Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 67 You are Changying
Before she turned eleven, she was a tiny, fair-skinned little dumpling.

Zhou Wan was only a year older than her, but she was a head taller than her.

Before, the first few lines were very close together, but when he was eleven years old, he suddenly grew much taller.

At that time, Su Changying gestured with his sword to indicate the height, jokingly saying that when Zhaozhao grew to this height, he would be ready to propose to her. She was so angry that she jumped up on the spot, leaped onto Su Changying's back, and gave him a good beating on the head.

Zhou Zhao recalled the scene, then reached out and placed his hand in front of the topmost scratch.

"Now, I'm even higher than this line."

Zhou Zhao murmured softly, so softly that only she could hear it.

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, then turned to look at Qianmian, who was standing there with a somewhat blank look in his eyes.

Zhou Zhao then noticed that at his feet, against the wall, were clumps of reeds. The reeds grew by the water, turning into a vast expanse of white in autumn, gilded golden by the setting sun, and when the wind blew, the white flowers flew up like falling snow.

Zhou Yan liked to fish on a covered boat. Back then, she was impatient and would chase wild ducks through the reeds, causing a ruckus.

After Su Changying had finished making a fuss, she taught her how to cross the river on a reed. The first time she fell into the water, she accidentally got her clothes caught on Zhou Yan's fishhook...

Zhou Zhao thought for a moment, her eyes reddening slightly. She looked at Qianmian and said, "This mountain isn't damp, it's not suitable for planting reeds. Why do you insist on planting them? What, do you also want to take your little lover to see the reeds in bloom?"

Qianmian was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

"Didn't I tell you? There's nothing going on. When I first went to the mountaintop, Yuheng also tested me."

“The hall masters in the inner city are all experts. I know you have exceptional talent, but you are still too young to be their match. Qin Tianying is inherently suspicious; he doesn't trust you, and he doesn't trust me either. Tianxuan is his confidante…”

Qianmian was only halfway through speaking when he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

He lowered his head stiffly, only to see Zhou Zhao standing in front of him in the blink of an eye, embracing him.

The woman's warmth and fragrance instantly filled his heart. He felt every strand of Zhou Zhao's hair trembling. He couldn't tell if it was her trembling or his heart pounding so hard that his eyes were shaking.

"you……"

Qianmian had many questions she wanted to ask, but her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts, and she didn't know where to begin.

As he was thinking this, he saw that Zhou Zhao had already released him as if nothing had happened.

Even though fine beads of sweat were appearing on his forehead, he felt an unusual coolness and emptiness in front of him.

"I am not Su Changying."

Qianmian sighed softly. His voice was already exceptionally deep, and this sigh made even himself feel a little melancholy.

He turned around and went into the house.

Zhou Zhao watched his retreating figure and followed him. The room was cold and deserted, with no one serving them. She didn't know if this was the usual practice, or if they had anticipated her arrival and thus sent everyone away beforehand.

Qianmian sat down at the table, poured tea for Zhou Zhao, and then took out a small white porcelain bottle and pushed it in front of Zhou Zhao.

"Here are detoxifying pills. Qin Tianying requires the head of the inner hall to have breakfast on the mountaintop every day. I was worried that they might be poisonous, so I take one after I come down the mountain each day. You also ate steamed buns and millet porridge today, just in case."

As he spoke, seeing that Zhou Zhao remained unmoved, he paused for a moment and then said, "I am not Su Changying."

If he could, he would also wish he were Su Changying. Qianmian thought this, a hint of astonishment on his face. He looked at Zhou Zhao in front of him and quickly looked away.

Zhou Zhao took a deep breath to calm herself down. She clenched her fists tightly to suppress the emotions that were almost impossible to contain.

"Your past is a blank slate, you can't even remember it yourself, right?"

Qianmian suddenly turned his head and looked at Zhou Zhao.

“The scratches on the pear tree in the courtyard, the reeds in the corner, the perfect teamwork between you, me, and Ah Huang…” Zhou Zhao paused, “and that red spot on your arm, that red spot of yours, it wasn’t congenital, was it?”

Zhou Zhao asked seriously, her eyes filled with unwavering certainty.

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing a red dot that was almost identical to the one on Qianmian's face.

Qianmian's pupils suddenly contracted, and he subconsciously placed his hand on his arm, where there was also a red dot.

"You don't remember anything, but you still remember that there was such an important person. There was a red dot on her arm here. You were afraid you would forget, so you specially got the same one tattooed on your hand, right?"

As Zhou Zhao spoke, her eyes were red, and her nose felt particularly sore.

She had imagined how she would react when Qianbai returned to Tianying City and saw Su Changying—whether she would grab him and beat him up, or burst into tears.

But she didn't. She could still sit calmly face to face with him, and even manage a smile that was uglier than crying.

In recent years, no one has been able to unconditionally protect her anymore; she has become a capable leader on her own.

She had always suspected that Qianmian was Su Changying, and she had suppressed her desire to test him, thinking that the truth would be revealed on July 15th.

But she couldn't resist.

She seemed not to have grown up at all, still the same Zhou Zhao who used to act spoiled and unreasonable towards Zhou Yan and Su Changying.

Qianmian stared at Zhou Zhao's arm for a long time, and he couldn't help but gently touch the red dot with his fingertip, his fingertip lightly brushing over it.

"What's your favorite drink?" Zhou Zhao asked.

Upon hearing this, Qianmian blurted out, "Pear Blossom White."

Zhou Zhao shook his head. "That's not the kind of wine you like, it's the kind I like. You used to be a soldier, so you like strong liquor."

What's your favorite snack?

Thousand Faces' lips trembled slightly, "Chestnut cake."

Zhou Zhao shook her head, her nose stinging. "That's what I like too. You don't like sweets, and not only that, you don't eat snacks either."

“Look at this stone pillar, it seems so familiar to me, as if I’ve seen that scene before, hasn’t it? Because you’ve experienced it before. Lord Lu was a great general in the army. I fought alongside you on the battlefield. In the midst of the war, I lost my hair ribbon. After we returned to the city victorious, you gave me two new hair ribbons.”

As Zhou Zhao spoke, she took out the two black and white hair ribbons that she had always tied behind her head when she was in Chang'an.

The ribbon read: "Heaven's justice is clear, and there are no taboos."

These eight words are how Su Changying sees Zhou Zhao.

"So, you don't remember yourself, but you still remember me. You are Su Changying."