Who Was That

The billowing smoke, the blazing flames, the collapsing structures. The fire was a force that seemed capable of destroying the whole world.

Song Caitang watched as each room caught fire, fell apart and turned into black ashes that gave off hot smoke. The fire showed no mercy as it destroyed one target and swiftly moved on to the next without stopping.

One after another…

The entire library section was on fire!

But humans were such strange creatures. They were small and weak, yet filled with such potential. Once they were united with the same purpose and the same aim, they would definitely succeed.

Song Caitang watched as everyone in the Sanctum got busy. Some used hoes to dig a trench to prevent the fire from spreading, some used water to douse the flames, some covered the fire with soil. Everyone’s method was different depending on how severe the fire was in their zone.

Some gave instructions, while some obeyed those instructions. Everyone was covered in perspiration, but not a single one moved away in fear.

Because of that, Song Caitang couldn’t even try to offer any help. Everyone was so well coordinated, she didn’t know where she could fit herself…

Then she spotted Guan Wan.

Just like herself, Guan Wan wasn’t able to fit herself into any of the teams that had formed, so she could only help to fill up buckets with water and just lend a hand whenever she spotted anyone facing any difficulties.

The fire eventually came under control. It couldn’t be completely put out immediately, but at least it wasn’t spreading anymore.

Ye Nan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and she made her way toward Song Caitang.

“You…”

Ye Nan had a very conflicted expression on her face. Song Caitang could tell that she wanted to express her gratitude, but there was also so much more she wanted to say and she didn’t know where to start.

“I want to thank you for what you did just now,” Ye Nan glanced at the library that had already been reduced to mere rubble and sighed. “If not for you, I might have already…”

Song Caitang offered her handkerchief.

Everyone’s faces were covered in ash and dust from the fire and looked terrible. Song Caitang’s face had been covered in dirt earlier, and Ye Nan’s was too.

Ye Nan was stunned for a moment.

Song Caitang nodded slightly at her and smiled.

Ye Nan looked down at the handkerchief and took it from Song Caitang. “Thank you.”

“Cousin Caitang…”

Now that the fire was under control, some teams could take a rest. Guan Wan picked up her skirt and ran hurriedly toward Song Caitang. “Are you alright?”

Besides some tearstains on her little face and some dirt on her skirt, the young lady was perfectly fine and was energetic, so Song Caitang was relieved. She patted her cousin’s head and said, “I’m alright.”

As the leader of a sect, Ye Nan had a lot of things to settle and had turned to speak to another hall master. Guan Wan carefully tugged at her cousin’s sleeve, moved two steps to the side and whispered, “The fire was really scary… but we both helped to put it out and did what we could, so… they won’t make life difficult for us anymore, right? We’ll be able to leave this place soon, right?”

Her eyes were wide and filled with tears. That was how scared she was.

Despite being so afraid, she still bravely came over to help put out the fire. This girl’s heart was full of pure kindness.

Song Caitang took Guan Wan’s handkerchief and helped to wipe the dirt off the younger girl’s face and whispered back, “That’s right, we’ll be able to leave soon without any problems. Why, you can’t bear to leave?”

She wasn’t scared right from the start, but now that Zhao Zhi was also here, she was really not scared at all. They could decide whether they wanted to leave and when they wanted to leave.

Guan Wan patted her chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

She didn’t ask why her cousin was so confident, but as long as Song Caitang said so, she was willing to believe her.

Once she was all relaxed, something else came to mind. Her eyes lit up again. “Oh! Do you have any idea why there are snacks from the capital in our room?”

Song Caitang stared blankly at her. “Snacks from the capital?”

“There’s a very pretty little box in our room and it’s from Ju Ji, a famous shop in the capital!”

When it came to eating, Guan Wan was the expert. “I’ve never been to the capital before, but I’ve heard others talk about it before. Eldest Sister asked a business partner to bring some back from the capital so that I could try, and I remember it clearly because the taste is really special and it’s a rather unique name too… it’s on the table in our room!”

Song Caitang realized what she was talking about.

So, the box of snacks she saw earlier was not made by Guan Wan but brought over by Zhao Zhi.

He had come such a long way, yet he still remembered to get her some snacks… Song Caitang felt a warmth in her heart.

She had made a really good friend.

But why didn’t he say hello when he arrived? Because of that fake Xin Yongwang?

Who was that fake Xin Yongwang, anyway? Why was Zhao Zhi so bothered by him…

Song Caitang finished wiping Guan Wan’s face and took the chance to pinch her cute cheeks. “You want to eat the snacks?”

“Yes!” Guan Wan nodded immediately. “My culinary skills have improved, so I might be able to replicate the taste after trying it!”

“Go back to the room and help yourself then.”

“But…”

Song Caitang pointed at Ye Nan and smiled, “Miss Ye might need to talk to me for a while, so I’ll go back after that. Don’t worry, I won’t take long.”

Guan Wan hesitated, then tugged at Song Caitang’s hand as she stared at her cousin with her large, adorable eyes, “Come back quickly, okay…”

“I will.”

The fire had not been put out yet and Ye Nan had to attend to a lot of things, but there was one thing that needed to be done now.

The fake Xin Yongwang had already escaped, but where was the real Xin Yongwang?

Everything had happened too quickly just now, so Ye Nan only knew that Song Caitang had found the real Xin Yongwang, but did not know where he was.

“He’s actually in his own residence.” Song Caitang paused to think, then said, “I’ll go there with you.”

Rescuing Xin Yongwang went smoothly, because the fake Xin Yongwang had not put in a lot of effort to conceal the man.

Ye Nan took one look and understood what happened. “He’s been starved, but not abused.”

It only took a few sips of nourishing soup for Xin Yongwang to feel better.

He was still weak and listless, but he could still speak clearly.

He remembered very vividly that it happened two days before the wedding. Someone had knocked him out in the evening and stuffed him under his own bed. But he had no idea who knocked him out and why that person had done so. Time was a complete blur to him and he had no idea that so much time had already passed.

The other party had fed him some drug that made him very groggy throughout the day. When he was on the brink of dying from thirst or starvation, someone would feed him a bowl of water that was used to cook porridge, so he wouldn’t die, but he wouldn’t be strong enough to do anything either.

Song Caitang listened to him recount what happened and observed his behavior at the same time, quickly cementing her impression of the man.

His eyes were always shifty, a little gloomy and he suffered from a little low self-esteem. No matter how ugly things got, he was the type who would make sure he looked good on the surface and would not allow himself to collapse under pressure.

A man who was tough on the outside but empty inside. A man who lacked confidence but wanted to look good. This was the Xin Yongwang that everyone had described. The real Xin Yongwang.

“Did you consider what I said to you the last time? Are you still going to marry him?”

Xin Yongwang stared at Ye Nan, his gloomy eyes glinting with some anticipation. Or rather, he looked determined to have her.

Ye Nan lowered her gaze. “He’s dead.”

“He’s dead?”

Xin Yongwang stared at her. His expression was rather strange. He seemed extremely surprised, but also extremely excited and satisfied. The glint in his eye shone even more brightly. “He’s dead…”

“Yes.” Ye Nan nodded. “I think you should take a rest.”

Song Caitang felt that something was wrong here. Something very wrong…

But Ye Nan wanted to leave already.

Xin Yongwang needed some time to recuperate and Ye Nan had to attend to many things, so it was true that it wasn’t a good time to ask too many questions. Song Caitang left with Ye Nan and returned to her own room.

Zhao Zhi did not return for a long time.

Song Caitang ate dinner with Guan Wan, made supper with Guan Wan, then waited for Guan Wan to fall asleep. But Zhao Zhi still hadn’t returned.

She looked up at the dim moonlight then lowered her gaze as she subconsciously touched the short bamboo flute.

Zhao Zhi was a man of his word, so he was probably taking a long time because he had run into some issues.

She didn’t return to her bedroom but walked into a study to read a book while waiting. Before she knew it, her eyelids began to feel heavy and she ended up falling asleep on the desk.

The night passed quietly.

Flower petals fell silently and some cheeky crickets cried out quietly as the moonlight shone on a man making his way quietly to accompany her as she dreamed.

After a long time…

Song Caitang had no idea how much time had passed, but she heard some rustling from afar.

As she slowly woke up, the smell of blood instantly hit her nose. She woke up with a start and looked up to see the man seated in front of her.

“You’re hurt?” She furrowed her brows so hard, she didn’t look pretty anymore.

Zhao Zhi waved his arm that was bandaged so well, she couldn’t see any blood on the bandages. “It’s just a superficial wound.”

He stared very intently at her without blinking or looking elsewhere, as though she was some very precious treasure that would disappear if he blinked…

Song Caitang’s first reaction was to wonder if there was something on her face. Was it drool? Or was the pattern of her clothes imprinted on her face?

But when she touched her face and turned her head, what she noticed wasn’t whether there was anything wrong with her, but the cloak on herself.

It was a dark colored, thick and heavy cloak that was so long that it touched the floor, and was wide enough to hide two of herself in it.

Unlike her own clothes, this cloak clearly exuded the toughness and the large frame of a man while also smelling faintly of pine trees in winter.

Zhao Zhi’s… smell.

“You’re awake?”

Before Song Caitang’s face could redden, Zhao Zhi was already leaning toward her to take his cloak back.

“Yeah.”

Song Caitang felt a little awkward too and wanted to return the cloak as quickly as possible, so she too, tried to take it off and their hands ended up touching each other’s.

One was slim and fair, the other long and tough.

When their hands touched, it felt as if an electric current passed through and flowed from their fingers directly to the heart, pushing aside any other senses they had to loudly announce its presence.

Song Caitang retracted her hand almost immediately, but Zhao Zhi didn’t seem the least bothered. He casually took the cloak off her, then poured some tea into a cup and put the cup very naturally into Song Caitang’s hands.

Song Caitang instinctively took a sip. It wasn’t too cold or too hot. Just a little warm. It was actually at the perfect temperature.

“You…”

Song Caitang had a conflicted look in her eyes as she stared at Zhao Zhi.

She had not seen him in just a little over a month, but there was something… different about him.

Zhao Zhi was a descendant of the royal family, so he grew up as a child who was above the rest of society. He went to fight wars along the border as a youth and achieved great things in the military. He was a domineering and arrogant man who was born with the elegance of an upperclassman yet also familiar with the tricks and schemes of the working class. His years in the military made him a calm and steady person who did not make others fear him but rely on him.

This was a man who was upright and strong, a man like the mountains and the hills. He was exactly what people hoped a man would be like, especially someone of noble blood.

But Song Caitang felt that there was something missing.

There was always a sort of uncertainty about Zhao Zhi. Besides how he was very sharp, capable and impressive at work, at other times, it was as if thick fog covered his body like dark clouds covering the moon. No light shone through and nobody could see through the clouds. And it seemed like he couldn’t see through the clouds himself either.

Song Caitang had seen him sit at a vantage point by himself more than once, frowning as he stared into the distance.

But now, even though his gaze still seemed faraway and still seemed to be hiding something, it was clearer than before. As though the clouds had parted and the fog had faded, so the light could shine through.

He must have… found something. Or had become certain of something.

What could it be?

Song Caitang was rather curious.

She continued staring at Zhao Zhi, so it was impossible for him to not notice. He thought she was worried about his injury, so his gaze flickered as he turned to one side. “Don’t worry. He’s more severely injured than I am.”

That wasn’t what she was the most curious about, but since Zhao Zhi mentioned it, she continued the conversation, “Who was that?”

“A prince from Western Xia, Li Yuanfeng.”

Western Xia…

That was a neighboring country. The two countries were not on good terms and often went to war with one another.

Song Caitang got it immediately. “You’ve fought against him before.”

They might have even led troops against each other before too.

Zhao Zhi nodded and didn’t elaborate.

Images of the wars from this era filled her mind as she stared at Zhao Zhi’s unbothered, calm expression. She quietly asked, “Is life along the border very tough?”

“It’s alright.”

Zhao Zhi turned back to stare intently at her. “I’ve got someone to come home to, so it’s not tough.”