CH 29

Chapter 29: This Way, Your Wife Will ‘Bully’ You In The Future.

At the gate of the Prince’s Residence, the last quarter moon looked like a hook. State Master Li had never liked to exert power, so he went to take Bian Zhonghua back to the Secret Servant Residence by himself and simply took a few Secret Servants with him.

Bian Zhonghua was still bound by the red light coming from his shoulder. After State Master Li looked at him a few times, he finally stepped forward, merged his fingers, and drew the rune of ‘luck’ in the air, which covered Bian Zhonghua’s shoulder, making the red light disappear.

While Bian Zhonghua rubbed his somewhat sore arms, he laughed: “State Master, you can rest assured, I won’t escape. After all, you know how to find me.”

State Master Li stroked his beard and said: “You’re always acknowledging punishment, but this time, you dared to kill a fellow disciple. The punishment will be heavier than ever before.”

Bian Zhonghua nodded his head: “I know. I was ready to be punished the moment I decided to kill him.”

State Master Li frowned gently and sighed helplessly: “Alright. Go back to the Secret Servant Residence.”

“Wait, State Master. I have a favor to ask,” Bian Zhonghua suddenly said.

“Oh? What is it?”

“During the days I’ll be punished in the Secret Servant Residence, could you keep a close eye on the man who left with Prince Chongfeng just now? I want to know what happened to him.”

State Master Li paused and stared at Bian Zhonghua with extremely complicated eyes. However, Bian Zhonghua was unexpectedly calm, allowing State Master Li to look at him. Bian Zhonghua’s eyes were sharp and unafraid.

After a while, State Master Li suddenly said: “There’s no need to pay attention to him, turn your head and look at him yourself.”

At that, Bian Zhonghua stiffened and turned his head to look.

Qi Ci was standing behind him, looking like he had run in a hurry, holding against the stone lion at the entrance of the Residence with one hand. He was bending over as he gasped for breath.

Bian Zhonghua then turned back to look at State Master Li to say: “State Master, let me talk with my friend for a bit. Then I’ll go back to the Secret Servant Residence with you to receive punishment.”

State Master Li waved his sleeve and told him to hurry.

Qi Ci finally managed to calm his breath. As soon as he looked up, he found that Bian Zhonghua was now standing right in front of him.

The corners of Bian Zhonghua’s mouth showed a bright smile: “Were things settled so quickly? Did you give him a good beating?”

Qi Ci nodded but then shook his head, without saying anything.

Bian Zhonghua could see that Qi Ci was distracted, so he gently touched the corner of Qi Ci’s eye with his fingers: “Your eyes are so red, are you angry? Or were you crying? Or did you cry out of anger?”

Qi Ci didn’t reply to Bian Zhonghua’s irrelevant questions. Instead, he asked: “Xu Run said that he didn’t sell me to the brothel. Bian Zhonghua, if you were me, would you believe him?”

Bian Zhonghua laughed: “But I’m not you. If I were you, he wouldn’t have the chance to explain anything to me. Let me guess, you’re actually angry with yourself, am I right? You’re angry with yourself because you realized that you wanted to forgive him after hearing his little words. Because you suddenly found out that the reason you had for coming to the Capital in the first place wasn’t because you wanted to get back your mother’s relics, but because you wanted to hear from him why he did that to you. You thought that this could fill the hole in your heart, which represents your ‘loved ones’. But now that you found out everything, you realized that nothing could go back the way it used to be, so you began to be afraid, afraid of being alone all over again. Finally, you got annoyed at your own cowardice, am I right?”

Qi Ci froze, but then a bitter smile covered his mouth: “Am I that easy to be seen through?”

As Bian Zhonghua curved his eyes, which were shining under the bright moonlight, he stretched out his hand to rub Qi Ci’s head soothingly: “Young Gongzi, you are too soft. If you allow others to coax you like this with just a few simple words, you won’t be able to become strong. This way, your wife will bully you in the future.”

Qi Ci: “……”

Qi Ci suddenly took a long breath, raised his head, and said with a calm tone: “Bian Zhonghua, I forgive him. Whether he sold me to that brothel or not, I still forgive him. If it hadn’t been for him, I might’ve never stepped out of the Northern Border for the rest of my life.”

‘And, I wouldn’t have met you.’

‘Even if my body was beaten and bruised everywhere. Even if I had begged for death as I shivered in pain. Even if I had to go through the nightmare of standing on a high platform where people would point at me… The moment I met you, the moon had set and the night was finally gone, welcoming the bright sun in the sky.’

Bian Zhonghua didn’t know, but in just a moment, Qi Ci had let go of his past grievances because of him. With a smile on his face, Bian Zhonghua said: “Should you really forgive that man surnamed Xu so easily? Forget it. It’s your own decision, I don’t have a say in it.”

Qi Ci asked: “Bian Zhonghua, do you think that I’m stupid, foolish, and naive? Because I can easily forgive others for treating me like that?”

Bian Zhonghua gently raised the corners of his mouth: “You’re very naive, but you’re neither stupid nor a fool. Humans have one life, so why should you have to live with bitterness and hatred? You shouldn’t worry about the things that bother you. After all, isn’t it better to think less about annoying things and spend more time with people and things you actually like?”

Qi Ci looked up at Bian Zhonghua. Qi Ci’s eyes were as bright as the full moon, while in the depths of his eyes, there were ripples that couldn’t be suppressed.

In the past, he couldn’t tell the difference between gratitude and pure joy.

But at this moment…

He finally understood.

‘If the southern wind knows what I want, then let this dawn join me in my dreams1.’

Suddenly, a few coughs were heard in the distance.

Bian Zhonghua said with a smile: “I should go back to the Secret Servant Residence to get beaten. You should also go back and sleep. Don’t think too much and just have a good rest.”

Qi Ci held Bian Zhonghua’s arm and said: “We agreed to go drink together in seven days, don’t forget.”

“Hahaha. Alright, I won’t forget.”