Chapter 40: Strategy (Bonus Chapter for 80 Pink Votes)
Fu Tingyun's embarrassment didn't escape Zhao Ling's notice.
Not wanting to let the atmosphere become awkward, he smoothly picked up the conversation with a smile, "Because the coincidence was just too perfect!"
Fu Tingyun widened her eyes at Zhao Ling, her expression earnest.
Zhao Ling also grew serious. "I agree with your earlier speculation."
Hearing this, Fu Tingyun's face lit up with a joyful smile.
"Although the Tengji Guard is tasked with monitoring the regional princes, these princes are still of royal blood—the Emperor's own kin. Unless it involves major crimes like rebellion, the Guard wouldn't dare casually submit reports. But since Shi Wenbin became the Tengji Guard commander, their methods have grown increasingly ruthless and bizarre, with frequent impeachments of regional princes. The Prince of Shu was even demoted to commoner status because of this. The princes have become apprehensive, unsure whether this reflects the Emperor's will or if Shi Wenbin is simply abusing imperial favor to act outrageously. Consequently, any mention of the Tengji Guard makes them pale, and they've become extremely cautious in their words and actions." As Zhao Ling spoke of serious matters, his brow took on a stern edge, and the atmosphere grew solemn. "That's why when the Sixteenth Master left his domain, he only brought two highly skilled personal guards and one palace eunuch to attend to his daily needs. In peaceful times, these few would have sufficed. Unexpectedly, the drought plunged Shaanxi into chaos, making such a small group dangerously conspicuous on the road. Perhaps the Sixteenth Master was trying to evade the Tengji Guard, or perhaps the disaster caused him to lose contact with his retinue. Mo Yi and the others were sent to find him, which explains why the Sixteenth Master asked Mo Yi, 'Are you alone?' and Mo Yi replied, 'There are twenty of us in total. We were just fortunate enough to encounter you, Sixteenth Master.'"
Fu Tingyun nodded repeatedly.
"The martial world has three types of people not to provoke: those outside worldly affairs, children, and women," Zhao Ling continued. "Those who abandon monastic life to meddle in worldly conflicts clearly lack purity, still bound by greed, anger, and delusion. As for women and children who dare to travel the perilous martial world, they either possess extraordinary skills or have renowned elders or masters backing them. The former lack compassion, while the latter thrive on rivalry—both spell trouble. Mo Yi and his men went through great difficulty to find the Sixteenth Master, yet we coincidentally ran into them—a child and a woman pushing a sick, full-grown man in a cart. Then, as soon as you settled in, A Sen immediately went to Linchun Town to find a physician. Don't you think they'd find that suspicious?"
"So Mo Yi sent Xiao Wu to follow A Sen," Fu Tingyun pondered. "Actually, it was to investigate our background. But A Sen mistook Xiao Wu for Third Master Feng's man and led him in circles all night!"
Zhao Ling nodded. "While A Sen and Xiao Wu were running around outside, Mo Yi received no updates here, and then bandits stormed the City God Temple." He paused briefly before adding with a note of admiration, "The Sixteenth Master is quite thoughtful indeed! Suspicious that we might be Tengji Guard operatives yet also concerned we could be innocent civilians, he had Mo Yi keep watch outside while observing whether we were in league with the bandits.""Only after you killed that bandit leader did they dare to conclude we weren’t part of the same group, and then they stepped in to help." Fu Tingyun suddenly understood. "Then they sent medicine, bandaged your wounds, and even gave you a Name Card to enlist in the army, assigning Mo Yi to escort you to Linchun Town to recuperate." She murmured, "Seems this Sixteenth Master isn’t so bad after all!"
Zhao Ling merely smiled in response.
Fu Tingyun couldn’t shake the feeling that his smile carried some hidden meaning, making her uneasy.
Had she said something wrong again?
"Didn’t we agree to talk things out properly?" she muttered under her breath. "I’m not like you—well-traveled, experienced, and so cun..." She had been about to say "cunning," but remembering the stiff smile he’d given her that day, she swallowed the word and replaced it with, "clever..."
Zhao Ling heard every word, and the amusement in his eyes deepened. "Take a look outside the window. Do you notice anything different?"
Fu Tingyun didn’t understand but went to the window to peer out.
"Nothing’s different!" she grumbled. "The shop is on the east side of town, but the post road comes in from the west, so the location’s a bit out of the way..."
Zhao Ling prompted her, "Look further out!"
"Further out...?" Fu Tingyun gazed into the distance. "I can see the post road, and the woods beside it are clearly visible. Oh, and the City God Temple—the one we rested at yesterday—it’s all in plain sight." As she spoke, she recalled the events of the previous night and murmured, "I wonder if anyone’s discovered those bodies yet?"
Zhao Ling was silent for a long moment.
Snapping back to the present, Fu Tingyun quickly added, "That’s all I can see!"
Zhao Ling sighed. "There are only two roads leading into 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 temple. That means no matter which direction people enter from, we’ll spot them just by looking out this window. And since this place is slightly removed from both the post road and the temple, if anyone approaches, we’ll have plenty of time to leave calmly." He mused, "A position that allows for both offense and retreat. This Mo Yi is quite skilled in military tactics."
Fu Tingyun nearly blurted out, "Since you noticed it too, does that mean you’re also skilled in military tactics?" But the question felt too intimate, so she quickly changed it to, "Ninth Master, did you secretly stand by the window and observe while we weren’t around? Otherwise, how could you be so sure? I didn’t even realize we could see the City God Temple from here!"
Zhao Ling’s lips twitched, as if he couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, and abruptly asked, "You said A Sen got into a fight with the leader of those boys who begged from us on the street earlier?"
Why was he suddenly bringing this up?
"Yes!" Fu Tingyun replied. "Apparently, that boy tried to steal our food!"
Zhao Ling said, "Later, ask Mo Yi how we’re supposed to handle our rations for the next few days."
Fu Tingyun was also concerned about this issue. Noticing the weariness in Zhao Ling’s expression, she chatted with him a little longer, helped him lie down, and fanned him until he fell asleep. Then she tiptoed downstairs.
The little boy was long gone. A Sen and Xiao Wu were competing in horse stance squats, while Mo Yi stood nearby, coldly remarking, "If your stance were stable, that kid wouldn’t have knocked you flat with one kick. I don’t know how your master has been teaching you..."Before he could finish, A Sen immediately turned hostile: "Our master taught me very well; it's just that I didn't learn properly. My Yu—"
Fu Tingyun sensed he was about to say "Brother Yucheng" and quickly coughed, interrupting, "A Sen, it's so hot today. Ninth Master is ill now and can't endure the heat as usual. Why don't you go upstairs and fan him?"
A Sen dashed upstairs.
Fu Tingyun then asked Mo Yi about their food arrangements for the next few days.
"We have enough to last us four or five days," he replied. "Don't worry, miss. I'll send Xiao Wu to Xi'an Prefecture tomorrow to bring back more supplies."
After exchanging a few polite words like "We appreciate your trouble, Manager Mo," Fu Tingyun went upstairs.
She scolded A Sen: "We've only just met Manager Mo. You must think carefully about what can and cannot be said. Understand?"
Yucheng and Yuanbao were Zhao Ling's hidden cards, and she vaguely didn’t want others to know about them.
A Sen argued, "They said our master didn’t teach me well—"
"Whether it's good or not isn’t for them to judge," Fu Tingyun cut him off. "Our master is still bedridden. The more critical the situation, the more cautious you must be. Don’t provoke conflicts with them."
"Mm!" A Sen nodded. "Otherwise, we might end up fighting among ourselves, and those Migrant Bandits would take the chance to raid our supplies."
Fu Tingyun smiled faintly.
When Zhao Ling woke up, she relayed Mo Yi’s words to him.
"So they aren’t Sixteenth Master’s men after all!" Zhao Ling mused. "Pity we don’t know who’s currently staying in Xi'an Prefecture..."
Fu Tingyun was surprised.
Zhao Ling explained, "Didn’t that Xiao Wu say Xi'an Prefecture is only allowing people to leave, not enter? If they were Sixteenth Master’s men, they wouldn’t be familiar with Xi'an Prefecture. How could they come and go so freely?"
"Then... who are they?" Fu Tingyun asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"Even if they aren’t Sixteenth Master’s men, they must be closely connected to him," Zhao Ling reassured her. "We’ll find out eventually." He then instructed A Sen, "Go and invite Manager Mo over." Turning to Fu Tingyun, he added, "If we can seize this chance to go to Xi'an Prefecture, that would be ideal."
He sounded cooperative now.
"But what about your injuries?" Fu Tingyun worried.
"I can hold out until Xi'an Prefecture."
Fu Tingyun thought of Zhao Ling’s arrangement with Yucheng and Yuanbao... Mid-Autumn Festival was just days away... She fell silent.
Mo Yi was taken aback.
"We originally planned to seek refuge in Xi'an Prefecture, but after hearing from Xiao Wu that entry was restricted, we abandoned the idea," Zhao Ling said. "Since Manager Mo has a way in, we might as well go. That way, we can reunite with our relatives, and you can return to Sixteenth Master. Otherwise, we’d feel guilty keeping you here with us."
"Accompanying you during your recovery was Sixteenth Master’s order. It’s only right that I stay with you—there’s no need for guilt," Mo Yi declined tactfully. "Besides, Xi'an Prefecture is packed with fleeing nobles, prices have skyrocketed five or six times over, and it’s chaotic. Staying in Linchun Town is far better. You’ll recover in two or three months—there’s no rush.""Perhaps you could take A Sen to Xi'an tomorrow to send word to my relatives?" Zhao Ling didn't insist, compromising instead, "That would set my mind at ease!"
Mo Yi readily agreed.
However, Zhao Ling's expression remained grim: "It seems we're being held under house arrest here!"
Fu Tingyun paled in shock: "By Sixteenth Master? Why? Could it be they fear we might reveal their whereabouts?"
"Possibly," Zhao Ling pondered before continuing, "But don't panic. Once Sixteenth Master returns to his fiefdom, even if we wanted to expose him, without concrete evidence, how could we possibly report him to the Tengji Guard? They'll surely release us then." He then instructed A Sen, "Be sharp tomorrow. First, observe how they enter the city. Second, find a way to leave a message for Yucheng and Yuanbao about our current situation, so they won't worry and search aimlessly like headless flies."
A Sen nodded earnestly.
The next day, he followed Xiao Wu to Xi'an.
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