"What can we do?"
Song Qingchao softly voiced her question.
"We do nothing, of course..."
Bai You'an lazily picked up the conversation. A smile played on his lips as he raised his right hand, drawing the dagger out by its hilt with two fingers.
The sharp blade gleamed, reflecting light on his fingertips.
He mused that their actions were perhaps in perfect accord, like a wife singing and a husband following, and the smile on his lips widened.
Song Qingchao, oblivious to Bai You'an's thoughts, held up her skirt and moved aside, careful not to get it dirty from Elder Chang.
She took out a fire starter from her sleeve, lit the candle, and then gently blew it out, tucking it away.
She then sat down on a nearby stool, her voice cool, "Don't shout. No one will hear you."
"You killed them all!?" Elder Chang roared in surprise, pounding his chest as if he might suffocate from a single breath.
"Don't say it like that," Bai You'an casually walked to Song Qingchao's side, his long legs commanding attention. "I merely put them to sleep."
Hearing this, Elder Chang coughed, but with relief.
His face flushed red, and his eyes glared, "What do you want from us!"
Song Qingchao rested her elbow on the table, propping her face with her palm. "I'm going to tell a lie."
"What?" Elder Chang, hearing that Song Qingchao was here to discuss matters, regained some of his confidence.
He reached for the edge of the bed and managed to push himself up to sit.
"You sent people out of the city secretly, causing surrounding towns to fall and an epidemic to break out. You cannot escape this. The Emperor in Chang'an was enraged and ordered the city burned. But fortunately, there was a medicinal prescription, and the leader defied the order to save several cities. Do you think the Emperor would be pleased?"
Elder Chang's complexion grew progressively worse as Song Qingchao spoke.
Song Qingchao paid no mind to what Elder Chang was thinking.
Her sole objective was to make Elder Chang agree to her terms.
"Therefore, the leader, to save their own life, needs to hand over the culprit to ensure their own innocence."
"What evidence do you have?"
Song Qingchao simply clicked her tongue. "Evidence? If you want to condemn someone, why not fabricate a charge? Moreover, this matter is intrinsically linked to you."
She extended her hand, looking at her fingernails, contemplating if they needed trimming.
"To put it simply, the leader is the second young master of the Feng family, a rising power in Chang'an. You won't survive."
Elder Chang, who had just managed to sit upright, turned ashen.
He sat on the bed, but his heart plummeted to the ground.
As the head of a clan, how could he not understand this logic?
Song Qingchao, observing his disheveled state, spoke softly, "You, you are bound to die. As for your clansmen, exile or execution?"
She looked up at Bai You'an.
Bai You'an understood. "Exile might even be considered lenient."
At this, Elder Chang completely lost all vitality.
He shrank back into the shadows, aging by a decade overnight.
"What do you want me to do?"
His hoarse voice betrayed his exhaustion.
"I want you to erase Chang Nianchen's name from the family registry. A newborn, born during the epidemic, an early death is quite normal, wouldn't you say?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Chang's eyes lit up.
"But I also advise you not to harbor any other thoughts. Of your family, I will spare only Chang Nianchen. If any others are missing, I wouldn't hesitate to track them down, no matter the distance."
Song Qingchao's words left no room for negotiation.
She extended her hand, clenched it into a fist, then slowly opened her fingers, and blew gently.
A long silence ensued.
"Alright, I agree."
The expected answer brought Song Qingchao no particular joy.
However, she had anticipated Elder Chang might struggle a little longer.
"Once the matter is settled, let's go," Song Qingchao stood up, pulling Bai You'an towards the door.
With her other hand, she waved lightly, "I hope you keep your word."
Song Qingchao pulled open the door.
Moonlight once again poured in, illuminating half the room.
They exited, leaving Elder Chang's door ajar.
In Song Qingchao's heart, Elder Chang was already a dead man.
As she left, she glanced back inside.
She saw Elder Chang sitting on the edge of the bed, despair etched on his face.
His temples were disheveled, his eyes vacant, and he muttered about "the Chang family's foundation."
He was like a tree on the verge of withering, using all its strength to support a single leaf clinging to its branches.
But the merciless wind would eventually render its trunk, however thick, useless.
Was he pathetic?
To labor a lifetime, only to have his family's legacy ruined by his own hand.
Pitiable people must have their hateful aspects.
Song Qingchao felt no pity for him.
This outcome was what he deserved.
She disliked killing,
but she was a person who sought retribution. Those who offended her, she did not wish them dead.
She wanted to destroy what they cherished most, to make them suffer tenfold the pain she endured.
What she desired was for them to find no peace in the afterlife.
"Satisfied?"
Bai You'an's tone was affectionate, like a gently flowing stream under the moonlight, washing over her heart.
Song Qingchao let out a heavy sigh and whispered, "Mhm."
She tilted her head, "Do you think I went too far?"
Her question made Bai You'an burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
Song Qingchao was somewhat bewildered.
But seeing Bai You'an's beautiful smile, her lingering anger dissipated.
"If I were you, I would have been even more ruthless," Bai You'an replied earnestly.
"Then why didn't you act?" Song Qingchao gave him a playful glare.
"Because I wanted to respect your decision. This matter here is concluded. Shall we go back and see Lin Tingwan and the others? That young girl has been clamoring to seek justice from you."
Song Qingchao's relieved heart settled.
She hadn't expected Bai You'an to be so... so understanding of her?
"So, are we going back?"
Bai You'an smiled softly, his eyes crinkling, looking like a freshly lit torch in winter, warm and approachable.
Song Qingchao shook her head. "No, they were merely passersby in my life. If fate allows, we will meet again."
"Then shall we set off?"
"Yes." Song Qingchao gazed northwards. "To Mobei. We need to arrive before the New Year."
Time was tight, but she could delay no longer.
Firstly, to return and be reunited with Mumu.
Secondly, for the spring plowing.
She needed sufficient time to acquire land, research seeds, and hire laborers.
This meant that in the short period between the Spring Festival and the spring plowing, she had to establish herself in the unfamiliar Mobei.
Although Xiao Guo had already expanded Xiyun Pavilion's business to Mobei,
the road ahead would not be easy.
"Let's go."
Her thoughts were interrupted as her lowered hand was taken once more.
"With me, you can rest assured."
Bai You'an whistled, and they saw someone approaching with a carriage in the distance.
Song Qingchao pointed at the carriage, "Time is short, the carriage won't be fast enough."
Bai You'an disagreed, retorting, "We can switch between the three horses. Zhou Zhengxi and I can take turns driving. We can travel at night as well, and it allows us to carry more things. Without a carriage, we would be exhausted."
Song Qingchao considered this and agreed.
Bai You'an's lips curved in satisfaction.
"Whoa—"
The carriage stopped before them.
It was the first time he found Zhou Zhengxi so pleasing to the eye.
"Master."
Song Qingchao nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."
Then, with Bai You'an's assistance, she boarded the carriage.
Once they were seated, Song Qingchao noticed Bai You'an's inexplicable excitement, but she didn't inquire.
As the carriage began to move with the crack of the whip,
the creaking sound of the wheels reached her ears.
Song Qingchao then realized Bai You'an was harboring a mischievous spirit!