Chapter 42: Congratulations to the host, mission accomplished. (1/2)

Lin Ting didn’t see anyone else around, but she spotted Duan Ling walking out of the cave.

“Lord Duan?”

Duan Ling didn’t turn to look at her, his face still towards the cave entrance. 

His voice sounded strange, carrying a rare and pitiable weakness. 

“I’m having an episode.”

“An episode? What’s wrong? Do you need me to take a look? Do you have any medicine to suppress it?” 

Lin Ting was worried that he might die if he had an episode in the mountains. 

She anxiously took a step forward.

He leaned against the cave wall. 

“No medicine.”

Lin Ting grew even more anxious. 

Would Duan Ling die here from this episode? 

“What should we do? Are you going to suppress it by hurting yourself like before? But you’re already injured.”

Duan Ling’s breathing was erratic and rapid. 

Sweat dampened his eyelashes, and his hand against the cave wall was pale. 

“Harming myself won’t work either.”

She was at a loss. 

“Come back and sit down first. Let’s think of a solution together. What kind of illness is this? It makes you so weak all of a sudden. I’ve never seen you this weak before. It feels like a single push could knock you down, leaving you at my mercy.”

Duan Ling said, 

“I need to go out for a while.”

Lin Ting was puzzled. 

“You want to go out now? You’re having an episode. It’s too dangerous. Come back and sit down. Let’s think of a solution together. Two heads are better than one.”

Duan Ling didn’t respond. 

He walked out. 

Lin Ting hurried after him, grabbing his wrist from behind. 

“It’s too dangerous. I can’t let you go out.” 

“Let go.”

She released his hand and took a step back. 

“If you don’t want to stay in the cave, I’ll go out with you.”

“I want to be alone.”

“Then at least tell me where you’re going.” 

Lin Ting couldn’t understand Duan Ling. 

Why would he want to go out while having an episode? 

Wasn’t he afraid of dying out there without anyone knowing? 

She wouldn’t take advantage of him.

Duan Ling’s voice was unsteady, almost trembling. 

“A hundred steps to the right outside the cave, there’s a pond. That’s where I’m going.”

Lin Ting stood behind him. 

“Are you going to use the water to suppress your illness?”

“I’ll try.”

She was troubled. 

“But we don’t know how deep the pond is. It’s dangerous. It’s really unsafe to go alone. If you don’t want me to see you during your episode, I can turn my back to the pond.”

Duan Ling said, “No need to trouble yourself.”

“It’s no trouble.” 

Lin Ting knew Duan Ling was suspicious. 

“I won’t harm you. I have no ill intentions towards you. I wouldn’t take advantage of someone in distress.” 

She cared more about his life than he did.

He glanced back at her, but didn’t turn around, still facing away.

When Lin Ting saw Duan Ling’s face, her throat seemed to tighten, and she couldn’t speak.

His eyes were red at the corners, damp with sweat, and there was an unconscious allure in them.

Was she seeing things? 

Lin Ting wanted to take another look, but Duan Ling turned away. 

She composed herself and focused on finding a solution to his “illness.” 

“Let me go with you.”

Duan Ling’s breathing was completely erratic now. 

He didn’t change his mind. 

“I can handle it myself.”

Lin Ting could also feel how chaotic his breathing was. 

She didn’t dare delay any longer and didn’t insist. 

“How long will you be gone?”

“Half an hour.” 

Duan Ling threw out these words and left, his steps unsteady.

“If you’re not back in half an hour, I’ll come find you.” 

Lin Ting said this half a beat late, unsure if he heard her because she couldn’t even see his figure anymore.

Lin Ting went back to the cave to wait. 

The news of Duan Ling’s episode had chased away all her drowsiness. 

She used the frequency of water dripping from the cave wall to estimate the time.

After half an hour, Duan Ling still hadn’t returned. 

Lin Ting extinguished the fire and went out to look for him. 

Duan Ling hadn’t lied to her. 

A hundred steps to the right outside the cave, there was indeed a pond.

But Duan Ling wasn’t in the pond.

Lin Ting hurried over. 

“Lord Duan! Lord Duan! Duan Ling!”

With a splash, someone raised their head from the pond. 

A face as beautiful as a woman’s emerged, wet hair clinging to his face, shoulders, and back. 

Water droplets fell along his jawline, splashing into the pond.

His clothes were naturally soaked, clinging to his body and outlining his upper torso.

If Lin Ting hadn’t known Duan Ling, she would have believed he was a demon after seeing this scene. 

“Lord Duan, are you… are you okay?”

Most of Duan Ling’s body was still in the water. 

“Why did you come?”

Lin Ting swallowed. 

“You’ve been gone for half an hour and didn’t come back, so I came to find you. How do you feel now? Any better?” 

He paused. 

“Not yet.”

Assured of his safety, Lin Ting relaxed a bit. 

“Then stay in the water a bit longer. Since I’m here, I’ll wait nearby. I won’t disturb you.” 

It wasn’t like he was bathing naked, so there shouldn’t be too many restrictions. 

She just wouldn’t look.

Seeing her stance, it was clear she wouldn’t leave until he was safely out of the pond. 

Duan Ling pinched his wound, temporarily suppressing the surging desire. 

“Miss Lin Qi, what are you holding in your hand?”

Lin Ting looked down.

She was still holding a stick and a handful of knockout powder, having forgotten to let go. 

She opened her hand to show him. 

“A stick and knockout powder. But don’t misunderstand.”

“I didn’t misunderstand.” 

Duan Ling’s hand moved, and the powder was blown into Lin Ting’s face.

Lin Ting hadn’t been on guard against Duan Ling and didn’t expect him to do this to her. 

She looked shocked and called out his name directly. 

“Duan Ling, you…”

Before she could finish, she collapsed.

Duan Ling returned to the water, struggling against his desires. 

Before Lin Ting arrived, he had tried to suppress the urge with his less injured hand, but it hadn’t worked. 

Now he could only rely on willpower.

Meanwhile, Lin Ting, who had been knocked out by her own knockout powder, was sleeping and dreaming of the past.

***

When she was four years old, Little Lin Ting had already met Duan Xinning and, through her, had seen her eldest and second brother a few times. 

However, she didn’t have much interaction with them, only exchanging greetings.

As the designated villainess, she hadn’t yet awakened. 

Even at a young age, she was forced to follow the original plot, behaving in a narrow-minded, jealous, and extremely malicious manner.

After seeing Duan Xinning’s two outstanding brothers, she became even more envious of Duan Xinning, who had a good family background, was doted on by her family, and was naive.

At that time, Little Lin Ting hadn’t been to the Duan family’s home.

When she was five, she visited the Duan family for the first time to attend the funeral of Duan Xinning’s eldest brother, Duan Lisheng.

Duan Lisheng was more than a decade older than Duan Ling and Duan Xinning. 

He died at the age of twenty, very young. 

His mother, Lady Feng, nearly cried herself blind over it, and Duan’s father was so heartbroken that he fell seriously ill.

When Duan Xinning learned that her eldest brother would never wake up again, she cried even harder. 

Little Lin Ting comforted her on the surface but secretly gloated.

“Wuwuwu… They said my eldest brother… is dead.” 

Duan Xinning cried while jumping.

Little Lin Ting looked at Duan Xinning’s swollen eyes, feeling pleased but pretending to be equally sad. 

She squeezed out a few tears, her eyes red as she urged Duan Xinning not to be too sad.

To outsiders, it seemed that Little Lin Ting genuinely cared for Duan Xinning as a friend.

Otherwise, Lady Feng wouldn’t have sent an invitation to the Lin family, asking Little Lin Ting, the seventh daughter of the Lin family, to accompany Duan Xinning, fearing that she would be too heartbroken to eat or sleep.

Before Little Lin Ting went to the Duan family to accompany Duan Xinning, Lin Third Master had instructed her to treat Duan Xinning well and to cater to her in all matters. 

Her only purpose now was to please Duan Xinning.

Little Lin Ting sneered at Lin Third Master’s words but pretended to comply obediently.

She knew that if she didn’t follow his wishes, she would be punished. 

The last time Duan Xinning visited the Lin family and wanted to feed her dragon beard candy, she refused, and as a result, Lin Third Master slapped her hard, causing her mouth to bleed and swell for days.

Lin Third Master had waited until Duan Xinning left before closing the door to punish her.

Duan Xinning was unaware, but that didn’t stop Little Lin Ting from hating her.

Gradually, Little Lin Ting learned a lesson: to avoid punishment, she needed to learn to act, and then gain supreme power to trample those who bullied and looked down on her.

Including Duan Xinning.

Today was the third day after Duan Lisheng’s funeral. 

Little Lin Ting had coaxed Duan Xinning to sleep and casually lay on her soft bed, inhaling the scent of high-quality incense, fantasizing that she was the pampered noblewoman of a prestigious family.

Duan Xinning was in a deep sleep, undisturbed as Little Lin Ting tossed and turned.

After tossing and turning for a while, Little Lin Ting suddenly found it boring. 

She sat up, glanced at Duan Xinning, and jumped off the bed, walking around the inner room.

The servants attending to Duan Xinning were all waiting in the outer room. 

The inner room only had the two of them, so no one would see what Little Lin Ting was doing.

She shamelessly examined Duan Xinning’s room.

Sunlight streamed through the green gauze window, illuminating the embroidered bedding and the rosewood carved canopy bed.

On the dressing table nearest to the window, there were dazzling gold and silver hairpins, peony-shaped hair ornaments, and butterfly-shaped hairpins.

Next to the dressing table was a large marble desk made of rosewood, filled with books and precious inkstones. 

Famous paintings hung on the snow white walls, and in the corner was an expensive ancient qin.

Although Little Lin Ting didn’t fully understand these things, she could sense their value.

They were good, but they didn’t belong to her.

Little Lin Ting lost interest and walked out of the inner room, telling the servants in the outer room that Duan Xinning was asleep and she wanted to go out for a walk alone. 

The servants knew Little Lin Ting was an important guest and didn’t stop her.

After leaving, Little Lin Ting went to the backyard and picked a few beautiful flowers. 

She crushed their petals and threw them into the small lake in front of her.

As she threw the petals, she noticed someone in the pavilion across the lake and immediately stopped.

Little Lin Ting looked towards the pavilion. Inside sat a young boy dressed in mourning clothes. 

His features weren’t fully developed yet, but he was already extremely handsome, like a finely crafted clay doll, almost otherworldly.

She remembered him. 

He was Duan Xinning’s book-loving second brother, Duan Ling, who was four years older than her. 

This year, he had just turned nine.

Little Lin Ting wasn’t sure if he had seen her torturing the flowers, so she called out to the pavilion.

“Second Brother Duan.”