Zhao Ling could see Fu Tingyun’s embarrassment.

Not wanting to make the atmosphere tense, he smoothly picked up the conversation, smiling: “It’s because everything was too coincidental!”

Fu Tingyun stared at Zhao Ling with wide eyes, her expression serious.

Zhao Ling became earnest as well: “I agree with your earlier conjecture.”

Fu Tingyun’s face lit up with a joyful smile.

“Though the Tengxiang Guard is tasked with monitoring the vassal princes in their fiefs, the princes are still of royal blood, the Emperor’s brothers. Without grave matters like rebellion, the Guard wouldn’t dare to report trivially. But since Shi Wenbin became Commander of the Tengxiang Guard, his actions have grown increasingly harsh and his methods more devious. He frequently impeaches various vassal princes—the Prince of Shu was even demoted to commoner status because of this. The vassal princes have become anxious, unsure whether this reflects the Emperor’s wishes or if Shi Wenbin is abusing imperial favor to act with arrogance. They’ve grown fearful at the mere mention of the Tengxiang Guard, becoming extremely cautious in their words and deeds.” As Zhao Ling discussed serious matters, his expression grew imposing, and the atmosphere became solemn. “That’s why when Lord Sixteen left his fief, he only brought two highly skilled personal guards and one servant to attend to his daily needs. In peaceful times, having these few people would have been sufficient. Unexpectedly, the drought caused great chaos in Shaanxi, making it dangerous for such a small group to travel. Perhaps Lord Sixteen was trying to evade the Tengxiang Guard, or perhaps the disaster caused him to lose contact with his people. Mo Yi and others were ordered to find Lord Sixteen, which explains why Lord Sixteen asked Mo Yi, ‘Are you alone?’ and Mo Yi replied, ‘Twenty of us came, but only we were fortunate enough to find Lord Sixteen.'”

Fu Tingyun nodded continuously.

“In the jianghu, there are three types to avoid provoking: those who have left the secular world, children, and women,” Zhao Ling said. “When someone who has left the secular world departs from their temple to involve themselves in worldly affairs, it shows their six senses are not pure, still harboring greed, anger, and ignorance. As for women and children who dare to walk the perilous jianghu, they either possess extraordinary skills or have influential elders or mentors in the jianghu. The former lack mercy, while the latter enjoy showing off their strength—either way, they bring trouble. Mo Yi and his men had finally found Lord Sixteen with great difficulty, yet we appeared with perfect timing—a child and a woman pushing a sick man. And as soon as you settled in, A-Sen wanted to go to Linchun Town for a doctor. How could they not be suspicious?”

“So that’s why Mo Yi sent Little Five to follow A-Sen,” Fu Tingyun pondered. “He was trying to investigate us. But A-Sen mistook Little Five for one of Master Feng Three’s men and led him in circles half the night!”

Zhao Ling nodded: “While A-Sen and Little Five were circling outside, Mo Yi received no information, and then bandits broke into the City God Temple.” He paused here, “Lord Sixteen is quite perceptive!” His tone revealed a hint of admiration. “Fearing we might be the Tengxiang Guard’s agents, yet also worried we might be innocent civilians, he had Mo Yi keep watch outside while observing whether we were in league with the bandits.”

“Only after you killed the bandit leader did they dare conclude we weren’t allies, and then they came to our rescue,” Fu Tingyun realized. “Then they provided medicine, dressed your wounds, and finally gave you a name card to enlist in the army and assigned Mo Yi to escort you to Linchun Town to recover.” She murmured, “It seems this Lord Sixteen is quite decent!”

Zhao Ling merely smiled at her words.

Fu Tingyun felt his smile seemed to imply something, making her feel self-conscious.

Had she said something wrong again?

“Didn’t we agree to speak properly?” she muttered. “I’m not like you, experienced and cun,” She had intended to say “cunning,” but remembering his somewhat stiff smile that day, she swallowed the word and said, “smart…” instead.

Zhao Ling heard her clearly, and amusement spilled from his eyes again as he said: “Look out the window. Do you notice anything different?”

Fu Tingyun didn’t understand but went to the window to look outside.

“Nothing different!” she pouted. “The shop is on the east side of town, though the post road enters from the west, so the location is a bit off…”

Zhao Ling prompted her: “Look farther!”

“Farther…” Fu Tingyun gazed into the distance. “In the distance, I can see the post road, and the woods beside it are very clear. Oh, and there’s the City God Temple where we rested yesterday… everything is visible.” As she spoke, she remembered what had happened the previous night and murmured, “I wonder if those bodies have been discovered yet?”

Zhao Ling remained silent for a long moment.

Fu Tingyun came to her senses and quickly said: “That’s all I can see!”

Zhao Ling sighed: “There are only two routes to Linchun Town—the post road and the dirt path beside the City God Temple. From here, you can see both the post road and the City God Temple. This means that whoever enters Linchun Town, regardless of which route they take, can be spotted from this vantage point. Moreover, this location is somewhat offset from both the post road and the City God Temple. If anyone approaches, there’s ample time to leave at leisure.” He sighed, “It’s suitable for both offense and defense. This Mo Yi is skilled in military tactics and formations.”

Fu Tingyun wanted to ask, “Since you’ve figured this out, does it mean you’re also skilled in military tactics?” but as the words reached her lips, she felt the question was too intimate and quickly changed course: “Nine, did you stand by the window and carefully observe when none of us were around? Otherwise, how would you know all this so clearly? I didn’t even notice we could see the City God Temple from here!”

The corner of Zhao Ling’s mouth twitched slightly, showing an expression of unwillingness to argue with her. He abruptly asked: “You said A-Sen was fighting with the leader of those begging boys from the street?”

Why this sudden question?

“Yes!” Fu Tingyun said. “They said the boy came to steal food!”

Zhao Ling said, “Later, ask Mo Yi how our food will be arranged for the next few days.”

Fu Tingyun was also concerned about this issue. Seeing the weariness in Zhao Ling’s brow, she chatted with him for a while longer, helped him lie down, fanned him for a bit, and when she saw he was sleeping soundly, quietly went downstairs.

The small boy was nowhere to be seen. A-Sen and Little Five were competing at horse stance squats, while Mo Yi coldly remarked from the side: “If your lower body were stable, how could that boy have tripped you? I wonder how your master trained you…”

Before he could finish, A-Sen immediately retorted: “Our master trained us 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, saying: “A-Sen, the weather is so hot, and Nine is ill, not as resilient as usual. Go upstairs and fan him!”

A-Sen ran upstairs quickly.

Fu Tingyun asked Mo Yi about the food arrangements for the coming days.

“There’s enough for all of us to eat for four or five days,” he said. “Miss need not worry. Tomorrow I’ll send Little Five to Xi’an Prefecture to bring back more food and drink.”

Fu Tingyun exchanged a few polite phrases like “We’re troubling Manager Mo,” then went upstairs.

She scolded A-Sen: “We’ve only just met Manager Mo. You need to think carefully about what you can and cannot say. Understand?”

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

A-Sen defended himself: “They said master didn’t train me well…”

“Whether it’s good or not isn’t for them to decide,” Fu Tingyun interrupted. “Master is still bedridden. Especially at a time like this, you need to be careful and avoid conflicts with them.”

“Mm!” A-Sen nodded. “Otherwise, we might start fighting among ourselves, and those refugees might see it and rush in to steal our food.”

Fu Tingyun smiled gracefully.

When Zhao Ling woke up, she told him what Mo Yi had said.

“If that’s the case, they aren’t Lord Sixteen’s men!” Zhao Ling pondered. “It’s a pity we don’t know who’s currently staying in Xi’an Prefecture…”

Fu Tingyun was somewhat surprised.

Zhao Ling explained: “Didn’t Little Five say that Xi’an Prefecture now only allows people to leave but not enter? If they were Lord Sixteen’s men, they wouldn’t be familiar with Xi’an Prefecture. How could they enter and exit so freely?”

“Then, who are they?” Fu Tingyun asked, feeling alarmed.

“Even if they’re not Lord Sixteen’s men, they must be closely connected to him,” Zhao Ling reassured her. “We’ll find out eventually.” He instructed A-Sen, “Go invite Manager Mo up here!” Then he said to Fu Tingyun, “If we could take this opportunity to go to Xi’an Prefecture, that would be ideal.”

He now seemed more willing to consult with her.

“But what about your wound?” Fu Tingyun was very concerned.

“I can make it to Xi’an Prefecture without a problem.”

Fu Tingyun thought about Zhao Ling’s arrangement with Yucheng and Yuanbao… the Mid-Autumn Festival was only days away… but she remained silent.

Mo Yi was quite surprised.

“We originally planned to seek refuge in Xi’an Prefecture, but after hearing Little Five say that people could only leave but not enter, we abandoned the idea,” Zhao Ling said. “Since Manager Mo has a way to get in, we might as well go to Xi’an Prefecture. This way, we can find our relatives, and Manager Mo can return to Lord Sixteen. Otherwise, if you continue to accompany us, we would feel very uncomfortable about it.”

“Accompanying you while you recover is our Lord Sixteen’s wish. My staying with you is only natural—there’s no need for you to feel uncomfortable,” Mo Yi politely declined. “Besides, Xi’an Prefecture is crowded with fleeing officials and nobles. Prices have increased more than five or six times, and it’s very chaotic. It’s better to stay in Linchun Town! After all, you’ll recover in two or three months, so there’s no rush.”

“Well then, could you take A-Sen to Xi’an Prefecture tomorrow to inform my relatives?” Zhao Ling didn’t insist, asking for a compromise instead. “That would put my mind at ease!”

Mo Yi readily agreed.

Zhao Ling’s expression wasn’t very pleased: “It seems we’re being held under house arrest here!”

Fu Tingyun was shocked: “Is it Lord Sixteen? Why? Is he afraid we’ll reveal their whereabouts?”

“Possibly,” Zhao Ling thought for a moment and said, “But don’t panic. Once Lord Sixteen returns to his fief, even if we wanted to, we’d have no evidence. Could we report him to the Tengxiang Guard? They’ll naturally release us then.” He instructed A-Sen, “Be clever tomorrow. First, see what method they use to enter the city. Second, find a way to leave a message for Yucheng and Yuanbao, explaining our current situation, so they won’t worry and search for us like headless flies.”

A-Sen nodded earnestly.

The next day, he went to Xi’an Prefecture with Little Five.