Chapter 77: Fierce Ning Liheng

The sky was gloomy, as if it were about to rain again. Near Jiangning city gate, the guards meticulously checked everyone entering and exiting. Vegetable vendors entering the city were subjected to exceptionally strict inspections, and it was even harder for those trying to leave. More than ten days had passed since Song Xian's assassination, and a grim atmosphere still pervaded the area around the city gate.

As a troop of soldiers walked over from nearby, she concealed herself in a nearby alleyway.

"...nearly half a month has passed, and these past few days have been relatively good. A few days ago, they'd practically flip over a cockroach to check it if it tried to leave the city... Three notorious bandits have been caught, so you could say it's indirectly for the people's benefit... This shouldn't last much longer. Jiangning is a big city after all; if this continues, people will start complaining. Businesses have already been affected these past few days. An imperial official... what does that have to do with ordinary people? Song Xian himself had a bad reputation to begin with... But regardless, I still think it's too risky for you to run out like this... How's your injury?"

Inside the room, Ning Yi was muttering as he conducted an experiment. Lu Hongti stood not far from the experimental table, watching him mix solutions and light an alcohol lamp. She offered no reply regarding her injury.

She only spoke when Ning Yi poured a liquid into a cup, then dropped a rusty iron rod into it, causing a hissing smoke to rise. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Some chemical reactions. I don't really know what I'm doing..."

"Chemical reactions?"

"Let's assume the world is made up of tiny atoms. Atoms are... uh, for example, if we magnify this table, over and over again, maybe we could see those smallest, individual things clumped together. Those things are atoms. There are different kinds of atoms, and these basic atoms form everything in the universe. Different atoms sometimes attract each other and sometimes repel, creating... chemical reactions."

"Hmm?"

Ning Yi shrugged, looking at Lu Hongti, who had a somewhat strange expression. She then smiled and said, "I don't believe it. How do you magnify?"

"Oh, there are certain principles. Here's a basic one for you." Ning Yi said, taking a small box from a nearby shelf. He took out an irregularly shaped piece of glass from it, then pushed a book towards her.

"This is a fragment from a glass lantern sold in the market. It's hard to find a perfect double-convex lens, but this can still be used for viewing. Take a look, are the characters magnified?"

Glass, referred to as 'liuli,' was already sold in the market at this time. It was likely different from Western soda-lime glass, but its transparency was already quite high. Ning Yi had no plans to research this area at the moment; otherwise, he would probably have tried to create a telescope. As he showed it off, the woman narrowed her eyes and said, "Water drops can also magnify, but I've never seen anything that magnifies more."

"Figure out the principle, and you can magnify it. 'Ge Wu' means investigating the principles of all things, haha..."

"But why haven't you scholars, who have been 'ge wu' for so many years, found anything that magnifies more than water drops or ice prisms?"

"Uh..."

Ning Yi was momentarily speechless. She chuckled and said, "Actually, given what you're saying, are you trying to achieve alchemy with these 'chemical reactions' of yours?"

"Once we truly understand, anything is possible. Some chemical reactions are unstable. If an unstable one is stimulated, it generates high heat and expands, then *boom*... Like that bag of gunpowder on the shelf next to you. If its power could be increased five or ten times, what do you think it could be used for? Oh, right..." Ning Yi said, pulling the rusty iron rod out of the cup with tongs and rinsing it with a little water. "See, the rust is gone."

"You boiled it once, then rinsed it with water," the woman said expressionlessly. Ning Yi rolled his eyes, but she burst into laughter.

"This is a crooked path. Though I don't understand it, I don't believe you."

"If you truly understood, I wouldn't be talking to you..." Ning Yi shook his head and sighed. "By the way, all martial arts masters have cool nicknames. What's yours?"

"Lu Hongti."

"No nickname is too plain. You should get a cool one, otherwise people will laugh at you if they hear you don't have one. Look at Fang La, who's rebelling outside; he calls himself the 'Holy Duke,' projecting an imposing aura, so as soon as he rebelled, many people joined him... I think we should prepare for this. Or, how about we discuss it and call you 'Iron Fist Invincible Lu Hongti'... no, that's not quite right. You run pretty fast, so maybe 'Forest-Piercing Northern Leg.' But everyone's talking about serving the country and the people these days, so how about 'River-Mountain Iron Sword Lu Hongti'? Is that a bit too imposing...? Or perhaps you want something more low-key? Hey, come out and chat..."

"Boring."

Lu Hongti turned coldly and went back into the inner room, closing the door behind her. She propped her long sword on the ground with both hands and couldn't help but chuckle. After suppressing her laughter for a moment, she asked, "Why weren't you disheartened at all when I told you that day you couldn't learn martial arts?"

"You didn't say I couldn't learn martial arts." Ning Yi was likely mixing reagents again. "You said I couldn't learn *your* internal martial arts."

"Hmm? You're that confident there are internal martial arts you *can* learn?"

"I've inquired about this a bit; it's just a guess... Since internal energy is a method of exerting power through breath coordination, even if there are extreme methods that require training from childhood, more people should be researching power exertion methods for adults. Even if the effects aren't as good as yours, there should still be some benefit. I... probably haven't guessed wrong."

Silence filled the inner room for a long time. "You truly want to learn? Do you think I'd teach you?"

"I don't know. How about this: you teach me martial arts, and then tell me a wish, anything reasonable, and I'll find a way to help you achieve it?"

"A merchant?"

"No, I never thought of taking advantage of you. How about we consider it an equivalent exchange?"

"My sect's craft, though perhaps not impressive, isn't something to be casually exchanged. You saved my life, and I should repay you; you can also entrust me with tasks. But I won't teach you martial arts. I don't see why a scholar like you needs to learn them. You don't go to battle, nor do you seek to risk your life in combat using martial arts. You're just... curious, learning for fun..." Her pace of speech gradually quickened. "You scholars constantly talk about being 'enemies of ten thousand' and 'saving the world and the people,' but with so many of you scholars now, I don't see how you're actually saving anyone... You are a talented person, yet you waste your talents on these crooked paths. Why don't you go help the world and save the people? To establish destiny for the common folk, to usher in peace for all ages... If it's an exchange, if you can usher in peace for all ages, I'll exchange anything with you. How about that?"

Confucianism had flourished for a millennium in this world, and the martial arts culture of the Wu Dynasty was thriving. This woman might not have been well-read, but she had heard many principles and understood them in her heart. Her words at this moment might not have been specifically directed at Ning Yi, who simply chuckled and said, "'Ushering in peace for all ages'—that proposition is too grand and too vague. Your wish isn't very realistic."

"Heh, then peace for one lifetime."

"That also depends on whether it's peace for the Wu Dynasty, for the entire world, or for the common people..."

"What if it's peace for the common people?"

"Not worth it. It would take so much time and effort; I'd be investing my entire life into it. I still wouldn't become a top master, and if I had to do all those things, I wouldn't have time to train. It would probably be hard to even become a second-rate master..."

"Heh, what big talk. You scholars... all talk big." Lu Hongti chuckled from inside, likely thinking Ning Yi was joking. "Scholars and warriors walk different paths. I know many of you scholars are capable, but your capabilities are different. You don't need to learn. You don't go to battle, you don't fight to the death with others, and you don't have true ruthlessness. Perhaps you couldn't even bear to kill a chicken with a knife. Learning it would be useless, just a distraction, and would hinder your original skills... I don't see any need to teach you."

"Tsk, consider it..." Ning Yi shrugged. "And I *can* kill a chicken."

There was still time, and Ning Yi was in no hurry. Afterward, he changed the subject and continued telling the rest of the story about *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils* in the gloomy room. Lu Hongti was actually a bit frustrated; if he told her today, then when the little maid came to listen tomorrow, she would have to hear the same content again. However, she still couldn't quite resist listening.

The next day, when she heard footsteps at the door, accompanied by the clucking of a hen, he walked out and knocked on the door: "Come out, come out, I've got something to show you." Lu Hongti stepped out and saw him holding a small package and a hen in his hands. He pointed to the stove nearby: "Please boil some hot water for me, thanks." It was clear he intended to demonstrate his ruthlessness in killing a chicken in front of her. Lu Hongti was torn between laughter and tears. This young man had a certain aura about him; whatever he did, no matter how strange or unconventional, seemed perfectly natural.

She went to the side to start the stove and boil water. As the wind chimes under the eaves gently tinkled, Ning Yi skillfully killed the hen, then plucked its feathers and cleaned its entrails. He then opened the small package to prepare various seasonings, brushed them on once, and got ready to skewer the hen with an iron rod.

"I received reliable news that in two days, the defenses at the city gate will be withdrawn. The prefectural yamen can't hold out any longer. However, once the overt guards are removed, the hidden sentries will likely be even stricter. I don't know how your injury is, and I haven't been able to bring anything good to eat lately. So, I'll treat you today. Later, when you're out in the martial world, you can't say that I, 'Bloody-Handed Butcher' Ning Liheng, treated you poorly... Uh, actually, it's probably best you don't say I hosted you..."

"A title you gave yourself?"

"How is it? Full of murderous intent, right?"

"Ugly..."

"This chicken can bear witness; the nickname is very fitting."

Ning Yi didn't bother arguing with her. He prepared various powdered seasonings, including cumin, then slightly adjusted the stove. Lu Hongti said, "My injury is 50% healed. If I were to leave now, it would still be risky. But if I recover completely, avoiding the city gate would be no problem for me."

Ning Yi paused, then said, "So... I still have some time to coax the martial arts manual out of you?"

"You... are truly annoying."

"Heh heh." Ning Yi chuckled, no longer teasing her. He began to roast the skewered chicken over the charcoal. This was a new recipe from the chef at Zhuji. Soon, an enticing aroma filled the air. Outside, thunder rumbled, and it looked like rain was coming again. Ning Yi turned his head.

"Oh, right, I've always wanted to ask you, why did you kill Song Xian?"

Across from him, Lu Hongti's eyes narrowed slightly, like a cat whose fur was bristling, as she gazed at Ning Yi...