Chapter 40

Fu Tingjun's embarrassment was not lost on Zhao Ling.

He truly didn't want to make the atmosphere awkward, so he smoothly picked up the thread of conversation and said with a smile, "It's just that everything happened too coincidentally!"

Fu Tingjun widened her eyes at Zhao Ling, her expression serious.

Zhao Ling couldn't help but turn solemn as well. "I also agree with your earlier speculation."

Hearing this, a delighted smile spread across Fu Tingjun's face.

"Although the Tengji Guard is tasked with monitoring the various princes enfeoffed across the realm, those princes are after all of imperial blood—the Emperor's own brothers. Unless it's something as grave as treason, the Guard wouldn't dare memorialize against them casually. But ever since Shi Wenbin became the Commander of the Tengji Guard, his methods have grown increasingly harsh and his schemes increasingly devious. He frequently impeaches the princes in their fiefs—the Prince of Shu was even stripped of his title and reduced to commoner because of this. The other princes have become deeply uneasy, unsure whether this reflects the Emperor's will or whether Shi Wenbin, emboldened by imperial favor, has grown so arrogant as to forget himself. They can't help but change color at the mere mention of the Tengji Guard, and their words and actions have become cautious and guarded." As Zhao Ling spoke of serious matters, a stern air settled over his brow, and the atmosphere grew grave. "So when Sixteenth Master left his fief, he brought only two highly skilled personal guards and one eunuch to attend to his daily needs. In peaceful times, that handful of people would have been sufficient. But no one expected the drought to throw Shaanxi into chaos—traveling with so few people on the road became far too dangerous. Perhaps Sixteenth Master was trying to evade the Tengji Guard's notice, or perhaps the disaster caused him to lose contact with those around him. Either way, Mo Yi and the others were ordered to find him, which is why Sixteenth Master asked Mo Yi, 'Are you the only one here?' and Mo Yi replied, 'We came with twenty men in total, but only we were fortunate enough to encounter you, Sixteenth Master.'"

Fu Tingjun nodded continuously.

"In the jianghu, there are three kinds of people you don't provoke: monks, children, and women," Zhao Ling said. "A monk who leaves his temple to get entangled in worldly affairs clearly hasn't purified his senses—greed, anger, and delusion still cling to him. As for women and children who dare to walk the perilous paths of the jianghu, they either possess extraordinary skills or have elders or masters whose names shake the martial world. The former lack compassion, and the latter delight in competition and conflict—either way, provoking them brings nothing but trouble. Mo Yi and his men searched long and hard to find Sixteenth Master, yet you two stumbled upon him by pure chance—and not just anyone, but a child and a woman pushing a sickly grown man. And no sooner had you settled in than A Sen went off to Linchun town to find a doctor. Tell me, how could they not be suspicious?"

"So that's why Mo Yi sent Xiao Wu to follow A Sen," Fu Tingjun mused. "In truth, they were probing our background. But A Sen mistook Xiao Wu for one of Third Master Feng's men and led him in circles for half the night!"

Zhao Ling nodded. "While A Sen and Xiao Wu were circling each other outside, Mo Yi got no word from his man, and meanwhile the bandits burst into the City God Temple." He paused here, his tone carrying a note of admiration. "Sixteenth Master is a thoughtful man! He was afraid we might be Tengji Guard's claws, yet also afraid we might be innocent commoners. So he had Mo Yi keep watch outside while he observed whether we were in league with the bandits."

"Only after you killed that bandit leader did they dare conclude we weren't with them, and only then did they step in to help." Fu Tingjun suddenly understood. "Then they gave us medicine, bandaged our wounds, and finally handed you a name card to join the army, sending Mo Yi to escort you to Linchun town to recover." She murmured, "It seems this Sixteenth Master isn't so bad after all!"

Zhao Ling just smiled at that.

Fu Tingjun felt as though his smile carried some hidden meaning, and she grew a little uneasy.

She hadn't said something wrong again, had she?

"Didn't we agree to speak plainly with each other?" she muttered. "It's not like I'm you—well-traveled and knowledgeable, and cunning as a..." She had meant to say "cunning as a fox," but remembering his stiff smile from that day, she quickly swallowed the word and amended, "...clever as can be..."

Zhao Ling heard every word clearly, and the mirth in his eyes spilled over once more. "Take a look outside the window," he said. "What's different?"

Fu Tingjun didn't understand, but she went to the window and looked out.

"Nothing's different!" she grumbled. "The shop is on the east side of town, but the post road comes in from the west—the location is a bit out of the way..."

Zhao Ling prompted her: "Look farther out!"

"Farther out..." Fu Tingjun gazed into the distance. "I can see the post road, and the woods beside it are perfectly clear. Oh, and there's the City God Temple—the one we rested at yesterday... I can see it all clearly." As she spoke, she remembered what had happened there the night before and murmured, "I wonder if anyone's found those bodies yet?"

Zhao Ling was speechless for a long moment.

Fu Tingjun snapped back to herself and quickly said, "That's all I can see!"

Zhao Ling sighed: "There are only two roads to Linchun Town—one is the post road, and the other is the dirt path beside the City God Temple. From here, we can see both the post road and the City God Temple. In other words, no matter where outsiders come from to enter Linchun Town, as long as they stand here and look out, they can be spotted. Moreover, this spot is somewhat secluded relative to both the post road and the City God Temple. If anyone does come, there's plenty of time to leave at leisure." He sighed again. "Easy to attack, easy to retreat. This Mo Yi is a skilled hand at troop deployment."

Fu Tingjun wanted to ask, "Since you've noticed this too, does that mean you're also a skilled hand at troop deployment?" But the words reached her lips, and she felt the question was too intimate, so she quickly changed the subject: "Ninth Master, did you carefully observe from the window while we were all away just now? Otherwise, how could you be so clear about this? I didn't even notice that the City God Temple was visible from here!"

Zhao Ling's mouth twitched slightly, wearing an expression of one unwilling to quibble with her, and abruptly said: "You said A Sen got into a fight with the leader of that group of boys who were begging from us on the street earlier?"

Why did he suddenly ask about this?

"Mm!" Fu Tingjun said. "Apparently that boy came to steal food!"

Zhao Ling said: "Ask Mo Yi later how we're going to handle our rations for the next few days."

Fu Tingjun was also quite concerned about this issue. Seeing the hint of weariness between Zhao Ling's brows, she chatted with him a while longer, helped him lie down, fanned him for a bit, and when she saw he was sleeping soundly, she tiptoed downstairs.

The little boy was long gone. A Sen and Xiao Wu were competing at horse stance. Mo Yi, standing nearby, said coldly: "If your lower body were stable, how could that brat have swept you to the ground with one kick? I don't know how your master taught you..."

Before he could finish, A Sen's expression immediately turned sour: "Our master taught us very well. It's me who didn't learn properly. I, Yu..."

Fu Tingjun sensed he was about to say "Yucheng-ge," so she quickly coughed and said: "A Sen, the weather is so hot, and Ninth Master is ill now—he can't withstand it like usual. Go upstairs and fan Ninth Master!"

A Sen dashed upstairs.

Fu Tingjun asked Mo Yi how the food for the next few days would be arranged.

"It's enough for the few of us to eat for four or five days," he said. "Miss need not worry. Tomorrow I'll send Xiao Wu to Xi'an Prefecture to bring back some more food and drink."

Fu Tingjun said a few pleasantries like "Troubling Steward Mo" and went upstairs.

She admonished A Sen: "We happened to meet Steward Mo by chance. You need to think carefully about what can be said and what cannot be said. Understand?"

Yucheng and Yuanbao were Zhao Ling's trump cards, and she vaguely didn't want others to know about them.

A Sen argued: "They said our master didn't teach well..."

"Whether it's good or not, it's not for them to decide." Fu Tingjun cut him off. "Master is still lying in bed. The more critical this time is, the more careful and cautious you must be. Don't get into conflicts with them."

"Mm!" A Sen nodded. "Otherwise, we'd be fighting among ourselves first, and those refugees would run in and steal our food."

Fu Tingjun smiled.

When Zhao Ling woke up, she relayed Mo Yi's words to him.

"So they're not Sixteenth Master's people after all!" Zhao Ling said thoughtfully. "It's a pity we don't know who's currently in Xi'an Prefecture..."

Fu Tingjun was somewhat surprised.

Zhao Ling explained: "Didn't that Xiao Wu say that Xi'an Prefecture now only lets people out, not in? If they were Sixteenth Master's people, they wouldn't be familiar with Xi'an Prefecture. How could they come and go from Xi'an Prefecture so freely?"

"Then... then who are they?" Fu Tingjun listened with her heart pounding.

"Even if they're not Sixteenth Master's people, they're closely connected to Sixteenth Master," Zhao Ling comforted her. "We'll be able to find out eventually." He instructed A Sen: "Go and invite Steward Mo over!" Then he said to Fu Tingjun: "If we can take this opportunity to go to Xi'an Prefecture, that would be best."

They were now discussing things like partners.

"But your injury?" Fu Tingjun was very worried.

"I can make it to Xi'an Prefecture without a problem."

Fu Tingjun thought of the agreement between Zhao Ling and Yucheng, Yuanbao... The Mid-Autumn Festival was only a few days away... She said nothing.

Mo Yi was quite surprised.

"We originally planned to go to Xi'an Prefecture to seek refuge, but after hearing Xiao Wu say that Xi'an Prefecture only lets people out and not in, we gave up on that idea," Zhao Ling said. "Since Steward Mo has a way to get in, we might as well go to Xi'an Prefecture. That way, we can find our relatives, and Steward Mo can return to Sixteenth Master. Otherwise, having you accompany us like this, we'd feel deeply indebted."

"Having me accompany you while you recover is the wish of our Sixteenth Master. It's only natural for me to stay with you—why should you feel indebted?" Mo Yi tactfully declined. "Besides, Xi'an Prefecture is packed with nobles and officials fleeing from disaster. Prices have more than quintupled, and it's very chaotic. Better to just stay in Linchun Town! After all, you only need two or three months of rest to recover—there's no rush."

"Perhaps you could take A Sen to Xi'an Prefecture tomorrow to deliver a message to my relatives!" Zhao Ling did not insist, settling for a lesser request instead. "That way, I can rest a bit easier!"

Mo Yi agreed readily.

Zhao Ling's expression, however, was not very pleasant: "It seems we've been placed under house arrest here!"

Fu Tingjun was greatly alarmed: "Is it Sixteenth Master? Why? Could it be that he's afraid we'll leak their whereabouts?"

"That's possible." Zhao Ling thought for a moment, then said, "But don't panic. As long as Sixteenth Master returns to his fief, even if we had the intention, without any evidence, could we really go to the Tengji Guard and accuse him? Naturally, they'll release us." He instructed A Sen, "Be sharp tomorrow. First, see what method they use to enter the city. Second, find a way to leave a message for Yucheng and Yuanbao, telling them of our current situation, so they won't worry and search about like headless flies."

A Sen nodded seriously.

The next day, he followed Xiao Wu to Xi'an Prefecture.