Chapter 34

Chapter 34

…The Marquis has helped me time and again; Du Lingjing is profoundly grateful.

…I dare not trouble the Marquis further with our own affairs.

…Should I encounter peril on the journey and fail to return, the deeds to both the central and western properties of the Du residence in Chengqing Lane are held by the Marquis’s estate. I hope the Marquis will accept them graciously.

Upon seeing this, Lu Shenru inexplicably chuckled.

So, he was merely an outsider who had helped her.

Even after pledging their vows with her, sharing her bed, and engaging in intimate acts with her, he remained an outsider.

An outsider with whom boundaries must always be clear.

The biting wind sweeping down from the palace gates, untouched by a single drop of moisture, turned the ground beneath his feet to ice.

No wonder she never called him "husband," nor even allowed the servants of the Du family in Chengqing Lane to address him as "master."

The man fell silent.

Chong'an noticed that though the Marquis’s smile appeared gentle, a subtle, indescribable bitterness faintly tinged his eyes and brows.

Chong'an dared not speak until he heard the Marquis’s voice, still hoarse from old wounds, rasp quietly:

"Did she have close guards accompanying her?"

Before Chong'an could answer, the Marquis seemed to realize something.

"Did she… not even take the guards from the marquis’s estate?"

Chong'an hesitated, almost unable to speak.

"Yes, she left behind all four guards the Marquis assigned to her."

At these words, the man laughed again.

"Good."

Hearing this, Chong'an expected the Marquis to erupt in anger, but instead, the Marquis simply shut his eyes tightly.

Unsure of his master's meaning, Chong'an waited as the wind howled through the palace walls. After a long silence, the Marquis spoke:

"I will seek leave from His Majesty. And tell your elder brother he need not return for now."

Before the words fully settled, the Marquis abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and resolute.

"Muster the men. I’m going to Baoding myself."

*

---

In the mountains bordering Baoding and Zhending.

Du Lingjing’s group had traveled south, "gathering forces," and by the time they reached these mountains, the area had become a motley gathering of all types. The authorities, alarmed, dispatched more troops, and search parties now combed the hills.

Yet the missing individuals remained unfound. Some claimed they were still in hiding; others spoke of corpses discovered in remote thickets. There were even rumors that they had already been located and taken away, but hidden away for unknown reasons.

As for who might have taken them—perhaps the Shao family, perhaps the imperial guards, or perhaps Lu Shenru, the Marquis of Yongding.

But Du Lingjing was certain they were still hidden in the mountains. She had Jiang Fengchuan lead the way and went herself to inspect the group’s former hiding spot.

Now exposed, the place had been turned over countless times. Though Chong Ping had earlier found a knotted rope left by Hu Tingjun, nothing remained now.

At least there were no signs of a struggle or of being dragged, suggesting they hadn’t been captured by Shao Boju and Shao Wuxing’s men. Du Lingjing also noted that their men were still searching—as long as the group hadn’t fallen into the Shao brothers’ hands, there was still hope.

Upon closer inspection, and from what the searchers had mentioned, the site bore traces of supplies abandoned in haste, as if the group had fled in urgency.

In such a case, the Fu Party would have first sent Liulang to the capital with word before relocating. They ought to have left secret markers behind.

Jiang Fengchuan agreed. "At the very least, Uncle Hui would have left me a sign. They wouldn’t leave us without any clues."

Du Lingjing suspected Hu Tingjun and her brother might have done the same, so she ordered her people to search thoroughly in the area.

But the place had already been combed over many times, and finding hidden signs would take time. By sunset, they had only found a few vague traces.

As night fell, the mountains grew foggy, and most searchers were reluctant to stay, fearing accidents.

Jiang Fengchuan urged Du Lingjing to head back down. "Even without the fog, snakes, insects, and wild beasts are dangerous."

She understood the risks, but as they descended, they encountered two searchers who had been charged by a wild boar and tumbled down the slope. Their companions quickly carried the injured men to the nearest town for treatment.

Du Lingjing scrutinized the injured men for a moment, frowning, then turned and gave quiet instructions to Chang Pu.

---

In the town.

Chong Ping’s hand had been gashed by a broken branch.

After hastily wrapping it, he checked on the two guards who had been carried down from the mountain.

Compared to the losses suffered by other search parties, the Marquis’s elite guards had come through unharmed—until today. These two had been unlucky: despite all their caution, a wild boar had charged from behind, sending them tumbling down the slope. Though they survived, they were badly bruised and had bleeding wounds.

Chong Ping asked, "Do we have enough medicine?"

His subordinate said they did—but before the words faded, a guard reported that someone had delivered two large bundles of medicine, all for staunching blood and healing wounds.

Chong Ping assumed it was aid from other search parties, perhaps students from the academy who helped one another.

He went out to thank them, only to find the deliverer already gone.

The town’s streets were dim, lit only by the light from nearby windows.

The figure who had brought the medicine looked remarkably like Chang Pu, the maid serving Du Lingjing.

Peering into the distance, he spotted a carriage at the crossroads. Someone sat by the window, acknowledged him with a nod before the curtain dropped back down as the carriage turned away.

Chong Ping thought he might be seeing things.

Was that... Her Ladyship?

He couldn’t believe it, yet he immediately sent men in pursuit. But they were a step too late—the carriage gave no sign of stopping for conversation.

Yet Chong Ping couldn't ignore it. No one understood better how important Her Ladyship was to the Marquis.

He quickly sent others to investigate.

As he pondered the matter, he began to form a theory.

Before the dispatched men returned, Chong Ping first went to the temporary residence to check on the two injured men. Although they had ample medicine, the medicine sent by the lady was also appropriate.

His subordinates asked if they should use the medicine, but Chong Ping did not respond immediately, pondering for a moment.

Just then, a gate guard hurried over to report, "The Marquis is here!"

Having already encountered the lady in the night, Chong Ping was startled, but upon hearing that the Marquis had also come—taking a separate route from his wife—he was not entirely surprised.

However, this wasn't his place to ask about. He could only hasten to the Marquis’ side.

As he approached, he saw his younger brother Chong An rapidly blinking at him. Then, meeting the Marquis’ steady gaze, he was first asked about the situation.

Chong Ping had yet to locate the people but confirmed they were still in the mountains.

Earlier, Adviser Yu had sent a message regarding the matter of the Earl of Rongchang’s estate, stating that both Shao Zun and the Earl’s household believed the people were already in the Marquis’ hands. Given this, Chong Ping had also spread misleading information to make those concerned think the Fu Party members and evidence were indeed in the Marquis’ possession.

Chong Ping reported truthfully, and Lu Shenru nodded.

The Earl of Rongchang’s household and Shao Zun likely also assumed he had come specifically to retrieve the Fu Party members and evidence. Temporarily placating those two sides was not an issue.

But Lu Shenru thought of another person.

What about her?

She seemed not to suspect that he had deceived her. Instead, she had spent her own money to hire people and personally rushed here by carriage—all to make a clean break with him.

The man's eyelids lowered.

If she had believed Jiang Liu’s words and suspected he had tricked her—using her people to exchange with the Shao family to protect the Earl of Rongchang’s estate—then he…

He did not wish to dwell on it. Taking a slow breath, he called Chong Ping.

"Order the men to keep an eye on the lady’s movements. If she is spotted, especially in the mountains, have her brought back no matter what."

The deep mountains were not the Marquis’ estate.

Yet as soon as he finished speaking, Chong Ping said, "My lord, half an hour ago, I saw the lady."

Lu Shenru was slightly surprised.

He had thought she would avoid interacting with the Marquis’ guards on this trip.

"What did she say?"

Chong Ping shook his head. "The lady didn't say anything to me. She merely nodded from a distance and left."

Just a distant nod…

The man fell silent for a moment, only to see Chong Ping have someone bring the two packages of medicine Du Lingjing had just sent.

"The lady likely saw that some of the Marquis’ guards were injured and specifically had Chang Pu deliver the medicine."

As Chong Ping finished speaking, Chong An quickly stepped forward and brought the medicine closer.

"My lord, the lady sent excellent high-quality medicines."

He wanted to say the medicine was not cheap—even if the lady had come on her own to search, she still cared for the Marquis. Wasn’t sending medicine proof?

My lord shouldn't be angry. Throughout the journey south, he had ridden relentlessly, his face like ice.

Chong An spoke with good intentions, but before he could finish, his brother gave him a sharp look to be quiet.

Chong An was puzzled. Had he said something wrong?

The man looked at the fine wound remedies and gave a cold laugh.

"Does the Marquis’ estate lack medicine? Must the lady spend her own money to buy it?"

She was merely trying to clear debts with him again.

After those words, the man turned and walked out.

Only then did Chong An realize he had really said the wrong thing. He moved to follow the Marquis but was yanked back by Chong Ping.

Chong Ping had no choice but to go after him himself. "My lord, the lady—"

Before he could finish, the man spoke again without turning back.

"Not a soul in the Marquis’ household is to use anything from the lady—not so much as a blade of grass."

She would never clear debts with him.

*

The next day before dawn, Du Lingjing rose and returned to the mountains.

A light mist clung to the mountains, and she cautioned her men to be careful, so they wouldn't fall down the slopes like the Marquis’ guards and get injured.

Thinking of this, she wondered how those two guards were doing. If the medicine she sent was right, they should recover swiftly.

She and Liulang split up to search separately for any marks left by the Fu Party.

They searched the mountains until late afternoon when Ai Ye suddenly called out, "My lady, look! These leaf veins have been woven by someone!"

Du Lingjing went to inspect and indeed found a leaf stripped of its green flesh, its veins carefully woven into a knot. The knot resembled the one Chong Ping had found earlier.

Was this a mark left by Tingjun?

She quickly instructed her people to search the surroundings for similar leaf-vein knots.

She herself carefully scanned the area.

But the mountains were rough, and after a while, her eyes grew weary and burned.

Instinctively, she pressed the acupoints around her eyes, lingering briefly at the Jingming point.

She thought of that man—how after they married, he would often massage her eye acupoints for her. Whenever she read for too long, he'd take the book from her…

Had he seen her letter by now?

She did not know how he would decide regarding the Earl of Rongchang’s matter, but she imagined that after she left of her own accord, he was probably relieved, no longer bound by her.

The thought crossed her mind as her eyes wandered absently across the mountains.

Then, unexpectedly, her eyes locked with another pair of eyes directly—on the path along the opposite mountainside.

By the roadside, Lu Shenru also froze.

The whistling mountain winds couldn't break the tension of their chance meeting. An inexplicable stillness fell around them.

Du Lingjing’s eyes flew open wide.

Why has he come personally?

Was it because Shao Zun was pressing for an exchange, or because the Earl of Rongchang's household couldn't wait any longer, so he came himself?

She felt a flicker of nervousness, her hands clenched briefly.

"My Lord."

She didn’t raise her voice, just as she had that day beneath the Returning Forest Tower—

He was upstairs, she was downstairs, and back then, she had also called out to him, "My Lord."

Separated by distance, each speaking normally, their words couldn’t reach the other, yet they could lip-read perfectly.

Now, just like that day, he responded to her.

But unlike last time, when his expression had softened as he said, "Come up."

This time, she saw his brow creased sharply, his gaze fixed intently on her.

"Come here."

The command felt weighted, impossible to carry across the vast mountain ravine between them, yet she swore she heard it.

But Du Lingjing felt a jolt of surprise.

Was he… displeased?

Du Lingjing didn’t understand why he was angry with her and shook her head at him.

Their reasons for searching for the person were likely different now. Meeting to talk in detail would only make things awkward.

The most important thing at the moment was for her to find the person first and safely bring them out.

She lowered her voice, "I still have matters to attend to, My Lord. You may carry on."

The whirling mountain gusts couldn’t carry her words, but every syllable she spoke was clearly visible on her lips to the man.

She refused to approach him, wouldn’t even spare a few words to talk, even after seeing him.

Did she also intend to nod distantly and leave, just as she had with Chong Ping?

His eyes turned stormy.

"Then I’ll come to you."

He spoke word by word.

Du Lingjing’s pulse jumped unexpectedly.

He was coming over?

A suspicion dawned that he might not have come for the Earl of Rongchang’s household, but for… something else?

She froze mid-step.

But just then, Ai Ye, who had been scouting ahead, suddenly gave a sharp cry, followed by the sound of someone sliding down the slope.

Du Lingjing didn't hesitate. She turned and hurriedly called for help, rushing forward.

In an instant, her figure disappeared beyond the mountainside.

The man also jerked in alarm, "Quan Quan!"

But she was gone.

The mountain wind howled past the path along the slope, and the man set his jaw.

……

Ai Ye hadn’t completely slid to the bottom, caught by a thick tree root. Chang Pu sprinted over, frantic, and pulled her sister up.

Du Lingjing quickly asked if she was hurt, but Ai Ye only shook her head. After rubbing her waist, she thrust her hand at Du Lingjing.

She opened her grime-covered fingers, and Du Lingjing saw a leaf-vein knot resting in her palm.

Ai Ye pointed down the slope, "I found this on the slope—it seems to point toward that dense forest below!"

Du Lingjing rallied her team and soon reached the dense forest, where they found two more knots in succession just outside the woods.

They had scarcely arrived when Jiang Fengchuan also found them. Seeing Du Lingjing, he said, "Elder sister, Uncle Hui's trail markers lead here."

As soon as he spoke, Du Lingjing felt certain.

"This must be the place."

She quickly instructed everyone to spread out. With so many factions in the mountains now, it was a mixed bag—they couldn’t afford to draw attention.

But the dense forest was thick with foliage. Even in late autumn and early winter, layers of golden leaves choked the canopy, and the terrain was further complicated by steep cliffs and boulders.

Jiang Fengchuan led his men in twice but hit dead ends, wary of becoming disoriented, and had to retreat.

Du Lingjing also walked along the forest’s edge, but the ground was covered in fallen leaves and wild grass, with no clear path inward.

She pondered silently, but Jiang Fengchuan spoke up.

"This forest is unnaturally impenetrable—perhaps a formation has been laid here."

At his words, Du Lingjing couldn’t help but nod.

The forest wasn’t entirely natural. Upon closer inspection, faint traces of human interference could be seen.

But Jiang Fengchuan had only passing knowledge of formations.

His martial instructor, whom his third brother had hired for him, was a Taoist priest. Though he had learned divination from his master, the priest’s expertise in the Five Elements formations was beyond a scholar's casual study.

He conceded defeat, "If the formation was set by the Fu Party’s scholars, it’s likely not simple."

As the Fu Party scholars gradually retired from court, some took up teaching, others returned to farming. With more free time, they pursued eclectic studies—astronomy, mathematics, geography, even ancient formations.

If they couldn’t get inside, how could they inform those within that they had arrived?

The group floundered until Ruan Gong cut in, "It’s getting late, Madam. Perhaps we should return to town first. There’s a Taoist temple there—we could consult a Taoist master tomorrow."

The others murmured assent, all turning to Du Lingjing.

Among them, only Jiang Sixth Master had some Taoist training, but even his knowledge fell short of breaking the formation. The others were out of their depth.

All eyes turned to her, awaiting her order to withdraw for now and regroup at dawn.

Yet she stood unmoving, staring deep into the depths of the dense forest.

"Each night we wait brings another night of endless dreams."

As she spoke, she stepped into the forest.

"Perhaps... I can try again."

She'd never trained under a Daoist master, but she remembered that two years prior, she had restored an ancient book.

It was not a Song dynasty edition but rather the work of an unorthodox scholar from the Taizu era. The techniques and Five Elements methods recorded within had long since forgotten. The author’s descendants could not decipher its contents and eventually sold the family treasure to Mianlou.

When Du Lingjing acquired it, she found the book already damaged, yet its contents were utterly unfamiliar—unlike anything she had encountered before.

Coincidentally, a wandering Daoist passed by and, upon seeing the book, told her, "If you can restore this, young lady, you will surely earn good karma."

She wasn't after any reward, but the thought troubled her to think the knowledge within might vanish, lost forever.

Was it not the life's work of a book collector and restorer to preserve rare volumes to the best of their ability?

She agreed to repair the book. Hearing this, the two wandering Daoists bowed deeply in thanks, offering their full assistance.

Thus, they spent half a year restoring it. Once completed, touched by their work, she decided—even if it brought no profit—to have Shopkeeper Zhao at the printing house print and distribute some copies.

Unexpectedly, it sold surprisingly well.

Later, the two Daoists continued their wanderings, and she never saw them again. Nor had she laid eyes on that book for a long time.

But now, as Du Lingjing ventured into the thick woods, her feet crunching through layers of fallen leaves, every character and illustration from that ancient Daoist text she had once restored came flooding back.

From the deepest recesses of her memory, they slowly surfaced before her eyes.

Ruan Gong and Liulang immediately split their group—some remained outside to guard, while others followed closely behind her, step by step, deeper into the woods.

At first, Du Lingjing could not say for certain whether this was indeed the formation described in the book. But as she felt her way forward, the disordered woods began making sense in her sight.

Though the ground remained strewn with dead branches and leaves, as she parted thorny branches and moved broken twigs, the confusing trail became clearer before her.

It seemed... this was the very formation depicted on the first page of that book.

She pressed on, concentrating to recall the text’s instructions, feeling out each step to determine the way forward. Those behind her followed her lead.

The others did not understand her method, their confusion growing more puzzled—until suddenly, she chose her path, took several quick steps forward, and reached a rock face.

Running her hand along the stone, she murmured softly, "There’s a way through here."

The rock face blocked their way, but beneath it lay a low, narrow passage.

No ordinary person would consider crawling through such an animal's tunnel.

Yet Du Lingjing bent down.

Jiang Fengchuan called to her, "Want me to go first?"

If it was an unknown cave, there might be danger.

But she shook her head.

"No need. I’ll go myself."

She ducked down and crawled forward without hesitation.

The passage stretched on for over a dozen steps, and even she began to doubt—until abruptly, the rock face vanished.

Straightening, she found herself facing a cluster of evergreen leaves, vibrant even in this season.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the foliage—

And in an instant, the view opened up.

A spacious cavern lay ahead, lit by shafts of sunlight that illuminated every figure within.

"Brother Hu, Mr. Liao, Lord Hong, Young Feng..."

One by one, they turned to look at her. Though their faces were pale with exhaustion, each wore the warmest of smiles.

They gazed at her, nodding in silent acknowledgment—until someone spoke.

"I told you—Jing would remember the book she herself edited and published."

Before Du Lingjing could see who had spoken, someone suddenly rushed forward and threw themselves into her arms.

She opened her embrace and held them tightly.

"Jing, I knew you’d come! I knew you’d save us!"

It was Tingjun.

Her closest friend and sworn sister.