Chapter 88: Waiting

Early that morning, by the Qinhuai River, before dawn had fully broken, Nie Yunzhu rose from her bed. After completing her morning routine, she brewed a pot of tea and stepped out through the front door of her small building.

The gloomy night enveloped the distant city walls and mountains, making it impossible to discern what lay in the distance. She sat on the steps in front of the building, lost in thought. For the past few days, her thoughts had been consumed by one thing: the familiar sound of footsteps had not echoed here for twenty days.

Looking back, these mornings had been a ritual for nearly a year. From their initial acquaintance over that chicken to seeing him run past every single morning, they began to exchange words and chat. Every morning was a very special time for her. Except during heavy rain, his figure passed by here every single day, without exception, even on snowy days. She almost believed it would continue like this indefinitely.

Only these past twenty days had shown her that their connection was merely this simple daily encounter. He hadn't come, so she couldn't go to him. That person was, after all, the husband of Miss Su.

This thought slightly troubled her.

For the first few days, she assumed he had some urgent matter, or had gone on a long journey, or had simply missed his morning exercise. However, as the days passed, anxiety began to creep into her heart, fearing that something might have happened to him, or that he'd met with an accident. For a few days, she had intentionally or unintentionally walked near the Su family residence, circling the large compound wall to see if there were any clues, but she found nothing.

Anxious, she also felt like she was being sneaky, truly not understanding what she was doing.

Her worry reached its peak a few days ago when some constables came looking for her. At the time, she was spacing out in the backyard of the Zhuji main store, preoccupied with her thoughts. When a shop assistant came in to tell her constables were asking for her, she was instantly stunned. She stumbled out in a daze, almost tripping over the threshold, and then, listening to the constables' questions, it took her a while to fully comprehend.

Gu Yanzhen, Gu Yanzhen, it was Gu Yanzhen again... To hell with him.

The two constables were indeed inquiring about her relationship with Gu Yanzhen. She almost burst out with a complaint but still absentmindedly gave a brief account of their past connection. Finally, the two constables revealed that Gu Yanzhen had been murdered after leaving the city, which left her stunned for a moment.

Ordinarily, she might have felt a brief sadness about it, but at that moment, she was already preoccupied. After her momentary shock, her thoughts reverted. The world isn't truly peaceful. Could Li Heng have also encountered some trouble...?

Not long after, she went near the Su residence and saw Li Heng's wife, Su Tan'er, and her maid come out to board a carriage. Although they seemed a bit hurried, it appeared they were simply attending to business. Only then did she gradually feel at ease. However, the next day, she thought again: Li Heng was fine, and he hadn't mentioned going on a long journey during their casual chat the day before. Since he hadn't come for so long, perhaps... he wouldn't come anymore?

She then felt such thoughts were foolish.

These past few days had been filled with gloomy, downcast, and complex thoughts. But every morning, she would still brew the pot of tea and sit on the steps, waiting until dawn. At this point, she would adjust her emotions slightly.

"Hmph, if you don't come, I'll just wait here every day!"

She tried to think this with a playful mood. She sat there and took a sip of tea. Then the morning breeze gently caressed her, carrying those footsteps towards her...

***

After twenty days, Ning Yi resumed his daily morning run. Although when Xiaochuan changed the dressing on his hand in his room after he woke up, she complained and nagged with tears in her eyes, and Xiaochuan had cried yesterday when she first saw his burned left hand after the bandages were removed, the necessity of continuing exercise still remained. The injury to his left hand had mostly healed. This recovery meant he could perform basic movements and felt no more pain; daily life was no longer a problem. However, after removing the bandages, it was rather unsightly; his entire hand was red. A few days ago, he had boasted to Lu Hongti about being a "Bloody-Handed Butcher." He hadn't expected his words to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it now applied to him both literally and in appearance, which was truly ironic and made him not know whether to laugh or cry.

Full recovery would take six months, also due to the excellent quality of Lu Hongti's medicine. He had actually prepared himself for his left hand to be crippled. Under those circumstances, there had been no other choice. Although it was a bit of a pity, surviving was what mattered, and there was no need to be sentimental. He considered it a gain now.

Some ingredients in the medicine were very valuable, but the Su family was wealthy, so it wasn't a major issue. Last night, he had briefly explained to his father-in-law and Old Madam Su the situation: "A friend needed help, and his arm got burned." He had downplayed it as much as necessary. The main reason Xiaochuan didn't want him to go out this morning was her fear that exercise would make his arm sweat. After all, burns primarily damage the skin glands. However, since Ning Yi now had the internal cultivation method taught by Lu Hongti, there was no need to stop. He just needed to control the intensity of his exercise.

His run today was planned to stop just before Nie Yunzhu's small building.

"...I went out of the city a few days ago to help a friend with something. Then I had a minor accident and burned my hand. Fortunately, I found a renowned doctor, and the medicine is amazing; it should heal in about half a year." Ning Yi took a sip of tea and raised his bandaged left hand, displaying it in the air. "How about it? Don't you think it looks rather good?" He himself thought the look was indeed quite striking.

Nie Yunzhu offered a faint smile and lowered her gaze. "Does it hurt?"

"Uh, I don't feel anything now. It did hurt a lot at the time." Ning Yi smiled, "How have you been lately?"

"Hmm, I'm fine. Something quite interesting happened a few days ago. Someone came to the shop with a wooden plaque they had carved themselves..."

By the river bend at dawn, the scene seemed to have returned to how it used to be, with some casual, trivial chitchat. Seeing Ning Yi, Nie Yunzhu felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. Yet, recalling the past few days, there was still a lingering sense of emptiness. As the first light of dawn appeared, Ning Yi stood up to say goodbye. Nie Yunzhu hesitated, "You..."

"Hm?"

"Your hand is injured, and you need to apply medicine daily; it's not good to sweat. For your health, perhaps... you shouldn't run and sweat these days?"

She said this with some difficulty. Ning Yi nodded, "Hmm, I understand, but it's fine. Simple exercise isn't a problem, and I won't sweat. I recently learned some internal martial arts or something; I can train anytime. This level of exercise won't make me sweat, haha. Maybe in a while, I'll become a martial arts hero."

Ning Yi used to tell her rumors about the martial arts world, and he spoke of it cheerfully now. Nie Yunzhu stood there, watching his back recede into the distance. A cool tear suddenly slid down her cheek and fell onto the back of her hand. She paused for a moment, then hastily wiped it away and suddenly ran forward. But after only two steps, her embroidered shoes stopped again. Ning Yi had turned around ahead.

"Oh, right, the alcohol project should be nearing completion. When it's ready, I'll bring over the designs for each component. It would be best to find a few discreet blacksmiths or similar artisans to work on them separately. Hmm, I'll try my best to ensure the specifications are met. The next step, the workshop, will need to be kept secret. Have you contacted a distiller?"

Nie Yunzhu clutched her handkerchief to her chest, stood blankly for a moment, then nodded forcefully. "Yes, I've already contacted one."

"Oh, that's good." Ning Yi smiled, then waved his hand, "I'm leaving now. Classes don't start for a few days, so I can take it easy for a couple of days. Maybe I'll stop by Zhuji for lunch. Haha, I miss your preserved egg and lean pork congee."

Nie Yunzhu smiled and nodded, "I'll wait for you to come."

A trace of disappointment in her heart gradually faded.

He would come over at noon...

Her mood brightened, and she could easily put other matters out of her mind. On this vibrant and hopeful morning, she prepared to go wait at the main store. Only then did she recall the news of Gu Yanzhen's death, brought by the two constables. "Why did those two constables come looking for me?" Nie Yunzhu wondered. She didn't necessarily bear much ill will towards Gu Yanzhen; he was a talented man. His death made Nie Yunzhu feel a bit regretful and sad. But on the other hand, even in death, he seemed to be implicated with her, which made her feel slightly disgusted, when there was clearly no relationship between them. These two feelings weren't contradictory; mixed together, after a while, she sighed, and they gradually faded.

***

A few days later, the number of refugees outside the city gradually increased. One morning, Nie Yunzhu mentioned to Ning Yi that someone she knew had died outside the city recently due to some incident. This person had originally intended to become a county magistrate, possessing considerable talent and a bright future. She therefore told Ning Yi that the current times were not peaceful and he should pay more attention to his safety.

At that time, Ning Yi's expression was complex.

"An acquaintance?"

"Not well."

"Oh." Ning Yi shrugged. "Heaven envies heroes; it's truly regrettable."

This occurred later and will not be revisited for now.

***

The time rewinds to the evening of the sixth day of the sixth month. Nearly two days had passed since the bloody incident that night. Several constables were investigating near the burnt boathouse by the desolate riverbank. The wind howled, and the sky grew dark; a thunderstorm was likely to fall that night.

"After this heavy rain, I'm afraid nothing will be discoverable!" The voice of a constable echoed across the riverbank in the wind. The boathouse on the river's shallow bank was now completely burned down. Of course, there were also some collapsed remnants, along with charred human bodies mingled among them. It was currently unknown how long they had been washed away.

"If there truly is the body of that county magistrate surnamed Gu among these, what exactly is going on here?"

"It's likely that County Magistrate Gu was making some sort of deal with the Yang brothers here, and then they were all dealt with by that assassin."

There were five constables in total: three ordinary constables, and two were the chief and deputy constables, the actual official constables of Jiangning Prefecture. The five of them searched around the wreckage by the river for a while. In fact, when they discovered the scene this morning, they had already found some clues, likely confirming that one of the remains was Gu Yanzhen's. They had rushed over for a second time, anticipating the possible rain. The chief constable in his thirties walked ashore, searching for other clues nearby. Soon after, the other, older and taller, slender deputy constable also followed.

"Chief Chen, regarding the deaths of the two Gu family servants, everyone else claims it was the female assassin's doing. Now that he and the Yang Yi and Yang Heng family have died here, closing the case should be easy."

The slightly tall and slender deputy constable, surnamed Xu, spoke thus. The chief constable, surnamed Chen, smiled, "The Prefect probably wishes for the same, right?"

They were here today because of a bloody incident that occurred outside the city yesterday morning. Two servants of the Gu family had been abducted and their bodies later returned. The female assassin who had murdered Song Xian on the Dragon Boat Festival was present at the scene at that time. The remaining Gu family servants had witnessed the female assassin commit the murders with their own eyes. After that, Gu Yanzhen, who held the rank of county magistrate, also went missing. Only then did people realize something had happened and expanded their search to this area.

The Yang Yi and Yang Heng brothers, who lived here, were notorious villains residing in a remote area. And if they died, the authorities would generally not care, perhaps even applauding their demise. However, Gu Yanzhen's case also happened at this time, so some matters had to be investigated. With a county magistrate dying in Jiangning territory, an explanation had to be given to higher authorities.

The Yang Yi and Yang Heng brothers had always been arrogant and overbearing, but also extremely fierce. Few in Jiangning would dare provoke them easily, or even could. Upon investigation, it seemed only a formidable individual like the female assassin could have done this. As for why Gu Yanzhen and his servants were here, the reason would likely depend on whether the authorities wished to tarnish his reputation or praise him; that was irrelevant.

If this matter were considered in isolation—a county magistrate dying in Jiangning territory, and whether the case could be solved—the Prefect of Jiangning would face immense pressure. But the female assassin was highly skilled, defying prohibitions with her martial arts. Now that she had killed someone, she had also fled the city. Since the case of Song Xian already existed anyway, pushing it up and combining it into one case would turn it into a mere embellishment. At noon, when they analyzed the case, the Prefect had already hinted at combining the cases. He didn't want to directly deal with two messy cases there; it was better to combine them into one. Logically, it seemed plausible now: Gu Yanzhen had hired thugs to do bad deeds, targeting the female assassin. As a result, he and the Yang Yi and Yang Heng family died here. The female assassin, being fierce, even went and killed two of his servants out of vengeance.

"That's probably how the case will be closed."

Chief Constable Chen smiled, speaking thus. The two walked along the riverbank. The deputy constable went to inspect the blood by the riverbank, which might have been the primary crime scene. A moment later, he turned back but couldn't find the other man. He turned and entered the bamboo grove nearby, only then seeing Chief Constable Chen "sitting" there for some unknown reason.

He wasn't actually sitting, as there was no chair behind him. At this moment, the calm-looking man was in a horse stance in the bamboo grove, posing as if sitting. With his hands resting on his knees, he looked perfectly steady and seated. He was slightly turned, his face angled, gazing towards the remains of the house on the distant shallow bank. His expression was one of profound shock and uncertainty. Deputy Constable Xu was about to walk over when he suddenly extended a hand: "Don't come any closer!"

"What's wrong?"

The wind swept across the riverbank. Chief Constable Chen watched for a long time before muttering, "This is... what a ruthless person..."