Chapter 121 No Kindness Without Reason

Chapter 121: No Goodness Without Reason

In the predawn light, Xue Han arrived at the lakeside and saw a figure sitting with knees drawn up, like a stone weathered by wind and rain.

Even in the dim light, where only a vague silhouette was visible, one glance was all it took for Xue Han to know it was Qiu Heng.

He approached and called out, tentatively, "Sixth Miss Qiu."

There was no response.

Xue Han, no longer caring about formalities, quickly approached Qiu Heng and gently patted her shoulder. "Sixth Miss Qiu, are you all right?"

Qiu Heng still did not react.

Xue Han's expression changed abruptly. He gathered her into his arms. "Sixth Miss Qiu!"

His hand, reaching out to check her breathing, froze mid-air when she opened his eyes. His heart, which had nearly leapt out of his throat, settled back down.

"Xue Han," Qiu Heng called softly, a faint smile barely touching the corners of her lips. "It's you again."

"Yes, it's me again." Xue Han instinctively held her tighter, feeling both lingering fear and relief.

"How did you know I was here?"

Having sat there through the long night, her clothes were damp with dew, and her exposed skin felt as cool as autumn water. Yet Qiu Heng felt nothing until Xue Han's arrival, which brought her back to reality.

She did not pull away from his embrace; instead, she even found herself clinging to this warmth.

At least she knew that Xue Han's kindness toward her stemmed from guilt: sincere and genuine.

Unlike her teacher, whose countless acts of kindness she had once firmly believed in but now felt were illusory. The student identity she had been so certain of now felt more like that of a pawn.

What pained her even more was that, despite ten years of instruction and witnessing a decade of tragedy, even after realizing this, she could not abandon what she had to do.

The masterminds, the chess players—whatever their intentions or selfish motives—if she stood aside, it would be the myriad people of Xia who suffered.

Xue Han did not conceal anything. "I was worried when I saw you running off in a panic, but I couldn't get away. So I ordered Hu Si to see you back discreetly. Later, Hu Si reported that you hadn't returned to your residence but had come to this lakeside."

Qiu Heng gave a faint smile. "I thought it was just a coincidence."

"It wasn't a coincidence. I came here specifically to find you." Xue Han looked into Qiu Heng's eyes, his voice gentle yet firm.

He could sense the pain and despondency of the young woman in his arms. Such words, which he would normally keep to himself, now came effortlessly.

She needed comfort, and he could not bear to see her in distress.

"Xue Han, thank you for being so kind to me." Qiu Heng spoke softly, holding him a little tighter.

Xue Han's body tensed, not daring to move, and he forgot what to say.

Only then did he realize how intimate their embrace was, far beyond the boundaries of friendship.

"Xue Han."

"Hmm?"

"No one is unconditionally good to another person, right?"

She had thought herself somewhat fortunate—though betrayed by a close friend, she had met her teacher.

How naive she had been.

Xue Han fell silent for a moment before whispering, "Yes."

His initial kindness toward her had stemmed from guilt, and such kindness had its limits, confined within reason. But now, his kindness toward her arose from affection, which lay beyond reason.

Qiu Heng said nothing more.

Xue Han heard the soft, light breathing of the person in his arms.

Had she stayed up all night sitting here? Was she too exhausted?

Only after realizing Qiu Heng had fallen asleep did Xue Han dare to lower his head and study her sleeping face.

The sky was still dim, but her complexion was startlingly pale, with traces of blood on her pale lips.

Xue Han stared at the lingering red, mesmerized and unable to look away. He reached out a finger on impulse to touch it.

Qiu Heng opened her eyes and looked at the young man so close to her.

Xue Han awkwardly withdrew his hand, forcing himself to remain calm as he explained, "There's blood on your lips..."

"I was too scared and bit them." After a brief moment of rest with her eyes closed, Qiu Heng had calmed down considerably. She slipped out of Xue Han's embrace.

Embarrassed at being caught, Xue Han quickly changed the subject. "Were you worried about the Crown Prince?"

"Yes. When I saw the fire, I was terrified that something had really happened to the Crown Prince..."

Her fear wasn't only for the Crown Prince's fate, but she couldn't tell Xue Han the rest.

"Sixth Miss Qiu." Xue Han looked directly into Qiu Heng's eyes, his tone solemn. "It was you who saved the Crown Prince."

Qiu Heng shook her head. "In my dream, it was tomorrow—"

"A dream is just a dream. To have dreamed of it at all is a blessing from heaven. To expect it to match reality exactly would be too much to ask. Because I heard about this dream, I ordered my men to increase patrols after returning. That's how we discovered the fire at the Crown Prince's residence early and were able to rescue him in time... Sixth Miss Qiu, it was truly you who saved the Crown Prince."

A warmth spread through Qiu Heng's chilled heart.

Perhaps she did not need to be so hard on herself. Had she not done well enough?

Her sorrow was not even the shock of realizing she was a pawn, but that her teacher had treated her as one.

No matter how much experience a person has or how strong their armor, the heart remains the most vulnerable.

"Who rescued the Crown Prince?"

Xue Han replied, "I carried the Crown Prince out of the Star-Gazing Tower."

He had ordered his men to increase patrols but could not explicitly mention the Star-Gazing Tower. When the Crown Prince's residence actually caught fire and rescuers rushed from all directions, it was even more impossible to say the Crown Prince was in the Star-Gazing Tower.

Fortunately, given his position as Imperial City Commissioner, it would not seem strange for him to take the lead in rescuing others.

Looking at Qiu Heng, Xue Han felt a sudden impulse and tentatively asked, "In Sixth Miss Qiu's dream... who rescued the Crown Prince?"

"It was Official Xue," Qiu Heng stated frankly.

Xue Han lowered his gaze, hiding the smile that rose in his eyes.

So when she ran here in panic, besides worrying about the Crown Prince, was she also worried about him?

"What happened next?" As her head cleared, Qiu Heng's questions multiplied.

"The fire is out, but the aftermath is still being dealt with. So far, they've found the bodies of two eunuchs..." Xue Han updated her.

"You've been busy all this time, Official Xue..."

"Miss Qiu, you haven't rested all night yourself." Xue Han stood and offered Qiu Heng his hand. "I'll walk you back."

Qiu Heng took his hand, letting him help her up.

The forest before dawn was dim and quiet, shadows loomed indistinctly, and birdsong filled the air.

As they were about to leave the woods, Xue Han suddenly asked, "Sixth Miss Qiu, that old ailment of yours... is that the cost of your dreaming?"

He had always believed that for every gain, there was a loss.

Take himself: he had a foster father like Xue Quan and a promising future in the eyes of the world, but he had lost much of his freedom.

If Sixth Miss Qiu could glimpse heavenly secrets through her dreams, there must be a price, right?

Qiu Heng didn't answer until they had left the woods. "You could say so."

A light flickered in Xue Han's eyes.

So then, what had she dreamed of to cause those two attacks?

But he let the matter drop.

"Official Xue, you must still have much to attend to. Please, don't trouble yourself further. At a time like this, it wouldn't be good for others to see us together."

"Alright."

Qiu Heng bid farewell to Xue Han and returned to her residence.

The gate to the residence where Prince Kang was quartered still stood wide open. Along with the gatekeeper, who had been up all night, guards were also stationed there.

From the looks of it, Prince Kang likely hadn't returned yet.

Qiu Heng quietly circled to the back and climbed over the wall.

"Miss, you're finally back." Fang Zhou looked Qiu Heng over with concern and sighed in relief upon seeing she was unharmed.

"Yes, I'm back."

That Great Xia—she couldn't return, nor did she want to. This was her home and country now.

As for her mentor—

She would find him and observe him. If he harbored selfish motives that interfered with her work, he shouldn't blame her for being merciless.