Foster Son, Don’t Be So Crazy (29)

Song Jia's expression became stagnant when she listened to Su Liang's reasonable words.

Could it be that she was overestimating Xiang Feng's abilities a little too much?

She remembered the first time they met. Wasn't Xiang Feng also in a dangerous situation back then, needing her to go and rescue him? Song Jia nibbled on her lower lip worriedly.

"Jia, the sky is already dark and we won't be able to search for him now. Let's go back to the inn. Maybe that brat's already waiting for us there," said Nian Shou.

They went back to the inn, but Xiang Feng was not there. Song Jia questioned the front desk clerk repeatedly, but he assured her that he had not seen a little boy wearing a mask come into the inn.

When Song Jia went back to their room, Su Liang had already taken a bath and was wearing new clothes. Nian Shou was preparing to go down and eat dinner.

When he saw her disappointed expression, he knew that she still hadn't foung Xiang Feng's whereabouts. Nian Shou went forward and grabbed her shoulders.

"Jia, we'll find him. But you have to sleep and eat first. How could you find that little brat if you don't take care of yourself? And he won't like it when he comes back and sees that you made yourself look like a ghost either."

Song Jia's face was pale. "Where could he have gone? What would I do if something happened to him? It's all my fault for leaving him...I promised him that I wouldn't leave him."

Song Jia had truly regarded Xiang Feng as her son. She wouldn't be able to relax until she was certain that he was safe.

"It's not your fault." Nian Shou was feeling helpless too. "Come on, let's go down and eat. Su Liang's feeling hungry too."

Song Jia glanced at the young girl, and saw that she kept her head bowed down while standing in the corner of the room. Song Jia straightened her back and forced out a smile, "Okay, let's go."

...

The next morning, the three of them scoured the medieval fair again. Song Jia had hired a few local inquisitors and even a bailiff to put up posters and search for a missing child.

Like this, two weeks passed.

It was only then that they got news about Xiang Feng. When Song Jia read the information that was delivered to her, she immediately abandoned what she was doing and ran to the location stated in the letter.

That had been an hour ago.

"Jia..."

Nian Shou wanted to step forward and comfort the kneeling girl in front of him, but ultimately, he didn't dare to. He could only continue to watch as Song Jia picked up a scorched mask with trembling hands. Not far away, a burned body about the same size as Xiang Feng was being covered by a coarse blanket.

Song Jia looked blankly at the familiar mask in her hands. These past few days, she thought about the possibility of Princess Bai Xue having found Xiang Feng. She thought it was her greatest fear, but she didn't realize that it could not even compare to the terror of seeing her foster son's corpse being laid out in front of her.

After a while, her lips opened to whisper, "Impossible...this must be a fake..."

With a blank expression, she walked forward and removed the blanket covering the corpse with a fling of her hand.

"Young miss...!"

"Jia!"

Song Jia ignored the alarmed shouts behind her and crouched down to study the charred corpse. Fingerprints were not a viable option. Neither dental identifical nor DNA could also help Song Jia, because she didn't have the machines needed to analyze these things. Instead, her fingers gently reached out and touched the left side of Xiang Feng's face.

All at once, her blue eyes became filled with tears.

A scarred skin had a different texture when it got scarred again. Since the cells of the body had already tried to heal it, it could no longer hold up if the skin was damaged once again. This was the only way Song Jia could identify Xiang Feng.

This corpse...it was truly Xiang Feng's.

He died.

Because she broke her promise with him, he died.

"Jia..."

Nian Shou no longer hesitated and pulled her limp body close to his chest. Her tears soaked his shirt, as he gently stroked her hair.

"Jia, it's not your fault, don't cry..."

He could only comfort her with useless words as he didn't know what to do. She looked so fragile and delicate that it seemed she would shatter with a single touch. He tightened his arms around her.

Song Jia couldn't stop crying. When Zhao Cheng died, she didn't feel anything because from the beginning, she decided not to open her heart to him. And he felt so distant that Song Jia didn't really have the time to develop a close affection for him.

But Xiang Feng was different. He was a child that she personally raised. How could she raise her guard around such a lovable child? She thought that this must be the reason other professional transmigrators took their jobs seriously. They knew that a single mistake on their part could destroy the world where adorable children like Xiang Feng lived in, so they struggled hard to save it.

Song Jia looked over Nian Shou's shoulder and saw Su Liang. She knew that she still hadn't failed her mission. Children like Su Liang would still be safe. It was her goal to raise Xiang Feng into a good man so that he wouldn't be swayed by Princess Bai Xue's evil ways. Now that he died...it would be the same as clipping off Princess Bai Xue's wings permanently.

The bailiff awkwardly cleared his throat before putting himself in Song Jia's view.

"We found his corpse inside an abandoned building that was rumored to be the headquarters of a well-known group of slave traders. We didn't know why the building burned down, but we saw traces of a fight from the debris. I think...your son might have tried to escape before he got caught."

Tried to escape...

Stifling a sob, Song Jia forced herself to stop crying and slowly wipe off her tears.

Xiang Feng might have died, but he died fighting.

What else could she say? Song Jia mustered a weak smile. As expected of the child she had personally raised.

Hearing the bailiff's words, Song Jia decided to turn her sadness into determination. She clenched her hands. Now that it came to this, she couldn't let Xiang Feng's death become meaningless. She had to ensure that those slave traders got their just end. And as for the royal family responsible for this kind of festering wound in the kingdom...

Song Jia thought of the dismal future that awaited this world if Princess Bai Xue ascended the throne. She couldn't let other children suffer the same way Xiang Feng had suffered. She failed to protect Xiang Feng, but at least she would be able to protect other children.

She needed to ensure that Princess Bai Xue would never be able to take the throne...by taking the throne herself.

It was the only way to completely save this world from destruction.

This world would need a new queen, and who else could do it better than her?

Song Jia allowed Nian Shou to help her stand up. Slavery, homeless children, and matriarchs who abused their power. There were many things that she could fix. But first, she needed to have the power to do all of this.

Song Jia's blue eyes glanced up at Nian Shou. Underneath the dazzling sunlight, the black wig she wore had hints of gold. He couldn't help but look slightly dazed as he stared at her.

Song Jia clenched her hands around Xiang Feng's mask.

"Let's go to the south."

Her voice was clear and strong. It made Nian Shou remember the royal crest he had seen on the priest's house where they once lived in. It was an exquisitely beautiful briar rose, surrounded by sharp thorns.

A rose...he suddenly remembered that it symbolized the queen of flowers.