The two lines of text on the Buddhist charm succinctly summarized the relationship between Xia Xueqin and Jiang Zhan.
As Xia Xueqin's words echoed in his ears, and he gazed at the inscription on the charm, Jiang Wuming froze, his face etched with astonishment.
The surprise wasn't about Xia Xueqin's past relationship with Jiang Zhan!
Jiang Wuming had already vaguely guessed this from Xia Xueqin's words in the courtyard and her attitude towards him.
His astonishment stemmed from the fact that Xia Xueqin had openly revealed all of this to him!
And... he understood the meaning of the two lines on the Buddhist charm!
"Of all the waters in the world, I'll drink from just one spring."
This was his father, Jiang Zhan's, love for his mother, Ye Jinmei.
"Of all the prosperity in the world, I'll drink all the joys and sorrows for one person."
This was Xia Xueqin's love for Jiang Zhan!
"Aunt Xia, before I came, I was filled with curiosity about my father's story. Now, after hearing your words, my curiosity has only grown—could you tell me about him?"
Seeing Xia Xueqin fall silent, Jiang Wuming broke the quiet of the wooden house.
Xia Xueqin snapped back from her memories, looking somewhat surprised. "You don't know anything about your father?"
"Aunt Xia, I know very little," Jiang Wuming replied truthfully.
Upon hearing this, Xia Xueqin fell into thought. After understanding the reason, she asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Everything," Jiang Wuming said.
This time, Xia Xueqin said nothing more. Instead, she stood up, picked up a worn notebook from her desk, and handed it to Jiang Wuming.
Jiang Wuming instinctively took it, uncomprehending.
"Everything you want to know is in this notebook. I'll go cook, and we'll eat together after you've read it."
Seeing Jiang Wuming's bewildered expression, Xia Xueqin explained.
"Okay, Aunt Xia."
Jiang Wuming nodded, and after Xia Xueqin left the wooden house, he opened the notebook and found himself staring at three characters.
"Remembering Jiang Zhan."
These were the first words on the first page.
Seeing these characters, Jiang Wuming suddenly understood—Xia Xueqin had recorded everything about his father, Jiang Zhan, in this notebook!
At that moment, he turned to the second page and began to read.
In 1991, during the war in the south, enemy martial artists assassinated soldiers of the Dragon Country's military. The military dispatched the War Dragon Special Forces to support the front lines and commissioned the Xia family to send martial artists to assist.
Grandfather took the clan members to the battlefield, and I was among them, to witness the cruelty of war. By the time we arrived, Jiang Zhan had already led the War Dragon Special Forces to annihilate the enemy's special forces and had single-handedly infiltrated the enemy's ranks, killing their commander.
In that battle, Jiang Zhan killed six hundred and eighty-two enemies, including nineteen martial artists!
On that day, Jiang Zhan, covered in blood, stood amidst the enemy ranks, holding the enemy commander's head, and shouted a phrase.
"Those who offend my Dragon Country shall be exterminated!"
After that day, the war ended, and the enemy country sent a special envoy to Dragon Country to beg for forgiveness.
That was the first time I met Jiang Zhan.
On that day, I also met Ye Jinmei.
She was heroic and spirited.
...
In 1992, foreign enemies suddenly appeared repeatedly. Jiang Zhan and Ye Jinmei were transferred from the War Dragon Special Forces to the Martial Department, continuing to fight side-by-side.
Jiang Zhan wielded an ancient spear, while Ye Jinmei used a modern sniper rifle. Their coordination made them invincible.
In 1993, the East Sea Martial Arts Academy was established.
As ordered by the Martial Department, major martial arts factions from Dragon Country sent people to study at the East Sea Martial Arts Academy. I was one of them.
Jiang Zhan was also among the first batch of students at the East Sea Martial Arts Academy, but Ye Jinmei was not; she wasn't a martial artist. I met Jiang Zhan at the East Sea Martial Arts Academy.
At that time, because some martial arts factions had sent their strongest martial arts successors, Jiang Zhan's strength was considered average among the students. However, his martial arts talent was exceptionally high. In just one year, he surpassed everyone else and became the strongest among that batch of students.
That year, I fell in love with him and confessed my feelings, but he rejected me.
He said he had a girlfriend, Ye Jinmei.
A year later, Jiang Zhan left the East Sea Martial Arts Academy and was accepted as a direct disciple by the sect leader of the Dragon Gate.
Without Jiang Zhan, the East Sea Martial Arts Academy lost its appeal to me, and I also left the academy that year.
...
In 1995, Jiang Zhan emerged from seclusion at the Dragon Gate, becoming the youngest one-star War God in the world, shocking the global martial arts community!
He was twenty-eight that year.
That year, he returned to the Martial Department and went to the front lines again.
That year, Ye Jinmei became a three-star martial artist through taking gene-enhancing drugs and practicing day and night.
She did it so as not to be a burden to Jiang Zhan.
That year, I persuaded my grandfather and father, applied to join the Martial Department, and headed to the front lines, which was approved.
In 1996, I became comrades with Jiang Zhan and Ye Jinmei, fighting enemies on the battlefield together.
As the strength of the foreign enemies grew, Ye Jinmei's role diminished. Even with a sniper rifle specifically designed for martial artists by the military, it couldn't change this fact.
Meanwhile, I became Jiang Zhan's greatest asset on the battlefield. Together, we were unstoppable.
That year, I was happy, but Ye Jinmei was not. She felt she was becoming less and less helpful to Jiang Zhan and also sensed my affection for him.
I was fully aware of this and declared war on Ye Jinmei in the battlefield of love.
The day I declared war, we encountered our most difficult battle.
In that battle, the leader of the foreign enemies was extremely powerful. Several of our comrades died, and I was also injured.
Jiang Zhan fought valiantly, but he was suppressed and heavily wounded by the enemy leader.
Just as Jiang Zhan was about to be killed, my heart was being torn apart, and Ye Jinmei let out a furious roar.
She seemed to go mad, discarded her sniper rifle, and, with tears streaming down her blood-soaked face, charged towards the enemy leader.
At that moment, the enemy leader suddenly faltered. Jiang Zhan seized the opportunity and killed him!
At the time, we all believed that Ye Jinmei's action had attracted the enemy leader's attention. Later, I realized that Ye Jinmei possessed an extremely powerful spiritual talent.
At the critical moment when Jiang Zhan's life was hanging by a thread, she unleashed her talent, interfering with the powerful enemy leader and helping Jiang Zhan kill him.
We achieved a pyrrhic victory that day.
That day, the love war between Ye Jinmei and me ended before it truly began.
I lost.
Not because Ye Jinmei helped Jiang Zhan kill the enemy leader.
Nor because, after unleashing her spiritual talent, she no longer needed to be a burden and could help Jiang Zhan.
But because Ye Jinmei loved Jiang Zhan more than I did.
In my heart, Jiang Zhan was a martial arts prodigy, a peerless hero. My love for him was filled with admiration and worship.
In Ye Jinmei's heart, Jiang Zhan was simply the man she loved. Her love for him was pure.
Even though she was much weaker than him, when that man was in danger, she would unhesitatingly charge towards him, protect him, and share his fate!
After that battle, Jiang Zhan returned to the Dragon Gate to recuperate, and I left the Martial Department and returned to the Xia family.
Two months later, the War God Hall's hunting squad needed a martial artist with spiritual talent. Ye Jinmei was selected. She didn't want to participate, but she was eventually persuaded by the Martial Department.
Three months later, Jiang Zhan's injuries healed, and he emerged from seclusion at the Dragon Gate. Upon learning that Ye Jinmei had been transferred to the War God Hall's hunting squad, he applied to join, and his application was approved.
The day Jiang Zhan's application was approved, he impatiently took a military helicopter to report to the War God Hall's hunting squad.
That day.
He overturned the base of the War Dragon Hall's hunting team, shocking the world!
...