Chapter 48

Lian Ai pulled out the long hair tucked under his robes and was just about to leave when Bu Nian called out to him.

“Things might get unstable soon. Stay put in Zhongzhou and don’t go wandering off.” After a pause, he added, “And stop making me angry all the time.”

Lian Ai smiled faintly and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Got it.”

Bai Shu sat with his legs apart on a pile of firewood, idly chatting with Banxia. When he looked up, he caught sight of Lian Ai coming out of Bu Nian’s tent, cheeks flushed, hair a mess. One glance and it was obvious what had just happened.

Bai Shu took the grass stem out of his mouth and tipped his chin toward Lian Ai’s back. “Leader, what do you think?”

Banxia followed his gaze. He only saw a tall, slender figure and didn’t catch the face, but from the man’s clothes and the direction he had come from, it wasn’t hard to guess who it was.

“A man belonging to the General isn’t someone we should be commenting on,” Banxia said calmly.

Bai Shu thought Banxia was good at everything, but far too stiff. The man didn’t even know how to tell a proper joke.

“You’re really no fun.” He twirled the grass stem in his hand. “I think he’s pretty impressive, able to make the boss act like someone completely different. Even hardened steel can be tamed by a soft touch.”

Banxia’s dark eyes slowly shifted to Bai Shu. Rank-wise, Bai Shu might currently be higher, but Banxia would always be the leader of the Twelve Deathsworn. That would never change.

“Don’t talk so much. I’ve told you many times already. Someone like you meddles too much for a deathsworn.”

Banxia had come to speak with Bu Nian, but was told there was someone inside, so he waited. That was when he bumped into Bai Shu and started chatting. Now that Lian Ai had left, he could finally go in.

Bai Shu made a face at Banxia’s retreating back and muttered under his breath, “How is this meddling? That guy might end up becoming our future ‘mistress’.”

Lian Ai’s legs were still shaking by the time he walked back to the carriage. It wasn’t until he sat down inside that he finally let out a breath.

He straightened his clothes and hair while leaning against the window, gazing out at Bu Nian’s tent in the distance. His eyes were full of tenderness and longing.

After watching for a while, he finally pulled his gaze away and sat properly inside the carriage. The ride was a little bumpy, but the carriage carried him all the way home. By the time he returned to the Helian estate, it was nearly dinnertime.

Everyone at the table had been waiting for him. No one had picked up their chopsticks. Lady Helian kept glancing toward the door, and the moment she saw Lian Ai appear, her face lit up.

“You’re back, you’re back.”

Lian Ai had mentioned twice before that Lady Helian didn’t need to wait for him to eat, but though she always agreed on the surface, she would still end up waiting. He knew she wouldn’t listen, so he stopped insisting.

At the dinner table, Lady Helian brought up an old friend of hers. They had been close before marriage, one marrying into Zhongzhou and the other into Jingzhou. Lately, they had gotten back in touch through letters. The friend had a young daughter who wanted to visit Zhongzhou and asked Lady Helian to help look after her.

Lady Helian turned to her two sons. “You both should take good care of her.”

Helian Qiufeng groaned inwardly the moment he heard that. It sounded far too much like matchmaking.

He quickly made an excuse. “I’ve been busy lately. Let Xiao Ai keep her company.”

Lian Ai, still holding his rice bowl, blinked in surprise. He really didn’t have much going on, and as a host, he could do his part.

So he nodded. “Alright, I’ll take care of it.”

Lady Helian’s almost sour expression softened at once, replaced by a gentle smile. “Xiao Ai always listens to me best. Just you accompanying her is enough. The Fang girl is only two years younger than you. I’m sure you’ll get along well.”

Even Lian Ai could now hear the matchmaking intent in her words.

He gave a dry smile. Not wanting to go against her, he simply said, “I’ll do my best to make Miss Fang feel welcome.”

—

After Gan Yan’s failed rebellion, his forces scattered. The Zuo family took the brunt of the pursuit and ended up in the most miserable state. In contrast, Gan Yan’s other right-hand ally, the Qian family of Wind and Thunder Palm fame, fled the capital and quickly returned to their ancestral home in Liangzhou. With ample money, provisions, and manpower, they managed to regroup and retreated into the mountainous region at the junction of Liangzhou, Zhongzhou, and Jingzhou known as Da Qing Mountain.

The Da Qing Mountain range stretched from Liangzhou and split into two branches, forming natural borders between Zhongzhou and Jingzhou. The terrain was rugged with cliffs and dense forests, teeming with wild beasts. Because of its complexity, it became the perfect hiding place for the Qian family.

Though they came from a martial background, the Qian family had none of the chivalrous spirit that was typical of martial circles. Instead, they were greedy to the bone, reeking of banditry. Back when Gan Yan was Prince Regent, they had already been exploiting the people of Liangzhou. Now that they was on the run, they didn’t behave any better. Fearing their money would eventually run out, they decided not to just sit around and wait to starve. They took over the mountain and began living as bandits.

The Qian family had made their name with Wind and Thunder Palm, so they named their mountain stronghold Fenglei Fort.

Zuo Lingyu, along with Feng Zhang and the others, had been hiding and sneaking around. It hadn’t been pure hardship, but it still took considerable effort for them to find the location of Fenglei Fort.

They were filthy, looking like a group of beggars who had been living off scraps along the road. There wasn’t a single clean patch on their clothes.

Zuo Lingyu had never liked the Qian family’s ways. When he learned they had turned to banditry, he had even less desire to seek refuge with them. But Feng Zhang and the others wouldn’t listen. As far as they were concerned, they had reached the end of the road and had no better option left.

Like the Zuo family, the Qian family’s head had died during the battle at Tianfu Temple. Only one heir remained, leading the surviving disciples in a haze of desperation. But unlike the Zuo family, Qian Zeliang still had authority. As the current head of Fenglei Fort, his word was law.

“Xiaoyu, I’m so glad you’re alright. I wouldn’t have been able to face Uncle Zuo otherwise!” Qian Zeliang cried dramatically without shedding a single tear. He clutched Zuo Lingyu’s arm and gave it a few hearty pats. “From now on, treat this place like home. Stick with your big brother, and we’ll make a fortune together.”

Zuo Lingyu looked around at the fort. Though simple, it was comfortable. Qian Zeliang looked healthy and energetic. Clearly, life had been treating him well.

“What kind of business?” Zuo Lingyu asked.

“Any trade caravan that passes down the mountain has to pay a toll.” Qian Zeliang spoke with pride. “If there aren’t any caravans, I grab a hostage and make their families pay ransom. If they refuse, I kill them as an offering to the heavens.”

Zuo Lingyu had expected something like this, but it still made his stomach turn. He frowned, unable to hide the disgust on his face. Feng Zhang saw this and quickly stepped forward, cutting in front of him to bow politely to Qian Zeliang.

“All of us will follow you from now on, Leader.” He grinned obsequiously.

Zuo Lingyu stood off to the side, watching his fellow disciples swarm around Qian Zeliang with flattery and smiles he no longer recognized.

They had lost all dignity, abandoned their ideals, reduced to nothing more than bootlickers scrambling for favor.

Who were they? Who was he? What had the world become? Why wasn’t he the one who died?

Even death would be better than witnessing this.

Big Sister, did you see?
This… is the person you swore to protect. The one who bears the hope of the Zuo family’s future.

—

“Ahhhhhhh!!!”

Zuo Lingxue screamed, her face ghostly pale as she arched her back. The veins on her neck stood out, her eyes streaked with visible red lines.

The midwife’s hands were soaked in blood, her head dripping with sweat. “Push harder. There’s another one. If you don’t push, the second baby won’t survive!”

It might have been because she was carrying twins. Or perhaps her body had never fully recovered. Either way, her water broke at just seven months. And after giving birth to the first girl, she was completely spent. No matter what, the second child refused to come, and now she was hemorrhaging.

Basins of blood were dumped out one after another. The entire bedding was soaked in red.

The midwife kept urging her to push, but she had no strength left.

The glow in her once-radiant eyes began to fade, as if two brilliant gemstones were turning into dull stones.

Her gaze moved to the right, where the nanny held a small bundle wrapped in cloth. Inside was her newborn daughter.

Her child would never be allowed to stay by her side. From the moment of birth, the baby would be sent to the palace to be raised under the care of the Grand Empress Dowager. But everyone knew the Grand Empress Dowager had been paralyzed for years and had no strength left to raise a child. It was just an excuse.

She followed the midwife’s instruction and gave one final push. Her eyes were wide open, but it was as if she could no longer see. Her mouth hung open, yet no sound came out.

Then suddenly, a faint, clear cry reached her ears.

The midwife lit up. “He’s out! It’s a boy!”

The corners of Zuo Lingxue’s lips twitched, faint and fleeting, as if she were smiling. Then her body loosened all at once, like a string that had snapped. She sank back into the bed, her eyes slowly closing, and her chest fell still.

In the span of a breath, her life was gone.