Chapter 43 Entangled He’s so strange!

Chapter 43: Tangled Up - He’s So Weird!

Xie Chi was acting all weird and kicked Zhong Yao out of the room without a word.

Luckily, the guards told Zhong Yao that interrogating people takes skill. These bandits had done some seriously bad stuff, and once the authorities got them, they were as good as dead. So even when they talked, they'd mix truth with lies, so you couldn't trust 'em fully.

Plus, the more important the info, the more they'd spout nonsense, trying to buy themselves a way out.

During the interrogation, they questioned the three surviving bandits one by one. They needed at least three rounds of questioning, and only after comparing their stories over and over could they figure out what was real.

Basically, you couldn't rush it.

Zhong Yao took that advice and waited patiently—for three whole days.

On the fourth day, a guard came with news: "The three bandits confessed. They said the Second-in-command did go back into the deep mountains, and he brought two young masters from the capital with him…"

Zhong Yao’s heart almost jumped out of her chest. She pressed him, "Is it my second brother? Is one of them named Zhong Shu?"

"The three said everyone in the hideout uses code names. Only the big shots know their real names."

Zhong Yao was a little let down, but still, this news backed up Xie Chi’s hunch. At least it made the hope that her second brother was still alive a lot stronger.

Zhong Yao cheered up and asked, "Are they okay? If the bandits grabbed them, why didn’t they send a message to the capital?"

The guard had a weird look on his face. He hesitated, then said, "This is hard for me to say, miss. You’d better ask the young master."

Zhong Yao wanted to ask Xie Chi too, but he’d been swamped at the government office—dealing with the bandits alongside officials from the prefecture, interrogating them, and trying to stop Xu Guozhu and the others from charging off to Wuyin Mountain to look for people, all while keeping quiet about Dou Wu bringing his crew back.

Zhong Yao got that Xie Chi was busy, and since the way he looked at her was just too weird, she didn’t bug him. She figured she’d have plenty of time to ask once they hit the road again.

Two more days went by, and it was time to head out.

The government office, following Xie Chi’s orders, kept his whereabouts a secret, so naturally, no one came to see them off. The guards split up, and when they set out again, only one new person had joined them: Shu Feng.

Zhong Yao had just gotten into the carriage with Shu Feng’s help, waiting for Xie Chi to come in so she could ask him about what the guard didn’t finish saying, when she heard a "thump." A small stone smacked hard against the window frame.

Outside, the guards started yelling. Curious, Zhong Yao lifted the curtain and saw that boy who’d passed a message for the bandits earlier.

Thirteen bandits had snuck into the city, and the guards had killed ten of them. Only three were left alive, and they’d soon be taken to the prefectural city for a public execution. The boy’s dad was one of them.

Now the boy was glaring at them with pure hate.

Xie Chi saw him too. He grabbed the fidgety Xue Fang and yanked him into the carriage, then ordered, "Take him to the government office. Have someone read his dad’s confession to him, then let them see each other one last time."

The kid was young and didn’t know any better. After finally waiting for his dad, they were about to be torn apart by death—it was sad. But the innocent people his dad had hurt were even more pitiful.

Xie Chi wasn’t letting them meet to be nice. He wanted the kid to see what his dad was really like.

The guards had already found out everything. Turns out this bunch of bandits was originally headed to the prefecture, but two groups of stationed troops there suddenly held a competition, pulling their forces together. The bandits didn’t dare go near, so they hid out in Changping County for a while.

They couldn’t blow their cover, so they couldn’t go out. They needed someone to front for them. So the kid’s gambling-addict dad went looking for his old man and his son, the ones he’d ditched years ago.

With some fake tears, a few stolen silver coins, and a fancy-looking but actually common mushroom from the mountains, a few cheap tricks fooled the grandpa and kid into covering for them. Little did they know, the guy had turned into a blood-soaked thug over the years and had started a whole new family long ago. His old dad and kid? If he didn’t need them now, he wouldn’t have even remembered they existed.

Only the kid didn’t get it. He hated Xie Chi and the others for hurting his dad, making him an orphan all over again.

"Idiot!" Xue Fang yelled at the kid. Seeing Xie Chi get into the carriage, he stopped reluctantly and turned to say, "A guy like that’ll grow up to be trouble. Might as well chop his head off too!"

The kid and his grandpa had hidden bandits, so they were guilty too. But one was old and the other was young—punishing them was a tough call. Still, chopping both their heads off like Xue Fang said was out of the question.

Xie Chi said, "If you don’t learn some discipline, you’ll end up just like him."

"No way!" Xue Fang shot back. "I’m not that dumb!"

"Not even when you’re around your family?"

Xue Fang went quiet.

He was about the same age as that kid when Xie Chi took him in to keep an eye on him. Back then, he dreamed of killing all his family.

A few months ago, he’d snuck off to settle the score with them.

He was twelve now, but every time he thought about his childhood, he was filled with hate. He couldn’t promise he wouldn’t hurt someone when he got really mad.

Xue Fang said gloomily, "I won’t now! I remember everything Grandma taught me. I won’t turn out like that!"

Still, being gloomy didn’t stop him from sticking to his plan. Getting revenge on his family was a dream he’d held onto for years. But Xie Chi said he was impulsive and hot-headed, too unstable to go back now.

Xue Fang suddenly turned to Zhong Yao and asked, "When do you think I can go settle things with my family?"

Since her last unpleasant parting with Xie Chi, every time she saw him again, he looked gloomy. Zhong Yao still didn’t understand what was wrong with him. She was listening to their conversation while secretly observing Xie Chi.

Caught off guard by Xue Fang’s question, Zhong Yao was startled.

"Me? Why ask me?"

Xue Fang had originally wanted to ask Xie Chi, but after thinking it over, he knew Xie Chi wouldn’t agree to let him go back for revenge within two years.

By then, Xie Chi would likely be married, and everything in the household would be decided by the humble woman. So Xue Fang directly asked Zhong Yao.

"Never mind. Just answer," Xue Fang said.

Bewildered, Zhong Yao hesitated, then said, "Sixteen? After sixteen, when you have more sense, you can act freely."

Xue Fang calculated the time and thought it was too long. He asked Xie Chi, "What do you say, big brother?"

Xie Chi was irritated just seeing Zhong Yao, but they hadn’t left the city yet, and the streets were crowded, so riding a horse wasn’t convenient. He closed his eyes and replied, "Seventeen."

Xue Fang heard that and found that the big brother’s time fell within the humble woman’s range. He couldn’t help but think his grandmother was absolutely right.

His muttered words reached Zhong Yao’s ears.

Since Xie Chi seemed unwilling to talk, Zhong Yao didn’t want to provoke him. With nothing else to do, she asked curiously, "What did your grandmother say that was so right?"

Xue Fang felt both dissatisfied and awed by her, but awe won out, so he obediently answered, "Grandma has said many wise things. For example, men are all things who forget their mothers once they get a wife."

Zhong Yao found it amusing and chuckled. "Wrong. My mother says many people forget their mothers on their own and just use their wives as an excuse."

This remark made Xue Fang feel insulted. He retorted angrily, "That’s other families! In our household, it’s not allowed. Grandma says men must learn to take responsibility, not run away, and not blame others for everything!"

Sitting between them, Xie Chi’s eyelids twitched suddenly.

No one noticed.

Zhong Yao was still marveling, "Your grandmother is such a bad person, but what she says makes a lot of sense."

Xue Fang choked on his words, wanting to argue against her first point but agree with her second. After a moment’s hesitation, he said solemnly, “My grandmother is a good person. Don’t be hard on her.”

Zhong Yao thought he was talking nonsense again.

How could she possibly be harsh on the Old Madam Xie?

In the entire capital, hardly anyone could do that.

But Xue Fang had always been weird like this, and Zhong Yao was used to it.

She glanced at Xie Chi, cleared her throat, and said, “My mother also knows a lot of wisdom. She often teaches my elder brother that the most important thing for a man is to not be petty, not hold grudges, not take his anger out on others—especially not on young ladies.”

She was hinting at Xie Chi, but he didn’t react. Xue Fang, however, got all worked up, yelling, “No, no! Grandmother said the most important thing for a man is self-control and being responsible!”

He turned to Xie Chi, asking for backup. “Bro, Grandma’s right, isn’t she?”

“…”

Xie Chi didn’t want to talk; he only wanted to act.

He felt like they were both messing with him.

Ever since that night he booted Zhong Yao out of his room, Xie Chi hadn’t slept a single good night. Every time he closed his eyes, the memory of what he’d done to her that day flashed before him, messing with his head and keeping him up.

What pissed him off was that he was willing to take responsibility for his actions—if only Zhong Yao would say yes.

But she didn’t even remember, and kept calling him a dog demon.

Just thinking about it made him angry.

Xie Chi thought about just telling Zhong Yao straight up: that night, she kissed him, and he lost it and did something even worse. He wanted to man up and take responsibility.

That was the truth, but if he put himself in her shoes, if someone told Xie Chi that, he’d think they were a shameless jerk trying to force a marriage by trashing his rep.

To anyone else, it’d look like making up rumors to ruin a girl’s reputation.

If he could use this trick to get Zhong Yao to cave, then anyone could pull the same stunt on any other girl.

Xie Chi couldn’t do that.

What bugged him more was that after freezing his butt off on the roof all night, he suddenly realized another problem.

Zhong Yao said she only remembered a dog demon in her memories, that she was always fighting the demon. So, was the kiss he saw—Zhong Yao leaning in—something she forgot, or was it just some dirty fantasy in his own head?

If it was all in his head, did that mean he’d already lost it when he held her?

Xie Chi wished it was all a hallucination, but when he came to, he saw rough, bruised marks on her waist and shoulders—marks from his hands, which had been wet from trying to wake her, now proof of his guilt.

Reality and illusion blurred together, and Xie Chi couldn’t tell what was real, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

Now, faced with Xue Fang’s accidental, gut-punch of a question, Xie Chi went quiet for a second. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Zhong Yao and asked, “What do you think?”

Zhong Yao jumped, confused why he was asking her too.

She was a bit dazed because Xie Chi’s gaze was deep and still, calm on the surface but unsettling, like it hid a storm underneath.

Zhong Yao’s heart pounded under his gaze. She blinked and told him what she really thought.

“I think Xue Fang is so dumb,” she said, frustrated. “I was helping him by roasting you, hoping you’d stop taking your anger out on people, but he didn’t get it and started arguing with me.”

“…”

Xie Chi raised a hand to shove the fuming Xue Fang aside, and said, patient, “I’ll ask you again, Zhong Yao. What’s the most important thing for a person?”

Zhong Yao thought for a moment. “Life.”

“…”

Xie Chi took a deep breath, then reached out and grabbed Zhong Yao’s wrist. She yelped and struggled, but couldn’t break free, and was half-dragged, half-carried to sit beside him.

The three had been seated with Xie Chi in the middle, Zhong Yao and Xue Fang on either side. With this pull, Zhong Yao was shoved into a corner, and Xie Chi lifted his long leg to step onto the spot where she had been sitting, trapping her completely.

“I’m wrong, I’m wrong! I’ll answer properly this time…”

With nowhere to escape, Zhong Yao curled up, blinking her watery eyes in a plea for mercy.

Xie Chi glared at her fiercely, thinking he had never met such an annoying girl.

She had already stirred up his emotions, and now, when he was seriously trying to settle such an important matter, she was still messing around. After causing trouble, she put on a pitiful act to get away with it, leaving him helpless.

Xie Chi couldn’t just beat her, so he had to swallow his anger.

He suppressed the surging emotions in his chest, barely managing to calm his fury, but the moment Zhong Yao sensed the oppressive pressure was gone, her pitiful, pleading look vanished.

She pursed her lips in a smile, tilting her head slightly to look at Xie Chi. “Heir Xie, back in the capital, you at least pretended a little. But after leaving, you don’t bother at all. Look at your posture…”

As she spoke, she pushed at the long leg still bent in front of her.

Xie Chi watched her charming demeanor, fell silent for a moment, then withdrew his leg, his tone softening. “Answer the question properly.”

Zhong Yao let out an “oh,” thought for a moment, and said, “I think your grandmother is very right.”

“In what way?”

Zhong Yao replied, “First, self-control. If a person can’t even control what they do, what’s the difference between them and an animal?”

“…” Xie Chi’s face darkened, and he gritted his teeth. “And then?”

“Then, responsibility. Think about it: soldiers need responsibility to fight bravely, children need it to honor their elders, and between husband and wife… Speaking of which, I hope my mother doesn’t rush my brother’s marriage with Chen Luoling during this time…”

Zhong Yao trailed off, her mind wandering with worry.

But that was fine—Xie Chi already understood.

He lifted the curtain to look outside, saw the carriage had left the city, and the roads were wide with few travelers. He turned to Xue Fang, who was sulking from being ignored, and said, “Go ride a horse outside.”

Xue Fang, angry that the two had been talking and ignoring him, stubbornly said, “It’s hot outside! I don’t want to ride!”

Xie Chi: “Ride the horse. Next time you make a mistake, I’ll spare you a beating.”

That was a gift from heaven!

Xue Fang’s eyes lit up, he tossed out a “You said it!” and scrambled out of the carriage like a monkey.

Now only Zhong Yao and Xie Chi remained in the carriage. She had snapped back to reality and noticed that Xie Chi’s gaze at her was even stranger—similar to when he had questioned her about what she saw in her illusion, but deeper, making her deeply uncomfortable.

Unable to bear the look, Zhong Yao shrank back and tentatively asked, “Heir Xie, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Xie Chi turned sideways to face her, resting his arm on her shoulder as if shedding a heavy burden, relaxed and at ease. “I just have a few questions to ask you.”

He was ill-tempered, but always courteous in his actions and rarely initiated unnecessary physical contact with Zhong Yao. Zhong Yao glanced at the hand resting on her shoulder and thought to herself that Xie Chi had completely forgotten she was a woman and was using her as an armrest.

Zhong Yao was easygoing and didn't hold it against him, saying, "I have something to ask you too."

Xie Chi thought for a moment and said, "Is it about the interrogation results? What—the guard was too embarrassed to tell you?"

What kind of interrogation results would make someone too embarrassed to talk about?

Zhong Yao shot him a confused look.

It was just a puzzled glance, but for some reason, Xie Chi's eyes on her grew more intense.

Zhong Yao thought it might be her imagination, but as she blinked to dismiss the idea, she watched, helpless, as his slender fingers curled and gently wound a strand of hair by her ear.

...

Strange.

Too strange! What had gotten into Xie Chi?