Chapter 14: Dense Forest

With just one glance, Ling Tianshui knew what had happened.

He walked quickly to her side, grabbed the trap and twisted it left and right. The trap broke and her foot was spit out.

Qiandeng carefully stepped on the ground, but when he exerted a little force, he gasped in pain.

Looking at the bloody hole on her boot, Ling Tianshui pulled out the dagger beside him, squatted down and quickly cut the boot open.

After tearing off her blood-soaked white silk socks, she saw rough bamboo thorns stuck in the soles of her feet.

She had been spoiled since she was a child, with snow-white and slender ankles. The slender arch of her foot was now stretched tightly, and it was obvious that she was in great pain.

Being in such an environment, he couldn't help her deal with it in detail. He could only pick out the obvious bamboo thorns first, and then put on her damaged white silk socks and small leather boots again.

Looking at him with his face lowered in front of her, his originally sharp eyes behind his long eyelashes now fixed on her feet, Qiandeng felt her cheeks burning.

She turned away awkwardly, looking down the cliff, and whispered, "A screaming eagle just landed on this cliff. Do you want to go look for it?"

"I'll go down to find him, what will you do?"

Qian Deng hesitated for a moment, then heard Ling Tianshui continue, "He should be fine. I've looked at the topographic map of this area. There aren't any particularly steep slopes nearby, and the terrain below is flat. He's strong and healthy, so he'll only suffer minor injuries at most. Since you said the couple was injured, then Ming Jiu won't suffer any losses."

As he spoke, he realized that the forest was dense and the grass was deep, and it would be difficult to walk with her in his arms. So he bent down in front of her and motioned for her to come up. "Let's carve a few marks along the way. We'll have the soldiers go down and find him later."

Qian Deng hesitated for a moment, but the pain in her feet prevented her from touching the ground. After hesitating for a moment, she silently leaned on his back and hugged his neck.

Ling Tianshui carried her on his back and asked, "Where is Cui Fufeng?" as he searched for a way through the forest.

"Jin Tang was stabbed by Lan Xiurong, and he is trying to provide first aid."

Ling Tianshui frowned slightly: "Logically speaking, they can't escape. Wouldn't Jin Tang rush in to save people when the fire started?"

"Lan Xiurong is his aunt after all. How could Jin Tang sit by and watch her burn to death?" Now that she was on his back, Qian Deng let go of her inhibitions, exhaled tiredly, and leaned on his broad shoulders. "But she had just been saved by Jin Tang one moment, and then she turned against him and killed him the next. I really didn't expect it. I originally sympathized with her plight, but I didn't expect her to be so cruel. She's truly both pitiful and hateful."

"That's perfectly normal. She's endured this life for ten years, day after day. I'm sure all she has left is resentment and obsession."

He had seen countless sinister human hearts, and he downplayed this. Qiandeng knew he had long since turned a blind eye. After a moment's silence, she lowered her head and saw a few splatters of blood on the hem of his clothes.

"Why is there blood on you? Are you injured?"

"It's the murderer's blood. I chased him and stabbed him, but unfortunately I wasn't familiar with the terrain, so he escaped." Ling Tianshui glanced at the blood-stained hem and said casually, "Luckily, this forest is not big. I heard your voice while searching. Otherwise, what would you do here alone?"

Qian Deng raised the corner of her lips slightly, pressed against his back, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, if you don't see me when you go back, you will definitely come back to find me."

The tall and strong body paused for a moment, then continued to carry her forward in silence.

The dense forest was dark, and there was an unpredictable murderer lurking therein, but because she was leaning on his back and could hear his breathing and footsteps, Qiandeng felt only peace and tranquility, and had nothing to worry about.

"Ling Tianshui, do you think... this murder in the ruined temple is familiar?"

Ling Tianshui hummed softly, but did not answer.

"The blade that shot through the window, slit my throat, and then shot into the wall... was exactly the same as the one that killed Uncle Fu." Qian Deng murmured softly, the sound ringing in his ear. "And the 'benefactor' who took in the rebel army happened to be a certain young man in my backyard, someone who used to be on the farm."

"The person who knows where these soldiers and bandits are hiding is naturally that person."

Seeing Ling Tianshui's confirmation of his thoughts, Qian Deng continued, "So he had to stop us from interrogating the soldiers and bandits in time to prevent his whereabouts from being revealed and his original crimes from being exposed."

Ling Tianshui was silent for a moment before asking, "There aren't many men left in your backyard. Who do you think...it could be?"

"Xue Xiyang, Meng Lanxi, and Ji Linyou, who didn't come today, should be the most suspicious."

But Meng Lanxi and Xue Xiyang, one was a student at the Imperial College and the other was the Minister of Music. One was making perfume by the water and the other was studying music scores. They didn't look like murderers who could accurately kill people by shooting a sharp blade out of the window.

The only person left who had the opportunity to commit the crime and was good at martial arts was Ji Linyou.

Ling Tianshui did not answer. Obviously, based on his impression of Ji Linyou, he was unwilling to confirm.

Qian Deng didn't believe it either. After thinking about it for a while, he hesitated: "However, we didn't see anyone outside the window at that time. So, from the angle of the window, could it be possible that... there is someone inside the window?"

After all, Mingjiu and Jintang were sitting with their backs to the window. While everyone was listening intently to the events of the past, from their vantage point, they might have been able to secretly launch a sharp blade and kill someone.

Ling Tianshui, Cui Fufeng and she, who were sitting by the door, certainly could not make their weapons turn in such a large arc after killing Goat Beard and then shoot into the corner.

After thinking about it again, Qian Deng shook his head and overturned his own idea: "But if the one who did it was someone in the temple at the time, how could he have set the fire outside and how could he have led you into the forest?"

Ling Tianshui didn't say anything, but just carried her forward steadily, letting her fall into thought.

"I can't figure it out. This is so strange..." Qian Deng muttered to himself on his back, "Why did he stop Feng Yi from telling the rest of the story? Is there something else going on in the deaths of Cousin Mingjiu and that woman?"

"That's easy. They were expelled from the army, so they must have kept a detailed file. We can just go back and check it out." Ling Tianshui finally spoke, saying calmly, "It's likely that after the two men died, Yao Gaotu and his men looted all the property. As a result, when they sold the property, they were held responsible because it belonged to a Uighur noble. The army discovered their previous crimes of murder and robbery, so the leader, Yao Gaotu, was court-martialed, and the other accomplices were expelled from the army. That's the end of it."

This inference was very reasonable. Qian Deng nodded: "Well, that's probably the case."

As for the "benefactor" who colluded with the soldiers and bandits - perhaps it was a good thing that Feng Yi escaped, there would always be a chance to find him in the future.

"Speaking of which, they mentioned the Battle of Yellow Sand Valley. Ling Langjun, you should also know about that battle..."

She wanted to mention what Captain Ma said, but the road below suddenly became rugged and Ling Tianshui's figure swayed slightly. She let out a low cry, subconsciously tightened her arms, and huddled her cheek against his neck.

She held him so tightly, and they were so close that she could hear her own heartbeat and Ling Tianshui's breathing intertwined.

The temperature of her skin fueled this sensitive atmosphere, making her heart beat rapidly and uncontrollably.

She suddenly remembered the ambiguous entanglement they had had in the Yilan Pavilion where Meng Lanxi lived when Ling Tianshui first entered the palace.

She pressed her warm cheek against his back, closed her eyes and tried hard to calm her heartbeat, but she felt his shoulders stiffen slightly and his back muscles tense.

She suddenly understood - it turned out that someone like Ling Tianshui could also show signs of nervousness and helplessness, and would not be able to hide his thoughts with his usual coldness.

It turned out that he, like her, had the touch of that night deeply hidden in his heart and had never forgotten it.

This discovery made her heart overflow with inexplicable sweetness and joy. She forgot about the accusations against her father and grandfather's former subordinates and whispered softly in his ear, "Ling Tianshui..."

"Um?"

"If, I mean if, back to when we first met, would you still be so cold-blooded as to throw me into the water and knock me unconscious?"