Chapter 39: Change
Fu Tingyun was intelligent and sharp—she had pieced together most of what happened at the City God Temple. But that didn’t mean Zhao Ling would change his mind and lay bare all his thoughts to her.
Since she was determined to get to the bottom of things, he might as well give her an explanation to spare himself her incessant questioning.
Zhao Ling pondered this as he struggled to sit up.
His body was still weak, and he needed help just to get out of bed. Logically, Fu Tingyun should have assisted him, but the thought that she had always trusted him implicitly, acting without hesitation on his decisions, while he treated her like a stranger—keeping things from her—made her deeply uncomfortable. She decided to let him experience what it felt like to be treated as an outsider.
Seeing him sit up, she pretended not to notice and instead got up to fetch a fan.
It was sweltering, and she wasn’t about to suffer needlessly. Why not stay cool when she could?
Only after sitting back down did she notice Zhao Ling’s pale face, drenched in sweat.
For some reason, seeing him lean against the bare wooden bed frame, his emaciated body barely covered… she felt a pang of guilt.
That must be painful.
And he was still recovering from his injuries.
Without thinking, she stood up and grabbed the bundle that had been propping him up earlier but was now discarded. “Move,” she said, her voice low, tone icy, words clipped.
Zhao Ling turned to look at her.
Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, almond-shaped eyes downcast. Her jet-black hair was tightly tied back with a plain white cloth ribbon, revealing a neck as fair and smooth as freshly fallen snow—except for a thin red scratch trailing down the nape, disappearing beneath her collar. Like a crack on fine porcelain, it marred the otherwise flawless beauty, evoking an inexplicable sense of regret.
It suddenly struck him—that mark was from scratching the heat rash on her back.
His heart sank inexplicably.
He thought of how she had endured the hardships of their journey without complaint, how she had cared for him without regard for her own reputation… The words on the tip of his tongue refused to come out.
Fu Tingyun remained oblivious.
She sat back down on the stool by the bed, picking up the fan to cool herself, only then realizing what she had just done.
Regret gnawed at her.
Seeing Zhao Ling remain silent, she decided not to speak either. The two sat in wordless silence, letting the hot air cling to their skin, soaking their clothes in sweat.
Then came a panicked shout from downstairs.
Fu Tingyun paled.
“That’s A Sen!” She jumped up to leave. “I’ll go check—”
“Come back!” Zhao Ling grabbed her wrist.
Even through her sleeve, she could feel his hand trembling. When she turned, his face was even paler than before, beads of sweat covering his forehead like raindrops.
“What’s wrong?” She didn’t dare pull away. “Is your wound hurting again?”
“Mo Yi, Chen Liu, and Xiao Wu are downstairs,” he said instead of answering. “If they can’t handle whatever’s happening, you’d just be throwing your life away. Staying with me is safer.”
In that instant, Fu Tingyun suddenly understood why she had been so furious at Zhao Ling’s secrecy.She stared into his eyes: "Of course I know that staying by your side is the safest option—that I should pretend to have heard and seen nothing, hiding under the bed. If someone were to burst in and kill you, they might be so overjoyed they'd carry your corpse away without even checking under the bed, and I might survive." Her lips trembled. "But have you considered how I would feel? If Mo Yi and the others are downstairs, why would A Sen let out such a terrified scream?" Memories flooded her—Zhao Ling collapsing onto the dusty road, the fear, panic, and confusion; the terror and sorrow when she held a dagger to her own neck at the City God Temple. Her voice softened. "To cling to life like this, to watch you all come to harm, to see you die before my very eyes... I'd rather die. I'd rather die first!"
Like flowers blooming in the heat of summer, the fiercer the sun, the more wildly they unfurl.
Fu Tingyun stood tall and straight, her gaze blazing like fire, illuminating her face, making even the sleeve in his hand feel scorching.
He chuckled.
Slowly, he released her wrist.
"Go take a look from the stairs," he said, a smile spilling from his eyes, brightening his expression like a refreshing breeze under a clear moon. "If something seems off, hide under my bed—if someone bursts in and kills me, they might be so overjoyed they'd carry my corpse away without checking under the bed, and you might survive!" By the end, his tone was teasing, devoid of his usual inscrutability, leaving Fu Tingyun wide-eyed in surprise.
From downstairs came A Sen's sharp rebuke, mingled with Chen Liu's angry shouts.
Fu Tingyun didn’t have time to think. She dashed out the door, grabbed the stair railing, and peered down.
In the small shop, A Sen was chasing a boy about his size around the room.
A Sen was quick, but the boy was even more agile, slippery as an eel. Though A Sen managed to brush his clothes a few times, the boy always twisted away, frustrating A Sen into occasional shouts.
Fu Tingyun relaxed but felt puzzled. She couldn’t understand what was happening until she accidentally locked eyes with the boy—it was the leader of the group of boys who had begged from them on the street earlier.
Mo Yi stood nearby, expression cold as he watched. Chen Liu and A Wu blocked the front and back doors, respectively, cutting off the boy’s escape each time he darted toward them.
After several rounds, the boy seized a moment when A Sen paused to catch his breath and yelled, "This isn’t fair!"
A Sen, embarrassed at failing to catch him in front of Mo Yi and the others, retorted loudly, "Fair? You stole our food—that’s fair?"
"Your food was taken by force too," the boy shot back defiantly. "Why can’t I steal it?"
"Then getting caught is your own fault," A Sen scoffed, unbothered by the accusation of forced purchase. "At least we paid with silver."
Mo Yi, clearly pleased with A Sen’s response, barked, "Enough talk. Just catch him and be done with it."
At this, A Sen threw a punch at the boy.
The boy dodged and countered with a punch of his own.
The two were at it again.Fu Tingyun returned to the room: "A leader among those begging children came to steal food and was caught by A Sen. They ended up fighting."
Zhao Ling nodded slightly, appearing unconcerned, and said to her, "Pour me some water!"
Since Mo Yi was responsible for their provisions, their water and dry bread were now plentiful.
Fu Tingyun poured a bowl of water and handed it to him: "Water left too long will spoil anyway, might as well drink it."
Zhao Ling chuckled, downing it in one gulp, then said, "There's another important reason why Mo Yi and Sixteenth Master pretended not to know each other—they suspect we're targeting them."
The abrupt statement made Fu Tingyun pause momentarily before understanding. But like a deflated balloon, her earlier enthusiasm vanished entirely.
"Is that so?" She sat listlessly on the stool by the bed, preparing to listen.
Hadn't she been persistently asking? Why did she seem so disinterested now that he was telling her?
Zhao Ling truly couldn't understand her.
Yet he didn't want to see her so dispirited.
After brief consideration, Zhao Ling said gently, "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, I just didn't want you to worry..."
"I know!" Fu Tingyun interrupted him. "I often wonder—was poisoning me Aunt's idea, or my uncle's, or grandmother's? Did Mother know beforehand? Did she also think this was for the best?" Her head lowered as she gazed at her jade-like hands, her voice growing softer. "Being framed by Zuo Junjie like this... perhaps they all believed this was truly what's best for me? But I can't accept it. I'd rather confront Zuo Junjie directly, I'd rather hang myself with white silk at the memorial arch, than live like this—nameless, hiding in shadows." She felt her eyes growing moist. "And your injury. Maybe knowing wouldn't have changed anything. But when I was at the City God Temple, thinking you might die there... it was unbearable. I kept asking myself—was I right or wrong? If I hadn't chosen to come to Linchun Town, would we have avoided the bandits? If we'd come but stayed in town instead, would things be different now?... I keep feeling I'm the one who got you killed..." Tears fell onto the back of her hand like dewdrops that would vanish under sunlight.
Suddenly, Zhao Ling's heart filled with remorse.
After all, she was just a girl who'd barely reached adulthood. Thrown into chaos, following him—a stranger who'd nearly killed her—she'd appeared composed, but underneath had been constant fear...
"My fault," he said awkwardly, unaccustomed to yielding. "From now on, I'll tell you everything. But you mustn't lose your temper either. Say what you need to say properly, don't just sulk..."His words flowed more smoothly, but Fu Tingyun, who had been slightly moved earlier, raised her eyebrows higher and higher, finally unable to resist stomping her foot: "When have I ever thrown tantrums? It's you who’s always speaking in riddles, making it impossible to understand. I won’t even bring up the past, but just look at this matter now—you clearly suspect Mo Yi, yet you didn’t tell me anything. If I hadn’t been sharp, and Mo Yi had tried to trick me into talking, wouldn’t I have spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube? What would you have done then? They say even a hero needs three helpers, but you—what can you do alone…"
Zhao Ling burst into laughter.
Such a childlike temper.
Getting angry again mid-conversation.
Still, this spirited look suited her far better than the dejected, frost-beaten expression from before.
His laughter grew too loud, tugging at his wound. He quickly stifled his mirth, coughing a few times while clutching his shoulder.
Fu Tingyun’s face flushed crimson.
Why was she so easily provoked?
Falling for his bait with just a few words…
"Hey!" she snapped, flustered and indignant. "We’re either sick or young, and traveling with a woman—why would they suspect we’re after them?"
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Sisters, though I sound repetitive, I must remind you: "From May 1st to 7th, pink votes count double! Please lend your precious support and cast your vote…"
(End of Chapter)
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