Chapter 1261: I Want to Make You Stay (139)

"They're gone?" Jin Qingyan asked.

Xiao Chenyang answered, "The residence that they used to live in has now become an estate. I've never interacted with them much so I barely know anything about them."

"It's already been so many years. Even if they haven't been completely wiped out, finding them would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. We'll take things in our stride and play it by ear. Actually, I still think that it all depends on ourselves. It would be hard for curses to take effect so long as we stay firm and don't waver. Let's not dwell on it."

"I'm not going to waver. I never will," Jin Qingyan said resolutely.

"Yes, I believe in you."

Jin Qingyan held her hand and said, "Let's go upstairs. You two suit yourselves."

Xiao Chenyang smiled and looked at Fang Erlan. "Shall we head back to B City today or tomorrow?"

"Today. We've already rested yesterday."

He answered with a nod, "Sure, let's go, then."

——

One week later, An Xiaoning received a call from the chief military councilor of B City, who informed her that they had gotten to the bottom of the truth about Zong Jingyi's case.

An Xiaoning knew that they would definitely pay more attention to the case since she was the one who had submitted the concrete evidence. However, she thought that they would take at least two weeks to a month to conduct thorough investigations.

To her surprise, they managed to get the results within a week.

"I don't want to know about the process. I just want to hear the outcome."

"The outcome is that those who had gotten the sack deserved to be fired and those who had been imprisoned or executed also deserved their sentences. He had received a death sentence because the investigators back then were involved in corruption and other illegal acts, according to our investigations. Ms. An, are you satisfied now?"

"It's not about me being satisfied. Rather, it's a matter of principle. I hope you'll publish a clarification on the military news and clear Zong Jingyi's name so as to restore his reputation."

"But... Ms. An, that would be inappropriate. If we were to do that, it'd be as good as admitting that we had made a grave mistake."

"Are you afraid of ruining your image?" An Xiaoning questioned coldly.

"Okay, we'll adhere to your requests and do as you instructed. Let's put an end to this matter."

"Yes, I want it to end as soon as possible. It's only human to err. What matters is you have the bravery and courage to admit to your mistakes."

After ending the call, An Xiaoning headed to Qing Zhu's room.

She would inevitably be bored after being locked up in the house for so long. However, she had never once asked to go out to take a breather, or made any other requests.

"You must be really bored in here, aren't you?" An Xiaoning asked.

"I've gotten used to it. I never felt bored living in the tomb either."

"Are there any places where you'd like to go?"

Shaking her head, Qing Zhu answered, "You've already bombed the tomb. Where else can I go?"

An Xiaoning removed the amulets in the room and said, "From now on, you're free. Do you understand what I mean?"

"You've never asked about me at all ever since I moved in here. Are you really not curious?"

"Not at all. Everyone has a past. There's nothing much for me to be curious about," An Xiaoning said truthfully.

Qing Zhu smiled and said, "Actually, I've been living rather well during my time here. Now that you've given me freedom, I really don't know where to go..."

"You can continue staying here if you'd like," said An Xiaoning, who took into consideration that the woman was all by herself. Now that her home had been destroyed, there was nowhere she could go to either.

"May I continue staying here?"

"Yes, you may."

After giving it some thought, Qing Zhu said, "It'd be best if I can continue staying here since that would save me a whole lot of hassle. However, I'll feel bad if I constantly impose on you guys. There'll definitely be a place for me in this big, big world. I think I'd better excuse myself."

Seeing how understanding she was, An Xiaoning smiled and said, "It's all up to you to decide if you'd like to leave or stay. There'd be a place for you in this house if you choose to stay. However, if you choose to leave, I'll provide you with all the material things that you'd need. No matter where you go, money is an absolute necessity."

"Thank you so much for your kindness, Ms. An, but I've already thought about it. I'll just take the money that you're planning to give me as a compensation for destroying my home. The tomb contained lots of my dowry that are very valuable. You may have all of them. Now that the tomb is in ruins, it'd be difficult for me to scour for them."

"I won't be able to get my hands on those things. The archeological team will have to find all the items and hand them over to the national relic museum."

"Is that so? But I've been safekeeping those precious items for so long. Those archeologists are going to get an advantage."

"Perhaps you don't know much about the outside world since you had spent all your time inside the tomb and isolated yourself from the word. However, those items actually belong to the nation even though they were your personal possessions. Even if you pawn them for money, you're likely to become a target for thieves and robbers. Those crooks are present everywhere. I know you're formidable and powerful yourself, but you'd only be causing yourself unwanted trouble should you get into a conflict with those crooks and end up in the police station. How about I help you register for an official identity before you leave? However, your identity card will have an expiry date. Once your time is up, you'll have to either move to another place where identification documents are not required or do as you deem fit."

Qing Zhu answered with a nod, "I understand. You're really so considerate. I hereby clarify solemnly that though I may possess some formidable abilities, I'll never use them to harm others. I'll at most... scare them."

An Xiaoning grinned and said, "You may wait until I get your identity registered before setting off. It won't take too long."

"Okay."

An Xiaoning bumped into Xiao Huang when she exited the room.

"Young Madam, Zong Jingyi wants to see you."

"Let him in. I was just about to go look for him."

"Yes," said Xiao Huang, who then strode out. Not long after, Zong Jingyi entered. He had mostly been dressed in casual attire throughout the past few days. For the first time in a while, he donned his military uniform again.

An Xiaoning folded her arms and walked toward the couch.

"I heard from Brother-in-law that there's been an outcome in the investigations."

"Yes, they've already called me. I was just about to go look for you. Have a seat."

Zong Jingyi sat down, unable to contain his agitation. "Did they mention when the clarification would be made?"

"It should happen soon. I've requested for them to restore your reputation by publishing the clarification on the military newspaper. Do you still remember the words you said to me in the past?" asked An Xiaoning, who had already rehearsed her sentences in her head.

"Which words?"

"Those that you said in the hotel on Mingyuan Road."

"I do," he answered firmly.