Chapter 71

Chapter 71: "Will you go with her?"

The candlelight on the table flickered faintly, casting a quiet stillness over the bed.

Du Yinsui returned to her room in Qingning Temple and was met with this scene.

Had it not been for the overwhelming scent of jealousy in the air, she might have thought someone lay peacefully asleep.

Amused, Du Yinsui approached the bed and poked Jiang Wu’s back. "Asleep?"

The figure on the bed swayed at the touch. Just as Du Yinsui expected to poke him again or coax him awake, Jiang Wu gave a soft hum and rolled over.

"So she really is your teacher?" Jiang Wu studied Du Yinsui’s relaxed, cheerful expression. He knew the question was unnecessary but couldn’t resist asking.

"Yes." Du Yinsui nodded, speaking quickly before the jealousy thickened. "She’s doing well in Jin Kingdom now. With her help, we’ll establish ourselves there faster."

Catching the undiminished sourness in the air, she tapped Jiang Wu. "Enough overthinking. She’s just my teacher—we went through hardships together. Nothing more."

"I never said…" Jiang Wu turned his face away.

Right, you didn’t say a word, just radiated that smell, Du Yinsui thought, amused.

In the dim candlelight, Du Yinsui’s faint smile held a certain charm, but Jiang Wu only glimpsed it before pressing his lips tight.

"Anything else? Finish up and sleep. We’ve got plans tomorrow," Du Yinsui urged, nudging Jiang Wu as she pictured Wen Junzhi’s delivery the next day.

At this, bitterness surged in the air, briefly overpowering the jealousy.

"Will you… go with her?" Jiang Wu clutched the blanket, voicing the question he feared would earn a scolding but couldn’t swallow.

Du Yinsui froze, then huffed a laugh, swatting him lightly through the quilt. "What nonsense! Where would I go with her?"

Might as well join Baili Ying next door and brew vinegar!

Pre-apocalypse matters involving Wen Junzhi’s otherworldly origins weren’t fit for Jiang Wu yet. But her current life in Jin Kingdom and her focus on Baili Ying? That was safe ground.

As expected, Jiang Wu’s bitterness eased, the sourness fading.

"Sounds like Baili Ying might have a chance. If your teacher forgives her years of secrets," Jiang Wu murmured after a long pause.

Du Yinsui doubted it—and not just over the secrets.

Still…

That intense "anticipation" from her teacher truly was just for the nine-legged mole rat.

A box of crystal cores outweighed by jerky strips…

What if it were her?

Du Yinsui watched Jiang Wu solemnly puzzling over others’ love lives, oddly endearing.

Fine. If this fool needed it, she’d probably hunt down another light orb too.

After her long mountain talk with Wen Junzhi and tomorrow’s tasks looming, Du Yinsui coaxed Jiang Wu a while longer before settling to sleep.

Much later, drifting in and out of dreams, Du Yinsui caught Jiang Wu’s wakeful scent beside her. Sleep fled.

"Why still awake?" She turned, surprised, toward him.

"I…" Jiang Wu hadn’t expected her to rouse instantly, exposing his stillness. Flustered, he blurted, "Just… just remembered Baili Ying said she’d hide under our bed—"

"Don’t lie if you’re bad at it." Du Yinsui caught the panic and deceit, kicking his leg beneath the quilt. "I promised fun tomorrow. You need rest."

Jiang Wu wanted to sleep too, but…

"If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Otherwise I’m sleeping. Stay up if you want—tomorrow I’ll go have fun without you." In the darkness, Du Yinsui caught the sour-bitter scent, rolled her eyes, and nudged Jiang Wu with her foot.

Since they’d gotten together, the faintly bitter sweetness about Jiang Wu had deepened into a rich, wine-like aroma that pleased her. But this pleasantness hadn’t lasted before he’d turned into a whole vat of vinegar—much to Du Yinsui’s irritation.

Sensing Du Yinsui’s rising annoyance, Jiang Wu stopped beating around the bush.

"Ahem…" Jiang Wu cleared his throat, tried to speak, then cleared it twice more.

The room filled with a series of unconvincing, staccato coughs.

Du Yinsui nearly laughed in frustration. She yanked the blanket and turned her back.

Immediately, rustling sounds came from behind. After two breaths, the hesitant figure finally drew close. A whisper-soft "Suisui" brushed her ear with warm breath.

When Wen Junzhi had spoken like this before, Du Yinsui found it merely friendly. But now…

"Just say it—no need to sneak around." Du Yinsui pressed a hand to her suddenly skipping heartbeat and stole more blanket.

*We’re in the temple*, both thought simultaneously.

That night, though nothing untoward happened, they still slept late.

When Wen Junzhi’s envoy knocked at dawn, Du Yinsui felt she’d barely closed her eyes.

Yet the "Gift" promised newfound strength, forcefully banishing her drowsiness.

If she wasn’t sleeping, nobody else would either.

Chu Xiulan managed, but the little one wasn’t so lucky—swiftly bundled into a blanket cocoon and thrust into Jiang Wu’s arms.

As they departed, the neighboring courtyard lay silent.

Du Yinsui could smell Baili Ying awake inside.

*Well, good luck to her*, she mused. *Since we’re meeting Wen Junzhi tonight anyway, I won’t hide anything then.*

Jiang Wu had known since yesterday about Du Yinsui’s "interesting gift" from Wen Junzhi—but never imagined it would be… this involved.

At dawn they left Qingning Temple, journeyed deep into the countryside, entered an estate—yet still hadn’t arrived.

A secret passage there led through a long tunnel, emerging at another estate.

After switching carriages, they traveled until the landscape grew barren, finally stopping at a mountain’s base.

By then it was noon. They were led through winding paths into a cave.

Astonishingly, the cavern widened into a vast hollow within the mountain.

Sunlight streamed through fissures above; torches and fires below illuminated the space bright as day.

Then Du Yinsui unveiled the "Gift."

"This is called a gun," she declared, confirming it was unloaded before handing it to Jiang Wu. "With this, even those six from last time won’t scare us."

*Just how skilled would you need to be to dodge a bullet?*

Anyway, those six people from before probably couldn’t handle this.

She’d rushed to find her chemistry teacher, hoping to acquire something useful. The teacher proved incredibly capable—over seven years, she’d decoded storage rings and absorbed crystals to gain extraordinary energy. This golden ability had dismantled countless thermal weapons during the apocalypse…

With enough crystals, Wen Junzhi could locate any mineral and forge any firearm. True to her chemistry background, she’d even devised ammunition.

Du Yinsui examined the handguns in the box.

Not just pistols, but various models; Wen Junzhi had given her several large crates with ammunition the previous night.

Able to detect malice in her surroundings, Du Yinsui finally wielded real power with these weapons.

Naturally, Du Yinsui ensured Wen Junzhi didn’t lose out—she insisted on gifting that box of crystals.

As a scent-ability user who didn’t need crystals, and with plenty stored away, efficiency mattered most.

Oh, and she’d agreed to one small favor for Wen Junzhi.

But that hardly mattered—it aligned perfectly with her own intentions anyway.

The crucial point: they now had guns.

Neither Zhao Kingdom nor Prince Cheng could manipulate them so easily again.

"Come, we’re learning this today," Du Yinsui declared, handing pistols to Chu Xiulan and Qin Chongli.

Beginners lacked stamina. Though Chu Xiulan and Qin Chongli showed keen interest, they lasted barely over an hour. Jiang Wu, however, persisted for three full hours, reluctant to stop. Had Du Yinsui not pulled him away, he might’ve practiced till dusk.

That day was largely consumed by travel.

Yet Qin Chongli felt even a glimpse of those intricate mechanisms justified the journey’s length.

The winding path, the mountain-hollow hideout, those unheard-of weapons…

What sort of person required such things?

Now accompanied by Du Yinsui’s old allies and riding in a comfortable carriage, Qin Chongli suspected they’d encountered another formidable figure from Jin Kingdom—this after fleeing Zhao Kingdom’s rebel Prince Cheng.

Only one question lingered.

Qin Chongli watched Du Yinsui massage Jiang Wu’s arms while softly promising they could return tomorrow.

Surely, with the little Du girl’s sharp instincts, she must’ve noticed something?

The group reached the Capital beneath a high moon.

They’d grown almost accustomed to navigating secret passages beneath houses.

This time, though, the Qin family was left midway in another residence.

Attentive servants and lavish meals awaited… alongside those assigned to "protect" them after witnessing the weapons.

Before guiding Jiang Wu down a new tunnel, Du Yinsui assured Qin Chongli this "protection" would end soon—they’d regain freedom shortly.

Heaven knew.

Her words chilled Qin Chongli to the bone.

Secrecy around such weapons vanished only when many witnessed them… meaning after victory.

Du Yinsui dismissed Qin Chongli’s worries. After traversing more tunnels, they entered Wen Junzhi’s Capital residence.

Long before arriving, Du Yinsui detected that familiar scent from Jiang Wu—once faintly bittersweet, now rich as aged wine.

Seeing Baili Ying—utterly guileless, sprawled on Wen Junzhi’s trailing skirt while playing with a plush rabbit—surprised Du Yinsui not at all.