The street was crowded with people either fetching water to fight the fire or just watching.
Zhi Lan was being held back by the crowd and couldn’t catch up with Duan Xinning.
When she saw her faint, she became flustered: “Third Miss.”
Xia Zimo was right next to Duan Xinning and caught her as she collapsed.
Lin Ting noticed that he had caught her and was about to reach out to help, suggesting that they send Duan Xinning back to the Duan family and get a doctor to check on her.
Duan Xinning was being well-protected by Xia Zimo and wasn’t hurt—no internal or external injuries—she was just startled and overly tired from a full day of activities.
She needed a good rest, but it shouldn’t be anything serious.
“Miss Lin Qi, you should also return to your residence early,” Xia Zimo suggested.
Xia Zimo then guessed that the fire at Yellow Crane Tower wasn’t simple and might be connected to Duan Ling.
He probably needed to stay and handle the situation, so he added: “Lord Duan, I will first send Third Miss back.”
Duan Ling glanced at Xia Zimo and nodded, “Thank you, Young Master Xia.”
Xia Zimo, not bothering with formalities, once again picked up Duan Xinning, pushing through the crowd as he walked towards the Duan family carriage parked by the street.
Zhi Lan, who had finally broken through the dense crowd, followed closely behind.
She finally understood why Tao Zhu had wanted to rush into the fire earlier.
If something happened to the young lady, it would be her and the others’ responsibility.
If Third Miss had even the slightest injury, she wouldn’t live either.
Tao Zhu, covered in dust and ash, didn’t bother wiping it off but took out a still-clean handkerchief to gently wipe Lin Ting’s face, doing so carefully as if afraid to reveal any hidden injury beneath the dirt.
Although Lin Ting had said she wasn’t hurt, Tao Zhu still couldn’t ease her worry.
Lin Ting had been through a lot that night.
She had carried Duan Ling around, and now her back and waist ached.
She wanted to close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep like Duan Xinning, forgetting everything.
She mustered the strength to speak to Duan Ling: “Lord Duan, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back now. Be careful.”
Duan Ling nodded indifferently and then asked: “Do you need me to send someone to escort you home?”
Lin Ting felt sweaty and uncomfortable, with her skin feeling slippery: “No, I’ll go back by myself. I won’t trouble you.”
She pulled Tao Zhu along.
“Tao Zhu, let’s go.”
Just as they turned to leave, the Jinyiwei arrived, a large group marching down the street.
The sound of their cold, metallic armor clanging filled the air, their embroidered spring knives giving off an intimidating aura.
The street, which had been packed just moments ago, cleared to make way for the Jinyiwei.
The common folk didn’t recognize anyone, but they all knew the distinctive uniforms and embroidered spring knives of the Jinyiwei, recalling the dreaded Zhao Prison.
The Jinyiwei leader, a thousand household, marched straight to Duan Ling and saluted him: “Lord, we followed your orders and set an ambush near the Yellow Crane Tower. We successfully captured the men who tried to assassinate you, but…”
Duan Ling raised an eyebrow: “But what?”
The Jinyiwei leader, still in the salute position, replied: “But those men had poison in their mouths. After we captured them, they committed suicide by poison.”
“Are you telling me that after capturing so many people, not a single one was left alive?”
Duan Ling slowly took two steps forward, raised his hand, and effortlessly drew the embroidered spring knife from the leader’s waist.
The blade glinted like frost.
Cold sweat dripped down the Jinyiwei leader’s face as he hurriedly said: “There’s one survivor.”
Duan Ling ran his fingers along the sharp blade, yet his fingertips were unharmed, then slid the knife back into its sheath.
With a slight smile, he said: “Since that’s the case, what are we waiting for? Take me to see him.”
The Jinyiwei leader hesitated: “Lord, there’s one more matter I need to report.”
“What matter?”
“We encountered a young man while we were capturing those assassins. We tried to catch him but couldn’t. However, he wasn’t part of the assassin group. Should we investigate his background?”
The heat from the Yellow Crane Tower’s flames blew towards them, and Duan Ling’s mind immediately flashed to the figure of Jin Anzai, standing beside Lin Ting, his mask firmly in place.
“I already know about this matter. I’ll handle it myself.”
“Understood,” the Jinyiwei leader said, still uncertain.
“Lord, how are you feeling? Are you okay?”
The rumors about Duan Ling suffering dizziness in a fire had been spread by him intentionally.
The Jinyiwei leader couldn’t tell whether it was true and couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m fine.”
Duan Ling’s voice carried a hint of amusement, “Let’s go. The Yellow Crane Tower is on fire, and the officials were almost killed. As the Jinyiwei, it’s our duty to get to the bottom of this.”
The Jinyiwei leader couldn’t help but silently mourn for the Eastern Depot when he looked at Duan Ling’s delicate profile.
Recently, the Eastern Depot’s reach had become too extensive, even overstepping its boundaries.
When it failed to win someone over, it resorted to methods of elimination, rooting out opposition.
But this tactic didn’t work on everyone.
At least, not on Duan Ling.
He was a ruthless person who could use his own life as bait.
The Jinyiwei leader had worked for Duan Ling often, and now he had a new understanding of the seemingly gentle Jinyiwei commander.
He knew that the true owner behind the Yellow Crane Tower was Duan Ling, and tonight, Duan Ling had allowed the Eastern Depot to burn the profit-generating Yellow Crane Tower in order to seize a handle against them.
By late afternoon, Li Shi had returned from her religious duties and was sitting in her room, embroidering a handkerchief for Lin Ting.
Lin Ting’s father rarely spent the night in her room, so Li Shi was accustomed to spending long nights by embroidering.
Halfway through her embroidery, Li Shi began to feel drowsy.
She wanted to call a maid to help her sleep, but the sound of commotion outside caught her attention.
Even though the voices were deliberately muffled, they still reached Li Shi’s ears.
She vaguely heard mentions of South Gate Street, the Yellow Crane Tower, a fire, and Miss Qi.
Upon hearing Lin Ting’s name, Li Shi immediately stepped out of her room: “What happened? How is the fire at Yellow Crane Tower related to Miss Qi? Where is Leyun? It’s so late, why hasn’t Leyun come back yet?”
Li Shi’s maid furrowed her brow and hesitated: “It’s the Lian Festival today, and there was a fireworks display on South Gate Street. But for some reason, the Yellow Crane Tower caught fire.”
Li Shi grabbed the maid’s hand: “Yellow Crane Tower caught fire? Le Yun is inside?”
The maid understood what Li Shi was thinking: “Madam, don’t worry. Miss Qi may not be in the Yellow Crane Tower. I’ve sent people to inquire, and we should have news soon.”
Li Shi pushed the maid away, urgently saying: “No, I’m going to see for myself.”
“Leyun loves excitement. She must have gone to watch the fireworks. And with Miss Duan there, they would surely go to the best tavern, the Yellow Crane Tower, to watch the fireworks on the street.”
The maid had considered this, so she hadn’t told Li Shi immediately, fearing that it might be too much for her.
She sent people to inquire first: “Madam, please calm down. Don’t act impulsively.”
“Let go of me!”
Li Shi was deeply concerned about Lin Ting and couldn’t calm down.
Before Lin Ting even entered the courtyard, she heard the argument between Li Shi and the maid and guessed it was about her.
She raised her voice: “Mother, I’m back.” Her voice reached them before she did.
Upon hearing Lin Ting’s voice, Li Shi immediately felt relieved.
She rushed out of the courtyard to check on Lin Ting and scolded her: “Lin Leyun, are you trying to die? If you come back so late again, I’ll make you sleep in the woodshed! And from now on, stop running outside!”
“Mother, did you think we went to South Gate Street to watch the fireworks?”
Li Shi: “You didn’t go?”
Lin Ting feigned ignorance and secretly signaled Tao Zhu.
“No, we didn’t go. We only found out about the fire at Yellow Crane Tower on our way back.”
Before coming to Li Shi, they had tidied up a bit and changed into new clothes.
They did this because they feared that Li Shi, like someone bitten by a snake, would never allow Lin Ting to go out again after this, locking her in the house.
With Li Shi being even more stubborn than Lin Ting, she would truly do such a thing.
Lin Ting couldn’t live like a secluded young lady trapped in the house for family alliances.
She would rather die than live like that.
The courtyard was dimly lit, and Tao Zhu’s eyes were still red from crying but hard to notice.
Under Lin Ting’s “pressure,” Tao Zhu followed along and lied: “Miss Qi really didn’t go to South Gate Street.”
Lin Ting gave Tao Zhu a thumbs-up.
Li Shi was half-convinced: “Really? You’re telling me, Miss Qi, who loves excitement so much, didn’t go?”
“Really didn’t go.”
Lin Ting hugged Li Shi.
“Why would I lie to you? Look, I’m fine, right?”
She exaggerated a yawn.
“It’s late, Mother, you should rest.”
Li Shi squeezed her hand: “From now on, you need to come and greet me every night.”
Lin Ting pulled a face: “Ah.”
“What? Your Tingling Courtyard isn’t far from my room. Do you think I don’t know what’s going on in your mind? I’m your mother—don’t try to be clever in front of me.”
“I understand, I’ll come every night to greet you, Mother.”
Lin Ting sighed, feeling it was better than being locked in the house.
Li Shi was satisfied: “In two days, you’re not to go anywhere. You’re coming with me to a place.”
“Where?”
“You’ve picked the young man you want to meet, haven’t you? I’m taking you there.”
Li Shi was eager to understand what was truly in Lin Ting’s heart.
Lin Ting wasn’t interested: “Oh.”
Li Shi glared at her: “What kind of tone is that? Are you backing out?”
Lin Ting didn’t dare defy her now: “No. My dear mother, I’ll definitely go with you. You can rest assured.”
After passing Li Shi’s interrogation, Lin Ting, feeling exhausted, returned to Tingling Courtyard.
She didn’t even bother to take off her shoes and just collapsed onto the bed, with her feet hanging off the edge, and quickly fell asleep.
The maids, seeing how tired she was, dared not disturb her.
As the night deepened and the moon grew dim, screams echoed from the Zhao Prison.
The walls of the torture chamber were splattered with blood, a result of the torture, and the heavy smell of blood filled the air.
The assassin who had failed to poison himself was tortured beyond recognition, unable to die or survive.
His mutilated body was drenched in saltwater, and his thighs had almost no intact flesh.
At the end of the Yin hour, Duan Ling received a confession, wiping his hands as he walked out of the Zhao Prison.
He stayed at the Beizhen Fusi and didn’t return to the Duan family.
As he bathed and changed, he stared at his reflection in the water for a moment, his gaze falling to his tightly pressed lips.
The soft sensation from earlier still lingered.
Upon closer inspection, there was a small cut on his lip, and the color had deepened into a dark red.
Duan Ling tossed the towel into the basin, splashing water that immediately disrupted the reflection.
He tied the scarlet belt of his inner garment and climbed onto the bed, closing his eyes.
The next morning, as Duan Ling woke up, he felt a dampness below.
He had lost control the previous night.
The craving was stronger than usual, and even though he hadn’t relieved it or used a knife to suppress it, it had come out on its own, filling the room with the fragrance of osmanthus.
Duan Ling threw off the blankets, and as his sleeve slipped down, the twisted scar on his wrist was revealed.
The scent of osmanthus grew stronger.
Lin Ting, a real beast awaits you…