Chapter 76: Bell, See You Every Day

The Angry Banana

May brought waves of heat to Jiangning City. In a somewhat desolate courtyard, where the lazy chime of wind chimes could be heard, green ivy climbed all over the yellow earth walls. Wildflowers and weeds grew thickly in the yard. Grasshoppers leaped out and vanished again, while crickets chirped from beneath bricks and stones. Sometimes butterflies flew by. A bird perched on a vine-covered trellis, preening its feathers, then trilled and flew away, causing the vines to sway and drop golden petals to the ground.

She sat under the trellis by the corner of the wall, her sword resting in the weeds beside her. It was morning, and from behind the wall came the pleasant sound of children reciting poetry, in rhythmic bursts.

Occasionally, the man's voice would drift over: "...The meaning of the phrase 'A benevolent hypocrite is the thief of virtue' is..."

"...Zilu did not appreciate the behavior of so-called recluses..."

"...Regarding this, I recall a story I once read..."

His voice sounded rather casual, not filled with archaic literary phrases or frequent quotes from sages. It was unlike any of the scholars she had met before, making her feel he was... a bit unconventional.

His way of speaking wasn't as pleasing to the ear as the texts the students recited, yet she could understand him. Occasionally, he would tell stories to the students in this informal private school. The students weren't very reliable either; sometimes they would say, "Teacher, teacher..." or "Teacher Liheng...", asking strange questions or cheerfully discussing stories with their instructor.

It was too informal. Back home, children like that would have their palms beaten raw and be made to stand in the sun all day.

However, even though his voice lacked the authority of a teacher and his colloquial speech wasn't as pleasant as the students' recitations, sometimes she still felt that there was a certain logic to what he said.

In the mornings, he would come over, bringing food and other necessities—enough food for a whole day. If he came at noon, he would also bring hot meals. In the afternoons, he would do strange things in that room, occasionally speaking a few words to her, which she would answer casually.

She hadn't officially met him because she still couldn't fully gauge him. When he arrived, she would often sit on the roof beam, watching him coolly, or exit through the window into the backyard. The young maid often came over too, sitting on the steps of the veranda and chatting with the family's son-in-law, rambling about various things she had seen or heard. From these conversations, she learned that his family ran a cloth business.

After the little maid finished her chattering, she would often pester him to tell stories, like the fantastical "A Chinese Ghost Story," which unfortunately he hadn't finished—perhaps he had told the rest to her maid on the road that day. Now he was telling a story called "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," whose plot vaguely resembled the current state of affairs in the world, except that in the story, the Wu Dynasty was changed to the Song Dynasty.

It was on such a summer afternoon, in the quiet courtyard, that the man named Ning Yi conducted his strange experiments while telling unusual stories. The young maid sat in the front courtyard, and the woman in black, holding an ancient, unadorned longsword, sat in the grass at the back, listening to tales of martial arts, the pugilistic world, chivalrous heroes, and gangs, as if these were two separate realms from the real world.

When it was time to leave in the evening, the little maid would habitually turn around and say, "Bell, see you tomorrow."

Her sweet voice blended into the soft red light of the setting sun.

After the first two days, Ning Yi stopped trying to deliberately manage anything.

There are many ways to make people feel you are sincere, but the best way is usually: to truly be sincere.

He didn't think too deliberately or act too deliberately. Although the woman occasionally replied a few words, she was unwilling to truly meet and talk with him, and he didn't mind. In the mornings, he prepared a day's worth of food, and if he could go over at noon or in the evening, he would try to bring hot meals. Her injuries seemed serious, but since she was in hiding, he couldn't be too particular about things.

Every day he also brought her useful items, and he bought an extra set of black clothes for her to change into. When he was outside the room, he would occasionally speak, telling her how to use the things in the room, what she could touch, and what she shouldn't touch randomly. She might have found him strange, but there was no need for him to explain anything for now.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, his life rhythm returned to daily teaching, strolling, and conducting experiments. On the afternoon of the tenth day of the fifth month, he returned home. Su Tan'er was not yet back, and Xiao Chan had also gone out, leaving the courtyard empty. He went back to his room to tidy up some things. When he turned his head, he suddenly saw a figure at the doorway. At first glance, he thought it was Xing'er, one of the taller maids, but when he went to open the door, he realized something was off.

After he opened the door, the woman stood quietly there. She was wearing the green dress Ning Yi had bought for her, and she looked back at him, her figure and gaze both heroic and cold.

Ning Yi sighed, "This is too risky for you..."

The official patrols outside were still strict. No matter what her purpose was, following him like this was truly audacious. Hearing Ning Yi, the woman frowned slightly in apparent confusion, then turned to leave. She seemed to intend to return the way she came, preparing to climb over the wall. Ning Yi suddenly called out to her, "Wait." Then he pointed towards the side gate, "Go that way, I'll get the carriage."

Soon after, the carriage departed from the side gate of the Su residence, circled around, and headed towards the academy. Midway, the woman said, "I now know where your home is..." She was someone who lived on the edge, cautious by nature, so there was no need to say more. When the carriage reached the side of the small courtyard, the road was empty in the setting sun. The woman lifted the curtain and leaped directly over the courtyard wall, leaving her words echoing softly nearby: "My name is Lu Hongti."

And so, they finally became acquainted.

The next day, the woman no longer avoided meeting Ning Yi. In the days that followed, they were able to converse about various small things. A few afternoons later, Ning Yi was conducting an experiment in the outer room. Outside, dusk was settling, and thunder rumbled as rain began to pour down, a torrential downpour as if to submerge all of Jiangning City. The house was leaking in such heavy rain, so Ning Yi placed several buckets in both the inner and outer rooms to catch the water, creating a constant drip-drip-drop sound. Xiao Chan hadn't come that day. Ning Yi sat on a chair in the outer room to rest, and casually brought up the topic of martial arts.

Just a wall separated them. Lu Hongti, who was sitting on the bed in the inner room, watching the rain through the window, smiled. "You heard those historical romances and now you really want to learn martial arts? And what is this 'Song Dynasty' you speak of?"

Ning Yi chuckled, "Well, it's always interesting, isn't it?"

"Interesting, yes, it truly is interesting," Lu Hongti said after a brief silence. "But ultimately, they are just fictional stories. In this world... there are no grand martial arts sects, few heroic figures of the pugilistic world, none of that refined elegance or established jianghu rules. There are only ruthless bandits and great brigands. It might sound good when you tell it, but in reality, a group of desperate outlaws has no such principles. If they encounter the poor and weak, they'll rob and kill them. If they encounter corrupt officials oppressing the good, or fellow strong bandits, they'll simply defer and let them pass, or avoid them for their own safety... A true hero? Where are there any 'heroes' who genuinely serve the nation and its people?"

"None at all?" Ning Yi asked blandly.

"...Perhaps a few."

Ning Yi smiled and changed the subject. "How formidable are you in the pugilistic world?"

"I've heard of a few people, but I haven't fought them. As for the rest... they're just thugs and ruffians. What kind of pugilistic world is that?" Her tone held a hint of pride, but also some displeasure, though not directed at Ning Yi. "You can defeat a few or a dozen, but not dozens or hundreds. In a military formation, you're nothing."

"So you've been on a battlefield..."

She paused, then laughed. "You truly want to learn martial arts? My martial arts?"

"Uh, if I could..."

"If I were to teach you, do you know what would happen?"

From her previous sentence, Ning Yi had a rough idea that something was amiss. He probed, "Are your martial arts only suitable for women?"

"No, if men learn them, they might become even more powerful." She smiled, speaking casually and clearly.

"Then... I don't aim to become a master. Although I'm past the age, I'm naturally intelligent and well-read. Can I reach second-rate?" Since the other party wasn't particularly serious, Ning Yi fantasized, fabricating a few lines.

"Heh." She chuckled from her side. "If you try to learn my martial arts, and your perseverance isn't enough, causing you to give up halfway, that would be your luck. But if you truly have the tenacity and practice diligently without fail, then I can guarantee you won't live past five years..."

Ning Yi fell silent for a moment. "What exactly is this 'internal energy'?"

Lu Hongti explained, "So-called 'internal energy,' in simple terms, is nothing more than methods of breathing and qi circulation. Ordinary breathing techniques, practiced over a long time, can strengthen the body. But true advanced internal energy involves extremely extreme breathing methods, controlling the body through breathing rhythm. If a child cultivates this, over time, their body will adapt to these breathing techniques. Their body is inherently malleable, so their internal organs change, and they can then exert force in certain extreme ways, adapting to the immense burden this exertion brings..."

"However, an adult's body is already fully formed. Trying to exert force in extreme ways inherently causes great damage. If you have the perseverance to train using breathing methods that conflict with your current physiological state, after a few years, your organs will shift, and you'll die, coughing blood and weakened. Others might think children's training yields twice the results with half the effort, while adults get half the results with twice the effort, but in reality, it's not like that... Now you understand. Those historical novels you speak of, where adults can also train and become masters by acquiring good techniques, are pure fantasy..."

Outside, the heavy rain poured down, and the weather was dark. Ning Yi sat there, stunned for a long time, finally understanding what internal energy truly was: controlling one's breathing method from a young age to reshape one's body and internal organs. The reason martial arts are trained from childhood is simply because children can adapt to the transformation. He had some thoughts, and after a moment, he brought over a notebook and pen. "Write it down, write it down..."

Sensing that Ning Yi wasn't particularly disheartened, Lu Hongti felt a little puzzled, but she had no intention of probing further. After a moment, feeling bored, she said, "There's nothing to do now. Why don't you tell me what happens next in 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'?"

"It's all speculation, might as well not say it..." Ning Yi replied casually. The other side fell silent, and a few seconds later, he burst out laughing. "Just kidding, just kidding. But it seems the martial arts in my story are indeed more interesting. Haha, alright, I win today. Yesterday we talked about the segment where the Six Meridian Divine Swords faced off against the Tathagata Palm..."

"...Flaming Blade." After a moment, Lu Hongti's voice drifted eerily from the inner room, sounding like a vengeful spirit from behind.

Ning Yi moved his stool back a bit, just in case another sword came thrusting through the wall...