Chapter 168

Chapter 168

“Zhou Lingsheng.” Wei Yi ground out the name through clenched teeth.

In almost an instant, he connected all the pieces.

No wonder. No wonder Sheng Zhaoning had been so eager to leave with Zhou Lingsheng back then.

No wonder he had left the Capital City immediately after the fire at Changhua Hall.

Wei Yi had assumed that after Sheng Zhaoning’s death, Zhou Lingsheng had also lost heart and no longer wished to remain in the Capital City. That was why he had never ordered anyone to keep track of Zhou Lingsheng’s whereabouts.

Now, it seemed there had been another reason entirely.

Sheng Zhaoning might never have died at all!

Wei Yi’s gaze slowly shifted, settling on Han Xu with a cold, dark intensity.

Han Xu’s palms tightened. He did not dare meet Wei Yi’s eyes and lowered his head deeply.

Wei Yi’s gaze was far too penetrating. Whenever he seriously scrutinized someone, it seemed no emotion could escape his eyes.

He had grown suspicious of Han Xu.

Back then, when the Shadow Guard had kept Changhua Hall under layers of surveillance, it was Han Xu who had told him that no one had escaped the fire.

Only then had Wei Yi believed that the female corpse inside the hall was truly Sheng Zhaoning.

But if his speculation was true, then Han Xu’s assistance must have been involved.

Wei Yi did not question him directly. He merely looked at him with eyes churning with emotion and said, “Investigate. Find out where Zhou Lingsheng took Wei Heng.”

His voice sounded perfectly calm, but in truth, even Wei Yi’s fingertips were trembling.

There was suspicion toward Han Xu, anger and hatred toward the betrayers, but more than anything else, there was a hope so intense it was almost a plea.

Wei Yi was hoping that Han Xu really had deceived him.

If all these suspicions were true, if Han Xu and Chi Yu had joined forces to hide the truth from him back then, then as long as the final outcome was that Sheng Zhaoning was still alive, he could forgive everything and let the past remain in the past.

All he wanted was for Sheng Zhaoning to still be alive…

Han Xu clenched his fingers and kept his head lowered as he answered heavily, “Yes.”

He knew the matter could no longer be concealed.

As long as Sheng Zhaoning was still alive, she would definitely go looking for Wei Heng.

And with the Shadow Guard’s capabilities, Zhou Lingsheng’s departure with a corpse had made for an extremely conspicuous target. Finding his trail would not be difficult.

It only required a little time.

This time, Han Xu could no longer cover for Sheng Zhaoning.

Thus, two days later, a secret report was presented.

On the snow-white sheet of paper, only two clearly printed characters appeared in the center.

— Suizhou.

…

After autumn arrived, the temperature gradually dropped beneath one autumn rain after another.

With winter less than half a month away, Sheng Zhaoning had already put on her thick clothes and padded robes.

Winters in Suizhou were even colder than in the Capital City. Once winter set in, Sheng Zhaoning generally stopped going out.

The weather had been pleasant these past two days, however, so Sheng Zhaoning had been visiting Sheng Yuanzhong’s school more often.

“In the past, the worthy sages earnestly taught you. Gathered rhymes and expanded learning let you see more and hear more.”

“To understand the present, one should take the past as a mirror. Without the past, there can be no present…”

Holding a book in her hands, Sheng Zhaoning’s gentle, measured voice echoed through the schoolroom.

The school Sheng Yuanzhong had established had originally been quite small, with only a few students from the village.

Later, somehow, its reputation spread. Students from the nearby villages and even the town began making the arduous journey to study there. This left Sheng Yuanzhong so overwhelmed that he could barely keep up on his own.

So whenever she had free time, Sheng Zhaoning would come over to lend a hand, teaching a few of the younger children to read and giving them their basic education without exhausting herself.

Sheng Yao stood in punishment, holding a discipline ruler over her head.

Her two lotus-root-like arms were short and thick, raised high above her head. Her small, pale, doughy face was scrunched up in wounded misery, and her watery eyes shimmered with tears as she looked at Sheng Zhaoning pleadingly.

Sheng Zhaoning ignored her and continued turning the pages as she read aloud, “When studying, one must apply oneself; a single word is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

The book was just right for teaching children Sheng Yao’s age.

She learned quickly enough, but she was far too restless and could never settle her mind.

To make matters worse, she was extraordinarily sociable. Whenever she had no trouble with her lessons, she would join in with anyone who turned around to speak to her, sometimes even bobbing her head as she looked this way and that. She could never sit still for even a moment.

Sheng Yuanzhong could never bring himself to hit her, but Sheng Zhaoning refused to indulge her.

The thick, long discipline ruler Sheng Yao held above her head gleamed ominously, an unmistakable threat.

Naturally, Sheng Yao did not dare misbehave in front of Sheng Zhaoning. She could only stand dejectedly in the corner, her face full of grievance, her head hanging so low that she looked utterly dispirited.

Sheng Yuanzhong glanced inside through the window and sighed repeatedly in heartache, yet he did not dare disturb them.

After all, Sheng Yao really was a mischievous child, and only Sheng Zhaoning could keep her under control.

She held the ruler up for a quarter of an hour, until classes ended.

Only after most of the pupils had dispersed did Sheng Yao lower the ruler. She rubbed her sore, aching arms, then turned and ran outside, throwing herself against Sheng Yuanzhong’s leg.

“Grandpa, carry me,” Sheng Yao wailed, looking utterly miserable.

Sheng Yuanzhong’s heart ached so badly it felt as though a draft were blowing straight through it. He immediately crouched down and picked Sheng Yao up, soothing her softly. “All right, all right. Yaoyao, be good. Don’t cry.”

Sheng Yao pouted, tears glistening in her eyes.

Sheng Yuanzhong knew that with Sheng Yao’s skill at wielding blades and swords, she could hold a horse stance continuously for two hours without stopping. This little “punishment” could not possibly hurt her.

She was probably just feeling wronged.

Sheng Yuanzhong sighed and said while holding Sheng Yao, “Ning’er, don’t go back home at noon today. Stay here and have a bite to eat.”

The academy had hired a cook specifically to prepare meals, and many of the pupils from out of town stayed behind to eat lunch.

Though the academy was not particularly far from home, making the trip back and forth was still troublesome.

Sheng Zhaoning glanced at the person hiding her face against Sheng Yuanzhong’s shoulder. The little bundle of a girl practically radiated guilt and did not dare look up at her. With a faintly amused curl of her lips, she said, “All right.”

The old man, the grown woman, and the little girl all stayed at the academy for lunch.

Sheng Yao was young, and her moods came and went quickly. In the blink of an eye, she was laughing carefree once more. Sitting in her chair, she peeled shrimp for the classmate beside her whose arm was injured, carefully arranging them on a plate.

After afternoon classes ended, Sheng Zhaoning took Sheng Yao home ahead of him, while Sheng Yuanzhong remained at the academy to handle some minor matters.

As evening drew nearer, the weather grew increasingly cool.

Sheng Yao held her hand and skipped along beside her. Every few steps, she stopped to pluck a few flowers, and by the time they reached their destination, she had gathered a large handful.

Sheng Zhaoning had assumed she was merely playing around, but after they passed the pine grove, Sheng Yao pulled her along and deliberately led her to a pine tree. She placed the bouquet before the blank stone stele.

“Uncle, these are for you,” Sheng Yao said in her childish voice.

Perhaps she had remembered how Sheng Zhaoning often picked flowers and placed them before the stele. Thus, she was imitating her mother, learning to show him love in the same way.

A violent tremor suddenly ran through Sheng Zhaoning’s heart.