Chapter 38: Escape

“A Ling.” Shangguan Qing saw Jiang Ling returning from outside with a basin and called out to her, “Come eat some breakfast.”

Jiang Ling broke her fast with Shangguan Qing in the inn’s main hall. Shangguan Qing glanced up at the stairs, then sidled up to Jiang Ling, “Is that friend of yours really the Manichaen Saintess?” Shangguan Qing was still in disbelief and asked for clarification, “And don’t you have a grievance against the Manichaens? The Saintess saved you, so everything was written off?”

Jiang Ling truly admired Shangguan Qing’s determination to get to the bottom of things, “Let’s set aside my grievance for the moment. You also saw what happened with her the other day.”

Shangguan Qing’s face was completely disbelieving at first then shifted as something dawned on her, “The rumors of Jianghu must be unreliable.”

Jiang Ling nodded consolatorily, “You shouldn’t listen to the rumor mill.”

Shangguan Qing suddenly thought of something, “Your shifu and shijie came to find you before, but we’d already left by then. We went to find you with them but couldn’t, so we came back. They waited for half a month before leaving. We told them that we would notify them as soon as possible if we had news of you.”

Hearing that her shifu and shijie had been rushing about for her sake, she felt enormously sorry, “I will write a letter for my shifu and shijie so they don’t worry about me.”

Shangguan Qing patted her shoulder, “We sent them a letter when Zhuo Zhuo arrived. No need to worry.”

“A Qing.” Jiang Ling did not know how to thank Shangguan Qing. She held Shangguan Qing’s hands. 

“No need for thanks. We’re dear sisters, aren’t we?”

As soon as He Xi came down stairs, her eye color disguised, she saw Jiang Ling and Shangguang Qing stuck together and holding hands. 

“…”

“He Xi, come have some breakfast.” Jiang Ling rushed to greet He Xi once she came downstairs. 

He Xi’s expression held restraint. She sat beside Jiang Ling, who served her a bowl of porridge. 

As soon as He Xi took a seat, Shangguan Qing started to feel uncomfortable, sensing a faint animosity, “Uh…I’m full.”

With He Xi’s arrival, Jiang Ling’s mind returned to proper business. Seeing that Shangguan Qing was about to leave, she called to her, “A Qing, have you heard of a person or sect that uses poisoned needles?”

Shangguan Qing sat back down to answer Jiang Ling’s questions. Her brows pinched together as she thought, “Many people use needles, and poisoned needles are not unseen, but I do know of a sect that uses poisoned needles as concealed weapons.”

“Which one?”

“The Yuzhou Tang Sect!” Shangguan Qing said, “Their Rain-Soaked Pear Blossom Needles are highly poisonous. I’ve heard that the Tang Sect still dabbles in assassinations.”

Jiang Ling remembered that, back in Yuzhou, she had seen people of the Tang Sect use needles. Those thieves had been felled by needles, killed by the Tang Sect. The leader of the Tang Sect, Tang Wanyi, was not easy to push around, but after seeing her get along with Gu Zhao, she had believed that she was an accommodating sect leader. 

“You mean the Tang Sect still accepts assassination jobs?”

Shangguan Qing spoke solemnly, “Correct. They will for the right price. But two years ago the eldest daughter of the Tang Family took over, so now they do it less and less, opting for more proper business.”

Jiang Ling was enveloped in a fog, more and more unable to distinguish the path ahead. Even if the Tang Sect accepted assassination requests, what grievance would prompt such a thing? Was it between the Tang and Gu Families? With the relationship between Gu Zhao and Tang Wanyi, it definitely was not between the two families. Perhaps another family had procured an assassin from the Tang Sect to kill the legitimate heir of the Gu Family out of vengeance? Why did Tang Wanyi suddenly restrict their assassination business? Could it be related to Gu Yun’s death? She glanced at He Xi as she drank her porridge. Since she had made the decision to trust in He Xi, there was no reason to doubt her now. She could only seek clarity with the Tang Sect. 

“A Ling, A Ling.” Shangguan Qing called out to her twice, “Is there something else?”

Jiang Ling shook her head, then asked after the little tiger cub’s cousin. Shangguan Qing did not have any news, either, which bode ill. 

Jiang Ling later found the time to seek out Shen Xiuqi and informed him of the happenings with the febrile disease. She reminded him to pay attention to the movements of the Manichaens; a Manichaens Sect headed by Zhu Li could be an entirely different prospect. 

…

When she returned from speaking with Shen Xiuqi, Jiang Ling sat for a while beside the table, mulling some things over. He Xi saw that she was weighed down with worry and asked: “When are we going to Yuzhou?”

“In a few days, but I still have a lot that I haven’t figured out.”

“I also have a lot that I haven’t figured out.”

Jiang Ling lifted her eyes to meet He Xi’s eyes, smiling. 

Since she had decided to go to Yuzhou, she did not delay. The two of them first returned to Longxi with the group from the Yueluo Sect, then Jiang Ling went to find Zhuo Zhuo in the horse trading caravan to bid him farewell. 

Zhuo Zhuo’s eyes rounded into saucers when he saw Jiang Ling. Jiang Ling’s head still sported the braids He Xi had done for her. On He Xi, the same braids would look charming and lovely, but on Jiang Ling they looked rather adorable and cute. 

“Jiang Liu, how did you turn into a woman…” Zhuo Zhuo did not believe that the spritely young girl in front of him was his Jiang-dage. 

“I’ve always been a woman.”

Zhuo Zhuo looked over at He Xi, who was standing at the crossing waiting for Jiang Ling, and said sympathetically: “Then the Saintess-jiejie can’t marry you, after all.”

Jiang Ling was choked back by his words. She smacked him on the head, “Lousy brat, is that all you think about all day!”

Zhuo Zhuo covered his head, a sorrowful expression on his face, “I’m only so sad because I earnestly wished for your happiness!”

“…”

Jiang Ling changed the subject and told him that she was planning to go to Yuzhou. Zhuo Zhuo liked horses and was quick and clever. The caravan’s leader liked him and treated him like a younger brother as he followed the caravan. He intended to continue following the caravan, to see the sights and wonders of the central plains, perhaps even the sea. Zhuo Zhuo’s eyes shimmered. 

“You will get to see the sea, for sure.” Jiang Ling said, a twinkle in her eye. 

…

She parted ways with Zhuo Zhuo, then went to the division outpost for the Yunping Escort Company. Wang Tianqi was alighting some cargo. Seeing Jiang Ling walk through the door, his face broke out into a grin, “I was just thinking that my little sister forgot about our poor little company.”

“Wang-dage, I hope you’ve been well.” Jiang Ling likewise spoke with familiarity. 

He Xi stood behind Jiang Ling. She raised an eyebrow, gazing at Jiang Ling with avid interest. 

“You’re saying that you want to go to Yuzhou with my company?” Wang Tianqi looked a bit reluctant. 

Jiang Ling noticed his expression and did not pressure him, “Wang-dage, if it isn’t convenient, we can go on our own.”

“It’s not that, we just haven’t gone to the division in Yuzhou in a long time.” Wang Tianqi explained, “Most of the business over in Yuzhou has been swallowed up by the Tang Sect.”

Shangguan Qing had said that the Tang Sect had started to do reputable business, “The Tang Sect works in this business sector, even?”

“The new sect leader is on good terms with the business coalition in Yuzhou. The disciples of the Tang Sect are also very skilled, so they let them escort them. It’s just a small business. If there’s no money to be made, then there’s no reason to run about.” Wang Tianqi sighed, “But we will be going to the division in Yizhou the day after tomorrow. Yizhou is only a day away from Yuzhou. If possible, could you come to Yizhou?”

Stopping in Yizhou first would not be a bad choice. Jiang Ling thought it was a good idea, “Wang-dage, this is my sister. She’s more skilled than I am.”

Wang Tianqi had already noticed the silent woman behind Jiang Ling. If she said that she was skilled, then she would certainly not disappoint. Wang Tianqi was happy, “That’s great ah. With you both in our escort, me and my ten brothers won’t have to worry! Hahaha!”

With him agreeing, Jiang Ling could likewise rest assured. They could avoid trouble on the road. 

…

Returning to the inn, Jiang Ling followed He Xi back to their room. The corners of He Xi’s eyes concealed a smile. 

“I didn’t know you had so many friends.” Whether it was Shangguan Qing, Zhuo Zhuo, or Wang Tianqi, everyone was on good terms with Jiang Ling, He Xi teased. 

Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow, revealing a self satisfied expression, “I’m very popular, everyone likes me.”

“Indeed. I really like you, too.” He Xi’s eyes sparkled as she spoke frankly of her feelings. 

“You…” This was not Jiang Ling’s first time experiencing He Xi’s straightforwardness. Her cheeks immediately flushed, “Do you know what it means to be ‘reserved’?

“If being ‘reserved’ means that I have to keep my mouth shut about my feelings, then I won’t understand.”

“I’m going back to my room.” The atmosphere would become strange again if she stayed. These past few days had been quite nice. 

 “There’s only this room.” He Xi sat calmly, steeping the tea leaves. 

“…” Before, they stayed together because there were no other rooms, but Jiang Ling had clearly seen that this inn had many vacancies, “I’m going to talk to the innkeeper.”

“Saving money.” He Xi gave her a fitting explanation, “The money Senior Xue gave us is not enough to get to Yuzhou.”

“Jiang Ling, what are you running from?” He Xi did not understand. That night, Jiang Ling had held her hand with such feverish heat. She did not believe that Jiang Ling had no feelings for her. Furthermore, they had already been intimate with each other. 

He Xi’s questions pressed Jiang Ling, “I…I don’t know, either.” For Jiang Ling’s entire life, she had never thought that she would develop strange ideas about a woman. No, not a woman—only He Xi. 

As Jiang Ling retreated, He Xi advanced, “Jiang Ling, I want to know what you think of me.”

An ache grew in Jiang Ling’s heart and her gaze scattered. She had never liked someone before. Was what she felt toward He Xi ‘like’? She did not know. 

Jiang Ling shook her head, “He Xi, I…mm.”

Jiang Ling had yet to react before He Xi’s lips left hers again. She placed two fingers on her lips. 

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear you say ‘don’t’.” She did not want to hear either ‘don’t know’ or ‘don’t like’. He Xi felt a little frustrated and sat back down dejectedly. She had really lost to her. 

Jiang Ling covered her lips, as if both in shock and savoring the aftertaste. She stood in place, dazed. Seeing He Xi’s wounded expression, she wanted to go and offer her a few comforting words, entirely unknowing that she was the chief culprit behind He Xi’s unhappiness. 

“He…”

“A Ling, A Ling!” Shangguan Qing’s voice from outside the door interrupted Jiang Ling, “Let’s go take a stroll around the night market.” 

He Xi lifted her gaze to the door, “Go ahead.” Her voice contained a veiled exhaustion, “I’m tired.”

“…Mn.” To liberate herself from the strange atmosphere, she fled under the guise of going to the night market with Shangguan Qing. 

He Xi watched Jiang Ling’s retreating figure as she fled. She supported her forehead in one hand, laughing bitterly. 

“A Ling, why are you still living in one room.” When she opened the door, Shangguan Qing saw that He Xi was also inside, along with both of their possessions. 

“Uh…because we want to save money.”

Hearing that Jiang Ling was still worried over money, Shangguan rebuked herself for not being a proper host, “I told you before, you should come with me. There are plenty of rooms there.”

“You’ve done so much for me these past few days, I’m really too embarrassed to trouble you further.” Jiang Ling tugged on Shangguan Qing and walked into the night market.