The Double

Jih Heng looked at him, and a tear dropped onto Old General Jih’s face.

No one had ever seen Jih Heng cry; it seemed as if she was naturally incapable of feeling sad, scared, or crying. Except for her utterly ignorant infancy, it seemed she would never cry again. Even Old General Jih had never seen her cry.

"Crying..." Old General Jih smiled faintly, "That’s not like a man."

After Yu Hongye’s death, Old General Jih had also made inquiries. The reason he didn’t let Jih Minghan continue the investigation was that he felt it was the doing of someone in the palace, since Yu Hongye’s body had inexplicably appeared at their doorstep after she had entered the palace. He feared Jih Minghan would act rashly and fall for someone else’s trap, not knowing that Jih Minghan couldn’t bear the insult and murder of his wife and was determined to find the real culprit, even if it meant breaking with his entire clan.

That night at Red Mountain Temple, Jih Minghan not only went there himself but also brought along the Seventy-two Red Roller Riders who followed him. Yin Zhan’s archers were lying in ambush, the Seventy-two Red Roller Riders were annihilated, and the last surviving member took Jih Minghan back to hide him. After a year, he managed to contact Old General Jih and told him the truth. Several years later, that man died, leaving his son in the care of Old General Jih; that man was the father of Wen Ji.

Old General Jih knew the whole truth, but he could do nothing. Lin Roujia had already given birth to a child, and he lacked evidence. More importantly, Jih Heng was young, and if Lin Roujia became suspicious, she would target Jih Heng first.

The future of the Jih family would rely solely on Jih Heng. He couldn’t afford for Jih Heng to make a mistake.

Jih Heng grew up day by day, and he was even smarter than Old General Jih had thought. From the time he knew about the mysterious disappearance of his parents, he had been investigating. He must have discovered something, Old General Jih could feel it. Day by day, he became more taciturn and unpredictable, from his teenage years onwards, he no longer grew close to anyone, taking whatever he fancied without cherishing it, treating human life like grass, seemingly indifferent, yet totally lucid.

"You blame me... Ah Heng, I’m sorry..." Old General Jih said. It was his tolerance that led Jih Heng to know the truth too early, and he had entered hell in an absolutely cruel way. This child was the product of his own making.

"I don’t blame you," Jih Heng said softly, "If it had been me, I would have done the same."