Xi’an Prefecture was the capital of Shaanxi and an ancient imperial city. Its towering city walls and magnificent buildings possessed a unique grandeur unlike any other place.

Fu Tingyun tightly gripped the thick rope, watching the shadows of Mo Yi and the others gazing up at her from the ground grow smaller and smaller.

“Miss,” Zheng San Niang, who had ascended earlier, reached out to her, “please be careful.”

Fu Tingyun looked up and saw Zhao Ling standing below the city wall’s drum tower.

The gentle moonlight quietly spilled over him. The tall drum tower blocked his straight figure, with half his face hidden in the tower’s shadow and half in the moonlight, creating an inexplicable sense of stillness and solitude.

Seeing Fu Tingyun looking at him, he smiled slightly, his smile dispelling the coldness and bringing a hint of warmth.

A-Sen approached, carrying Linchun: “Miss, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Fu Tingyun smiled at him. In the moonlight, she was like a night-blooming cereus in quiet bloom, with a kind of magnificent purity.

Zheng San Niang couldn’t help murmuring, “Miss, you’re truly beautiful.”

The guard nearby was already impatient: “Hurry up, don’t dawdle. If the night patrol officers discover us, we’ll all lose our lives.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Zheng San Niang took the child from A-Sen’s arms and apologized anxiously.

When Zhao Ling decided to leave Linchun Town, Fu Tingyun wanted to bring Zheng San’s family along: “Because they fetched water and washed clothes for us, they’ve been seen as our people by the refugees in Linchun Town. If we leave, they’ll probably face certain death. I still have some valuables, enough to pay for our entry into the city.”

Upon learning this, Zheng San was immensely grateful. With reddened eyes, he pulled Zheng San Niang to kowtow to Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun hurriedly stopped Zheng San Niang: “Actually, I’m the one who involved you in this trouble.”

“Please don’t say that, Miss. If it weren’t for you, our whole family wouldn’t have survived,” Zheng San said. “I don’t have many skills, just some brute strength,” he continued with a bitter smile, “and even this strength survived only because Miss gave us food. Miss’s great kindness is something we cannot repay in our lifetime, nor can our Linchun, nor can Linchun’s children. Just say the word, Miss, and we would brave fire and water without hesitation.”

Zhao Ling, watching from the side, appeared thoughtful. On the road, he said to Zheng San, “If you have nowhere to go, why not follow Miss Fu? At the very least, as long as she has food to eat, you’ll have food to eat.”

Zheng San didn’t hesitate and wanted to pledge loyalty on the spot.

Wouldn’t this be taking advantage of kindness?

“That’s not necessary!” Fu Tingyun waved her hands repeatedly.

Zhao Ling ignored her and said to Zheng San, “After entering Xi’an Prefecture, have Manager Mo act as a witness, and you can write a letter of allegiance.”

He even wanted a contract of servitude from them!

Fu Tingyun was about to object, but seeing Zhao Ling’s stern gaze, she had to swallow her words.

Zheng San immediately agreed.

When entering the city, the guards demanded thirty taels of silver per person, counting even Linchun as one person, and insisted on payment in silver. This infuriated Mo Yi, but Zhao Ling produced three gold bars from somewhere and handed them to the guards. Their eyes gleamed with greed, and they immediately had the tower guards lower the hanging basket.

Zheng San Niang felt panicked just thinking about the gold bars given to the guards.

If they couldn’t enter the city because of her, she would willingly die a hundred or a thousand deaths.

She dared not say more and quickly stood aside, watching as the guards pulled up Mo Yi, Zheng San, Chen Six, Xiao Wu, and the others one by one.

“Let’s go!” Unlike the silence of Zheng San and A-Sen, Mo Yi, Chen Six, and Xiao Wu all seemed relaxed. “Let’s find a place to wait until dawn—at this late hour, there’s a curfew in the city. If we alert the night patrol, we’ll be in trouble just the same.”

Nobody spoke as they followed Mo Yi down from the city wall, heading west. Several times they passed night patrol guards, but Mo Yi skillfully guided them to avoid detection. Finally, they stopped next to a street filled with singing and dancing: “Wait here a moment. I’ll see if I can find a place for us to change clothes. Our current appearance is fine at night, but in daylight it will be conspicuous—people will immediately recognize us as refugees. These days, Xi’an Prefecture sends all refugees to Jiuligou.”

No one spoke as they waited while Mo Yi and Chen Six went to the adjacent street.

Fu Tingyun saw that the neighboring street was illuminated by large red lanterns, with constant sounds of coquettish laughter, creating a very lively atmosphere. She wondered curiously, “Is there a banquet happening next door? I wonder which family it is? It’s quite grand.”

Zhao Ling stood with his hands behind his back, as if he hadn’t heard her. A-Sen kept his head down, Xiao Wu looked around, and Zheng San, carrying a huge bundle, stood far away. No one answered her question.

In the silence, the women’s charming laughter from next door became more distinct, contrasting with the emptiness and desolation of this deserted street.

Seeing that everyone ignored Fu Tingyun’s words and fearing she might be displeased, Zheng San Niang smiled and said, “Xi’an truly deserves to be the capital of Shaanxi. A banquet held by a wealthy family at once invites so many guests. In our county, even the magistrate’s birthday didn’t have such a grand scene.”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Sweat broke out on Zheng San’s forehead as he scolded his wife, “When the young lady speaks, who are you to open your mouth!”

Zheng San Niang shrank back.

“We’re just making casual conversation, there’s no need for so many formalities,” Fu Tingyun smiled, “Be careful not to wake the child.”

Zheng San smiled sheepishly.

Zhao Ling suddenly said, “Let’s move further in. Standing at the street corner makes it easy for the night patrol to spot us.”

Xiao Wu repeatedly responded with “Yes,” and everyone retreated about twenty steps.

Shortly after, Mo Yi and Chen Six returned.

“It’s done!” Mo Yi’s face was filled with joy. “Follow me.” He led them into a small alley on another street and a remote and cluttered small courtyard.

The courtyard had a small setback.

Fu Tingyun and Zheng San Niang went to change clothes first, followed by Zhao Ling and the others.

By the time everyone was ready, a trace of light appeared on the horizon.

The group left the courtyard.

The adjacent street was quiet, with only an occasional hurried man passing by, carrying a strong scent of perfume.

Fu Tingyun secretly wondered about this.

Mo Yi led them to a nearby inn called “Gaosheng,” claiming they were traveling merchants looking to rent a secluded courtyard.

The innkeeper was a plump, pale man in his forties, with eyes narrowed to slits: “Sir, I’m truly sorry, our inn is fully occupied. Why don’t you try the ‘Liansheng’ inn next door?”

They went to the Liansheng inn, but it only had two rooms left. Following the innkeeper’s recommendation, they went to another inn called “Xilian.” This inn had a small courtyard, but it cost ten taels of silver per day, payable in silver upfront.

Mo Yi looked at Zhao Ling.

Zhao Ling looked back at Mo Yi: “I am completely penniless.”

Everyone was stunned.

Fu Tingyun was especially distressed.

How could he be so completely unreserved… If it weren’t for Mo Yi asking him to pay for the inn, would he have ever intended to let anyone know about this? She thought about the tub of bathwater at Li Family Hollow, and imagined Zhao Ling being troubled due to lack of money… It felt like being stabbed in the heart, a pain beyond words.

She stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve.

He turned back: “Whatever it is, we’ll talk later.”

In front of everyone, Fu Tingyun couldn’t insist.

Mo Yi glared at Zhao Ling: “You’re penniless yet you gave those gatekeepers three gold bars in one go?”

Zhao Ling said, “I saw you buy so many food items, but didn’t take any when we left. I thought Brother Mo had already made arrangements.”

Mo Yi was so angry that he paced back and forth at the inn’s entrance for a long time before stopping, then led them to the next inn.

Fu Tingyun found an opportunity to whisper to Zhao Ling: “I still have some valuables in my bundle…”

Before she could finish, Zhao Ling had already said, “I know what I’m doing in this matter. Don’t worry about it.”

Fu Tingyun felt reassured.

After struggling like this until noon, they finally found suitable accommodation at an inn called “Xisheng.”

They hadn’t eaten breakfast, the sun was strong, and they had been walking around all this time, so everyone was exhausted. After arranging their lodgings and eating an expensive but disappointing lunch at the inn, everyone washed up and fell straight to sleep, except for Zheng San, who vigilantly guarded the courtyard entrance.

It wasn’t until lamplight time that people gradually woke up.

Zhao Ling called for Zheng San and his wife, with Mo Yi as witness, and had them press their fingerprints on a prepared contract. Then he knocked on the door of the east wing room where Fu Tingyun was resting, handed her the contract, and said softly, “Where are your bracelets? Keep your valuables safe!”

To rush Zheng San to sign a contract so urgently…

Fu Tingyun felt that Zhao Ling wasn’t being generous in this matter.

Zhao Ling had already whispered, “I’ve observed. Zheng San is capable and understands martial arts; Zheng San Niang is honest and hardworking. With these two people by your side, you’ll have someone to rely on if anything happens… This contract of servitude must be signed.”

Rely on?

Why would she need to rely on the Zheng San couple?

The thought flashed through her mind, and Fu Tingyun suddenly realized that she was now in Xi’an Prefecture.

According to their agreement, once they reached Xi’an Prefecture, he would find a way to send a message to her mother… and then her future would be arranged by her mother…

Zhao Ling was about to part ways with her!

Fu Tingyun’s face suddenly turned deathly pale.

Fear, sadness, loss… came one after another.

But what could she do?

This was the agreement they had made from the beginning.

For her sake, he had already given so much… from Huayin to Weinan, from Weinan to Xi’an Prefecture, she couldn’t trouble him anymore.

Although she knew this, why did she feel such inexplicable desolation in her heart?

Although she knew he had thought of everything for her, why did she still feel afraid?

Although she knew she should thank him gratefully at this moment, why couldn’t she speak the words of gratitude?

Fu Tingyun looked at him in confusion, her eyes inexplicably moistening.

Zhao Ling sighed softly in his heart.

Even after escorting someone a thousand miles, there must be a parting.

This was all he could do for her.

No matter what, she was the daughter of the Fu family, with parents above and uncles below, and it wasn’t his place to interfere in these matters.

Moreover, he had his affairs to attend to, and she had her path to follow. Even if he wanted to help, he couldn’t do much, and might even make things worse, ultimately harming her.

Just like at Biyun Temple… abducting her like that, who knew what the Fu family thought? Who knew if the Fu family would blame her for this?

His heart was a bit confused.

He only hoped that after all these hardships, heaven would show her some mercy and not let her suffer any more sorrow.

Looking up, he saw her glistening eyes.

Clear and pure, without blemish.

It was hard to face them.

“Don’t worry, I will make sure you are safe before I leave.”

Another promise, casually made as if guided by spirits.