Chapter Fifty-Nine: A Warm Night

When young Ling Shunuo awoke, he found himself utterly unable to move. It seemed someone had struck his pressure points. Rolling his eyes around, he realized not only had his assailant immobilized him, but had also tied him up tightly, as if he were a rice dumpling. Such cruelty, he thought, to treat even a child so mercilessly. He was about to close his eyes and drift back to sleep when he suddenly heard faint voices outside.

Listening carefully, he made out the conversation of two men, though he couldn't discern what they were discussing. He didn't know the man who had captured him, nor did he understand why he had been taken. At this moment, he found himself longing for life in the palace, where everyone indulged him and obeyed his every whim.

"Ten thousand taels of silver, Brother Li, are you robbing me or outright thieving?" A man who looked like a senior steward sat beside the burly fellow, haggling over the price for Ling Shunuo.

The burly man laughed heartily. "Steward Wang, you're being too harsh. You want the boy, don't you? Ten thousand taels is not expensive at all. You have no idea how hard it was for me to catch him."

"In that case, it's a deal," came a pleasant male voice.

The burly man turned his head; it was the man seated at the head of the table, who had been silent until now, who had spoken.

Steward Wang, hearing his master speak, could only acquiesce, though he was clearly displeased. He pulled a few silver drafts from his robe and his tone soured. "Here is ten thousand taels, count them if you wish."

"If they're from you, Steward Wang, I trust they're correct," the burly man said, scooping up the notes from the table and standing. "Your master is indeed refreshingly straightforward." With that, he laughed loudly and strode out.

Steward Wang found the man's demeanor insufferable, but said nothing. He turned to the young master at his side and asked, "Young Master, what shall we do with the brat?"

"Take him away," the young man replied, sipping his tea with quiet composure.

Meanwhile, Feng Qiuji and Ying Xuanyu were trekking through the deep, wild mountains. Who knew how long they had been walking? There was not a village or town in sight. Feng Qiuji was on the verge of losing hope, but in this desolate wilderness, stopping was hardly an option.

"It's getting dark. Why don't we find a place to shelter for the night?" Ying Xuanyu glanced at the sky, then turned to Feng Qiuji, who was leaning on a branch, too exhausted to move.

"What?" Feng Qiuji nearly leaped up at his words. "You mean we're camping out here tonight?!"

"There's no village, no town—looks like we have no choice but to spend the night here. You know how terrifying the mountains are after dark," Ying Xuanyu replied. He was right. When the sun set, the animals came out to roam and hunt. Two living, breathing humans would make a sumptuous meal.

At his words, Feng Qiuji recalled the tales her grandparents used to tell her as a child, stories of wolves and tigers lurking in the wild. She dropped her branch and clung to Ying Xuanyu's sleeve, glancing around nervously. "What do you think is out here? Wolves? Tigers?"

"Who knows?" Ying Xuanyu couldn't help but chuckle at her fear. He'd always thought Feng Qiuji was fearless. "Which is why we should hurry and find a place to hide."

"Yes, let's hurry." She remembered how the main characters in stories would always find a cave to spend the night, sometimes stumbling upon a legendary sword, a secret martial arts manual, or a mystical fruit that boosted their strength. Who knew what they might discover tonight?

After searching for a long while—and just as they were about to give up—they did indeed find a small cave.

"This will do. Let's get a fire going," Feng Qiuji said, crawling inside to prepare for a campfire. "Did you bring flint?"

"No," Ying Xuanyu replied helplessly. As a fugitive from bandits, how could he possibly have such things on him?

"Then you'll have to make fire by friction," Feng Qiuji said, glancing around. The cave was small but big enough for the two of them, though the dim light made it seem rather eerie.

"Me?" Ying Xuanyu stared in disbelief. As a young master from a wealthy family, he'd never done anything like this in his life—not cooking, not making a fire, let alone starting one by rubbing sticks together.

"Who else? Me?" Feng Qiuji gave him a pitiful look. She was exhausted and just wanted to sit down and rest.

"All right," Ying Xuanyu conceded, stepping outside to gather twigs and leaves. He couldn’t help but envy martial artists; if he had inner strength, he could simply chop down trees with a palm and be done with it. Instead, he was stuck collecting twigs.

It took a long time to gather enough for the night. When he returned, he found Feng Qiuji already asleep against the cave wall.

With a resigned sigh, he began the arduous work of making fire by friction. It was a skillful task, and for someone like him—whose hands were softer and fairer than many noble ladies'—no matter how red his hands became, the sticks and leaves stubbornly refused to ignite.

Ying Xuanyu grew discouraged. After all that running, he was tired too, longing for a good meal, a hot bath, and a comfortable bed—but that was out of the question. As dusk fell, he knew well enough, even without experience, how dangerous the forest was after dark. Without a fire to last the night, they would likely end up as some beast’s midnight snack.

Some time passed. Feng Qiuji, after a short nap, awoke to darkness so thick she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Panic seized her, and she called out, “Ying Xuanyu, where are you?”

“I’m right here,” came Ying Xuanyu’s resigned reply as he took her hand.

“Oh, you scared me,” Feng Qiuji sighed in relief. “I thought you’d disappeared.” Spending the night alone in these mountains would be worse than death.

“Hey, do you really think this fire-by-friction works?”

“Of course it does! Don’t tell me you don’t even know that much?”

“Then why haven’t I gotten a single spark after all this effort?”

“That’s because you’re too clumsy.” Feng Qiuji reached out to help.

“Never mind, you should rest. Let me do it.” Ying Xuanyu knew she was exhausted and insisted on handling it himself.

No sooner had he spoken than, a few moments later, a tiny spark appeared. Ying Xuanyu perked up instantly, full of renewed energy, and redoubled his efforts.

Within half a cup of tea’s time, the cave was bathed in bright, blazing firelight.

Feng Qiuji hugged her knees, staring at the cheerful flames, her stomach rumbling with hunger. If only there were some meat or vegetables, she could roast them on the spot. But at this time of year, most of the animals were hibernating, and the trees had long since shed their fruits. There was no hope of finding anything.

“Are you hungry?” Ying Xuanyu asked, noticing her forlorn expression.

“Of course I’m hungry! Aren’t you?” Feng Qiuji felt on the verge of tears. She wasn’t a pampered heiress, but this was her first time camping out in deep mountains like this.

“I’m hungry too.” Ying Xuanyu rubbed his belly. He hadn’t eaten all day. “But there’s nothing we can do.”

“I really want some roasted chicken drumsticks,” Feng Qiuji wailed.

“Here.” Ying Xuanyu stretched out his arm in front of her. “If you want to eat, go ahead.”

“I don’t want that,” Feng Qiuji said, pushing his arm away in disgust. “It’s all bones, not worth gnawing on.”

The two of them joked and teased each other for a while, until Feng Qiuji suddenly fell silent. Noticing her change, Ying Xuanyu was puzzled. He disliked such somber moods and changed the subject. “You’re not like other noble ladies.”

“Of course I’m not,” Feng Qiuji replied, recalling how Ling Zetian always frowned whenever he saw her. “I’m neither well-educated nor considerate, and I pay no heed to etiquette. All I ever do is embarrass myself.”

“That’s not true at all.”

“Hm?” Feng Qiuji looked at him in surprise.

Smiling, Ying Xuanyu thought for a moment and said, “I think you’re very charming. You may not follow the rules or mind your manners, but you’re genuine and adorable.”

Feng Qiuji nearly choked. No one had ever complimented her that way before. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever called me cute.”

She now thought Ying Xuanyu was a real oddball. Her behavior was completely out of place in this rigid, etiquette-bound era, and yet someone actually called her cute. Pitiful, more like.

“They just haven’t noticed, that’s all. I think you’re adorable.”

“Well, since you like praising me so much, I’ll allow you to do it more often.” Ying Xuanyu’s words went straight to her heart. After all, being called cute by a handsome, wealthy young man was a rare treat. She decided that life in the past had its perks—men here truly knew how to appreciate a person.

Speaking of handsome men, Feng Qiuji thought again of Ling Zetian. That one was an exception; he’d never once complimented her. No matter what she did, he always disapproved, carrying himself as if he were above everyone else—so insufferable.

“I rarely compliment people,” Ying Xuanyu hurried to explain, worried she’d lump him in with the notorious flirt Ling Zexin. “I may be playful, but I’m nowhere near as bad as Zexin.”

“I know,” Feng Qiuji replied. “You have far more integrity than he does.”

“Hm?” Ying Xuanyu looked at her in confusion. “Integrity? Is that something you can eat?”

— End of excerpt —

A beautiful new day is about to begin. Keep striving!