C79 Shen Ci

Feng Tiange instinctively tightened her grip on the Wind Slash Sword. With such skill and timely appearance, she couldn't think of anyone else but Wen Yu, the leader of the Merchant Alliance. If it was him, should she thank him in person?

Just as Feng Tiange decided to change her route to the Heavenly Garment Pavilion, the carriage suddenly stopped. Before she could speak, Rong Qi entered.

The carriage resumed its journey.

Their eyes met, and Feng Tiange felt a surge of irritation. "Who let you in?"

"Can we change the question?"

"No!"

"Then let me ask, why do you have the Wind Slash Sword?" From the moment Rong Qi entered the carriage, his eyes had been fixed on the sword resting on Feng Tiange's lap.

"Bai Yushuang forced it on me right in front of Beiming Yuan," Feng Tiange admitted, mentally kicking herself for falling into Rong Qi's trap.

Rong Qi was taken aback. Bai Yushuang must have guessed Feng Tiange's identity to part with the Wind Slash Sword so readily. So, last night, was it really Feng Tiange?

Ha, what was he thinking! The Heaven Obeying Hall was a mountain of corpses; Dugu Yan couldn't possibly have survived...

Seeing Rong Qi's dazed expression, Feng Tiange was about to speak when she caught sight of Soong Yu through a gap in the side curtain. He was kneeling outside the Martial Peace Marquis Mansion, shivering without a cloak. She had heard from Yueya that Soong Yu had indeed gone to the Marquis Mansion the next day but was turned away.

From that day, Soong Yu had visited three times, not knowing what kind of trouble Qin Luoyi might be stirring up inside.

"What do you want?" Tiange turned back, clearly seeing Rong Qi's hand resting on the Wind Slash Sword.

The air grew tense.

Rong Qi, feeling both shy and awkward, looked up. "I wanted to see if it's a fake..."

"Don't make me hit you." Tiange moved the Wind Slash Sword closer to herself, speaking coldly.

Rong Qi reluctantly withdrew his fingers. "Take me back to the Imperial Academy."

"I suggest you get off sooner, Prince Rong. This road leads to the Tiger Cavalry Battalion," Tiange said, her voice devoid of emotion.

Thinking of the Tiger Cavalry Battalion, Rong Qi couldn't help but recall a previous unpleasant experience.

He had no choice but to get off the carriage, yet before he did, he asked Tiange with a hint of defiance, "Is it because I'm in the carriage that you're heading to the Tiger Cavalry Battalion?"

"Yes." Tiange couldn't help but marvel at how perceptive he was...

At the Marquis Mansion, in the back quarters.

Qin Luoyi and Ruyi had been locked in a room by Qin Chun for three days and nights.

Except for the fixed times when meals were delivered, they had no contact with the outside world.

Just moments ago, Qin Luoyi heard from the butler who brought their meal about the situation outside.

For three consecutive days, Soong Yu had come to the Marquis Mansion to propose, only to have the engagement gifts thrown out by the Marquis, who warned him not to return.

Today was no different. The only change was that after being kicked out of the house by the Marquis of Martial Peace, Soong Yu didn't leave. Instead, he knelt outside for nearly half the day and still hadn't left.

After the butler left, Qin Luoyi, overwhelmed with grief, burst into tears. In a moment of desperation, she and Ruyi set the house on fire. By the time Qin Chun arrived, the fire had spread with the wind, engulfing Qin Luoyi's entire room in flames and thick smoke.

The once serene and elegant courtyard was suddenly chaotic, with massive fireballs shooting into the sky. The blaze was so fierce that there was no way to stop it from spreading.

"Water! Bring water quickly!" Qin Chun shouted as he grabbed a water basin from a maid nearby and doused himself, ready to rush inside. His son had been stationed at the border for years, and his granddaughter was his only companion. If anything happened to Qin Luoyi, how could he go on? How could he face his son?

Seeing the old Marquis about to charge into the fire, the butler was terrified and urgently ordered the servants to hold him back. "My lord, you mustn't! It's too dangerous inside. If you go in..."

As the butler pleaded, a figure suddenly dashed past them. "Who was that..." With a wet cloth over his face, Qin Chun couldn't see clearly. The butler didn't recognize the person either, but a servant running up behind them shouted, and they realized it was Soong Yu who had just run inside.

Qin Chun was overwhelmed with emotions, feeling uncertain if he could escape the blaze unscathed.

"Let go of me! Get out of my way!" Qin Chun hesitated only for a moment before trying to rush back in, but the butler and the servants held him back with all their might.

The flames roared like a giant serpent, spewing smoke that billowed up to the sky. Qin Chun's eyes reddened with despair.

"If you don't let go, you'll all die! Luoyi! My granddaughter—"

At that moment, someone suddenly emerged from the inferno. It was Soong Yu!

Soong Yu staggered out, carrying Ruoyi on his back and holding Qin Luoyi in his arms. His robe was still smoldering with embers. The servants quickly surrounded him, extinguishing the flames and tending to Ruoyi.

"Granddaughter!" Qin Chun pushed past the servants to reach Soong Yu, reaching out to take Qin Luoyi into his arms, but he saw his granddaughter clinging tightly to Soong Yu's clothes.

"Don't leave me..." Qin Luoyi whispered, her tears silently streaming down her soot-streaked face.

"I won't..." Soong Yu held Qin Luoyi close. He should have let go, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

No one knew what they had just endured inside, and no one could understand what their tears meant in that moment...

Qin Chun's outstretched hand paused in mid-air, then slowly withdrew.

He stood up, silently gazing at the two children huddled together. Strangely, he thought of Dugu Yan, the Crown Prince Consort he had always disliked. Reality was harsh; the person he despised the most was the savior of the entire Marquis Mansion. Although he still didn’t understand why Dugu Yan chose to keep his secret, he felt grateful.

“If you, a poor boy, want to marry my granddaughter, you must agree to one condition,” Qin Chun said after a long pause, his voice carrying a quiet intensity.

Soong Yu and Qin Luoyi were both stunned, looking at Qin Chun in surprise.

“Treat her well,” Qin Chun glared at Soong Yu. “If you dare to mistreat her even a little, I’ll skin you alive, break your bones, and burn your house down!”

As Qin Chun turned away, Soong Yu bowed deeply. “Thank you, Marquis, for your blessing!”

“Thank you, Grandfather, for your blessing!”

In Soong Yu’s arms, Qin Luoyi broke down in tears...

The next day, Feng Tiange reunited with her former mentor in the wine room at the Imperial Academy. Sadly, she thought, I know who you are, but you will never know who I am. In her past life, she had studied at the Wenn Mansion, so she recognized many of the instructors there. Unlike before, she hadn’t enrolled in the music and chess rooms, only the wine room, because she couldn’t bear to part with this mentor.

In other words, she couldn't part with the wine.

At this moment, the wine room was filled with all the new students, ten in total. What Feng Tiange didn't expect was that Ye Zhixi had signed up for the wine class. She didn't seem like someone who would have an affinity for wine.

The bell rang, and Shen Ci, who had been resting on a wisteria chair at the front since Feng Tiange entered, finally opened his eyes and slowly stood up. He wore a white, wide-sleeved teaching robe, his hair pinned with a jade hairpin, and a belt cinching his waist. Shen Ci's brows were faint, and his eyes shone like stars. On the surface, he appeared detached and indifferent, but who would have thought that the wine he crafted could be as intense as a blazing autumn fire or as serene as a solitary cold moon?

He was not a man without stories...