Chapter 201: Doubt and Secrets

The Son-in-Law

The Liao, believing the Wu Dynasty had no capable defenders, infiltrated the Central Plains to commit murder and assassination. In Jiangning, the only incident matching this description was the assassination at Zhuji a few days prior. To protect the reputation of Zhuji's second branch, Ning Yi had been using his connections with Lu Agui to widely publicize the matter over the past few days, effectively stirring up public sentiment. He himself had been tracking the whereabouts of the two escaped individuals, though there was no new information yet. However, judging by what these three men were saying, it seemed something new had developed last night.

Sitting there, Ning Yi listened patiently for a while. The three men were mostly discussing how formidable the leading Liao warrior was, how swiftly his saber struck, and how one might dodge such an attack. Xiao Chan, having overheard a few phrases, quietly asked Ning Yi, "Master, are they talking about what happened to Old Master Qin?" Ning Yi nodded slightly, then walked towards their table. "Gentlemen, if I may."

The three men were slightly taken aback to see a delicate-looking scholar approach them. They heard Ning Yi say, "I overheard you discussing the Liao incident just now, which seems related to the assassination a few days ago. I've heard about it too, but I don't know what happened yesterday. It appears you gentlemen were also involved. As the saying goes, a true hero serves their country and its people. I've always admired brave heroes like yourselves, so I'd be grateful if you could enlighten me about last night's events."

After saying this, he added, "Oh, my name is Ning Liheng. I've also practiced some martial arts and combat. In the jianghu, I'm known by the moniker 'Bloody-Handed Butcher.' A pleasure to meet you." Ning Yi's jianghu-style speech flowed naturally, much to Xiao Chan's admiration from behind him. However, when he mentioned 'Bloody-Handed Butcher,' her expression twitched slightly. The young maid had always thought this was just her master flattering himself, a scoundrel's boastful title that no one at home took seriously, and everyone even played along with. But seeing him so "shamelessly" mislead a few jianghu figures, she nearly collapsed.

The three jianghu men felt similarly. At first, they listened to Ning Yi's respectful words, thinking he was a patriotic and passionate scholar. But when he casually mentioned his moniker 'Bloody-Handed Butcher,' they exchanged bewildered glances. They could only respond with awkward phrases like, "I've long heard of you," and "A pleasure to meet you."

"I am Xiong Mo.""I am Lin Jinquan.""I am Zhao Xing."

None of them introduced themselves with flashy aliases. Perhaps they felt that being associated with a common, almost generic, moniker like "Bloody-Handed Butcher" would diminish their own standing.

Aside from the abrupt alias, Ning Yi was quite adept at navigating the situation. He ordered the best and most expensive breakfast set in the restaurant and had Xiao Chan take care of the bill. It was only then, as the three men began to speak, that he learned what had transpired the previous night.

The Liao assassination in Jiangning had been widely publicized by Ning Yi. Besides boosting the reputation of Jin'er's shop, it also greatly inflamed the patriotism of many jianghu figures. For days, government officials had been searching the city for the two escaped Liao assassins and had also offered a reward of nearly a thousand taels of silver. Various jianghu individuals had also connected with each other, driven by money, fame, and naturally, a surge of patriotic fervor, all aiming to capture the two Liao men. Ning Yi was aware of this development.

While everyone was frantically searching the entire city, the unfortunate nobleman, whose lower body had been nearly perforated like a sieve by the ferocious Jin'er's hairpin, had barely managed to cling to life. This was because Jin'er, after all, dared not kill anyone, and subconsciously stopped her frenzy when she felt she had done enough.

It was unclear what kind of detention measures the Jiangning Prefectural Yamen had put in place, but last night, the detention facility was infiltrated. This time, it wasn't just the two escaped individuals; a total of four people rescued the nobleman. A struggle ensued, but in the end, they could not stop these four formidable individuals.

Ning Yi was unaware of this development, but jianghu figures who had been paying close attention received word immediately. They went out of the city to intercept them, with the cooperation of government soldiers. However, the Liao men moved very quickly and possessed exceptionally high martial arts skills. The motley crew of martial artists and yamen constables were unable to form an effective encirclement. They pursued them through the mountains and forests near Jiangning, engaging in several skirmishes of varying sizes along the way. Ultimately, only one of the Liao men was captured, while the other three escaped with the half-dead nobleman.

Ning Yi was quite surprised that such an incident could occur right in Jiangning, on their own territory. However, according to the three men, the most skilled among the escapees was not the tall, thin man or the burly brute with a bandaged face, seemingly blind in one eye. Instead, it was another individual whose combat prowess was truly formidable and terrifying. This person was powerfully built, dark-skinned, and covered in scars from head to toe, appearing like a fierce demon. It was primarily this individual who carved out a path of blood, enabling the others to escape. Of course, the skills of the tall, thin man and the one-eyed brute were also not to be underestimated. Upon encountering them, the martial artists realized these might be among the most elite soldiers to have survived the Liao Dynasty's battlefield massacres.

"In the past, I thought my martial arts training had given me some skill, but just thinking about that scar-covered man sends shivers down my spine. Last night, when he struck down with his saber, I put all my strength into blocking, but I was still knocked several meters away by a single blow. My right shoulder was torn, and I probably won't be able to lift anything for a long time. My back took a hit and still aches. It's only because they were desperate to escape that I'm still alive; otherwise, one more blow would have surely ended me."