Chapter 99: Fulfilling the Marriage Contract

A gentle breeze drifted by, casting an unparalleled tranquility over the entire mountain.

Yet as Zhong Xiao stood there, she did not feel the slightest chill.

Many mountains, in truth, are always cool; no matter how scorching it is at the foot, there’s always a faint, inexplicable chill on the heights. Especially during her past life, when she was sent to the countryside, forced by hunger to climb the hills alone in search of wild edibles. Even in weather hot enough to roast a person, Zhong Xiao felt nothing but cold.

But it was not the icy touch of a stone or the shock of a bowl of cold water poured over her head. It was a coldness that seeped from the inside out, penetrating to the bone.

As the elders would say, there are too many restless souls left on the mountain—many who lingered here, unwilling to depart—so the place only grew colder as time wore on.

But Baiyun Mountain was not like that.

Zhong Xiao could sense it; on Baiyun Mountain, there was only a peace she had never known before.

Here lay the heroes of this land, warm and strong in their eternal rest.

Zhong Xiao slowly knelt down.

Before Nie Yunfeng’s tombstone, several sticks of incense still smoldered, their ends yet to be wholly consumed. Nearby were a few bunches of wild foxtail grass. The grave was immaculate, unblemished save for the fallen leaves drifting silently down from the trees.

It seemed that people often came up the mountain to tend to the resting places of these martyrs.

As if knowing the thoughts in her heart, Song Tingshen spoke:

“Every week, our military district arranges for soldiers to come up and clean. Sometimes, when someone remembers those who have passed, they’ll come of their own accord. That’s why the mountain is always spotless, always neat.”

Zhong Xiao offered a faint smile. “That’s good.”

Song Tingshen glanced at her.

She stood quietly, her expression serene. Even as two lines of tears slipped from her eyes, she remained enveloped in tranquility.

Zhong Xiao asked, “Do you have a photograph of him?”

Song Tingshen pondered for a moment. “I do.”

“Could you… give me one?”

“Yes. When we return, I’ll give you one. But I only have group photos, not any of him alone.”

Zhong Xiao nodded.

There was a pause, and then she suddenly spoke. “He must have been close to your family while he was alive, wasn’t he?”

Song Tingshen did not reply.

Zhong Xiao continued, “That’s why he arranged the engagement between us, isn’t it?”

Song Tingshen was momentarily taken aback.

Zhong Xiao turned her head to face him.

“I asked you before if you knew what connection we once had. You said you didn’t.” Zhong Xiao looked into Song Tingshen’s eyes. “Now I’ll tell you. Before you lost your memory, there was always an engagement between us. It was my mother who arranged it for me before she passed away. I never knew why. I never understood why my mother, so comfortable and privileged in Yue City, would set up such a distant engagement for me.”

“Now I understand.”

“My mother must have wanted to entrust me to the person who understood my father best.”

Zhong Xiao’s features softened; the tears she’d shed had already been swept away by the wind, leaving only a faint, uncertain trace upon her cheek.

Meeting the gaze she gave him, Song Tingshen’s heart suddenly raced.

The two of them stood in front of Nie Yunfeng’s grave. Zhong Xiao looked at him and asked,

“Song Tingshen, now that you know what once lay between us, I want to ask you—do you wish to fulfill our engagement?”

She had finally spoken the words she’d long held in her heart.

When she learned that Song Tingshen had only been feigning amnesia, Zhong Xiao had wanted to know his true feelings. Yet at that time, she could not be certain of what he thought.

As expected, upon hearing her question, Song Tingshen’s expression changed perceptibly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

Zhong Xiao waited two seconds, then said, “If you don’t want to—”

“I want to,” Song Tingshen said quietly, his heartbeat quickening as a faint flush crept across his face.

He repeated himself, this time with firmer conviction.

“I do. I want to fulfill our engagement. Let’s go register our marriage tomorrow.”