Chapter 9 – The Winds Shift Without Warning, Bringing a Rain of Blood; With All Tidings Lost, Where Can She Search? (I)

When Ling Cheng finally opened her eyes, malachite-green curtains surrounded her on all sides, shutting out the light. She discovered that she was still inside the carriage and wondered whether she had merely experienced a dream.

An utterly ridiculous dream.

She swiftly pulled aside the curtain and stepped out of the carriage.

Stars glittered across the sky. Beneath the boundless night, the shadowy outlines of countless mountains and trees stretched into the distance.

The many guards who had accompanied her were nowhere in sight.

Ling Cheng searched for a long while, but the only person she saw was Su Ying, standing alone beneath a poplar tree with her long saber in her arms.

The ridiculous dream instantly became a terrifying one.

Ling Cheng parted her lips, her heart nearly leaping into her throat.

“Why…why are you the only one here? Did they…all go home?”

“I relayed your mother’s words to them. They hesitated for a long time, but in the end, they scattered and fled for their lives.”

Su Ying had already considered how she should speak to Ling Cheng once the girl awakened.

First, she had to make Ling Cheng understand that her words had not been a joke.

After a brief pause, Su Ying repeated everything Madam Ling had told her, exactly as she had heard it, without omitting a single word.

Before Ling Cheng had heard even half of it, all the blood in her body had turned cold.

She knew her mother.

That truly was the way her mother spoke. Those were truly the words her mother would say.

At this point, Ling Cheng could no longer deceive herself.

Yet her mind remained chaotic, and she still could not understand why any of this had happened. She had merely left the capital for five days to unauthorized copybid farewell to She Jia. Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

How could the skies above her family have changed so abruptly, without the slightest warning?

Confusion, fear, and anxiety churned within her. Just as she found herself completely at a loss, something her father had once said suddenly echoed in her ears.

“A general must remain composed in the face of sudden change, without altering his expression even if Mount Tai collapses before him. With an impulsive temper like yours, you still dream of going to war and becoming a general?”

Calm down.

That was right. She had to remain calm.

Ling Cheng bit down hard on her lower lip. The sudden pain cleared her mind, and she immediately asked, “Where is my mother?”

“Do you wish to see her now?” Su Ying asked.

Ling Cheng nodded without hesitation.

“Then you must listen to me from this moment onward.”

At midnight, all four gates of Chang’an were tightly closed.

That instead made it easier for Su Ying to carry Ling Cheng, use qinggong, and silently cross the city wall.

The long streets were completely still, without a single civilian in sight. Only a few patrols of the Jinwu Guard occasionally appeared.

Still carrying Ling Cheng, Su Ying lightly stepped across the roof tiles, avoiding their notice. Before long, they reached Zhiren Ward.

Several seals had been pasted in a cross over the residence’s vermilion gates. Yet no large force stood guard outside. Clearly, most of the Imperial Guards who had previously surrounded the Ling residence so tightly that not even water could pass through had already withdrawn.

Su Ying was slightly startled.

Since the soldiers had left, the members of the Ling household had probably been transferred elsewhere and imprisoned.

Just as she expected, after climbing over the wall and carefully leading Ling Cheng through the various courtyards and buildings, she confirmed that Cui Langzhen was gone. None of the servants remained either.

Several soldiers, however, were sitting on the stone steps beneath a corridor, chatting idly.

After considering the situation, Su Ying and Ling Cheng concealed themselves behind the corner of a wall and listened to their conversation.

The soldiers did not appear to believe that Ling Bingzhong had truly committed treason either. Their words were filled with sympathy for Vice Director Ling.

Ling Cheng knew that her father possessed tremendous prestige within the military and was deeply loved by his soldiers. Yet hearing them praise her father under such circumstances left her uncertain whether she should feel glad or heartbroken.

Then one of the soldiers sighed.

“The world is truly unpredictable. Who could have imagined that overnight, the military commissioner of four commands—a man beneath only one person and above countless others—would become a prisoner accused of treason?”

“Exactly. At first, I thought the case might still take a different turn. After all, the crown prince is His Majesty’s biological son, and Vice Director Ling is also…”

The other man unconsciously lowered his voice, faint fear seeping into it.

“I never imagined His Majesty would truly have the heart to order both of them put to death.”

The moment the words put to death reached her ears, Su Ying reacted instantly.

One hand covered Ling Cheng’s mouth, while the other pressed firmly against her shoulder.

Then she felt the girl’s entire body trembling.

Had Su Ying not been standing behind her, Ling Cheng might have lost the strength to remain upright and collapsed.

Over the past few days, Su Ying had considered countless ways to rescue Ling Bingzhong. Learning this news left even her shocked, grief-stricken, and bewildered.

A moment later, she suddenly felt something cool against the back of her hand.

A tear had fallen from the corner of Ling Cheng’s eye.

Su Ying lowered her head and sighed soundlessly before taking Ling Cheng away.

The rear courtyard was deserted and quiet. They entered an empty room at random.

Su Ying hesitated for a long time, uncertain what she could possibly say to Ling Cheng.

During her years of wandering the jianghu, she had witnessed far too much life and death. That only made her understand more deeply the agony of losing one’s closest family forever.

Words such as “restrain your grief and accept what has happened” were unbearably pale and powerless.

She silently looked at Ling Cheng, only to discover that in this brief span of time, the tears had already disappeared from the girl’s eyes.

All that remained was a blazing hatred.

Her voice was still choked with tears when she demanded, “Your martial arts are clearly stronger than theirs. Why are you afraid of them?”

“I am not afraid,” Su Ying answered solemnly. “But if they discover us, even if I knock all of them unconscious now, the imperial court will send even more soldiers to search for and capture us once morning comes. That would make it far more difficult for us to act.”

“Although your father has already…your mother’s whereabouts are still unknown. Don’t you want to find her?”

Hearing her mother mentioned, Ling Cheng drew a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

“Didn’t you say Mother was being confined at home?”

“It appears she has been taken somewhere else,” Su Ying said with a frown. “We will have to wait until dawn and ask the people in the city for information.”

Ling Cheng stared blankly for a moment, then abruptly turned away without saying a word.

“Where are you going?”

“Mapan Ridge.”

Mapan Ridge lay in the countryside east of Chang’an. There were no surrounding hills to protect it and no waterways encircling it. According to the principles of feng shui, it was an extremely inauspicious place.

The dynasty had an unwritten custom: when imperial nobles or high-ranking officials committed capital crimes, their bodies would be buried together in this place.

Even if any of their descendants happened to escape the calamity, the family’s fortunes would remain suppressed forever.

Su Ying guessed that Ling Cheng still held on to a sliver of hope and wanted to visit Mapan Ridge to determine whether the soldiers’ words had been true.

Su Ying herself also had many unanswered questions.

She immediately stepped forward, picked up Ling Cheng, and once again used qinggong.

The third month was normally a season of flourishing grass and trees. Yet the darkness that night resembled thick ink that could never be dissolved.

The night wind rustled past their ears, while the thousands of branches and leaves covering Mapan Ridge appeared like masses of drifting ghosts.

In the past, no matter how courageous Ling Cheng was, she was still only ten years old. She would never have dared walk through a place like this.

Now, however, she had gone numb. Nothing remained in her thoughts except her parents.

Even if a genuine ghost or monster had appeared, she would not have spared it a glance.

Her eyes remained fixed upon the burial mounds scattered across the ground.

Suddenly, she caught sight of the faintly carved character Ling upon a wooden marker standing before a fresh grave not far ahead.

She quickened her pace.

Perhaps she was exhausted in both body and mind, or perhaps the rough mountain path caused her to twist her ankle. She had taken only a few hurried steps when she fell heavily to her knees before the grave.

Only then did she see the other two characters carved into the wooden marker.

It was indeed her father’s name.

It felt as though someone had struck her violently in the chest.

Ling Cheng braced both hands against the ground and remained silent for a moment. Then she suddenly moved behind the wooden marker and began digging into the grave mound with her bare hands.

Although Mapan Ridge possessed extremely inauspicious feng shui, the dead had already been laid to rest.

Unless one intended to rebury them in a more auspicious place, digging up a body for no reason was an act of immense disrespect toward the deceased.

Su Ying was startled by what she saw.

However, she had known this child for two years and understood her stubborn nature better than anyone. Ling [read the original at bailiantales.com]Cheng would never give up until confronted with undeniable proof.

Su Ying quickly realized that she would not believe Ling Bingzhong had truly died unless she saw his body with her own eyes.

The sandy soil had hardened into clumps, growing firmer the deeper they dug. Many stones were mixed throughout it.

Never mind a child like Ling Cheng—even a grown man would have struggled to dig through it without tools.

“Your hands will bleed,” Su Ying warned with a frown.

Ling Cheng acted as though she had not heard.

Left with no choice, Su Ying gathered strength into her palm and struck the earth.

Bang!

The compacted soil and stones immediately loosened.

The two began digging together.

Before long, a dark purple face gradually emerged before them.

It appeared General Ling had been poisoned to death on imperial orders.

Su Ying felt her grief deepen. Yet she understood that someone else present must be suffering a hundred times more than she was.

Her first instinct was to look at Ling Cheng.

The girl’s expression was wooden. She knelt before Ling Bingzhong’s corpse without moving.

Su Ying suddenly realized that Ling Cheng had shed only two tears when she first heard of her father’s death.

She had not cried again since.

Such profound grief and agony, if trapped within the heart with no means of release, would inevitably harm the body.

Su Ying did not know how to comfort her. She could only gently pat her shoulder and whisper, “Fu Li, you…you should cry…”

But Ling Cheng did not speak.

She made no sound.

She did not shed another tear.

A fire of resentment burned within her heart.

At that moment, hatred had overwhelmed her grief.

The wind sighed through the trees. Growing increasingly worried by her silence, Su Ying called again, “Fu Li…”

Ling Cheng slowly parted her lips and finally spoke.

“Why didn’t you save him? You said you came to my family to repay a debt. Wasn’t he your great benefactor? Why didn’t you go to the prison and save him?”

Every word was forceful and accusing.

It was an entirely unreasonable grievance.

Su Ying understood her feelings and did not blame her. Instead, she found herself thinking that something about this situation was indeed strange.

When the large force of imperial soldiers surrounded the Ling residence, Su Ying had initially intended to rely upon her qinggong and rescue Cui Langzhen first.

However, Cui Langzhen had said that as the mistress of the household, no matter what happened, she could never abandon everyone else in the residence.

Su Ying could only plan to find Ling Cheng first and place the child somewhere secure. Afterward, she would devise a way to rescue Ling Bingzhong, Cui Langzhen, and the others.

After all, the crime Ling Bingzhong had supposedly committed was treason. The Three Judicial Offices would have to conduct a joint trial. Surely the proceedings would take at least a month or two.

That should have given her enough time to devise a safer rescue plan or seek help from friends in the jianghu.

How could she have known that the imperial court would be so impatient to take their lives?

Had this truly been the emperor’s will?

While she was still considering the question, a rustling sound suddenly came from the grass to the east.

Su Ying immediately spun around and gripped the hilt of her saber.

“Who’s there?”

Ling Cheng froze. Raising her eyes, she followed Su Ying’s gaze.

A moment later, a man dressed in dark clothing emerged from the grass. He appeared to be in his thirties. When he saw Ling Cheng, surprise and delight spread across his face.

After thinking briefly, he asked, “May I ask whether this young lady’s surname is Ling?”

White light suddenly flashed.

In an instant, Su Ying drew her saber and placed its blade against the man’s neck.

“Who exactly are you?”

“Spare me, heroine! Please spare my life!”

The man jumped in fright and hurriedly explained himself.

“This lowly one is Zheng Qi, a junior clerk at the Court of Judicial Review. I have always admired Vice Director Ling’s character and knew he would never commit such an outrageous act of treason.”

“As it happened, several of the jailers guarding him shared my opinion. Because of that, I was able to meet and speak privately with Vice Director Ling inside the prison.”

“Unfortunately, I am a man of little influence, and my words carry no weight. I could not save Vice Director Ling’s life. I could only ask whether he had any final wishes. As long as they were within my power, I promised to do everything possible to fulfill them.”

“After hearing my words, he remained silent for a long while. Then he said that throughout his life, he had lived with a clear conscience before heaven and earth. The only people he had failed were his wife and daughter.”

“He told me he had a daughter named Ling Cheng who was not currently in the capital. If Lady Ling returned and learned of his death, she might visit Mapan Ridge to examine his body. Therefore, he entrusted me with a message for her.”

“When I saw that this young lady appeared to be about the same age as Lady Ling, I asked whether her surname was Ling.”

Very few outsiders knew Ling Cheng’s personal name.

By the time Su Ying heard the entire explanation, she believed him and withdrew her saber.

A fresh wave of pain struck Ling Cheng’s heart. She immediately asked, “What did Father ask you to tell me?”

Su Ying first asked a different question. “When was General Ling put to death?”

Zheng Qi answered her question first. “Yesterday.”

“And you only came here now?”

“I had many official duties to handle during the day, and I could not leave home freely at night. I had no choice but to wait until complete darkness, evade the Jinwu Guard patrols, and secretly come to Mapan Ridge to have a look.”

For an ordinary person who knew no martial arts, he had indeed taken an enormous risk.

Su Ying immediately cupped her fists and thanked him.

Zheng Qi sighed. “Everyone beneath the stolen contentheavens knows that Vice Director Ling was wronged. I am far from the only person willing to do something for him.”

“After Vice Director Ling was imprisoned, His Majesty ordered his residence confiscated. One of the soldiers responsible was a friend of mine. He also asked me to inquire whether Vice Director Ling wished to preserve any particular possession.”

“Vice Director Ling thought for a long while. He said that if it was convenient and would not place us in danger, there was one item he hoped we could retrieve.”

At this point, Zheng Qi paused and took a dagger from inside his robes.

Its scabbard was two inches longer than that of an ordinary dagger. It was pitch-black throughout, made from dark bogwood, and bore no jeweled ornamentation.

“Vice Director Ling asked me to tell you that if you remain safe, you must not avenge him. Above all else, you must protect yourself.”

Ling Cheng’s hands trembled as she slowly accepted the dagger from Zheng Qi.

This was the dagger she had wanted for so long.

But she had never imagined receiving it under such circumstances…

Mapan Ridge fell silent.

For a long time, none of the three spoke.

Ling Cheng pressed the dagger tightly against her chest and abruptly asked, “You’re an official from the Court of Judicial Review. Then do you know anything about my mother…?”

“Do not worry, Lady Ling. Madam Ling is still alive.”

“You know where she is?”

Zheng Qi hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

“I do.”