Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Yu Qizhi turned around, and the moment her gaze met Feng Qingling's, time seemed to freeze.

A cold blade pressed against her neck, leaving Yu Qizhi stunned, unable to utter a word.

"Lin Ji, act now."

The carriage behind them approached, and after the sound of the wheelchair creaking, a slightly aged voice echoed behind the two.

A chill rose in her heart, and Yu Qizhi looked at Feng Qingling in disbelief.

She had never seen such coldness and determination on his usually composed face.

"Close your eyes," he said to her.

Yu Qizhi froze, but instinctively obeyed.

In the next instant, she heard the sound of a sharp object piercing flesh.

With this sound, Yu Qizhi trembled, but felt no pain.

Instead, she saw fresh blood splattered diagonally across Feng Qingling's robe.

The man in the wheelchair was impaled by a sword, the tip piercing through his ribs and into his heart from below.

Feng Qingling withdrew the sword indifferently, and the shocked expression remained frozen on the old man's face.

Suddenly seeing this scene, Yu Qizhi had yet to recover from her shock. But Feng Qingling had already reached out to pull her up from the ground.

His hand was so cold.

Yu Qizhi noticed that since the man in the wheelchair died, Feng Qingling's complexion seemed even paler.

"Brother Ling... you..."

Yu Qizhi's lips quivered. Since they were forced to part ways at the suburban residence half a year ago, she had so much to say to him but didn't know where to start.

She wanted to ask how he had been living these days, and explain that she hadn't meant to on the Beggar's Festival.

And, had he come to kill her?

"I have Father's life-controlling insect in me; I wouldn't have lived long anyway."

Seeing Yu Qizhi's complex expression, Feng Qingling explained calmly.

Yu Qizhi was taken aback by his words.

Feng Qingling's explanation made her recall the night they escaped together. Now she understood why Brother Ling had vomited blood in the carriage that night.

So Brother Ling killed his foster father for her sake.

"Brother Ling, what will you do?"

Yu Qizhi's heart raced as she blurted out her concern.

"I might go to Miaojiang to find a way to remove the insect."

Feng Qingling spoke as if it wasn't about himself, his tone so light it made Yu Qizhi uneasy.

"Then I'll go with you."

Yu Qizhi said without hesitation.

"I won't be a burden," seeing Feng Qingling's expression, she quickly added, almost pleading, "Brother Ling, please take me with you, okay?"

"Ao Ying."

Feng Qingling glanced at her, and the familiar helplessness in his eyes finally reassured Yu Qizhi somewhat.

"Forget it," Feng Qingling told her.

"Why?"

Yu Qizhi was stunned.

She wanted to grab Feng Qingling's hand but ended up clenching her own fist tightly.

"Brother Ling, I have nothing to do with Pei Jing anymore..." she heard herself say hoarsely.

"I know."

"Then why? Brother Ling, we can be together now, why?"

Feng Qingling glanced at the silver and travel permit beside Yu Qizhi, then led her onto his carriage, "Ao Ying, leave now, go to Sichuan. Huo Qiu is there too."

"Brother Ling, but..." Yu Qizhi gripped the carriage door frame tightly, not wanting it to depart or to part from Feng Qingling.

"You haven't let go of those days in Luo County," Feng Qingling's tone was resigned, but his eyes remained cold.

"But I can't go back, Ao Ying." He said.

Yu Qizhi paused.

"Is it because of my background?"

Yu Qizhi suddenly recalled Feng Qingling's equally surprised expression when he first saw her. Brother Ling had come to kill her.

Feng Qingling took a deep breath.

"Consider Feng Qingling already dead. The person in front of you now is Lin Ji."

"Stop living in the past, Ao Ying."

Yu Qizhi lifted her eyes but only saw the cold profile of the person in front of her, leaving her utterly confused.

"Brother Ling, I still remember our promise. Does that mean I'm living in the past?"

...

Wu San, following Feng Qingling's orders, safely escorted Yu Qizhi to Sichuan.

Feng Qingling also went alone to Miaojiang as he had previously told her, to find a way to remove the poison.

Facing Yu Qizhi, Feng Qingling ultimately softened his heart, just as he had done countless times before.

He promised her that within a year, if he successfully removed the poison, he would come looking for her.

But from Wu San's attitude towards her and the hints he inadvertently gave along the way, Yu Qizhi guessed that Feng Qingling might not come for her.

The house Yu Qizhi rented was not far from Huo Qiu's. Huo Qiu left Chang'an, a place of sorrow, and came to Sichuan to seek refuge with her brother and sister-in-law. Along the journey, there were many refugees, and it was thanks to Feng Qingling that Huo Qiu managed to arrive and live in peace.

Huo Qiu had learned some of Yu Qizhi's past and realized she had misunderstood her before. With their childhood friendship, Huo Qiu took care of Yu Qizhi.

On the third day after Yu Qizhi arrived in Sichuan, news from the Imperial City reached them: the emperor had passed away, and the Crown Prince would ascend the throne soon.

"Have you heard? The Fourth Prince is dead!"

"In the North Yard, every soldier received a gold bar, and there's a huge reward for whoever captures the Fourth Prince! On the night of the palace coup, the Fourth Prince's head was brought back to the palace..."

As Yu Qizhi and Huo Qiu passed by a teahouse, the loud discussions inside drifted into their ears.

Huo Qiu, who did not want to hear any news from Chang'an, quickly pulled Yu Qizhi away when she noticed her distressed expression.

...

After the new emperor ascended the throne, the imperial guards found the letter Concubine Li wrote before hanging herself in the possession of Xi Niang, one of her palace maids.

In the letter, Concubine Li detailed Yu Qizhi's background and provided evidence, pleading with the emperor to spare the Fourth Prince.

Unfortunately, this letter only came to light after the emperor's death.

When Liu's youngest son died shortly after birth, out of jealousy, Liu instructed her servant to secretly take away the child born to Lady Han and pass it off as her own son, which Yu's father tacitly approved.

The servant, passing through a wilderness, found an abandoned newborn and brought it to Lady Han, who was still unconscious after childbirth. Liu's servants thought they had covered their tracks perfectly.

Pei Jing went to the clinic where Lady Han was staying.

Lady Han did not see Yu Qizhi; she only saw Pei Jing.

Lady Han seemed to sense something.

"She was so tiny and soft, like a little kitten in my arms..."

Facing Pei Jing's questions, Lady Han's face showed a mix of painful memories and joy:

"I caught a glimpse of my newborn child; he had a birthmark on his foot. But Ao Ying doesn't have it," said Lady Han:

"At the time, I told myself she was my child... I would raise her well."

"Ao Ying is fine now," Lady Han suddenly grabbed Pei Jing's arm, as if to confirm something: "Isn't she?"

Pei Jing remained silent.

After a long while, he finally found his voice.

Pei Jing softly affirmed, "She's doing well."

He replied in this manner.

Yu Qizhi lost consciousness in the carriage, and coincidentally, they passed by that clinic, which immediately caught fire.

Everything was too coincidental.

He instinctively felt that Yu Qizhi was not dead—

If all of this were true, Pei Jing finally understood Yu Qizhi's determination to escape from his side.