“Actually… we’re all bound by grudges.”

Yelu Qianqian’s words, spoken in such a low, downcast tone, made both Ziqing and Situ Haonan lower their heads.

It wasn’t an apology, nor an admission of fault — it was simply how fate had arranged things.

If Yelu Qianqian hadn’t been Han Ziqing’s friend, then whatever torment Yelu Chenyi and Yanzi had inflicted on Ziqing would have been none of her concern at all.

And what fault could there be in Jun Beiyue killing Yelu Chenyi?

They each represented an imperial house, each represented a nation — they had been born into opposition, destined to wish nothing more than to grind each other beneath their heels.

And if Situ Haonan hadn’t been Ziqing’s friend, hadn’t been Jun Beiyue’s brother, then Ziqing killing City Lord Nangong would have simply been killing an enemy — as natural and justified as anything in war.

Why then had it come to this — Situ Haonan pointing at her, hurling abuse and insults, forcing her to face his lethal blows without striking back, only retreating?

If City Lord Nangong hadn’t been Situ Haonan’s closest kin, at this very moment Situ Haonan would have been thanking Han Ziqing profusely instead.

It was she and Jun Beiyue who had given him the courage to break free from his powerless status as the young master of Situ City, to carve out his own dignity, his own reputation.

And yet these relationships were something none of them could change.

Perhaps this was simply fate — the fate each of them had been born into.

But did that mean they had to simply accept it?

None of this was their own fault — must they still pay the price for it regardless?

Yelu Qianqian looked at Situ Haonan, shaking her head repeatedly. “Right and wrong — why didn’t you ask clearly before acting? Why did you strike first and ask nothing at all?”

Yelu Qianqian wasn’t clever, but setting aside all the complicated matters, she at least understood four simple words: right is right, wrong is wrong.

She had always known that her own brother, in league with Yanzi, had done plenty of cruel things while holding Ziqing captive — and she was willing to say loudly that it was her own brother who had provoked others first!

Especially after seeing what was hidden in her brother’s treasury, she could say even more loudly that he had deserved what he got!

If even someone as simple-minded as her could tell right from wrong amid all this hardship, why couldn’t someone as clever as Situ Haonan see it clearly?

Was it that just because City Lord Nangong was his own kin, right and wrong no longer mattered?

Ziqing said nothing, watching Yelu Qianqian’s state with some worry, concerned this girl might spiral into a dead end of her own, unable to see her way through.

But to her surprise, Yelu Qianqian suddenly rose and stepped right up to Situ Haonan, demanding furiously, “Situ Haonan, City Lord Nangong and your mother conspired with that Nanny Qin to abduct me and send me to Western Liang — did you know that?”

“Do you know what would have happened to me in Western Liang?”

As Yelu Qianqian spoke these words, tears began falling uncontrollably.

What would have happened? Becoming a slave — a slave worse than livestock, abused and humiliated by Wanyan Lie!

And her father emperor would have immediately switched sides to appease Western Liang — and at that point, that very General Dugu standing beside Situ Haonan would have been the first to cut off Situ Haonan’s head!

Reality was that cruel!

Situ Haonan unconsciously stepped back, and Yelu Qianqian immediately closed the distance again. “Tell me, does City Lord Nangong even deserve to be called your grandfather?”

“If he simply refused to help me but didn’t harm me either, no one would blame him for that. But do you know what he actually did?”

“Not only did he try to abduct me — he conspired with Western Liang and the Xiongnu to attack Akbachu from the northern desert! Do you know that the vanguard forces in that northern desert battle belonged to Nangong City — your own relatives!”

None of this, Situ Haonan truly hadn’t known.

He stared blankly at the righteously furious Yelu Qianqian, not saying a single word.

Yelu Qianqian, however, drove her fist straight into his chest, shouting, “And do you know — on the night the battle began, your dear grandfather, the number-one master of the Longyuan martial world, didn’t just go himself — he brought a whole army of skilled fighters with him! Do you know what he went to do?”

Situ Haonan shook his head. He didn’t know.

The battle at the northern desert frontier had been fought and won so swiftly that only a brief victory report had come back, without much detail — it had only mentioned that Nangong City had been involved.

Of course, he had turned over and over in his mind that one line Han Ziqing had said — that it was either him or her.

Yelu Qianqian looked at Situ Haonan and suddenly roared, “He went to assassinate Ziqing!”

Situ Haonan’s body visibly trembled, his blood-red eyes suddenly dimming — though no one noticed the flicker of despair that passed through that dimness.

It was the kind of despair that seemed on the verge of giving up on himself entirely.

“Why would he bring so many men if not to kill someone!” Yelu Qianqian said angrily, sniffling as she looked away.

Situ Haonan lowered his head, motionless.

Ziqing watched them in silence, her heart filled with a bitter, helpless amusement.

At this moment, she suddenly found herself thinking of someone — Xuanyuan Lige.

Someone who was both a friend, and yet not quite a friend at all.

If, back then, she hadn’t given up on Xuanyuan Lige, hadn’t so resolutely told him that they were born enemies — would there now be one more Xuanyuan Lige standing here, facing this same predicament with her?

Would she and Xuanyuan Lige, then, be unable to face each other so calmly, so freely, as they did now?

Because they weren’t friends, each side had fought and struggled with everything they had, as a matter of course, admiring their worthy opponent.

But what if they had been friends?

That would be far too complicated!

That was exactly why she had never dared to make friends carelessly.

But these two before her already were friends — already held dear in her heart. Was she now supposed to lose them?

No!

Even knowing she had wronged him, she didn’t want to lose him — she still hoped for forgiveness!

Situ Haonan was Jun Beiyue’s brother. If she lost him, she would never forgive herself.

The fact that Situ Haonan could rage at her like this, could stand before her at all, at least meant he was still giving her a chance.

Ziqing stepped forward and, with great seriousness, cupped her hands in a formal bow to Situ Haonan. “Situ Haonan, I’m sorry. It was reckless of me — I took too much for granted. I’m truly sorry. Do with me as you will.”

Hearing this, Situ Haonan let out a cold laugh. “Han Ziqing, do you think a single sorry, a single ‘I took too much for granted,’ a single ‘do with me as you will,’ settles this?”

Ziqing said nothing, but Yelu Qianqian spoke coldly instead. “Then what do you want? Can you try putting yourself in Ziqing’s position — if you’d been in the northern desert and faced this same situation, what would you have done?”

“My grandfather wouldn’t have killed me! At the very least, killing isn’t the way to solve a problem!” Situ Haonan finally shouted back at Yelu Qianqian.

“Is that so? Situ Haonan, put your hand on your heart and answer honestly. None of us understood City Lord Nangong the way you did. Tell me — bringing that many skilled fighters to assassinate Ziqing, what kind of resolve do you think he went with?”

In truth, anyone with a bit of sense could see it clearly!

City Lord Nangong had gone with the full intention to kill — otherwise, his own martial skill alone would have more than sufficed against Ziqing.

Bringing so many men was simply to make absolutely certain — to guarantee the kill.

Yelu Qianqian’s question left Situ Haonan speechless at once. He fell silent, his furious gaze still fixed on Ziqing.

Indeed, he understood his grandfather better than anyone — and he understood exactly why he would have brought so many assassins.

“Say something!” Yelu Qianqian pressed, refusing to let him off the hook.