"I've heard that you come from the Ling Clan, is that true?" Hearing this, one might say that Ling Ye was briefly stunned.
He hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him, especially not so soon. After all, he had no intention of staying in this village for long. So seeing someone like the self-introduced Qing Daheng standing before him was, to say the least, an unwelcome surprise.
Even so, Ling Ye didn't showed it and only wore a polite smile on his face as he returned the greeting with a respectful fist salute.
"Ah, greetings," he said calmly. "How may this humble one assist you, Friend Qing Daheng?"
"Haha!" Qing Daheng laughed cheerfully, his smile widening as he lifted his chin slightly, clearly in high spirits.
"Nothing much, nothing much," he replied casually. "I simply wanted to ask, are you truly from the Ling Clan?"
Ling Ye remained composed.
"The Ling Clan?" he repeated, as if hearing this question already a hundred times. Then he shook his head lightly, a faint trace of embarrassment appearing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"If you mean the noble and renowned Ling Clan… then no, I am not from that family." He let out a small, self deprecating chuckle. "I come from a humble background. My surname happens to be Ling as well, but it carries a different meaning. It's not uncommon for people to mix them up."
Qing Daheng listened quietly and for a brief moment, he seemed lost in thought. Then, without warning, he turned his head slightly and glanced at the old man standing behind him, his look subtle, yet clearly asking for confirmation.
Although Ling Ye noticed the subtle exchange, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. For a brief moment, he wondered if the two had other intentions, but as the old man behind Qing Daheng slowly shook his head, that thought faded.
Qing Daheng's reaction, however, is immediate, with his eyes widened at that, just for a second and before disappointment clearly settled in.
"Haa…" he let out a quiet sigh, Qing Daheng nodded lightly, as if coming to some conclusion.
"I understand… I understand," he said, his tone still polite. "In that case, I will take my leave, Friend Ling."
His smile remained friendly, calm and respectful, but his eyes told a different story and Ling Ye could see this clearly. It clearly is annoyance and impatience, as if this entire visit had been nothing more than a waste of time.
And so, just as quickly as Qing Daheng had arrived, he turned and left, the old man silently following behind him.
Ling Ye stood there for a moment, watching their retreating figures and only when the two finally disappeared from sight did he slowly withdraw his gaze.
"Haa…" Letting out a deep sigh of relief, Ling Ye returned to his room and locked the door behind him and walked over to the chair and sat down, his gaze drifting toward the window once again.
There isn't much to do and from time to time, he reread parts of the old notebook, trying to make sense of its strange contents. Other times, he occupied himself with light exercises, just to pass the time, but no matter what he did, boredom lingered everywhere.
Still, he preferred this over going outside, after all, encounters like the one with Qing Daheng were the last thing he wanted. A simple curiosity had already brought trouble to his door once, there was no need to invite more.
Here, he could trust no one, except Bai Da and even that trust had its limits.
This place, though peaceful on the surface, felt anything but safe to Ling Ye. Especially now, after drawing attention with his name and if it were up to him, he would leave immediately, but he couldn't, not yet.
So he endured and waited, time passed slowly.
At some point, Ling Ye had already cursed Bai Da a thousand times in his mind for taking so long and then, as the sun began to set, casting a softer light through the window, "Knock."
A gentle sound echoed from the door, "It's me, Bai Da!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Ling Ye finally stood up and walked over, unlocking and opening the door and standing there is Bai Da, now dressed in the same simple green robes as him.
With a bright, carefree smile, Bai Da stepped inside without hesitation, his eyes immediately wandering around the room with curiosity.
Ling Ye closed the door behind him and returned to his seat, watching silently as Bai Da looked around and it didn't take long and once Bai Da seemed satisfied, Ling Ye finally spoke, "Everything alright?"
"Hmm, everything's fine," Bai Da replied, nodding confidently. "This inn is surprisingly good. Your room and mine are almost the same, only a few small differences. Other than that, they're identical."
Hearing this, Ling Ye clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
"That's not what I meant," he said flatly. "I asked if you are alright. I came looking for you around noon, yet you only returned in the afternoon."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, "So, are you okay?"
"Oh, hehe…" Bai Da scratched the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly as he realized his misunderstanding.
"Right, right. I'm fine," he said quickly, nodding again. "The clothes they gave us are decent, the food is good enough, and the bed…" he grinned, "the bed feels heavenly. So yes, everything's fine. I have no complaints at all!"
"Good." Ling Ye studied him for a moment, noting his clean appearance, before a faint smile appeared on his face.
"In that case," he continued calmly, "since you've had such a pleasant time here… you should be able to handle a small task to pass the time, right?"
Bai Da blinked, caught off guard and then he frowned slightly and asked, "…We're leaving tomorrow?"
Shaking his head, Ling Ye calmly explained his plans.
"No. We'll leave the day after tomorrow," he said. "We're heading back home, and I can't afford to waste any more time here. There are things waiting for me."
He paused briefly before continuing, "To be honest, I would prefer to leave tomorrow, but I still have something to take care of first."
His gaze shifted toward Bai Da, "While I handle that, you can prepare for our departure. Find a carriage for us on the day we leave."
Then, more directly, "Can you do that?"
Bai Da didn't hesitate and he had no reason to object, nor anything to add and nodding firmly, he replied, "Alright. I'll start by asking the innkeeper and see what I can find."
He turned to leave, but after taking a step, he paused and looked back at Ling Ye, clearly checking if there was anything else.
Ling Ye simply waved his hand dismissively, that is all and understanding the gesture, Bai Da smiled lightly and left the room and with that settled, Ling Ye was once again alone.
Time passed quietly and soon, the sun rose, marking the arrival of a new day.
Inside his room, Ling Ye was already awake, sitting in his chair. His breakfast had long since been finished, leaving him with nothing but his thoughts and the silence around him.
He stared out the window and thinking. After a while, he let out a quiet sigh and stood up.
Yesterday's boredom still lingered in his mind. The emptiness, the lack of anything meaningful to do, it is something he didn't want to endure again and this time, he made a decision.
Even if it meant taking a small risk, he would step outside and with that resolve forming firmly in his heart, Ling Ye left his room and walked out of the inn, heading into Green Path Village once more.
Without any clear destination, he simply wandered around.