Chapter 43

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Chapter 43: Without Fear

Ji Yunhe ran through the forest and climbed to the top of a small hill. She stared into the distance while the sun sprinkled down all around her. When Changyi approached the hill, she called out to him like an excited child, "Changyi! Changyi! Come up here!"

Changyi had never seen such a vibrant Ji Yunhe.

She had always been calm and steady, both in the Demon Valley and inside the Ten Square Formation. Perhaps she revealed some capriciousness from time to time, but she never truly let herself go.

But now she was actually jumping up and down on the hill.

"Look!" She pointed to the distance.

Changyi walked to her side. A vast view of endless rolling hills stretched out before his eyes, undulating for thousands of miles. In the far distant horizon, lofty mountains towered into the sky and pierced through the clouds. It was a sight of pure magnificence.

Under such splendor of heaven and earth, all the calculated gains and losses of human desires seemed unimportant.

Ji Yunhe's lips trembled as she spoke.

"Isn't this world beautiful?" It was not clear if she was asking Changyi or herself.

He turned his head and looked at the side of her face. Although she was quietly staring into the distance, both her eyes and lips trembled, revealing an inner excitement that she could hardly keep under control.

Changyi said while still looking at her, "Beautiful."

"Yes," Ji Yunhe said. "I don't like the human world, but it seems I do like this heaven and earth."

Ji Yunhe seemed to suddenly remember something. She turned her head sideways and met Changyi's gaze, then took a few steps back and studied him from a distance.

Changyi was puzzled. "What is it?"

"You also."

"Also what?"

"You are also very likeable."

Changyi stopped and glanced at her smiling eyes, then abruptly turned his head. For some reason, he felt it was difficult to face her right now, so he turned to the mountains and clouds instead.

But after a brief moment, he could not help but look at her again. "Can you stop talking like that?"

"Why?"

"It's too easy to misunderstand."

"Misunderstand what?" Ji Yunhe smiled, pressing him relentlessly.

And it was her oppressive attitude that made Changyi respond bluntly, "Misunderstand that you like me."

"That's not really a misunderstanding."

Changyi stopped again.

"You do like me?"

"Yes, I like your beautiful face and your beautiful personality."

Changyi pondered for a moment. "So it is that kind of like. Makes logical sense."

What a confident fish!

Ji Yunhe laughed. "Do you know what you look like, Changyi?"

He lowered his head and looked at himself. "Like a human."

From his standpoint, he was not wrong. The jiaoren Changyi really did look like a human right now…

Ji Yun shook her head and said, "You look like a story. All the beautiful things that humans dream of are in you. Honorable and unyielding, powerful yet gentle. You are like the stuff of legends."

Then she paused. Changyi waited a while before asking, "I'm like a story, and then what?"

The voice of the little armored general came from below the hillside, "Hey, let's go."

Ji Yunhe looked down and saw Ji Chengyu and Zhu Ling heading over with a few soldiers following behind. She looked at Changyi and said, "Let's go then."

He nodded his head and walked down the hill, no longer dwelling on their topic just now.

Ji Yunhe watched Changyi's back as she followed him. They walked through the forest, stepped over the fence, and returned to the post. After exiting the main door, she paused for a moment and asked Ji Chengyu, "I want to ride your horse this afternoon, feasible?"

Ji Chengyu smiled and nodded like always. "Sure."

Zhu Ling was not happy. "Why did you agree?"

"It's not easy for a demon master to leave the valley. She just wants to switch the carriage for a horseback, why not?"

Zhu Ling frowned. "Then you come and sit with me."

"Nah." Ji Chengyu ignored Zhu Ling's request and boarded Changyi's carriage.

Changyi looked at Ji Yunhe then stepped in after him.

Ji Yunhe mounted Ji Chengyu's horse and walked with the caravan on the main road.

Her eyes collected every distant view, and her lips smiled at every curious pedestrian who looked at them.

Her horse followed Changyi's carriage. Aside from looking at the views and the people passing by, she also checked on the situation inside the carriage from time to time.

The two men sat on opposite sides. Changyi was silently meditating with his eyes closed, but Ji Chengyu seemed very curious about him, and studied him for a long time. Finally he asked, "Jiaoren are stubborn by nature, and will not yield even in death. A tamed jiaoren pretty much does not exist in this world. What exactly did that demon master do to you to make you submit like this?"

Ji Yunhe looked in. Between the swinging curtains, she could only see the hand resting calmly on Changyi's lap, but not the expression on his face.

"She did not tame me, and I did not submit."

"Oh?" Ji Chengyu smiled. "Then... I'm afraid this caravan will have to turn around and take another trip to the Demon Valley."

"No need. I said I will not hurt the human princess."

"Then you have submitted."

"I'm just protecting someone."

He did not submit, nor did he accept defeat. He was just protecting her in a world that was not his, in the best way he could think of.

Ji Yunhe lowered her eyes and stroked the horse under her.

"Why? Are you clear about the choice you are making?" Ji Chengyu continued to ask.

"I am clear."

No more conversation followed after that.

Ji Yunhe paced her horse to the front of the carriage. She looked at the distant mountains and smiled.

It was night.

Zhu Ling's carriage broke a wheel, and the caravan did not have time to reach the next post station, so they camped in the mountains.

Ji Yunhe surveyed the surrounding terrain. She looked to the direction of the main road and made sure the trails left by the caravan were obvious. Even if they were not at the post, Lin Haoqing should still be able to find them easily. But to be on the safe side, she should probably still leave a mark...

Changyi walked over just as she was pondering over this. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Have they finished setting up the tents?"

"Mhm."

"Let's go."

The four of them had tents sitting in a row away from the soldiers. Zhu Ling's tent was on the far left, followed by Ji Chengyu's. As for the two on the right, Ji Yunhe thought for a moment and chose the one next to Ji Chengyu. This way she could watch over the movements of the tents next to her.

Of course Changyi would not argue with her over which tent to sleep in. He obediently took the rightmost one and was about to enter when Ji Yunhe called him.

"Changyi."

"Hm?"

Ji Yunhe looked at him. She suddenly felt some parting sorrow. This was, perhaps, the last time she would get to see him.

She helped Changyi smooth his slightly wrinkled lapel. "Your robe's wrinkled."

"Thanks." Changyi turned to leave when Ji Yunhe called out to him again.

"Changyi."

He turned back and looked at her. The two of them stared at each other for a while under the glow of the campfire. Finally Ji Yunhe smiled. "Today, I feel like I finally experienced freedom and joy."

"Because of leaving the Demon Valley?"

"I guess. But I also realized that freedom is about not being afraid," Ji Yunhe said. "And today, I lived without fear."

Changyi looked at her smiling face. As if it were contagious, he also lifted the corners of his lips.

"You will in the future too."

"Yes, I will." Ji Yunhe raised her hand and stroked Changyi's hair. "You will too."

He would soon be free, be happy, and be without fear.

Changyi looked at her with some confusion. "I don't have any injuries on my body right now."

"Touch it and it will get even healthier." Ji Yunhe waved her hand and finally turned to leave. "Sleep well."

She went back to her tent and watched the camp curtain fall, then took a deep breath and told herself: Changyi is a beautiful story.

Beautiful things should keep on going.

And his story was far from reaching its end.

Proofreader: Gem, Joker