After a breath, then two, before the third breath could come, Duan Ling reacted and turned his face.
Lin Ting didn’t have time to get up, her lips brushed across his delicate cheek, leaving a warm, slightly damp breath behind.
His tone remained gentle, but there was an underlying, subtle danger: “Miss Lin Qi, you…”
Lin Ting scrambled away from Duan Ling’s body, “Lord Duan, please don’t misunderstand, I absolutely, absolutely have no ill intentions toward you. What I just did was to save you.”
Duan Ling hadn’t risen yet, looking up at Lin Ting, he could see her slightly reddened lips, which still held traces of her breath.
“Save me?”
Lin Ting quickly explained: “That’s right. I saw your breath weakening, worried you might not make it, so I tried to give you some of my energy. Zhang Zhongjing mentioned such a method of saving people in his ‘Jinkui Yaolue.'”
At this point, she felt it was necessary to reiterate that the kiss was only for saving him, with some embarrassment she added, “It was a life-saving measure, really, I hope Lord Duan doesn’t mind.”
She was the best at lying without a change in her expression.
These days, being good with words was crucial.
Duan Ling, disheveled but calm, said, “Since Miss Lin Qi says it was to save me, how could I mind? I should thank you, not reproach you.”
Lin Ting gave a sheepish smile, but inside, she was regretting that she didn’t manage to kiss him for a full thirty breaths.
The time was still far from thirty breaths, and this kind of thing couldn’t accumulate—it had to be a single, uninterrupted thirty breaths, which meant she would have to kiss him again.
Why did Duan Ling wake up so quickly?
If he had stayed unconscious a little longer, it would have been better.
Although she thought this, Lin Ting didn’t show it.
Instead, she tried to look happy as if she were really glad he had finally woken up.
In fact, she would have preferred if he stayed unconscious a little longer.
As long as he was alive, that was enough.
It was unclear whether Duan Ling truly believed her or not, but he merely responded to her.
Then, he suddenly changed the subject: “You know medicine?”
Lin Ting considered her words carefully: “No. I don’t know medicine. I was weak as a child and often had to seek medical help, so in my spare time, I read a few books on medicine. But I can’t really say I know medicine.”
Duan Ling looked thoughtful: “Miss Lin Qi truly has a vast range of knowledge.”
“Lord Duan, you flatter me.”
She had never actually read any medical books, and the only reason she knew about Zhang Zhongjing’s “Jinkui Yaolue” was because she had studied his history in modern school.
Upon hearing Lin Ting’s explanation, Duan Ling no longer mentioned the kiss.
He stood up, his hands tucked inside his wide sleeves, and looked at the silk cloth hanging from the window of the Yellow Crane Tower’s second-floor private room.
“Is this how you planned to get me out of the Yellow Crane Tower?”
Lin Ting was still regretting not being able to kiss him for thirty breaths and was distracted.
“Yes, I brought you out, but we couldn’t climb down, so I had to think of another way.”
Lin Ting shifted the topic.
“The silk from Yellow Crane Tower is really good. Both of us couldn’t break it.”
Duan Ling raised his eyes.
“It was a dangerous situation. A second’s delay could have meant death by fire. What I did earlier should have been a burden to you. Why didn’t you leave alone, but instead took me with you?”
This was a question she had to think through before answering.
She was a person who could speak beautifully.
Lin Ting quickly replied, “After all, it’s a life. How could I abandon Lord Duan? I naturally did everything I could to protect you.”
Duan Ling stared at her for a moment, then smiled.
“Miss Lin Qi, you seem different from before.”
Before, she had wanted to put him in danger, but now, she said she couldn’t abandon him and would protect him at all costs.
Lin Ting quickly changed the topic: “You’ve come to your senses… Let’s leave first. Duan Xinning and Young Master Xia don’t know we’ve left the Yellow Crane Tower. They probably think we’re still trapped inside.”
Duan Ling nodded.
She looked at him: “Is your body recovered? Do you need me to support you?”
“No need. I can manage. Thank you for everything tonight, Miss Lin Qi. If it weren’t for you, I might have died in the fire.”
Lin Ting had the sharpest tongue: “Lord Duan, you’re too modest. Even without me, you’re a blessed person, you wouldn’t have been in danger.”
If only he would give her some “reward money”—then this trip would have been worth it.
Duan Ling adjusted his disheveled clothes and looked at her gently: “Miss Lin Qi, you are indeed a blessed person.”
Just then, a dark shadow flashed by.
Lin Ting immediately hid behind Duan Ling, using him to shield her. “Who’s there! He is the awake commander of the Jinyiwei. I advise you not to act rashly.”
The word “awake” was emphasized heavily.
The shadow stood still, neither speaking nor attacking.
Lin Ting felt a little confused and peeked out from behind Duan Ling: “Jin Anzai? Why are you still here? I thought you’d leave after dealing with those people.”
The agile shadow was indeed Jin Anzai, dressed in black, holding a bloodstained long sword, his mask firmly in place.
He glanced at her.
“I came to see if you were dead.”
Jin Anzai wasn’t an assassin, so Lin Ting stopped hiding: “Hey, not yet.”
She was worried that Duan Ling would misunderstand after seeing Jin Anzai’s bloodied sword.
“Lord Duan, you were unconscious and didn’t know, but there were assassins in the Yellow Crane Tower trying to kill you. It was Jin Anzai who helped block them.”
Duan Ling looked at Jin Anzai.
“I see. I thank Young Master Jin for his help.”
Jin Anzai was cold and indifferent to everyone, even to Duan Ling: “It was nothing. No need to thank me.”
He turned toward Lin Ting, “We shouldn’t stay here. We should leave as soon as possible.”
She still had to go out to find Tao Zhu, Duan Xinning, and the others, and of course, Jin Anzai wouldn’t leave with Lin Ting: “I’ll go first.”
Lin Ting: “Be careful.”
Jin Anzai escorted them to the street, gave Duan Ling a glance, and said to Lin Ting: “This is something you should be saying to yourself.”
He came and went without a trace, disappearing from the street in the blink of an eye.
Duan Ling walked down the street: “Miss Lin Qi, when did you meet Young Master Jin?”
Lin Ting had met Jin Anzai a year ago, but she decided to lie and make it two years: “I met him two years ago.”
“What place?”
She pretended to think: “In a tavern in the capital. I don’t remember which one exactly. It was two years ago.”
Duan Ling smiled lightly and asked: “It seems like you and Young Master Jin have a good relationship, often meeting?”
“We meet when we have time. Tonight, he happened to be at the Yellow Crane Tower watching the fireworks, that’s how we met.”
Lin Ting said half-jokingly, half-testing him: “Lord Duan, why does it feel like you’re interrogating me?”
He continued walking without stopping: “Miss Lin Qi, you think too much. I was just asking casually.”
At that moment, Nanmen Street was in chaos, with the people running around fetching water to put out the fire.
However, the flames at Yellow Crane Tower only seemed to grow stronger.
The intense heat and flames left the people on the street feeling chilled.
The common folk were discussing it, as the fireworks display at the Lian Festival had never caused a fire before.
They were worried it might be an omen of disaster.
Tao Zhu stood on the street, crying uncontrollably.
If it weren’t for Zhi Lan blocking her, she might have rushed into the fire: “Miss Qi, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left first.”
Duan Xin Ning was also crying, her handkerchief soaked through: “Lin Ting, Second Brother.”
Xia Zimo tightly held her hand, afraid she might rush into the fire, comforting her: “Your Second Brother is very capable, he’ll be fine. He’ll be fine.”
Duan Xin Ning cried even harder.
Seeing her in tears, he said, “Miss Lin Qi will be fine too. Maybe they came out from another way.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Xia Zimo gently wiped away Duan Xinning’s tears, speaking to her with great patience.
“How good is his skill? My second brother, you… don’t understand,” Duan Xinning retorted with red eyes, instinctively arguing, but she didn’t finish her sentence.
When Duan Ling was a child, he had experienced a terrifying fire, and after that, he encountered a similar fire.
People later realized that he had symptoms of dizziness in a fire and couldn’t protect himself.
However, that was all in the past, and Duan Xinning wasn’t sure if her second brother had overcome it.
Not many people knew about this, and Duan Xinning had never mentioned it, but even though it was never spoken of, it was always in her heart.
Now, seeing that Duan Ling hadn’t come out, she felt uneasy.
And then there was Lin Ting, who was still trapped inside the fire, her life unknown.
The more Duan Xinning thought about it, the more guilty she felt.
The fire was so fierce, Lin Ting must be terrified being left alone inside.
It was all her fault for being so scared back then, not reacting in time before Xia Zimo carried her out.
Xia Zimo couldn’t bear to see Duan Xinning so heartbroken, and he comforted her patiently: “How about this? You stay outside, and I’ll go in and have a look.”
She grabbed his sleeve, as if she had something to say: “Young Master Xia…”
“I know martial arts. I will definitely be fine. Trust me.”
Xia Zimo wasn’t lying to Duan Xinning—he was truly preparing to go inside to search for people.
Just as Lin Ting was walking onto the street, she saw them pulling at each other and noticed Xia Zimo about to charge into the fire.
She hurriedly called out to him: “Young Master Xia, don’t go in, Lord Duan and I have already come out.”
Xia Zimo quickly stopped, surprised: “Miss Lin Qi, Lord Duan?”
Duan Xinning rushed over and grabbed Lin Ting’s hand, tears streaming down her face, sobbing without being able to speak a complete sentence: “Lin, Lin Ting, Second Brother.”
She then asked, “Are you… are you hurt?”
Lin Ting turned around, allowing Duan Xinning to look her over carefully: “No, we’re not hurt.”
The only time she felt any pain was when she kissed Duan Ling, and suddenly he woke up, startling her.
That had made her feel some distress.
In that moment, Lin Ting had imagined hundreds of ways she could die, even considering where she’d be buried.
But she didn’t want to die yet, so she used her tongue to talk her way out of it, buying time and trying to excuse herself.
Heaven was kind—after Jin Anzai dealt with those people, he came out to find her.
Although it wasn’t clear whether Duan Ling didn’t harm her because Jin Anzai had appeared, or if Duan Ling had never planned to harm her at all, the result was good—she didn’t die.
Lin Ting glanced at Duan Ling. He wasn’t looking at her.
Instead, he was gazing at the towering flames of the Yellow Crane Tower, as if he truly didn’t care about the kiss and had believed her story that it was to save him.
Even so, Lin Ting didn’t relax her guard. She had to stay alert and be cautious around Duan Ling.
Lin Ting wiped the soot from her face.
Duan Xinning murmured, “It’s good that you’re not hurt, it’s good.”
After saying this, Duan Xinning fainted.
She had been so worried about their safety.
Now that she saw them safe and sound, the tension in her body suddenly relaxed, and she couldn’t hold herself up anymore.