Even though not many things happened to her that night, for Margarette it was an eventful evening. Still, the latest development really baffled her. It all felt like a dream.
At one point she was in her mentor"s garden, bathing in the green glow filling the place and surrounded by countless fireflies. The joy in her heart was immense because she finally managed to meet her most admired mentor.
But then... a brief, disastrous fight broke out outside of the mortal realm in the garden without warning. No one was prepared for it. Everything happened too fast, as if Jiang Li being locked within s.p.a.ce, escaping from it after, and attacking her mentor all took place in just a second. Moments after that, she was already outside, feeling so cold due to being left to kneel on the street. It was still in the middle of the night.
How did she arrive here? Was it teleportation? What really happened?
She had no idea that Jiang Li couldn"t teleport and that all he did was to run with her in tow at the speed of light towards the exit of the tower that began to freeze from the inside out. And actually, that was not the important matter that ensued after exiting the mysterious s.p.a.ce.
"It"s collapsing..." Margarette panted for breath. The first thing she saw upon lifting her head and rising to her feet was the crumbling ice tower.
The fortune-teller was nowhere in sight, and might even be dying within that garden. Pain flashed across her expression for a while.
Then slowly, her eyes went to Jiang Li who was standing two meters away from her. It seemed the man never even spared the observatory a glance. He was looking at her. Remembering what this person had just done, she made a fearful expression. That was until she saw his smile. A sad and disappointed one.
As the mystifying scene earlier was hard to erase in her mind, it took some time for her to comprehend why he was making that face towards her.
Afterward, she understood something. She had probably done wrong. Her impression of the youth before her was also wrong. Looking back to her actions within that garden, if she was in his shoes, she would find her ridiculous.
Which guy would want to know that their wife was seeing somebody else in them each time she stares at him?
Which husband would not be heartbroken upon seeing his wife ignored his pleading stares?
She unconsciously placed a palm atop her pounding chest, feeling herself drowning in embarra.s.sment... and regret. A second later, her face paled. Now that the person he was secretly looking down upon turned out to be so G.o.d-like, would she end up dead or cursed to live a life worse than death?
She tried to calm her racing heart. What she kept telling herself as encouragement was the man"s lack of killing intent as he looked at her. But he was still gazing at her with that same look in his eyes...
Jiang Li spoke to her in a quiet tone, "I can still remember everything that happened there. So you thought that from the beginning, I was never the general?"
"Because you two are too different…"
Margarette lowered her head, not daring to look at him in the eyes. And that was more than enough as an answer. Actually, the medium had said it all earlier... Jiang Li merely asked to confirm it from her own mouth, as it was holding one last hope in her. But of course, the result left him disappointed.
He was silent for a couple of moments before he slowly nodded, "Well, you are right. From the beginning, I was never the general in your awakened memories."
What he said made her look at him.
He shook his head, feeling like laughing for some inexplicable reason.
"I am also not the homeless warlock tramp that you think I am." His eyes were on the numerous beads of bluish light scattering in the wind like a thousand charms.
He was never Lu Ling the prince-general, or James, the wandering philosopher.
He was never Zheng Xiang… or those names that he had already forgotten. He was Jiang Li, an old ghost traveling through s.p.a.ce and time.
Unfortunately, even in those worlds where he managed to change his name into Jiang Li, he was still undeniably wearing the ident.i.ties given to him by the system.
Thus in their eyes, including hers, he was never "Jiang Li".
All these times, he was living lives that were not his. While he sometimes felt like a criminal who had s.n.a.t.c.hed somebody else"s life and at times, a blessed person given chance to experience more and see more, he was also sometimes feeling wronged for being known as somebody else throughout a lifetime.
He felt like this every time, but tolerated it because he at least could see in the eyes of her previous incarnation that he was for who he was.
But, what about now?
"Who you are then?" Margarette asked hesitantly. It was a question he was expecting, albeit he found it again disappointing.
The man didn"t know whether to laugh or cry.
"Well. I wish I could say I am simply your husband…"
"But it seems the one in your heart is not me." A trace of bitterness was in his voice which caused Margarette to feel uncomfortable.
Jiang Li shook his head.
It was his first time encountering an incarnation of hers who saw him for his previous ident.i.ty. He knew the medium was the culprit behind this for a goal that he didn"t know.
Yet he was not yet at the point where he would not blame someone at fault what just because he liked her.
"Host, you only have a minute. Your points won"t be able to support you further than that."
His mind turned blank for a while before he remembered his current situation. He then answered, "Okay, I got it."
"And the outsider is still nearby. She could still stay for quite some time before she will be forced out by the world"s consciousness," said once again by the mechanical voice. Its no-nonsense replies were truly different from the childish version.
Jiang Li just hummed, not the least bit worried since he knew that woman would rather spend the last hour or so with Dong Lan, or do something more meaningful or useful to her cause than chase after him.
He marched towards Margarette.
His mind was on her recent actions.
Thinking of how the girl was shown a valiant "him" which she probably fell in love with, he unconsciously grumbled, "Such a puzzle. Women really are a puzzle. Young ladies, princesses not an exception, often desire a fantastic romance between a fair lady and a knight or hero..."
He was obviously referring to how Margarette was pining for one of his past ident.i.ties. To be honest, if he wanted, he could act like Lu Ling, since he was sure the person in her mind was him who was wearing that general"s skin and armor. But for what?
People changed. Even within one lifetime, several changes in style, taste, hobbies, and such, could take place to a person. If one day the wife found out her husband no longer have those hobbies, taste, or stuff she was familiar with, would it excusable for her to force her husband to change back? Because the past him was the one she loved? What about the current him? She couldn"t accept?