The Double

Chapter 192: Saving the Beauty

"How dare you bully someone under my protection? You've got quite the nerve."

After these words left his lips, the man and woman before him suddenly lunged at Ji Heng!

They likely intended to catch him off guard and deliver a fatal blow, but the young man's smile turned cold. With a flick of his fan, he deflected the silvery glint aimed at him. His fan, made of some unknown material, appeared delicate and soft yet was impervious to blades. Even the opponent's dagger failed to pierce it. In the next moment, the fan lightly grazed the necks of the two assailants, like a butterfly kissing a newly bloomed peach blossom, gentle as a breeze.

It all happened too quickly—almost no one could clearly see Ji Heng's movements. By the time he retracted his fan and stood before the two, wearing a lazy, faint smile, the man and woman remained frozen in their previous stances, a thin line of blood appearing on their necks before they collapsed with a "thud."

A single strike, fatal.

Jiang Li struggled to focus her gaze, feeling an inexplicable sense of reassurance from the crimson-clad figure standing before her. He turned to look at her, his brow slightly furrowed as if mocking her, "With all your cunning, how did you end up in someone else's clutches?"

Jiang Li felt wronged.

Despite his words, Ji Heng bent down to help Jiang Li up. Only when he grasped her arm did he seem to realize she had been drugged, her body limp and weak. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and had no choice but to slip an arm around her shoulders, lifting her horizontally into his embrace.

Tall and sturdy, he carried the delicate girl effortlessly. Jiang Li's clothes had been torn by the man earlier, but fortunately, Ji Heng's robes were loose and ample, enveloping her completely. Holding her, he stepped over the corpses of the man and woman on the ground, as if disgusted, careful not to let a single drop of blood stain him.

The inn's clerk and manager downstairs had long fled in terror at the commotion, leaving the place deserted. Ji Heng carried Jiang Li outside onto the street. A man of such striking beauty standing in the open drew curious glances from passersby. He sighed, as if finding the situation troublesome. It was unclear how he had arrived—without a carriage or sedan chair—so he had no choice but to carry Jiang Li and walk slowly along the street.

Though Jiang Li knew her face was still veiled and marked with red patches, ensuring no one would recognize her even if they saw Ji Heng holding a girl, being cradled in a man's arms in public made her blush with intense discomfort.

Shen Yurong was a man who strictly adhered to propriety, priding himself on being a gentleman. Even during their intimate moments under the moonlight, he had never crossed any boundaries. Even after they married, he would never hold Xue Fangfei's hand in public. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, even finding his rigidity somewhat endearing.

Ji Heng and Shen Yurong were completely different. He bore some resemblance to Xue Zhao, though Xue Zhao embodied the recklessness of youth. Ji Heng, of course, was no longer young. His fearlessness stemmed from doing as he pleased, without a care in the world.Jiang Li suspected that Ji Heng had never held anyone before, because the way he carried her was like holding a child. She could see the ink-dark night, with lights gradually brightening along the way. This was unfamiliar Huangzhou, but perhaps because Ji Heng was there, it didn’t feel frightening at all.

Ji Heng paid no mind to the gazes of others. Instead, his striking appearance made people lower their eyes after a few glances, especially the young women passing by on the street. Bolder ones stared directly at Ji Heng, not even caring that he was carrying a girl in his arms.

After what felt like a long time, Jiang Li sensed Ji Heng stopping in front of a residence. He knocked on the door, and someone quickly answered. As the door opened, a familiar voice rang out: "My lord... Huh? Second Miss Jiang?"

It was Zhao Ke’s voice.

Jiang Li was astonished. Even in her current state, Zhao Ke could still recognize her. Immediately after, Zhao Ke added, "My lord, did you go out tonight to find Second Miss Jiang? How did you find her? How did she end up in Huangzhou? Did she come here on her own? Is she here to chase after you?"

Ji Heng said, "Does she look like she came here on her own?"

Jiang Li: "..."

Zhao Ke scratched his head and said, "Not really."

"Enough nonsense," Ji Heng said impatiently. "Let’s go inside first."

Jiang Li was carried into the house by Ji Heng. The residence wasn’t very large but was clean and tidy, like a local Huangzhou household’s home. She didn’t know where Ji Heng had found it, but she knew he always had his ways and didn’t dwell on it.

After she was placed on the bed, the room brightened with lamplight, and a clamor of voices quickly approached from a distance. Having just been drugged, the noise made Jiang Li feel dizzy and disoriented.

It was Lu Ji and Wenren Yao who entered.

Lu Ji looked at Jiang Li in surprise and said, "Second Miss Jiang, how did you end up here?"

Wenren Yao added, "Isn’t all of Yanjing City searching for Second Miss Jiang right now? They thought she’d been kidnapped by thieves. Could it be that you followed us to Huangzhou?"

Wenren Yao’s mind seemed to work similarly to Zhao Ke’s, their thoughts almost identical. Jiang Li had no strength to move or speak, so she could only look at Ji Heng, hoping he understood her meaning.

Ji Heng glanced at her, took her wrist, likely to check her pulse, and then said, "She’s been drugged with Muscle Weakening Powder."

"Whoa." Wenren Yao was startled. "When we left, we borrowed medicine from Situ, but I don’t think there was an antidote for Muscle Weakening Powder."

Lu Ji shook his head. "An antidote isn’t necessary. The effects of Muscle Weakening Powder only last twelve hours. After that, it wears off naturally. We just don’t know how long ago Miss Jiang took the drug." He looked at Jiang Li.

Jiang Li couldn’t speak.

"Ah!" Wenren Yao seemed to finally realize. "Why hasn’t Second Miss Jiang said a word? Could it be that she was given a mute drug?"

Ji Heng frowned, studied her for a moment, then pressed two acupoints on her body. Jiang Li didn’t feel much, only a sudden lightness in her throat, as if breaking free from a constraint. When she spoke again, she could produce sound.

"Duke," she said, her voice hoarse from disuse and weak from the Muscle Weakening Powder. "Thank you for saving my life."Wenren Yao glanced at Ji Heng, then at Jiang Li, and asked, "Second Miss Jiang, you didn't follow here on your own?"

"I was abducted and brought south all the way to this place," Jiang Li replied, her mind clearing somewhat. "I overheard my captors say it was on Prince Cheng's orders."

"Prince Cheng?" Lu Ji pondered for a moment. "Is it to retaliate for what happened to Princess Yongning?"

Jiang Li said, "That should be the case."

The room fell silent for a while. Wenren Yao then looked at Ji Heng with confusion and asked, "Then how did A-Heng find you? We've been together the whole time and didn't see you call for his help."

"Actually, around noon today, while eating at a tavern, I heard Wen Ji and Zhao Ke talking. But at that time, I couldn't speak or move, so I couldn't signal for help. When we left, I saw the Duke's sedan chair," Jiang Li paused here, "I tried to get the Duke to recognize me by deliberately falling, but it seemed like there was no one in the sedan chair. Honestly, I don't understand how the Duke noticed me."

Ji Heng smiled faintly and said, "I was in the sedan chair."

Everyone in the room was taken aback.

"When you fell, your jade pendant also dropped to the ground. I've heard the sound of your jade pendant falling before—that piece carved with a civet has a very distinct sound," he explained.

Jiang Li was stunned. She truly hadn't expected it to be because of a jade pendant. But thinking back now, Ji Heng had indeed once picked up a jade pendant she had dropped. Speaking of which, the civet jade hadn't been taken by the couple who abducted her, perhaps because they thought it posed no threat, or maybe because the jade was of ordinary quality and not worth much, so they couldn't be bothered to steal it.

Yet it had ended up saving her life.

"Duke... you recognized me just by the sound of the jade pendant falling?" Jiang Li asked.

"Don't underestimate A-Heng's ears," Wenren Yao said familiarly, slinging an arm over Ji Heng's shoulder. "A-Heng not only has exceptional hearing from martial arts training, but he also studied opera as a child. Opera performers are very sensitive to subtle differences in sound. To us, all jade pendants sound the same when they hit the ground, but to him, there are distinct and indistinct sounds."

Ji Heng said, "Wenren Yao."

Wenren Yao's smug expression vanished instantly. He stood up immediately and said, "Well, I'll step out for a bit. Second Miss must be hungry, right? I'll go find some food."

Lu Ji added, "Miss Jiang, are you feeling unwell? If so, we can call for a physician now..."

"No need, Lu Ji, you may leave first," Ji Heng said.

Lu Ji was momentarily taken aback, then seemed to realize something. His gaze shifted between Ji Heng and Jiang Li before he withdrew. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji also left the room.

Only Ji Heng and Jiang Li remained.

Ji Heng helped Jiang Li sit up, leaning against the bed, and casually removed her veil. His movements were natural, but Jiang Li's heart skipped a beat, leaving her somewhat flustered.She had seen her own face in the bronze mirror and reflected in the water bowl—covered entirely in crimson blotches, terrifyingly ghastly like a malevolent spirit. After all, she was still a woman. To have a perfectly fine face ruined like this left her feeling stifled and resentful. Especially in front of Ji Heng—Jiang Li remembered that this Duke had always adored beauty and loathed ugliness, to the extent that even the servants in his residence had to be fair-faced. Seeing her in such a state, wouldn’t he be utterly repulsed?

Her heart raced with anxiety, yet she couldn’t move, so she lowered her gaze, adopting an "out of sight, out of mind" approach. If she couldn’t see Ji Heng’s expression, she wouldn’t have to dwell on it. A defiant, self-destructive stubbornness rose within her, though she didn’t understand why she was so fixated on this trivial matter.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Ji Heng raised an eyebrow. "Afraid to look at me?"

(End of Chapter)