Return of the Swallow c1-644

by Edited by Deyna up to chapter ~100.

  Qin Yining pulled Cao Yuqing down to a cross-legged position facing her, then dragged the quilt to cover their legs, the hot water pouch in the middle between their feet.

  Cao Yuqing giggled. “Oh, it’s so warm!”

  “Yes.” Qin Yining also half-closed her eyes in comfort and took Cao Yuqing’s hands in hers. “Auntie Cao, you must have suffered a lot looking for me out there, all by yourself?”

  With her hands held by Qin Yining, Cao Yuqing felt both awkward and delighted. Though she was married, she’d borne no children, and there was no one in her family’s younger generation whom she particularly liked.

  In addition, due to her deep affection for Qin Huaiyuan, she loved Qin Yining too, and had always regarded Qin Yining as family in her heart.

  She regarded herself as a boorish person incapable of pretty pleasantries, and could only dedicate her whole heart and act according to her conscience. It was enough in this life to bear no regrets or guilt, and she’d never thought that Qin Yining would take her by the hands and speak to her without resentment.

  She’d never had a younger family member take her hands and speak to her like this before Seeing Qin Yining’s brows and eyes curved into crescents, Cao Yuqing’s embarrassment faded away, leaving behind only joy. She tightly grasped Qin Yining’s hands to warm them up.

  “Fortunately, I’ve weathered all kinds of storms in the outside world over the years, so I’m not afraid to walk alone. I was just very worried when I couldn’t find you. I was injured when Siqin’s men took you, and didn’t know how to tell your father what had happened. My only thoughts then were that if anything should happen to you, I wouldn’t have the face to see your father ever again, so I might as well die. But by the grace of the gods, you’re safe and sound. I couldn’t have been happier when I heard you’d assassinated Anari Khan!”

  Cao Yuqing was so outspoken that Qin Yining couldn’t help laughing her eyes out. “Auntie Cao, thank you so much!”

  The girl’s genuine sincerity warmed the depths of Cao Yuqing’s heart, but she pretended to be angry instead. “Only strangers would be so polite like this.”

  “No, I mean it, really!” Qin Yining replied hurriedly, “Auntie Cao, I see you as my family, so how can we be strangers? It’s just that I like everything to be out in the open. I’m grateful to you, so I want you to know.”

  Cao Yuqing couldn’t help snickering,“Oh you, aren’t you afraid your mother will be angry that you’re so close to me?”

  Chapter 517: Guest

  Cao Yuqing’s unexpected bluntness took Qin Yining aback. Knowing that the guard captain was a straightforward person, the girl felt that it was better to just clear everything up today.

  “Auntie Cao, I know what you mean. I believe that with my father’s smarts, he will also understand. My father must’ve had a reason for doing what he did, especially since it’s something between the older generation. It’s only natural for my mother to feel jealous. This won’t sound very pleasant, but if someone like Auntie Cao, whose appearance, talent, and character are all many times better than mine, was devoted to my husband, I would also be jealous.

  “But Auntie Cao, no matter how jealous my mother is or what my father’s thinking, you are a wonderful elder in my heart. In fact, you’re more like my older sister to me. Even though our family’s gone through so many hardships, you’ve always remained steadfast by my father’s side. If you hadn’t been here when the prince besieged Great Yan, I fear my father would’ve long passed.

  “I can’t do anything about the matters of love and hate between the older generation. In any case, I believe you are a loving and sincere person. I’ve always felt like you and I are kindred spirits, so other people won’t impact our relationship. Auntie Cao truly treats me like your own, so how can I not love you like a real stepmother?”

  These words dove deep into Cao Yuqing’s heart.

  She could offer up the world for Qin Huaiyuan, but alas, the fortunes of life proved fickle. She’d been forced into so many inevitable moves, ones that had deposited her in this current station of life after everything.

  She wasn’t afraid of being alone for the rest of her life, she only feared not being by Qin Huaiyan’s side. She knew Qin Huyaiyan was loyal to his own wife and children and disliked her—fine, that was all right. In any case, it was she who adored Qin Huaiyuan. That was all her own business, and she’d never demanded Qin Huaiyuan to take responsibility for it.

  But sometimes, in the dead of the night, she also had moments when she felt lost. When Née Sun treated her as the enemy, she felt that torturing herself like this was really quite masochistic.

  But with Qin Huaiyuan’s status and that kind of environment, how could he not have somebody by his side to protect him?

  She just wanted him to live well. Even if he lived to a hundred and still just regarded her as a close friend, her life would be as sweet as honey.

  Cao Yuqing had never dreamed that Qin Yining would one day accept her with sincerity. This was a girl who valued relationships and loyalty very much. Because of her childhood, she longed for the warmth of a family and the maternal love of née Sun. However, she’d gained maternal acceptance only after experiencing untold hardships. As a result, she returned née Sun’s affections with single minded devotion and filial piety.

  At first, when given imperial orders to pretend to be Qin Huaiyuan’s concubine, there’d been times when she lost herself in the act. Her admiration and envy of née Sun had sometimes been on full display, and Qin Yining defended née Sun zealously in those moments, like a little beast waving their claws and fangs.

  But after a long period of going through thick and thin, fire and water together, she’d finally won the little beast over, lulling her into retracting her little sharp claws and fangs.

  Cao Yuqing finally felt like all the effort she’d put in over the years hadn’t been wasted.

  Even if she never received Qin Huaiyuan’s love in return, she had Qin Yining’s wholehearted acceptance and had gained a family member. It had all been worth it.

  She was a strong person and wasn’t the sort to cry so easily. But right now, her nose twinged and eyes burned, brimming with tears. She looked away in embarrassment, not wanting Qin Yining to see her like that.

  Her keen perception picked up on the development, but Qin Yining only wrapped Cao Yuqing in a hug without saying anything.

  “Auntie Cao, I will treat you with utmost filial piety in the future. If you ever get tired, just come to my home and I’ll take care of you. If I have a son with Pang Zhixi later, you can teach him martial arts. Knowing how skilled you are, I can rest easy with you as his teacher.”

  Cao Yuqing wiped her tears at an angle Qin Yining couldn’t see, taking a while to calm down before lecturing in mock anger, “You brat, you sure do dream, huh? Now you covet my martial art skills too? If we’re talking about martial arts in a serious fight where I can’t use poison or assassination, I’d probably be defeated in less than twenty moves by your prince. You still want me to teach your child?”

  “That’s different. With both you and His Highness as teachers, the effects will be better than with just one teacher.”

  “You really are a greedy chit. Just wait until we tell your prince that, he’ll definitely laugh at you!” Cao Yuqing chuckled teasingly.

  Qin Yining heard that and couldn’t help but bark in laughter, with Cai Yuqing joining in the merriment.

  The two chatted deep into the night before falling asleep together. This was the warmest and most comfortable slumber Qin Yining had in as many recent nights as she could remember.

  Early the next morning, the Minuo went to scout the path ahead. Cao Yuqing finished her morning rations before joining them.

  After ascertaining their route, the group departed from the valley and set out towards the west. Qin Yining was very happy that Cao Yuqing joined them, a feeling that seemed to transfer to a smooth journey.

  At noon on the third day, the forward scou
ts suddenly came back with a report. “There’s five people up ahead and from their clothes, they appear to be from Great Zhou. They’re all on horseback. If we continue ahead, it’s very likely we’ll run into them.”

  Cao Yuqing arched a brow and tightened the reins in her hands. “I’ll go take a look.” She galloped off in a cloud of dust.

  Qin Yining observed the terrain before having everyone assemble in formation, prepared to fight at any moment.

  But just a moment later, Cao Yuqing urged her horse back. Five people followed behind her, each dressed in a cotton overcoat and a hat. From their height, they were clearly citizens of Great Zhou.

  Cao Yuqing smiled when she pulled up in front of the group. “They’re acquaintances, Yining, you know them.”

  Before Qin Yining could speak, Lu Heng exclaimed in surprise. “Feiying, Feilian?”

  Hearing this, two stern-faced and wary middle aged men looked over, lighting up when they saw Lu Heng. They dismounted and rushed over, falling down into a kowtow.

  “Second Master! We’ve finally found you!”

  Lu Heng hurriedly helped them up and prevented their foreheads from hitting the snow. “It really is you two!”

  “Second Master, thank goodness you’re safe!”

  On the other side, the three dismounted before walking to Qin Yining and bowing. “Alliance Head, we’ve finally found you!”

  “How are you here?” Qin Yining was rather amazed.

  Their term of address rather upset her. The three who’d come were the three hallmasters she’d seen when inheriting Azure Justice from her grandmother a long time ago. They were Liao Zhibing of the slippery bladework, and the two mountain-bandit brothers, Zhao Promise and Zhao Unbreakable.

  But when she saw Liao Zhibing, Qin Yining couldn’t help but recall Missus Liao, who Siqin had abandoned in the desert. She wasn’t sure how much Liao Zhibing knew about what happened with the treasure, if he knew about Madame Liao, or how much she could even trust Azure Justice now.

  Chapter 518.1: Pursuing

  Although Qin Yining was happy to see familiar faces, her heart still rang with a few notes of caution.

  Liao Zhibing, Zhao Promise, and Zhao Unbreakable bowed to Qin Yining once again.

  “We’ve finally found you after so long!” Zhao Promise’s voice rang out in delighted tones. “We even heard that the alliance head killed Anari Khan. Everyone’s saying that the alliance head’s a real hero among women for dealing such a blow to the Tatars. All of the brothers in the alliance are honored to be in your service!”

  “That’s right, Alliance Head!” Zhao Unbreakable was also very happy.

  The way they addressed her drew a confused look from Lu Heng.

  Qin Yining heaved a silent sigh. But at this stage, Lu Heng was no longer a stranger, so she didn’t hide anything. “They’re from Azure Justice.”

  Lu Heng wasn’t surprised, having long since guessed the truth of the matter. He only smiled in reply before pulling Feiying and Feilian, the two bodyguards that had followed him for many years, to the side to talk. “Where are you two coming from?”

  “Reporting to the second master, we come from home.”

  Lu Heng’s face lit up. “And how is the situation at home? How is my grandfather doing?”

  Feiying and Feilian shared a look, rueful smiles appearing on their faces.

  “Second Master, the family fell into chaos after you were captured. The old lord’s always supported you, but with your capture, those with an eye on the patriarch position started no end of trouble. After the old lord fell ill, the eldest senior master returned to help out with things at home. But since the senior master is rarely at the capital and has a sparse network there, his power is limited. He can only watch helplessly as the second and third branches seize power and strut around."

  “These days, the family is under the second elder master’s control. Perhaps due to worrying about imperial blame, he’s pushed everything about the treasure map and the Tatar khan’s assassination onto you. It’s not just them saying it either, but practically everyone in the family. Whenever anyone asks, they all say it’s your fault.”

  “The old lord was furious when he found out, but had to keep choking down his anger. That, combined with how the emperor kept summoning him into the palace to be scolded and how much he worried over you… Well, by the time we left, the old lord was already gravely ill.”

  Lu Heng’s eyes were shut tight as he listened, painfully tilting his head after a while to try and stop tears that threatened to spill.

  If it wasn’t for him being so willful, things wouldn’t have developed like this. If he’d been a better grandson, his grandfather wouldn’t have to suffer like this in his old age.

  This was all his fault!

  But to wallow in regret now was useless. If his grandfather really met with an unexpected accident because of this, Lu Heng would never be able to forgive himself!

  “Second Master, please don’t be too saddened.”

  “That’s right, Second Master.” Feiying and Feilian hurried to comfort Lu Heng when they noticed how despondent he seemed.

  Neither two was good with words. They were so clumsy, in fact, that they could talk for ages but still fail to get the point across.

  However, Lu Heng could already sense their sincerity and smiled, clapping the two’s shoulders. “Just being able to see you guys here already makes me very happy. Don’t worry, I won’t let some news ruin me. Even if it’s lost, I can just take it back forcibly.”

  Feiying and Feilian were touched by Lu Heng’s words and vowed heroically, “As long as the second master gives the word, us brothers will dare to do anything.”

  Gripped by emotion, Lu Heng responded with a faint smile. “Alright, then I’ll be relying on you two.”

  On the other side, Qin Yining brought the Azure Justice trio to a more private area to talk. She smiled at them.

  “How did you find us here?”

  Lin Zhibing raised his hands in a cupped fist salute. “Although we didn’t find any traces of your whereabouts, we surmised that Utkin Khan would be pursuing you after killing Anari Khan and decided to try our luck in Tatar territory.”

  “Your luck sure is good, we really did find each other.” Qin Yining dimpled.

  “Yes.” Lin Zhibing smiled. “If it wasn’t for this happy development, we’d still be outside looking.”

  Zhao Promise and Zhao Unbreakable nodded in agreement.

  “Alliance Head, there’s something else I’d like to ask you.”

  A bleak smile appeared on Qin Yining’s face. “You wish to ask about Madame Liao, don’t you?”

  Liao Zhibing nodded. “That’s right. I haven’t heard from her for several months. I was hoping that she’d be with you, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

  “I’ll be honest. After Madame Liao hid the treasure, she lured me into a fake tunnel and we ended up facing off against each other. In the chaos, the earth dragon turned over again. We all fled in disarray, but ended up captured at the hands of Siqin and taken to Tatar.

  “Great Zhou’s emperor greatly values the treasure and tried to track us down for the entire journey, so Siqin decided to lead our group into the desert. Dangerous as it was and lacking adequate food and water, Siqin abandoned Madame Liao and two other brothers in the desert upon coming up empty-handed after interrogations.”

  “What!” Liao Zhibing’s eyes grew round in shock, “That bastard left people to fend for themselves in the desert?”

  “Yes.” Qin Yining sighed, “I was completely tied up at that time and utterly powerless. As we continued forward, Siqin was almost about to leave me behind as well. We were lucky that Anari Khan led a group in the desert to look for Siqin and found us, bringing enough food and water for everyone. Otherwise, I would’ve been the next one abandoned.”

  Liao Zhibing’s eyes reddened as he took a few steps back, struggling to come to terms with this blow.

  Chapter 518.2: Pursuingr />
  Although Qin Yining couldn’t see through how much of Liao Zhibing’s act was true or fake, she was still very sympathetic. Madame Liao being abandoned in the desert was essentially a death sentence under those circumstances. Perhaps after being left behind, Madame Liao might’ve regretted not revealing the treasure’s whereabouts.

  The Zhou brothers saw how anguished Liao Zhibing was and supported him on both sides in gentle comfort. “Brother, don’t feel too sad.”

  Liao Zhibing shook his head, speaking with difficulty, “If I had just spoken a few more words to her back then and prevented her from getting involved with the treasure, she wouldn’t have lost her life here.”

  “That’s right, brother. It was sister-in-law who refused to listen to you, but in any case, she’s gone, so grieving over it is useless.”

  “Furthermore, we’ve lost all clues as to the treasure’s whereabouts.”

  Qin Yining was secretly suspicious of the three, but none of it showed on her face as she listened to them talk. She didn’t believe that Liao Zhibing and the others really had no clue where the treasure was. However, they didn’t seem to be faking it either.

  But though she was doubtful, she kept an open mind. She’d already lost so much for the treasure, there was no need to pay any more for mere worldly possessions.

  Although she no longer completely trusted Azure Justice, she didn’t think the alliance would expose their whereabouts. Azure Justice wasn't comprised of good and loyal citizens devoted to Great Zhou.

  They were a marginalized group back in the days of Great Yan and had further lost citizenship when it came to Great Zhou. They spent most of their days eking out a living on the Tatar border and basically had no sense of belonging towards Great Zhou. Without gains to be had, Azure Justice shouldn’t expose their location.

  As long as nothing happened in this short period of time, all would be fine.