Chapter 39 "I wasn't here before either."...

All the doors and windows of Zangong Temple were wide open, allowing the wind to blow through and filling the air with the fresh scent of leaves and flowers, which made one feel relaxed.

The bright sunlight gently enveloped the desk in the bedroom. Feng Mian leaned against the armrest, carefully flipping through the documents in front of her, occasionally taking a pen to jot something down on the paper spread out on the desk.

Suddenly, a cracking sound rang in his ears, startling Feng Mian so much that his pen drew a long ink mark on the paper.

"I'm sorry, Princess!"

Beside her, Ying, who was grinding ink, gripped the ink stick tightly in confusion. She had been lost in thought and hadn't been careful with her hand, making strange noises that would not only disturb the princess but also ruin the ink.

Feng Mian immediately noticed her worry, smiled, put down his pen, and tapped Liu Ying's forehead. "It's alright. I'm not some calligraphy master; this ink is good enough for writing. But what's on your mind? What's bothering you?"

Liu Ying stammered, but encouraged by Feng Mian's gaze, she finally said, "This servant was thinking about Miss Yuan..."

"Sometimes I think she's a pretty good person, but then she does bad things. But she's forced into it, so is she a good person or a bad person?"

After all this commotion, the dark side of the Yuan family that Yuan Jixue had been trying so hard to conceal was completely exposed to Feng Mian and the others.

Liu Ying realized that Yuan Jixue's background was so similar to her own. The difference was that after she was sold into slavery by her stepmother, she met a kind master like the princess. Even in the cannibalistic imperial city, the princess cared for her in every way. Sometimes she even felt that the princess was pampering her like a younger sister.

Therefore, Ying felt that leaving that home was not a bad thing, and now she had much more love than when she was at home.

But Yuan Jixue had always lived in the cage of a false home. Liu Ying couldn't even imagine what young Yuan Jixue must have felt when, after losing her mother, her father brought home another woman and an older brother who was several years older than her and her sister.

Yes, only then did Liu Ying realize that Yuan Jixue actually had a biological older sister. This second young lady of the Yuan family was married off to a distant place by her stepmother as soon as she reached marriageable age. Within a year, she committed suicide by drowning under the torment of her husband's family. However, Master Yuan did not seek justice for his daughter at all. After hastily burying her, he still maintained close ties with this family for the sake of business.

Liu Ying thought that if it were her, she would probably have gone mad by now. So she felt some sympathy and pity for Yuan Jixue, but she also worried that she might be unable to distinguish between good and bad.

"Is there such a clear line between good and bad people?" Feng Mian rolled up her sleeves and poured herself and Liu Ying a cup of tea. She pondered for a moment and said slowly, "If someone who has done good deeds all their life experiences a change of fortune and accidentally hurts someone in a moment of panic, does that make them a villain?"

"If a thief who has committed murder, arson, and all sorts of evil deeds were to have a moment of compassion and give a beggar a bowl of hot porridge in the dead of winter, would that be an act of kindness?"

"Humans are not clay sculptures in a temple, black or white, right or wrong. Good and evil are often separated by a single thought. If one's entire life is determined by a single event, then no one in the world can be called good, and no one is unforgivable."

Liu Ying took a sip of hot tea and nodded blankly. "So even good people make mistakes, and bad people have a chance to turn back? Does that mean all the mistakes bad people made in the past can be wiped clean?"

“A moment of good deed may not be enough to atone for past sins.” Feng Mian shook his head slightly. “Those who have truly committed evil deeds must ultimately be punished.”

She paused, then winked at Liu Ying and whispered, "Like that Madam Yuan."

Liu Ying couldn't help but raise her teacup to cover her face and let out a muffled laugh.

Feng Mian continued, "Although Miss Yuan made a mistake, it is ultimately understandable. She was often bullied by her stepmother and beaten by her father and brothers at home, but she still maintained her bottom line and did not commit any serious mistakes. Now she knows her mistake, admits it, and has gone far away to repent."

"Judging from her character, her conscience and remorse far outweigh her evil thoughts, so I think she's still a good girl. What do you think?"

As if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart, Liu Ying revealed a bright and pure smile, "I think so too!"

She finished her tea and picked up the ink stick again, somewhat embarrassed. "I've slowed you down again, Princess. Please continue, I promise I'll focus on grinding the ink this time!"

Feng Mian smiled as he took the document. Before flipping through it, he glanced out the window. It was a beautiful, sunny day. He wondered how things were going with Baili Xunzhou.

If possible, she really didn't want to let him leave the city alone. These past two days, she suddenly remembered a detail she had forgotten from a previous dream.

In the original plan for the tragic battle at Luoying Gorge, Baili Xun was escorting his father to his funeral when he encountered a mysterious master who subtly advised him to rule the world.

At that time, Feng Mian was completely preoccupied with how to save people and completely forgot the small line of text that followed. When he recalled it again, it was very blurry. Fortunately, Baili Xunzhou did not leave the city during that period.

However, Baili Xunzhou promised him before he left that he would return from investigating Wang Wushan in a day at most, and there should be no accidents.

Just as Feng Mian was comforting herself, Wu Liu came running in with small steps. "The young master sent someone to say that there has been news of bandits in the northeast direction of Wangwu Mountain. He is going to lead people to suppress the bandits and will not be able to return today. He told the princess not to wait for him."

With a thud, Feng Mian's pen fell onto the desk, the ink completely staining the paper.

Not coming back? That won't do!

What if we run into that mysterious expert right now?

"Quickly, prepare the carriage!"

*

"What?"

Baili Xunzhou frowned and glared at the scout in front of him, his eyes like sharp arrows. "Lost him? Why didn't you lose yourself with him!"

The scout buried his face in shame, almost burying it in his chest. "I don't know how it happened; it really was just a blink of an eye, and he was gone. There's only a cliff ahead; perhaps there's a secret passage down there, but I haven't found it yet..."

Even as her strength waned, she still managed to deliver the situation precisely to Baili Xunzhou's ears.

Baili Xun dismounted, took a long stride, his cloak billowing behind him, and said, "Lead the way."

They had been following the trail of the kidnappers from Wangwu Mountain when they discovered that the people seemed to be moving northeast. They sent scouts ahead, only to learn that bandits had suddenly appeared at Yongxue Pass.

This incident happened only recently and hasn't been reported to Yunzhong County yet.

Bai Lixun, with a sudden inspiration, guessed that these people might want to take advantage of the chaos to get a share of the spoils. When ordinary people encounter bandits and flee from chaos, they have a better chance to abduct people.

These people have quite the audacity and appetite.

Bai Lixun could not allow the banditry to grow unchecked. Remembering that Feng Mian had promised him he would return the next night when he left the mansion, he sent someone back to inform him and then led the rest of his men toward Yongxue Pass.

Upon arriving at the area, which was said to be plagued by bandits, the scouts could not find anyone.

If word gets out, wouldn't people laugh their heads off?

But Baili Xunzhou followed the scouts up the cliff and realized that they really couldn't be blamed for this.

After the bare winter days, the cliffs are covered with dense vegetation. Due to the complex terrain, you never know where the vegetation covers a small cliff. You have to feel your way forward to avoid accidents.

But the locals are naturally more familiar with the terrain than they are, and they can run faster, making them very difficult to find when they hide.

Baili Xunzhou crouched down in front of the cliff where the scout had said the person had disappeared, trying to deduce from where the person had vanished by looking at the marks left by the grass.

Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly, catching a barely audible rustling sound coming from his right rear. Without turning his head, he swiftly drew the dagger from his sleeve, flicked his wrist, and the blade tip shot through the air, piercing straight at the source of the sound!

A childish scream rang out, and a small figure collapsed into the grass.

Baili Xunzhou strode forward, pulled out the dagger that had pierced through his waist and pinned him to the ground, and then lifted him up with one hand.

This was a dirty, skinny little boy, his large, bulging eyes staring fearfully at Baili Xunzhou, his whole body trembling.

"..."

Baili Xunzhou leaned against a large tree with his arms crossed, his cloak draped at his feet. He watched as Yao Zhiyuan half-squatted in front of the boy who was tied to another small tree, shoving the snack in his hand towards the boy's mouth. Just as the starving boy opened his mouth to bite, he quickly withdrew his hand.

The little boy bit into empty air, his sharp teeth snapping with a crisp sound, and he glared angrily at Yao Zhiyuan like a little beast.

Yao Zhiyuan waved the pastry in his hand, "Speak up, or you won't get any."

The little boy let out a threatening growl like a wild beast from his throat, struggling to bite. When he realized he couldn't break free, he slammed back against the tree trunk behind him, averting his gaze and restraining himself from looking at the snacks in Yao Zhiyuan's hand.

He stubbornly refused to speak.

Yao Zhiyuan looked into his eyes, which gleamed with a faint green light in the sunlight.

He stood up and strolled over to Baili Xunzhou, saying, "This is a mixed-race child. I suspect he can't speak the language of Dayong at all."

Baili Xunzhou: "..."

Is it really that hard to admit your failure?

He was about to speak when he suddenly noticed Yao Zhiyuan staring intently behind him. He let out a soft "Eh," then narrowed his eyes, leaned forward, looked closely, and muttered, "Princess?"

"What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight?"

Feng Mian is still not fully recovered, and he is probably still in the Prince's mansion reviewing documents at this moment.

As Baili Xunzhou thought this, he unconsciously looked back and then suddenly stood up straight, startling Yao Zhiyuan.

Whose carriage could be coming slowly from afar if not the princess's?

The carriage slowly came to a stop at the encampment. Liu Ying jumped off the carriage first and was about to turn around to help Feng Mian out when an arm suddenly reached out to her side before she could. Bai Li Xunzhou frowned slightly, looking rather displeased.

Why are you here?

Feng Mian readily agreed and jumped off the carriage with his hand. He turned his face away and coughed twice before saying, "I heard that you made a last-minute decision to go and suppress bandits, and it's such a dangerous place as Yongxue Pass. I'm worried about you."

"You!" Baili Xunzhou gritted his teeth, a burning anger caused by worry rising in his heart. He turned to look into her clear, cold eyes, but couldn't vent his anger. His tone was irritable, but suddenly softened. "You know this place is dangerous. There are wandering Northern Barbarian cavalry right outside the pass, and you still dare to follow us?"

"We've been on countless battlefields before, and this is just a small group of insignificant bandits. What's there to worry about?"

“I wasn’t here before either,” Feng Mian replied confidently.

As the boat on the hundred-mile journey came to a halt, a part of his heart softened, as if he were immersed in warm mountain spring water. Yet, he asked aloud, "Mother actually agreed to your nonsense?"

"I learned that from you, to act first and report later. Don't worry, I'll just stay in the rear, protected by the Luanyi Guards, and won't cause you any trouble." Feng Mian winked at him, leaving Baili Xunzhou speechless.

"Did you encounter any strange people on your journey?" Feng Mian began to get to the point, subtly probing whether he had met any mysterious people before him.

Baili Xunzhou nodded. Feng Mian was startled and was about to ask further when he saw him raise his chin and point at the boy tied to the small tree. "Does this boy count? He suddenly appeared in a place frequented by bandits and refused to say a word."

Feng Mian: "Can't you get any answers out of any of you?"

She was somewhat surprised. She had watched Baili Xunzhou interrogate criminals before, and he seemed quite skilled at it. It turned out that he couldn't handle children either.

Baili Xunzhou: "...I haven't even asked yet. It's Yao Zhiyuan who hasn't gotten anything out of me."

Yao Zhiyuan glanced at him indifferently: Is it so hard to admit your failure?