Chapter 69

Chapter 69: "She Arrived."

Though Qingning Temple wasn’t the royal temple of Jin Kingdom, it enjoyed thriving incense offerings and had numerous guest courtyards.

When Du Yinsui entered the temple that afternoon, she noticed peculiar auras from the adjacent courtyard. It seemed like ladies from a wealthy family had come to pray, accompanied by female guards skilled in martial arts. Since Jin Kingdom had female emperors, women held higher status here than in Zhao Kingdom. Along the border, wealthy families employing female martial artists were common. Several courtyards in Qingning Temple’s West wing, designated for female guests, housed families with such guards.

The strangeness didn’t lie with the guards. It was the young lady herself…

Du Yinsui had never encountered such an overwhelming scent of anxiety and conflict. It was so potent it drowned out all other scents—even the centuries-old incense permeating the courtyard. She guessed the girl must have dire need of divine intervention. While retrieving incense wood at night based on clues, Du Yinsui pondered this.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she secured the incense wood, that young lady’s presence shifted toward Jiang Wu’s courtyard. Since Qingning Temple segregated guests by gender, only Chu Xiulan and little Yao Yao remained with Jiang Wu. Though the aura felt merely odd rather than threatening, Du Yinsui abandoned stealth and raced back via the shortest route.

No malice existed. Yet the scene was undeniably bizarre.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Du Yinsui found Jiang Wu tangled with a young girl in white robes. Startled by the noise, both froze mid-grapple, sleeves still clutched, wearing identical expressions of panic as they turned to the door.

"It’s not what it looks like!"

"Please don’t misunderstand!"

Their flustered denials overlapped. They stumbled backward, yanking their sleeves free as if scalded.

Du Yinsui: "…"

*Was this some feline brawl caught by their owner?*

"I wasn’t trying to tussle with her," Jiang Wu blurted, noting Du Yinsui’s stern expression and sweaty brow. He retreated further before rushing to her side. "She just—"

"If you hadn’t stopped me, this wouldn’t look so suspicious!" The girl stamped her foot, eyes reddening with genuine fury.

"You—you’re twisting the truth!" Jiang Wu, rarely eloquent, nearly choked on his words until Du Yinsui’s reassuring grip steadied him. Taking a deep breath, he pointed angrily at willow branches scattered on the ground. "She barged in asking for you! Before I could question her, she dropped to her knees and tried binding herself with these! When I tried lifting her, she resisted—"

Jiang Wu trembled with indignation. This stranger had burst in after midnight, knelt without explanation, and now accused *him* after he’d tried helping? Utter absurdity!

"Exactly. *She* caused this. Ignore her—let her kneel." Du Yinsui squeezed Jiang Wu’s hand, validating his account. Another girl’s tears weren’t her concern; comforting her own mattered.

Repeated squeezes soothed Jiang Wu’s frustration. Only then did he recall the peculiar outsider still present.

"Ahem." Jiang Wu briefly returned Du Yinsui’s grasp before quickly withdrawing his hand.

Once everyone was calmed, Du Yinsui finally turned her gaze to the young girl in the courtyard. Her long black hair reached her waist, with rosy lips and white teeth making her look as delicate as a jade doll—clearly raised in luxury. Though her white dress seemed plain, it shimmered with silver patterns under moonlight, proving it was no cheap garment.

But…

"Why aren’t you kneeling anymore?" Du Yinsui asked curiously.

The red-eyed girl stayed silent.

"Then leave if you won’t kneel." Du Yinsui tugged at Jiang Wu. "I’m tired."

Jiang Wu flushed slightly as he pulled back his sleeve. He swung the half-open courtyard gate wide, his eagerness to send the guest off written plainly on his face.

Du Yinsui watched before swatting him, whispering sharply, "We’re in a temple!"

Jiang Wu widened his eyes innocently. "I know—Qingning Temple."

Du Yinsui shot him a glance. Sometimes it was impossible to tell whose thoughts were wandering!

"Enough, you two!" The girl stamped her foot angrily. "Show some mercy! Single dogs are people too!"

Under Du Yinsui’s piercing stare, the girl slowly closed her mouth. The air thickened with unease, conflict, and sudden bitter jealousy.

"Who are you?" Du Yinsui shut the courtyard gate behind her.

The girl turned away. "Don’t you know everything? Shouldn’t you know who I am?"

Du Yinsui paused, then laughed. "Should I? Are you some long-lost daughter of mine?"

"You!" The girl puffed her cheeks, glaring. "Dream on!"

Definitely not her child. Could she be her teacher’s child? Du Yinsui wondered. Surely not a third time-traveler here to lecture about single dogs…

Lost in thought, Du Yinsui snapped back to reality just as the girl scooped up branches and knelt with a thud.

What was this!

Standing directly in her path, Du Yinsui startled and pulled Jiang Wu aside in three frantic jumps.

Terrifying!

Burning her feet!

"Talk properly! Why kneel? Get up!" Du Yinsui sighed, finally understanding Jiang Wu’s earlier helplessness. Still… if even Jiang Wu—with arms strengthened by carrying suanni—couldn’t lift her without struggle, this girl was clearly unusual.

The girl knelt instantly and rose just as quickly when told. Her half-hearted sincerity left Du Yinsui speechless.

"Who are you? Why come carrying thorny branches to apologize?" Du Yinsui asked wearily, adding before the girl could protest, "I don’t know. Speak or not—your choice."

Baili Ying swallowed her retort, toes brushing the branches. Mumbling, she said, "Since my people saved you… could you keep a few secrets for me?"

Jiang Wu glanced at Du Yinsui, who had furrowed her brows. Clearly, the "you" here referred to Du Yinsui. After enduring so much on her own since crossing over—with the only "rescue" being in Liangzhou—Du Yinsui chuckled, "So you came bearing branches to ask forgiveness for rescuing us?"

Baili Ying kept her head down, her toe nudging the twig beneath it more rapidly. "In truth, we did save you, didn’t we? Otherwise, you might be in Yizhou right now, forced by Prince Cheng to lead a rebellion. Your wife would be starving, her face gaunt, and perhaps scarred from a life of hardship…"

"Enough," Du Yinsui interrupted, unable to listen further.

This person knew how to hit where it hurt.

Indeed, Prince Cheng could do such things, and hearing about them now was unbearable.

"Will you keep my secret, then?" Baili Ying looked up hopefully.

"I don’t even know who you are, let alone what secret to keep," Du Yinsui replied, glancing at the crushed twig. "What are you trying to prove?"

Baili Ying followed Du Yinsui’s gaze to her feet and hopped aside, waving her hands. "No, no, no, that was an accident. I trained in martial arts since childhood and just lost focus for a moment…"

Du Yinsui: "…"

The most frustrating were those who seemed fine but were riddled with problems.

Human impatience often showed clearly.

Baili Ying saw Du Yinsui was on the edge of her patience, so she knew it was time to speak, even if the words were hard.

Just as she gathered courage to start from the beginning, a knock sounded on the courtyard door.

Du Yinsui recognized the scent—a female guard from this young lady’s courtyard—and casually opened the door.

The guard surveyed the two distant groups in the courtyard, then approached Baili Ying and bent slightly, uttering only three words: "She is here."

The hesitant Baili Ying looked up in shock, and the guard nodded firmly, confirming her unspoken question.

With a wave, Baili Ying sent the guard leaping over the courtyard wall, vanishing instantly.

Du Yinsui: "…"

Fine, showing off a bit, are we? You were so polite with the knocking earlier.

Before Du Yinsui could envy the move, the previously reticent young lady stepped closer.

"My name is Baili Ying, daughter of the Jin Kingdom Emperor’s sister, Baili Xin. Due to the imperial succession struggles, I pretended to be mad from a young age to protect my life… a desperate choice…" Baili Ying intended to tug Du Yinsui’s sleeve for pity, but Du Yinsui stepped back swiftly, so she turned to Jiang Wu. "Having once been Crown Prince, you, Jiang Wu, should grasp the cruelty of royal power struggles. Some things aren’t done by choice but by necessity."

Jiang Wu understood, likely more than a little. But since Baili Ying was here for Du Yinsui, he remained silent until Du Yinsui responded.

Baili Ying hadn’t expected both to have hearts of stone.

Time was short now.

She thought she had a day or two, at least a night, to build rapport and win sympathy.

Who could have guessed…?

She regretted wasting time on "jealousy."

"Miss Du, I apologize for earlier offenses. I just couldn’t stand her having someone more important than me in her heart." Baili Ying clenched her hands, bitterness rising. "It was my greed, my mistake. But I corrected it fast… Though by chance, it’s true my people saved you. I hope on that account, Miss Du, you’ll keep my secret in front of her—that I’m not actually foolish."

"The ‘her’ you mention—who is she?" Baili Ying hadn’t named the key point, but Du Yinsui vaguely sensed something vital.

Baili Ying smiled wryly. "The one searching for you, whom you’re also seeking. My beloved, my teacher… Wen Junzhi."

The last barrier shattered then and there.

Du Yinsui suddenly understood everything. No wonder this seemingly unrelated member of the Jin Kingdom’s royal family had come here, rambling on about nothing much. How impressive, my teacher… Instead of meeting my teacher herself, her little admirer had appeared first.

"How did you know that I knew?" Du Yinsui squinted slightly.

Baili Ying took a deep breath. "Teacher treated me like a simple three or four-year-old, sometimes talking to herself without hiding it from me. She found your name in a secret report from spies in Zhao Kingdom, studied your actions in the exile group, and was thrilled. She once slipped and said you’re the kind who sees through everything around you."

"Are you afraid I’d misunderstand her?" Du Yinsui sensed her nervousness and urge to explain.

"Yes," Baili Ying replied, "but it’s true. Besides that, I learned about you from the reports. Then, the fake pregnant person you met in Liangzhou, the one acting crazy, and the child-snatching fight near the Western Desert—all were my tests. Without meeting you, you figured it all out. I think… even if I hadn’t come today, when you saw me by Teacher’s side later, you’d have realized right away I’m not really foolish, right?"

Ah, so all the trouble along the way was your doing!

Du Yinsui didn’t answer Baili Ying. Instead, she asked, "Who’s coming? Wen Junzhi?"

"Yes," Baili Ying smiled bitterly. "I thought she’d wait for you to find her. Seems… she’s more eager to see an old friend than I imagined."

"Wen Junzhi hates being lied to," Du Yinsui paused. "If I don’t agree, would you attack me before she arrives?"

"No." Baili Ying’s eyes reddened. "Hearing about you made her so happy. So happy it drove me wild with jealousy… But I calmed down and knew I shouldn’t ruin her joy. I won’t harm you or your friends. It’s just… by the time we could trust Teacher, I’d lied to her for ages. I don’t know how to tell her. I’m scared…"

Du Yinsui had never smelled malice from Baili Ying, which was why she asked.

Now, Baili Ying’s words seemed truthful too.

But…

"I won’t lie to her," Du Yinsui paused, glanced at Jiang Wu, then told Baili Ying, "I can give you a little time to tell her yourself."

Ah, the heartless one!

Baili Ying, with rabbit-red eyes, stammered, "How much time?"

"Tonight," Du Yinsui said coolly.

"Is that a little time?" Baili Ying covered her face and whined. "Du girl, you’re cruel. You have a wife, you share your life with her, you don’t know the pain of being single like me. If Teacher hates or blames me, I’ll move in with you, sleep under your bed every day…"

Du Yinsui: "…"

Good news: after all that, Baili Ying still showed no malice, so she likely wouldn’t harm them.

Bad news: she sounded dead serious about sleeping under their bed!

"I’ll add one day. If you haven’t told her by this time tomorrow, I will," Du Yinsui raised a hand to stop Baili Ying from arguing. "Don’t turn your secret into ours, or she’ll be angrier. Oh, how old are you?"

Baili Ying sniffed, "Fifteen."

"Oh." Du Yinsui lit a candle for the fifteen-year-old admirer.

"What! In both Zhao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom, fifteen is old enough to marry!" Baili Ying felt the shift in Du Yinsui’s mood.

"Nothing…" Du Yinsui shook her head pityingly.

Too bad she and Wen Junzhi weren’t from Zhao or Jin Kingdom. If she recalled, the last one who tried a student-teacher romance with Teacher Wen… ended up with a head full of bumps.

Baili Ying: "…"

What was that look? Why did her gaze grow so much more sympathetic!