Chapter 83 Friend, Not Foe

Inside the inn, Yang Lian set Mi Shiwei down, panting as he tossed her onto the soft couch.

"You're too heavy; you need to lose some weight." Yang Lian rubbed his arms. Running for several miles while carefully avoiding patrolling soldiers was no easy task at all.

Mi Shiwei frowned. Being casually thrown onto the couch made her very angry. "How can you be such a person?" Yet, she was utterly helpless. When she had suddenly fallen, she had already sprained her ankle, and after trading several blows with Yang Lian, the joint was further injured, making movement difficult. If Yang Lian had not carried her back, she likely would have been caught by the patrolling soldiers. The mere thought of this left Mi Shiwei feeling both exasperated and furious. Why did nothing good ever happen whenever she ran into Yang Lian?

Yang Lian rubbed his arms and poured himself a cup of tea. "I must say, I'm quite curious. What on earth were you doing at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion?"

Mi Shiwei refused to yield an inch. "I'm equally curious. Why were you there?"

Yang Lian slowly stepped closer, looking Mi Shiwei up and down with a smile. "Let me guess. You know Zeng Yiling, and your relationship with her is rather close."

Mi Shiwei was startled, blurting out, "How did you..." Realizing herself mid-sentence, she said defensively, "What relationship I have with her is none of your business!"

Yang Lian snorted. "Of course it's my business. She seemed to know who I am." Since Mi Shiwei already knew this secret, there was no need for Yang Lian to conceal it.

Mi Shiwei was somewhat surprised, but she still shook her head and denied it. "I never told her."

Yang Lian clapped his hands and smiled. "So the two of you do know each other."

Mi Shiwei gave Yang Lian a cold look. "What's so strange about that? Years ago, when she was being hunted down by assassins along the riverbank, my master saved her."

Yang Lian let out a soft "Hmph" and paced slowly. "That makes sense. But I'm still quite curious about what business you had with her tonight."

Mi Shiwei turned her head away in silence, reaching out to gently massage her ankle, which still ached.

Yang Lian walked out of the room and fetched a basin of ice-cold well water. Returning inside, he placed a cloth into the water, wrung it out thoroughly until it was about seventy percent dry, and walked over to Mi Shiwei. "When you're injured, applying ice water is the best treatment. Unfortunately, there is no ice at this time of year, so we'll just have to make do with this cold water."

Mi Shiwei frowned. "Whose advice did you hear this from? Go away; my affairs are none of your concern."

Without another word, Yang Lian draped the cloth over his shoulder and suddenly reached out, grabbing Mi Shiwei's ankle.

"Ah! What are you doing?" Mi Shiwei was startled, trying to kick Yang Lian away, but one foot was caught in his grip while the other still throbbed with pain, leaving her completely powerless against him. Furious, she let out an indignant cry and struck at him with her fist.

Yang Lian sidestepped to evade her blow, caught her hand with his other hand, and smiled. "I'm treating your injury. Why must you be so hostile?"

"You dare take advantage of me!" Mi Shiwei bit her lip. She could hardly believe that, though only a year had passed, Yang Lian had become so formidable and strong that she was completely unable to resist him.

"You're overthinking it, Miss. I merely want to keep your injury from worsening." Yang Lian smiled and unceremoniously slipped the brocade sock off Mi Shiwei's foot. Her foot was remarkably white, with toes as translucent and crystal-clear as if sculpted from jade, making it exceedingly pleasing to the eye.

However, across that flawless white foot ran a faint circle of red swelling. Pointing at her ankle, Yang Lian said, "Look, your ankle is sprained. If it isn't properly treated, you might have difficulty walking for the rest of your life."

Only then did Mi Shiwei notice the redness and swelling on her ankle. Frightened by Yang Lian's dire words, her expression shifted, and she looked at him anxiously. "Can it be cured?"

"That's hard to say," Yang Lian shook his head.

After a brief hesitation, Mi Shiwei asked, "What must be done to cure it?"

"As long as you obediently submit to treatment, there's still a chance of recovery." With that, Yang Lian gently wiped her foot with the damp cloth, first applying the cold compress and then softly massaging the area. Mi Shiwei bit her lip against the mild pain.

After Yang Lian applied the cold compress for a while, Mi Shiwei finally began to feel much more comfortable. Yang Lian then brought in a basin of hot water to wipe away the fine beads of sweat from her face. Having finished all this, Yang Lian drew the door shut and secured the latch. Mi Shiwei let out a breath of relief; she felt somewhat out of place in this unfamiliar environment. After all, being a woman, there were always matters to worry about.

At that moment, Yang Lian suddenly pushed the door open slightly and said, "I'll be right outside the door. Call me if you need anything."

Startled, Mi Shiwei then nodded coldly. "Go away quickly. I don't need you here."

With a faint smile, Yang Lian pulled the door shut again. As for why Mi Shiwei had suddenly come here, Yang Lian couldn't be bothered to ponder it further; if Mi Shiwei wanted him to know, she would eventually tell him.

Early the next morning, when Yang Lian got up for his routine morning exercise, he saw Mi Shiwei slowly walking around the courtyard, though her pace was very deliberate and slow. Yang Lian stopped in his tracks and asked, "You can walk already?"

Mi Shiwei nodded, her favorable impression of Yang Lian increasing by a fraction. Although his actions and words could sometimes be somewhat forward, at the crucial moment, he had ultimately refrained from taking advantage of a person in peril. Mi Shiwei had already made up her mind: if Yang Lian ever made any improper moves, she would kill him.

Yet Yang Lian had acted quite the gentleman; apart from applying the cold compress to her injury, he had made no other untoward advances.

After nodding in response, Mi Shiwei watched as Yang Lian jogged out of the courtyard. She was deeply curious: had Yang Lian been exercising like this every single day for the past year? After waiting for a full half-hour, Yang Lian returned, his face beaded with sweat and his back thoroughly soaked. He removed the sandbags from his body and fetched cold water to bathe. When Yang Lian began to strip off his clothes, Mi Shiwei hastily looked away, thinking to herself how shameless this man was to undress right in front of her.

How could she possibly have known that Yang Lian was already accustomed to it and hadn't given it a second thought?

Once Yang Lian had finished washing up, he went to the front of the inn to fetch steamed buns and congee. Seeing Mi Shiwei seated at the table, he smiled and asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Mi Shiwei nodded, then mocked, "Fairly well, except that your soft couch still smelled of sweat."

Yang Lian scratched his head. "Does it? I'll have someone change the mattress later."

Mi Shiwei shook her head. "Don't bother. I'll be leaving today."

Lowering his gaze without a word, Yang Lian placed the congee and steamed buns in front of Mi Shiwei and said, "Eat up. I have to head to the military camp shortly."

Mi Shiwei picked up a steamed bun with her hand and began to eat slowly. The bun was soft, snow-white, and sweet to the taste, while the congee was boiled down until it was smooth and tender, enriched with lean meat to create a savory flavor. Surprisingly, Mi Shiwei ended up eating three steamed buns and a large bowl of congee, a feat that astonished even herself.

Once he finished his meal, Yang Lian asked, "Are you heading back to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion? Shall I give you a ride?"

"How?" Mi Shiwei asked.

"On horseback." With that, Yang Lian led a tall, fine steed out of the courtyard. Such large horses were rare in the southern regions, and Yang Lian cherished it greatly.

Mi Shiwei glanced at it, shook her head, and said, "No need."

Leading the warhorse closer, Yang Lian looked into Mi Shiwei's pretty face and stepped up right beside her. Mi Shiwei instinctively took a step back in vigilance, only to find her back against the wall. Yang Lian released the reins and advanced slowly until the distance between them closed so much that they could hear each other's breathing.

"When you go to see Zeng Yiling, you might as well tell her that I am that very Yang Lian," Yang Lian said.

Mi Shiwei paused, then shook her head. "That holds no benefit for me. The only reason I went to see her this time was to deliver a message: someone has already grown suspicious of her identity."

"Just who on earth is Zeng Yiling?" Yang Lian asked. It was a question he had pondered for a long time without uncovering a shred of information.

Mi Shiwei shook her head. "First, I do not know her true identity. The only reason I am helping her is because I once made a promise to handle a few matters for her. Second, even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you."

Knowing it was just a casual inquiry and that Mi Shiwei would never carelessly leak Zeng Yiling's identity, Yang Lian simply smiled and departed.

Watching him leave, Mi Shiwei suddenly felt a twinge of reluctance and called out to him, "Yang Lian, you mentioned last night that she seemed to know your identity. Actually, you needn't worry. I can tell you this much: if she truly knows who you are, she won't harm you—on the contrary, she will help you."

Yang Lian turned back, a trace of puzzlement on his face. "Is that really true?"

"Really true," Mi Shiwei replied.

With a faint smile, Yang Lian strode out of the house. Upon arriving at the military camp, he put aside all his lingering doubts and questions to lead his troops in training. While it was true that an elite force could only be forged through actual combat, routine training remained indispensable during times of peace.

As the day drew to a close and Yang Lian returned to the inn, Xiao Erhei hurried forward to greet him. "Master, someone sent an invitation today on behalf of Young Master Zhou."

"Ah, Zhou Ehuang, I presume," Yang Lian thought to himself. Taking the invitation, he glanced over it briefly. It was indeed a message sent by Zhou Ehuang, stating that the hunting excursion had been scheduled for three days later and requesting Yang Lian's punctual arrival. The handwriting was graceful and refined, clearly belonging to Zhou Ehuang herself.

Returning to his room, Yang Lian penned a reply in his own hand, instructing Xiao Erhei to deliver it to the messenger the next day. Although his trip to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion the previous night had failed to achieve its objective, his accidental encounter with Mi Shiwei meant she likely would drop hints to Zeng Yiling, who would presumably be on her guard; thus, Yang Lian decided to temporarily shelve the matter.

Mi Shiwei did not show up the following day, nor did Zeng Yiling send anyone. It appeared Mi Shiwei had kept the matter to herself, which brought Yang Lian a measure of relief. Uncovering Zeng Yiling's true identity was not an urgent priority anyway, as such revelations could not be forced simply by wishing for them. With that thought, he pushed his lingering suspicions aside.

There were matters to attend to in three days' time. Although hunting seemed simple enough, Yang Lian knew there was much preparation to be done. The majority of participants in this hunt would be high-ranking nobles of the capital or their offspring, and it was essential for Yang Lian to establish connections with them to lay the groundwork for his future endeavors. When all was said and done, internally he needed to seize power through relatively gentle means, while externally he had to continually expand his influence through military merits—and none of this could be accomplished single-handedly.

Not long after the fall of the Yang Wu regime, remnants loyal to that court must still exist; Yang Lian needed to track them down and gather them around him in order to accomplish great things.