Chapter 23: Mutation (4)

In the dream, he once again smelled the heartbreaking fragrance, rich and long, refreshing. In the darkness in front of him, her face shone brightly, and her eyes were filled with touching warmth and pity, which made him intoxicated. He couldn't help but reach out to touch the love that was close to him, but suddenly, her face broke into pieces like a reflection in the waves. When these fragments condensed and gathered together, who did he see?...ah, it was her, it was her... that still beautiful face, the unchanging deep gaze, slowly floated from the deepest part of his memory, and accompanied by the huge pain that he could not face so far, swept towards him.

The fragrance of orchids fills every breath. This fragrance is a great enjoyment for most people, but unfortunately it has never been like this for him. Like the countless awakenings from nightmares in the past, Li Yuanfang jumped up from the bed. The indescribable suffocation and depression made him sweat, fear, despair, and endless sadness, lingering in his heart with the faint fragrance, and he couldn't get rid of it for a long time. He looked around at the deep darkness around him, and truly felt so lonely and helpless.

After sitting on the bed for a while, Li Yuanfang calmed down. He reached into his arms and took out the square piece of paper from his close-fitting clothes. He thought about putting the paper in front of his nose and smelled it, and smiled unconsciously. The fragrance was indeed magical and it would not dissipate for a long time. If it was placed close to the body, it would become richer with the person's body temperature. This was the first time he had not been able to smell the fragrance of flowers for many years.

Li Yuanfang got up and walked to the table. A small candle that was lit before going to bed was not burned out. With the faint light, Li Yuanfang unfolded the paper and looked at the patterns and verses of the divine talisman again, but still had no inspiration. He shook his head and put the paper back on, thinking quite frustrated that since he was under house arrest by Qian Guinan, he spent almost most of his time sleeping every day, but he still couldn't rest well. The fatigue seemed to have penetrated his bones and could not be driven out. He had originally expected the dry weather in Tingzhou to relieve the pain, but it suddenly turned into rainy days, and the pain on his back continued, which was really unbearable.

The medicines brought to him by the guard from Pei Suyun were placed on the table, and they were encapsulated in an exquisite little porcelain jar. A small pentagram was printed on the wax seal. Since the wax seal was under the lid, it was difficult to detect it. As long as the jar was opened by someone else, Li Yuanfang could immediately detect it. Pei Suyun and Li Yuanfang did not make any agreement on this in advance, but as soon as he got the jar, he found the small mark set by Pei Suyun in a sympathetic way. This discovery made him feel heart-pounding and warm.

But when he opened the jar, he was very puzzled. It was not black bitter medicine, but transparent soup. After tasting it, it was sweet and fragrant. Li Yuanfang didn't care about it. Gudu drank most of it in one breath. It was very delicious. He could tell the taste. This was the juice of the freshly ripe Korla pear, which was mostly the fruit that Pei Suyun picked from the pear tree in his yard. Li Yuanfang didn't understand why Pei Suyun took the risk to send him this. He thought there would be medicines that would help him rest, but it disappointed him. He still couldn't sleep well and was awakened by a nightmare again.

Everything was silent all around. Judging from the length of the candle, he knew that he had not slept for long. It seemed that he would have to wait for dawn tonight with his eyes open, but he was used to it anyway. He drank all the remaining pear juice in the jar, which was very quenched. Suddenly, he heard snoring sounds from outside the door. Li Yuanfang was shocked and came here for three days. Although the door was not locked, there were at least two guards at the door. Four guards were guarding outside the courtyard. He had paid attention to the observation that the guards were divided into two shifts day and night, so they were full of energy all night.

Li Yuanfang leaned into the crack of the door and looked out, and found the two guards lying tilted outside the house, sleeping sounded sounds very clearly in the silence. He suddenly thought that the four guards outside the courtyard must have fallen asleep, otherwise they would never have noticed it.

What's going on? Li Yuanfang thought carefully, and her eyes accidentally swept to the jar on the table, and a sudden light of inspiration appeared. It must be Pei Suyun who was tampering with the medicine for the guard. The reason why he did not give Li Yuanfang the same medicine was to keep him awake so that he could run away at night. In other words, although he rejected Pei Suyun's suggestion to help him leave the place yesterday, she still made arrangements for him and provided the conditions she thought were necessary. Immediately, he seemed to hear her saying something she refused again, but his eyes and behavior always exposed her completely opposite heart. This is really a woman who likes to be smart and stubborn, which makes him very helpless, but deeply loves her.

Could it be that this silly woman really hoped that he would leave her alone? Li Yuanfang felt ridiculous and terrible. Who did she regard him as a person? Who knows what the witch thought, did she not express it clearly enough? Maybe it was her who saw through his weakness. Although he tried his best to hide this weakness, he probably still couldn't hide it completely from her eyes. He remembered that he had only had similar weakness when he was in the tent ten years ago, and he also failed to hide it from another person's eyes. They all saw his confusion, fear and attachment, but treated him in completely different ways. Fortunately, he could understand both methods and really like them.

The candle on the table was lit to the bottom and then went out after a "puff" sound. The house suddenly reached out and disappeared. Li Yuanfang's heart moved quietly. He could accurately estimate that it was at least two hours before midnight before dawn. I wonder if Pei Suyun's medicine could make the guards sleep soundly until tomorrow morning when the guards changed their guards, but this was indeed an excellent opportunity and should not be wasted, otherwise I would be sorry for her painstaking efforts. Li Yuanfang did not plan to escape, but decided to go out for a trip. The intuition told him that after tonight, there would be no possibility.

As expected, the other four guards fell under the wall. Li Yuanfang found one of the guys who looked like a team leader and took out a token from the governor's mansion from the man's waist. With this gadget, he could enter and exit Tingzhou City smoothly.

Li Yuanfang rode a horse pulled out of the stables of the governor's mansion and ran to the grassland outside the city of Tingzhou in less than an hour. The grassland after the rain was muddy, the fragrance of grass and wild flowers was swaying, and the moonlight was surprisingly bright. He saw that outside the herdsmen's tent where Di Jinghui and Han Bin were hiding, two big and small red horses were in a horse shed with wooden strips. Li Yuanfang couldn't help but be ecstatic. Just as he expected, Meng Dan was also here!

When Li Yuanfang carefully flashed into the silent tent, he was immediately hugged. He pushed it out casually, but it didn't push it away. The oil lamp lit up "puff". Li Yuanfang looked down at Han Bin's raised little face and said in surprise: "Good boy, you are getting stronger and stronger!"

Han Bin's face was flushed with excitement, and muttered softly: "Brother, you're finally here! I miss me so much!" Before he finished speaking, tears filled his eyes. Di Jinghui and Meng Dan came over and said happily at the same time: "Bin'er desperately said that you will come tonight, but he even made him say it!" "Well," Li Yuanfang patted Han Bin's shoulder and asked Meng Dan: "When did you come back?" Meng Dan was also very excited: "A few days ago, we fought with Tieheer in Shatuochi, and conquered all the five thousand iron cavalry of Chiduo Khan. Brother asked me to come back to deliver a letter to you, but the heavy rain delayed the trip and returned to Tingzhou the day before yesterday!"

Li Yuanfang nodded to Meng Dan: "I already know these." Meng Dan was shocked: "I understand?! How could it be? You..." Li Yuanfang smiled and did not answer. Meng Dan hurriedly said: "I went to the Bazaar Courtyard to find you after I came back. I realized that you had someone arrested the governor's mansion. I was almost anxious and kept thinking about how to save you, but there was no good way for a while." Di Jinghui interrupted: "I told you not to worry about it. The governor's mansion was a big bazaar to him, just go around casually!"

Several people sat down at the table, and Li Yuanfang said, "Let's say something, I don't have much time, I'll go back soon." Meng Dan and Di Jinghui were even more surprised, so they stopped asking questions and quietly waited for Li Yuanfang to explain. Li Yuanfang was speechless for a moment, silently staring at the flames of the oil lamp, and after a while, he looked at Di Jinghui, "Sir, are coming." Di Jinghui was stunned: "My father is coming to Tingzhou?! What is he here?" "I don't know whether he is here in Tingzhou, but I will definitely come to Longyou Road."

So, Li Yuanfang told all the things that happened in the governor's mansion a few days ago and all the news he received. Then, he looked at Meng Dan solemnly and instructed: "From now on, you must do your best to ensure Di Jinghui's safety. After Lord Di comes to Longyou Road, you can send more people out to inquire about the news. As long as possible, find a way to send Di Jinghui to Lord Di safely." Di Jinghui shouted: "What is this for? Why do you have to send me..." Li Yuanfang glared at him and interrupted him sternly: "Do you want others to use you to threaten Lord Di?"

Meng Dan bit his lip and nodded, "It's okay, don't worry. But what do you do?" Li Yuanfang said calmly, "Don't worry about me, I have a way. You must remember what I said to you just now. If you have the opportunity to see Lord Di, tell him, but you can't say anything to anyone else. And..." He paused, frowned and said to Meng Dan, "It's better to find a way to tell your brother. If the Great Zhou government criticizes his actions in Yibotai, please do not confront the Great Zhou court, otherwise it will be detrimental to the hegemony he has been seeking in the future. If someone really attacks, he can put all the responsibility on me. Of course, I believe that Prince Wuzhile has his own concerns on this point, and I'll just give a silence."

After saying this, Meng Dan and Di Jinghui were both stunned. Li Yuanfang looked at the worried look of the two and said softly: "You don't have to worry too much. I don't know what will happen next, but I'm just preparing for the worst. In short, as long as you can meet the adults safely, I will have a way out and support. So you must protect yourself. Okay, there's nothing else, I should leave now."

He was about to get up, but Han Bin hugged him tightly. Li Yuanfang shook his head at him: "Bin'er, don't tell me to worry about you anymore." Han Bin tightened his lips, lowered his head, and let go of his hand obediently. Meng Dan went over to hug his shoulders. Li Yuanfang winked at Di Jinghui, and the two walked side by side to outside the tent.

It was almost early morning, and on the grassland in the heavy night, the remaining stars fell and the smoke floated. Li Yuanfang and Di Jinghui looked at each other, as if there were thousands of words but there was no way to start. After a while, Li Yuanfang whispered: "When you see the adult, please ask me." Di Jinghui snorted softly: "I won't say it, I'll tell you yourself." Li Yuanfang stretched out his right hand to him: "Are the letter I put here last time still here?" Di Jinghui nodded, took out a letter from his arms and handed it over, and asked, "Here, I've always carried it with me. What's wrong? Didn't you tell me to keep it for you and find an opportunity to give it to my father? Isn't this a chance? Or do you give it to him yourself?" Li Yuanfang smiled and put the letter in his arms: "It's nothing important, let me talk about it later." Di Jinghui spread his hands: "It's up to you."

After quieting, Li Yuanfang said again: "And Bin'er, I have always regretted bringing him here, and did not let him stay with the adults. If..." Di Jinghui interrupted him impatiently: "Hey, I'm not interested in listening to you saying these words. It's like my father's mother-in-law and mother. If you want to leave, go quickly."

Li Yuanfang nodded and turned around and was about to kick the horse. Di Jinghui remembered something again and pulled the reins of the horse and said, "I have been thinking about the poem that Pei Suyun gave you these days. The first couplet mentioned the Fuxi Bagua. Although it has eight directions and is different from the five directions of the five-pointed star, the upper left of the Fuxi Bagua is the ‘Dui’ hexagram, which means ‘Ze’; the lower left is the ‘Zhen’ hexagram, which means ‘Lei’; and the upper right is the ‘Xun’ hexagram, which means ‘Zhu’.

It means wind; the lower right is the ‘Gen’ hexagram, which means mountain. It is inconsistent with the four gods of the shaman ‘water, fire, wind, and earth’. Therefore, I have thought about it these days and felt that perhaps the four corners of the five-pointed star represent the four gods of the ‘water, wind, fire, and earth’, and the position is probably the same as the hexagram position of the Fuxi Bagua. But...haha, I can’t say it well, when you have the chance, you will ask your witch and see if this riddle is guessed accurately!”

"Okay, I understand." Di Jinghui looked at Li Yuanfang and turned his horse's head and said loudly: "Yuanfang, be careful!" "Yes, Brother Jinghui, you and the princess should take care of you and take care of Haobin'er. I'm leaving!"

At the far end of the sky, the starlight faded away and the sun was no longer visible. At the dawn of the slightly white grassland, the backs of each man and a horse soon disappeared without a trace in the gray morning mist. Then there were also shattered letter papers, like snowflakes that fell unexpectedly in summer, melting into his clear eyes in the blink of an eye.
Chapter completed!