"The water is ready …"
In the darkness of the night, lights flickered everywhere in the city. In the quiet and somewhat deserted courtyard, Ning Yi put the basin of water on the table in the inner room.
The woman in black held a small medicine bag in her hand. She was originally leaning against the bed and tending to her wounds, but when Ning Yi came in, she pulled up her clothes and stopped. Her face was still covered with a veil, but her body was still covered with blood. Ning Yi thought for a moment, then searched the cabinet next to him and took out a robe.
"There is no change of clothes here, only this. It is dry and clean. Your clothes are torn, so you can change them at night. New clothes can only be brought over tomorrow."
The woman looked at him coldly. "Where do you want to go?"
Ning Yi hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and smiled. "Alright, when you believe me, you can tend to your wounds first. I will sit outside and boil some water."
"If you want to leave, no matter how fast you can run, I guarantee that you won't be able to leave this courtyard."
"I know, I won't leave."
Ning Yi smiled, then turned back and took a jar from the shelf. When he opened it, it was filled with the strong smell of alcohol.
"Alcohol, but the alcohol content is too high to drink. If you want to wash your wounds, you can use this."
In fact, it was all alcohol. Ning Yi walked out and closed the door. The woman slightly frowned as she listened to the footsteps. After a moment, she opened her clothes under the light. The red cloth covered her chest layer by layer, and there were several places where the cloth had been broken. From the upper shoulder to the lower abdomen, the skin was covered with blood, some of which had coagulated into blood scabs. Coupled with the shocking wounds, the wounds on the front of her body were considered light, but there were wounds on her back and hands that had probably reached the tendons and bones. When the clothes were pulled down, the coagulated blood scabs were torn again. She bit her lips to endure, but most of the wounds on her body were not bleeding at this time, and had actually stopped bleeding.
The woman twisted the cloth in the basin, frowned slightly, and began to wipe the bloodstains on her body. A pea-like light, an unsophisticated sword, and a woman wiping her body in a simple room … A moment later, on the other side of the wall, Ning Yi also sat down on a stool, his gaze fixed on the light in the room. The woman could probably hear his movements. She paused for a moment, then continued to wipe her wounds, applying the powder to her wounds.
"This used to be an abandoned garden, so normally no one would come here. If it was in the past, they might have searched this place, but I've already rented it, so it shouldn't be a problem. Next door was Yushan Academy, and beyond that was a small bamboo forest. A small river flowed through that side, but it was not wide. On the other side of the river, there are two restaurants and a triangular residential area. The alleys in the area extend in all directions. It shouldn't be easy for someone to chase us there. There are Changxing Street and Changye Street. If we go further, the road will lead to the south gate … On the other side of the courtyard is … "
With his back against the wall, Ning Yi slowly opened his mouth and introduced the surroundings. The woman quietly applied the medicine and listened. After a while, she said, "Are you a disciple of the Dao Sect?"
"Hm?"
"There are so many things for alchemy outside."
"Oh, not alchemy. I should be a disciple of the Confucian School. These are things that can be examined."
"Should be?"
"Should be."
"… How did you know that I was under the carriage?"
"It was a feeling … or a guess …"
"Do you have a grudge against Song Xian?"
"No, I've heard of his infamy."
"… That's not entirely true."
"I've seen you before, Miss."
There was a moment of silence. "When?"
"On this year's New Year's Eve, when Miss was fighting on Vermilion Bird Avenue, I was watching from a few dozen meters away. Later, in a restaurant, Miss dressed as a maid and poured wine for me."
"… I remember now." The voice sank slightly. On the other side of the wall, the woman who was wiping her wounds slowly stopped. With a wave of her right arm, she grabbed the hilt of the sword on the small table and stabbed it behind her. With a poof, dirt and stones shot out from the other side of the wall. The blade of the sword pierced through the wall and stopped next to Ning Yi's face. Ning Yi smiled and turned his head to look.
"You're the scholar who wrote the poem that day … Why are you following me!"
"Today, you're following me." When Ning Yi said this, the woman on the other side of the wall was slightly stunned. "But you should understand that I mean no harm."
After a moment, the woman withdrew the blade of the sword and placed it on the table. Light shone through the gap where the sword had pierced through.
"But why are you following me? What are your intentions? "
"Besides Song Xian … I want to learn martial arts." Ning Yi said honestly. The woman on the other side of the wall was stunned by this answer. After a moment, the voice softened a little. "Nonsense."
"It's the truth. I've always admired martial arts. I've long wanted to know what the legendary profound martial arts are like …"
"You're quite talented?" The voice on the other side of the wall interrupted him.
"Uh, it's not good to say it myself …"
"That day upstairs, everyone asked you to write a poem. When you wrote one, everyone was speechless … You scholars have always looked down on martial artists. You're also a talented scholar, and you're also famous. Now, you say you want to learn martial arts, and profound martial arts at that. You don't fight in battle formations, and you don't fight with others. What's the use of learning? I don't believe it. "
The woman said indifferently. There was no emotion in her words. She was just stating these words. Ning Yi thought for a while. He heard the faint sound of the bell outside the city and laughed. "Indeed … It's useless. And I heard that profound martial arts have to be practiced from the age of children. It takes ten to twenty years, and only then will there be achievements. Is that right? "
"You're indeed past the age to practice martial arts."
"It's a pity." Ning Yi smiled. "Actually … I'm good at studying things."
"… studying things?"
"Yes, it's studying the principles of all things, and then deriving and using them. For example, the alcohol you used to clean your wounds has been cooled and distilled several times. Currently, only a small amount has been extracted, but if you use it to make wine …"
It was getting late. Ning Yi casually said some words, waiting for the time to pass. Inside the room, the woman was treating the wounds on her body. She occasionally said something absent-mindedly. Her clothes were, after all, stained with blood. She took them off and threw them to the side. White bandages were wrapped around her chest, around her shoulders, and even around her thighs and right foot. After hesitating for a while, she finally put on the robe. She took off her veil. Her pale face looked weak, but she was still vigilant.
After a while, Ning Yi said, "It's too late. If I don't go back now, I'm afraid my family will come looking for me. I'll come back tomorrow morning. Since you're injured, you should rest early. "
Ning Yi waited for a while, but there was no reply. He extinguished the lamp and prepared to leave. Then he said, "Oh yes, if you want to extinguish the alcohol lamp, just take a cover from the side to cover the flame. If you blow it, I'm afraid it'll explode. After saying that, he pushed the door open and gently closed it.
The door to the inner room was gently pulled open. She gently pulled the robe and walked out barefoot. She frowned and looked at the door. Then, she walked to the door and opened it a crack. She looked towards the courtyard. Ning Yi had already left the courtyard. Not long after, the sound of a carriage could be heard and it gradually faded away.
The sound of insects came from the grass in the courtyard. The sky was full of stars blinking under the night sky. The woman looked at the direction where the carriage left and frowned for a while. Then she looked back at the room outside. There were all kinds of things on the shelves, bottles and jars. When she woke up, she only took a glance inside, so she thought it was the place where the Taoist refined pills. Only now did she see more things in the room. In a slightly spacious area, there were several tables arranged in a long row. There were strange iron shelves, strange iron barrels, pipes, and instruments that no one could understand at all. A black wooden board hung on the wall at the end of the room. There were strange white symbols on it. Starlight shone in through the window and sprinkled on the pages of the books and the opened Xuan paper on the table. A brush was moving on the brush rack …
The night breeze blew in through the opening of the wooden door behind her, blowing her messy hair and slightly large robe. Under the robe, the silhouette of her body, which was only wrapped in bandages, could be vaguely seen. The woman closed the door behind her and walked all the way to the inner room. Hugging her sword and knees, she curled up in the corner of the bed and fell asleep …
*****
She probably wouldn't suddenly leave tonight …
On the way to the side door of the Su family, Ning Yi took a few deep breaths and thought about it. Then he smiled.
Because she had no clothes to wear …
Of course, the main reason was because of her injury. With the death of an official like Song Xian, it wouldn't be long before the soldiers set up checkpoints everywhere in Jiangning. With such a serious injury, she couldn't leave for the time being.
Judging from the way this woman arranged for Song Xian's guards to leave, she wasn't stupid. She more or less knew how to weigh the pros and cons, so she wouldn't suddenly do something stupid.
If he were to directly say that he was interested in martial arts, it would be a little difficult to grasp the scale. Most importantly, if he were to say it in the future, it would inevitably give the impression that the whole plan was for this matter. Although in this era, people valued literature and looked down on martial arts, but in society, the culture of personal skills was still very much valued, not to mention such a divine skill. He was past the age limit, but he didn't want to be a top-notch master. In fact, he didn't even consider going to the Jianghu or going to the battlefield.
This matter should be said first and then diluted as much as possible with other elements, making it seem more open and frank. As long as he could get past this hurdle, it would be easy to bring it up in the future. If he brought it up in the future and incurred the other party's displeasure, she would really feel that she owed him a favor. She might even think that he was scheming against her and give him a perfunctory beating.
Tomorrow, he had to leave a good impression and let her continue to stay …
Having been in the Wu dynasty for so long, this was the first time he had taken the initiative to think of a plan. It felt similar to when he was negotiating with others for orders or selling ideas. First, he had to make the other party feel that he was sincere, and then slowly discuss the conditions. Whatever the other party needed, he needed. In fact, from the beginning to the end, he was still the kind of person who wanted to exchange goods and money equally. It was just that before this, he would use all his strength to fight for a position where he could talk on equal terms.
On the way home, he passed through the side door and looked into the distance. There was no light in the courtyard where he lived. He guessed that Tan'Er and her servant hadn't returned yet. He didn't know if Xiaochan was asleep or not. When he walked to the entrance of the courtyard, he saw the young girl sitting in the pavilion in the center.
Neat bangs and a white dress with floral prints, the young girl sat there thinking about something. Her hands were clenched into fists on her knees, giving off the feeling that she was gritting her teeth. The light of the stars shone down from the sky, shining on the young girl's focused profile. Ning Yi watched for two seconds. The young girl's eyes moved, and then she looked in his direction and stood up.
The night wind fluttered the hem of her dress. The young girl stood there and looked over in a daze. This wasn't the usual bouncing Xiaochan with a bag on her head, but a more mature Xiaochan who usually hid behind her back. This feeling lasted for two seconds.
"Gu …"
As the first syllable was uttered, she was already choking with sobs. Tears rolled down from the young girl's eyes. She raised her hand to wipe them away and suddenly began to cry.
"Son-in-law …"
Amidst the cries, Xiao Chan ran over from that side and threw herself into his arms, hugging him, almost pushing him back a step. Ning Yi hugged her back and murmured a sigh.
"I'm back …"
"Son-in-law … where on earth did you go …"
Under the night sky, the crying young girl seemed to become shorter, and then she turned back into the Xiaochan from before …
*****
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