The small cave blocked the night wind. With the moonlight shining in from outside the cave, Ning Yi talked about the process of destroying Liangshan while fiddling with the gun in his hand. Although he was drenched after jumping into the river, he still carried a few small oilcloth bags with him, one of which contained gunpowder and bullets. At this time, he still had a weapon for self-defense.
Then he asked Hongti why she came here. Hongti told him about the split on Lyliang Mountain and the reason why she went down the mountain. She went all the way to Bianliang but did not find those people on Lyliang Mountain. Instead, she found Wenren Bu 'er. After telling him about the situation, Wenren Bu' er asked him to come to Shandong. After that, when he met Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen, and the others, they fought fiercely.
Although Hongti did not give more reasons, Ning Yi could roughly understand the deeper meaning behind it. Now that he was known as the devil in his heart, there were those who were afraid of him and those who hated him. The Lulin Forest had its rules and ecology. Just like the Confucian School of Dao, people who played with people's hearts were not liked by others. Lu Hongti's help was also to give herself a better guarantee with her skills.
Zhou Dong was in charge of the Imperial Boxing School and did not care about the disciples who were involved in the bandits. Therefore, everyone fought without scruples. After Lu Hongti's help this time, she became famous. All the people of the Lulin Forest who wanted to attack her had to think twice.
However, when she mentioned that her plan to enter the city this time was to look for food, Ning Yi took out another oiled paper bag and opened it. He handed her a piece of smoked meat, which was the dry rations Ning Yi always carried with him.
He had always been rich, so he was very particular about food and clothing. He never got tired of fine food. This dry food had also gone through many processes and was cooked very delicious. Hongti originally thought that she would have to go hungry today, so she did not mind. But it was naturally a pleasant surprise to have food. She tore a small part of the bacon and ate it. When she took the first bite, her expression was a little complicated. Then she chewed slowly and swallowed. Ning Yi looked at her and stroked her hair.
In all fairness, all kinds of knowledge and education in this era were far less widespread than in the future. In terms of upbringing, people like Li Shishi, who could be noble and amiable, naturally surpassed many people of the later generations. His wife, Xiaochan, and the others, because of the education of the wealthy families in Jiangnan, had the clear and attractive aura of a court lady when they looked back. Lu Hongti didn't have such an opportunity.
Ning Yi had noticed it a long time ago. Because of the teachings of Lu Liangshan's Grandpa Liang, she had the self-awareness of being a woman. However, due to the difficulties of life, she didn't have many opportunities to be particular. Her appearance was undoubtedly beautiful. Her oval face, gentle eyes, and temperament were not sharp. Also, because she didn't take care of herself, it was difficult to feel soul-stirring at first glance. On the contrary, because of her travel-worn aura, it made people feel that she was ordinary at first glance. But she was perhaps the most contented woman that Ning Yi had ever seen. If put in real life, she should be the kind of woman who lived a difficult life, but would gladly endure it. After getting married, she would take care of her husband and raise their children. She might be beautiful, but she didn't meddle. Although her life was difficult, she was always an optimistic woman. The label given to her was probably the most common virtuous woman in this era, not the strength.
But in this kind of feeling, she did indeed have the martial arts of a grandmaster.
In her life, perhaps she carried all the past on her back and moved forward. There were many things and many ups and downs behind her. Those things had been polished clean by her own strength. But every time he saw the clues of these things, Ning Yi would feel a beating in his heart. It was like Qian Xiwen's death, like the crying and smiling face of the little girl on the way to Hangzhou, and also like how she looked at him and said, "Don't look at me. This is very delicious." It was plain and indifferent.
Perhaps … at least among all the grandmasters he had seen, she was the most ordinary grandmaster.
"Seriously, is your injury okay?"
"Not really." Hong Ti tore off a small piece of bacon and handed the remaining half to Ning Yi. Ning Yi waved his hand, and Hong Ti wrapped it up as well. She didn't want to eat the remaining half. "In a war, you can't run away with a little injury. Even if your limbs are broken, you must be able to kill. Otherwise, you will definitely die … The two palms from the monk didn't affect you at all. You just need to spit out blood. But your chest is hurting, right?"
Ning Yi laughed. "Just a little bit. I'm using an iron plate as a cushion. Besides, I'm regulating my Qi-circulation."
"You really think what you said is a novel …" Hong Ti glanced at him, and then hesitantly reached out her hand and leaned over. After a moment of hesitation, she pressed her palm on Ning Yi's chest and pressed it gently.
"I'm fine." She said, "But breaking the Six Dao still requires daily nourishment. I've told you before, you shouldn't use too much."
Although he had made many miraculous achievements after practicing the Six Dao Breaking technique, it was still a domineering technique that forced out the human body's potential. It would definitely harm the body. Lu Hongti had said the same thing in Hangzhou. Ning Yi felt helpless. "I can't do anything about it …"
"It's not the Jianghu. It's different from the Jianghu you know …" Hong Ti shook her head. "They can find a reason for doing something wrong. They have rules and morals. They're just bandits …"
"He's already like this …" Ning Yi replied with a smile. At this point, he heard Hongti, who was looking at him, suddenly say, "Lie down."
"Huh?"
Ning Yi was stunned. Then, he tried to lie down on the ground. "What for?"
"Since I've acknowledged you as my master, I have to give you something."
In the dim light, Hong Ti raised her chin, and there was a hint of complexity in her smile. She knelt down beside Ning Yi and pressed her hands on Ning Yi's back. "It might hurt a little. You have to bear with it."
"Uh …"
Ning Yi felt the palms gradually heat up. Because of the force, his chest started to hurt. He said in a low voice, "Haven't I been like this for a long time?"
"It didn't count," Hong Ti replied in a low voice.
"Oh … Can I talk …"
"Do whatever you want. Everyone is like this …"
As Hong Ti spoke, Ning Yi felt the hands stop on an acupoint in his body. Then, it pushed the blood in his body to his heart. His blood vessels were swollen and painful. Ning Yi clenched his teeth.
"That's right … People are like this. They have no choice. They can't change the world. Since they're in such a situation, they can only do bad things. After doing bad things, they can't blame themselves all day. Slowly, they have to find a way to add a bunch of reasons to their actions. They make it sound like it's the truth. Even they believe it. This is called … Stockholm Syndrome …"
"Damn Brother Ermo … You sympathize with them?"
"No, but you have to understand them to defeat them … or change them …"
Ning Yi was not mentally prepared for this sudden massage. But after a while, he understood what she meant by a little pain. The so-called inner force was the movement of Qi and blood. Lu Hongti's hands were burning hot. She pushed the Qi and blood in his body. Not long after, various feelings of numbness, itchiness, and pain surged up. Sweat poured out. Although Ning Yi felt uncomfortable, he knew that she was mostly doing it for his own good. She nagged to distract him, but he also felt a little strange. After all, it was inappropriate for men and women to touch each other. She was taking a huge risk to her reputation by massaging his acupoints.
This torment lasted for about half an hour before it stopped. When Ning Yi sat up, he felt that his whole body was burning as if he had a fever. He smiled and said, "Am I going to become a martial arts master?"
Hong Ti shook her head and chuckled. "It's just to make your body feel a little better." She wiped the sweat off her forehead and handed over the package of bacon. "It's better to eat something." Ning Yi nodded and broke the package in half.
After that, the two of them sat on one side and chatted about Lu Liangshan. Hong Ti had always been interested in the situation in Liao and the Wu dynasty. Although she was not good at it, she was probably influenced by "Grandpa Liang" and felt that only a person who could defeat ten thousand people was useful. She admired Ning Yi in this aspect. Not long after, the sweat on Ning Yi's body evaporated and his body gradually turned cold. Hong Ti sat there and hesitated for a while. "You, you come here."
"Uh …" Ning Yi looked at her.
Lu Hongti hugged her knees and curled up. "You said that people in Jianghu don't care about trifles. We still have a day or two to endure. It'll be colder when the sun rises. After all, I'm wearing clothes."
Her tone had the decisiveness of a battlefield. Ning Yi nodded and sat next to her. After a while, he put his arms around her and pulled her body to his side. Hong Ti did not struggle. She hugged her knees and lowered her head so that their bodies were as close as possible. She was tall, only a little shorter than Ning Yi. She was skilled in martial arts. Her body was warm and only a little stiff.
Ning Yi seemed to feel something in his heart. After a moment of silence, he said, "Do you think your master is Sikong Nan?"
"I'm your master. Can't you call her grandmaster?"
"Then, do you think the grandmaster is Sikong Nan?"
In the past, Lu Hongti only taught Ning Yi some second-rate martial arts and never cared about the title. But now that she was close to him, she began to care about how Ning Yi called her master. However, she didn't care that Ning Yi kept talking and going. After thinking for a while, she said, "Although I don't know who my master is, I don't think so."
"Oh."
Then the two of them talked intermittently for a while, and gradually fell asleep in the midst of the haze. As the night dew grew colder, Ning Yi hugged Lu Hongti even tighter. Occasionally, Hong Ti woke up and looked at the moonlight outside the cave. She was alert to the surroundings, but her eyes were complicated and confused. She hugged her knees and curled up in Ning Yi's arms. She couldn't let go of her hands. She just hugged him and tried to get as close to him as possible.
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