Chapter 33 Farewell Until we meet again.

Chapter 33 Farewell. Until We Meet Again.

Noble families placed great stock in pedigree and reputation. Under normal circumstances, if a man and a woman fell into the water together—whether by accident or design—rumors about physical contact would inevitably spread. Those who could withstand public scrutiny might continue their lives as usual, while those who couldn't might reluctantly enter into a messy, forced marriage.

But when the number of people falling into the water far exceeded two, such things, which normally would have tongues wagging, went completely unnoticed.

On the riverbank, terrified children were howling, families shouted for lost loved ones, and officials worked to evacuate the crowd and tend to the injured. Chaos reigned; no one had the mind to pay attention to anything else.

In such a situation, Xie Chi lifting Zhong Yao from the bow of the boat or placing a hand on the back of her neck were minor actions, drawing little special attention.

Still, they were in a public place, so Xie Chi soon withdrew his hand.

Zhong Yao had been staring at the water. The moment the hand left her neck, she turned back as if afraid of getting lost, taking a step closer to Xie Chi, grabbing the hem of his clothing, and then looking back at the water.

Her reaction was exactly the same as in the cave, yet Xie Chi's feelings were entirely different this time.

His gaze traveled past Zhong Yao's head toward the small boat. "Where is Xue Fang?"

"Young Master was just here!" Shu Feng answered anxiously.

Xue Fang had indeed been there earlier. After the Fourth Prince appeared, everyone's attention turned to him, and no one noticed when Xue Fang disappeared.

The person had vanished from the boat; the only possible place he could have gone was into the river.

"Search!"

Xie Chi's voice was low and cold as he issued the command. Immediately, a large group of guards plunged into the water, mingling with the Fourth Prince's guards and churning the river into a murky mess, making it impossible to distinguish who was who.

Seeing there were no outsiders close by, Zhong Yao tugged on Xie Chi's robe and whispered, "Will Xue Fang be alright?"

"No," Xie Chi replied, glancing sideways just in time to see the top of Zhong Yao's head and her profile.

She was done up today. Though not as meticulously as on the day they encountered Fei Anxuan, she had still put in some effort, and a faint, elusive scent of powder lingered about her.

This was very wrong.

Xie Chi had ordered scar-removal ointment for her. Because he was about to leave the capital, he had specifically instructed it to be made quickly, resulting in a stronger herbal scent. Logically, Zhong Yao should have reeked of herbs.

When she boarded the boat earlier and when he lifted her off just now, Xie Chi hadn't smelled that scent. He still couldn't now.

Was he not close enough?

Xie Chi couldn't bring himself to lean in and sniff a young woman's neck. He guessed that perhaps Zhong Yao disliked the smell and, considering she would be meeting many people today, had chosen not to apply it for the sake of propriety.

That had nothing to do with him.

Whether to use it or not was Zhong Yao's decision; he had done what he should.

"What did he drag the Fourth Prince into the water for?" Zhong Yao asked, her attention fully fixed on the water's surface, not turning her head.

"To beat him up," Xie Chi said.

Xue Fang had a fiery, unyielding temperament. When he was with his clan relatives, his extreme mischievousness earned him the reputation of a vengeful little mad dog.

"Beat him up?" Zhong Yao repeated in surprise, then frowned, her face full of worry. "It's not very effective to beat someone underwater; it won't hurt much."

Xie Chi: "..."

He had thought Zhong Yao would worry that Xue Fang might face imperial punishment for assaulting the Fourth Prince.

Xie Chi lowered his gaze, looking at Zhong Yao's profile, thinking to himself that she was also a little dog—a fluffy white one. When faced with danger, she would shrink back and hide behind others, whimpering pitifully while stretching out her paws to scratch fiercely forward.

He ignored Zhong Yao. After a moment, his sleeve was tugged again as Zhong Yao turned to look at him.

Xie Chi shifted his gaze to the river before she could turn, hearing her ask, "Are your grandmother and Chen Luoling alright?"

"Worried?"

Zhong Yao answered sincerely, "I'm worried about Chen Luoling; asking about your grandmother is just politeness."

Xie Chi reminded her with equal sincerity, "The Fourth Prince was only dragged into the water, not killed."

Zhong Yao's face immediately collapsed into a woeful expression again.

Xie Chi glanced at her pitiful look, satisfied, and then said, "Thank you for your concern, humble woman. That wicked grandmother of mine is safe and sound, and Second Miss Chen has already been taken to a safe place by the Crown Prince's men."

Zhong Yao's mouth puckered again, as if she had suffered some great injustice.

During these few exchanges, there was a commotion on the river. Xue Fang broke the surface and was quickly helped onto a small boat by the guards.

As the boat reached the shore, Shu Feng swiftly spread out a cloak to wrap around Xue Fang. Though drenched, Xue Fang's eyes were bright, still gleaming with a fierce, unspent intensity.

Seeing this, Xie Chi stepped forward, yanked the hood down, and completely covered Xue Fang's face.

The Fourth Prince, rescued a step later by his guards, was different from Xue Fang—his face was somewhat swollen, and his forehead was cut by something. The bright red blood, diluted by the water on his face into a pale crimson, slowly trickled down along his scar.

"Seize him..." The Fourth Prince spat out water in a wretched state, his eyes bloodshot as he pointed at Xue Fang. "Seize him for me!"

The guards responded and stepped forward. Seeing the person hiding behind Xie Chi, they hesitated and said, "This man attempted to harm the Fourth Prince. Please step aside, Heir Xie, and allow us to apprehend him."

Xie Chi said, "My younger sister just fell into the water and was rescued. When did she ever attempt to harm the Fourth Prince?"

The guards couldn't answer.

The river had long been churned into murkiness. Underwater, one could only vaguely make out human figures. Even if someone had indeed been assaulted underwater, no one could confirm who the assailant was, nor whether it was intentional or an accidental struggle.

Except for the one who was assaulted.

If it were anyone else, the guards wouldn't hesitate. But this was Xie Chi. Without evidence, the guards dared not use force.

The Fourth Prince's expression flickered through several changes before he suddenly turned, swiftly drawing a long sword from a guard's waist.

The sword was raised high, glinting coldly in the sun as it slashed fiercely toward Xie Chi.

Xie Chi didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward, seized the Fourth Prince's wrist, twisted it downward, and redirected the sword. Then, with a palm strike, the sword immediately flew from the Fourth Prince's grip, landing with a loud clang at the feet of the Crown Prince, who was busy settling the commoners nearby.

"Who's there!" roared the Crown Prince's guard, and all hell broke loose.

In the end, the Fourth Prince was personally escorted to the palace by the Crown Prince. Before leaving, he ranted and raved, vowing to make everyone die.

With such a major incident occurring, Xie Chi would inevitably have to bring Xue Fang to the palace. However, with the Crown Prince handling matters first, he wasn't in a hurry.

Xie Chi instructed the guards to take Xue Fang to the carriage first, then turned to Zhong Yao by the riverside.

The Fourth Prince had been dragged into the water and beaten severely. Having always been favored by the Emperor, he had never suffered such humiliation. Thus, after coming ashore, his eyes were fixed solely on Xue Fang, and he didn't spare Zhong Yao another glance.

Zhong Yao felt much more at ease. At the moment, she was standing on tiptoe, gazing in the direction the Crown Prince had departed, her expression relieved yet also a little lost.

"I won't be able to escort you back today," Xie Chi said.

Zhong Yao didn't hear him clearly and turned to him with a questioning "Hmm?"

Xie Chi jerked his chin toward the distant street. Zhong Yao followed his gaze and saw Madam Zhong, who must have heard about the collapsed viewing platform, anxiously rushing through the crowd, followed by a group of household servants. Unfortunately, blocked by the throng, she wouldn't be able to get through for a while.

"Mother!" Zhong Yao stood on tiptoes and shouted toward her, but her voice was drowned out by the noise, failing to reach Madam Zhong.

She grew anxious, gathering her skirts to hurry over, but was stopped by Xie Chi's next words.

"Tomorrow, the news of Miss Chen's death will spread. Now that you're prepared, after your mother meets with your elder brother, leave the capital with her as soon as possible."

"Tomorrow?" Zhong Yao had long been prepared, but when the day actually arrived, it still took her by surprise.

She was taken aback for a moment and asked, "What about you? When are you leaving?"

Xie Chi replied, "Tomorrow night."

Too soon—so fast it caught her off guard.

Zhong Yao wanted to ask how he planned to take Xue Fang along. She also wanted to ask if he and Xue Fang both left, wouldn't he worry about Xie's grandmother being targeted by the Fourth Prince?

But since Xie Chi had said so, he must have had it all planned out.

Zhong Yao also wanted to say that the Misty Mountain Bandits were vicious, telling Xie Chi to watch out. She wanted to ask him to look after her second brother...

But the words died on her lips, as she realized they were either unnecessary or things she had already said many times.

In the end, it was Xie Chi who spoke first.

"While the Fourth Prince is distracted, leave the capital quickly. Bring more servants on the road and try to take the main roads. Once you return home, keep that mouth of yours under control and stop running your mouth and ruining your reputation."

Zhong Yao: "..."

Her mouth turned down at the corners, her eyes filled with resentment at Xie Chi for not sparing her any face.

Xie Chi didn't even have the decency to feel bad; he chuckled and went on, without mercy, "When looking for a husband, remember to carefully observe his character. If you carelessly settle for another despicable and shameless scoundrel, you'll ruin the rest of your life."

Zhong Yao was mortified and said, "Can't you say something nicer?"

"I can," Xie Chi said. "The scar-removing medicine you have smells a bit strong. Later, when we develop a scented version, it will be given to your elder brother in Xue Fang's name. Keep using it, and over time, it should help a bit."

Zhong Yao nodded, then asked curiously, "Since it's a wound medicine, isn't it normal for it to have a smell? Why develop a scented version?"

Xie Chi: "..."

He glared at her and said, "Are you questioning me?"

Zhong Yao glanced at him and whispered, "When you can't win an argument, you resort to intimidating with your status. Lord Xie is so charming, surely you won't lack young ladies who genuinely like you."

She deliberately paused before and after the word "genuinely," emphasizing it to remind Xie Chi that the reason so many young ladies liked him now was because he pretended well.

Xie Chi understood, his expression darkening as he abruptly took a step forward, making Zhong Yao jump back.

Only then did he stop, laughing twice, his voice once again carrying that annoying yet familiar mockery.

Just then, someone else called out "Miss!" Zhong Yao followed the sound and saw it was her servant.

"I'm leaving," Xie Chi said at that moment, his voice casual and free-spirited, as if he had finally broken free from some restraint and returned to freedom.

"Wait, wait!" Zhong Yao hurriedly stopped him.

She first waved to her servants, signaling them to go find Madam Zhong, then turned back to Xie Chi and said, "I want, I want..."

Zhong Yao knew Xie Chi was saying goodbye to her.

The troubles at home weren't over yet, but regardless of whether her second brother was at Misty Mountain, alive or dead, once Xie Chi left this time and returned without Xue Fang, even if he helped her family again, it would have nothing to do with her, a young maiden like me.

Unlike the silent distance last time, this time he was clearly saying goodbye to her.

Zhong Yao had many thoughts in her heart, yet it felt as if the farewell had come too suddenly, leaving her with no thoughts at all.

She hesitated for a moment, then untied the pouch at her waist, took out a deep blue jewel, and offered it to Xie Chi, saying, "No matter what, you've helped me far more than I've helped you. This jewel is the most valuable thing I own. I'm giving it to you—I know you don't lack money, and this is nothing to you. Consider it my early wedding gift—"

She suddenly paused, sighed, and said, "If no young lady will ever genuinely like you in your lifetime and you never marry, then consider it for Xue Fang—no, he'll probably be just as unlikable when he grows up..."

Zhong Yao stopped again, thought for a moment, and rephrased, "Forget it, let it be a birthday gift for that bad grandmother of yours. She..."

At this point, she frowned and stopped for the third time.

"Go on," Xie Chi looked down at her and sneered, "What about my bad grandmother?"

"She will surely live a long life!" Zhong Yao said loudly.

No matter how much she disliked Xie's grandmother, she wouldn't wish death upon her. After all, she was an elderly woman—sharp-tongued and harsh, but she hadn't committed any great evils.

Zhong Yao had just overthought things when mentioning the marriages of Xie Chi and Xue Fang, and when bringing up Xie's grandmother's birthday gift, she habitually considered another possibility.

It was truly too offensive.

"I really didn't mean to curse her..." Zhong Yao lowered her head and whispered in defense, "I'm not that kind of vicious woman."

If she hadn't lowered her head, Xie Chi could still see her profile. Once she did, all that was left for Xie Chi was the crown of her dark head.

Xie Chi bent down and whispered in Zhong Yao's ear, "You're not a vicious woman—you're a bad little woman who loves to talk back."

Zhong Yao looked up at him. He straightened up, his gaze falling on Zhong Yao's open, fair palm, and said, "I don't like jewels. What else is in the pouch? Pour it out, and I'll pick myself."

"I'm not a bad little woman either..." Zhong Yao muttered.

Xie Chi pretended not to hear, waiting for her to pour everything out of the pouch. Looking down, aside from the deep blue jewel Zhong Yao had taken out, there was a colorful warding rope, a few taels of loose silver, three copper coins, and a small coral bead.

The bead was a bright, pure red, somewhat similar to the pearl that had adorned Zhong Yao's hair when she wore her red dress earlier, except it had a small chip.

Xie Chi picked up the flawed coral bead from Zhong Yao's palm and said, "This one."

"This one isn't worth anything..."

Xie Chi asked in surprise, "Are the others worth much?"

Zhong Yao: "..."

She silently put the other items back into the pouch, comforting herself, "I'll let you have this one."

The item was chosen, the words were clear, and Madam Zhong, escorted by the servants, had also made her way through the crowd, spotted Zhong Yao, and was calling out to her.

Zhong Yao glanced back at her mother, then turned to Xie Chi and said, "Then I'm leaving, Heir Xie!"

"May we meet again if fate allows," Xie Chi said indifferently, standing with his hands behind his back by the riverbank.

These four words carried too much of the sorrow of parting, making one's heart uncomfortable to hear.

Zhong Yao pondered briefly and said, "If we do meet again, let's hope it's nothing like last time!"

Seeing Xie Chi's displeased expression, Zhong Yao smiled slightly, took a slight step back, gave him a curtsy, then stood up and turned to walk toward the crowd.

Xie Chi watched her figure blend into the crowd and reach Madam Zhong's side, where she was immediately pulled into a tight embrace and anxiously checked over. He lowered his head, twirling the chipped, bright red coral bead between his fingers, gave a soft, derisive snort, tucked the bead into his sleeve, and headed toward the Marquis's carriage.

Upon arriving, he found several carriages still there—Old Madam Xie was still there.

Figuring that Xue Fang was likely with his grandmother, Xie Chi decided to join them as well.

Inside the carriage, Old Madam Xie and Shu Feng were busy swaddling Xue Fang in a blanket. Though the weather was already quite warm, Xue Fang, soaked through, didn't feel cold and was struggling to push the blanket off.

"Why not head back to the estate first?" Xie Chi said. "Go home and change. We have to get to the palace later."

"We were waiting for you," Old Madam Xie replied, her clothes clean and untouched by any mishap.

She turned and handed a cup of tea to Xie Chi, saying, "Did you clear things up with that humble woman? You talked for so long—you must be parched."

Xie Chi's hand paused as he took the teacup, and he glanced at Xue Fang.

Xue Fang, still wrestling with the blanket, looked up, confused by the stare. After a moment, he blurted out, "I didn't say the humble woman was Zhong Yao!"

"..."

Well, that settled that.

"He really didn't say it," Old Madam Xie remarked. "My eyes are sharp—I saw it clearly myself."

Unharmed and transferred to the carriage early, she had nothing to do and lifted the curtain to watch what was going on outside. Coincidentally, she caught sight of her grandson scooping Zhong Yao off the boat.

It was a brief and efficient motion—just a blink, and Xie Chi had released her and stepped back.

It was so startling that Old Madam Xie wondered if her eyes were deceiving her.

Later, she saw the two talking for a long time—that made sense, as Zhong Yao had been invited by Xue Fang, and it was only right for him, as the elder brother, to show some concern.

—But then there was his stern expression, and him bending over to pick something from her palm—these were little gestures Old Madam Xie had never seen him make toward any other girl.

"No need to hide it from me. I'm not some unreasonable, wicked grandmother," Old Madam Xie sighed deeply, murmuring helplessly. "Zhong Yao, ah, Zhong Yao... If you can make sure she doesn't impose rules on me, I could accept it."

"..." Xie Chi's eyelid twitched. "I can't accept it."

He tapped on the carriage window, instructing the driver to set off, and said calmly, "My feelings toward her are merely the base instincts of a man, not romantic affection. There will be no further contact in the future. Let's not mention this again."

Old Madam Xie studied his expression carefully, shook her head, and turned her attention back to the struggling Xue Fang.

The absence of that familiar sigh of resignation and mockery toward men left Xie Chi feeling somewhat unaccustomed.

He remained silent for a moment, fingering the coral bead in his sleeve, finished his tea, and said no more.