035 A Different Kind of Thief

Ouyang Ke’s eyes lit up, and his heart stirred. He no longer paid any attention to Tuo Lei, but smiled as he spoke. “What sort of man do you take me for? Once I have given my word, how could I possibly go back on it? He may leave, of course, but you, Miss Huazheng, must stay behind…”

“Very well.”

Cheng Lingsu had expected that he would not let the matter go so easily. Yet this arrangement suited her. With only herself to deal with him, she might still be able to maneuver around Ouyang Ke and find a chance to escape. Having Tuo Lei there would only leave her with additional concerns. Thus, before he could say anything more outrageous, she cut him off and agreed.

Ouyang Ke had not expected her to consent so quickly. He threw back his head and laughed. “That is more like it. Now that the troublesome eyesore is gone, we can have a proper conversation.”

Cheng Lingsu ignored him. Turning away, she took from her robes a handkerchief wrapped around two blue flowers. She gave it a slight shake in the air, then bound it around Tuo Lei’s split and bleeding palm before returning the flowers to her bosom. She briefly explained the situation to him and told him to go back first.

Tuo Lei’s face turned livid. He stepped back two paces, then suddenly pulled the single-edged saber planted beside his foot from the ground. Fixing his eyes in Ouyang Ke’s direction, he raised the blade and brought it down in a fierce stroke through the empty air before him.

“You may possess superior martial arts, and I am no match for you. But today, in the name of Temüjin Khan’s son, I swear before the gods of the grasslands that once I have slain those who plotted against my father, I will cross blades with you! I will avenge my sister, and I will show you what a true son of the grasslands is!”

He was the son of a Mongol tribal leader, as was Du Shi. Tuo Lei was modest and courteous toward others, and deeply loyal; unlike Du Shi, he was not blindly arrogant. Yet the pride in his heart was no less than Du Shi’s. He was Temüjin’s favorite son, and he understood his father’s ambition and breadth of vision. He would help his father turn every land beneath the Eternal Blue Sky into pasture for the Mongols.

To achieve that goal, he had trained in the army since childhood, never allowing a single day to go to waste. Who could have imagined that after years of arduous practice, not only would he fall into enemy hands, but on this very day he would be unable to bring home his sister, who had come to rescue him, safe and sound?

Tuo Lei knew that Cheng Lingsu was right. At this moment, he ought to place Temüjin’s safety first, hurry back, and mobilize troops to aid his ambushed father. Yet the thought of his sister being forcibly held here by another man filled him with such humiliation that it nearly stopped his breath.

The Mongols valued promises above all, especially vows made before the gods worshiped by everyone on the grasslands. Tuo Lei knew full well that he was no match for Ouyang Ke, yet he had still made his vow with absolute resolve. His expression was solemn and devout, and his words soared with heroic passion. Though he was no master of martial arts, years spent in military camps had given his shoulders an unmistakable regal bearing, precisely like that of Temüjin—bold, commanding, and disdainful of all beneath the heavens. Even Ouyang Ke, who could not understand the details of his speech, could not help feeling secretly shaken.

Warmth spread through Cheng Lingsu’s heart. The blood that belonged uniquely to Temüjin’s daughter seemed to sense Tuo Lei’s unwillingness and determination, surging through her like a flood until her eyes grew faintly hot. Without revealing her intentions, she shifted sideways and positioned herself between Ouyang Ke and the direction from which he might strike.

“Go. Hurry back. I have my own way of escaping.”

Tuo Lei nodded. He took two more steps forward, opened his arms, and embraced her once. Then, without sparing Ouyang Ke another glance, he turned and ran toward the camp gates.

On the way, several soldiers left behind to guard the camp saw him emerge and tried to stop him. He cut each of them down with a single stroke.

Only after she had watched Tuo Lei seize a horse at the edge of the camp and ride away into the distance did Cheng Lingsu finally relax. She let out a quiet sigh.

In her previous life, her master, the Poison-Handed Medicine King, had used poison to make medicines and cure the sick. Yet he firmly believed in karma and reincarnation. In his later years, he had taken refuge in Buddhism, cultivated his character, and calmed his heart, eventually reaching a state beyond anger and joy.

Cheng Lingsu had been accepted as his youngest disciple during those final years and had been deeply influenced by him. After passing through the cycle of fate and rebirth, she had clearly died in her former world, yet had still been sent here. She could not help believing that perhaps some other purpose lay hidden in the workings of heaven.

At first, she had not wanted to become too entangled with the people and affairs of this world. She had even thought of waiting for an opportunity to flee far away, returning to the shores of Dongting Lake to see what White Horse Temple would look like several centuries later. Perhaps she would open a small clinic, heal the sick, save lives, and spend the rest of her days guarding the love and longing she had carried from her former life.

Besides, if Temüjin were to meet with disaster, the Mongol tribe where she had lived for ten years would suffer with him. Her mother and brother, who had sincerely cared for her and raised her, along with all the tribespeople she saw and lived among each day, would suffer as well. After ten years together, how could she stand by and do nothing?

At that thought, Cheng Lingsu sighed once more.

Seeing that she continued to stare into the direction Tuo Lei had gone, sighing again and again, Ouyang Ke lifted his chin and sneered. “What is it? Are you truly so reluctant to part with him?”

Hearing the implication in his words, Cheng Lingsu frowned and gathered her scattered thoughts.

“I am worried about my brother. Should I not be?”

“Oh? He is your brother?” Ouyang Ke raised a brow, a flicker of delight passing briefly through the corners of his eyes. “Then the young man before him was your lover?”

“What nonsense are you—” Cheng Lingsu suddenly stopped. Then she understood. “You mean Guo Jing? You knew about us before? You knew the moment we arrived?”

“Not you two. You. The moment you arrived, I knew.”

Ouyang Ke was clearly pleased by her reaction.

Although Cheng Lingsu had dismounted from her horse some distance away, Ouyang Ke’s inner strength was profound, and his hearing was far keener than that of ordinary Mongol soldiers. He had discovered her almost as soon as she slipped into the main camp. He had been about to reveal himself when he saw Ma Yu carry both her and Guo Jing away with a single move.

Years earlier, his uncle Ouyang Feng had suffered a major setback at the hands of the Quanzhen Sect. As a result, those of the Western Venom lineage had always harbored resentment and wariness toward Quanzhen Taoists. Ouyang Ke recognized Ma Yu’s Taoist robes and, remembering his uncle’s past warnings, abandoned the idea of showing himself. Instead, he remained hidden and watched as the two exchanged words back and forth.

He had assumed that Cheng Lingsu would persuade Ma Yu to join her in storming the camp and rescuing the captives. He did not know that Ma Yu was the head of the Quanzhen Sect; he had only thought that, besides the countless troops in the camp, Wanyan Honglie had brought several skilled martial artists with him. They would have been more than enough to keep Ma Yu occupied, and perhaps even take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate him, depriving the Quanzhen Sect of another powerful guardian.

He had never expected that the Taoist would not only refrain from storming the camp, but would actually leave with Guo Jing, abandoning Cheng Lingsu here alone.

By now, Cheng Lingsu had gradually pieced together the truth.

“Wanyan Honglie came here in secret because he wanted to exploit the opportunity to set Sangkun against my father, provoking endless conflict among the Mongol tribes. That way, his Great Jin kingdom would no longer have to fear trouble from the north.”

Ouyang Ke had no interest in such struggles. But seeing how seriously she spoke, he nodded along and added a compliment.

“To infer three things from one—truly, you are remarkably clever.”

Cheng Lingsu reached up and smoothed back a strand of hair the wind had blown loose. Her gaze was as clear and cold as the Onon River flowing across the grasslands.

“You are Wanyan Honglie’s man, yet you let Guo Jing return to report the news and raise the alarm. Now you have let Tuo Lei go back to mobilize troops. Are you not afraid of ruining his grand scheme?”

Ouyang Ke laughed. He reached out and lightly touched her chin.

“Afraid? What does his scheme have to do with me? If I can win a smile from a beauty, what would any of that matter?”

Cheng Lingsu did not smile. Instead, her brows drew together slightly. She retreated half a step, avoiding the folding fan that was teasingly angled toward her chin, then reached out and seized its dark, gleaming tip with a sharp snap.

A chill penetrated her palm and stabbed straight into her bones. She nearly let go at once, only then realizing that the ribs of the fan were forged from dark iron, cold as ice.

“What is it? Do you like this fan?”

Ouyang Ke casually flicked his wrist, knocking her hand aside and reclaiming the fan. With another brisk motion, he snapped it open and waved it lightly before him.

“If there is something else you fancy, I would not mind giving it to you. But this fan…” He paused thoughtfully, then suddenly laughed again. “If you like it, all you need do is follow me without leaving my side from now on. Then you will naturally be able to look at it whenever you wish…”

Author’s note: Ouyang Ke, honestly! Lingsu only took a fancy to your fan, and you still cannot bear to give it to her. How stingy!

Ouyang Ke: But that was a gift from my father… Ahem… from my uncle…