Chapter 276: Returning to Old Profession

Chapter 243: Returning to Old Ways

In a dream, the sky was heavy, rain accompanied by thunder.

Amidst the thunderstorm, the child ran desperately. Louder than the thunder were the thundering hooves of approaching horses. The child fell, covered in mud in the rain. She got up and kept running. In the hazy light and shadow, armored cavalry and battle lines curved like crescent moons from the depths of darkness.

He suddenly sat up in the small hut. He shouldn't have been able to see the scene in front of the hut, but his vision was now an overhead view. The muddy young girl was still running towards him, and the battle lines advanced from behind. He heard hooves, groped for weapons. The hut's back window was open, and through it, he saw his terrified wife in the distance. She tried to run towards him but was immediately knocked unconscious by the guards accompanying her.

He sat by the window and waved.

Then came a jumble of fragmented memories: the weeping young girl standing in front of the hut with outstretched arms; the armored cavalry charging forward, rising like mountains before them; the light and sound that erupted in the storm as he pushed outwards; a "boom" of light flashing across the sky; swinging blades, spears, and fists; a colossal blade cleaving down from the side; the young girl in a veil wielding that blade, splitting a warhorse's body and spraying blood into the air; fierce arguments...

When he opened his eyes, it was still dark outside.

He lay there, pulling himself out of the dream's chaos, quietly savoring the momentary peace. Beyond the screen, Xiao Chan, lying on the narrow bed, stirred. Outside, insects chirped before dawn, and the city's pulse was a fragmented murmur. This was... Hangzhou.

For the first time in days, he dreamt of the events from a few days ago.

On the night of July 13th, he and his many guards were scattered by an attacking army. After that, he wandered and fled, his consciousness hazy. A few days later, he slowly regained clarity, having barely survived. However, a wound infection had severely weakened him, leaving him in an extremely frail state. In fact, had he not previously trained his body well, these injuries might have been fatal.

During this time, the few remaining soldiers who had been with him had also dispersed. The only ones who truly stayed with him after breaking away from the main group were his wife Su Tan'er, the maidservants Xiao Chan and Juan'er, and Guard Geng, who had always faithfully protected his mistress. Xing'er couldn't keep up that night and likely returned to Fuzhou with the main army, which was a blessing in disguise.

Then came the events he had just dreamt of again: when they couldn't return to Huzhou and were hiding in the nearby area, they were finally discovered. Xiao Chan and he couldn't escape and were forced to confront the enemy directly. At that moment, because his wife and Juan'er were behind the house, Guard Geng knocked out Su Tan'er upon discovering the enemy and quickly fled with Juan'er.

In retrospect, if the arriving Fang La army had pursued relentlessly, sweeping through the area, Guard Geng and the others likely wouldn't have escaped. But those people stopped when they saw him, and an argument broke out. Some wanted to kill him, while others seemed intent on protecting him. After a long standoff, both sides almost came to blows. Then, the young woman named Liu Xigua appeared, coldly stopping everyone with her massive blade. He himself was weak then and only fired one shot, but after witnessing all this, he and Xiao Chan were ultimately captured. He then woke up in Hangzhou.

After a grayish sky, a torrential downpour enveloped Hangzhou's morning in a bluish haze. Pedestrians, soldiers, and merchants entering and exiting the city wore bamboo hats and straw cloaks, bringing a sense of calm back to the city that had just begun to bustle after the great battle.

A few boats docked at the Qiantang River pier near the south gate. Boatmen busily loaded and unloaded goods, while laborers, accompanied by soldiers, left the city to prepare for the year's rice harvest. In areas previously hit hard by disaster, houses and wooden sheds were being rebuilt. In the slightly busier markets, soldiers and workers were erecting stands and various decorations for the inauguration parade.

In present-day Hangzhou, a new order, established by the rebel soldiers and numerous generals as the privileged class, formed the basis of governance. Life was naturally very different from before. A few bustling areas were exceptionally lively, while most other places were quiet and subdued. While there was indeed a semblance of peace, people's hearts were unsettled; no one could truly feel secure.

In a small courtyard on one side of the city, mixed voices reciting texts drifted faintly through the heavy rain.

This was an academy, with lush trees inside and out. Next door was a medical hall, and beyond that, a dilapidated courtyard occupied by unknown soldiers. The medical hall was lively, with frequent complaints and curses from the generals and soldiers who visited.

The Fang La uprising was, in essence, a peasant rebellion. At its outset, their most direct action was to kill all privileged classes: officials, landlords, wealthy merchants, and scholars who looked down on them. Yet, paradoxically, they also aspired to become privileged themselves—to be officials, landlords, or wealthy merchants. While these aspirations weren't openly stated, the most respectable among them was, naturally, to become a scholar.

When they conquered a place, they would naturally curse and kill any scholar who displeased them or didn't side with them, viewing them as powerless. However, those with foresight and vision, once they had the means, ultimately hoped for their own families to produce scholars and achieve success. This was a value instilled by thousands of years of Confucian rule, where people always believed that only those who studied could truly accomplish great things.

Consequently, even after the war left a desolate landscape, some powerful individuals still protected scholars, either as advisors or as teachers for their own family members, offering them refuge. The academy before them was, in fact, the only one in Hangzhou these days, reportedly backed by several military generals. After the city fell, food supplies were extremely scarce. Some scholars who were originally powerless, unlike the "notorious" Four Great Clans, but possessed some learning, miraculously survived the city's fall and were assigned here as teachers.

At present, the academy didn't have many students. Their families usually had some background, but not particularly high-ranking. If one were truly of the status of Shi Bao or Wang Yin, finding a teacher for their family members would simply involve seizing a renowned Confucian scholar.

While there weren't many students, there were many teachers. Some had previously been part of the Fang La army; these had adapted to the new situation and, assigned here after entering the city, were often arrogant. They had connections with military generals, received many benefits, and were no longer persecuted. The other group comprised scholars originally from Hangzhou. These were "the defeated," and regardless of their learning, they now had to humble themselves and bide their time. Their salaries were meager, just enough for daily sustenance, though in Hangzhou at that time, it was considered a good job. When occasionally provoked, they endured with stoic scholarly dignity, thinking of their wives, children, and others they needed to support.

"Ahem... class is beginning. My surname is Ning. I will be lecturing on the Records of the Grand Historian..."

Rain formed a curtain under the eaves, obscuring the outside world. While students still chatted and patted their damp clothes among desks and chairs that morning, the rather young man sat down at the lectern, tapped the desk with a pointer, and spoke with a slightly sickly voice, his words brief and unassuming.

Below, the students chattered, joked, and laughed, while the young teacher above continued his lecture impassively. The young teacher appeared weak, even sickly, and most students below had little respect for him. Several robust children even interrupted the teacher's words during an argument, directly asking, "Hey, where's the most fun place in Hangzhou?" The teacher simply smiled and named a few places worth visiting. This was the scene on the first day of Teacher Ning's arrival at the academy.

This was a glimpse of Hangzhou now. Another simple morning, as usual. After most of the morning had passed, the students happily scattered like birds and beasts. The young man who had just taught a lesson returned to the faculty room and greeted a few colleagues. The teachers here were a motley crew; most who had previously been with the Fang La army had their own affairs to attend to, while those originally from Hangzhou were mostly anxious, teaching diligently without asking or speaking much.

One person recognized him, saying, "Ning Liheng..." He cupped his hands but said nothing more, a tacit understanding between them. Times were hard, everyone struggled, and there was no mood for small talk.

The rain continued to pour. After the half-day lesson, the academy grew somewhat quieter. Avoiding a leaky eave, Ning Yi collected a small bag of unpolished rice and a bunch of wilted green vegetables from the academy's current administrator—his pay for the day. As the scholars dispersed into the bluish rain curtain, Ning Yi headed towards the back of the academy.

A considerable part of the academy's back wall had collapsed, connecting it to the adjacent medical hall and a simple small courtyard behind. This courtyard now only had two or three usable single rooms. At the entrance of one of these rooms, Xiao Chan timidly leaned, peering out, awaiting his return. When she spotted him, she opened a broken umbrella and ran into the rain...

For Ning Yi, he himself couldn't say what his current situation would lead to.

When he was brought back to Hangzhou, his body was extremely weak. He was then placed in the medical hall at the front. But after that, apart from two blade-wielding guards who constantly watched him, making him seem like a prisoner, no one else came to deal with him. It was as if the person who had protected him simply brought him to Hangzhou and then... forgot about him.

Xiao Chan had stayed by his side, caring for him. The young maidservant hadn't left him since they were captured together and brought to Hangzhou. She made herself appear ugly, only settling down somewhat after Ning Yi truly regained consciousness. According to her, Su Tan'er and Juan'er were likely not captured, but whether they could return to Huzhou under Guard Geng's protection was uncertain at the time. Su Tan'er was also a stubborn person. What happened to them next had become Ning Yi's greatest worry these days. But worrying aside, he was here, unable to escape, so he could only adapt to the circumstances, especially with Xiao Chan still needing his care.

As his injuries gradually healed these past days, he and Xiao Chan were settled in the small courtyard behind the medical hall. The master and servant weren't explicitly restricted in their movements, but for people without connections, venturing out would likely not lead to pleasant sights. Hangzhou recently suffered from scarce supplies. As prisoners, they received two meals' worth of rations daily, which they cooked themselves.

It was unclear who the small courtyard had belonged to previously; most of its furnishings were gone, and what remained was mostly dilapidated. Since the earthquake, some of the houses had collapsed, making them unsuitable for living. Xiao Chan, however, happily tidied it up several times. A few days ago, the old physician came and asked Ning Yi what he used to do. Ning Yi thought for a moment and replied, "teach." So, that day, he was called to the academy. It was a case of putting him to good use, of him returning to his old profession...