Fu Tingyun returned to her room with light steps.

She called for Zheng San Niang to help pack her luggage.

The drinking party had just ended not long ago, and everyone had only just gone to bed. Zheng San Niang rubbed her sleepy eyes: “Where is Miss going?” She was still somewhat dazed.

Fu Tingyun smiled and said: “We’re going to Zhangye.”

Zheng San Niang jolted awake, startled into full alertness: “Go, go to Zhangye? What are we going to Zhangye for?”

“Master Zhao is going to Zhangye, so naturally we must follow.” Fu Tingyun spoke with a calm expression and instructed Zheng San Niang, “Just help me pack the teacups and utensils, I’ll take care of the clothes myself.” As she spoke, she was already sitting on the edge of the bed, sorting her clothes by category while muttering softly: “Lesser quality items can be bought in Zhangye, and if necessary, we can use Master Zhao’s. But clothes are troublesome… I haven’t prepared any winter clothes at all! Had I known this would happen, I should have bought some when we went out today.” At this point, her movements paused, and she said, “The harvest hasn’t been good this year, so cotton, hemp, and gauze have all increased in price. I spent one hundred and twenty taels of silver at Daxing Temple, and with various daily expenses, I now have only seventy-some taels left, which I fear isn’t even enough to buy a fur coat.”

As she pondered, she reached under her pillow and pulled out a small red lacquered copper lock box with painted peony designs. Opening it, there were three twenty-five tael silver ingots and one piece of broken silver.

“Let’s call it seventy-five taels of silver!” Fu Tingyun pouted as she stood up and said to Zheng San Niang, who was still staring blankly at the teacups and fruit plates around the room, “I’ll go to Master Zhao’s place and come right back. You should also inform Zheng San to pack the necessary things early,” and then she left the room.

…

There was no light in the room. Zhao Ling lay on the bed fully clothed.

Moonlight shone on the Korean paper-covered window lattice, creating a pure white glow.

He recalled their first meeting.

She had bright, large eyes with pitch-black pupils, so clear they seemed to reflect his image.

Had she not screamed out, he might not have come to his senses in time.

She fell beneath the tree, neither making a sound nor looking back, but ran away immediately.

He thought at the time that this girl was truly clever and quick-witted. But he never killed women or children, so this girl would probably not be easy to deal with.

Who would have thought that pinching her neck to frighten her would make her submit so quickly, leading him to the kitchen.

Just as he was secretly rejoicing, she suddenly shouted “Help!” loudly.

Fearing she would continue to cry out and attract the nuns in the temple when she woke up, he coldly pinched her neck.

She was so frightened that she fainted.

He carried her to the back courtyard.

Along the way, the summer sun shone on her face, which was as clear as jade and as white as snow.

He felt a trace of pity and placed her down in a shaded area under some trees.

Thinking of these things, a faint smile appeared at the corners of Zhao Ling’s mouth.

He had never dreamed that one day, he would be anxious and restless, unable to eat or sleep properly because of this girl.

Back then, he had only thought her troublesome.

It was just a moment of soft-heartedness that made him decide to take her along to her uncle’s place in Weinan. But then they encountered the tragedy of the Jie family, leaving her with nowhere to go, so he had to take her to Xi’an Prefecture. Then they ran into Feng Laosi, who had been hunting him unsuccessfully, resulting in a fierce battle. Though he killed Feng Laosi, it also established a blood feud with the Feng family. After that, they met the Sixteenth Master. He would have avoided him if possible, but she got involved in between, forcing him onto the Sixteenth Master’s “pirate ship.”

Zhao Ling sighed softly, gazing at the bright white window lattice and murmuring: “I wonder if, when the day comes, we’ll be able to disembark from this pirate ship safely and smoothly…”

He then laughed bitterly.

To be fair, he wasn’t entirely without options regarding Hao Yi.

When she was at Biyun Temple, she was constantly thinking about how to seize opportunities and not let go, even daring to set her mind on him, a “bandit”; when he was injured and unconscious, she was so exhausted she could barely breathe but still wouldn’t give up. A frail woman, together with Ah Sen, a child of eight or nine, actually managed to push him, stumbling and staggering, to the City God Temple. When faced with bandits, she would rather take her own life than survive dishonorably… Indeed, her fierce character had left too deep an impression on him, causing him to involuntarily step back and unconsciously show her more tolerance.

He had originally thought he was merely being compassionate and magnanimous because of her unfortunate fate.

Even on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he and Yang Yucheng were walking properly down the main street of Guangren Temple. Despite the brilliant lanterns and the bustling crowd, despite being surrounded by brothers as close as his limbs, everyone laughing and chatting merrily, the thought of her alone in Yangliu Lane made him feel as if his body was covered in thorns, completely uncomfortable. He found an excuse to return to Yangliu Lane.

In the moonlight, she told him about her troubles, and he listened quietly, even racking his brains to say things like “Shu brocade is selling for fifteen taels of silver per roll, and blue and white porcelain is no longer fashionable in the capital” to comfort her. He praised her for making good mooncakes. That intimate and enchanting moment, as if they were “speaking privately in the middle of the night,” though it made him somewhat uneasy, brought him more joy in possessing a secret unknown to others.

Until she worried that he might collaborate with Tang Daishan, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: “So, are you worried?” It was only then that he was shocked to realize that he had gradually become different from before.

Was it because of her kindness when she asked him for Ah Sen, or her compassionate heart in still being willing to help Zheng San Niang and her son despite having suffered so much hardship herself, or was it her good intentions when she falsely claimed they were “engaged” that changed him? He couldn’t remember clearly. He only knew that when he once again discovered her staring at him furtively with bright, blinking eyes, his heart could no longer remain calm. It swung back and forth like a swing, never finding peace.

He began to feel somewhat apprehensive.

He would get married, have children, support the family, and extend the lineage, but not at this time.

He still had many things to do, and he didn’t even know what his future would be like, let alone provide a comfortable life for a wife and children. Moreover, with her personality, how could she let matters rest without clarifying that issue?

Two people whose fates were destined to go in opposite directions, why stir up dust between them?

He decided to stay far away from her.

Complete the promises he had made to her as soon as possible, so he would no longer be indebted to her. Once she returned to her parents, he could gradually forget her.

Zhao Ling remembered clearly the sudden, piercing pain when he made this decision.

Fortunately, the chanting from Daxing Temple gradually freed him from that suffering.

Just when he thought everything would get better, Jin Yuanbao returned.

He brought news of Lady Fu’s journey to the capital.

Things changed once again.

Then Hao Yi visited and offered to help him settle her: “It will also prevent you from having your attention divided.” His gaze was very sincere.

He was completely confident that this was one of Hao Yi’s tactics to win him over, not to take her as a hostage.

At that moment, his heart couldn’t help but stir.

He knew his feelings for her, but what about her?

What did she think of him?

Now, Lady Fu was in the capital, only a month’s journey from here, while he was heading to Zhangye, thousands of miles away. Between her mother and him, how would she choose?

If she chose to stay in Xi’an, he would accept that it was just his one-sided affection. He would compose himself properly and go to Zhangye without showing any emotion.

But if she chose to go to Zhangye with him…

He thought with some pride: if she dared to entrust herself to him, was there anything he couldn’t face?

Even if they faced mountains of knives and seas of fire in the future, he would not disappoint her feelings for him, and he would dare to face everything openly.

Like an obsession, once the thought arose, it could not be dispelled.

He knew she was eavesdropping outside the study, he knew Jin Yuanbao had seen through his thoughts and was stirring things up, but he still spoke ambiguously, bringing up Hao Yi, letting her misunderstand, letting her guess… But when he saw her looking despondent at the banquet, he regretted it.

Zhangye was too far away.

It was a different world from here.

Once she followed him to Zhangye, there would be no turning back.

What if she couldn’t adapt to life there?

He couldn’t be so selfish, thinking only of himself and not considering her.

Thinking of these things, Zhao Ling placed both arms behind his head and stared into space.

He needed to find a way to explain things to her.

Don’t let her return to her parents with a knot in her heart.

There was a sound outside the door.

He couldn’t help but listen carefully.

It was Ah Sen’s voice, cheerful and loud: “Miss Fu, why have you come? Are you looking for Master Zhao?”

Zhao Ling’s heart tightened as he listened.

“Yes!” Fu Tingyun laughed, “Could you help me announce my arrival?”

Ah Sen hurriedly tied his belt and happily pushed open Zhao Ling’s door: “Master Zhao, Miss Fu is looking for you?”

For some reason, he deliberately remained silent for a moment, then pretended to have just been awakened and lazily let out an “Oh”: “I’ll get up right away.”

Ah Sen heard this and was about to come in to attend to him.

“No need!” Zhao Ling didn’t want Ah Sen to see what he looked like now, “Go keep Miss Fu company!” Fearing he would insist on coming in, he added, “Bring a chair for Miss Fu and serve her some tea.”

Ah Sen responded and left.

Zhao Ling dawdled in the room for a while before coming out.

Fu Tingyun was holding a cup of tea, standing in the courtyard, talking with Ah Sen.

Her smiling eyes were as gentle as water in the moonlight.

Hearing the noise, she looked over.

Her gaze rippled like water, with a captivating beauty.

“Master Zhao!” She smiled as she walked over.

Zhao Ling vaguely felt that something was about to happen, most likely related to Hao Yi’s words. Seeing Fu Tingyun, he felt a sense of timidity like approaching his hometown, wanting to guess but not daring to, his heart beating like a drum.

“Miss Fu!” He smiled warmly, trying to appear as composed as possible, “It’s so late, what brings you to see me?”

Fu Tingyun smiled radiantly: “Do we have any more silver at home?”

“Ah!” Zhao Ling stared blankly at Fu Tingyun, his smile frozen on his face.

His expression amused Fu Tingyun.

Fu Tingyun’s smile grew even more brilliant, with a hint of mischief flashing in her eyes: “I want to purchase some things early tomorrow morning, but I don’t have quite enough money on hand…”

Zhao Ling came to his senses and quickly said: “Yes, yes, yes. Since there are no silver shops in Zhangye, we had Yucheng exchange some silver early on.” As he spoke, he asked, “Would two hundred taels be enough?”

Two hundred taels of silver were enough for the Lü couple to live on for five years.

Fu Tingyun’s expression showed some difficulty.

Zhao Ling broke out in a cold sweat: “Then I’ll have Yucheng go to Baoqing Silver Shop early tomorrow morning to exchange some more.”

Baoqing Silver Shop currently only exchanges banknotes of two thousand taels or more.

How much money does this fellow have?

Fu Tingyun wondered to herself, but kept her composure, reluctantly nodding: “That’s fine. I was thinking that two thousand taels of silver should be enough!”

Zhao Ling was startled.

Two thousand taels of silver were enough to buy those thousand-plus mu of land in East Jiang Village.

What did she need so much silver for?

Could she have been duped by someone during today’s outing?

“How about I have Master Lü accompany you tomorrow?” he hurriedly said, “He’s familiar with the area and can also help run errands if needed.”