Chapter 108
The group walked along the cave, resting as they went. After a long time, Xie Sui'an lost all sense of direction.
They had initially thought they were close to the Royal Hunting Grounds, but now it seemed that even if they could get out, they would never be able to find the exact location of Worry-Free Island unless they returned the way they came.
Although the royal hunting grounds are vast, they are only a small part of the Nanyue Mountains. The Nanyue Mountains stretch endlessly for thousands of miles, with gorges flowing alongside them, making it quite difficult to find a peninsula that connects mountains and water.
Even so, Xie Sui'an was still worried about Xie Xiao. He silently made up his mind that after safely sending Qin Sang and Xue Niang out, he would definitely come back to find out more.
Regardless of anything else, he will always be his fourth uncle, and even if others refuse to acknowledge it, he will.
Fortunately, even the longest road eventually comes to an end. After walking for an unknown amount of time, the group finally saw a hazy white light in the distance, like a person who had been adrift at sea for a long time seeing a sail, instantly gaining the joy of life.
The group paused for a moment, then Xie Sui'an and Qin Sang quickened their pace with delight, only to realize after walking quite a distance that Xue Niang had not followed.
The two turned around, and Xue Niang stood in the deep, winding cave, her white clothes standing there quietly, somewhat blurry, and even her face was not clearly visible.
Qin Sang understood what she meant, and she immediately returned, took the other's hand and said, "He told you to escape to save your life, not to go back and die. Don't be foolish and let him down."
Xue Niang stared at the light in the distance, her eyes filled with compassionate hope. Qin Sang felt that she wanted to get out, but she had drawn a circle around herself and imprisoned herself.
She won't go out.
Tears welled up in Xue Niang's eyes. With a gentle blink, the tears rolled down her fair cheeks. She looked away from Qin Sang, then gently pulled her wrist away.
She leaned weakly against the mountain wall and said in a low voice, "Seven years ago, my father was implicated in the case of Prince Su's rebellion. The whole family was raided, and my mother and I were sold into slavery and separated to unknown places. I was sold to Wuyou Island. I thought I would have no one to rely on, that I would rot into a pulp and have nowhere to be buried. But unexpectedly, he took a liking to me and pulled me out of the pile of dead bodies."
Her voice was low and hoarse: "I'm very lucky, aren't I? I think so too." She smiled faintly, "At first, I thought he was just after a moment of novelty, and that after a while I would still be sent back to those girls to become those men's sex slaves, to entertain those high-ranking officials and nobles. But a long, long time has passed and that hasn't happened."
"That's how people are; once they have something, they want more. I told him about my father, and I also told him that I wanted revenge."
“But I know very well that these are just things I say when I’m bored. I’m just a weak woman, only relying on my looks, only because he took a second look at me out of interest. The requests I made were just my own selfish desires…” Xue Niang’s clear eyes held back tears for a long time, then they slid down her cheeks. “But he said that day would come.”
He said that one day the Crown Prince would be utterly defeated, and one day I could personally kill my enemies and avenge my father.
Xue Niang looked at Qin Sang and then at Xie Suian: "He is willing to protect you because he trusts you. I have now answered the question you wanted to ask earlier. He did not work for the Crown Prince. I hope you will not hold a grudge against what he did on Wuyou Island. If he still has a chance to survive, you must save him."
"..." Qin Sang said softly and helplessly, "But it's obvious now that he wants you to be safe. And how do you know he's definitely in danger? He wants you to leave, maybe because he doesn't want you to get involved with him, or maybe he doesn't want you getting in his way. Go back now..."
“I’m not going back,” Xue Niang interrupted Qin Sang. “I’m not going back, but I’ll wait for him in the cave. If he’s safe, he’ll come looking for me. I don’t want him to be all alone. I want to wait for him.”
Xie Sui'an: "..."
Qin Sang: "..."
After a moment of silence, everyone finally had nothing to say.
After a long silence, Xie Sui'an touched his nose and coughed lightly, saying, "Fourth Aunt is right, and Fourth Uncle only told her to lead us away, not to leave. The cave we just passed is already quite far from Worry-Free Island..."
Qin Sang turned around and glanced helplessly at Xie Sui'an, who quickly shut up.
Xue Niang was probably stunned by the title "Fourth Aunt". The tears in her eyes gradually disappeared, and her eyes became bright and watery.
After a while, she laughed and said, "You guys should leave now. I'll just be a burden if I go out. I've been stuck here for too long and can't help you much."
Qin Sang finally stopped pressuring her and reached out to wipe away Xue Niang's tears: "Then you must live well. If your fourth uncle doesn't come looking for you, you must come looking for us. What your fourth uncle couldn't finish, I can finish for him, and finish for you."
Xue Niang smiled sincerely: "That's wonderful."
At the end of the cave lies a dense forest that blocks out the sky.
The cave entrance was covered by a tangled thicket of thorny vines. The two of them had to stoop and walk a short distance under the tall, thorny branches of the vines until they reached the edge of the thicket. They used a stone they had managed to pick up from the ground to push aside the thorny vines and finally saw the light.
Looking up, the sky is dappled and fragmented, cut into tiny shapes by the branches and leaves of towering trees. Sunlight filters through the gaps, and at first glance, it seems as if you are still on Worry-Free Island.
When Qin Sang thought of this, she was even startled. After she voiced this inexplicable idea, Xie Sui'an was also startled. He hesitated and said, "No way..."
"No, it won't happen." She finally came to a definite conclusion.
Xue Niang had gone to so much trouble to lead them for so long; she wouldn't be so absurd as to lead them back in circles. But now, the two of them were neither aware of the time nor could they tell east from west, and for a moment, they didn't even know which direction to go.
"Let's rest here for a bit and observe the direction of the light before we proceed," Qin Sang said.
Xie Suian had no other choice, so the two of them chose a thick tree root and sat down against the towering tree.
"I knew it, Fourth Uncle wasn't one of the Crown Prince's men," Xie Sui'an said with emotion.
“Yes, he’s not the Crown Prince’s man, but he’s not the Prince of Ning’an’s man either. So guess who he works for?” Qin Sang asked, tilting her head.
Xie Sui'an: "We can only find the answer to this question when we get back to Kyoto." He looked up. "Look at the sun now, it's noon. If we're at the Nanlin Hunting Grounds, even if we can rent a carriage to go back to Kyoto, it will be after dark, and we won't be able to enter the city. We'll just have to find an inn outside the city to rest for the night before going back."
"Hmm. After you get back... when will you report to the Imperial Guard?"
"The Emperor has granted me two months of mourning, and the time is almost up."
Qin Sang asked, "Two months... isn't that a bit short?"
Xie Sui'an: "It is very short."
The two were silent for a moment, then looked at each other.
Qin Sang said, "After you go back, report to the Imperial Guard. The Emperor will definitely have something to arrange for you."
The sunlight moved slowly and silently through the forest, and in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two of them had a rough idea of the time and their location.
They stood up and headed northeast, since the Nanlin Hunting Grounds were southwest of Kyoto. However, they hadn't yet encountered any of the supposed forest rangers and weren't sure of their exact location within the southern hunting grounds, so they decided to try first and return if necessary.
However, whether it was good luck or Xie Xiao and his group being too bold, this wasn't just near the Nanlin Hunting Grounds, it was right inside the Nanlin Hunting Grounds!
Xie Sui'an, a spoiled scion of a high-ranking official, had participated in royal hunting expeditions since childhood. As he walked, he began to feel a sense of familiarity.
Since they were familiar with the area, they headed straight there. It was currently the period of forest closure for conservation, and the next hunt would not be until autumn. There weren't many soldiers guarding the forest farm, but since it was also a hunting ground, wild animals were appearing more frequently.
Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and they only encountered wild rabbits and deer, without any ferocious creatures like wolves or bears. They did encounter government soldiers, but Xie Suian, feigning supernatural powers, lured them away.
In short, although it took some effort, we managed to get out of the hunting grounds and onto the clean and correct path down the mountain.
Once people let their guard down, they become easily tempted by lustful desires. Regardless, after this ordeal, Xie Sui'an felt that he and Qin Sang had helped each other and shared a life-or-death bond.
Just as he was about to descend the mountain and return to the city, Xie Sui'an suddenly stopped.
Qin Sang was puzzled and turned to look at him.
"If these matters are resolved and the truth about your grandfather's wrongful conviction is revealed, what are your plans?" Xie Suian asked. "Will you still stay in Kyoto?"
Qin Sang paused for a moment, then said, "No."
Xie Sui'an stared at her: "Why?"
Qin Sang thought to herself, the real Qin Sang is long dead, and I have to go back to my own place. How could I possibly take care of this child's feelings?
"There's no reason why, I just don't belong here." Qin Sang didn't want to give him hope. "You're still young, you'll meet better girls eventually, why keep focusing on..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Sui'an had already taken two steps down to stand in front of her. She had just taken a step back when Xie Sui'an reached out and pulled her head close, his warm breath brushing against her skin, his lips soft and hot.
Actually, nothing much happened, just a quiet kiss. For some reason, Qin Sang clenched her fists and didn't resist.
After a while, Xie Suian released her and said, "You're lying again. If you had no feelings for me, you wouldn't have let me get close to you just now, let alone allowed me to kiss you. And this isn't the first time."
It wasn't the first time they'd kissed, but she still insisted on leaving, leaving Xie Sui'an feeling extremely wronged.
Qin Sang: "..."
Xie Sui'an pressed further: "What exactly are you worried about?"
Qin Sang wanted to purse her lips, but she held back. She wanted to push him away, but she resisted.
She said helplessly, "Brother, I'm going to marry Prince Ning'an. You... please think about the Xie family, think about your grandfather..."
"Are you a daughter of the Xie family?" Xie Sui'an interrupted her. "What makes you think you can represent the Xie family in this marriage alliance? Don't we have any other daughters?"
Qin Sang: "?"
Xie Suian opened his mind and became aggressive: "If Prince Ning'an wants my grandfather's power, he can marry any of our Xie family's daughters. What makes you think you can help our Xie family reverse its decline? When my grandfather was alive, this was easy to say. He didn't want our sisters to become pawns. But now that my grandfather is gone, this marriage agreement is no longer valid."
"..." Qin Sang felt that what he said was all nonsense, but she didn't know how to refute it for a while.
After a long silence, she stared intently at him and asked, "So, which girl from your family are you planning to have marry in my place?"
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