Chapter 2.9

Ling Xia couldn't sleep. He had tossed and turned all night, but there was this uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach that he could not get rid of, try as he might.

Ling Xia had always been one to listen to his gut, and his gut was telling him that there was something wrong. He shook off his blankets and swung himself off his bed to investigate what the cause of his restlessness was.

It seemed fate was on his side because it didn't take very long to find out. Immediately after stepping past the threshold, a shout of alarm rang in his ears. The pounding of footsteps followed, growing louder.

A body barrelled into him, unseen in the dark corridors. The force pushed him back a step, and he gasped in pain. Whoever the person in front of him was, they were clearly in a hurry, even slamming into Ling Xia at full speed.

He instinctively grabbed onto the person in case they planned to escape. The person didn't struggle at all, seemingly also in pain which surprised Ling Xia. He was expecting something in return for his actions, especially when the other was locked in his embrace so tightly that Ling Xia could feel the heat of their breath through two layers of fabric.

"Who are you?" Ling Xia asked once the air returned to his lungs. The person in his grasp didn't speak for some time, and Ling Xia grew suspicious. He gripped their arms harder, nails digging into their skin until the pain forced them to speak.

"I'll speak!"

Instantly, Ling Xia loosened. It was a female voice, a very familiar one: "Chen Er."

It took a moment for Ling Xia to realize that the voice that echoed through the corridors was his own. He glanced down, feeling long hair tickle his chin as the unknown person jolted in recognition. Still, he didn't let go of her. She acted far too suspiciously for somebody taking a late night stroll.

"Young Master! I apologize for my earlier silence. I hadn't realized it was you." But that wasn't a reason to be racing through the halls like a madman. Chen Er seemed to know this as well because she continued to explain herself. "I planned to get you, for… the second young master has been poisoned."

The news was so completely out of the blue that Ling Xia couldn't react for a while. "Poisoned? Has the culprit been found?"

Chen Er shook her head. Which way?–Ling Xia couldn't tell. He didn't know if it meant yes or no. "It's dark," he reminded her.

Chen Er started. "Ah! No, they haven't. Young Master, you should see Liu Zhaofa. He would appreciate your presence."

"Okay." Not wasting another moment, he headed in the direction Chen Er came from, his hand kept on Chen Er's arm the entire way.

"Uh, Young Master, we're going together?"

Hidden by the darkness, Ling Xia smiled. There it was.

Throughout their entire exchange, something about Chen Er's actions didn't sit well with him. It seemed like she was rushing through her words, trying to go somewhere quickly. Now, his suspicions had been confirmed.

"Yes, of course. You are my personal maid. You should accompany me everywhere. Why do you not know this?" Ling Xia skillfully vanquished Chen Er's speculation by focusing her attention on defending herself.

"Uh, um… it-it was becoy-because…" While she stumbled over her words in her haste, they got closer to a light source in the distance. It got larger way too quickly for it to be stationary. Soon, they got close enough for the light to illuminate a figure.

It was too tall to be a woman, and their head snapped from side to side as if searching for somebody. As the two groups moved towards each other, the click clack sound of armor became apparent, and Ling Xia figured the man was a guard. But who was he looking for?

They met, finally, in the middle of the hallway. The guard clearly wasn't expecting another's presence and he made a sound of alarm. "Wha–Oh, Young Master, it's you."

The corner of Ling Xia's mouth twitched. Everybody today was surprised to see him. First, Liu Zhaoren, then Chen Er, and now this unknown guard.

"What is your name?" Ling Xia asked first, as Chen Er shifted further behind him. That way, if anything went wrong, he would know who to ask after.

"Mo Chuan, Young Master." The next second, Mo Chuan performed a full, ninety degree bow for Ling Xia, taking him aback. He didn't know there was anybody who respected Liu Zhaoning in this manor, or even considered him the son of their master.

"Mo Chuan. I see. What are you doing here?"

Mo Chuan straightened, drawing to his full height. His shoulders and back could not possibly be any more stiff, and he spoke as if reporting something to his superior. "I was looking for the criminal, Young Master."

"You know who they are?" Ling Xia wondered out loud. A foreboding feeling rose in his chest. If that was true, then Chen Er should know too…

A sharp pain in his side made him double over suddenly. He clutched his stomach, listening to the rush of footsteps as Chen Er dashed away. Mo Chuan, also understanding the situation, chased after her, leaving Ling Xia to heave for breath.

The pain slowly faded, but before he moved to join in, he heard Chen Er's pleas. "No! I didn't do it! I swear!" Ling Xia relaxed. He figured he had time to get his laments out of the way while Mo Chaun dragged her back.

He hated this body! So much pain from a single jab! How weak could Liu Zhaoning have possibly been?

He could guarantee that if he was in his own body, he could give chase immediately instead of needing to wait until the pain receded. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

"Young Master!" Mo Chuan called out after Chen Er was in his grasp. "Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere?"

"No," Ling Xia said with difficulty. He was still finding it a little hard to draw air into his lungs, but that was all. He focused his attention on Chen Er, whose face had paled to a ghostly white despite the orange glow cast on her.

"Young Master! You have to believe me! It wasn't me! I didn't poison him!" Chen Er screeched, her shrill voice drilling into Ling Xia's ears. It was like nails on a chalkboard. He couldn't take it.

"Gag her," he ordered Mo Chuan, already exploiting the fact that somebody respected Liu Zhaoning.

Mo Chuan stuffed his handkerchief in her mouth. Instantly, her words were muffled to the point of incomprehensibility. Meanwhile, Ling Xia gloated.

One of the big reasons he couldn't sleep, as he figured, was that he couldn't kick Chen Er out even though he had prepared for so long. It was like a pie had fallen from the sky! What a golden opportunity, one that he would be sure to take full advantage of.

"Let's go." Ling Xia turned and started towards Liu Zhaofa again, this time followed by a third person. They reached the area quickly, and he slid the doors open.

The expressions of those inside ranged from surprise to utter befuddlement, but once their eyes landed on Chen Er, their faces lit up. Liu Cai was the first to react, rare words of approval coming out of his mouth. "You have done a good job."

Ling Xia's head only lowered in shyness. He let Mo Chuan talk for him. "Master. Chen Er has been captured."

Liu Cai nodded. He approached Chen Er, his aura intimidating. He stared at her. She stared back, unwilling to break in front of the master of the house.

It didn't take long for her courage to wilt. Her head bowed, and Liu Cai took the moment to snatch the handkerchief in her mouth away. "Speak."

Just one word, but it was enough to unleash the tsunami of tears she was holding back. "I didn't poison the second young master! I don't know why everybody thinks it's me," she managed to say through her sobs.

Everybody looked at her with disbelief. Everybody except Ling Xia.

While everybody watched Chen Er, he had discreetly observed Liu Zhaofa's condition to see if he could be saved, and he instantly realized the hilarity of the situation.

Liu Zhaofa wasn't poisoned; His wound had just gotten infected.

Unfortunately, people in this era didn't know that possibility existed. They all thought Chen Er, who had left the room last, wanted to kill Liu Zhaofa.

Still, he wouldn't pass up on this opportunity to get rid of Chen Er. As long as everybody thought Chen Er was to blame, she would be put to death on grounds of treason.

"I do not care for your excuses," Liu Cai calmly spoke over Chen Er's begs. "Tell me where the antidote is."

Ling Xia keenly noticed something off in Liu Cai's words. He hadn't promised to spare her if the antidote was given, but most would assume that was the case here. He truly deserved to be the man who carried the Liu family through the turmoil of changing dynasties. Despite Ling Xia's hatred for the man, he could not help but admire him.

Unfortunately, Chen Er, who was smart enough to fool everybody in the manor into believing her loyalty lay with Liu Zhaoning, saw through the trick. She refused to talk.

Ling Xia decided to talk in her stead. "Father," he called.

Liu Cai slowly turned his head, clearly baffled. Nobody had ever witnessed Liu Zhaoning take the initiative to speak. "Yes?"

"May Chen Er and I have a private discussion. She is my personal maid, therefore she may be willing to give in if the inquiries come from me."

Liu Cai's eyes narrowed. A moment later, he allowed it with a wave of his hand, saying no more.

Ling Xia nodded, and he gently led Chen Er out of the room. As soon as the door closed, he lowered his voice. "I believe you," he whispered to her.

Chen Er's face lit up, relief setting into her eyes. "Thank you," she murmured back.

"I do not require your thanks. All you must do is follow my lead," Ling Xia's eyes softened, revealed by the candles lining these walls. "First, we must wait for the appropriate time."

After hearing Chen Er's noise of agreement, he proceeded to lean against the wall, and his eyelids fell, allowing his eyes some respite. They were tired from his lack of sleep.

Even if he hated having nothing to do, he wanted his sleep. It was important to him that he slept for a certain amount of time everyday. The bar wasn't that high, only at three hours, or else he couldn't function at one hundred percent.

Now, dawn had begun to break, and he had gotten zero sleep. He felt himself drifting off to sleep the first minute, and by two, his head lolled to the side.

A bang on the door startled him awake. "Are you finished?" he heard Liu Zhaoren's impatient voice ask.

"I believe we're almost there," he shouted back. Afterwards, the knocking stopped, and Ling Xia sighed. Those were the fastest ten minutes of his life.

However, that show of impatience was what he was waiting for. With that they told Ling Xia that they were throwing away their doubts in favor of speed. Ling Xia still waited an extra few minutes though. What could he say? His sleep was interrupted far too soon, and he wanted payback, even if it was in this petty way.

Finally, he slid the doors open once more, stepping inside with Chen Er in tow. "She says that the poison can be combatted with turmeric. Once placed on the wound, the poison will fade."

The people in the room clearly didn't believe Ling Xia's words, but they had no other choice. Liu Zhaofa was dying behind them. A servant boy rushed off to get the turmeric for Liu Zhaofa. Meanwhile, everybody turned their attention to Chen Er.

Liu Cai approached her again. "Mark my words. If my son dies, you will follow him." He was warning her against lying, having assumed that his idiot son hadn't done so already. Unfortunately, this remedy wasn't even created by her. It was a natural disinfectant that Ling Xia had happened across in his time traveling through a world with less technology.

The knowledge surprisingly did not come from the real world. None of the worlds in this simulation were even close to as advanced as the real world, which had no need for natural remedies. Technology could solve everything. Cancer, blindness, everything.

Naturally, because of Chen Er's lack of information and Ling Xia's confirmation that he would help her, she didn't change her answer. Liu Cai took this as proof of truth, and looked over at Mo Chuan.

Mo Chuan nodded. There had clearly been some kind of exchange between the two while Ling Xia had rested. Ling Xia wasn't aware of what exactly was said, but he knew what that exchange entailed for Chen Er.

A sword was pulled from its sheath. As Chen Er's eyes darted between the glistening metal and Ling Xia in hopes of what she was promised, Ling Xia faced her. There was no smile on his face, but his eyebrows raised in mocking.

Her eyes halted on Ling Xia. Nobody else could see it, the word he mouthed as the sword came down on her neck with the intent to behead. Goodbye.

Her pupils shrunk to a minuscule size, barely able to be seen. In an instant, her head disappeared, but the fear in her eyes refused to. The ball of flesh and blood rolled away, face frozen in that very moment for the eternity to come.