Ashes to Crown

Chapter 262: Chapter 65: Night Meeting

His hand went to his waist.

”Don’t reach for your weapon.”

A woman’s voice spoke, her tone laced with amusement. And... tenderness?

Xie Yanlai scoffed. A trick like this might work on a dumb bandit like Ding Dachui, but what was the point of trying it on him? He wouldn’t even blink if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. What could a few frail words from some delicate woman possibly do to him?

”I’m Ah Zhao’s mother.”

A sudden gust of cold wind seemed to shoot down his throat. Xie Yanlai’s scoff choked into a cough. He snatched his hand from his waist to cover his mouth, stifling the sound.

’What the hell! In the middle of the night, no less!’

...

...

”Aren’t you dead?”

Xie Yanlai asked hoarsely, glaring at the woman before him.

The woman chuckled. ”Oh? Did Ah Zhao tell you about me?”

Though it was late, Xie Yanlai could still feel a familiar sort of gaze—the same kind he got from Zhong Changrong. The only difference was that Zhong Changrong glared, while this woman offered a smile.

Xie Yanlai huffed. ”I don’t need her to tell me. General Chu announced it over a decade ago. Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t know?”

The woman across from him fell silent for a moment before nodding in the darkness. ”Yes, you’re right.”

’Grief-stricken, was she?’ Xie Yanlai’s face was a mask of indifference. ’Whatever tragic history they shared was none of his business.’

”Xiao Man is one of my people.” The woman wasn’t grieving; she quickly raised her head. ”General Chu and Zhong Changrong both know who I am. And they both know Xiao Man. You, Ah Jiu, don’t seem to question my identity either, so I won’t waste any more time with explanations.”

Xie Yanlai watched her coolly, neither confirming nor denying anything. He simply said, ”I don’t care who you are, but if you’ve come to me to reveal your identity to Chu Zhao, you’ve picked the wrong person. First of all, I’m not close with Chu Zhao. Her private life is none of my business, and I don’t meddle. Besides, you’ve been following Chu Zhao for so long without daring to reveal yourself, and General Chu has kept your existence a secret for years. Even a fool can see how much trouble you are.”

The woman’s voice turned mournful. ”Poor Ah Zhao. Don’t you think she’d be overjoyed to know her mother is still alive?” She took another step forward. A gust of wind seemed to peel back the dense night, allowing them to see each other’s faces, though still blurred.

This Aunt Ding was no longer covering her face. In the dark of night, her features were as clear and bright as the moon.

Her gaze was as gentle as moonlight.

”Child, do you have a mother?”

The moonlight may have been gentle, but Xie Yanlai, clad in black, was like an iceberg. He said coldly, ”Chu Zhao was raised by General Chu, and he did a fine job of it. Chu Zhao hasn’t had a mother for over a decade, and she has no need for one now. As for whether I have a mother, that has nothing to do with whether she does... Aunt Ding.”

He took a step forward as well, drawing the saber from his waist and pointing the tip at Mu Mianhong.

”Leave at once. Don’t let me see you again. Otherwise, I will kill you.”

The woman wasn’t intimidated. The sorrow vanished from her face, replaced by a gentle smile. She murmured, ”Good boy.”

’What is wrong with this woman!’ Xie Yanlai couldn’t take it anymore. He raised his saber to strike—

The woman dropped into a formal curtsy.

”Ah Jiu, I’m not here to ask Ah Zhao to acknowledge me. I came to ask for your help. I want you to ask General Chu if I might see him one time.”

”I know his time is near. I just want to see him one last time.”

”And if General Chu does agree to see me, I’ll need you to take Ah Zhao away. Don’t let her find out.”

”Everyone around him hates me and is wary of me. My appearance would surely cause a scene. Ah Zhao is always by the General’s side, and I’m afraid she’ll discover me.”

”That’s why I can only ask you, an outsider who knows nothing of our past, to take on this burden and ask for me.”

”Mu Mianhong. I thank you for this immense kindness.”

Mu Mianhong. Xie Yanlai froze. The name was so familiar—before, when he was a posthouse soldier assigned to deliver a letter to the Border County, he had made thorough preparations. He had studied and familiarized himself with every posthouse along the route, as well as the local customs of the Border County.

And the name Mu Mianhong was part of what he’d learned.

A bandit.

A major bandit.

From the Big Mountain Village, which Chu Ling himself had wiped out all those years ago—

The rumors from that time, the conflict between Chu Ling and the Emperor, the truth behind his being cast aside for over a decade—

For a dazed moment, it felt like everything clicked into place, and yet nothing made sense. Xie Yanlai shook his head. ’What did things from more than a decade ago have to do with him!’

He shook his head, straightened his back, and sheathed his saber.

”If he refuses to see you, you are to disappear at once and never show your face again,” Xie Yanlai said.

He had agreed. Mu Mianhong hurriedly bowed deeply again. ”Thank you, Mr. Xie.”

Xie Yanlai walked past her, but then stopped and looked back. He said coldly, ”One more thing. Chu Zhao is not some pitiful child. She wants for nothing. She has a parent’s love. You don’t need to wallow in self-pity, and spare me the melodrama.”

With that, he strode away, vanishing into the night wind.

Xiao Man stepped out from the side and huffed. ”Auntie, that boy is so aggressive. A long-lost mother reappears—a reunion between mother and daughter should be a joyous occasion! What’s with his attitude? Threatening to kill you, of all things.”

Mu Mianhong watched the figure disappear into the night and said softly, ”He’s only aggressive because he’s protecting Ah Zhao.”

The moment he heard her identity, his first instinct was vigilance. He would not allow her to bring any harm to Ah Zhao.