Chapter 62: Behind, Ahead

The Son-in-Law (Main Text)

Captain Song Xian was not an incompetent man.

Ever since the assassination attempt on the Lantern Festival, Ning Yi had been paying closer attention to Song Xian. While this approach was somewhat like "waiting for a hare to hit a tree," unlikely to yield significant results, and his current status prevented him from acquiring highly detailed intelligence, he could still obtain basic information if he put his mind to it.

As Lu Agui had previously told him, Song Xian was flamboyant, vengeful, and ruthless, but certainly not an incompetent mediocrity. Compared to Chen Yong, the commander of the Wulie Army, Song Xian, who had once been involved in the martial arts world, might have been more akin to a standard soldier. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted with the Wulie Army's personal guard battalion.

The current dynasty favored civil officials over military ones. The Wulie Army was a garrison force tasked with defending the Jiangning area. Stationed in a wealthy region, its overall combat effectiveness wasn't particularly strong; its only truly capable units were a few brigades centered around the personal guard battalion. Song Xian's position within the Wulie Army was second only to the commander. Since the Lantern Festival assassination, he had also heightened his vigilance, always accompanied by numerous personal guards whenever he went out. In the current venue, Ning Yi could only tail him from a distance, observing his surroundings. Fortunately, the large crowd made it unlikely for anyone to notice his tracking.

If he could follow Song Xian like this, others could too. If someone else also had designs on Song Xian, they might also be mingling in the crowd at that very moment. Ning Yi subtly watched for such possibilities, but the crowd was indeed immense. On the Lantern Festival night, he hadn't even clearly seen the assassin's face, so he wasn't getting any useful intelligence now. Song Xian was accompanied by about ten people. They ambled around, not seeming particularly interested in the performances. Upon reaching the stage by the river, they finally parted the crowd and took seats reserved for dignitaries at the very front. Song Xian spoke with one of them while his personal guards maintained a vigilant perimeter.

Ning Yi stood at the edge of the crowd, looking around. He then began to recall the events of the Lantern Festival, focusing on details and pondering the woman's modus operandi. He tried to put himself in her shoes, thinking about what methods he might use if he were to eliminate Song Xian. He was halfway through this thought process when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder with a folding fan from behind.

"Hey, my friend, being tall doesn't make you superior, does it? You're standing right here, blocking my view. What do you propose we do about that?"

Ning Yi was of average height at the time, not particularly tall. The voice behind him also sounded peculiar. After hearing it, he quickly realized who it was and turned around with a smile. The person holding the folding fan, dressed in a black robe, was only a forehead shorter than him, but significantly slenderer. Looking up, Ning Yi saw Nie Yunzhu's elegant yet comically serious face. Up close, despite wearing men's clothing, she showed little of a man's demeanor, instead appearing rather adorable and clumsy.

"Your reasoning is so compelling, my friend, it's clearly my fault. Seeing how fierce and domineering you are, should I perhaps pay you some protection money?"

Nie Yunzhu struggled to keep a straight face as she extended her hand. "Alright then, hand over all the flowers you have, and this big boss will spare you this once. Otherwise, beware, I'll beat your head into a pig's head!"

Having frequently set up stalls in the city, she had evidently picked up such street slang. With her current display of swagger, Ning Yi sighed and handed her the flower and ticket he had received upon entry. Only then did Nie Yunzhu burst into laughter. "Was Miss Ni Chang singing beautifully on stage? Were you listening so intently just now?"

"Ni Chang?" Ning Yi turned his head to look, then realized she was referring to the singer on stage. "Ah, I was thinking about some things. When did you get here?"

"I was just wandering around and happened to see you. I've been standing behind you for quite a while."

The two walked together towards the nearby flower registration booth. Nie Yunzhu also pulled a flower from her pocket and placed it, along with Ning Yi's, into a large box nearby. She then handed the receipt to the registrar. "Two flowers for Miss Yuan Jin'er of Jin Feng Tower."

"Miss Yuan Jin'er hasn't performed yet, you know."

"Give them to her anyway."

At her words, the attendant registered them. Ning Yi smiled and asked, "Did you come here to cheer on Miss Jin'er?"

"Sister Jin'er and I used to be quite close," Nie Yunzhu said, looking down and thinking for a moment. "Actually, I helped her prepare for her song and dance performance this time."

They met every morning and talked about everything, yet she had never mentioned this before. Ning Yi felt a slight hint of confusion. "Didn't you say you no longer wanted to go near that place?"

"Mama wanted Jin'er to retain her position among the Four Leading Courtesans, and she told me that if I helped a little, she would also help promote us later. I thought about it and agreed. Now, I'm talking business with Mama, which is different from before, so I'm not as avoidant anymore. Mama is quite good when it comes to business." Nie Yunzhu paused, and as they walked to the side with Ning Yi, she added, "Actually, I probably shouldn't have agreed. Jin'er already has some fame now. If it grows even bigger, it's hard to say whether that fame will be good or bad for her. Jin'er's personality is also... *cough*, never mind that..."

She shook her head and smiled. "Oh, by the way, Li Heng, will you be watching Jin'er's performance later?"

"It's one of the Four Leading Courtesans' performances, and you helped her, so of course I can't miss it."

"Heh, Jin'er actually told me she wants to meet you. After all, you're Jiangning's most mysterious top scholar. I'll point you out to her from the audience later... Oh, by the way, didn't you say a little maid would be coming with you? I was wondering who it might be."

"She's at Wenmo Tower, eating and waiting. I just came down for a bit." Ning Yi thought for a moment. "It's probably time to head back now."

Nie Yunzhu smiled. "Let's go together then. I'm heading towards Jin'er's place, which is along the same way."

Chatting casually along the way, the two made their way through the crowd, heading back towards Wenmo Tower. Ning Yi glanced back in Song Xian's direction, wondering if that fleeting glimpse earlier had been a mere illusion.

At the same moment, not far from where the two were oblivious, under the eaves of a small building, Gu Yanzhen stood silently, watching them walk away.

From the moment he first spotted Nie Yunzhu in the crowd, he had followed her for a long time. Throughout this process, Gu Yanzhen had been puzzled as to whom the usually placid Nie Yunzhu was searching for, but he certainly hadn't expected to witness the scenes that unfolded afterward.

During that entire period, he observed Nie Yunzhu wandering aimlessly through the crowd. She hadn't arranged to meet anyone, yet she clearly harbored an expectation of finding someone. In such a bustling venue, it was truly peculiar that she wasn't watching the performances but was instead leisurely searching for an unarranged meeting among thousands of people. Gu Yanzhen had never seen this side of her in previous years.

At that time, Yunzhu differed from most courtesans. She enjoyed quietude and possessed extraordinary skill in playing the qin, dancing, poetry, and singing, yet she was never ostentatious. Compared to ordinary courtesan women, she had an air of scholarly elegance that wasn't feigned but genuinely part of her. She was truly a woman of serene disposition, and in her presence, people often felt a sense of peace. Gu Yanzhen didn't know when he first perceived this unique quality, but he felt he could understand her distinct way of thinking because they were alike.

After returning from Tokyo, he encountered Nie Yunzhu again one morning. He later learned that she had bought her freedom but no longer associated with her former acquaintances. Though initially disappointed, upon reflection, he felt that such an independent spirit, with an underlying confidence and pride beneath her calm exterior, was truly characteristic of her. This was the very nature he admired. He had felt there was affection between them in the past and had pursued her, until he received that slap, which changed his state of mind completely.

For the past two months, he had been searching for the man behind Nie Yunzhu. Although he appeared casual about it, this quest had led to his estrangement from Li Pin. Li Pin was truly not to be underestimated; he could discern Gu Yanzhen's thoughts but absolutely refused to reveal anything, no matter what was said. Because of this, Gu Yanzhen had lost his composure slightly and uttered some harsh words. In truth, even after two months of occasional inquiries, he himself was still unsure what he would do once he found the man.

He had eventually concluded that the man might be a reputable old gentleman, and if so, there would be nothing he could do. That was until he witnessed Nie Yunzhu's behavior recently.

Throughout their journey, Nie Yunzhu's cross-dressing was quite convincing, creating the image of a refined young gentleman. Then, she spotted the person she was looking for in the crowd. First, she peered over from a distance several times, then walked behind that person, seemingly wanting to greet them but hesitating, waiting for them to turn around and notice her. During this time, Gu Yanzhen observed Nie Yunzhu's expressions from the side: sometimes struggling, sometimes displeased, occasionally breaking into a smile, sometimes raising her hand as if to strike but then stopping, and at times frowning slightly in annoyance at the person in front of her spacing out. As her expressions changed, her masculine demeanor completely vanished, replaced by the occasional sigh or helpless shrug of a young girl... He had never seen these expressions on her before. In the past, while singing and playing at Jin Feng Tower, he had seen her frown with disapproval at her surroundings, and seen her demure, scholarly, and peaceful smile, but these present expressions...

The man never turned around, never seeing the complex and charming expressions of the woman behind him, until Nie Yunzhu finally, resignedly, raised her folding fan and tapped his shoulder, adopting a feigned serious smile. After that, the two chatted and laughed all the way to the registration table to offer flowers — a mere two flowers, surprisingly — and then left... Gu Yanzhen found it difficult to articulate what he felt inside. He simply watched it all with an unreadable expression. After a long while, he punched the nearby building pillar.

Then, with a "ha," he laughed.

Ning Yi and Nie Yunzhu parted ways below Wenmo Tower. From a window upstairs, Xiao Chan was leaning on the windowsill, watching, and then vigorously waved at him.

"Master, who was that gentleman in black you were walking with?"

When he went upstairs, Su Wending and others had already left. Li Pin and Xiao Chan were still waiting for him. Xiao Chan asked curiously. Ning Yi chuckled, "Just a woman disguised as a man. She looked pretty, so I teased her a bit."

"Master, you're so naughty!" Xiao Chan popped a pastry into her mouth, smiling brightly, clearly not believing him. Soon after, the three descended from Wenmo Tower and rejoined the crowd to watch the remaining performances.

From time to time, Ning Yi caught glimpses of Song Xian and Chen Yong, accompanied by the Wulie Army personal guards. He remained observant, waiting for any potential developments to occur...

The author of "Rebirth of the Scion," Bu Xin Tian Shang Diao Xian Bing (literally "Don't Believe in Pies Falling from the Sky"), has a new book out called "The Great Devil God." Those who enjoy their work might want to check it out.

Banana's updates should have been quite good these past few days, even making it onto the VIP update list. It wouldn't be fair to call them slow anymore, would it? The progress is very tight; if it starts to fall behind, it'll be hard to catch up later. For those who still have monthly votes, I hope you'll cast them. This major plotline, once completed, will not disappoint everyone.