Chapter 8: Complete Explanation
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While Bai Anjing stood frozen with incredulity, Xie Rong covered his face. Ahhh, his stupid brother! Why did he blurt out the truth so abruptly!?

The white crow on his shoulder let out a subdued caw as if reflecting its master’s mood.

“What the fuck did you just say?! How can I be Li Nianzhen?!” Bai Anjing finally burst out. His expression looked both disbelieving and vaguely freaked out.

The shout startled the easily scared bird, making it hurriedly flutter its wings and take off out one of the windows. Xie Rong didn’t mind it. The bird would find its way back to him as it always did.

The Herald, Xie Cheng, just looked even more confused at the outburst while Xie Rong reached out to pat Bai Anjing’s arm. “Shh, calm down. It’s okay. Why don’t we go and discuss this in the privacy of a room rather than here?”

Bai Anjing’s face had gone white from shock. He numbly nodded, sheathed his sword, and silently let Xie Rong lead him. However, the second the Herald started following them, he snapped back to awareness and kept his gaze fixed on him warily. Xie Cheng cooperatively dropped his halberd with a clang and lifted up his hands to show his empty palms in a gesture of wanting peace. However, since many other weapons still hung from the Herald’s belt, Bai Anjing’s tense posture relaxed only marginally.

Xie Rong opened a random door, checked that the room was empty, and led the others into it before closing and firmly locking it. A low, rectangular table reaching one’s knees surrounded by six comfortable chairs sat in the middle of the ornately appointed room. Xie Rong guessed it to be one of the places where the core members of the Qifeng organization held important discussions.

Bai Anjing and Xie Cheng sat opposite to each other on either side of the table while Xie Rong took the seat beside Bai Anjing. Reaching out a hand and placing it lightly on the other man’s arm in an attempt to soothe him, Xie Rong began, “I’m sorry that you had to learn the truth this way, but my brother is right. You are the captain of the imperial secret guards, Li Nianzhen. I’m assuming you forgot it because of memory loss due to a head injury four years ago.”

Bai Anjing scowled, not wanting to believe it, but didn’t shake off Xie Rong’s hand either. “How did you know about my memory loss?” He hadn’t told a soul about it till now, instead acting mysterious when asked as if he didn’t want to reveal his past. After all, as unsavory as some of the people from Qifeng were, they might think him gullible and use this opportunity to try and deceive or take advantage of his missing memories.

And yet, despite his precautions, his Ah-Rong seemed to have known it for a long time. How? Was he…someone from his past? Was he really his husband?! Bai Anjing quickly pushed aside his budding hope and looked at Xie Rong for answers.

Xie Rong shrugged. “We guessed. I know that this may be hard to believe, but I would like you to give us a chance to explain.”

Bai Anjing looked into Xie Rong’s eyes and read the sincerity and coaxing displayed there. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his nape, then nodded. “Alright, explain this to me and I’ll see if I believe it.”

The Herald, Xie Cheng, let out a silent breath in relief, but didn’t say anything, content to let the couple figure this out on their own.

Xie Rong smiled and scooted his chair closer to Bai Anjing, then began, “I’m not sure if you’ve already found it out, but you were adopted by our father, Xie Bing, who was the previous captain of the imperial secret guard. He chose to pass on his title to you, and my older brother Xie Cheng became your lieutenant. You served the emperor, who is your close friend Ning Shu that I told you about in the story yesterday night, the one where he ended up fishing out his elder brother and drunkenly calling him a mermaid.”

Bai Anjing’s lips twitched. Who the heck made such a ridiculous guy the emperor?! But despite his incredulity, he didn’t interrupt.

Xie Rong’s expression gradually grew more solemn as he went on, “Four years ago, you set out with a squad in secret to subdue a group of insurgents in the hills of the Baizhu region. But you and your squad ended up walking into an ambush set up by those insurgents. Though you all should’ve been able to handle it, you ended up injuring your head through sheer bad luck. The people who’d gone with you told us later that after that injury, you looked very disoriented and escaped the fight as if not recognizing anyone.

“After your squad finished off their enemies and began tracking you, they found that you hid all traces of your location using your training, making them unable to find you. And since they were also trying not to butt heads with the Qifeng organization while in their territory, their progress grew even slower.”

Bai Anjing frowned and rubbed his forehead as if to ward of a headache. All of this…seemed probable. He remembered being injured and fleeing through forests. He hadn’t known or remembered anything; but littered with injuries, he had felt very endangered and had thus fled while unconsciously being as careful as possible.

After he ended up in the Qifeng organization and killed its leader, he had chosen to take up the mantle of the new leader rather than exit the organization due to his uncertainty. What if the people who had injured him were still looking for him? He had no memories and knew nothing about who the people that hurt him were or what they wanted with him. And so he had built up the Qifeng organization as an insurance of sorts so that even if those suspected enemies of his came knocking, he wouldn’t be easy prey.

He hadn’t known if he had anywhere to go or if anyone loyal to him was looking for him, and he couldn’t risk stumbling into the hands of those people who meant him harm either. Even though the hideout of the Qifeng organization was not a place with good memories for him, he didn’t know where else he could be safe. It was the only place he knew to call home.

Yet now, he was hearing that his actions had actually ended up making it difficult for the people who were on his side to find and protect him. He…didn’t know what to think.

After giving him a few moments to digest it all, Xie Rong continued, snapping Bai Anjing out of his thoughts, “It was because of your squad’s words and the way they described your actions at that time that I and Brother came to the conclusion that your head injury could have caused you to lose your memories. Or at least those that are not skill-based, it seems. We guessed that you could be wandering somewhere not knowing you had a home and family, so the efforts to find you continued without pause.”

At the side, Xie Cheng nodded to confirm his younger brother’s words. “Yes, but even then, it was next to impossible to find your tracks. You always were very good at hiding your footsteps and misdirecting anyone following you.”

Bai Anjing looked thoughtful. So that was where that skill of his had come from. He had wondered. Looking at Xie Rong, he nodded for him to go on.

Xie Rong spoke, “While the dispatched secret guards were looking for you in secret, Brother had his hands full at the imperial palace trying to handle security for the whole residence and its people in your absence. It was undesirable for others to find out that the biggest protector of the throne was gone, so news of your disappearance was tightly controlled. I suppose it was also the emperor’s selfish wish of not wanting to replace you, his most trusted friend, as the captain of his secret guards.

“However, after four years of trying to compensate for the lack of a captain for the imperial secret guards, Brother’s resources were stretched too thin and he ended up having to recall the people searching for you. In return, he decided to pick qualified people from the Xie household to go and continue the search. But since the people being picked had to have good enough training to be able to sniff out your tracks while also be loyal and tightlipped enough to not spill out the circumstances, the selection process took a lot of time.”

At the side, Xie Cheng frowned. Was this the reason why his younger brother had taken matters into his own hands and had come here to search for his husband?

As if to answer his question, Xie Rong carried on, “In those few weeks interim, I didn’t want the search for you to stop, so I made up an excuse about wanting to be close to the place you were last seen in and…” Taking a guilty peek at his brother’s expression, he continued, “…I snuck out of the mansion everyday and took my attendant Lian Ru with me to search for you in these hills. We tried different routes each day until I managed to stumble upon those bushes of dragon boat flowers and was found by people from Qifeng. I was taken by them to come and meet you and finally saw you after four years.” Xie Rong’s voice had gone soft by the end, his expression filled with complex, indescribable emotions. Bai Anjing thought he even spied a sheen of tears in his Ah-Rong’s eyes. And it was no wonder. His Ah-Rong had waited so long for him, worrying constantly without knowing whether he was alive or dead.

Bai Anjing’s face unconsciously eased into gentle lines as he wrapped an arm around Xie Rong. “It’s good that you found me. Despite everything, we unexpectedly found each other in the end. That’s all that matters.”

Xie Rong buried his face into Bai Anjing’s shoulder and nodded. Xie Cheng looked at his younger brother’s distraught form with a distressed expression. But he chose not to interfere. This was not his place to butt in.

After taking a few moments to compose himself, Xie Rong straightened again. “By the time I entered the hideout, I already had a hunch that you were the leader those people talked about. I knew that you would have lost your memories, so I tried to mentally prepare myself to not show any surprise or relief when I saw you. And yet…” Xie Rong let out a deep breath. “And yet, you were so different, but also the same. Your skin had darkened and turned rougher due to the harsher living conditions here. You had visible scars I did not know how you got and you even started growing stubble after having disdained it your whole life.

“Before, due to the rigorous training you had to go through and the heavy responsibility you knew you had to bear, you had grown…subdued. You didn’t laugh or behave with as much playfulness as you used to when we were children. And yet, when I met you here, you smiled so easily and you acted so relaxed. But though the differences threw me off at first, I soon realized that you still retained the core of who you were. You were still the man I loved. You were just a happier, more carefree version of yourself. I wanted to learn you anew, maybe trigger your memories somehow, and become closer again while making sure not to tip you off and make you defensive. I didn’t want you to treat me like an enemy. I… After everything, I don’t think I could bear it.”

Xie Rong lowered his head and bit his lower lip, trying to hold back his roiling emotions again. Bai Anjing hugged him with an arm and kissed the top of his head in comfort. Xie Rong let out another breath and regained his equilibrium. His voice was slightly hoarse as he said, “I think Brother can explain the things that happened next better than me, since I can only guess.”

As both their attentions turned to him, Xie Cheng nodded. “I heard reports about how Xiao Rong couldn’t be found and that his attendant was acting suspicious, so I rushed to the manor from where I had been working nearby. After some nudging, the attendant told me everything, including her suspicions that it might be related to you. I took along the white crow, Bai-er, and quickly made my way to the place where the attendant last saw Xiao Rong.”

“Wait a moment,” Bai Anjing interrupted. “What is that crow’s name again?” Why the heck did that crow share the surname he was currently using?! Now wouldn’t he feel like he was being called every time someone used that dratted bird’s name?

Reaching over the table, Xie Cheng patted his junior brother’s knee sympathetically. “Don’t worry, Xiao Li― ahem, Xiao Bai. We didn’t know you’d one day take the name Bai, so the crow’s name matching yours is purely coincidental. I’m sure we wouldn’t confuse between you two.”

Bai Anjing accepted his attempt at comforting him and awkwardly nodded in gratitude.

“If we’d known it would be so, we would have called the crow Xiao Bai as well so that you would share names,” Xie Rong cheekily added. Just teasing his beloved itself made his mood improve by leaps.

Bai Anjing shot a look at Xie Rong and made a dignified attempt at pouting. Xie Rong laughed and rubbed Bai Anjing’s back as if in mollification. The heavy mood from before lightened significantly.

Showing a small smile, Xie Cheng continued, “Following that Lian Ru’s directions, I came to the place where those dragon boat flowers bloomed. But I did not know how to start searching for Xiao Rong, and hopefully you alongside him, without knowledge of where the people from Qifeng took him. Without knowing how they were treating you both, I did not want to be careless and alert them as well. So I decided to return to the mansion, think of a plan, and come back the next day to search for clues. However, the next day, Bai-er began impatiently cawing up a storm and making a fuss after not seeing Xiao Rong for a day, so I decided to take him with me again.

“But surprisingly, this time, as if sensing Xiao Rong’s presence, Bai-er flew into the hills and wandered for hours. I’m assuming he found Xiao Rong in this place, since the first thing he did after returning was try to lead me here. Bai-er has an excellent sense of direction and he’s very intelligent despite not being brave, so I realized that he might have figured something out and followed him. Unfortunately, even with Bai-er leading, my terrible sense of direction caused us to be lost for the better part of a day. But thankfully, we soon found our way back onto the path. Halfway through, people started waving their weapons at me while trying to scare me off, so I had to fight for a bit. I did take care not to kill anyone though. After a while, the ones swarming me stopped and retreated for some reason, so I decided to continue on and found Xiao Li in that hall. The rest, you already know.”

Bai Anjing nodded, his expression contemplative. By now, he fully believed Xie Rong and his brother. Every word they said echoed within him just like Xie Rong’s name had when he heard it three days ago. All of it felt vaguely familiar, lending authenticity to their claims.

Sighing, Bai Anjing closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair before massaging his temples. Ever since that time four years ago when a head injury caused his memories to turn blank, he had been plagued with these headaches. It seemed that they only occurred when something stirred the memories of his past.

Opening his eyes, Bai Anjing looked at Xie Rong and Xie Cheng. Parting his lips, he finally said, “I just have one thing to confirm.”

Xie Rong tensed while Xie Cheng nodded seriously. “What is it?”

Bai Anjing fixed Xie Cheng with an intense, shining gaze. “So, does all this mean that…Ah-Rong already is my husband?”

Xie Rong’s fist banged on his armrest as he asked disbelievingly, “That’s what your first question is?!”

Xie Cheng chuckled in his low voice and said warmly, “Junior Brother, I’m glad to see that you have remained the same even without your memories.”

Bai Anjing grinned. Turning to his wonderful husband, he poked his cheek and asked, “Is there anything else you want to tell me, Ah-Rong? Like why you think peas are evil, for example?”

Xie Rong pulled Bai Anjing’s hand away from his check and huffed. “I only said that because you made me panic with the way your grabby hands almost got ahold of it. You shouldn’t eat peas, because dear husband mine, you’re very badly allergic to them.” Turning away, he muttered to himself, “Thank goodness none of the other dishes were contaminated by it or who knows how much you would’ve had to suffer.”

Bai Anjing raised his brows. Aha, so this explained his aversion and dislike of peas. “Did I ever eat them before?”

Both Xie Rong’s and Xie Cheng’s expressions darkened as one. Xie Cheng nodded and replied, “Yes, you did eat them once as a child. A short while later, your mouth swelled up, you had stomach pains and difficulty breathing, along with dizziness and nausea. In the end, you fainted and almost died. The physicians saved you in time, but seeing you suffer so horribly and nearly die, all of us in the household grew to hate peas as much as you later did.” Looking at Bai Anjing strangely, Xie Chen noted, “By the sound of it, it seems like you had a near encounter with peas again. Even though you lost your memory, it’s a wonder you let it near you considering the degree to which you used to hate it.”

Bai Anjing chuckled and glanced lovingly at Xie Rong. “With my husband at my side, I must’ve instinctively known that nothing can go wrong.”

Xie Rong pressed his lips together in a silent admonishment even as his cheeks turned pink. Damn this man for always getting him in a fluster!

Sighing out a happy breath, Bai Anjing looked at Xie Rong with a smile. “Ah-Rong, is this why you refused to call me by name?”

Coughing to clear his embarrassment, Xie Rong nodded. “Yes. The thought of using your current name gave me the strange feeling that I was cheating on my husband.”

A twinge of jealousy pinched Bai Anjing and he wanted to laugh. It seemed that there was still quite a ways to go before he got used to his identity, both as Li Nianzhen and his Ah-Rong’s husband.

“Ah-Rong and…Senior Brother,” he called. When he had their attention, Bai Anjing said, “I would like to stay here for a while more and wrap my head around this. I also have a few more things left to do here before leaving Qifeng entirely. When I’m ready, I’ll come to the capital and try to work my way through this memory loss issue and also try to slowly get used to my former life.”

Xie Rong’s eyes widened with barely suppressed dread while Xie Cheng asked hesitantly, “Junior Brother, are you sure? Your life before was stressful. You can live a much more leisurely life here. I’m sure that Ah-Rong will also assent to live with you in this place if you choose to stay.”

Xie Rong frantically nodded his head. “I don’t have any important duties in the capital, so I don’t have to leave you here.”

Bai Anjing smiled and brushed his hand over Xie Rong’s head affectionately. “It’s alright, Ah-Rong. You can go back first. I won’t disappear this time. I will come back to you.” Turning to Xie Cheng, he replied, “Life here might be easier for me, but if I can, I would still rather return to a place where I have a family and home.”

On the opposite side of the table, Xie Cheng nodded. “I understand.”

Xie Rong hugged Bai Anjing tightly as if trying to meld his body into his so that he wouldn’t have to let go.

Bai Anjing patted his husband’s back and said softly, “Ah-Rong, wait for me. I will definitely return.”

Xie Rong hesitated, then leaned back and took his beloved’s face in his palms. So much had changed in this man, yet everything he loved remained the same. Pulling Bai Anjing’s head down, Xie Rong gave him a short and fiery kiss before letting go. “If you leave me alone again, don’t think I won’t find you and make you fall for me once more!”

Then standing up quickly as if to resist the temptation of staying, Xie Rong quickly sped out through the door. Xie Cheng shook his head with a small smile. Getting up more slowly, he went around the table to pat his junior brother’s shoulder before following after his younger brother with measured steps. With that, the two brothers left the Qifeng organization’s hideout at last.

Left behind, Bai Anjing thought of his Ah-Rong’s reactions and smiled cheerfully. It seemed he had to work fast. After all, he now had a family who would worry if he returned late and a home to welcome him with warmth.

The next will be the last chapter and wrap up this short story (๐• ᴗ •๐) See you tomorrow~

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