Xingzi Forest wasn’t the name of any village, but rather because behind that apricot grove lay the Qiao family’s grand estate, home to a renowned scholar whose fame spread throughout the land. Over time, the surrounding villages came to refer to the Qiao family as “Xingzi Forest.”

To reach Xingzi Forest, one had to pass through Baiyun Village.

Just as dusk was approaching, the sound of hoofbeats shattered the village’s tranquility.

Villagers gathered in small groups of twos and threes, watching the approaching visitors.

They were unusually quiet, yet from this oppressive silence, the four travelers sensed an atmosphere of unease.

No villagers were chatting loudly, no curious children were crowding around strangers. Everyone here was dressed in white, and against the backdrop of the evening clouds in the sky, though spring had arrived, it filled one’s heart with a chill.

“Shixi, I feel like these villagers are acting strange. Should we dismount and ask around?” Yang Er urged his horse closer to Chi Can’s side.

Sitting in front of Chi Can, Qiao Zhao gazed at everything before her that was familiar yet strange. Her eyes swept over the villagers’ wooden, sorrowful faces, and her heart suddenly sank, making it difficult to breathe.

She couldn’t explain why, but her heart felt as if it were suddenly crushed by a boulder. Those hoofbeats seemed not to be striking the ground, but trampling on her heart.

“Keep going…” Qiao Zhao struggled not to let anyone notice her distress, forcing out these two words with difficulty.

Chi Can also sense something was wrong and said to Yang Er, “No need to waste time. I know the way.”

He pressed his legs against the horse’s flanks, spurring it to gallop faster. Zhu Yàn and Yang Er hurriedly followed.

The three strong horses galloped away, leaving a trail of dust behind. The villagers exchanged glances, shook their heads with sighs, and silently dispersed.

After circling the village, they could see the apricot grove in the distance.

The apricot blossoms were in full bloom at this time, appearing from afar like vast stretches of brilliant clouds, harmonizing with the evening sunset on the horizon—a breathtaking sight.

Qiao Zhao’s eyes unconsciously reddened.

Grandfather had once said that apricot blossoms were cold-resistant; the colder the weather, the earlier they bloomed, and their flowering period was much longer than peach blossoms.

Grandfather had always admired apricot blossoms.

Now the apricot blossoms remained, but the person she most revered had already gone to eternal rest.

“Hiya—” Chi Can had no mind to appreciate the beautiful scenery. In an instant, he arrived before the apricot grove, dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and led everyone through a small path winding through the apricot forest.

Qiao Zhao quietly clenched her fist, her palm completely covered in sweat.

She was actually this nervous—even during her wedding ceremony in the past, she had never felt this way.

This must be the anxiety of approaching home, a natural human emotion. Qiao Zhao comforted herself with this thought.

Chi Can, walking ahead of her, suddenly stopped.

Qiao Zhao’s heart leaped: “What’s wrong—”

The rest of her words died abruptly. The ruins and broken walls before her eyes instantly drained the color from her face. Her figure swayed precariously, and she had to desperately grab onto something nearby to barely steady herself.

Chi Can’s gaze moved downward, looking at the young girl’s hand that had grasped his sleeve.

That hand was small and delicate, soft and white as jade, with clearly visible blue veins on its surface.

Chi Can remained silent for a moment, then glanced at Yang Er.

Yang Er nodded in understanding and went forward to investigate.

After a moment, he returned with a heavy tone: “It was a fire. From the looks of it, it happened not long ago.”

The three men looked at each other, suddenly understanding the villagers’ strange behavior.

Given the Qiao family’s reputation and good deeds in this area, it wasn’t surprising that the villagers would wear white mourning clothes after such a tragic event befell the household.

The wind rose, and apricot blossoms fell like fluttering snow, cold and pure.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Qiao Zhao’s heart hurt more than when that arrow had pierced her heart on the walls of Yan City.

No, there was no comparison at all.

Then, the arrow had pierced through her heart in an instant—she had felt the sharp pain momentarily, and before she could even fully experience it, she had fallen into darkness. When she opened her eyes again, she had become the young girl Li Zhao.

But at this moment, this pain was continuous and endless, with no respite.

What had she done wrong to be brought back from the dead only to face such a tragic scene?

Qiao Zhao unconsciously tightened her fist.

“You’re hurting me,” Chi Can said flatly.

Yang Er and Zhu Yàn exchanged a glance.

Others might not know, but as his close friends, they could tell that Chi Can was in a very bad mood at the moment.

Having traveled thousands of miles only to encounter such a result, anyone would be in a poor mood. Moreover, aside from their quest coming to nothing, witnessing the Qiao family’s misfortune, no one could feel good about it.

Qiao Zhao came back to her senses, meeting the cold, indifferent face of that extraordinarily handsome man, and slowly loosened her grip.

Grandfather had taught her self-respect and self-reliance; her emotions certainly shouldn’t become someone else’s burden to handle.

“Let’s go ask those villagers what exactly happened.” Chi Can turned and walked into the apricot grove.

Qiao Zhao followed with unsteady steps, her legs feeling as heavy as lead, gradually falling behind the others.

Zhu Yàn looked back and stopped to wait for her.

Though the young girl wasn’t crying, the impression she gave him was one of extreme grief.

Why was she so affected?

“Are you alright?”

Qiao Zhao looked at him and forced a slight smile: “Obviously, I’m not alright at all.”

Zhu Yàn hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a neatly folded, clean white handkerchief from his sleeve and offered it to her: “If you’re feeling bad, it’s better to cry it out.”

Though he didn’t understand why the young girl was so heartbroken, he felt a measure of sympathy.

Sometimes, when a girl doesn’t cry, it’s even more heartbreaking than when she does.

Such kindness, at this particular moment, Qiao Zhao could neither refuse nor wanted to refuse.

She reached out to accept the handkerchief, wiped her eyes, then her nose, and sincerely thanked him: “Big Brother Zhu, you’re truly a good person.”

Good person, Big Brother Zhu: “…”

After a long while, he finally replied: “As long as you feel better.”

Passing through the apricot blossom grove, Zhu Yàn glanced at Chi Can, whose mood was low, hesitated briefly, then asked Qiao Zhao: “Should I carry you?”

Qiao Zhao paused.

Chi Can’s gaze swept over coldly and indifferently, saying impatiently: “Stop dawdling. Get on the horse!”

He reached out and lifted Qiao Zhao onto the horse’s back, then galloped forward.

The four returned to Baiyun Village, using a piece of broken silver to have a teenage boy lead them to the village chief.

“Are you gentlemen here to visit Master Qiao?” the village chief asked directly.

Chi Can was in a bad mood, so Zhu Yàn spoke for him: “That’s right. We’ve traveled from afar specifically to visit Master Qiao, but unexpectedly, after passing the apricot grove, we saw—”

The village chief let out a long sigh: “You gentlemen may not know, but the Qiao family suffered a great fire a few days ago. Master Qiao and his entire family perished in the flames…”

Qiao Zhao trembled all over. Fortunately, she was sitting in a corner where no one noticed.

“How could there be a fire for no reason?” Chi Can suddenly spoke.

The village chief looked grief-stricken and sighed: “Who knows? The fire started in the evening. By the time we discovered it, the flames were already massive—no one could get inside. Young Master Qiao disregarded everyone’s attempts to stop him and rushed into the sea of fire, risking his life to save his younger sister. Then the house collapsed—”

“Young Master Qiao?” Qiao Zhao’s heart and soul were shattered as she listened, until she heard these four words, and her heart suddenly leaped.

Her older brother was still alive?

“Young Master Qiao is still alive?” Zhu Yàn asked what Qiao Zhao most wanted to know.

“The Qiao family had just finished their mourning period. Young Master Qiao happened to be out visiting a friend that day, which is how he escaped disaster. When Young Master Qiao returned, he arrived just as the house was on fire, so he rushed into the flames and rescued his younger sister,” the village chief explained.

“So both Young Master Qiao and Miss Qiao are safe?” Qiao Zhao tried her best to control her emotions and asked softly.

The Miss Qiao the village chief spoke of was her half-sister, Qiao Wan.

The village chief glanced at Qiao Zhao and said: “Miss Qiao seems to be fine, but Young Master Qiao—”

“What about him?” the group asked in unison.

“Young Master Qiao’s face was ruined,” the village chief said with a long sigh.

His face was ruined?

The three men had all seen Qiao Mo before, and they couldn’t help but recall his extraordinarily handsome appearance.

When Qiao Mo was in the capital, his reputation for beauty rivaled Chi Can’s. It was hard to imagine what he would look like with his face ruined.

“What a pity,” the village chief voiced everyone’s thoughts.

Qiao Zhao’s lips moved.

Not a pity—as long as her brother was alive, that was enough!

“Where is Young Master Qiao now?”

“I don’t know about that. The villagers helped Young Master Qiao handle the Qiao family’s funeral arrangements. After everything was settled, Young Master Qiao left with his sister without saying goodbye. With his face injured, who knows where he could go?”

“The capital,” Qiao Zhao blurted out.

Everyone looked at her in surprise.