Chapter 52 Thick Fog I truly am not.

Chapter 52: Thick Fog – I Really Am Not.

Zhong Yao didn’t think she was going crazy at all.

She had reasons for everything she said and did—she was a very reasonable person.

Just like now, the reason Zhong Yao said that was because looking down at Xie Chi, who seemed to be kneeling at her feet, felt strange to her.

She figured it was because no one had ever knelt to her.

“I’m the youngest in my family, both in seniority and age. Before, I was always the one kneeling to the spirit tablets of my parents and elders. No one’s ever knelt to me,” Zhong Yao explained. “I really didn’t mean to insult you, Heir Xie. If you knelt to me every morning and evening, after enough times, I’m sure I wouldn’t find it so strange anymore.”

Xie Chi: “…Are you setting rules for me?”

Zhong Yao thought about it and realized it did sound like that. Then she remembered the matter of setting rules for her mother-in-law that she’d mentioned to Old Madam Xie months ago, and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

“How can you even laugh?” Xie Chi said with some disdain, but he let it slide because she looked cute.

After quickly fixing Zhong Yao’s leather boots, Xie Chi patted her calf and said, “Alright, stand up and try walking.”

The way he patted her calf reminded Zhong Yao of when her mother used to pat her like that after putting on her shoes and socks, telling her to get out of bed and play.

But when her mother patted her, Zhong Yao never felt her legs go weak or felt embarrassed.

Maybe it was because it was new too.

If Xie Chi put her shoes on for her every day, she would surely gradually stop feeling this way.

Wasn’t this still laying down the law?

Zhong Yao almost laughed at herself again.

But this time, she didn’t say it out loud. She stood up, took a few steps, and looked up, saying, “Heir Xie, you’re really good at this. It’s snug but doesn’t pinch.”

Xie Chi, who’d been toughened up by now, just gave Zhong Yao a casual look at that.

The group of ten packed up and headed into the dense forest.

This place only had a bit of life in the prefectural seat; outside, it was either desolate, broken-down houses or lush vegetation. So at first, entering the forest didn’t change much, and the group could still chat occasionally.

The deeper they went, the denser the plants became. After half a day, the blazing sun and clear sky were almost invisible, with only a few lucky rays of sunlight piercing through the gaps in the leaves.

It was cool all around, with branches and leaves blocking the view, plus the constant chirping of insects and the flapping of wings from somewhere—it was truly unsettling.

Zhong Yao had already linked her arm through Xie Chi’s. The guards had also shifted positions: one walked alongside Wang Linyue, close behind the Zhou father and son; one kept a close watch on Xue Fang; and the last two took up the rear.

“If you get bitten by a bamboo viper, use this to treat the poison…” Old Man Zhou said, pulling up a roadside herb.

He knew a lot and had been explaining the dangers to the group and how to deal with them as they walked.

After finishing, he noticed the group’s changed positions and sneered, “Scared already, and we’re just at the edge? Wait until we get deeper and the miasma rises…”

“Ahem!” Chief Zhou coughed, cutting Old Man Zhou off.

Old Man Zhou fell silent, turned around, and continued leading the way.

The guards exchanged glances but said nothing, following silently.

Xue Fang wanted to speak—he was usually playful, but in the past few years, he’d learned a lot following Xie Chi in the military. Now, seeing everyone quiet, he fidgeted anxiously but ended up saying nothing.

Xie Chi didn’t speak either. He just glanced down at Zhong Yao, then suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and hoisted her onto his back.

Zhong Yao was startled and almost yelped. She wanted to tell Xie Chi she could walk on her own, but seeing how quiet it was, she felt too embarrassed to say anything, so she just wrapped her arms around his neck and obediently lay on his back.

After another half hour of walking, even though it hadn’t rained for days, the ground beneath them became soft, occasionally muddy.

Old Man Zhou said it was because of the forest fog.

Just as everyone was getting tired, they found a relatively clean spot to rest.

“We’re heading deeper into the mountains, but the direction’s a bit off. Compared to the route Old General Li took six years ago when he came to suppress the bandits, it’s a bit north,” a guard said quietly.

Old General Li was very old and battle-hardened, the harshest against these bandits. It was he who led troops deep into the bandits’ stronghold, only to be confused by hallucinogenic powders, resulting in heavy casualties and ultimate failure.

Even an experienced general like that had suffered in the deep mountains. After that, the court’s enthusiasm for dealing with Misty Hidden Mountain waned. Many people changed their expressions at the mention of them, but no one volunteered to go.

Though Old General Li failed, his detailed records of what he saw and heard along the way provided great convenience for Xie Chi today.

Xie Chi nodded and asked, “Have you memorized the route?”

The guard nodded: “I have.”

Only one of the four guards came over; the others had leaped into a treetop to look around, pulled out parchment to sketch with charcoal, or disappeared somewhere.

After the guard finished speaking and left, Xue Fang urgently wanted to talk, but before he could speak, Wang Linyue approached.

When he got close, he lowered his voice and said uneasily, “Something’s off… Heir Xie, Old Man Zhou and his son don’t seem right…”

“I think so too!” Xue Fang immediately chimed in. “Didn’t he say he hasn’t been in the mountains for a long time? He seems to know the place inside out!”

If Old Man Zhou and Chief Zhou were problematic, Wang Linyue, as the prefect, couldn’t escape blame.

Wang Linyue said anxiously, “I didn’t know. I thought they were on our side…”

“It’s fine,” Xie Chi said. “The prefectural city has long been the bandits’ territory. No one can guarantee they’re innocent. Prefect, don’t blame yourself.”

Wang Linyue looked ashamed and asked, “So what now…”

Xie Chi said, “If Old Man Zhou is colluding with the bandits, they’ll set an ambush where it’s most advantageous for them—deep in the mountains. They won’t act so soon. Let’s go a bit further and then turn back a day early.”

Wang Linyue agreed and sighed as he went to sit aside and rest.

With no outsiders around, Zhong Yao whispered, “Are we really turning back a day early to avoid the bandits?”

“Just saying that. We can’t avoid them,” Xie Chi said. “If they’ve gotten word and know my identity, their first thought will be to capture me to boost their prestige. They’ll come for me no matter what.”

That made sense.

Zhong Yao agreed, quietly nibbled on some dry rations, then turned her head and said, “Heir Xie, you shouldn’t put yourself in this situation. What if you lose control too and end up having children with the bandits…”

Xie Chi: “…Shut up.”

He unscrewed his water pouch, lifted Zhong Yao’s chin, and poured two mouthfuls into her mouth, then put it down and said, “Even eating can’t shut you up.”

“I’m serious,” Zhong Yao said, gently wiping the corner of her mouth with the inside of her sleeve. “You haven’t experienced it yourself, so you don’t know how much it worries and grieves your family… Even though I don’t like your grandmother, you’re her only grandson. If you were to be ruined like that too, she’d probably go mad…”

Zhong Yao was best at provoking people; even when sobbing, she made Xie Chi want to bully her even more.

But speaking these heartfelt, empathetic words like this was a bit heartbreaking.

Xie Chi still liked it better when she shocked him with her words.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Xie Chi said. “Don’t we have our own guys in with the bandits? And if not, there’s still Jiang Xia. Why would I risk my own neck?”

If he went, what about Zhong Yao?

Without him, she’d probably be too scared to even close her eyes, ending up with dark circles like Wang Linyue’s.

Xie Chi had never even thought of that idea Zhong Yao had.

“True.” Zhong Yao felt a bit reassured, obediently nibbling on some dry food before adding, “Heir Xie, you really don’t have to carry me. I can walk by myself.”

Zhong Yao had never walked this far before; her legs were sore and aching, but she could tough it out.

Besides, Xie Chi had to be tired too—how could she ask him to carry her?

“Just let me lean on your arm,” Zhong Yao said. “Otherwise, I’ll feel like dead weight.”

Xie Chi didn’t like hearing that, but he couldn’t argue.

After a moment, he said, “Do you think Dou Wu, now that he’s back in the bandits’ den, will really be accepted by them again? And are the bandits really not worried at all about grabbing two noble sons from the capital?”

Especially Xu Su—if Xu Guozhu found out his only son was being held hostage in the bandits’ lair, in his rage, he might burn down the mountain, even if the court said no. He wouldn’t think twice.

This mountain was the bandits’ only safe haven; they wouldn’t dare risk a direct fight.

Zhong Yao got that, but she didn’t know why Xie Chi suddenly brought it up.

“When they run into strangers, they’ll want to figure out who they are,” Xie Chi said, leaning in close to Zhong Yao and whispering in her ear, “I came to take down the bandits. What about you?”

Zhong Yao didn’t get what he meant and was about to ask when Wang Linyue came back, so she shut up fast.

Later, when they’d rested enough and set off again, Xie Chi insisted on carrying her piggyback.

Zhong Yao lay on Xie Chi’s back, her head covered by the hood, her chin on his shoulder. Without having to watch her step through grass and mud, she focused her mind, and after a while, she suddenly got what Xie Chi meant.

Xie Chi’s identity had always been out in the open. Xue Fang, who was always flying off the handle and getting scolded, was obviously Xie Chi’s younger brother.

If anyone in the group was the biggest mystery, it was Zhong Yao. —What concubine gets treated like this?

And she was weak, yet insisted on going into the bandits’ mountain, looking like dead weight to everyone else.

Anyone with half a brain would know she had to have another reason.

Zhong Yao had only ever thought about it from her own side before, but now, putting herself in the bandits’ shoes, she realized they had to be really curious about who she was.

To find out, since their own people were keeping quiet, they wouldn’t spill it easily. The bandits would have to find someone else who might know her…

Second Brother!

No, not necessarily Second Brother, but definitely one of the two noble sons captured in the bandits’ lair!

Realizing this, Zhong Yao’s heart skipped a beat. She tightened her arms and leaned forward to look at Xie Chi over his shoulder.

Xie Chi turned back, saw her bright eyes, and gave a helpless look at her arms.

Zhong Yao quickly loosened her grip, hearing him say in a very soft voice, “Just a guess.”

That was still awesome!

Zhong Yao was still thrilled and finally felt okay letting Xie Chi carry her.

Xie Chi wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t want this guess to be right, and he didn’t want Zhong Yao to take risks either, but it was the fastest way to get news about those two—if they had any brains left, they’d try to pass a message when they came to identify her.

With a traitor in their midst, Zhong Yao kept quiet, and even Xue Fang was unusually quiet.

That night, Old Man Zhou led them to a cave where they rough it for the night. The next day, they pushed deeper, and the further they went, the more dangers they ran into, including a fox and some skeletons.

Fortunately, the group was well-prepared. Aside from a few close calls, only Wang Linyue took a fall, getting bitten by a venomous insect in the grass, leaving a pustule the size of an apricot on the back of his hand.

Luckily, it was treated in time and wasn’t fatal.

On the third day, a thick fog suddenly descended in the mountains. Within just a quarter of an hour, the forest was shrouded in chilly mist, everything white as far as the eye could see. Beyond three steps, it was impossible to tell man from tree.

Even though she’d learned about this in the official records, encountering it firsthand still made Zhong Yao’s heart race.

She’d once thought the court was useless for failing to wipe out the bandits for so long, but now experiencing it herself, she understood the terror of the deep mountain forest.

The group immediately stopped to find shelter, but after walking barely ten meters, Chief Zhou and two guards at the rear vanished.

As they halted to search, Old Man Zhou, Xue Fang, and another guard disappeared in an instant.

Without hesitation, Xie Chi leaped onto a large tree with Zhong Yao in his arms, patted the medicine pouch at her waist, and said, “Stay put.”

Wang Linyue, a useless scholar, was also hoisted up by a guard.

Xie Chi said to the guard, “Watch over her and the prefect. I’ll be back within half an hour at most.”

He patted Zhong Yao’s head, gave a few instructions, then leaped down and vanished in an instant, leaving only one guard with Zhong Yao and Wang Linyue.

But they hadn’t been there for even half a stick of incense when Xue Fang’s anxious shouts came from below the tree.

“Go find him!” Zhong Yao urged urgently.

The guard hesitated. “The heir ordered me to protect you, miss…”

“I’ll stay right here, motionless. You go get him up—it won’t take long.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the guard couldn’t resist Zhong Yao’s insistence. He slid down the main trunk and disappeared into the abyss-like fog without a sound.

Zhong Yao waited anxiously, but all she could see was the white mist swallowing everything in the forest.

She opened her mouth to call out, but heard Wang Linyue say, “The deep mountains have many wild beasts, miss. It’s best to stay quiet.”

Zhong Yao quickly stopped.

The tree trunk was thick and sturdy. She was perched in a fork of the branches, leaning against the trunk as she watched Wang Linyue, noticing his expression was somewhat annoyed and displeased.

Over the past few days, Wang Linyue had come to see Zhong Yao as a spoiled young lady, and he had no guard against her. Under her gaze, he sighed again.

After three sighs without Zhong Yao asking anything, he finally spoke up. “Aren’t you curious about what I’m sighing over?”

Zhong Yao cautiously replied, “I am curious, but I deliberately didn’t ask.”

“You’re an interesting one, miss.” Wang Linyue said with a smile, then frowned. “You’re delicate and pampered, with a good life in the capital, yet you insist on coming to this desolate place. It must be for someone important. A brother? Or a husband?”

Zhong Yao’s heart pounded wildly. She wanted to ask why he said that, but held back and said, “You’re not a good person.”

“Why does no one trust me?” Wang Linyue sighed again. “They don’t trust me over there—they agreed to act at night, but they went ahead early without telling me, not caring if I’d be suspected. And here, taking shelter with you, you also suspect I’m not a good person—though I really am not.”

He paused, then added, “But luckily, Heir Xie doesn’t think so.”