Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Biezhi's access to Xianyun Tower was a must...

It was late at night, the Baiding Tower ablaze with lights, a constant stream of guests coming and going.

On the second floor of the Baiding Tower's annex, Ling Feng stood by the window, gazing at the city lights, his eyes fixed on the steam-filled teacup. He glanced sideways at Qingshan, who had also been waiting with him for nearly half an hour, and took the teacup. Qingshan

brushed the foam off the tea and took a sip. "Are you sure Biezhi encountered the group that attacked Jingqing outside the city?"

"Just a guess," Ling Feng said, unsure. "Biezhi sent me a letter a while ago, detailing the events: the arrows were used as a signal, and the assassins didn't use swords. The details Jingqing just told me when he was awake are pretty much the same as Biezhi's."

"Not much different, that's for sure." Qingshan patted his shoulder, turned back, walked to the tea table, and dropped the teacup.

Hearing this, Ling Feng frowned and looked after his figure, not understanding what he meant: "Not using a sword but being able to injure his vitals is not something that ordinary people can do."

"Biezhi still uses a sword, so he can resist." Qingshan met his gaze, was silent for a while, and asked: "But Jingqing is not a waste. Did he choose to join Youxu Pavilion because he is inferior to others in other aspects?"

Ling Feng could hear from his words that he was skeptical about the confessions of both of them, and his frown deepened, "What do you mean?"

Qingshan smiled: "It's just normal communication. Don't treat it like a big enemy."

"They have been with me since they were young, and I know them very well." Ling Feng put down the teacup heavily and said: "If you have evidence, give it. Don't make unwarranted guesses about things without evidence."

Qingshan raised an eyebrow and did not comment.

If anyone else had said this, Ling Feng would have simply ignored it. But Qingshan was different. He had been at the prince's side for years. Even if the prince hadn't taken it personally when he first heard about it, if suspicion had arisen, it would only harm them both.

He couldn't be sure whether this suspicion was Qingshan's own, or if the prince already had it, and Qingshan was simply reminding him.

Thinking of this, his eyes darkened slightly.

The faint sound of footsteps brought Ling Feng back to his senses, but in an instant the door was pushed open. Seeing the person coming, he bowed.

Qingshan, standing behind him, bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Fu Huaiqing, his disguise now fading, walked over to the table and glanced at Ling Feng, motioning him to sit down and talk. He then took a seat and said, "I've told you many times, Uncle Ling, there's no need to be so polite to me when no one's around."

He had repeatedly refused to be polite, and Ling Feng had repeatedly found excuses to refuse, reasons he had already given him.

Firstly, although he and the Imperial Concubine had known each other for many years and studied under the same master, he didn't want to break the rules and ask others to follow suit. Secondly, since the Imperial Concubine entered the palace, the two brothers and sisters hadn't seen each other for many years. When they met again, things had changed. He felt obliged to call him Uncle Ling.

Fu Huaiqing couldn't persuade him, so he just let him go.

Ling Feng stepped forward, took the teapot, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him: "I came here today to ask a favor of the prince, so I have to be polite."

Fu Huaiqing paused for a moment, his fingertips circling the teacup, raised his eyelids thoughtfully, and looked at the man standing opposite with a slightly solemn expression. He hummed in understanding: "I know that Uncle Ling came here today because of Biezhi and Jingqing's affairs."

"Yes," Ling Feng said without hesitation: "I can't rest easy with the two of them being assassinated one after another."

"I have already passed the order, and the other ministers will also take this matter to heart," Fu Huaiqing said.

Ling Feng had naturally heard of this incident long ago, but now that only two of his men had been killed, disciples he had raised, how could he wait patiently for the outcome?

He looked at the man with an indecipherable expression and sighed, "Your Highness knows I'm getting old. I haven't personally trained a disciple since those two, so they were, in a sense, my last disciples."

When he took them in, he wasn't as young as the others, and had long considered not training any more disciples, but later made an exception for them.

"No one cares about them anymore, so as their master, I naturally have to shoulder this responsibility." Ling Feng was silent for a moment, then looked at the man across from him and said, "I know Your Highness doesn't intend to meddle too much in other matters. Let's put Jingqing aside and discuss something else."

Fu Huaiqing paused, tapping his knuckles on the table, and looked at him silently.

Ling Feng sensed the sudden, elusive air of secrecy in his eyes. He paused, then met his gaze. "Biezhi's admission to Xianyun Tower was first noticed by the prince, who ordered me to investigate and bring her into the building. The prince bears the lion's share of responsibility for her safety."

The same should apply to her life's most important events.

However, Ling Feng only considered this, swallowing the words he was about to utter.

Fu Huaiqing leaned back in his armchair, his dark eyes flickering with elusive light and shadow.

Ling Feng's words were true. Of the hundreds of people in Xianyun Tower, the first to encounter Biezhi was himself, then a prince and not yet crowned king. He was on his way to his teacher's residence when she fell from the sky and knocked him to the ground.

The guards hurried over, lifted the girl from the mansion, and tucked her body under their waists.

At that time, Fu Huaiqing had just stood up and hadn't had time to speak when he saw her pout and burst into tears. The big tears fell to the ground one after another. She cried so hard that the sound resounded through the sky. Those who didn't know would think that he had hurt her. It was

the first time he saw someone crying like this. It was like the howling of ghosts and wolves. She didn't care about her image at all.

The guard holding the little girl was stunned and quickly covered her mouth with his hands. As a result, she cried even harder. She cried so hard that Fu Huaiqing had a headache. He signaled the guard to put her down.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the guard put her on the ground, the little girl stopped crying and bumped her head against his stomach. Although she was just a little girl, she knocked the guard, who was quite experienced, off his feet and fell to the ground after stumbling.

The little girl who bumped into someone ran away.

It was also at that time that Fu Huaiqing vaguely realized that she seemed different from ordinary people, so he asked Ling Feng to go and investigate, and if possible, to take her into Xianyun Tower.

Within half a day, Ling Feng brought him the news.

Since then, there has been a youngest girl in Xianyun Tower.

Later, she was also taken care of by Ling Feng.

The next time Fu Huaiqing heard about Biezhi was on the eve of her coming-of-age ceremony. Ling Feng came to ask for a date for her to go to Lijia Village. He realized that the little girl who cried so hard that ghosts could not see her back then was now about to reach the age of coming-of-age. But even so, the exchanges between them had not changed.

Even before he dressed up as Ji Ran, the task arrangements were all conveyed through Qingshan.

However, what Fu Huaiqing did not expect was that even so, she still had a deep resentment towards him.

Ling Feng stared at the man, who had been silent for a while. His expression was calm, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking. He said carefully, "Of course, Uncle Ling, I'm not asking the prince to treat her as his own daughter. I just hope that the prince can give her a little consideration. I won't regret her even after a hundred years."

"Uncle Ling, you're too kind." Fu Huaiqing's thoughts returned.

Ling Feng knew he had already made up his mind, and he was afraid he might suddenly think of something else and regret it. So he said immediately, "In that case, I thank the prince on behalf of Biezhi."

Glancing over his features once more, Ling Feng sensed that he seemed in a particularly good mood tonight. Seizing the opportunity, he asked the question that had remained unanswered. "Xu Wenche's journey to the capital is fraught with peril. There are certainly others within Qingyin Pavilion who are more skilled than Biezhi. Why did it have to be her?"

He still doubted the answer he had given a few days ago. Even if Xu Wenche only favored attractive men and women, there were other strikingly attractive and skilled assassins within Qingyin Pavilion. Why had Biezhi been chosen?

Furthermore, he couldn't fathom the deeper meaning of Qingshan's recent remarks.

Biezhi was the only person within Xianyun Tower who had interacted with Hezhou recently. Could it be that the prince suspected her...?

Biezhi had received the assignment first, and then the Hezhou bounty order. Unless the prince had already received the information and was waiting in anticipation, he was determined to capture them all.

Ling Feng frowned inadvertently, unable to help but speculate on his thoughts. "Your Highness suspects she's connected to the Hezhou bounty?"

Fu Huaiqing's eyes dropped slightly, resting on Ling Feng's folded hands on the table. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the backs of his hands, his inner uneasiness evident.

"Of course not."

He reached for the teapot, the water from the slender spout dripping slowly into the cup in front of Ling Feng. He withdrew his hand just as the tea was about to overflow. "Uncle Ling doesn't expect me to treat her better. The Qin family is the best choice for her."

Naturally, Fu Huaiqing had made this decision with the intention of making amends.

He had used her as bait to lure someone out of retirement, so it was only right that he should pay her a reasonable reward. Ten thousand taels of silver was just material gain, and a respectable position would also facilitate her future.

But at the moment, it didn't seem like a good choice.

Fu Huaiqing stared at the floating tea foam, his face darkening.

Ling Feng, standing by, immediately understood what he meant and froze.

With Prince Su's power, he could easily make a false claim. Even if many harbored suspicions, he could surely prove that Biezhi was the Qin family's second daughter. The identity of the Qin family's second daughter could afford Biezhi something that Xianyun Tower couldn't offer.

However…

Ling Feng remembered what Biezhi had said a while ago. If she were confirmed to be the Qin family's second daughter, would the Qin family, given their family background, accept a deaf man as their son-in-law?

He pursed his lips and asked tentatively, "I wonder if Your Highness has any thoughts on what I discussed with him a few days ago?"

When Ling Feng had mentioned Biezhi and Ji Ran's marriage to him, he had only received a response to reconsider. Now was the time to reconsider. If they didn't discuss it now, it would become even more difficult later.

Fu Huaiqing feigned confusion: "What do you mean, Uncle Ling?"

Ling Feng didn't expect that he had forgotten about it, so he solemnly repeated: "Biezhi has a man she likes, named Jiran. I'm thinking of arranging a marriage for them. What do you think, Your Highness?"

Hearing this, Fu Huaiqing chuckled coldly in his heart.

The man she likes.

Jiran.

Knowing that the Jiran that Biezhi was referring to was referring to him, he still felt uncomfortable.

There were certainly countless men named Jiran in the world, and he had nothing to do with these two words.

He said lightly: "No big deal."

Ling Feng: "..."

He thought about it and felt that he had not made it clear before. He just said that Jiran was deaf and could not hear or speak. Just now, he was thinking about asking the prince to consider Biezhi more. If the prince considered it, he would probably be looking for a better man.

"Actually, I think considering Biezhi naturally necessitates prioritizing her preferences." Ling Feng observed Fu Huaiqing's expression across from him as he spoke. Seeing his expression soften slightly, as if acknowledging his words, he added, "She's finally found a man she cares about, and as elders, we should respect her opinion."

At his last words, Fu Huaiqing's back, leaning carelessly against the armchair, stiffened for a moment, and she looked at Ling Feng with an awkward expression. "As her elder?"

Ling Feng was slightly stunned, not understanding the problem with this statement.

Although Biezhi was only six years older than the prince, according to Xianyun Tower's rules of rank, his status far surpassed everyone else's, and there was nothing wrong with calling him an elder.

Ling Feng pondered for a moment, then said, "Since childhood, Biezhi has treated the master as an elder, showing respect."

Fu Huaiqing: "..."

He didn't really want this respect.

If Qin Xiao and Jing Qing were willing, he would willingly give it to them.

Fu Huaiqing's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and she stared at him silently for a moment before saying, "If that's the case, have her come to me, the elder, and have it sorted out

." The man's voice was as clear as a winter pond, with the emphasis placed on the word "elder." Ling Feng listened carefully and detected a hint of gnashing teeth.

He hadn't expected Fu Huaiqing to be so concerned about age.

But then again, no young man would be willing to have a junior only six years his junior, so it was only natural that he would be concerned.

After a moment's deliberation, Ling Feng met his slightly darkened gaze and said on Biezhi's behalf, "Didn't the prince assign her to a mission? Naturally, she won't be able to get away for the time being." "

Is that so?" Fu Huaiqing asked slowly.

Ling Feng nodded, "Indeed."

Fu Huaiqing glanced past him, toward the door behind him, and said indifferently, "I heard she went to see Jingqing today."

She had time to see Jingqing but not him?

Ling Feng frowned. Logically speaking, he should not leave Xu Wenche's side as he was on a mission. But normally, if other people left their target for less than an hour, Fu Huaiqing would not care too much. He did not know why he was so difficult to talk to today. He could clearly hear that it was an excuse. On other days, he would just let it go, but why did he keep harping on it today?

"He only came for a short while and left after sitting for less than half a cup of tea."

Fu Huaiqing knew it.

He lowered his face and said, "In that case, I should go see him."

To see what their inner mole is capable of.