Chapter 294: You Are My Only Light
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Found it! Found it!”
“Princess Zhao Yang, please stop crying! I have already caught the thief!” Official Zhong was drenched in sweat from anxiety.
Half a month ago, his subordinates had reported that the Thousand-Faced Thief had entered the capital, likely bringing trouble.
Who could have expected that the thief would target none other than Princess Zhao Yang?
When the Thousand-Faced Thief was captured, he looked utterly dumbfounded, clutching a small pouch in his arms as he was dragged forward.
Lu Chao Chao sniffled, her eyes red with grievance.
“You wretched thing! Return my jade pendant this instant!”
“How many heads do you have to spare? You dare steal His Majesty’s token?!” Official Zhong ground his teeth. If such a crime occurred under his jurisdiction, how could he ever hope for a promotion?
Official Zhong quickly snatched the pouch away and presented it respectfully to Lu Chao Chao.
“Princess Zhao Yang, your pouch has been retrieved. Please check if anything is missing!” he said with a fawning smile.
The middle-aged man being restrained looked utterly ordinary, someone who could blend into any crowd unnoticed. Yet, he had committed crimes for years, moving freely across regions, relying on his exceptional disguise techniques to evade capture.
But now, because he had stolen from Lu Chao Chao, he was caught in less than half an hour.
The Thousand-Faced Thief widened his eyes in disbelief. “What jade pendant?! I never even saw a jade pendant!!”
Just as he spoke, Lu Chao Chao sniffled and opened her small pouch.
Inside, the golden-thread beef pastries, still slightly warm, had started to cool. Lu Chao Chao grabbed one and took a large, furious bite.
Then…
Under Official Zhong’s expectant gaze, she kicked aside the pouch.
With tears and snot still on her face, she just continued eating.
“Tasty…”
“You heartless thief! How dare you steal my… my beef pastry?” Lu Chao Chao muttered between bites, her cheeks stuffed full.
Official Zhong was stunned.
“Wait, wait… Where is your jade pendant?” he asked in shock.
“What jade pendant?” Lu Chao Chao mumbled, her mouth greasy. The pastry’s flaky crust crumbled with every bite, revealing the soft and juicy beef inside.
“His Majesty’s, the Eldest Princess’, and the others’ jade pendants!”
Lu Chao Chao made a sound of realization. “Oh, that useless thing? I tossed it in the carriage.”
Official Zhong clutched his thigh in despair.
“My merits! My achievements!!”
“Didn’t you say you lost something valuable?!” he cried in agony.
“Isn’t this a treasure?! I waited in line for half an hour for it!! It’s far more precious than some jade pendants!!” Lu Chao Chao protested, her swollen eyes filled with indignation.
The Thousand-Faced Thief burst into tears of injustice.
“So you locked down the entire city over two beef pastries?!”
He hadn’t even intended to steal from Lu Chao Chao!
From her luxurious clothing and numerous attendants, she was clearly a noble lady, someone not to be trifled with!
He had no plans to cause trouble.
But as she walked, she kept clutching her small pouch like it was the most precious thing in the world, sneaking peeks inside every few steps.
Something that made a lady of high status so cautious—surely, it was a priceless treasure!
That moment, his greed took over.
If he pulled off this one heist, he might never have to worry about food again in his entire life.
And yet—
Damn it all!!
Inside the pouch were just two beef pastries, and because of them, he got arrested!
Official Zhong immediately kicked him in frustration, gritting his teeth. “You committed crimes everywhere; it’s about time you got caught!” Of all people to steal from, he stole Lu Chao Chao’s beef pastries!
With that, Official Zhong dragged the thief away.
Yu Shu and Yu Qin exchanged helpless glances and sighed, “When did you take out the jade pendants?”
Lu Chao Chao shook her head dismissively. “They were in the way.”
Li Si Qi couldn’t help but chuckle.
Just as he was about to step forward—
Suddenly…
The last remnants of twilight faded, and the moonlight cast its glow upon the sky.
Rows of lanterns stretched endlessly like a dragon, illuminating the streets as the crowd cheered in excitement.
Though Li Si Qi stood amidst the lively festival, surrounded by countless people, he felt like an outsider—as if the bustling world had nothing to do with him.
Voices rang in his ears, laughter filled the air.
Yet, before his eyes, there was only darkness.
He—
Could not take a single step forward.
“Wow, so many lanterns… A dragon lantern! A phoenix lantern! So beautiful…” Lu Chao Chao’s voice pierced through the crowd.
“Third Brother, come look at the dragon dance!”
“Brother Si Qi! Brother Si Qi… Come here!!”
Her voice seemed to come from both the heavens and right beside him.
He reached out instinctively, groping his way toward Lu Chao Chao’s direction.
The moment he took one step forward, someone tripped him.
“Are you blind?! You bumped into me!” someone scolded.
The crowd was too dense. He had no room to dodge. He fell to the ground, and someone’s foot stomped on his hand.
“Tss…” He winced in pain.
Then another foot stepped on his back.
In the midst of chaos, a servant cried out in panic. “My young master! Has anyone seen my young master?!” The servant’s voice trembled with fear—in just a blink, Li Si Qi had vanished from sight.
The sky had turned pitch black.
And his master—
Could not see.
Li Si Qi curled up, trying to shield his head, but the never-ending crowd made it impossible to move.
People trampled over his legs, his back, his hands.
His once bright eyes lost their luster, his vision shrouded in darkness.
Pain spread through his body.
So much pain.
He furrowed his brows, his mind in chaos.
Suddenly—
A memory flashed through his mind.
A man lay atop an ice coffin, his expression sorrowful as he gazed at the young woman inside.
Gently stroking the icy surface, he murmured, “You sacrificed yourself for the world, your merits are immeasurable… So why must you endure endless suffering?”
“The heavens are unfair… Unfair to you.”
“Master, wake up. What you lack—I shall give you!”
“You have no eyes? Then I shall be your eyes.”
“Master, I am the God of Life, and these eyes… they will suffice for you. May they allow you to witness mountains and rivers, to behold the world’s splendor. I have no regrets…”
The man gently pressed a glowing light into the ice coffin.
“May you take my eyes, be reborn, and return to the mortal realm.”
As the man closed his own eyes, a single tear of blood slid down his cheek.
“Master, I too… shall enter the cycle of reincarnation to find you again.”
“You will always be my only light.”
As the vision faded, Li Si Qi gasped for air, drenched in sweat.
He murmured, “Master… Master… where are you?”
Through the chaos, a clear, childlike voice rang out—
“Brother Si Qi!!”
“Brother Si Qi, where are you?!”
Lu Chao Chao turned her head, only to find Li Si Qi missing.
She immediately began searching.
Being small, she crouched down and spotted Li Si Qi not far away, curled up in distress.
“Brother Si Qi! I’m coming to save you!!” Her childish voice carried through the crowd.
As Li Si Qi lay there, dazed from pain, everything remained dark.
The lively world had nothing to do with him.
But then—
A pair of small, glowing hands appeared before him.
In a world of darkness, she was the only light.
“Brother Si Qi, give me your hand.”
The little girl smiled radiantly, bathed in a gentle glow.
And in the depths of his soul, a voice echoed once more—
‘Master, you will always be my only light.’