northernbook Chapter 209 5
Chapter 209 5
Xue Yunting said, "Sister, Prince Rui is just kidding. Don't believe him."
Xue Yunting was a scion of a respectable family. He always believed that Xu Sheng was involved in many crooked and unorthodox ways in the martial arts world. Although he trusted Xu Sheng's abilities, he never trusted his character.
Nianyao was somewhat suspicious, but it wasn't the right time to discuss these matters, so she remained silent.
Qin Jiu personally escorted Ah Dai to Dongshan Island. He knelt on one knee in front of Ah Dai's grave and did not get up for a long time: Ah Dai, who had no children, spent half his life in the villa and died in the end without knowing why.
Ah-Dai was once assigned to do odd jobs in his mother's yard. His mother would ask Ah-Dai to eat with them, but Ah-Dai always refused. His mother would then take a huge bowl, fill it with rice, and pile the vegetables on top of it.
Ah-Dai was very grateful and worked even harder every day. Sometimes when his mother went out, she would leave him with the wet nurse and always tell Ah-Dai to come along.
Back then, Qin Jiu was young and felt that when Ah Dai lifted him up, it was like he was flying in mid-air, which was a lot of fun and made him very happy. Looking back, they did have a happy time together.
But happiness is so fleeting. Qin Jiu was deeply saddened. What should one do in this life? What can one do to achieve a fulfilling life?
Seeing that Qin Jiu's expression was not right, Su Wuming stepped forward and put his hand on Qin Jiu's shoulder: "Brother Jiu, please accept my condolences!"
Qin Jiu slowly stood up and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you!"
The tragedy at Jingzhao Manor ultimately stemmed from them. This was Qin Jiu's home; they killed Qin Jiu's family, and Qin Jiu even thanked them?
Su Wuming felt rather uncomfortable, and replied very politely: "Ninth Brother, there are many things to do at the manor, so we won't bother you any longer. If you have anything to say, you can write to us directly, there's no need to stand on ceremony."
Xue Yunting also said, "Ninth Brother, Duan Mingzhu is temporarily following you, and we are grateful for your care. We are the ones who should be thanking you."
Qin Jiu tightened his coat; the wind on Dongshan Island was stronger than in Dongshan City. Qin Jiu sighed, "Then I won't try to keep you any longer."
When Xue Yunting returned to the room, Duan Mingzhu was fast asleep. He leaned down and gently kissed Duan Mingzhu's forehead, tucked her in, and whispered, "I'm leaving. Be careful here. I'll be back as soon as possible."
Duan Mingzhu frowned almost imperceptibly, but remained unconscious. Xue Yunting stood there for a moment, then turned and left.
Nianyao ultimately did not stay and left with Xue Yunting and Su Wuming. Qin Jiu insisted on seeing them off, and the group rode to the main gate of Jingzhao Manor.
Nianyao reined in her horse: "Ninth Brother, we've seen you off for a thousand miles, but we must part ways eventually. You don't need to be so polite with us."
Xue Yunting and Su Wuming remained calm, seemingly without the slightest worry. Qin Jiu had originally thought that if the two people who called Nianyao "sister" weren't worried, why should he, an outsider, concern himself?
However, during his years on Chongming Island, the old gang leader and Nianyao had treated him exceptionally well. Nianyao had called him "uncle" for several years and had been his junior...
Qin Jiu was still worried and urged, "Chief, you must be careful, you're all alone. The principle of fighting is to fight if you can, and run if you can't. As long as you're alive, you can always make a comeback. The highest realm of life is not being afraid of losing face, but pursuing what is shameful..."
Qin Jiu spoke earnestly, seemingly about to launch into a long and detailed explanation.
Nianyao quickly stopped him: "I know, I know. The best of the thirty-six stratagems is to flee. Survival is the most important thing. Ninth Brother, I'll get back to you as soon as Luo An and I return to Chongming Island."
Qin Jiu smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll wait for your good news. We'll stick to our agreement: you open a clinic on Chongming Island, and I'll open a school. You heal the sick and save lives, and I'll teach and nurture students."
Su Wuming casually replied, "Sister, I'll go be your medical apprentice."
Xue Yunting scoffed, "You've got guts."
Qin Jiu quickly realized what was going on and joked, "Everyone has to die eventually, right? Nameless, isn't that right?"
Qin Jiu used his name directly, which sounded quite friendly. The atmosphere immediately became relaxed, and everyone felt a sense of relief.
Su Wuming replied with a grin, "Ninth Brother is right."
Nianyao and the other two disappeared from sight, and even the sound of horses' hooves could no longer be heard. Qin Jiu looked up at the lintel of Jingzhao Manor, then suddenly leaped up, drew his sword, and swept it horizontally. By the time he landed, the words "Jingzhao Manor" had been swept away.
Qin Jiu sheathed his sword and slowly led his horse back: all the splendor has come to an end, let the glory of Jingzhao Manor come to an end.
As the three passed by the Qingchuan Inn in Suzhou, Nianyao suddenly reined in her horse: "Su Wuming, fifty taels."
Su Wuming was completely bewildered: "Wha...what fifty taels?"
Nianyao's tone was unfriendly: "Qingchuan Inn, you arrived before us, shouldn't you have booked a courtyard for us? Do I have to pay you to come?"
Su Wuming was heartbroken: "Sister, it's Ninth Brother's fault for being so dishonest. His inn still charged us money. We should have fought with him for it when we were at Jingzhao Manor."
With so much trouble at Jingzhao Manor, who has the time to worry about money? Nianyao said unreasonably, "I don't care, you have to give me these fifty taels."
Seeing that she couldn't reason with him, Su Wuming turned to Xue Yunting: "Yunting..."
Before he could finish saying "Brother," Xue Yunting rode off, his voice carrying from afar: "Farewell."
Su Wuming stared in disbelief. When he came to his senses and saw Nianyao's ferocious expression, he immediately began to rummage through his pockets. He rummaged around and finally took off his waist pendant: "Sister, I'll give you this as collateral first. When you arrive in Qinzhou, I'll give you double the amount."
The two green bamboo-shaped jade pendants are clearly very valuable.
Nianyao wasn't really concerned about the fifty taels of silver and was about to say no when she saw a sly glint in Su Wuming's eyes. She immediately bent down and snatched the jade pendant: "Then I won't be polite, goodbye."
Su Wuming realized what was happening and spurred his horse to chase after her. However, he was far inferior to Nian Yao in terms of riding skills, so he could only shout at Nian Yao's back from afar, "You really want to!"
A man's waist pendant is a very important thing. He thought Nianyao would definitely refuse, but he didn't expect to run into such an unreliable person.
Nianyao stuffed the jade pendant into her bosom and muttered to herself, "You think I wouldn't dare take it? Humph, let's see if you dare to extort me next time!"
Nianyao felt quite pleased with herself for having outmaneuvered Su Wuming. She was eager to leave and traveled north without stopping. Passing by Nanxun Gate, she recalled her first time entering the city and felt a pang of emotion.
Nianyao thought she would spend her whole life on Chongming Island, wandering outside the four kingdoms. Who would have thought that one day she would leave Chongming Island and wander around, becoming connected by blood with Dongyang of Nanyue.
Nianyao first went to Lingshan to pay respects to Liu Yiyi: "Grandma, I haven't had a chance to chat with you until now. I came here today to tell you that although Mother passed away a long time ago, Father and I have never forgotten her."
I have many uncles and cousins in the Dahe Gang; they are all very kind people and have been very good to me. My maternal uncle's family has also been very good to me. Now my parents are reunited. I'm married and have a new family, which makes me feel very secure.
I've always been doing well and happy, Grandma, don't worry about me. I'm just a little worried about Yunting; he's a very good person. Grandma, please bless Yunting with peace and health from heaven.
Nianyao respectfully kowtowed three times, then turned and left. It was already late, and the city gates were closed, so she simply went to Xi Zhai.
Nianyao didn't use the main gate; she climbed over the wall and landed directly in the back garden. The garden was different from what she had seen during the day; at night, the flickering lights made even the visibility somewhat blurry.
Nianyao wandered around the garden, unable to find a way out. She wasn't superstitious, but the more she wandered, the more frightened she became, as if many people were watching her. Just as she was about to scream for help, she saw a figure appear in front of her.