Fang Zhi’s descriptions, Lü Zheng had been kept in the cold by An but hadn’t been in too terrible a situation; he had been eating well, sleeping well, and had even gained a bit of weight.
Looking at him now, it was clear he was nowhere near fat.
If a typhoon were to blow, she could tie a rope around Lü Zheng’s neck and let him fly like a kite!
“Don’t mention meat; it makes me nauseous.”
Even though that meat porridge hadn’t made it into his stomach, the taste had lingered every time he thought of it, making him sick again.
Once the brief dizziness passed, Lü Zheng stood straight, releasing her hand and quietly observing.
Just as Jiang Ji was self-absorbed, she truly hadn’t changed much over the years.
Previously, Lü Zheng had rejected Fang Zhi’s persuasion. He hadn’t agreed to join, but he also took the opportunity to catch up with an old friend.
These two almost reaching their thirties gathered together for candlelight late-night talks, reminiscing about the past and feeling sentimental, discussing the state of the “Langya F5 Party.” From youth to manhood to middle age, everyone had changed drastically except Jiang Ji; the biggest changes belonged to Lü Zheng and her.
The once shy yet proud Fang Zhi had grown into a stable and dignified country gentleman, molded by reality; Jiang Mo, who had once dreamt of paper figures and loved avoiding fires, had transformed into a calm and reliable clan leader, finally conforming to his parents; Ma Xiu, the wealthy young master with land to spare, had faced turmoil due to war, losing his fields to warlords, and had to lead his family north, falling silent for years… Naturally, the changes in the three weren’t too drastic; among the five, Jiang Ji and Lü Zheng had undergone the most considerable transformations.
The most reckless and roguish Jiang Ji had become a ruler among lords,
In her essence, with some revolutionary qualities, Lü Zheng, once biased against aristocracy, had become Jiang Ji’s strategist against An.
Now, he had turned into Jiang Ji’s captive.
How amusing life can be; no one knows their future until the very last moment!
“Alright, alright, if you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t.”
Jiang Ji’s keen observation wasn’t for show; seeing Lü Zheng’s reaction made her aware there was something hidden, so she naturally wouldn’t push further.
A little jesting is playful; excessive jesting leads to enmity.
“Look at you, looking so haggard and sickly. Just stay in the military camp until the war is over. When you’re better, maybe I’ll let you see your old master one last time.” After saying that, Jiang Ji suddenly remembered something. “Oh, by the way, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Lü Zheng was already aware of Jiang Ji’s arrangements and was not surprised.
However, what she had to say made him inexplicably anxious.
“What’s the matter?”
Jiang Ji replied, “I asked your adopted daughter for something.”
Lü Zheng raised an eyebrow, questioning, “What item?”
Jiang Ji smiled, “Your reading notes.”
“What do you need that for?”
Jiang Ji chuckled, “Of course, to write a mourning letter to send your old master off!”
