Chapter 30

The handcart jolted as it left the village.

Fu Tingjun followed closely behind Zhao Jiuye with her lips pressed tightly together.

A Sen remained unconscious, and despite Zhao Jiuye's objections, she had given up the handcart to him.

"If you can't keep up, just say so," Zhao Jiuye said coolly without turning his head, his posture straight as he walked ahead. "If you get blisters on your feet, I'll have to look after you."

Fu Tingjun said nothing.

Ever since she had shed tears in front of him earlier, she had resolved not to speak to Zhao Jiuye again.

After all, he always treated her like a pampered young lady, so why bother saying anything more?

Besides, since he had agreed to take her to Xi'an Prefecture, he would surely do so. There was nothing to worry about.

Her gaze inadvertently swept past the withered old locust tree at the edge of the village, and she spotted the dark-faced, ruddy-cheeked man who had followed them into the village yesterday, hiding behind the tree and spying on them.

Fu Tingjun was startled and slowed her steps.

Given the commotion yesterday, anyone with sense would have hidden themselves and fled before they even left—so many people had attacked them without success, wasn't he afraid they might silence him?

Or perhaps he wasn't an ordinary man either!

Just as Fu Tingjun was wondering how to hint to Zhao Jiuye about the dark-faced man's presence, Zhao Jiuye suddenly turned around: "What's wrong?"

It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head!

Fu Tingjun grumbled inwardly as she pointed at the old locust tree.

The man noticed Fu Tingjun pointing at him and, panicking, grabbed a child and bolted.

Unfortunately, it was a famine year—not a single blade of grass grew in the fields—so he had nowhere to hide. Zhao Jiuye's empty water pouch struck the back of his knee, and he crashed to the ground with a thud.

The child fell too and burst into loud wails.

The man scrambled up and knelt before Zhao Jiuye, who was striding toward him: "Mercy... mercy... please, sir, spare me!"

Since he was begging for mercy at the sight of him, there was no need to ask—the matter of Fourth Lord Feng was clearly connected to this couple!

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Jiuye's eyes. As his fist clenched, a gust of fierce wind swept through the air around him.

The man instinctively sensed the danger and yanked the child into his arms: "Sir, sir, I mean no harm... I only saw how skilled you are, sir—taking on seven or eight men at once—and thought I might follow in your shadow and share in your good fortune!" He knelt there, weeping bitterly and knocking his head against the ground with thud after thud. "I never expected to run into those killers from Hetu Shu... We truly didn't mean any harm..."

Zhao Jiuye relaxed his fist but kicked out at the man's shoulder instead: "Few in this world can fool me!"

Fu Tingjun was taken aback and let out a low gasp.

The man fell flat on his back.

The child was frozen in terror.

"Hero, spare me, hero, spare me..." the man cried, his face full of fear, yet he scrambled up and knelt before Zhao Jiuye again. "Everything I said is true... I'm from Wang Family Village in Weinan. I was traveling with several cousins from my clan to seek refuge with my uncle in Xi'an Prefecture. At night we were robbed by refugees, I got separated from my cousins, and our grain was stolen. With no other choice, I followed behind you, hoping to beg a little food from this young lady... That's why I've been trailing you all along..." As he spoke, he cast a nervous glance at Fu Tingjun.

"So when you ran into a gang that looked like bandits, you thought they were after your grain, and fearing they'd kill you if they found out you had none," Zhao Jiuye sneered, a hint of mockery on his face, "you told them there were people still staying in the village—people carrying plenty of provisions..."

The man's face turned ashen, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead: "Hero, spare me, hero, spare me..." His voice was barely a whisper.

Only then did Fu Tingjun understand.

So the reason Fourth Lord Feng had been able to catch up was entirely because of this man.

And to think he'd wanted to beg food from her... Did she really look that easy to deceive?

Fu Tingjun was so furious that veins bulged on her forehead.

"Ninth Master, let's hurry on our way!" She had completely forgotten the resolve she'd made moments ago. "We still need to find a place to have A Sen examined!"

Zhao Jiuye raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Very well!" He turned and walked off.

Fu Tingjun hurried to keep pace.

After walking for a while, she suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Ninth Master, could that man have been lying to us? Otherwise, why wouldn't he have run away?"

"Not at all!" Ninth Master Zhao's voice was unhurried, carrying a steady quality that was quite soothing to the ear. "I was just thinking that there are still a few dead horses by the courtyard gate that could serve as food, and perhaps we might find something valuable among the corpses..." He paused mid-sentence, then continued, "Even if he was lying to us... I examined the boy's features carefully—he bears a six or seven-tenths resemblance to the man. His mother is already gone, and if his father were to die as well, the child would be left alone and helpless. Who would he have to rely on? He would likely face nothing but a dead end." He let out a soft chuckle. "You wouldn't be thinking of asking me to adopt the boy, would you? I'm the one who killed his parents—an irreconcilable enmity. I don't have the magnanimity to raise a child who will one day harbor nothing but hatred for me!"

"Stop the cart!" Fu Tingjun said with a stern face, pulling at the handcart. "My feet hurt. I want to ride."

Ninth Master Zhao was taken aback.

Fu Tingjun felt quite pleased with herself, smiling as she sat down on the handcart and adjusted her headscarf.

Ninth Master Zhao pushed the handcart with resignation.

They first took the dirt road outside the village, then turned onto another dirt path, walked a short distance, and turned onto yet another dirt road. With all these twists and turns, Fu Tingjun quickly lost her bearings.

The handcart came to a stop in front of a modest City God Temple.

"Let's treat A Sen's wounds here first," Ninth Master Zhao said, carrying A Sen into the temple.

He must be very familiar with Lintong—how else would he know there was a City God Temple here?

Fu Tingjun muttered to herself as she followed him inside.

The curtains, incense burners, and other furnishings in the temple were all gone. The ground was littered with filth, giving off a foul, rancid odor. It was clear that someone had once lived here for some time.

Ninth Master Zhao laid A Sen on the incense altar, and Fu Tingjun found the water pouch filled with diluted saltwater and handed it to him. He began cleaning A Sen's body.

Regardless, A Sen was still a male.

Fu Tingjun stepped outside to avoid being present.

Not far from the temple was a dried-up stream, and across it lay a village with houses packed tightly together, yet utterly silent.

She stood on the temple steps, sighing.

She thought of her deceased uncle and aunt.

Her mother surely didn't know the news yet... When word reached Huayin, how heartbroken would her mother be?

She had an aunt who had married into Hu County, but she had passed away long ago.

Her mother no longer had any full siblings left in this world.

And then there was this matter with her...

Fu Tingjun's spirits sank low.

She stood alone for a long while, slowly gathering herself.

Forget it, she thought—better not to dwell on these things... Just being alive was already something.

She stood up and let out a long breath, only to see a troop of riders passing by from the direction of the village.

In times of famine, when people couldn't even find food, how could they afford to keep horses...

"Ninth Master, Ninth Master," Fu Tingjun called out in a fluster, "come out and take a look!"

Before her words had even faded, Ninth Master Zhao was already at her side.

One glance was all it took for his expression to turn grave.

"Could it be the Feng family?" In a flash of insight, Fu Tingjun's mind connected the dots.

Ninth Master Zhao grunted in acknowledgment and said, "You and A Sen stay here and don't move. I'll go check first!"

For news to have reached them this quickly, this Feng family was clearly no ordinary lot.

"It's too dangerous!" Fu Tingjun grabbed at the hem of his robe. "We should hide instead!" She wanted to say "flee," but feared it would wound Ninth Master Zhao's pride.

Ninth Master Zhao's gaze fell upon the hands clutching his robe.

Pale, delicate, smooth—like carved white jade. The way they gripped his robe was like holding onto a kite string, as if to catch the wind and fly away.

Fu Tingjun noticed him staring at her hands and suddenly realized she had overstepped her bounds. She snatched her hands back as if burned.

Ninth Master Zhao watched the robe hem sway in the air, and a sudden sense of loss stirred in his heart.

He gave himself a mental shake and quickly composed himself.

"There's not even a blade of grass here—where could we hide?" Ninth Master Zhao said. "Rather than skulking around being chased, it's better to charge forward and strike hard. Sometimes, you have to hit someone hard a few times before they learn their lesson."

"You want to fight the Feng family?" The shocking decision made Fu Tingjun forget her earlier embarrassment, her mind racing. "Didn't you say that Fourth Lord Feng and Third Master Feng don't get along? If Third Master Feng learns that Fourth Lord Feng is dead, wouldn't his retaliation just be for show? Why not try to reason with Third Master Feng and put on a performance for everyone to see?"

A flicker of surprise passed through Ninth Master Zhao's eyes. He said thoughtfully, "I was just about to go meet Third Master Feng. It's best to settle this knot once and for all." He added, "Wait here and don't move. I'll be back shortly."

"Rest assured, Ninth Master," Fu Tingjun said quickly. "I'll stay right here. Don't let your mind wander—just focus on your business."

Ninth Master Zhao found her words quite fitting. After a moment's thought, he pulled a dagger with a shark-skin sheath from the handcart. "Keep this for protection." Then he walked off without looking back.

She hadn't expected him to be carrying that.

The dagger was heavy in her hand. Fu Tingjun held it against her chest, a flicker of fear stirring within her.

Ever since leaving Huayin, she had always had either A Sen or Zhao Jiuye by her side.

Better safe than sorry. What if someone burst in—what would she do?

At the thought, her gaze fell upon the dagger.

The hilt was wrapped in dark cloth, now slightly faded and worn, giving it an aged look.

Could this be Zhao Jiuye's personal belonging?

She wanted to see if the blade was sharp.

But the dagger seemed as if it had grown into its sheath—no matter how she tried, she couldn't pull it out.

Could it be a fake? Perhaps Zhao Jiuye had only given it to her to bolster her courage.

That couldn't be, could it?

If someone really did break in, she would be like meat on a chopping block!

It must be that her strength was simply too weak.

She tried every way she could think of.

The dagger remained stuck fast.

Dejectedly, Fu Tingjun tucked the dagger back into the small cart.

Better to avoid any misunderstanding if someone did come—if they thought she could defend herself, they might target her. She would simply play the part of the frail, helpless woman.

She went into the temple to check on A Sen.

He was sleeping soundly, his forehead no longer burning hot.

Fu Tingjun felt relieved.

She leaned against the temple entrance, waiting for Zhao Jiuye.

It wasn't until dusk that Zhao Jiuye's figure finally appeared at the City God Temple.

"Ninth Master," she hurried forward to greet him, "how did it go?"

Zhao Jiuye was drenched in sweat, his lips slightly pale, as if he had been running for a long time and was exhausted.

"We'll leave Lintong via the post road tonight." He smiled gently, his manner calm and composed. "Third Master Feng will be summoning the family elders this evening to discuss Fourth Lord Feng's matter. That gives us the perfect excuse to call all the Feng family members back to the old residence."