Jiang Chuting was meditating in her room when the door creaked open, followed by a slight noise.
After a moment, Jiang Chuting opened her eyes and saw that her door was ajar, and there was something wrapped in cloth on the ground in front of the door.
Lin Zhi's muffled voice came from outside the door: "Here's your hairpin back."
Jiang Chuting: "..."
"I was just lying to you when I said I'd burn it, but it suddenly turned to charcoal on its own that day. I didn't do it." Although Lin Zhi knew what had happened between Jiang Chuting and his father back then, he seemed even more unable to let go, because these two must have been the most special people in each other's hearts. However, he was very clear-headed; he had no right to hold a grudge.
What he had to do was to do everything in his power to salvage the situation and return to Chu Ting what he valued.
Even though the hairpin had been reduced to two charred pieces, it must still hold great significance for him.
Jiang Chuting didn't respond, and Lin Zhi felt a little panicked. She explained, "Really, I didn't do it. You have to believe me!"
Footsteps approached, and Lin Zhi was delighted. Just as she was about to peek through the crack in the door, the crack disappeared quickly. Jiang Chuting closed the door gently, and Lin Zhi only caught a glimpse of his pale blue robe.
Feeling that he had picked up the things on the ground from behind the door, Lin Zhi felt a mixture of sorrow and bitterness, an indescribable feeling.
Another day passed, and Jiang Chuting arrived at the valley outside Cenzhou City. He searched everywhere, but found that apart from flowers, grass and trees, it was empty and there was not a single person.
Lin Zhi was stunned: "How is that possible? The information I received couldn't be wrong. Could it be that he's moved again?"
A gentle breeze rustled through the mountains and forests, accompanied by the chirping of orioles and birds. Jiang Chuting gripped his sword, glanced around, and remained silent.
Lin Zhi was afraid that he would doubt her, so she took a few big steps to him and said anxiously, "Chu Ting, I didn't lie to you."
Jiang Chuting glanced at him indifferently, then turned and walked in another direction. Lin Zhi hurriedly followed.
Behind the jungle, a dark figure flashed by. Jiang Chuting immediately gathered her strength and chased after it. The person had excellent lightness skills and a familiar figure. Jiang Chuting had already recognized who it was.
Sure enough, after a chase, the man stopped ahead, turned around, and waited for Jiang Chuting.
Jiang Chuting landed lightly on the ground and asked, "Ling Guang, what are you doing here?"
Ling Guang pulled off the veil covering his face, smiled at him, approached, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Young master, I received some news and came here for a stroll, but I didn't expect to run into you and..."
Ling Guang stopped abruptly, scrutinized his expression, and then continued, "Young Master, how have you been these past two years? How is the young master?"
When Ling Guang received the reply, he only knew that Jiang Chuting had given birth to a son safely, and he was quite happy for her. He knew nothing more about the situation.
Jiang Chuting smiled slightly and said, "I'm fine, and the child is fine too." Speaking of which, it's been a while since I left Xing'er. I wonder how much the child will cry when I see her again.
"That's good." Ling Guang said happily, "And it seems that your inner strength has also recovered, which is truly fortunate."
Lin Zhi's lightness skill was relatively weaker than the two of them. They had been talking for a while before they caught up with him and shouted, "Chu Ting!" as they rushed to his side.
Ling Guang didn't deliberately avoid it, but quietly stuffed the face towel into his pocket.
The scene before him was somewhat different from what he had imagined. Lin Zhi looked at Ling Guang's face with a scrutinizing gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then said almost in a confirming tone, "You are from the Lin family."
Ling Guang bowed and said, "Yes, young master. I was sent out on an errand and just happened to be passing by."
Just passing by? How did he end up chatting with Chu Ting here? They clearly knew each other before, and his lightness skill is so good… Lin Zhi stared intently at him, then suddenly realized something and exclaimed in surprise, “The person who hid in Chu Ting’s room back then, that was you, wasn’t it?!”
Lin Zhi had always assumed that someone who could secretly connect with Jiang Chuting must have been someone who had served his father back then, so he tried to find someone older than him. However, he never expected that he was completely wrong.
Ling Guang pursed his lips and glanced at Jiang Chuting, then suddenly looked panicked. He said, "Young Master, please calm down. Back then, I felt sorry for Young Master Jiang. He didn't even have food or water at first, so I secretly brought him some things. Besides, he was injured and ill, and I know a little about medicine, so I couldn't help but visit him, afraid that something might happen to him and no one would know. I really, really didn't expect that you would misunderstand. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Please don't blame Young Master."
Lin Zhi's eyes widened, his face alternating between pale and flushed. He looked at Jiang Chuting, then at him, and suddenly realized he was speechless. He said angrily and embarrassedly, "I... I didn't mean to blame you!"
"Really? That's good." Ling Guang looked relieved. "Back then, when Young Master was investigating and arresting people in the manor and interrogating them severely, I was so scared that I didn't dare to say a word. It turns out that I misunderstood Young Master's intentions. I knew that Young Master was still kind at heart."
Lin Zhi was so choked up that her face turned red, and she was speechless.
At this moment, Jiang Chuting, who had been silent all along, said gently to Ling Guang, "Let's talk as we walk."
Ling Guang smiled and said, "Okay."
Jiang Chuting and Ling Guang walked ahead. Lin Zhi had initially kept a distance of no more than five steps from them, but under Jiang Chuting's icy gaze, he eventually retreated at least forty steps. He couldn't hear a word they were saying.
Lin Zhi's chest was filled with bitterness, but he could only obediently follow from a distance, occasionally plucking a few innocent wild grasses to vent his frustration.
"Young Master, can't you really let go of this matter?" Ling Guang knew what Jiang Chuting's presence here meant, and his greatest wish was for him to give up and leave it alone.
Jiang Chuting said, "Things have come to this point, there's no need to say such things anymore."
Knowing his temperament, Ling Guang was utterly helpless: "Alright then, I really admit defeat."
Without further ado, Jiang Chuting told Ling Guang about the Madman's Tower, and Ling Guang also shared the information he had obtained, taking out a piece of white cloth from his pocket to show him.
“Before I met you, I had been wandering around here for a long time.” Above was a simple map drawn with charcoal. Ling Guang pointed to a circled area and said, “There’s a strange stone forest here. I tried several times but always ended up back where I started. I guess Qin Ye and the others are definitely behind here.”
The place Ling Guang mentioned was some distance from the valley, and Jiang Chuting had never seen it before. He said, "I'll go with you to take a look."
“Alright.” Ling Guang frowned as if he had just thought of something. “Young Master, do you remember what I told you before? The medicine they make may produce different reactions depending on each person’s constitution, and very few are truly successful. But in the past two years, their progress has been rapid. Perhaps in a while, Qin Ye will have truly developed this medicine, and it will be suitable for everyone.”
Jiang Chuting pursed her lips tightly, and finally uttered only four words in a deep voice: "Inconceivable."
"Yes, twenty years ago, who could have imagined that such an unbelievable thing could actually come true? Now it's men getting pregnant by other men, and Lin Xuan seems to have the grand ambition of making all men pregnant by women. In the past, I would have found it laughable, but now, it just makes my hair stand on end, because, who knows, it might actually succeed one day."
Lin Xuan is such a terrifying woman. Even after being dead for so many years, she is still relentlessly wreaking havoc on the world.
Jiang Chuting looked at him, her eyes flashing with a cold, clear light like stars, and said firmly, "That day will not come."
Generally speaking, there is indeed some injustice in this world towards women, but when someone like Lin Xuan acts so extremely and viciously, reverses the order of yin and yang, and disrupts peace, once things become irreversible, it is not only men who will be harmed in the end, but women as a whole will also suffer resentment and revenge.
In short, we must prevent this possibility no matter what.
Ling Guang said, "As long as we can get their medicine prescription, plus the evidence and witnesses you obtained, we can go to Jincheng and ask the imperial court to intervene directly... But for now, let's find their people first."
Jiang Chuting hummed in agreement. Ling Guang glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye, paused, and then asked Jiang Chuting, "Young Master, does Young Master Lin not know that drug trials can lead to pregnancy?"
"He doesn't know."
That means he doesn't know about the young master's existence yet. Ling Guang observed Jiang Chuting's expression as they walked. Jiang Chuting sensed something and asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"
Ling Guang chuckled twice and said, "You should know about the young master's marriage, right? I didn't mean anything by it, I just didn't want you to be deceived. This whole thing was arranged by Lin Xi on purpose. She had someone wearing a mask impersonate the young master to perform the wedding ceremony. In fact, the young master wasn't even home at the time. By the time he found out, he couldn't explain himself."
Ling Guang knew about this matter long ago, but he never mentioned it in his previous letters to Jiang Chuting because he didn't want Jiang Chuting to soften her heart and come back to get involved in the Lin family.
However, Jiang Chuting still hasn't given up investigating this matter, and Ling Guang knows that he can't control Jiang Chuting's decision, so he chooses to tell him the truth.
Jiang Chuting hummed in response, her reaction indifferent: "I know about this."
"It seems he really had a falling out with Lin Xi. He didn't speak to Lin Xi at all during the months he was recuperating at home, and after that, it goes without saying that he was basically always out and about."
Jiang Chuting slowed her pace, finally stopping, and turned to ask in a low voice, "Recover? When?"
Ling Guang replied, "It was at least a year and a half ago. He was quite badly injured, to the point that he couldn't get out of bed. Before he had fully recovered, he left the manor again."
Jiang Chuting lowered her eyes for a moment, then continued walking forward in silence without asking any more questions.
Ling Guang figured that given Lin Zhi's attitude, he probably wouldn't side with his mother anymore. Plus, Jiang Chuting hadn't said anything, so Ling Guang stopped trying to hide from Lin Zhi behind him and led Jiang Chuting towards the stone forest.
Neither of them spoke after that, and they quickened their pace, soon arriving at the place Ling Guang had mentioned.
Jiang Chuting raised her head slightly. Before her stood towering boulders, making the surrounding trees appear small.
These undulating "stone mountains" were too high. Even though Jiang Chuting was skilled in light-body techniques and had a light and agile figure, it still took him a lot of effort to climb the uneven stone walls to the top.
Jiang Chuting stood on a high place against the wind, his hair and clothes fluttering in the wind. He observed intently for a long time before coming down.
Ling Guang and Lin Zhi both stepped forward and asked at the same time, "How is it?"
Jiang Chuting looked at Ling Guang and replied, "It seems endless, and there should be a maze-like formation."
Ling Guang nodded: "I knew there would be something strange going on, so let's..."
Jiang Chuting interrupted him: "Ling Guang, you wait here, I'll go in and check the situation first."
Ling Guang hesitated for a moment, but decided to follow his instructions. He agreed, took the bundle from his hand, and said, "Then you must be careful."
Jiang Chuting took two steps inside, and Lin Zhi followed. Jiang Chuting turned around and glanced at her. Lin Zhi stood there with a look of grievance in her eyes: "Chuting, I want to go with you."
Jiang Chuting refused, saying, "No need. Do you want me to touch your acupoint?"
Lin Zhi had no choice but to step back, retreating to Ling Guang's side, dejected. Jiang Chuting gestured for Ling Guang to keep an eye on him, and Ling Guang nodded.
As a result, after Jiang Chuting went inside for a while, Ling Guang thought that Lin Zhi would not take any action, so he focused his attention on the direction of Shi Lin. He was really worried about Jiang Chuting.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Lin Zhi quietly moved forward, and then suddenly rushed in.
"Young Master, come back!" Ling Guang exclaimed in surprise and chased after him, but he couldn't even see a shadow of him.
The roads inside were winding and meandering. Every time Jiang Chuting traveled a section of the road, he would stop, ponder for a moment, and then choose a direction to proceed.
Unlike Ling Guang, he didn't go back to the original spot. He walked for a long time without making any new discoveries or finding any clues.
Until he heard Lin Zhi's scream coming from a certain direction.
Jiang Chuting's brow twitched. He had actually come in too. She should have pointed out his acupoint earlier. She turned around and followed the sound, quickly finding him.
Lin Zhi collapsed to the ground, clutching her bleeding leg and screaming in pain.
Not knowing what was wrong with him, Jiang Chuting squatted down and reached out to check, but Lin Zhi smiled and struck with a palm.
Jiang Chuting was caught off guard and took a blow, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. But she quickly regained her senses and drew her sword to fight back.
There was something fishy about this stone formation, which caused him to briefly hallucinate and lower his guard. The person in front of him was not the injured Lin Zhi, but Qiao Xun.
Amidst the clash of swords, Qiao Xun sparred with him while laughing, saying, "Master Jiang, you've kept me waiting for so long. You really are as nosy as ever, always trying to make trouble for me. But so what? What do you think you can change? What's mine will still be mine."
Sensing something was amiss, Jiang Chuting asked, "...What do you mean?"
"Haha, it's nothing," Qiao Xun said. "It's just that I really hold grudges. Back then, you broke me and A-Zhen up, and you were lucky to escape. This time, I definitely won't let you get away with it!"
"Break up? Do you think you're qualified to use that word?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xun's expression turned fierce, and he became even more ruthless.
Although Qiao Xun was the head of a manor, his strength lay in his extensive social network, and his martial arts skills weren't particularly outstanding. However, when Jiang Chuting faced him head-on for the first time, she realized that his martial arts were by no means inferior.
The two exchanged blows for a while, flying through the air and plunging into the ground, shattering and sending rocks flying everywhere as their sword energy swept across the ground. Gradually, Qiao Xun began to lose ground, but he kept saying, "Didn't you get angry and leave after being tricked by Lin Zhi? Why were you still treating me like him just now, caring about me so much? You even lost your composure and took a blow from my palm. Don't you think you're a bit spineless?"
Jiang Chuting, with her extraordinary temperament, was not swayed by his words. Instead, she asked him, "Why do you want to get involved in the drug trials? What good will this chaos of Yin and Yang do you?"
Lin Xi and Hong Yufei were doing it to fulfill Lin Xuan's last wish, while Qin Ye was doing it to satisfy his own obsession with pharmaceuticals. Their motivations were certainly different from Lin Xuan's, but they all had their reasons. However, having only been involved in Changliu Manor for a few years, he really couldn't understand why they were doing it.
"Why?" Qiao Xun struggled to cope with the situation, but still smiled and said, "Of course, it's to do good deeds. There are plenty of men in this world who like men, but it's truly a pity that they can't have children of their own. So many people are separated because of this. So I want to contribute my small share and make this world a better place!"
His expression changed as soon as he finished speaking. In the end, he was no match for Jiang Chuting. His sword was knocked from his hand, and he staggered two steps before Jiang Chuting's long sword was already at his neck.
Fresh blood trickled down her fair neck.
Jiang Chuting coldly questioned, "Is your so-called 'beauty' just about killing countless lives?!"
Qiao Xun stared directly at him with his dark eyes, and retorted confidently, "Great changes always require sacrifices, don't they? Those who came before pave the way for those who come after—it's always been this way! This is a great feat, and future generations will surely thank us for our contributions. Besides, we haven't harmed any of your people, so why are you trying to stop us? What does this have to do with you? You've repeatedly jumped in to interfere in order to demonstrate your sense of justice? Forgive my bluntness, but you're a truly hypocritical person!"
Jiang Chuting said, "What self-righteous sophistry! No one will thank you; only tens of thousands of wronged souls will come to claim your life."
With a slight shift in his gaze, Qiao Xun continued, "Put yourself in his shoes. If Yun Zique were still alive, wouldn't you want to have a child with him? Wouldn't you want to have feelings for him while also continuing the family line and living happily together?"
Jiang Chuting found his idea utterly absurd and outrageous: "Does a relationship need to be maintained with a child?"
Qiao Xun shouted, "Why wouldn't I need it!" His eyes were filled with a morbid stubbornness, and his tone was full of conviction: "If Ah Zhen and I have a child, he definitely won't think about leaving me again!"
"..." His thinking had deviated from that of a normal person. Jiang Chuting didn't want to continue arguing with him about this topic, so she pressed him for an answer: "Where is Qin Ye?"
Qiao Xun snorted coldly and instead of answering, said, "Hero Jiang, if you die one day, it will definitely be because you meddle in other people's business. Don't feel wronged, because you have offended far too many people."
Jiang Chuting struck harder, and even more blood flowed from his neck.
Because of blood loss, Qiao Xun's lips had turned pale. She closed her eyes and said, "Okay, I'll take you to the entrance if you dare to come with me."
"Of course I dare. Let's see if your tricks come faster or my sword is faster." Jiang Chuting used his sword to guide him, but they hadn't gone far when suddenly, Lin Zhi shouted from the stone forest, "Chuting, what's wrong with you!" Then came a loud wails, as if he had vomited blood.
This situation is similar to what happened before, and it is very likely that the same trick is being used again, but Jiang Chuting intuitively felt that it was not.
He immediately pressed acupoint on Qiao Xun's body, and dragged the weak-kneed man around several corners before finally finding Lin Zhi, who had been affected.
His lips were covered in crimson blood. He was struggling to sit up and was about to chase after the person who had impersonated Jiang Chuting and hurt him when his eyes turned and he saw Jiang Chuting and Qiao Xun, whom he was carrying.
Lin Zhicai had been deceived once, and should have been wary, but the moment his eyes met Qingrun's dark eyes, though doubts lingered in his mind, his body had already moved closer, and he asked anxiously, "Chuting, are you alright? I just heard the sounds of fighting..." He had originally used the Valley Blue Insect to follow Jiang Chuting's scent, but he and the insect had been searching for a long time without finding her. He only rushed over because he heard the intense fighting.
Upon seeing "Jiang Chuting" injured and lying in a pool of blood, he was so shocked that he didn't even have time to think that it might be a hallucination.
And so he was easily struck by a palm.
Jiang Chuting frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Now that you're here, how can I stay still?" As soon as he was out of sight, Lin Zhi felt like his heart had been ripped out, like he was about to die. Even if Chu Ting ignored him, just seeing him was enough. He quickly assured him, "Don't worry, I absolutely, positively won't cause any trouble."
Qiao Xun raised his head and smiled weakly, saying, "Young Master Lin, thank you so much for leading the people over here."
Lin Zhi was confused and glared at him, asking, "What did you say?"
Before she could finish speaking, the towering "stone mountains" around them began to move rapidly and erratically. Jiang Chuting was shocked and, no longer able to hold Qiao Xun hostage, nimbly grabbed Lin Zhi and dodged.
If you're not careful and can't avoid it, you'll be caught between two colliding rocky mountains, and all you'll get is flying blood and flesh.
It seems that the fact that Lin Zhi is the young master of the Lin family did not give Qiao Xun any reason to hesitate.
That's true. If something happens to Lin Zhi, Qiao Xun only needs to tell Lin Xi that it was his fault. That way, Lin Xi will only take her anger out on him.
A dark figure flashed past Qiao Xun's side, and someone came and took him away. The stone formation kept shifting and changing position. Jiang Chuting and Lin Zhi dodged and weaved for a while, but still couldn't break through.
Even though Jiang Chuting seemed much more at ease than him, Lin Zhi was still afraid that he would get hurt. His heart was in his throat, and while taking care of himself, he couldn't help but pay more attention to him.
Suddenly, he felt the ground give way and his body fell downwards. Jiang Chuting turned around and reached out to catch him, but in the flying dust, his weight pulled him into the trap, and the two of them were thrown to the ground separately.
Lin Zhi fell and hurt his left leg, which was throbbing with pain. But he had just agreed not to cause trouble, and now he had caused Lin Zhi to fall down with him. Lin Zhi was extremely uneasy and didn't dare to utter a sound.
Jiang Chuting stood up and looked up. This underground trap was at least three zhang high, and the entrance was sealed off, making it impossible to climb up. The stone array overhead rumbled for a while longer, then suddenly stopped.
There were glowing luminous pearls on the stone wall. Jiang Chuting dusted himself off and, without uttering any words of reproach, began to search for the mechanism.
This silence was even more painful for Lin Zhi than being directly scolded. He gritted his teeth and endured it, dragging his numb left leg as he began to search for the mechanism.
I searched almost every place I could reach, but to no avail.
In the vast and empty underground trap, the two sat at opposite ends, some distance apart. Jiang Chuting was lost in thought, while Lin Zhi leaned against the stone wall. Time slowly passed, and he didn't know how much time had gone by. He felt his body suddenly turn hot and cold, and his mind began to feel dizzy. He had no idea that in his dazed state, he was calling out Jiang Chuting's name incoherently.
A gentle touch on her forehead made Lin Zhi struggle to open her eyes. Jiang Chuting's face was right in front of her, her expression still indifferent. She withdrew her hand.
After their reunion, he was basically like this: even when he smiled, it was cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotion, as if there was an insurmountable thousand-year-old snow mountain between them.
This was the person who had once been gentle, doting, and tolerant towards him, never sparing his beautiful smiles, yet he had completely broken her heart and pushed her away with his own hands.
All the sweetness before seemed like a distant, unattainable dream.
He knew that Chu Ting's intervention at this time did not mean she still cared about him; it was simply due to her kind and gentle nature.
Just like he had helped countless strangers before.
No, if it were a stranger, he might have offered a few gentle words of comfort.
Lin Zhi was so distressed she could barely breathe. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Chu Ting, I really love you, Chu Ting..."
Jiang Chuting said expressionlessly, "Open your mouth."
Lin Zhiyi opened his mouth as instructed, and Jiang Chuting stuffed a pill into his mouth. He swallowed it with a slight pant, his eyes fixed on him without moving.
Jiang Chuting then looked down to examine his left leg. She had already noticed something was wrong with his leg, but he hadn't said anything, so Jiang Chuting ignored it.
It wasn't until he heard the man calling his name pitifully that he became quite agitated and finally came over to check on him.
After fumbling around for a while, Jiang Chuting didn't offer any advice and directly set his broken bone with a snap. Lin Zhi trembled all over in pain, veins bulging on his forehead, unable to even utter a sound.
By the time he recovered from his cold sweat, Jiang Chuting had already returned to her place, her gaze fixed on a spot in the air, like a cold jade statue, lost in thought.
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