Eighty-One: Zhao Yu’s Probe

An Moer was suffering not only physical torment. Ever since birth, when had she ever been treated like this? Even after a bowl of porridge, her frail body still could not feel the slightest warmth. It was only after she drank the tofu and mutton soup Ming Tian had prepared for her that her body finally knew something called body heat.

And she was truly starving mad.

A bowl of porridge was not enough. She finished the tofu and mutton soup without leaving a single drop, even picking out and eating every last scallion.

It was hard to imagine how such a small body had managed to swallow so much food. That bowl and that soup were enough to defeat even Ming Tian, a grown man, if he tried to finish them all in one sitting.

Ming Tian did not ask about what she had gone through.

No matter what, the treatment she had endured belonged to the past. For her, memory itself was a kind of wound.

Ming Tian wanted to leave and let her rest alone.

But An Moer kept clutching his sleeve and would not let go.

Perhaps, to her, he was the only person she could trust now.

He comforted her for a full two hours. By the time the sky had begun to pale with dawn, An Moer, still uneasy, kept asking over and over whether Ming Tian would leave. Only then did she finally fall into a deep sleep, heavy with lingering fear.

Ming Tian closed the door softly and slipped out of the room, letting out a long breath.

Weariness coiled through every strand of muscle like thorns.

Ah, no good. This immortal cultivation thing is… about to send me spinning into the heavens.

Come to think of it, I kept her company all night and did not even drink a sip of water. I am so thirsty I suspect that if I tried to pee now, it would come out as thick as toothpaste.

"What do we do with her now?"

"Whoa… you scared me!"

The sudden voice startled Ming Tian so badly he nearly lost control of himself on the spot.

Xiao Xinzhu and Zhao Yu were standing right by his door, and because he was too exhausted, he had not noticed them at all.

The one who had spoken was Zhao Yu. The anger on her face had lessened somewhat, but it was obvious she still despised the presence of An Moer in the room and was deeply displeased that Ming Tian had gone and made trouble for himself.

Ming Tian looked into her bright, clear eyes and let out a tired sigh. "It is fine. Yin Chan gave her medicine already, and after eating my food, she should—"

"I am not asking you that!"

Zhao Yu cut him off mercilessly. There was no trace left of her earlier impishness. Her eyes were full of suspicion.

Even if he had avenged her father for her, she probably could not tolerate the idea of him bringing danger down on Xiao Xinzhu.

"What I am asking is this: how do you plan to deal with that two-legged sheep? I know a few people at the slave market. Once she is better, I can help you sell her."

"Zhao Yu..."

"Please do not interrupt, Miss!"

Xiao Xinzhu stepped forward, as if she wanted to say something awkwardly, but Zhao Yu pushed back at once.

"Miss, I know you and Young Master Ming Tian are both good people. But even good people must know their limits. Two-legged sheep are the property of the Jie tribe. If you save her and nobody finds out, then fine. But if they do, the Jie are savage by nature and will definitely come looking for trouble. Do you really intend to—"

"I know!"

This time Ming Tian interrupted her.

With great seriousness, he looked at Zhao Yu and said calmly, "But I will not sell her. Since Xinzhu and I chose to save her, I will protect her and give her a safe place to grow up."

At that, Zhao Yu's expression changed slightly. Her earlier displeasure turned into a grave, searching look.

"Young Master Ming Tian, do you… understand what that means?"

"I do."

"Do you think you can save all the two-legged sheep?"

"No."

"Then why—"

"Because I thought she was pitiful, so I saved her. It is as simple as that."

Ming Tian's blunt answer was clearly beyond Zhao Yu's expectations.

She was momentarily at a loss for words. She had thought Ming Tian would go on with a pile of noble-sounding arguments, never expecting him to be so direct.

Just because he thought she was pitiful. For such a ridiculous reason, he actually…

"I know what you are thinking."

Ming Tian had no intention of blaming Zhao Yu. On the contrary, seeing her attitude, he found himself liking her more.

Her rejection of An Moer was not because she was cruel, but because she simply wanted to protect Xiao Xinzhu.

"You are afraid the Jie will come after Xinzhu and me if they find out. You are afraid Xinzhu will be hurt because of this. I understand all of that."

"Then why—"

"No reason! Only that I am not afraid of the Jie! Yin Chan, in the room next to yours, killed Xiao Luan! And I killed Xiao Baojuan! We are two men who have taken the lives of two emperors of Southern Qi. The Jie? Do not make me laugh."

Ming Tian paused, then looked confidently at Xinzhu, who returned his gaze with eyes full of warmth and relief.

He struck his chest with one fist and declared with force:

"Who do you think I am?!"

It was a classic line from a legendary battle cry, and for the first time Ming Tian showed Zhao Yu the bearing of a man.

Since he had saved her, he would take responsibility all the way to the end. Give someone hope and then abandon them? Ming Tian would never do such a foolish thing.

And it was not arrogance.

Although he had not fought much since coming to this world, Ming Tian's combat skills and the excellent neural reflexes he had gained after crossing over left him only a hair weaker than he had been before.

To say nothing of anything else, even if he fought someone as absurdly powerful as An Luo, Ming Tian was confident he could last at least ten seconds.

As for ordinary people… An Luo could probably cripple three or four of them with a single punch.

Add to that the upgraded wrist darts Yin Chan had given him, and it was no exaggeration to say that in a real fight, Ming Tian was no worse than An Luo without weapons.

Even if Xiao Baojuan might already be dead, this was still Southern Qi. Even with the Jie in Yangzhou, there would not be many of them.

Ten, no—twenty at most, perhaps.

If they were found out, then fine. He would kill them all.

Zhao Yu stared blankly at Ming Tian and seemed to freeze for a moment.

Stunned, then surprised, then quiet at last, the girl actually smiled in an unusual way.

"As expected of Young Master Ming Tian. You have passed."

"Eh?" Ming Tian blinked.

He saw Zhao Yu exchange a glance with Xiao Xinzhu, then bow deeply to him.

"I am sorry, Young Master Ming Tian. Although you avenged my father's death, I did not initially think you were worthy of my young lady. But now it seems I misjudged you. The young lady's judgment was indeed correct."

Ming Tian was a little bewildered.

What was going on? Passed? So this was a test? You were testing whether I was worthy of Xinzhu?

Zhao Yu straightened up. The feeling in her eyes toward Ming Tian was no longer displeasure, but a soldier's admiration.

Xiao Xinzhu said gently in her nightingale voice, "I told you, Zhao Yu. Ming Tian is the one I chose. I will not misjudge him."

Oh, so my future wife was in on this too.

Seeing this, Ming Tian could only smile wryly.

They say a woman's heart is as deep as the sea, and it turned out Zhao Yu had been testing him ever since I brought the porridge into the room.

She only wanted to confirm whether I was worthy of Xiao Xinzhu. Fair enough. That sort of obsessive personality only exists in shows. In the real world, how many obsessives like that are there?

Zhao Yu returned to her mischievous self, grabbed Ming Tian and Xiao Xinzhu by the hands, and pulled them together.

"All right, Young Master Ming Tian, do not be angry with me. I was only thinking about my lady's lifelong happiness."

"Uh..." Having been played for the first time, Ming Tian was at a loss for words.

Zhao Yu said with a grin, "Well then, my dear son-in-law, surely you are not that petty?"

"I... am not..." Ming Tian answered a little stiffly.

So all my life I thought myself wise, only to be played by a local girl?

"Forget it. I am going to cook." Ming Tian scratched his head until a fair bit of dandruff came loose, then walked downstairs.

"Cook?" Zhao Yu asked in confusion. "Why cook? Hasn't the two-legged sheep fallen asleep?"

Dragging his weary body along, Ming Tian stretched lazily. "Today Yin Chan is leaving. As a friend, I should make her a proper feast to send her off."

...