Chapter 396 - Special 3

Special 3: A Debt From Past Lifetime

Jia Ming'en bit on the cloth as he used his working hand to tie a dead knot on the other bleeding arm, his jaws tightening from the pain. Harsh breathing echoed around the abandoned factory as he stumbled deeper and hid himself between the shadows of the dark. His glasses had been thrown off somewhere during the fight earlier and his right eye was swollen badly too. Not only that, it seemed like he also had a few broken ribs. The hilt of a knife poked out of his stomach, he gritted his teeth and pulled it out without barely any hesitation. A deep groan escaped his lips, blood poured out of his wounds which he covered with his palm.

No matter how he thought about it, he was at a disadvantage here.

He cursed vehemently inward and glanced around, the blood and sweat that dripped into his eye made it difficult for him to see. Spotting a few large cargos, he limped there, blood trickling down to the ground with his every step.

Rapid footsteps followed soon after he was gone. "Where's that son of a bitch?!"

"He's injured so badly. There's no way he could have gone that far!"

Three men with a vicious look scanned the empty factory, their eyes shone with bloodthirst and cruelty. "Find him and kill him instantly. We should take only his head back for Boss."

Nodding, they went their separate ways until one of them hollered. "Look here!"

The three gathered to see a pool of blood on the ground which trailed into the storage where the cargos were held. 

One of them crouched down and dipped his fingers into the crimson liquid, bringing it to his mouth for a lick. "It's still fresh." He grinned. "He's inside."

They took out the knives and started to prowl in, eyes bearing excitement like a hunter would everytime they chanced upon a prey. There was no light in the building and only the dim ray of moonlight barely enabled them to make out the space in front. 

They ventured deeper, closely following the trace of blood until it disappeared behind one of the cargo. Whistling, one of them jeered. "Young Master ah, come out. It's night already and we're tired of playing hide and seek with you. If you come out, we promise we will give you a painless death." Guffaws echoed along with the man's sentence. 

"Young Master~"

Crouching above the cargo, Jia Ming'en's eyes flashed in a cold sharp light as he calculated his moves. As soon as the three men showed his back on him, he directly pounced forward and tackled the one who was at the back, clamping the man's mouth shut and slashing his neck. Warm blood instantly sprayed on Jia Ming'en's face and he let go of the man who immediately slumped to the ground, convulsing. The series of movements were completed in less than two seconds. 

When the two others noticed the sounds and turned around, Jia Ming'en already put on an offensive state and lunged forward, his eyes wild and desperate. 

Five minutes later, he dragged himself out of the storage room, leaving three corpses behind as well as blood which soaked his whole body. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Each inhale took a toll on his body as he vividly felt himself losing strength. His sight blurred and it was only due to sheer willpower that he was able to endure standing after being on the run for three days, continuously maintaining a state of high alert and forcing his body to fight to its limit again and again.

All of a sudden, he chuckled, bitter and ironic.

It seemed like...he was already at the end of his ropes.

He was tired, so tired to deal with everything. He only wished to live a quiet and peaceful life, one that was away from bloodshed and savagery, but it seemed like that one wish was too impossible to come true.

In the desolate space, the sudden sound of calm, steady footsteps approaching echoed loud and clear, taking him off guard.

Jia Ming'en gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain sober. Damn it, there's still one more?! He had made sure that he had lured the rest of the rats here but it turned out, he had let one slip?! He looked around in desperation but found no weapon on him. He had left the knife behind and it was already too late for him to go back there. 

No! Even if he had to die, he wasn't willing to die under those bastards' hands! He would bring them all down with him!

Backed into the corner, Jia Ming'en slowly reached out, his trembling fingers dug his left eye out, rotating it in his palm. He exerted strength and crushed the artificial eyeball into pieces, the shards of glass created new wounds on his skin. He grasped the broken shards tightly in his hand, his nerves taut in preparation to fight.

The footsteps grew closer and a shadow elongated on the ground, echoing along with Jia Ming'en's loud heartbeats. He shook his head and peeled his eyes as wide as possible to divert his mind from the numbing pain and dizziness on his head. "I'm here." He took the initiative to provoke. "Come here if you want to kill me."

The shadow paused for a second then proceeded to draw close, his steps a bit hasty. Jia Ming'en sneered and prepared to pounce yet again when a sigh rang out, sounding particularly distinct against the empty space, tinged with a hint of relief and helplessness. "Sorry to disappoint you but...I am not here to kill you."

Who…? Jia Ming'en frowned. The voice sounded familiar yet he couldn't seem to remember where he had heard it. His head buzzed and the only thing in his mind was: kill! He didn't trust anyone, let alone someone with dubious intention who sounded like they were here to offer kindness. Those kind of people were far more dangerous than the one who showed blatant murderous intent.

"Cut the bullshit." He sneered.

The other person made a turn and finally appeared in front of him, the moonlight shone behind him, shadowing his features. He halted twenty meters away from Jia Ming'en and made no effort to get close any longer. "You look terrible." That person commented.

"Not as much as what you're going to be in a few minutes." Jia Ming'en retorted, not losing in terms of momentum. Damn it, who was that? He shut his eyes firmly and opened them again. Nonetheless, because that bastard was standing right in front of the lights, Jia Ming'en couldn't make out his features clearly and in exchange, it made him more cautious and alert.

A snort. "Don't tell me... have you forgotten who I am?"

"Am I supposed to know you?"

"Well," He shrugged. "You should. Afterall, I am here to bring you away."

"Bring me away?" Jia Ming'en laughed incredulously. "Has water got into your brain? Hey, you son of a bitch. If you want to kill me then hurry up and stop the nonsense. I almost fell asleep listening to you." Come ah, why didn't he come?! If the fight dragged on longer, Jia Ming'en was sure he would die of blood loss first!

Finally, the man took a few steps forward and his face was revealed in front of Jia Ming'en. What attracted his attention in an instant was that pair of eyes; calm and serene yet dark and terrifying. Shudder ran down Jia Ming'en's spine. That person hadn't done anything yet but Jia Ming'en felt as if he had lost. Standing in front of him, he felt like a puny worm that was being stared down by a predator. But how?! How could a person inflict such fear into him?!

Alarm bells rang in his mind and Jia Ming'en was ready to attack first when the man suddenly spoke. "It's me, Jiang Jinyan. Calm down and think. I really don't have any intention to hurt you."

"Jiang...Jinyan?" Memories surfaced in his mind and Jia Ming'en froze. "You...are Jiang Jinyan? Why are you here?"

"As I said, I have come to bring you away." Jiang Jinyan finally arrived in front of him and offered a hand. "Come with me. I will take you under my wings. Those people who hunt you down, they will never be able to touch you again. Hasn't it always been your wish to free yourself from your family? Now that your father has been apprehended by the police, this is the best time to do so."

Jia Ming'en stared at his underclassman warily. Yes, he finally remembered who Jiang Jinyan was but... wasn't he a bit too different from the person in Jia Ming'en's memory? It was as if he was looking at an entirely different person…

"Why should I trust you?" He asked in suspicion. He hadn't done anything that would warrant such a help and don't tell him that Jiang Jinyan did it out of kindness. Out of every reason he could have given, Jia Ming'en distrusted that the most.

Jiang Jinyan sighed, annoyed. "Well, you can save the trust for later. The only thing we need to do now is to get away from here." Right as his words fell, the faint rumbles of helicopter drew in, gradually closer and closer. "Ah, they arrived sooner than I expected." 

Turning to Jia Ming'en, he raised one brow. "Do you want to stay here and bleed to death or follow me and start anew? Your choice."

Jia Ming'en stared at him for a while and let out a scoff, his body gradually turning slack as he unclenched his fists, small fragments of glass falling out from it. "Is that the attitude of one who's supposed to offer their help to someone?"

The corner of Jiang Jinyan's mouth lifted and he slung his arm around Jia Ming'en's shoulders, supporting the latter's limp body as they made their ways outside. The violent gusts rising from the helicopter blades were so strong that Jia Ming'en had difficulty keeping his eyes open, but he still couldn't resist asking. "Why did you go out of your way to save me? Someday, I might betray you for my own benefit, you know."

"I'll worry about it when the time comes." He said in a nonchalant tone. It made Jia Ming'en chuckle, exactly how much did Jiang Jinyan trust him to behave so? The whistling wind and loud roar reverberated in Jia Ming'en's ears, adding to his dizziness and headache. However, a split second before he succumbed to the darkness, he heard Jiang Jinyan's voice right beside his ears. "Just consider it as a debt repayment that's due a long time ago."

.

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"General Jiang is falsely accused!" Noble Scholar Jia shouted his throat hoarse. No, he wasn't a noble scholar anymore as that title had already been revoked as soon as the Emperor caught wind of his rebellion. Nevertheless, Jia Ming'en still paraded on the street to spread the words. "General Jiang is a faithful vessel of the Emperor! He's the one who has been guarding the border for more than twenty years! How could he possibly betray the country he loved?! There must be some kind of misunderstanding here! General Jiang is falsely accused! He deserves a proper burial, placed together with his ancestors in the shrine!"

"Give up ah, Noble Scholar Jia." His peers advised him fearfully. "There's no use in doing this. The person is already gone, not even his flesh and bones remain. What's more important, your own life or the truth?" Those people had clearly realized the decay under the royal family's grandeur, yet in fear of their own life, they chose to keep mum and turn a blind eye.

Jia Ming'en refused to do so.

It wasn't that he didn't fear for his own life. When the soldiers came to capture him, when his reputation took a hit to rock bottom, when he was brought to the execution ground, he was scared. So scared that he wanted to piss himself. However…

He recalled the time when he heard the news of General's revolt and witnessed his hair being delivered back to the General's Residence, saw the grief and despair that shrouded the servants' face. He was even the one who realized the General's mute servant was missing only to find her body hung on the ceiling with a strip of white cloth around her neck, stiff and cold to the touch.

Jia Ming'en buried that servant's body together with General Jiang's hair, remembering how the two closely accompanied each other when they were still alive. 

Exactly how corrupt would the country go without General Jiang's presence? Jia Ming'en was itching to find out. 

In spite of that, there was no longer anyone who would listen to his poem recitation, who would gladly let him admire their flower garden, who would accompany him talking deep into the night with only a jar of fragrant wine.

Life without Jiang Jinyan was unexpectedly so...boring, that's the last thought that flashed through Jia Ming'en's mind one second before the executor swung the blade down his neck.

Well, considering the General's stubborn temperament, maybe this kind of outcome was the best. That man also knew himself that the only ending he could get in this lifetime was demise. Such was the fate of a hero. Throughout history, there hadn't been a hero famous enough to live a happy life. Just like a curse, every single one of them was destined to end with tragedy.

It was a pity that he couldn't clear the General's name before he died. Nonetheless, he would gladly witness the country's downfall as a wandering ghost. 

If there was another lifetime, he hoped that he would come across Jiang Jinyan once again. Having him as a friend would be great, a brother was even better.

And...it would be nice if that mute servant was also there. 

That way, the General wouldn't have to go through each day with loneliness anymore.

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My Dearest General — The End

A/N: My last chapter is dedicated to the brotherhood of Jiang Jinyan and Jia Ming'en QAQ In the past, they are a General and Scholar and now, they're the heir of a multimillionaire company and the hunted young master from mafia family. Always the polar opposite but somehow, they complemented each other nicely :) 

Thank you so much guys.. We will have to part here. See you in my other works ^^