Wear More

Did Ye Nan dislike the child?

The breeze coming through the little window was gentle, but Song Caitang had not asked this question in a gentle manner at all.

But this was also an easy question to answer.

Xi Rui was even very smug about it.

“She wouldn’t dare to. That woman’s a ruthless and fearsome woman, but she’s given Xingjian every last bit of gentleness and tolerance. Xiaoman is Xingjian’s son and they look almost identical. Xingjian doted on his son so much, so she wouldn’t dare to do anything to the boy. What if the boy ends up hating her and Xingjian decides to leave her as a result?”

As she spoke, she even chuckled and admired her freshly painted nails as she went on, “Once, Xiaoman fell into the lake and there was nobody else around. Ye Nan happened to pass by and she didn’t dare to just abandon the boy. She struggled with herself for a bit but ended up jumping in to save the boy and even comforted the child after that. She was so afraid that Xingjian would get angry if he found out she didn’t want to save the boy, humph!”

Her expression was so smug and her eyes were wide and bright as she fiddled with her handkerchief as though she was truly enjoying herself.

Song Caitang threw another question at her, “Are you familiar with Zhuang Qingyu?”

The moment she mentioned this name, Xi Rui instantly grew wary. The smile on her face disappeared as she answered immediately, “No.”

Song Caitang raised an eyebrow.

They definitely knew each other. And shared a secret.

But Song Caitang knew that asking about Zhuang Qingyu was too sensitive a topic and Xi Rui wouldn’t tell her anything. It was pointless to even try.

But that didn’t matter. The truth would eventually be revealed.

This question also successfully erased any desire Xi Rui had to talk and she became impatient with Song Caitang again. She rolled her eyes and said, “Seriously though, you’re a young lady from a good family who should be learning how to sew and how to manage a household. Why do you want to become a filthy coroner? Is it because you find that life is too smooth sailing and you want a challenge in life?”

“Everyone out there keeps talking about how amazing you are, but in the end, you still can’t find the killer. You’ve come all the way here and even dissected the body already, yet you haven’t found a single clue? Miss Song, I hope you’re not the sort who only knows how to boast and doesn’t know how to actually get anything done!”

Song Caitang had already achieved her aim, so Xi Rui’s sarcasm didn’t affect her good mood at all.

She put her teacup down, got up and smiled. “I’ll excuse myself now.”

Then, she walked away without turning back.

Xi Rui glared at her as she walked away and pursed her lips tightly as she wrung her handkerchief. She felt like she had done something stupid, but couldn’t see where she might have gone wrong.

This feeling made her so uncomfortable.

She felt better after she raised her hand and swept everything on the table onto the floor.

As Song Caitang walked out from Xi Rui’s residence, she started thinking.

Xiaoman looked a lot like Liao Xingjian and his age did coincide with the time Liao Xingjian was under the effects of Millet’s Dream. So, it was very likely that Xiaoman was really Liao Xingjian’s biological son.

And if the boy was really his, then he must have been with someone during his amnesia. He must have been with a woman.

It wasn’t Xi Rui though.

Given that Xi Rui had confidently turned up at Liao Xingjian’s doorstep and used the boy to blackmail him without any sense of guilt… In fact, she seemed to have come up with a perfect story to fool everyone including herself, so she had only become even more confident and certain that she was right…

She must be very, very certain that the child’s real mother wouldn’t suddenly turn up.

But why? Was it because she knew who the real mother was, or because someone told her that this would never happen?

As she continued walking, she spotted the boy playing with the maid.

The boy’s profile was against the sun and she could see his little teeth when he smiled. He looked so pure and adorable, and the way he smiled… looked somewhat familiar.

Who did he remind her of? Song Caitang couldn’t recall.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another person.

Xin Yongwang happened to walk past Xi Rui’s residence and spotted Song Caitang, since she was standing right next to the gate.

“Miss Song.”

“Hall Master Xin.”

They stood in awkward silence for a bit after greeting each other.

Both of them were headed in different directions, but there was a small path ahead that they both had to take, so they had to walk together.

If Xin Yongwang excused himself and took a different route, it would make him look like he was afraid of Song Caitang, so he just folded his hands behind his back and did not take the next step forward.

Song Caitang was definitely not going to excuse herself. She smiled and started a conversation, “You’ve been at the Night Sanctum for many years, so I suppose you would be familiar with everyone here.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Are you familiar with someone named Hongfeng?”

Song Caitang stared straight at him as she asked this seemingly random question.

Xin Yongwang’s pupils constricted visibly. He stared quietly at her and said without hesitation, “Yes.”

She asked another question, “Did you have feelings for her?”

“No,” he shook his head, “I only have feelings for Young Mistress. I know about the rumors among the servants from several years ago, but they are just rumors. Please don’t believe them, Miss Song.”

“There was a time when I was indeed quite close to Hongfeng, but that was because of Young Mistress. I like Young Mistress and couldn’t help but try to get closer to her, but like I said, Young Mistress is like a cloud in the sky, the moon’s reflection in the waters. I can’t reach her and I can’t take her for myself, so I had to find an indirect way to hear more about her situation and help her in secret.”

Song Caitang nearly burst out laughing. The reason he had come up with was really…

…both suitable and befitting of the scenery around them.

That was a perfect and consistent way of putting things. How very clever.

They soon reached a fork in the road and bid each other farewell. Song Caitang glanced at the residence that was far behind her and suddenly froze.

The smile on the child earlier reminded her of someone…

A very bold guess popped up in her head.

If her guess was the truth, then this case and this killer were both very, very frightening.

Song Caitang was done with what she needed to do, so she returned to her residence and sat down in the study to sort through her case notes. She felt like she was just missing one more piece to solve the puzzle.

She was getting a little impatient, but Zhao Zhi didn’t appear for the rest of the day. She ended up sleeping for a while and finally saw him when she woke up in the middle of the night.

Zhao Zhi leaped into the study through the window. His clothes were cold, but his eyes were startlingly bright. “I got Hongfeng’s story for you.”

Song Caitang was rather surprised. “So fast?”

Zhao Zhi raised an eyebrow and his lips curled into a smirk.

He plonked himself down at the table and tapped on the tabletop.

Song Caitang got it. She quickly made some tea and poured him a cup.

Zhao Zhi was pleased as he drank the tea, but frowned as his gaze slid up from her slim hands to her shoulder and realized she was wearing very thin clothing. “It’s very cold at night. Don’t you think you’re wearing too little?”

She had just woken up, so she didn’t feel cold at all. “It’s not too little. I think it’s fine.”

Zhao Zhi glared at her, put down his cup and refused to talk.

Song Caitang sighed. She knew she wouldn’t be able to convince him otherwise, so she retrieved a coat from her bedroom, draped it around her shoulders and walked back to the study.

Surely this would do, right? Or so she thought.

Zhao Zhi raised an eyebrow as he glared at the coat in silence.

Song Caitang stuffed her arms into the coat to wear it properly and pulled it around herself.

Zhao Zhi was finally satisfied with that. He nodded and drank more tea.

Song Caitang was utterly speechless.

“I managed to talk to an elderly member of the sect. With the right methods, you’d find out anything.”

Now that he was back in the mood for talking, he started talking about the case.

Song Caitang chortled. “Did you pick up something from Qi Yan?”

The way he bragged about himself, his expression and his tone of voice all reminded her of Qi Yan.

Thinking of Qi Yan made her think of Wen Yuansi as well.

She thought of the time when the four of them used their talents to split up the investigation work and cracked cases together. Regardless of whether they were quick or slow to crack the case, they worked well together and the atmosphere between them was always so amicable and comfortable…

Even though it hadn’t been long since their last case, she already started to miss working with as a team.

Zhao Zhi seemed to know what Song Caitang was thinking about and who she was thinking about, so he wiped his smirk off his face and dived straight into the case.

“Hongfeng was Ye Nan’s maid and she was only two years older than Ye Nan. She served Ye Nan since she was a child and the two girls were very close. Just like what everyone in the Sanctum says, Hongfeng was very kind, very tolerant and extremely loyal. As long as it was something that Ye Nan wanted to do, she would carry it out without fail. She would even help the curious and playful Ye Nan sneak out to have fun by covering her tracks and disguising her.”

Zhao Zhi continued in a flat voice, “Ye Nan was very good to Hongfeng too. She didn’t have any siblings, so she was very grateful to Hongfeng for everything she did and rewarded Hongfeng very well. Liao Xingjian had mixed feelings toward Hongfeng, however. He didn’t really like her.”

“Why?” But before Zhao Zhi could answer, Song Caitang found the answer herself, “Because… of Ye Nan?”

While it was right for Hongfeng to be loyal, she was loyal to a point where she was giving in too much to Ye Nan. She was helping Ye Nan to sneak out and do all sorts of dangerous things and kept everything a secret too. If no amount of scolding or punishment made her change, then that would make the situation a little worrying.

She was loyal, someone whom Ye Nan liked very much and a servant who was willing to protect Ye Nan. But what if something bad really happened?

Ye Nan was the only successor to the sect. She was clearly immature at that time, and if her maid was equally immature and refused to change her ways, then if something terrible happened and the two girls were unable to take responsibility for it, the problem would land on other people. It would land on the shoulders of those who truly cared for Ye Nan.

Song Caitang shook her head and asked about another person, “What about Xin Yongwang? Did Hongfeng really have a crush on him? Were they really about to get married?”

“That part isn’t so clear. Based on what I heard, Hongfeng might have had a crush on Xin Yongwang and even threw some hints at him, but he neither responded to her advances nor rejected her. If she needed help, he would help her.” Zhao Zhi scoffed, “If you ask me, I think it’s more likely that Xin Yongwang was hoping to use this to his own advantage. He’s a scheming man who enjoys getting more benefits than he’s worked for. If he could get closer to gaining more power by making use of her, he’d be happy to keep her close, I’m sure.”

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes slightly.

Hongfeng had feelings for Xin Yongwang, while Xin Yongwang was hoping to make use of Hongfeng. That sounded like a recipe for success. So, why didn’t it happen?

Zhao Zhi noticed she was puzzled by this and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Because Hongfeng wasn’t stupid. My informant told me that Hongfeng gave up on him and stopped looking him up.”

“Oh…” So that’s what happened.

“What about Zhuang Qingyu? How is he connected to Hongfeng?”

This was a very important question.

Zhao Zhi looked a lot more serious when he answered this question, “Zhuang Qingyu got to know Liao Xingjian about ten years ago and they slowly became closer over time. Seven years ago, Zhuang Qingyu began to visit the Sanctum very frequently and that’s when he got to know Ye Nan as well as Hongfeng.”

“At first, everything was normal. Just like how most people in power were like, he barely remembered anything about Ye Nan’s maid. But once, Ye Nan snuck out and Hongfeng stayed behind to cover up for her. But that’s when Zhuang Qingyu happened to come by…”

“Hongfeng was anxious to protect her mistress, so unlike how she normally was, she spoke nastily to him and even started fighting with him.”

Song Caitang got it now. “So, that fight made Zhuang Qingyu notice Hongfeng?”

Zhao Zhi nodded. “The change wasn’t very noticeable, but it was there. Zhuang Qingyu remained as aloof as ever, but he took note of Hongfeng more and would help her too. That was the time when Hongfeng had some feelings for Xin Yongwang, and I’m guessing that she lost interest in Xin Yongwang partly because of Zhuang Qingyu.”

“And then?”

“That’s it.”

Song Caitang stared at him in shock. “That’s it?”

How was any of this helpful?

“It’s a pity, but that’s really it.”

And it did sound like there couldn’t be anymore to this story either.

Song Caitang had no choice but to accept reality.

“And then… after that, Hongfeng died?”

Zhao Zhi nodded.

“What’s the cause of death?”

“One explanation is that they faced great danger as their enemies chased after them. Ye Nan couldn’t dodge their attacks, so she used Hongfeng as a shield and Hongfeng ended up dying as a result. The other explanation is that Ye Nan used Hongfeng’s dead body as a stepping stone, successfully climbing up the large rocks at the mountain and dodging the flood.”

Zhao Zhi’s brows were slightly furrowed. “But there’s no proof for either explanation.”

In other words, nobody knew exactly how she died.

Song Caitang tilted her head and asked, “Was there any difference in Zhuang Qingyu’s behavior before and after this incident?”

“You’ve asked an excellent question.” Zhao Zhi tapped a finger lightly against the table with an approving look in his eyes. “Zhuang Qingyu’s past is rather extraordinary.”

Song Caitang remembered hearing that Zhuang Qingyu was the leader of the Zhuang Thunder Pavilion, a fairly famous sect in the martial arts world.

“What’s so extraordinary about it?”

Zhao Zhi took a sip of tea. “Zhuang Thunder Pavilion is a sect that sometimes dabbles in taboo techniques and gets into a lot of trouble because of that, so it’s very tough being their leader. The previous generation went through tragic massacres and fights filled with bloodshed and wickedness. Zhuang Qingyu had been imprisoned for a long period of time during his childhood days and went through a lot of pain, so his personality is different from ordinary people…”

Song Caitang got what he was saying.

Those were formative years, a time when morals were established and an important time in molding one’s personality. If there was too much change or trauma during this time, it could cause their personality to become extreme, or… twisted.

“He needs to take medicine every day and his entire body smells of medicine. His constitution is poor because of what happened back then.”

Song Caitang suddenly had an idea, “Did Hongfeng… come into contact with Zhuang Qingyu during this time?”

Zhao Zhi looked even more admiringly at her.

“He had been locked up well, yet he managed to escape. It would have been impossible given his capabilities back then. Around the same time, Hongfeng and Ye Nan had been hanging out in the vicinity and even caused a huge commotion. Ye Nan was playful, and because she’s the employer, she just ran off after causing all that trouble, leaving Hongfeng to clear up the mess…”

Song Caitang narrowed her eyes. “So, it’s very likely that Hongfeng helped Zhuang Qingyu during this time.”

But why would people remember the date so clearly…

“It was Ghost Festival,” Zhao Zhi rotated the teacup in his hand, “so the streets were bustling with activity and people would remember special days like that.”

Song Caitang stared at the teacup on the table as thoughts flooded her mind.

If everything was just like what they had guessed, Hongfeng had helped Zhuang Qingyu back then. She had not only saved his life, but she had also rescued him from mental hell.

Perhaps something else had also happened that only Zhuang Qingyu and Hongfeng themselves knew, which resulted in Zhuang Qingyu remembering the person who changed his fate so clearly.

“Why didn’t he come looking for her earlier then?”

Zhao Zhi put his teacup down. “That’s because Ye Nan and Hongfeng had secretly snuck out to have fun and used false names as well as put on face masks, so Zhuang Qingyu didn’t know who they really were. Ye Nan had created quite a bit of trouble and her father dotes on her dearly, so he helped to erase any traces of what happened then. Zhuang Qingyu only became more capable and influential later, so even though he put in a lot of effort, he simply couldn’t find them.”

“These are things that only the older sect members would know. Also, they only know what happened on the sect’s end, so they don’t know anything about Zhuang Qingyu.”

Zhao Zhi himself had to combine the different pieces of information he got from different parties and investigate what happened during the dates mentioned in order to get to the truth.

Song Caitang fell into deep thought.

In other words, most people had either forgotten the chaos created on Ghost Festival that year, or were forced to forget it. Only Zhuang Qingyu remembered it clearly and kept searching.

Something that someone had done without expecting anything in return or had done because it was convenient could have left a mark on his life and given him hope.