Being Calculated Against

Song Qingshu was stunned into silence. "Alright, then you can consider him a spy."

"He's definitely a spy!" Ding Dian's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Di Yun, giving him another sound beating.

"Miss Ling is dying!" Seeing that his unintentional remark had led to Di Yun being beaten, Song Qingshu felt a pang of guilt and decided to deploy his ultimate move.

"What!" Ding Dian indeed stopped, charging over with a ferocious expression. "What did you just say!"

"Would you have let him go if I hadn't said that?" Song Qingshu wasn't afraid of him charging out, with the prison cell between them. "This foolish boy is truly a tragic figure. Throwing him in here was likely done because— perhaps you'd tell him your secrets, and then Ling Tuis would find this foolish boy easier to deal with than you."

Actually, after years of interaction, Ding Dian had long since figured this out. Seeing Song Qingshu call Ling Tuis by name, he snorted, "Who are you?"

"I am a great benefactor who saves people from suffering. I can't stand seeing you two so miserable, so I've come to bring you some warmth." Song Qingshu glanced at their wretched state – their bones pierced, their bodies filthy... Thinking of their fates, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmph! What trick is Ling Tuis playing now?" Ding Dian was now wary of everything.

"Ling Tuis?" Song Qingshu chuckled dismissively. "Great Hero Ding, how about we make a deal?"

"Get lost!" Ding Dian didn't even spare him a glance. Knowing Miss Ling was unharmed, he coldly sat back down.

"Do you really think I care about your Liancheng Jue?" Song Qingshu smiled. "To tell you the truth, the secret of the Liancheng Jue that you people have been fighting over, I already know."

"Heh, trying to fool a child?" Ding Dian gave a dry laugh.

"You don't believe me?" Song Qingshu stood up. "I can tell you the secret of the Liancheng Jue. See if there are any discrepancies with what you know."

"Go on, tell me then." Ding Dian eyed him suspiciously.

Song Qingshu gave a wry smile and lowered his voice. "Great Hero Ding, I know your martial arts are not lost. Please listen carefully, are there others within several yards? If Ling Tuis's men overhear, I'm afraid I'll suffer the same fate as you. My meridians are completely severed, and I have no martial arts left, so I'll have to trouble you to listen carefully."

Ding Dian was now unsure. He closed his eyes and carefully scanned the surroundings. "Speak. Within ten yards, besides the three of us, there's no one else."

Song Qingshu glanced at Di Yun. "Some things are better left unknown to him; it's for his protection." Ding Dian frowned but still casually pressed Di Yun's acupoint to knock him unconscious.

Song Qingshu finally breathed a sigh of relief and revealed the secret of the Liancheng Jue. Ding Dian's expression changed drastically, and he stared intently at Song Qingshu. "How do you know this?"

"You don't need to worry about that," Song Qingshu spread his hands. "Now, you should believe I'm not with Ling Tuis, right?"

"Then why did you come to find me?" Ding Dian was utterly perplexed.

"Didn't I say we should make a deal?" Song Qingshu extended his hand. "Quickly, check my pulse. Can your Divine Light Scripture heal it?"

Hearing his words, Ding Dian understood. He lightly felt Song Qingshu's pulse and uttered two words: "It can."

Song Qingshu finally relaxed. "If you ask me, Ling Tuis is truly a fool. If he had directly asked his daughter to present the Liancheng Jue as a betrothal gift, would you have refused?"

Ling Tuis judged others by his own standards, assuming everyone else was like him, afraid to reveal even a hint, lest Ding Dian become suspicious. He didn't realize that in Ding Dian's eyes, his daughter was far more important than any treasure.

Hearing Song Qingshu's words, Ding Dian felt an immediate sense of kinship, and his expression softened. He didn't realize this was Song Qingshu's deliberate attempt to get closer to him.

"It's just that now that I know his true colors, I absolutely will not give him the Liancheng Jue." Ding Dian said hatefully, a surge of resentment pent up in his heart for so many years.

"I'm not asking you to hand over the Liancheng Jue," Song Qingshu chuckled. "The deal between us has nothing to do with Ling Tuis."

"What deal?" Ding Dian finally showed some interest.

"I'll be responsible for ensuring you and Miss Ling, lovers separated, are finally united. In return, you'll heal my meridians. How about it?" Song Qingshu stared at him intently.

Unexpectedly, Ding Dian showed no joy but instead sighed deeply. "Do you know why I've been content to be confined here all these years?"

Song Qingshu's heart skipped a beat. "Why?"

"Firstly, my martial arts weren't yet accomplished, so I couldn't escape this fortress even if I wanted to," Ding Dian said with a bitter smile. "Secondly, it would have been useless even if I escaped. Shuang Hua wouldn't have come with me. I might as well stay here, where I can at least look at the chrysanthemums she places on her windowsill from afar to relieve my loneliness." Ding Dian's gaze drifted through the small prison window, gazing affectionately at the distant small building.

"Why wouldn't she leave with you?" Song Qingshu, though familiar with the general plot, was confused about these details.

"I don't know either," Ding Dian's expression softened slightly. "She's a young lady from a respectable family; it's normal for her not to want to elope with a man under unclear circumstances. Moreover, Ling Tuis forced her to take such a wicked oath." As he spoke, Ding Dian's expression turned ferocious.

"What wicked oath?" Song Qingshu felt a bit dismissive in his heart. It was just an oath; why were ancient people so foolish?

"Her father threatened her with my life, forcing her to swear: she could never see me again as long as she lived, or her mother's soul would suffer torment day and night in the afterlife." Ding Dian's teeth were almost ground to dust.

"With your life?" Song Qingshu's expression was strange. "Even if she refused, Ling Tuis wouldn't have killed you."

"That's precisely why his cruelty is so evident!" Ding Dian slammed his palm against the wall, leaving a clear handprint.

Song Qingshu muttered to himself, this was getting tricky.

As if sensing his thoughts, Ding Dian spoke, "If you can truly persuade Shuang Hua to elope with me, I can teach you the Divine Light Scripture."

Song Qingshu happily patted his chest. "Alright, leave it to me. I'll go test Miss Ling's reaction first, and then we can discuss how you'll teach me the Divine Light Scripture." Thinking he finally had a chance to turn his fortunes around, Song Qingshu was ecstatic and hurried away.

Watching Song Qingshu's slightly manic retreating figure, Ding Dian let out a cold laugh, thinking to himself, "The Divine Light Scripture, you won't be able to learn it in less than twenty years." It wasn't that Ding Dian was being deceitful; it was simply that he had had enough of human wickedness and now trusted no one.

Song Qingshu arrived in front of Miss Ling's small building and was stopped by guards. "Lord Ling has ordered that no one other than himself may see the young lady."

Song Qingshu flashed a token. "Lord Ling has authorized me to act freely within the manor, and everyone must cooperate with me. You should have received the notice."

The two guards exchanged glances, still hesitant. Song Qingshu paid them no mind, pushed aside the halberds blocking his path, and strode upstairs.