Lin Ting’s hand paused mid-motion as she wiped her hands.
How did Duan Ling find out again?
That day after leaving the restaurant, she’d tried to subtly ask the waiter who’d warmed their wine.
He said he hadn’t left the private room, so it was unlikely he’d followed her out to see what medicine she bought.
Could it be that the Imperial Guard was tailing her?
That didn’t seem likely either—Lin Ting’s counter-tracking skills were decent.
Unless it was someone like Duan Ling or Jin Anazai tailing her, she would normally notice.
She’d already spotted people from Treading Snow Mud Sect tracking her before.
But that wasn’t the main issue now.
The key was how to explain why she’d gone to the pharmacy to buy Aphrodisiac again.
Since Duan Ling was asking, he must have already confirmed that she went to buy more Aphrodisiac.
Yet this time, even though Duan Ling found out she bought Aphrodisiac, he didn’t expose her?
Was he waiting to see if she’d use it on someone else?
Thankfully, the system judged whether she was “acting secretly” from her own perspective, and Duan Ling acted as if he didn’t know even after discovering it.
Otherwise, if she thought she’d been exposed, she’d fail the task again.
Lin Ting continued wiping her hands, forcing herself to speak, “Why else would I go to the pharmacy to buy Aphrodisiac again? Of course, it’s because I still want to use it with you.”
Her tongue practically tied itself in knots as she said it.
Marrying into the Imperial Guard was like marrying a master investigator—who could possibly “cheat”?
But Lin Ting also knew that once the seed of suspicion was planted, it was hard to remove.
Now that the task was complete and her life wasn’t in danger, she could slowly uproot that seed from his heart.
Duan Ling’s expression was unreadable, his eyes curving slightly: “Where’s the medicine?”
Lin Ting casually tossed aside her handkerchief, then took out a packet of Aphrodisiac from behind her waist: “Here, I carry it with me.”
Last time, Duan Ling had eaten the Aphrodisiac she bought, so she didn’t have any left to use on Xia Zimo.
This time, Lin Ting bought two portions, hiding them separately in Duan Xinning’s room.
Today, she brought them together to prevent losing them or any other accidents.
Lin Ting was betting that Duan Ling only knew she bought Aphrodisiac, not how many portions.
If he even knew how many she bought, then she’d just deal with it as it came—claim the other packet went missing.
Anyway, she wouldn’t use it on Xia Zimo again, nor do anything that might seem like “cheating.”
Holding the Aphrodisiac, Lin Ting looked at Duan Ling: “This is the Aphrodisiac.”
Duan Ling picked up the handkerchief she’d tossed aside and folded it neatly: “So you like using Aphrodisiac when we’re together—I only just found out. Last time, I thought you just wanted to try something new, didn’t expect you actually liked it.”
Lin Ting immediately denied it: “No! I don’t like it.”
If she didn’t deny it now, she worried he’d insist on using Aphrodisiac every time in the future, and that was out of the question.
He ran his fingers over her handkerchief, fingertips pressing on the crooked lotus embroidery: “If you don’t like it, why buy it again?”
She gave a sheepish smile: “Still just curious, wanted to try one more time, not because I like it.”
Duan Ling seemed convinced: “Tonight?”
Lin Ting recalled how, after taking Aphrodisiac last time, he clung to her like a seductive spirit.
Not wanting to dig her own grave, she quickly lifted the curtain and tossed the Aphrodisiac into a side alley as the carriage passed by.
He, on the other hand, remained calm and looked out at the alley: “Why did you throw it away?”
She dropped the curtain, blocking his view: “I suddenly don’t want to use it anymore.”
Duan Ling: “Why?”
Lin Ting thought, why do you have so many questions?
She cleared her throat and said solemnly, “Using Aphrodisiac too much is bad for your health. I can’t let a moment’s curiosity harm you.”
Duan Ling gave a low laugh, his voice gentle: “It won’t harm me.”
Lin Ting insisted, “Impossible. All medicine has some toxicity—it will hurt your body. So let’s not use Aphrodisiac anymore.”
She wasn’t the one taking it, so even if there were side effects, it wouldn’t harm her, but it’d still be exhausting.
“Alright, we won’t use Aphrodisiac anymore.” Duan Ling put away her handkerchief.
She let out a sigh of relief.
When Lin Ting entered Duan Xinning’s room, she found her sitting on the bed drinking An Tai Medicine.
Duan Xinning was afraid of both pain and bitterness, so every time she drank An Tai Medicine, she’d scrunch up her face and immediately eat some Meat Preserves after, or else she’d feel nauseous.
Lin Ting saw Duan Xinning was nearly done with her medicine and strode past Zhilan.
As soon as Duan Xinning put down her bowl, Lin Ting picked up some Meat Preserves and fed them to her.
The sweetness chased away the bitterness in Duan Xinning’s mouth.
She looked up and saw Lin Ting.
Duan Xinning, bored and idle, had wanted to find Lin Ting today, but when she heard Lin Ting and Duan Ling were going out to meet that Young Master Jin, she obediently stayed in her room.
They were going to meet someone they knew—she couldn’t just tag along.
Though Lin Ting had said she’d introduce her to Young Master Jin another time, today clearly wasn’t the right occasion; they must have things to discuss.
“Leyun, when did you get back?” Duan Xinning swallowed her Meat Preserves and asked.
Lin Ting sat on the bench beside the bed, wanting to playfully tap her nose but finding her own hands a bit cold, so she withdrew them: “Just now. Came to see you as soon as I got back—touched, aren’t you?”
Duan Xinning asked Zhilan for another Hand Warmer and handed it to Lin Ting: “It’s colder today than yesterday. Warm your hands.”
Lin Ting took the Hand Warmer and couldn’t resist teasing Duan Xinning: “You still haven’t said if you’re touched.”
Duan Xinning laughed: “I am.”
Holding the Hand Warmer, Lin Ting felt she should tell Duan Xinning what she’d done to Xia Zimo today: “I met the Huoguo Prince today.”
At the mention of Xia Zimo, Duan Xinning’s expression changed slightly.
Since their argument that day, she hadn’t seen him again—not because Xia Zimo didn’t come, but because she refused to let him in.
Duan Xinning was silent for a long time, lips moving: “Why did you see him today? Did he come again, or did he ask you to persuade me?”
Lin Ting: “Neither.”
Duan Xinning was puzzled: “Neither? Did you go looking for him? Leyun, you don’t have to go talk to him for my sake…”
Lin Ting interrupted, “I was meeting a friend from the Jianghu, and he happened to be there.”
“Oh.” Duan Xinning didn’t ask further.
Lin Ting saw that Duan Xinning wanted to ask but held back, so she decided to be direct: “To be honest, I drugged the Huoguo Prince today.”
Duan Xinning’s fair face was full of shock: “You drugged him?”
The smell of An Tai Medicine still lingered in the room, making Lin Ting feel bitter.
She even wanted to force Xia Zimo to drink a bowl so he’d know how awful it was: “It was a medicine that let him feel how painful childbirth is. He suffered for half an hour—I can’t tell you how satisfying it was.”
She added, “If you ever really don’t want the Huoguo Prince anymore and he keeps pestering you, just tell me, and I’ll teach him a lesson.”
Duan Xinning leaned over, arms open to hug her: “Thank you, Leyun.”
“Careful of your belly.” Lin Ting, afraid of pressing on the child in Duan Xinning’s womb, gently pushed her back, “I didn’t do it all for you—there were other reasons, too.”
Duan Xinning took Lin Ting’s now-warmed hands, eyes brimming with tears but holding back: “No matter what, I still have to thank you.”
Lin Ting deliberately put on a formal tone: “Third Miss Duan, you’re too polite.”
Duan Xinning broke into a smile.
Lin Ting waited for Duan Xinning to fall asleep before leaving.
Out in the front room, she didn’t see Duan Ling, so she asked the servants, who told her he was in the courtyard.
She hurried outside, and as soon as she reached the doorway, she saw Duan Ling in the courtyard.
His back was to the door, standing tall beside a tree, his robe fluttering in the cold wind, outlining his slender figure.
The mottled shadows of the tree covered the spot where his shadow fell on the ground.
Lin Ting glanced at Duan Ling’s back and quickened her pace: “What are you doing in the courtyard?”
It was cold—the house had stoves, but outside there was only the biting wind.
Staying out even a moment was chilly.
She was wearing several thick layers, but still felt a bit cold.
Duan Ling heard her voice, turned around, and instead of answering, asked, “Is Ling Yun asleep?”
Lin Ting had told him earlier she’d wait until Duan Xinning fell asleep before coming out, so her appearance meant Duan Xinning was asleep.
If possible, Lin Ting wouldn’t want Duan Ling to wait for her so long, but she still hadn’t resolved the Nanli Poison.
Today, before Jin Anazai opened the door for Xia Zimo, she’d asked him if he knew how to break Nanli Poison.
He said he didn’t, and even asked her why she wanted to know.
Jin Anazai really didn’t know how to break Nanli Poison, but he’d heard of Miaojiang’s Gu worms and had dealt with some before—those things were hard to handle, and the more powerful ones could even control a person’s mind.
Lin Ting hadn’t told him she had Nanli Poison inside her, brushing it off with a few words.
A gust of cold wind swept through the courtyard, making Lin Ting shiver.
She came back to herself: “Ling Yun is asleep.”
Duan Ling draped a cloak over her shoulders and raised his hand to tie the delicate string at her collar: “Let’s go back.”
Only then did Lin Ting notice he was holding a crimson cloak: “Are you really going to wait until we leave Ancheng to break the Nanli Poison for me?”
“Mm.”
She tilted her head up at him and asked, “If I die, what happens to the Nanli Poison?”