For three days, Qu Ling’er followed Qi Lin and deeply realized that this man was truly a block of wood—a piece of dry, dead wood that would never sprout again.
He rose at the Mao hour15–7 am and rested at the Xu hour27–9 pm every day. After getting up, he practiced swordsmanship in the courtyard for an hour. After breakfast, he would inspect the defenses of Xingqing Palace. Once his master woke up, Qi Lin would follow him everywhere, never leaving his side.
He didn’t visit brothels or drink alcohol, didn’t indulge in women, and didn’t have any interest in men either. Qu Ling’er really couldn’t understand what the point of living was for someone like Qi Lin.
On the third night, Qu Ling’er saw the light in Qi Lin’s room go out again. He thought it would be yet another fruitless day and was just about to head back when he heard the door gently creak open. A tall figure emerged from the room, glanced around, and then walked out.
Finally, some action! Qu Ling’er smiled lightly and stood up to follow him.
People often said that the scenery inside Xingqing Palace was exceptionally beautiful, with pavilions and lush greenery everywhere. No one would have guessed that the most eerie and terrifying dungeon was built right beneath all these flourishing flowers and willow trees.
Qu Ling’er watched as Qi Lin descended a set of stone steps. After hesitating for some time, he decided to follow.
No guards? A slightly ajar iron door seemed deliberately left open for him.
Qu Ling’er gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. A dimly lit corridor stretched further into the darkness. Qi Lin was nowhere to be seen. In the stillness, a faint dripping sound tapped against the bluestone bricks—whether it was water or blood was unclear. The coldness seeped up from the ground, and with each step Qu Ling’er took, he felt the chill intensify. By the time he reached the bottom of the dungeon, the cold had already penetrated his thin clothing.
The dungeon extended more than three zhang3approximately ten meters underground, likely built beneath the Dragon Pond. The cold seemed to be natural; in summer, it might be a good place to cool off. But no one would willingly come to a place like this.
At the bottom, Qu Ling’er saw a platform filled with various instruments of torture—racks, whips, and other devices, indicating it was a place for interrogation and punishment. In the center was a water pit, and above it were iron chains, densely packed, suggesting this was a cell for water torture.
Deeper inside were rows of prison cells. Qu Ling’er didn’t know where Qi Lin had locked the person up, so he frowned and began searching one cell at a time.
Suddenly, Qu Ling’er spun around and flipped to the side as a blade whizzed past, grazing his scalp. Before the few strands of hair even touched the ground, Qu Ling’er had already slid several meters away. Qi Lin was close behind, his sword aimed straight at Qu Ling’er’s chest, wrapped in a cold, damp breeze.
Fortunately, Qu Ling’er’s injuries had mostly healed. Instead of retreating, he advanced, flashing to the side just as the blade was about to strike, brushing past Qi Lin’s torso and slipping behind him.
Finally seizing a chance to catch his breath, Qu Ling’er urgently said, “Listen to me first—”
However, Qi Lin wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. His sword traced a half-circle in the air and landed steadily in his left hand before he swung it backward with a sharp, forceful motion.
Qu Ling’er secretly said, “Oh no!” After several fights, he could tell that Qi Lin used the sword in his right hand and the knife in his left hand. When he switched the sword to his left hand, it meant he was intent on killing.
He inwardly cursed Su Cen a thousand times. What nonsense about Qi Lin not acting without his master’s command? That might apply to Su Cen, but killing him was as easy as killing a stray cat or dog—no need to consult the master at all!
Qu Ling’er quickly retreated as two sleeve arrows shot out with a swish. Qi Lin had to pause and dodge the two lethal attacks. Seizing the opportunity, Qu Ling’er leaped up, grabbing an iron chain above the water pit with one hand and holding two butterfly darts in the other for defense.
“Can we talk this out now?” Qu Ling’er panted, “That person said Brother Su was the one who lured him out, and we both captured him. I’m not here to steal your credit, just to ask a few questions. Do you really need to press so hard?”
Qi Lin glanced at him coldly and tapped the hilt of his sword lightly against the stone wall.
With a loud clatter, the iron chains on the ceiling came crashing down. Qu Ling’er couldn’t react in time and fell into the pit along with several heavy iron chains.
Gasping and sputtering in the pit, Qu Ling’er choked on a few mouthfuls of water before he managed to stand up. Instantly, he lost his composure. “Don’t you understand human language?! You wild wolf cub biting at anyone! Did you ask your master for permission before attacking?”
Qi Lin’s light-colored eyes turned icy. Just as he was about to raise his sword, Qu Ling’er immediately surrendered, “I was wrong, Brother Qi! I’m the wild wolf cub, I’m the wild wolf cub, okay? I won’t see the person anymore. Just pretend I never came, okay?”
Seeing that Qi Lin had stopped moving, Qu Ling’er cautiously climbed out of the pit. He pretended to shake off his soaked clothes, but suddenly pulled out two concealed weapons from his waist and threw them.
Qi Lin seemed to have anticipated this, calmly dodging the hidden weapons, and tapped lightly on the wall beside him.
With a click, a man-sized iron cage fell from the ceiling!
Seeing that there was no time to dodge, Qu Ling’er took out a piece of iron chain that had just been broken and swung it forward, wrapping it around Qi Lin’s waist. He intended to use the force to slide out, but unexpectedly Qi Lin took a step forward.
With a loud bang, the iron cage hit the ground. Qu Ling’er looked up at Qi Lin, who was a head taller than him, and thought, “…”
He would rather Qi Lin lock him inside the cage alone!
The rabbit and the wolf were in the same room. He had no place to hide in the three-foot square cage!
With his back pressed against the cage wall, Qu Ling’er quickly took out a peacock plume and held it in front of him. “Don’t come any closer! There are 108 silver needles in here, and we will both be dead!”
Seeing Qi Lin indeed stop moving, Qu Ling’er nervously said, “Brother Qi, let me explain. I really just threw it casually back then without thinking. You see, we’ve worked together a few times. We might not be friends, but we’re not exactly enemies, right?”
Qu Ling’er sneaked a glance at him. “Brother Qi, how about this: you find the mechanism to get us both out. I’ll hand over all my hidden weapons to you and promise not to ambush you again. Let’s just pretend tonight never happened. You don’t have to report to your master, and I won’t tell Brother Su… okay?”
“No mechanism.” Qi Lin sat down on the ground and closed his eyes to rest.
“What do you mean, no mechanism?” Qu Ling’er was stunned, then became alarmed. “No mechanism to get back up? How can there be a mechanism to come down but not one to go back up?”
Seeing that Qi Lin was ignoring him again, Qu Ling’er cautiously poked his shoulder, “So what do we do now?”
Qi Lin opened his eyes and glanced at him. “Wait for tomorrow when the patrol comes by.”
“Tomorrow?” Qu Ling’er’s heart skipped a beat. Does that mean he’d have to stay with this person for several hours?
He tried pushing the iron cage, but it was indeed impossible to move by human strength. With no other options, he squatted down and used the dampness from his clothes to draw a line on the ground. “How about this: I know you don’t think much of me, and I’m not interested in you either. Let’s split the space in half and stay out of each other’s way until morning, okay?”
Qi Lin didn’t respond, so Qu Ling’er took that as agreement. He leaned back against the iron cage and sat down. At first, he held tightly onto his peacock plume, worried about a sudden attack. But when he saw that Qi Lin indeed had no intention of bothering him, he put it away.
For a while, the place was silent, and the cold slowly seeped in.
The dungeon was damp and chilly, enough to make anyone feel cold. Qu Ling’er’s clothes were soaked through, and he shivered uncontrollably. The only source of light was a few yards away. If he didn’t dry his clothes by the fire, he felt he’d freeze to death before they dried.
Qi Lin, with his eyes closed, had just completed a cycle of energy circulation when he felt a cold body cautiously press against him from the side.
“Qi… Brother Qi…” Qu Ling’er’s teeth chattered. “I really… didn’t mean to offend you… I’m really… about to freeze to death…”
Seeing no reaction from him, Qu Ling’er gathered more courage and inched closer. “Can you… hug me… please?”
He thought Qi Lin would pretend not to hear him. He knew he was already pushing his luck, and it would be a miracle if Qi Lin didn’t shove him away. But instead, he felt a slight movement, and then an arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into a warm embrace.
“Huh?” Qu Ling’er was slightly stunned, but he was immediately enveloped by the warmth radiating from Qi Lin.
He had to admit, Qi Lin’s body heat was quite effective in this situation.
Qi Lin glanced down at the person in his arms and couldn’t help but pause. What was he thinking when that trembling body leaned against him?
He remembered now—it was that child, trembling just like this as he clung to him. He had held the child in his arms and said, “I will protect you from now on.”
But back then, he couldn’t even protect himself.
After fighting with those adults holding whips all day and exchanging it for half a piece of dry bread, he came back to find the child’s body cold. He had held onto the body for an entire day and night, but it never warmed up again.
That was when he realized that promises were dangerous things; they could make a person lose the strength to grit their teeth and carry on.
“Ah, such a long night, nothing else to do—let’s chat for a bit,” Qu Ling’er said, warming up bit by bit, now with enough energy to cause more mischief.
Qi Lin, surprisingly patient for once, asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“You ask me, or I ask you. Just talk about something random,” Qu Ling’er thought for a moment, then shook his head. “If I leave it to you to ask, we’ll probably run out of things to talk about tonight. I’ll go first.”
Qu Ling’er pondered, then asked, “What’s the furthest place you’ve been to?”
“Buyuer Sea.”
Qu Ling’er was stunned for a moment, then understood.
Though called a sea, Buyuer Sea is actually a desert lake hidden deep within the desert. Even for those familiar with the desert, it takes several days to reach it by camel.
Back when Qi Lin was part of the Tuo Duo Three Guards, they marched into the desert without camels or guides. They trudged through the scorching heat for dozens of days before finding the Buyuer Sea, where they annihilated the remnants of the Ashina tribe in a battle that earned them their reputation.
Even if it wasn’t the furthest place he’d ever been, that journey of more than ten days likely left an indelible mark in his mind, making any other place seem insignificant in comparison.
“Did you really kill your own people?” Qu Ling’er shrank a bit in his embrace.
There was a long silence in response. No matter how cold-blooded and ruthless someone is, a human heart is still made of flesh. Sensing the need to change the subject, Qu Ling’er asked, “What does the desert look like? Is it really just all sand? Where does all that sand come from?”
“There is sand, but there are also stars,” Qi Lin said softly. “For every grain of sand, there is a star.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Then I must go see it someday,” Qu Ling’er chuckled. “When I was a child, I loved looking at the stars too, but I couldn’t see them from where I lived. So every time I went out with my master, I was thrilled… even though my master was out to kill someone and always came back covered in blood…”
Qu Ling’er shook his head. “I said I’d ask you questions, so, when you went into the desert back then, were you scared? Did you ever think about whether you’d make it back alive?”
…
It wasn’t until he felt the body in front of him gradually relax and heard the voice grow softer and softer that Qi Lin looked down at him. Qu Ling’er’s eyelashes drooped gently, casting long shadows in the distant firelight, rising and falling with his gentle breaths.
This person asleep was much more likable than awake.
Qi Lin adjusted his position, making Qu Ling’er more comfortable to lie down. Only then did he close his eyes and drift off to sleep.
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
