Liu Yingfeng had left.
Behind her, Lin Tiancheng was left with a throbbing headache, unable to eat or sleep, mind spinning endlessly over one question:
‘How in the world was he supposed to find someone who had been missing for a year and might not even be alive anymore?’
It felt impossible—no matter how he looked at it.
Yet from the look in Miss Liu’s eyes, if she didn’t get to see him… there was no telling what she might do.
She was, after all, a personal disciple of Taixu Hall.
If she really wanted to make life hard for the Lin family, she could go directly to the City Lord.
The City Lord would probably be more than happy to do her a favor and simply erase the Lin family from existence…
Thinking this far, Lin Tiancheng broke into a cold sweat, pacing anxiously around his room.
At last, he gritted his teeth and said to the steward beside him…
“There’s no helping it… send someone out to search.”
“But, Patriarch…”
The steward gave a bitter smile.
“The empire is vast—who knows where that young branch member went? Can we really find him, starting only now?”
“Just send someone.”
Lin Tiancheng said, face shifting between gloom and worry.
“At the very least, we need to look like we’re doing something…Besides, that Liu girl… doesn’t actually know what her fiancé looks like, does she?”
“…Ahh, I see.”
Realization dawned on the steward’s face.
If they truly couldn’t find him, they could just pick some age-appropriate clan member, say he was Lin Wuming, and pass him off as her fiancé, right?
And if Lin Wuming did eventually turn up, well—he might not even care about the Lin family anymore.
But if they had a compliant stand-in to marry into the Liu family, the Lin family would still reap massive benefits.
‘Yes’.
The steward thought.
‘Patriarch Lin really is clever.’
That Liu girl—she was still too young and naïve.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Ling’er was excitedly chattering at Liu Yingfeng.
“Miss, you were so cool just now! So bold and dashing!”
She exclaimed, eyes sparkling at the memory of her lady’s outburst.
Veins appeared on Liu Yingfeng’s forehead.
That kind of praise just felt… weird, especially for a girl.
“Sigh… If only Miss were a man.”
Ling’er went on dreamily.
“I’d marry you right away and cling to you forever~”
Liu Yingfeng rolled her eyes.
“You little rascal, always looking for ways to slack off. If I were a stricter lady, your mouth would be torn to pieces by now and you’d be scrubbing pots in the kitchen.”
Ling’er stuck out her tongue and shrank her neck like a scared little turtle.
“But that’s only because I know our lady is kindhearted and would never do that~ right, Miss?”
“Can’t promise that~”
Liu Yingfeng smiled playfully, joining in the fun.
“You were absolutely useless just now. A maid with no value—I might as well sell you to that ‘Spring Blossom Pavilion’ and use the money to buy my husband some supplements.”
“Miss…”
Ling’er looked horrified.
‘Is that something a person should say?!’
But she knew her lady was teasing and grumbled back…
“Miss, really! First you say you won’t force anyone, then you suddenly blurt out ‘This life, I’ll marry no one but him! No one can stop me!’ How shameless!”
“You!”
Liu Yingfeng pinched Ling’er’s cheeks in irritation.
“Nothing good ever comes out of this mouth, does it?”
Her cheeks flushed slightly. She wanted to explain herself but couldn’t find the words.
So she puffed out,
“I—! I am forcing him! I’m a personal disciple of Taixu Hall! I’ll force him if I want to! What’s he gonna do, refuse me?!”
Ling’er mumbled.
“If you’re this pushy, Miss… what if he doesn’t like you? What if he takes a second wife and ignores you?”
“He dares?!”
Liu Yingfeng’s expression turned fierce.
“If he even thinks about a second wife, I’ll make you his second wife, little brat—then I’ll still have control over you!”
“M-Miss… What are you saying…”
Ling’er’s face turned red, and she fell quiet.
“…No need to marry…”
Her next words were so soft, even Liu Yingfeng didn’t hear them.
If her lady really did marry the young master, then as her maid, wouldn’t she just become part of the dowry anyway?
Whether she married or not… she’d still be his.
***
“Right, Miss…”
After strolling for a while, Ling’er suddenly remembered something.
“Would you like to buy a few new dresses?”
“Clothes? I don’t think I need any… I brought enough from the mountain.”
“Miss, please…”
Ling’er sighed, tugging at her sleeve.
“Look at what you’re wearing. There’s nothing ladylike about it. How is the young master supposed to fall for you dressed like this?”
“…That’s… a fair point.”
“Right?! Miss, you already have the looks. If you dress up a bit, you’ll have him swooning in no time. At that point, no one will care if you’re ‘forcing’ the marriage or not, right?”
Liu Yingfeng nodded thoughtfully.
That actually made sense.
Immediately, she grabbed Ling’er and headed toward the city’s commercial district.
***
The market street was naturally more bustling.
The crowd was denser, and Liu Yingfeng—unused to such lively sights after so long on the mountain—felt a little out of place.
She chose a shop that looked quieter than the rest and stepped inside.
There weren’t many customers inside.
Liu Yingfeng wasn’t sure why, but when Ling’er glanced at the price tags, she instantly understood.
‘No wonder.’
The clothes here cost several times more than those in ordinary shops.
While the quality was indeed superior, few commoners could afford them.
Of course, for the Liu family, this amount of money was nothing— and even less so for a personal disciple of Taixu Hall.
“Miss, this shop is great. Let’s pick a few nice outfits here.”
Liu Yingfeng nodded, but looking around, she was a little overwhelmed by the selection.
Just then—
“Eh? It’s him?”
Ling’er spotted someone and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Liu Yingfeng followed her gaze and saw a man in a simple robe, scholarly in appearance.
It was none other than the musician from the teahouse earlier.
“A second encounter? Must be fate…”
Liu Yingfeng mused quietly, her expression unreadable.
“This guy…”
Ling’er stared intently, judging him openly.
“Now that he’s cleaned up, he actually looks kind of decent.”
When they’d first seen him, Lin Wuming had just left Novice Village and hadn’t even bought clothes yet—he looked ragged and rough.
Now, freshly washed and wearing clean if plain robes, his naturally fair skin and delicate features made him resemble a gentle, scholarly young master.
The kind that servant girls loved to daydream about.
“Sir, what brings you here?”
As Liu Yingfeng pondered, Ling’er had already walked up to greet him.
“You are…?”
Lin Wuming glanced at her, puzzled. Then his eyes landed on Liu Yingfeng, and recognition dawned.
Ah, these two had been in the teahouse earlier listening to his performance.
‘Didn’t expect to bump into them again. Pretty coincidental.’