Chapter 16

Jiang Chu Ting’s heart suddenly tightened. Did he just call out a name? Did he call Zi Que? Could Lin Zhi have heard it?

Lin Zhi’s expression was inscrutable. Jiang Chu Ting looked at him, his lips moved with difficulty, but he couldn’t say a word.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and then Lin Zhi couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. He leaned closer, his eyes twinkling, “Did you dream of me when I was a kid and called me that?” He only vaguely heard the word “Que” and instinctively thought it was the childhood nickname “Que.” Jiang Chu Ting made a sound, and Lin Zhi thought he was embarrassed, so he continued to ask, “Can you tell me about it? What did you dream about? You don’t look well, was it a nightmare?”

So he wasn’t found out. Jiang Chu Ting secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, “I forgot.”

He didn’t deny it, which meant he really dreamed of him. Although it was likely a nightmare, Lin Zhi was still happy. He grabbed his hand and lay back down, “I’m right here. Dreams aren’t real, don’t worry.” After saying that, he noticed Jiang Chu Ting was quietly watching him, his eyes clear and slightly shimmering, as if holding a trace of light sorrow.

Lin Zhi’s heart raced, and he raised his hand to cover Jiang Chu Ting’s eyes, “Don’t look at me, go to sleep.”

After Lin Zhi fell asleep again, Jiang Chu Ting raised his hand, looking at the wooden hairpin in his hand, pondering the dream he just had.

He knew that back then, Zi Que chose to abandon him and wasn’t happy living with the Lin family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been depressed and poisoned himself within half a year of marriage, with no cure.

When Lin Xi, still pregnant, brought the barely alive Zi Que to see him, he was much thinner than in the dream, so pale and haggard that Jiang Chu Ting almost didn’t recognize him.

At the time, he thought Zi Que wanted to see him one last time. But he didn’t expect that Zi Que, with poison in his lungs and no cure, wanted to die by his hand as his final wish.

Zi Que cried in pain, trembling as he handed him a dagger, “Chu Ting, do it yourself, please, kill me. I want to die by your hand. I want you to always remember me, deeply and painfully. I don’t want you to forget me, Chu Ting, please…” The pleading was intermittent and weak, yet every word seemed to be drawn from his bones and blood, so sorrowful and painful, leaving deep marks on Jiang Chu Ting’s already broken heart.

He took the dagger and ended the life of the one he loved with his own hands.

Blood splattered on his clothes, his wet cheeks, his eyes, his hair, hot and burning.

Zi Que got his wish. When he leaned against Jiang Chu Ting’s chest, breathing his last and closing his eyes, there was a slight smile on his lips.

Zi Que never said he regretted it, but he always thought of him. In the dream, Zi Que kept writing his name, missing him. Jiang Chu Ting believed it wasn’t just a dream.

Turning his gaze to the youthful face of Lin Zhi beside him, when Zi Que passed away, Lin Zhi hadn’t been born yet.

So many years have passed.

Jiang Chu Ting sighed silently. He was increasingly inclined to believe that he wasn’t dreaming but reliving Zi Que’s real experiences.

His fingers gently caressed the wooden hairpin. Was it because Zi Que didn’t want him to forget, so he used this hairpin to meet him in dreams?

Then was the dream of Zi Que being chased by Lin Xuan that night also real? What exactly happened that night to make him so panicked? Zi Que was gone, and Lin Xuan had been dead for years, so he had no way of knowing.

Perhaps he could only wait for future dreams to provide answers. Jiang Chu Ting pressed the hand holding the wooden hairpin gently against his heart and closed his eyes.

The next day, after leaving the Lovesickness Cottage, Jiang Chu Ting returned to the Nine Heavens. Shortly after arriving, Wei Jia handed him a letter, saying it had just been delivered that day.

The only person who would write to Jiang Chu Ting and have it delivered to the back mountain was Jiang Xian. The thick letter mostly talked about recent happenings in Jin City, and at the end, it subtly mentioned that the Ninth Prince’s whereabouts were currently unknown, and the palace was in turmoil. His father couldn’t even eat, making him tense, fearing something might go wrong at such a critical time.

Jiang Chu Ting’s eyebrows twitched. He had never inquired before, but it turned out that Lord Jiang was part of the Ninth Prince’s faction?

Even though Jiang Xian was his best friend, given the importance of the matter, Jiang Chu Ting didn’t mention Pei Jing’s presence in the Nine Heavens in his reply.

Jiang Xian probably wouldn’t come looking for him anytime soon. He planned to visit Jin City to meet Jiang Xian after Pei Jing left and his current matters were resolved. It had been a long time since they had a good drink together.

After sending the letter, Jiang Chu Ting thought of something and began searching around the room.

Pei Jing followed him around, “Master, did you just send a letter to Jin City? Do you have friends there?”

Jiang Chu Ting replied succinctly, “Yes, I do.” Pei Jing seemed thoughtful as Jiang Chu Ting continued searching, opening a brocade box to find a jade pendant, then another to find a hair ribbon.

Pei Jing watched for a while, puzzled, “What exactly are you looking for?”

Hearing this, Jiang Chu Ting paused his actions. Yes, what was he looking for?

Lin Zhi had said he wanted something of his to carry with him. He hadn’t given the wooden hairpin, so he really came back to find something else.

He had intended to keep his distance, but every time he got close to Lin Zhi, his thoughts seemed to slip out of his control.

Jiang Chu Ting thought this wasn’t a good sign and decided it was better to restrain himself a bit.

Jiang Chu Ting said gently, “I’m not looking for anything.” He was about to put everything back when Pei Jing took a liking to the light green hair ribbon and wanted it. Jiang Chu Ting said, “I’ve used this. If you like it, I’ll buy you a new one.”

Pei Jing thought to himself that if it wasn’t used by him, he wouldn’t want it. He insisted, “I want this one.”

Since it wasn’t anything important, Jiang Chu Ting agreed and handed it to him. Pei Jing then noticed the fading bite mark on Jiang Chu Ting’s finger, and his temper flared. He grabbed Jiang Chu Ting’s hand and demanded, “Who bit you?!”

Jiang Chu Ting took a moment to react, then withdrew his hand, smiling, “A mischievous child.”

“A child?!” Pei Jing didn’t believe it at all. Jiang Chu Ting seemed unwilling to discuss it further and turned to read a book. Pei Jing stared at his profile, his suspicions growing, and his gaze becoming colder.

From then on, Jiang Chu Ting would visit Lin Zhi on the agreed days. If there was something to investigate, they would go out together. If not, he would stay overnight at the Lovesickness Cottage and then return to the Nine Heavens. Lin Zhi sent out more and more people, but even after a month, any disturbances turned out to be false alarms.

This made Jiang Chu Ting almost doubt if he had been overthinking things and that there was no conspiracy, and the two men in black were just coincidentally nearby that day.

With no progress in the investigation, another strange incident began circulating in the city—a baby was found abandoned in the wilderness.

It was said the baby had no ears or hands, a deformed head, a misshapen mouth, and loose skin, looking very frightening. By the time it was discovered, it was already dead.

Rumors tend to get distorted and exaggerated, so Jiang Chu Ting didn’t fully believe it at first. But when Lin Zhi mentioned that the authorities had confirmed it, it seemed to be true.

While eating out with Lin Zhi, they heard people around them discussing the matter.

For such bizarre events, people tend to attribute them to ominous or supernatural causes.

Someone at a nearby table said mysteriously, “It must have attracted some evil spirit, causing a ghost fetus to possess it! Otherwise, how could it be so strange?” This won the agreement of those at the table.

Jiang Chu Ting lost his appetite. When he heard the term “ghost fetus,” his eyelid twitched, and he raised his hand to press his temple with his eyes closed.

“Ghost fetus, what nonsense. The child’s mother probably had some illness or was poisoned,” Lin Zhi didn’t believe in such things. Seeing Jiang Chu Ting seemed upset, he thought he was feeling sorry for the unfortunate child and gently comforted him, serving him a bowl of soup, “If you have no appetite, at least drink some soup to fill your stomach.”

Jiang Chu Ting forced a smile, “Alright.”

For some reason, he felt something was off, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. This feeling of being shrouded in mist was unsettling.

Jiang Chu Ting stayed two more days because of the abandoned baby incident. Lin Zhi was delighted he could stay longer but was also slightly puzzled.

“Chu Ran, what’s wrong? Why are you interested in investigating this?”

“I don’t know,” Jiang Chu Ting answered honestly. The child had been buried, and finding the mother was nearly impossible, so there was no point in investigating further. He said, “It’s just a gut feeling… never mind, I won’t look into it anymore.”

After spending another night at the Lovesickness Cottage, he woke up to find Lin Zhi leaning against him with his eyes closed.

Jiang Chu Ting knew he was actually awake.

As soon as Jiang Chu Ting moved, Lin Zhi’s long lashes fluttered, and his hands tightly wrapped around Jiang Chu Ting’s body, commanding, “Don’t move, you’re not awake yet, stay with me for another day.”

Jiang Chu Ting sighed, “I can’t sleep any longer. I’ve stayed long enough this time. I’ll come back in ten days.”

Lin Zhi propped himself up on Jiang Chu Ting’s chest, seriously saying, “Chu Ran, don’t you think your tone of coaxing me is like that of a man who will abandon someone after having his way?”

Jiang Chu Ting chuckled. This kid always liked to misuse phrases. He patiently explained, “That’s not what ‘abandoning after having one’s way’ means for you and me.”

Lin Zhi puffed his cheeks, glaring at him with his beautiful eyes, “I want to say it like that. You have me here, but maybe you have someone else elsewhere. Isn’t it tiring to run back and forth between two places? It must be hard for you.”

Jiang Chu Ting was momentarily speechless. Because, well, Lin Zhi seemed to have a point.

Wasn’t he dealing with a revered figure at home and a troublesome little ancestor outside? Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but laugh heartily. Lin Zhi, who had been pouting, saw him laugh, and his eyes filled with warmth, looking a bit dazed, “Chu Ran, your smile is really nice.”

Jiang Chu Ting felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, even feeling like he couldn’t meet his eyes. He patted Lin Zhi’s shoulder gently, “Alright, I need to get up and leave.”

“You’re rushing, eager to go back and coax the other one, aren’t you?”

Jiang Chu Ting said, “Stop talking nonsense.”

Lin Zhi huffed and moved away from him.

Lin Zhi didn’t try to keep him, but before Jiang Chu Ting left, he bit his hand hard, saying angrily, “No matter what you do after leaving me, you must be on time for our meetings, or I won’t forgive you.”

Back at the cabin in the back mountain, as he was going up the stairs, he bumped into Mo Lin, who was coming out. Mo Lin gave him an indescribable look and turned away.

Jiang Chu Ting ignored him and went inside. The “revered figure” was indeed in an untouchable mood, with a stern face and cold eyes, glaring at him as if wishing to tear him apart.

Jiang Chu Ting was used to it. He calmly placed one hand behind his back, smiled, and called out, “Xiao Jiu.”

Pei Jing gritted his teeth, sneering, “Oh, isn’t this our busy man with the world on his shoulders? You still remember you have a home? Finally willing to come back?”

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Did you notice? I changed the title, haha.

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I’ve left my mysterious account in the column. Although I don’t update often, you can find me there to chat!