The group soon arrived at the Commandery Prince’s mansion. Seeing Xia Jingshi arrive in person, the guards were startled and hurriedly announced his presence. Ignoring Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran who followed closely behind, Xia Jingshi strode quickly through the garden towards the small flower hall, with such familiarity and ease—this mansion was one he had bestowed upon Yi Xiao, and she had never changed a single wall or tile.
In his memory, Yi Xiao was usually as cheerful as a man, swift and sharp on the battlefield like a fierce beast released from its cage. But her straightforward personality meant she often clashed with many generals in the army, which was why he always kept her by his side. Yet that last encounter four years ago, when Yi Xiao was shot by an arrow, that pained expression and the silhouette Xiao Weiran described standing silently gazing at the sky, were completely unfamiliar to him.
Thinking of this, Xia Jingshi’s heart rippled with pain like a stone thrown into the water. Four years was long enough for that pair of shocked and pained eyes to be branded in his heart, long enough for—he suddenly froze. Yi Xiao was half-lying on a chaise lounge with wet, loose hair, her large robe barely revealing her delicate pink toes. Before he could get a clear look, she had already stood up and was walking towards him step by step. Her body wafted the fragrance of a recent bath, every inch of skin, every breath, carrying a suffocating allure. “Your Highness, it’s been a long time.”
Xia Jingshi calmly responded with a “Mm,” but took half a step back, almost bumping into the brocade stool by the table. “So you know to come back?” Yi Xiao pursed her lips, a hint of mockery appearing. “It’s been quite some time since we last met. Why is Your Highness still so cold? Could it be that you resent that I didn’t die at the bottom of that cliff?”
Xia Jingshi smiled faintly, “If we were to throw you into a wolf pack, you would be the last one standing. This is something I’ve known for years.”
“Such a unique welcome, hmm?” Xueying, who had been eavesdropping from the inner room, could no longer contain herself. As she walked out, she looked Xia Jingshi up and down, “Your looks are barely passable, but your inner self is utterly lacking—Yi Xiao, you have no taste.” Ning Fei’s face had already darkened when she came out, and now he jumped up, “How can you call yourself a well-bred lady? Not only do you eavesdrop on your host’s conversation, but you also speak so rudely. Do you know the status of the person you’re criticizing?”
“My father taught me to use different attitudes towards different people. I naturally behave like a well-bred lady in front of true gentlemen. For someone like you, I won’t even spare a kind word! As for this man, I only know he’s the one who forced Yi Xiao to jump off a cliff four years ago—I don’t care about his status or position. When dead, we all turn to mud. How would he be any different from you or me?!” She questioned Ning Fei aggressively, right up to his face. Ning Fei couldn’t argue back and could only glare in anger.
Xia Jingshi’s eyes swept over Xueying, and he asked calmly, “Who is this?” Xiao Weiran hurriedly bowed and answered, “Your Highness, this is the only daughter of Master Ling Yuguang, named Ling Xueying.” Xia Jingshi raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing surprise, “So it’s Elder Brother Ling’s beloved daughter.”
“Hey!” Xueying immediately turned her attack towards Xia Jingshi, “Who’s your elder brother? Don’t try to get familiar!” Xia Jingshi chuckled softly, “I don’t wish to argue with you. Whether it’s true or not, you can go home and ask your father. Strictly speaking, in terms of seniority, you should be my niece…” Xueying let out a shrill scream of frustration, interrupting Xia Jingshi’s words, “I don’t believe it! I’m going to write to Father and ask!” With that, she stamped her foot, lifted her skirts, and ran off.
Seeing her leave, Ning Fei let out a long sigh of relief and laughed heartily, “Your Highness is indeed clever. If I had known earlier that claiming to be her elder would drive her away, I would have…” However, Xia Jingshi frowned and looked at Yi Xiao, “What I said is the truth—but why did I never know that Yi Xiao was with Elder Brother’s daughter?” Yi Xiao looked at him innocently, “No wonder Uncle Ling always told me to learn to let go. It turns out even Uncle Ling knew about Your Highness’s fickleness!”
Hearing this, Xia Jingshi’s breath caught for a moment. He then looked at her deeply, his voice calm, “Does hurting me with your words make you happy?” His gentle words brought her a heavy shock, and her face instantly turned pale.
He witnessed her loss of composure and spoke even more calmly: “Saying such things, doesn’t it hurt you too?” In an instant, Yi Xiao’s expression had already recovered. “The heart that could feel pain has long since turned to rotting mud with the Yi Xiao of four years ago, keeping company with maggots underground. This current heart, even if it experiences myriad pains, will, true to my name, vanish like smoke after a laugh.”
“Vanish like smoke?” Xia Jingshi’s gaze passed over her head, looking out the window. Without realizing it, dusk had fallen. The golden sunset stretched its sword-like rays into the room. Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran had quietly retreated, leaving only him and Yi Xiao in the room.
Turning around and picking up the silver bow placed on the table, Xia Jingshi asked calmly, “Since you’re no longer the Yi Xiao of before, why did you come back?” “I came back, naturally, for you,” Yi Xiao raised her head, her lips curling up slightly in a half-smile, “I want to know, after four years, if I were to confess my feelings to you again, would you still reject me?” Xia Jingshi looked at her quietly, “What if I still reject you?”
Yi Xiao looked back at him, her eyes clear as spring water, seeming to look straight into his heart, “If you still reject me, I’ll return to Pingling. We’ll part ways and never meet again. I’ll marry a man who cherishes me, and I’ll try hard to love him and bear many children for him. Many years later, I might casually mention you to him—I’ll tell him that you were a mistake I made in my youthful folly, a joke in my life. I’ll forget you, and won’t even recognize you anymore… Your Highness, is this the answer you want to hear?”
With each sentence Yi Xiao spoke, Xia Jingshi’s heart skipped a beat. In a daze, he still heard himself say calmly, “Indeed, that’s right.”
This is for the best.
Yes, this is the best. Isn’t this what he wanted?
Contrary to his expectations, Yi Xiao didn’t get angry. She spoke as calmly as he did, “Very well, I’ll pack my things and leave then—that silver bow was a gift from you, I’ll return it to you today.”
Gritting his teeth hard, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Xia Jingshi forced a smile, “Won’t you… stay for a few more days?” Yi Xiao walked towards the inner room without looking back, “Would staying a few more days change your mind?”
He was speechless.
Yi Xiao’s luggage was simple, just a small bundle. As she passed by him, Yi Xiao paused for a moment and asked with a sigh, “Your Highness, can you tell Yi Xiao, in these four years, have you ever… missed me even a little?”
Xia Jingshi’s mind buzzed. He bit his tongue and resisted for a moment, but finally succumbed to the surge in his heart and said defeatedly, “Since it’s Xueying’s first time in Luocheng, if you’re not in a hurry, please accompany her for a few days on my behalf!” After saying this, he felt it was too forced and lowered his head, no longer looking at Yi Xiao as he hurriedly walked out.
Yi Xiao sat down beside Xueying and pulled her with slight concern, “Won’t you feel chest pain lying like this for so long?” “Have you set your heart on him?” Xueying didn’t move, still lying ungracefully on the couch, her voice weak as a thread. Since receiving her father’s reply, she had maintained this posture for nearly two hours.
Even the slowest person should have noticed by now that Xia Jingshi had no intention of letting Yi Xiao act as his host. He openly asked Ning Fei and Xiao Weiran to accompany her around, but in reality, he was isolating her. Her father’s reply further deflated her spirits—Xia Jingshi was indeed her father’s close friend despite their age difference. If Yi Xiao eventually married Xia Jingshi, wouldn’t she have to call Yi Xiao “Aunt”…
How annoying, she didn’t want to drop a generation for no reason, so…
“Yi Xiao, let’s go back to Pingling. Young Master Lu is quite nice, and his family is wealthy too, if…” She automatically stopped talking when she saw someone enter the hall, instantly becoming excited, “Why is it you again!” Ning Fei’s face also turned blue, shouting even faster, “I don’t want this either!”
“Don’t want what?” someone asked from behind. Ning Fei froze, having forgotten about the person behind him in his argument with Xueying. “Nothing, Your Highness. I’ll take Miss Ling out now,” he said as he strode to the couch and roughly picked up Xueying. “Let’s go, I’m taking you shopping today!”
Before Xueying could struggle, she had already been carried out by him.