Time is Slow / Meet You in My Prime - Chapter 7 : What I Want

Qiao Zhao realized she had misspoken, and confronted with the astonished expressions of those around her, she looked up at Chi Can and asked resolutely, "When will you return to the capital?"

For a moment, Chi Can and the others fell silent. After all, she was just a young girl. Zhu Wu thought it was best for her to go home swiftly after experiencing such a tragedy.

Yang Er wondered if Chi Can was even more annoyed due to the little girl's interruption.

Chi Can felt a wave of anger. This girl claimed to respect Old Master Qiao, but showed indifference when the Qiao family faced tragedy. Her only desire seemed to be to get home as quickly as possible, revealing her cold heart. Perhaps her so-called respect for Old Master Qiao was merely a facade.

Qiao Zhao averted her gaze.

Hadn't she just managed to regain some composure?

She couldn't afford to dwell on the disdain from others at that moment.

"I apologize; it turns out these honored guests are from the capital." The village chief took it upon himself to serve tea to the four of them, easing the awkward tension in the air.

Lost in her thoughts, Qiao Zhao calculated that the news of her death had likely not reached this place yet. With her husband's family in the capital, and her maternal grandfather's family there too, it made sense that her Eldest Brother would have headed back there after leaving this place. But with such a tragedy befalling their family, why hadn't he remained in Xingzi Forest to grieve instead of rushing off?

There was a sense of unease within her, yet the overwhelming grief in her heart clouded her capacity for deeper reflection. All she could focus on was returning to the capital and locating her Eldest Brother as soon as possible.

She didn't register the others' conversation until Chi Can stood and stated calmly, "We need to hurry back to Jiafeng City, so we won't be staying for a meal." In a daze, she trailed behind the three as they exited.

As Chi Can led the horse, he glanced back at her with an annoyance. "What are you waiting for? If you don't move quickly, you can stay here."

Stay?

Qiao Zhao's eyelashes fluttered at the thought. Would anyone want to remain here more than she would? This was her home!

"Do you truly wish to stay?" Chi Can raised an eyebrow, his impatience growing.

Shaking her head, Qiao Zhao stepped forward and reached out to him. Without hesitation, Chi Can grasped her wrist and hoisted her onto the horse.

The wind howled around her, biting at her face like a knife and weighing heavily on her heart. The spring breeze was unexpectedly frigid.

As those thoughts crossed her mind, Qiao Zhao turned to take one last look back at her village.

At that moment, the sky blazed with the hues of sunset, blending beautifully with the apricot forest that shielded away both ugliness and splendor, leaving only the serene calm of her surroundings.

The smoke from the cooking stoves curled upwards, lending an air of familiarity to everything, as if nothing had changed.

Yet, only the girl riding away on horseback understood the depth of her loss.

As the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves slowly settled, a figure briefly emerged from the edge of the apricot forest before disappearing as well.

Qiao Zhao and her companions reached the city just before the gates shut, selecting a nice inn to stay at.

As the city gate closed gradually, someone rushed towards it, eager to enter.

Impatiently, the guard declared, "The gates are closed. If you wish to enter, you'd better come back early tomorrow!"

The man produced a token from his pocket, waving it before the guard, whose expression shifted immediately. "So it's... it's..."

"What are you waiting for? Open the gate!"

"Right away!" The guard quickly complied, and once the man had entered, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow, relieved.

"Boss, who is that?" the subordinate approached.

The guard scanned the area and quietly spoke three chilling words: "Jinlin Guard!"

The Jinlin Guard mentioned by the city guard had unremarkable features. He moved through the city with ease and entered a courtyard.

In the yard, a man in black sat alone at a stone table beneath a crabapple tree, drinking quietly. A few men stood nearby, watching silently.

Upon the arrival of the Jinlin Guard, the men instantly turned their attention with wary looks, but relaxed when they recognized their comrade.

The Jinlin Guard hurried over to the man in black, saluted, and said, "Sir."

Setting his wine glass down, the man in black regarded him and inquired, "Is anything unusual happening in Xingzi Forest?"

"Reporting to Master, today, three men and one woman entered Xingzi Forest. The woman was disguised as a man, and they went to meet the chief of Baiyun Village," the guard continued after a slight pause. "They're from the capital and have made it into the city."

The man in black nodded and cast a quick glance at the others, who immediately adopted serious expressions.

"Find out where those people came from," the man in black commanded.

"Understood."

The following morning, just before dawn, Qiao Zhao and her three companions stealthily exited the city, ditched their horses, and switched to boats heading north.

Their whereabouts were swiftly reported back to the man in black.

"Chi Can, the son of Princess Chang Rong; Zhu Yan, the fifth son of Marquis Taining; Yang Hou Cheng, the eldest son of Marquis Liuxing..." The man in black recited the names, paused, and an expression of confusion crossed his calm demeanor as he added, "Li Zhao, the third daughter of Li Xiu Zhuan?"

He contemplated for a moment, murmuring, "How does a young girl end up alongside those three?"

His subordinates remained reverently silent, hands clasped, clearly hesitant to disturb his thoughts.

The man in black commanded, "To travel from the capital to Jiafeng, they must go through Baoling City. Get in touch with the Jinlin Guards stationed there to see if they have any information."

"Sir, what about Xingzi Forest?" asked the subordinate with the ordinary appearance.

"Keep an eye on it. There's something unusual about the fire at the Qiao family."

As he spoke, another subordinate entered and said, "Sir, a letter from the capital."

The man in black took the letter, opened it, scanned its contents, and was taken aback.

"Sir?" his subordinate inquired, unable to contain his curiosity.

Gripping the letter tightly, the man in black replied calmly, "Prepare my things. The Grand Commander has ordered me to go to the capital immediately."

His subordinates were shocked, but he offered no further explanation. He stepped out of the house, hands behind his back, gazing up at the budding crabapple tree, a faint smile curving his lips.

After spending considerable time in Jiafeng, he felt it was time to return to the capital.

Yet, he pondered what error his sworn brother, Jiang Wu, had committed to provoke the Grand Commander into wanting a change in leadership.

Quickly pushing his doubts aside, he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of traveling with four intriguing companions.

...

Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the boat where Qiao Zhao and her friends were was rather tense.

Zhu Yan (Zhu Wu), holding a chess piece, was usually gentle but at that moment was bordering on frustration. "Shi Xi, if you're feeling down, just let it out. Isn't it torture to keep playing chess in this mood?" he said helplessly.

Chi Can lifted his gaze, coldly retorting, "I'm not just letting it out!"

Zhu Yan nearly choked, realizing that he was the one suffering! He glanced at Yang Hou Cheng (Yang Er) for help.

Yang Hou Cheng shrugged, signaling he couldn't assist, and gestured towards Qiao Zhao.

Zhu Yan's eyes brightened for a moment, but then he shook his head.

Never mind; let him deal with the consequences himself-there's no need to involve the little girl.

Chi Can observed the argument between the two and noticed Zhu Yan turning down Yang Hou Cheng's suggestion.

He caught sight of Qiao Zhao, who was quietly situated in a corner, and said casually, "Third Li, why don't you come play chess with me?"

Qiao Zhao's eyebrows twitched at his words, but she silently stood up and moved to sit across from Chi Can.

Zhu Yan offered her an apologetic glance and stood to make space for her.

As Qiao Zhao took her seat, the two resumed their game.

Leaning against the railing, Zhu Yan muttered to Yang Hou Cheng, "Shi Xi is holding back his anger; why bring anyone else into this mess?"

Yang Hou Cheng glanced over at Qiao Zhao, who sat with her back to him, exuding an air of elegance like a plum tree in gentle bloom. With a soft laugh, he teased, "Zi Zhe, are you feeling sorry for the girl?"

"Don't be ridiculous; she's just a little girl, not even old enough for marriage..."

"So, we just wait until she's fifteen, then?"

"Yang Hou Cheng!" Zhu Yan's expression darkened.

Noticing his friend's genuine anger, Yang Hou Cheng stopped joking and whispered, "Don't you realize Shi Xi has a volatile temperament? If he doesn't let out his frustration, this trip will be unpleasant for us."

"I've been playing chess with him the entire time," Zhu Yan sighed. He was the one who had organized this trip to Jiafeng, and he felt responsible for any problems that arose. He had no choice but to accept the situation.

"But what good does that do? Can't you see Shi Xi is bothered by the girl? She acted so sure of herself, claiming we could only get what we wanted by taking her to visit the Qiao family, and look what happened..."

While they were talking, a loud crash interrupted them, and they both turned to see Chi Can tossing a chess piece into the pot and declaring, "No more playing."

Qiao Zhao held the piece in her hand, slowly turning her gaze to him. His lack of focus was striking-no wonder her grandfather had never chosen to teach him...

Thoughts of her grandfather and the fire mingled in her mind, and a deep ache settled in her heart, leaving her feeling strangely numb.

Chi Can, growing more irritated, scoffed, "Third Li, didn't you say I couldn't succeed without you? Just look at how things turned out now that you're with me."

His words struck Qiao Zhao like a dagger, and she bore the pain as she softly asked Chi Can, "What did you go to the Qiao family to ask for, Brother Chi?"