“People outside?” she asked.
“Yes, I’ve been here since I was small.”
“You’ve never gone out?”
“No.”
Ru Feng gave him a sympathetic look. So there was someone even more pitiful than herself.
At the end of the corridor, there was a garden. Four elderly people with white and black hair sat around a stone table.
One of the elders saw Ru Feng arrive and said, “You’re here?” Not understanding, Ru Feng respectfully lowered her head and hands, “Yes.” The four elders stared at her, and Ru Feng held her breath under their gaze. After a long silence, the elder facing her spoke, “I am Cang Shan, and the others are Cang Hai, Cang Sang, and Cang Tian, all elders of this house.”
The four elders of the Situ family guard the family’s lifeline, ensuring its survival through honor and disgrace. Ru Feng had heard her father speak of them with utmost respect. She knelt down, “Greetings to the four elders.” Cang Shan did not tell her to rise, “First, introduce yourself.”
The letter burned in her chest, and Ru Feng covered the spot but did not take it out. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I am Situ Ru Feng, daughter of Situ Jin.” Cang Shan repeated her name, his tone neutral. Ru Feng dared not look at their expressions, “I died from a heart attack, and my second brother Situ Qi Feng used the family’s forbidden curse to save me. I was reborn in another woman’s body, and my second brother suffers nightly from burning flames. I have come to find a way to stop his suffering, and I ask the elders to grant me this.”
Qi Wu and Qi Feng both had pure smiles. Along the way, flowers accompanied butterflies, and the corridor twisted with the land’s texture. The four elders had weathered faces, but their hair was as black as a waterfall.
She could not use the excuse of impersonating Situ Jin’s daughter, so she directly stated her purpose.
“According to what you say, you are no longer a blood member of the Situ family?” Cang Shan’s voice broke the silence.
“Yes, but…”
“We do not need explanations, just answer,” Cang Shan interrupted.
“Yes.”
“Do you know that since you are no longer a Situ family blood member, you have no right to enter this house?”
“Yes.”
“Since you already know the answer, why did you come here?” Cang Shan stood up and left.
“Wait, elder…” Ru Feng looked up, but the four elders had disappeared.
Qi Feng approached, her smile unchanged, “Miss, the elders have left. It’s late; please rest here tonight and leave tomorrow.”
“Sister, can you help me? I cannot bear to see my second brother suffer.”
“I’m sorry, miss, I am powerless.”
“Can I see the elders again? If I beg them, perhaps they might listen?”
“Miss, I’m sorry, but you must come with me. You can choose to walk out yourself, or I will throw you out.”
Ru Feng stood up, looking around the garden, and indeed saw no one.
The elders had not given her a chance to plead. She whispered, “Don’t the elders exist to bring happiness to the family, not just to choose a clan leader?”
Qi Feng stepped back, seemingly unhearing. “This way, miss.”
They reached the door where Qi Wu was already waiting. “Did you know I would come out like this?” Ru Feng asked, her disappointment and despair evident.
Qi Wu lowered his head, looking like a child who had done something wrong. “Yes, no, not exactly. I have prepared your accommodation; please follow me.”
He led her to a house beside the main door, where several houses were barely visible in a bamboo grove. Qi Wu opened the door to a tidy room with fresh flowers on the table. “Please sit; I’ll prepare food. There wasn’t enough time earlier,” he said softly.
“Thank you!” Ru Feng replied, though her heart was heavy.
Noticing the coldness in her voice, Qi Wu glanced at her then lowered his head and withdrew. At the doorway, he whispered, “I knew you would come out like this because you are a good person.”
A good person? What use is that? Ru Feng slumped onto the table, devastated that her journey might be in vain. With worry on her mind, her appetite was poor.
Qi Wu brought a meal of four dishes and a soup that looked appetizing, but Ru Feng only ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks.
Ru Feng stood to clean the dishes, but Qi Wu blocked her. “You haven’t eaten for a day and a night, only dry rations.”
“That’s right.”
“So, you should eat more.”
Ru Feng forced a smile. “Thank you for your concern, but I don’t want to eat.”
Qi Wu remained silent, head lowered.
Ru Feng said, “I’ll clean the dishes.” Qi Wu suddenly looked up, his eyes reflecting a flicker of light. “Are you sad because of today’s events?”
“Yes, I don’t want to go back like this.”
Qi Wu bit his lip, seemingly making a decision. “They will see you.”
“What did you say?”
“They sent me to pick you up, which means they have confirmed your identity. As long as you pass the test, you will be the rightful head of the family.”
“You knew about me?”
“Yes,” he replied softly, “because you are destined by heaven.”
This shocking statement almost made her step back to steady herself.
“Are you ready to eat now?” he asked with a smile.
Outside, Qi Feng sighed quietly and retreated into the darkness.
After a long time, Qi Wu emerged with a meal tray and was stunned to see Qi Feng in the night.
“Qi Wu, you revealed the information,” she stated without accusation.
“Yes, I know. I will go back to be punished later,” he walked a few steps, then turned back, “Don’t tell her.”
In the deep of night, Ru Feng tossed and turned in bed, taking out her phone with zero signal. She gently caressed the necklace around her neck, wondering if her second brother’s communicator would work here. Was her second brother enduring torment?
The more she thought, the less she could sleep. She put on her clothes and sat up. The surroundings were silent, with only the sound of wind passing through the bamboo forest.
She opened the door and was stunned. “You, why are you standing here?” So late, don’t these people need to sleep?
Si Tu Qi Wu turned his head, seeming somewhat uneasy. “I can’t sleep.”
Ru Feng looked at him. “You don’t even live here!” It was hard to believe someone would randomly walk to this place just because they couldn’t sleep.
Si Tu Qi Wu lowered his head, following behind her. “Can’t you sleep either?”
“Yes!”
“Then let me keep you company?”
Ru Feng felt they weren’t very familiar, and she looked at the crescent moon, thinking her second brother would probably be furious if he knew she was chatting with a man under the moonlight.
Ru Feng didn’t speak, and Si Tu Qi Wu fell silent.
Ru Feng found a clean stone and sat down, while Si Tu Qi Wu stood beside her silently.
“Will the elders really see me?” Ru Feng asked, still feeling uncertain.
“Yes!” Qi Wu smiled at her willingness to talk.
“Are you really twenty?”
“I’m twenty-two this year.”
Ru Feng looked at his face and said, “Is the water here particularly good?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you all look younger than your actual age, and you’re good-looking!”
Si Tu Qi Wu scratched his head. After a moment, he replied, “You’re good-looking too.”
Ru Feng smiled but didn’t continue the conversation.
As the moon slid past the treetops, Qi Wu said softly, “Go to sleep. I’ll be at the door. Don’t be afraid.”
“You thought I couldn’t sleep because I was scared?” Ru Feng laughed.
“Yes,” he nodded seriously. “The wind blowing through trees can be frightening, especially for a girl.”
Ru Feng looked at him and softened her voice. “Are you scared at night?”
Qi Wu glanced at her. “I was scared before, but not anymore.”
Ru Feng stood up, brushing off her pants. “Okay, go to sleep. You don’t need to watch over me. I’m not scared, and I won’t be able to sleep if you stand outside my door.”
“Okay!”
He stopped, watching her return to her room.
