Chapter 53 Wrong He didn’t believe himself.

Chapter 53: Wrong. Even he didn’t believe it himself.

This was Zhong Yao’s first time facing bandits on her own, and she was very nervous, wanting to stay as far away from Wang Linyue as possible.

She could totally handle it.

The ancient tree deep in the mountains where the two of them were perched had probably been alive for a hundred years, its branches lush and leaves dense. Even the branch Zhong Yao was sitting on was as thick as a big guy’s waist, quite solid. If she were brave enough, she could stand up and walk on it like a plank bridge.

But the fog was all around...

Zhong Yao grabbed the trunk and quickly looked around, seeing that the thick leaves were all covered in mist, with nothing but whiteness in every direction. Only when a breeze rustled the leaves did dark shadows show up now and then.

Those shadows were blurry—whether tangled branches or fierce beasts hiding in wait, nobody could tell.

If someone was hiding in there, you’d never spot them.

It was scary as hell.

Wang Linyue, though, wasn’t scared. He said, “I clearly did a good job disguising myself. After Old Man Zhou got caught, I even stepped up and said he was suspicious. So why are you still doubting me?”

Zhong Yao didn’t answer; she was still getting used to this awful situation.

Her feet dangled in the air, and below was the same white void, bottomless, as if at any moment a beast might jump out, grab her foot, and pull her down.

In short, Zhong Yao had no place to run.

Even if she ran, alone in these foggy mountains, she wouldn’t make it.

Zhong Yao turned sideways, carefully pulling her dangling feet back up, one hand gripping a nearby branch and the other hugging her leg, curled up on the trunk. Facing Wang Linyue, who had ripped off his disguise, she said, “Actually, I do trust you. I was just messing with you.”

Wang Linyue let out an “oh” and said, “I was joking too. I’m the prefect here—how could I be a bad guy?”

Zhong Yao forced a dry laugh. “Good. We’re all good people.”

“Since we’re all good, miss, don’t keep secrets from me.” Wang Linyue crouched in front of her, his bloodshot eyes shining with a sharp light, and asked, “Is Jiang Xia a man or a woman?”

Zhong Yao said, “A man.”

“Is he in the northern camp or the southern camp?”

“The southern camp.”

“Liar,” Wang Linyue said. “Our camp only has east and west, not north and south.”

Zhong Yao felt a bit awkward. How was she supposed to know the bandits’ camp was split into east and west?

The official documents hadn’t mentioned that... Clearly, they still had a lot of secrets.

Zhong Yao stammered, “We agreed we were both good people—you can’t say ‘our camp’...”

Wang Linyue frowned, ignoring that, and sneered, “If you really knew Jiang Xia, you wouldn’t have asked me who he was when you saw that rag. Back then, when we first met, my carefully practiced reaction was flawless—you couldn’t have suspected me.”

He was right about that.

Zhong Yao really didn’t know who Jiang Xia was, and even if she did—since he was helping as an inside man against the bandits—she couldn’t say.

But she understood now: Wang Linyue was definitely a bad guy. The reason he’d given them Jiang Xia’s message was twofold—to earn their trust and to fish out Jiang Xia’s identity.

Luckily, they didn’t know either.

“It doesn’t matter,” Wang Linyue said. “Everyone who went to the city that day is locked up in the camp. Whoever Jiang Xia is, he won’t be sending any more messages out.”

Zhong Yao looked up and said sincerely, “The prefect is brilliant!”

Wang Linyue was choked up by this remark. He stared at Zhong Yao for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Who is Xu Su to you?”

At the name “Xu Su,” Zhong Yao’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

Over the past few months, she’d worried about her second brother’s safety and fretted over how to settle the feud with Xu Guozhu’s household. Even though Xie Chi had guessed that her brother and the others had been brought to Wuyin Mountain, and she believed it, knowing that a few young gentlemen from the capital were indeed there, her unease never fully went away.

Now, for the first time, she clearly heard one of their names said by a bandit.

She finally felt relieved.

Zhong Yao struggled to stay calm, thinking she’d say she didn’t know him, then wait for Wang Linyue to ask, “And Zhong Shu?” But she was afraid he wouldn’t keep asking.

After hesitating, Zhong Yao said, “I’m his sister.”

“Everyone knows Xu Guozhu only has one grandson.”

“Then I’m his newlywed wife.”

That was obviously a lie too.

Wang Linyue grew impatient. Just then, a black-spotted red snake slithered out from the branches behind him, hissing. He pulled a dagger from his sleeve, stabbed the snake through, and held up the writhing, agonized creature on the blade in front of Zhong Yao. “I’m being polite with you only because you’re pretty and seem to matter to Heir Xie, maybe even from some powerful family in the capital. I don’t have to keep you.”

Perhaps it was the shift in roles, but Zhong Yao now saw him less like a gaunt, weary scholar and more like a red-eyed rat.

She feared snakes, shrinking back and feeling the pouch of snake-repelling medicine at her waist. Glancing at the surrounding fog, she whispered, “Isn’t it because the fog’s too thick to leave now?”

Wang Linyue’s expression froze, ugly as ice.

Zhong Yao quickly added, “I don’t know him. I don’t know Xu Su. I’ve only heard his name.”

Claiming to be his relative, he didn’t believe her; saying she didn’t know him, he still didn’t. His face twisted briefly before returning to normal. “I don’t know what your relationship with Xu Su is, but judging by your words and actions...”

He paused, thinking of something, and said darkly, “You must be deeply connected to him.”

He was a noble young man from the capital, one of the finest—how could Zhong Yao, daughter of a minor official, have ever met someone like that?

She didn’t know why Wang Linyue was so certain, but before she could ask, he continued, “Go ahead and be stubborn. When I see him, I’ll have ways to make you talk.”

This contradicted what Xie Chi had said.

Wang Linyue was curious about her identity, yes, but what he cared about more seemed to be something else.

Zhong Yao felt she was brushing against something crucial and quickly asked, “What truth do you want me to tell Xu Su?”

Wang Linyue didn’t answer. He stood up, plucked a leaf, and began to whistle on it.

This was undoubtedly a signal to his accomplices.

Zhong Yao hurriedly grabbed the trunk and stood up.

Once standing, she couldn’t help but notice the white fog below, and dizziness washed over her.

She felt as if she were standing on a rope stretched over a bottomless chasm—one misstep and she’d fall, shattered to pieces.

Zhong Yao dared not look again. Trembling, she drew the dagger that had hung at her waist the whole journey, unused. One hand gripping a thick branch beside her, the other holding the hilt, she pointed it at Wang Linyue and said, “Stop whistling, or I’ll stab you!”

Wang Linyue glanced at Zhong Yao and stopped, saying, "Do you think this poses any threat to me?"

Zhong Yao opened her mouth to speak, but he swiftly reached out toward her with a swift, practiced motion—clearly a trained fighter. Zhong Yao knew at a glance she was outmatched.

Afraid she'd fall off the branch if she struggled, she quickly let go, and the dagger swapped hands in a flash, landing in Wang Linyue's grasp.

Wang Linyue should've seen this coming, but he looked confused, studying Zhong Yao again as he scrutinized her. "Strange... how much you look like the Zhong family..."

He only said half of it, but to Zhong Yao, it was a pleasant surprise!

She didn't dare show any sign of anything off, trying to calm her racing heart as she replied, "My surname is Bai."

Wang Linyue sneered coldly, thought for a second, and began to play the leaf again.

He clearly had other ways to check if she was lying.

Zhong Yao should've kept trying to stop him, but the second she spoke, Wang Linyue aimed the dagger at her, so she had to shut up and obey.

After playing for a bit, Wang Linyue stopped and listened closely.

Zhong Yao listened too. Even the animals seemed to know the foggy mountains were too dangerous; at that moment, the forest was dead silent, creepily still.

After a long wait, Zhong Yao watched Wang Linyue's face get darker, thought for a moment, and said, "You're from a decent family, a proper scholar-official. Giving in to the bandits back then was just to survive. Now that Heir Xie has arrived, why are you still working with those bandits?"

Wang Linyue's eyes darkened. He glanced at Zhong Yao, ignored her, and lifted the leaf to play again.

"Are you sending messages to the bandits?" Zhong Yao pressed on. "Anyone who hears the leaf whistle will come running? Wouldn't that be an easy way to walk into a trap?"

Clearly not.

Wang Linyue's tune went up and down, steady rhythm.

Listening to his tune, Zhong Yao continued, "You mentioned earlier that the stronghold is divided into east and west. Which stronghold are you taking me to, then?"

No answer.

Zhong Yao pushed on, "You said before, 'They don't trust me over there.' Were you talking about the bandits?"

"You already sold out Heir Xie for them—why don't they trust you?"

"If they don't trust you, why not switch sides? Heir Xie likes to act tough and gives cold stares to scare people, but he's actually a good person. If you cut your losses now and help him take out the bandits, he'll definitely write it honestly in his report to the emperor and ask for your pardon."

"And the prefect... ah, the prefect job—how could some random juren just waltz into that? You're still young, too. If you help Heir Xie wipe out the bandits, your future's wide open."

"You're not old—just over twenty—but you look older, like thirty-something. Is it because this place is so rough, wearing you out? If you just apologize to Heir Xie and let him help you..."

The leaf whistle stopped, and Wang Linyue glared at her with murderous intent, making Zhong Yao shut up fast.

He kept glaring at her, about to do something, when a tune like the one he'd just played drifted out of the thick fog—faint, like from way off.

"Wrong!"

Wang Linyue's face changed completely. He moved fast, lunging the dagger at Zhong Yao's throat.

His moves were vicious and fast, nothing like what Zhong Yao knew of his background. He seemed more like a Misty Mountain Bandit than a scholar, like he was born to kill.

Zhong Yao's vision went blurry, and the cold glint of the blade was already at her throat.

But that's as far as it got.

A hand reached out from behind Zhong Yao, wrapping around her waist and pulling her backward.

Zhong Yao closed her eyes in panic. Just as the terrifying feeling of weightlessness surged in her heart, she collided with a solid chest.

She quickly opened her eyes again, watching the dagger that had aimed for her throat slice through empty air. As it chased after her once more, someone kicked it away, sending it flying. Wang Linyue's expression shifted drastically as he stepped back and leaped into the mysterious, perilous fog below.

Zhong Yao instinctively looked down, seeing his figure swallowed by the mist as a flash of fire flickered below, followed by the clash of metal.

She couldn't see more and was still frightened, so she quickly turned her head back and buried her face in the broad, sturdy chest beside her.

"Weren't you just talking quite spiritedly?" came Xie Chi's voice from above. "I thought you weren't afraid at all."

"I was afraid I wouldn't get to ask..." Zhong Yao explained reluctantly, her hands gripping the clothes on Xie Chi's back as she clutched his waist, uneasy. "Let's go down first..."

The feeling of stepping on nothing was too terrifying; Zhong Yao preferred solid ground.

Xie Chi patted the back of her head, said "Hold tight," and leaped down with her.

Once both feet were on the ground, Zhong Yao finally felt at ease, letting out a long breath. "I was definitely scared. I originally planned to pretend to trust him and then pry for information, but I was too nervous and said the wrong thing!"

Luckily, it didn't matter much.

As Wang Linyue had said, on their first meeting, he had rushed anxiously to see Xie Chi, appearing desperate, haggard, helpless, and slightly unhinged—like someone tormented by the bandits into abnormality. But there were no obvious flaws.

Especially when he produced the torn cloth with Jiang Xia's message; Xie Chi and Zhong Yao hadn't suspected him at all.

His lateness the next day and inability to find Old Man Zhou could also be explained away.

Requesting to accompany them at departure was a bit odd, but what was more suspicious was the attitude of Old Man Zhou and his son toward him—very strange...

It wasn't so much that the two were taciturn as that they were afraid of slipping up and couldn't speak, leaving everything to Wang Linyue.

More importantly, throughout the journey, they had been studying records related to these bandits, well aware of their cunning, and would never trust anyone easily.

After Old Man Zhou was exposed, Xie Chi knew there was a trap ahead. He took advantage of the sudden thick fog to stage an attack, making Wang Linyue think their people had struck early.

Leaving the weakest, least suspicious Zhong Yao alone with Wang Linyue, he easily revealed his true colors.

—The eerie mountain fog had always been the Misty Mountain Bandits' advantage for committing crimes. It blocked everyone's path, causing people to silently scatter and disappear, leading Wang Linyue to assume their people had acted, never expecting Xie Chi to actively exploit it.

After leaving, Xie Chi had ghosted back, lurking just two feet away from Zhong Yao, blending into the fog, invisible to all.

"I thought he would at least try to argue a bit, so I could interrogate him, but he looked down on me so much that he revealed his identity without a word," Zhong Yao said gloomily.

"Then hit him," Xie Chi said, finding her adorable. He wanted to rub her face but, with dirty hands, only pressed the hood of her cloak down a bit.

After adjusting the hood, the two turned around.

Beneath the tree, the fog was thick. To avoid getting lost, the four guards and Xue Fang were huddled tightly against the tree trunk, all unharmed. Old Man Zhou and his son had been knocked out and tied up, while Wang Linyue had already been captured, glaring venomously at Xie Chi.

He understood everything now. "You tricked me."

"Did you really believe I'd leave her alone with you?" Xie Chi took a dagger from a guard, wiping the handle as he spoke. "Some things I can say, but you'd better not take them seriously."

Especially when it came to Zhong Yao. He had made too many decisions and gone back on his word too many times; even he no longer trusted himself.

With that, Xie Chi handed the cleaned dagger to Zhong Yao. "As promised—if he doesn't behave, stab him. Go ahead."