Chapter 26.1: “That day, I saw you for the first time— —”

Ye Tianhui hugged Lin Jianquan and fell onto the grass.

This was the route she had planned the moment she rushed out. Whether it was speed, distance, the height of the slope, the route to dissipate force, or the place where they would fall, she had calculated everything perfectly.

The grass was thick and soft, with layers of old fallen leaves that could cushion the final force from her and Lin Jianquan.

However, despite all of this, the fall still caused significant impact to both of them.

Perhaps she had miscalculated after all. This lifetime’s Ye Tianhui was not the same as her past life, and her physical foundation was still quite different.

She held Lin Jianquan tightly, closed her eyes, and silently endured the pain caused by the fall.

After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and looked at Lin Jianquan in her arms.

His frail body was as taut as a stretched bow, every part of his body stiff as though made of stone, his face as pale as if drained of all color. He was trembling, shaking violently in her arms, like a yellow leaf hanging from a barren branch in late autumn.

She tightened her embrace around him, offering him some comfort.

Lin Jianquan seemed to feel it. He buried his face in her chest, greedily soaking in the soft warmth. His trembling lips seemed to want to say something but couldn’t produce any sound.

Ye Tianhui did not speak, simply holding him silently.

Soon, the racetrack staff rushed over, and Jessie and others also ran toward them. People gathered around.

Ye Tianhui was about to release Lin Jianquan, but he still clung to her tightly and would not let go.

His thin arms trembled as they clung to her body, his dark eyes wide open.

This was the first time Ye Tianhui saw a childlike confusion and fear in his eyes.

Ye Tianhui couldn’t bear it.

She understood that it wasn’t just because of the danger they had just faced. His eyes clearly carried the imprint of an entire dark childhood.

On the other hand the bald horse trainer’s voice rang out, shouting as he rushed over, “How is it? How is it? Doctor, doctor, come quickly!”

Hearing this voice, Lin Jianquan shuddered, then the emotion in his eyes disappeared, and his previously trembling arms seemed to be controlled by him. He instantly recovered from the terror of surviving the calamity.

The bald horse trainer arrived, the medical staff arrived, and people gathered around them, quickly checking their bodies and preparing to lift them onto a stretcher.

Lin Jianquan, however, pushed away the hands that were helping him and also pushed away the stretcher.

He stood up, his face pale, his figure straight, his expression indifferent and stubborn.

Ye Tianhui then felt that, at this moment, he instantly transformed into a sword, a cold and sharp sword, the shell he presented to the world.

He spoke in a strangely hoarse voice, “I’m fine, I can continue the race.”

The bald horse trainer looked at Lin Jianquan in this state, with the gaze of someone inspecting livestock, and as he watched, he suddenly laughed.

His laughter was full of satisfaction and pride: “Very good, very good, remember, failure is not terrifying, what’s terrifying is that you let fear take hold! Fear is the greatest enemy of a rider. An exceptional rider never shows weakness, never breaks, even if seriously injured, you must get up, get back on the horse, and reach the finish line!”

Ye Tianhui also refused the help of the medical staff. She was very clear about the impact she had received. She had no internal injuries, only some superficial abrasions.

She stood up and was about to leave when Jessie supported her and asked in a concerned, low voice.

She smiled softly and said, “I’m fine.”

When she spoke, many people around looked over, and the bald horse trainer also looked over.

Everyone had naturally seen the scene earlier and knew how that faint blue figure had, in a miraculous and graceful manner, jumped onto the horse’s back and brought the frail rider down.

Everything was perfectly executed, leaving people in awe.

In the midst of the amazement, people looked back at the racetrack, where the tragedy had already occurred, and some riders had let out cries of anguish.

The sound sent a chill to the heart.

The bald horse trainer took a deep breath and looked at Ye Tianhui. “Thank you for saving him. If it weren’t for you, he would certainly have been seriously injured.”

Ye Tianhui: “You’re too kind, I was just lucky.”

Some people curiously looked at her: “Do you know kung fu? Is it Qinggong^[1]Literal translation is lightness skill. It is a martial arts technique for making the body extremely light in weight, by altering the distribution and flow of qi. In wuxia fiction, it is exaggerated … Continue reading?”

Ye Tianhui: “I know a little bit of kung fu, but no Qinggong. It’s just good physical ability, it was just a coincidence.”

Now that the tragedy had happened, some riders’ careers were certainly ruined, and there could even be life-threatening concerns. This incident would surely be investigated, and she feared that she might also be implicated.

At this moment, other staff members arrived, began handling the situation, and ordered everyone not to move. Someone took Ye Tianhui away to question her sudden appearance, while Lin Jianquan would also be taken to participate in the investigation.

Just as Ye Tianhui turned to leave, Lin Jianquan’s long eyelashes lifted, his dark eyes looked at Ye Tianhui.

Ye Tianhui felt his gaze. She gave him a silent smile.

Lin Jianquan’s eyelashes fluttered, and he lowered his eyelids again.

**************

Actually, it’s not uncommon for accidents to happen at the racetrack.

Horse racing is, of course, a very popular sport, but it is inherently dangerous for both the horses and the riders. According to statistics from the U.S., nearly three to four hundred thoroughbred racehorses die each year, and the number of injured riders is countless.

Young Chong Zai, with their poor and frail bodies, enter this industry as a last-ditch effort, risking everything. If they win, maybe they can achieve both fame and fortune like Ke Zhimin and change their lives. If they lose, fading into obscurity with nothing but pain, that’s still the better outcome. What’s worse is that they might lose their lives.

At this moment, the racetrack was in chaos, and the air was filled with cries of anguish. Ye Tianhui didn’t know what had happened, but she knew that those riders crying out in pain would probably never have another chance.

The world of jockeys is inherently cruel. Those who cry out in fear will certainly be eliminated.

Ye Tianhui was taken to a room, a sealed room with no windows. A man wearing a hat with sharp eyes began to question her, interrogating her about the circumstances at the time.

She saved Lin Jianquan, but an accident like this had occurred, and she should not have been on the track in the first place. They needed to investigate.

Ye Tianhui told everything she had seen in detail. The man neither expressed belief nor disbelief in her words, merely recording them with a blank expression.

She knew that not only would they interrogate her, but they would also interrogate others. They would question everyone separately and compare the circumstances at the time.

After being questioned, she was locked in a stable, a locked stable with no windows, and the smell of mold mixed with horse manure filled the air.

Without any light, she could not see the changes in brightness outside and could only guess the time based on her senses.

This darkness, where one couldn’t even see their fingers, easily led to a breakdown in one’s mentality. However, Ye Tianhui was not an ordinary person. She would not let such a small thing affect her, so she quietly lay on the bed, calm and composed.

In the silence where time seemed to stand still, Ye Tianhui thought of many things.

Her life’s experiences were barren, barren to the point that they were not worth recalling. She was thinking of her past life.

In her past life, she had experienced so many battles, those battles occupying most of the space in her memories, to the point where she would think her short twenty-five years were a grand and magnificent military career.

But now, as she looked at the darkness, many details she had never paid attention to before began to emerge from the gaps in her memory, causing her to start considering, making her begin to reflect on herself.

She remembered the details when she was holding Lin Jianquan.

His frail body had clearly been completely strangled by fear, trembling uncontrollably, numb and stiff, wishing to shrink into a little baby in her arms to escape this unfamiliar and cruel world.

But when everything returned to reality and his rationality regained control, he suddenly became steadfast, unbreakable, as if he was indifferent and didn’t care about anything.

Ye Tianhui certainly knew that it was fake; he was just wrapping and arming himself.

She thought about his thin, weak, yet straight figure.

In her memory, there had never been a person like that, yet she felt he was familiar. Someone had once made her feel that way.

She closed her eyes, and in that boundless darkness and silence, when freed from the disturbances of this world, she finally saw it: that was the young emperor.

At that time, she was fourteen, holding a sword and dancing at Qinglong Ridge’s Wanquan Gorge. At that time, the Sage was only seventeen, not yet in charge of the Eastern Palace. He stood by the clear and flowing waterfall, scooped up a handful of white waves, and once sighed, saying, “This waterfall flows into Wanquan Gorge, waves rise and crash, splashing pearls like jade. It’s free and joyful. Hui Hui, what do you think?”

Ye Tianhui sheathed the two-foot long sword and looked at the young man, who, though born steady and reserved, seemed to have a trace of confusion in his eyes.

She thought for a moment before replying, “The river nourishes a hundred miles, the sea nourishes a thousand miles. If one can embrace all rivers, why must one settle in this corner?”

At that time, outside of Dazhao, there were threats from the Qiang and Di tribes, and internally, there were concerns about resources. The empire was in a difficult state.

Her general father had once said that when the mountains and rivers are shaking, only a wise ruler is needed. Looking at the sons in the palace, the only one capable of reshaping the world was the third prince.

Ye Tianhui opened her eyes.

What the Sage said later, and what she said in return, she no longer remembered. She only remembered that, just over a month later, he entered the Eastern Palace, and two months after that, he ascended to the throne as emperor.

She let out a slight breath, trying to dispel those past memories.

In fact, the sage was different from Lin Jianquan. The sage was tall and handsome, vigorous and energetic. That was a rare elegance in the Da Zhao Kingdom. No matter when or where, he was always effortless, capable of controlling the sun and moon with one hand, and steadying the world with his two feet.

He expanded the borders, achieving great feats that could be recorded in history.

Even though there was no trace of him in this era, the vast starry sky could witness that, in some time and space, there had been a brilliant young emperor who once opened up a magnificent era.

So, why did she have this illusion, comparing a mere Lin Jianquan to him?

She finally calmed her mind and let herself fall asleep.

Everything from before had long passed. She was born in a new era, and there were many things waiting for her to do.

********************

The wooden door of the stable was pushed open, and the dazzling sunlight from outside poured in, making Ye Tianhui feel a sharp pain.

After a moment, she adjusted to the light and saw two stable workers and two police officers coming over. They didn’t say a word, just took her to a room and began questioning her again.

It was still the same questions as yesterday, repeated over and over, asked from different angles.

Ye Tianhui understood that her answers couldn’t have the slightest mistake.

There had been a major accident at the horse race yesterday, and the police were investigating. As one of the people who had been at the scene, the police were obviously somewhat suspicious of her.

She was a mainland girl, only holding a work and residence permit. If she became a suspect or was suspected of anything, she would be dismissed and deported, losing all chances.

Clearly, they first questioned her, then locked her in a dark room, applying psychological pressure to make her crack, and then, taking advantage of this, they would question and interrogate her again—these were their tactics.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have already collapsed by now. However, Ye Tianhui had strong psychological resilience, honed through years of experience and calmness, able to remain unchanged even when a mountain collapsed before her.

Of course, she also couldn’t appear too calm. After all, in the eyes of these police officers, she was just an ordinary person. If she remained too calm, it might raise their suspicions. Showing a bit of nervousness and fear would make her more trustworthy in their eyes.

After about two hours of questioning, she signed off on the results of the questioning, and she was finally released.

At this time, Jessie and the others had also been questioned and released. After surviving the ordeal, everyone couldn’t help but feel excited when they saw each other, and they couldn’t resist a hug.

Jessie hugged Ye Tianhui: “That was so terrifying! How could this happen!”

Ye Tianhui was being hugged so tightly that she could hardly breathe. She reached out to push him, but couldn’t: “Hasn’t this been resolved already? It’s fine now.”

Jessie continued hugging Ye Tianhui, deeply moved: “I’ve been thinking back, thinking about the situation at that time. Oh my God, Tianhui, you’re amazing! You’re so amazing! I can’t believe it, you flew over to save Lin Jianquan!”

Ye Tianhui: “I don’t seek merit, but just hope there are no mistakes. As long as we aren’t implicated, that’s fine!”

Jessie let go of Ye Tianhui, scratched his head, and mumbled uncertainly: “It should be fine, right?”

They were obviously violating the racecourse’s rules by hiding in that stable. If they had stayed quiet, it would have been fine, but Ye Tianhui ran out, and after she ran out, something happened.

To be fair, if Ye Tianhui hadn’t run out, Lin Jianquan would have definitely been in trouble. The best result would have been serious injury, and as for the other riders, they probably wouldn’t have been spared either.

Now, she ran out, saved Lin Jianquan, and Lin Jianquan was unharmed, but the other riders were still in a bad situation. The right or wrong of this matter was hard to judge.

In a rigid system, Ye Tianhui might still be held responsible.