Childhood Friend or Destined Encounter? - Chapter 18

Since Ye Zi had given her horse to Lobsang, the two of them packed their bags early the next morning. After a simple breakfast at the inn, they headed to the horse market to purchase a replacement.

“Boss, you’re telling me a horse here costs thirty-five silver taels?” Ye Zi looked at the listless old nags in the stable, her voice full of disbelief.

These horses had patchy coats and no spirit, looking as though they wouldn’t make it very far, yet their price was higher than the well-trained steeds in Jiangzhou City that could cover a thousand miles a day.

“Thirty-five taels, take it or leave it. I’m the only one selling horses for dozens of miles around. Only three left, so buy now if you’re buying,” the bearded boss shouted in a thick local accent.

“We aren’t buying,” Feng Ya said, leading Ye Zi away from the market.

“Wait, wait! Aren’t we still heading south? We’re really not buying one?” Ye Zi was just as frustrated by the merchant’s price-gouging, but they were at the mercy of his monopoly.

“Those horses clearly aren’t fit for long-distance travel. It would be better for us to share one mount.” Feng Ya led Ye Zi to her own spirited steed and signaled for her to climb up first.

Ye Zi looked at the tall, noble horse and mentally compared it to those scruffy nags from the market. She realized Feng Ya was right. Both of them were light, so riding double wouldn’t be much of a burden for the animal. It was just that, well, Feng Ya was the one paying for everything anyway, so there was no “just that.”

Once Ye Zi was settled on the horse’s back, Feng Ya flipped herself up behind her. Her body pressed against Ye Zi’s back as her hands reached forward to take the reins. “Giddy up!” From a distance, it looked as though Ye Zi was being tucked safely into her embrace.

Feeling the sudden softness against her back, the tips of Ye Zi’s ears turned a bright red. She tried to sit up as straight as possible to keep some distance, but a sudden jolt from the horse sent her tumbling right back into Feng Ya’s arms.

Ye Zi kept her head down, trying her best to ignore the strange sensation coming from behind her, and for a moment, she didn’t even notice which way the horse was heading.

After about fifteen minutes…

“Wait, this isn’t the way south. Did you take a wrong turn?” Seeing the familiar scenery they had passed just a few days ago, Ye Zi finally spoke up.

“We’re going back to Jiangzhou City first. I know a divine physician there whose skills are extraordinary. I want him to take a look at you,” Feng Ya explained, her pace never wavering.

“I don’t want to go back to Jiangzhou.” The thought of potentially running into Han Lei again caused an instinctive rejection in Ye Zi’s heart. Even though she knew Feng Ya had no feelings for him, remembering Han Lei’s overconfident attitude whenever he mentioned Feng Ya made her loath to see him. Besides, she knew her own body best, a common “divine physician” would be powerless.

“You know the state of your own health. Having a specialist look at you can only be a good thing.” Feng Ya snapped the reins, urging the horse to go faster.

“I said I don’t want to go to Jiangzhou! You said yesterday we were traveling south, which is the only reason I agreed to come with you. If you insist on going back, then go by yourself!” Seeing Feng Ya acting so unilaterally, Ye Zi felt a surge of genuine anger.

“Why are you being so stubborn? You don’t even care about your own life! I’m not changing direction. You either come with me to Jiangzhou, or you can walk back yourself!” Seeing Ye Zi’s apparent indifference toward her health, Feng Ya felt a spark of temper as well, and her tone became uncharacteristically sharp.

“Fine, then I’ll walk back myself.” Ye Zi was usually a gentle soul. She kept a polite distance from others, and they got along peacefully, few had ever seen her truly angry. Feng Ya was the first in years to witness it.

Before the sentence was even finished, Ye Zi had wriggled out of Feng Ya’s arms and vaulted off the horse. Clutching her two bundles, she turned toward Fengbo Town without a second look.

Feng Ya hadn’t expected Ye Zi to actually jump. She yanked the reins hard to bring the horse to a halt. As soon as she dismounted, she didn’t even bother with the horse, she just chased after her. There was no way she was actually going to let Ye Zi walk back alone.

Ye Zi hadn’t gone more than a few steps before she felt someone grab her hand. She stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. If you really don’t want to go to Jiangzhou, then we won’t go.” Most of the time, Feng Ya’s voice was gentle, but now it held a hint of cautious pleading. Usually accustomed to having the final say, she hadn’t even realized that all her principles seemed to evaporate when facing this little girl she’d only known for a few days.

The tender, submissive apology caused Ye Zi’s rare temper to vanish instantly. She turned around and took Feng Ya’s hand in return, explaining, “I know you mean well, and it’s not that I don’t care about my life. It’s just that my situation is… unique. Many famous doctors have been stumped by it. Rather than going through cycles of hope and disappointment, I’d rather enjoy the time I have left doing the things I want to do.”

“Is there really no one in this world who can cure you?” Feng Ya was glad Ye Zi was willing to explain, but she couldn’t stand the thought of watching her life fade away day by day.

“No doctor has a way. Unless…” Ye Zi trailed off, shaking her head.

“Unless what?” Feng Ya caught the opening and pressed her.

“Unless the Ghost Physician personally intervenes. Then there might be a glimmer of hope.” Ye Zi offered the answer, though she sounded unsure herself.

“You mean Weng Shiyi? The one who claims she ‘doesn’t heal the living’?” Feng Ya searched her memory for legends of the martial world. She had heard of this eccentric character a long time ago.

“That’s the one. But she’s elusive and her personality is… bizarre. Even if I were lucky enough to find her, I have no confidence I could convince her to help.” This was why Ye Zi had never considered looking for her. Given her physical state, she couldn’t survive the journey to find her alone. And even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to fulfill whatever strange condition the Ghost Physician might demand.

“I’ve heard she’s been active around the Lingnan region in recent years. We can go look there. If she’s elusive, I’ll work harder to find her. If she’s eccentric, I’ll beg or force her. As long as there is a sliver of hope, we can’t give up.” Having a clear goal reignited Feng Ya’s spirit, she seemed to glow with a new sense of purpose.

“But… weren’t you planning to tour the south?” Ye Zi looked at her, blinking.

“Nothing is more important than your life.” Feng Ya said this with such absolute sincerity that Ye Zi felt her true weight in the other woman’s heart. It made her soul feel warm.

To reach Lingnan as quickly as possible, they abandoned the main roads in favor of a shorter, more secluded path. With Ye Zi acting as a guide, Feng Ya wasn’t worried about losing her way.

The path was narrow and remote, barely wide enough for a single file of travelers. Consequently, when Feng Ya saw a fight breaking out ahead, she had to pull the reins and come to a halt.

Two men in black were wielding sabers against a young girl. The girl looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, and her martial skills were mediocre, she was clearly no match for the two men.

“Lobsang!” Ye Zi recognized the girl she had saved just the day before.

“You know her?” Feng Ya asked, though she already knew the answer. She vaulted from her horse, unleashing a wave of sword qi that forced the two men back ten paces.

Seeing a sudden helper, the two men shifted their target. They rolled forward with their sabers, attempting a sneak attack on Feng Ya’s lower half.

However, petty tricks were futile against overwhelming strength. Feng Ya simply stepped aside. No one even saw her draw her sword before a thin red line appeared on both men’s necks, and they collapsed. They clearly weren’t good people, and running into Feng Ya in the wilderness was simply their bad luck.

“Benefactor, you’ve saved me again!” Once the danger was gone, Lobsang saw Ye Zi and broke into a huge smile.

Wasn’t I the one who just saved you? Feng Ya thought, feeling a bit bewildered.

“This is Feng Ya. She’s the one who just dealt with those bad men for you,” Ye Zi said, pointing to Feng Ya and voicing what the other woman was thinking.

Lobsang gave Feng Ya a brief nod, then turned back to Ye Zi, beaming. “Benefactor, we’ve met twice in such a short time. We truly share a great destiny. I said yesterday that if we met again, I would repay your kindness with everything I have. I didn’t think the opportunity would come so soon. Where are you heading now? Could you take me with you?”

Ye Zi understood that Lobsang was just a young girl with weak martial skills being hunted, being alone was indeed dangerous. She felt a twinge of pity.

However, she couldn’t just take a stranger along without knowing her background. After a moment of silence, she said, “If you want to come with us, you must first tell us who you are and why those men were hunting you.”

“That is a long story.” Lobsang started, sensing that while Ye Zi seemed gentle, she was very cautious. Realizing Ye Zi was a kind person who had saved her twice, she decided to tell the truth. “Have you ever heard of the Duni Tribe?”

“The Duni Tribe?” Ye Zi had heard of them from storytellers but felt nothing special about it. However, Feng Ya, who had been silent, reacted visibly to the name.

“The Duni Tribe are descendants of Fuxi. For generations, the tribe protected the sacred Hetu, but twelve years ago, we were wiped out by the Baqi Pavilion. All these years, the Baqi Pavilion has never stopped hunting the surviving tribe members to find the location of the Hetu. Those men in black you saw were from the Baqi Pavilion. And I… am a member of the Duni Tribe.” As she spoke, Lobsang rolled up her sleeve, revealing a mark of half a lotus on her wrist.

Feng Ya stared at the mark on Lobsang’s wrist for a moment before confirming, “You are indeed of the Duni Tribe.”

“You know about them too?” Ye Zi was curious. Why did this tribe, which she thought only existed in legends of the fallen, seem so familiar to both people standing next to her?

“The cousin I mentioned to you before… she is of the Duni Tribe.”

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