Chapter 162 - Fated Encounter

It had been five days since Ye Beizhi and his group had set out, and they had just reached Huaiping City.

Perhaps because of the impending war, the External Prime Minister’s office no longer had the capacity to concern itself with rebellious assassins like Ye Beizhi and his group.

As a result, Ye Beizhi hadn’t encountered any wanted notices or similar documents along the way, so they had been able to enter each town and find inns to stay at without worry.

Naturally, they booked separate rooms.

Baili Gucheng and Yang Lu were still unconscious, so Ye Beizhi shared a room with Baili Gucheng, while Chi Nanwei, who was in charge of looking after Yang Lu, shared a room with her.

As the moon reached its zenith, Ye Beizhi, a light sleeper, heard movement in the room and immediately opened his eyes. He turned to see a figure sitting on the bed beside him, staring dazedly out the window, silver hair dancing in the moonlight.

"You’re up?" Ye Beizhi lifted his blanket and sat up, his tone calm as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Baili Gucheng slowly turned his head, and nodded. His voice was dry and hoarse from disuse. "How many more days to the North Watching Pass?"

Ye Beizhi slipped on his shoes and poured Baili Gucheng a cup of water.

"Within ten days."

Baili Gucheng nodded and took the cup.

Ye Beizhi watched as he drank the water in one go, then slowly spoke.

"Alluring Elegy—"

Crash—

Without warning, the cup slipped from Baili Gucheng’s hand and shattered on the ground.

A few voices from downstairs cursed in irritation, then the room quieted again.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Ye Beizhi and Baili Gucheng stared at the shards on the ground, both remaining silent.

"She..." Baili Gucheng clenched his fist. "Yang Lu, her name is Yang Lu... how is she?"

Ye Beizhi shook his head. "Not well."

"I see..." Baili Gucheng lowered his gaze. "I owe her."

Knock, knock—

A soft knock sounded at the door. Ye Beizhi exchanged a glance with Baili Gucheng before getting up to open it.

The door opened, and Chi Nanwei poked her head in, saying, "I heard something from next door...

Eh

? You’re awake?"

Baili Gucheng didn’t know Chi Nanwei and looked at Ye Beizhi in confusion. Ye Beizhi opened his mouth, somewhat awkwardly saying, "She’s... she’s..."

Unable to get the words out, Ye Beizhi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side as Chi Nanwei pinched him. Looking down, he saw her give him a glare before she turned to Baili Gucheng and made a graceful bow. "I am Chi Nanwei. Greetings, Young Master Baili."

Ye Beizhi quickly added, "She’s been the one taking care of Yang... Yang Lu during this time."

"Yang Lu?" Chi Nanwei raised an eyebrow at Ye Beizhi.

Ye Beizhi whispered in her ear, "Alluring Elegy."

Chi Nanwei nodded in understanding.

Baili Gucheng nodded to Chi Nanwei.

"Thank you, Miss Chi."

Then he glanced at Ye Beizhi, a hint of confusion in his eyes, clearly uncertain of their relationship.

Feeling slightly awkward under Baili Gucheng’s gaze, Ye Beizhi rubbed his nose and asked Chi Nanwei, "Why did you come over? Is everything okay over there?"

At the mention of this topic, Chi Nanwei’s eyes dimmed. "It’s still the same... she shows no signs of waking up. I gave her some medicine earlier, though."

Baili Gucheng’s brow furrowed, his tone growing slightly anxious.

"She still hasn’t woken up?"

Ye Beizhi walked over to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and drank quietly without speaking further.

Chi Nanwei explained to Baili Gucheng, "The doctor said her meridians were severely damaged, and her organs were injured too... It’s a miracle she’s still alive. As for whether she’ll wake up... no one can say for sure."

Baili Gucheng clenched his fists tightly, and his knuckles cracked.

"If she never wakes up, then what difference is there from death?"

Chi Nanwei fell silent and looked over at Ye Beizhi.

"I have a way," Ye Beizhi said quietly.

"Oh?" Baili Gucheng turned to Ye Beizhi, waiting for him to continue.

Ye Beizhi met Baili Gucheng’s gaze and said seriously, "I can’t guarantee it will succeed, but... I’ll do my best."

"Alright."

Baili Gucheng shook his head, looking somewhat defeated. He rose from the bed, but he stumbled, his legs nearly giving out from the prolonged bed rest. He quickly steadied himself and stood firm.

"I’m going to check on her."

Baili Gucheng walked unsteadily to the door and pushed it open, heading out.

After Baili Gucheng left, Chi Nanwei turned to Ye Beizhi with concern.

"Will he be okay?"

Ye Beizhi shook his head and poured more water from the teapot into his cup.

Chi Nanwei sighed, walked to the bed, knelt down, and began gathering the cup's broken shards from the floor.

The room fell into silence once more.

"Dummy..." Chi Nanwei suddenly spoke, her back to him, her voice trembling slightly.

Ye Beizhi turned to look at her crouched figure, noticing that her shoulders were also shaking slightly.

"Dummy, you..."

"You’ll marry me, right?"

Water overflowed from Ye Beizhi's cup, flowing messily across the table.

***

Tang Jinnian and Xue Qiming eventually left the North Watching Pass.

Xue Qiming remembered Qi Anjiang’s words vividly.

At that time, in the small room, Qi Anjiang had looked utterly drained, slumping into his chair, yet his voice was resolute.

"I won't leave... No, no one else in the North Watching Pass will leave either."

"Even if staying means death?" Xue Qiming had probed.

"

Heh

..." Qi Anjiang laughed. He sounded carefree yet melancholic. "Then at least we will die here, at the North Watching Pass."

Xue Qiming had nothing more to say. Having roamed freely for so long, he couldn’t comprehend Qianjiang attachment to what he called his

roots

.

"One day, if you ever want to settle somewhere, and stop wandering... whether for a cause, or for a person... then... you’ll understand," Qi Anjiang had said, patting Xue Qiming’s shoulder with a smile as he bid them farewell.

Watching Qi Anjiang wave from the city wall, Xue Qiming looked down and asked Xue Niang, "Do you understand?"

Xue Niang tilted her head. "Do you?"

"

Heh

." Xue Qiming chuckled, ruffling Xue Niang’s hair. "No, but maybe I’ll understand someday."

The group of four entered North Watching Pass through the north gate, intending to leave through the city via the southern gate. North Watching Pass was not large, so reaching their destination didn’t take long.

As they neared the south gate, a door by the roadside opened, and a bearded man was about to step out. Upon seeing the four of them, he suddenly froze.

Xue Qiming glanced at him, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

However, when Tang Jinnian saw the man, he narrowed his eyes, studying him closely. Under Tang Jinnian’s gaze, the bearded man couldn’t help but want to retreat into the house.

"Wait!" Tang Jinnian called out.

The bearded man froze in place, not daring to move.

Tang Jinnian took two steps forward, and let out a cold laugh. "Have we... met before?"

The man lowered his head, muttering, "No, you’ve got the wrong person." Then he slammed the door shut with a

bang

.

Tang Jinnian stood outside, trying to recall where he might have seen the man, but nothing came to mind.

Growing impatient, Xue Qiming called out, "Are you coming or not? You were the one rushing to leave, and now you’re dawdling. How can you be so indecisive?"

Tang Jinnian snorted and stopped thinking about it, stepping toward the city gate.