Chapter 7 Late at Night

“Your master is quite famous in the state of Zhao. I thought that his intervention this time could put an end to the matter, but it turned out to end like this.” Zhao Shisong led the way ahead and said with pity. “But you don’t have to be afraid. Maybe it is because my mansion is too cold and my wife is too weak that she has got sick. Her situation may not be that critical.” Ning Changjiu nodded and said, “Master was devoted to Taoism all his life and eventually died for it. In a sense, he ended his life well.” Zhao Shisong never expected this young man to be so philosophical. He laughed and commended, “If things go well in the future, I think you can outdo your master.” Ning Changjiu said, “Thank you.” Ning Xiaoling walked silently with her head lowered. Zhao Shisong took a look at her and only thought that this little girl was pretty and lovely, except for some coldness between her eyebrows. He couldn’t help but want to tease her, “Little girl, how old are you? How many years have you learned from your master?” Ning Xiaoling said honestly, “I’m 14. I’ve learned about Taoism from my master for three years.” Zhao Shisong nodded and said, “I think you do have the root of wisdom. These years you should have learned a lot, right?” Ning Xiaoling cursed Ning Qinshui in her heart but she still replied with a smile on her face, “Not really. The matter of cultivation takes time anyway.” “You are quite humble.” “I’m flattered.” Zhao Shisong’s mansion was not far away. As they talked on, they were arriving at the destination. There was a carriage parked at the entrance of the mansion. A wandering Taoist priest with a yellow talisman stuck on his forehead walked out of the mansion, bowing forward and leaning backward, who was also muttering. “This prescription used to be effective every time. What’s wrong today? Could it be that I’m also bewitched?” The wandering Taoist priest happened to see Zhao Shisong coming back and immediately stood still. He held the fist in the other hand and bent down, saying with an apologetic look, “Your Highness, please forgive my incompetence. I can’t figure out what is wrong with your wife. She seems to be bewitched by demons and yet, she also looks as if being pestered by spirits. I feel so bad.” Zhao Shisong sighed and said, “It’s okay. Take the money and go home.” The wandering Taoist priest responded and finally noticed that Zhao Shisong was followed by two young people in the Taoist robe. The man was a bit surprised and then asked, “You are Taoist priests too?” Ning Changjiu asked, “What’s up?” The wandering Taoist priest paced around them, shook his head and said, “You are talented indeed, but you should listen to my advice. Go back. Don’t waste your effort.” Ning Changjiu just ignored him and only gazed at Zhao Shisong, saying, “Mr. Zhao, please lead the way.” The Taoist priest flushed and stamped with rage, yelling, “In the imperial city, I can at least make it into the top five of the industry. Now I kindly give you my advice and you just won’t listen!” Ning Changjiu didn’t react at all. Zhao Shisong was dissatisfied with the Taoist priest’s flippant bearing. Now he just waved his hand randomly and led Ning Changjiu into the mansion. After taking a few steps only, the Taoist priest turned around and also came over. Ning Xiaoling had a natural tendency to hate him. She asked with a frown, “Hey, why are you following us?” The Taoist priest snapped, “I’ll be watching only and never disturb you. I just want to see on what ground you dare to act so boldly at such a young age.” Ning Xiaoling raised her eyebrows and intended to refute him when Ning Changjiu said directly, “It’s okay. Just let him follow.” ... Going through the courtyard and the corridor, in the antique hall, they heard the coughing sound from afar. Upon seeing Zhao Shisong come back, the maid standing at the door instantly greeted him and made way for him. Thanks to the heater, it was warm in the room. A young woman was lying in bed on her side, who looked slightly pale with semi-closed eyes and covered her chest to cough from time to time. Her face appeared rather pitiful and quite pretty. Ning Xiaoling thought Mrs. Zhao would be a gracious and virtuous lady, but unexpectedly, she turned out to be so young and stunning. She was about 20 years old, perhaps a concubine of Mr. Zhao. When the woman saw Zhao Shisong, she put her hand on the quilt and wanted to get up with a curtsey. Zhao Shisong ran to her hurriedly, pressed her hand and comforted her gently. The woman glanced here and frowned. “Didn’t the Taoist priest just leave? Why is he here again? I don’t think he is competent. His pacing around here is too annoying.” “You...” The wandering Taoist priest took a deep breath and sighed. “You are right.” Then she looked the two strangers up and down and smiled feebly. “This young Taoist priest looks bright-eyed and somewhat agreeable.” Ning Changjiu did not respond to her compliment. He looked around and gazed at the high beams as if looking for something. The Taoist priest looked at him with interest, waiting for him to make a fool of himself. Ning Changjiu reached into his sleeve and searched for something but he didn’t take out anything. The Taoist couldn’t help laughing when he saw that. “What? Did you forget to bring some talismans? How about lending some to you?” The woman on the bed couldn’t help frowning and Zhao Shisong glared at him quickly, which made the Taoist priest stop laughing with embarrassment. Unexpectedly, Ning Changjiu really opened his hand. “Lend me a copper coin.” “Copper coin?” The Taoist priest frowned. “Are you kidding me?” Ning Changjiu still kept his hand opened. The Taoist priest looked at the gazes of the people around him, let out a sigh, untied his wallet, took out a copper coin and tossed it over. Ning Changjiu fetched the copper coin and placed it on the small wooden cabinet in front of the woman’s bed. After a while, he said, “Done.” Everyone was taken aback. Done? What was done? The man was at a loss. “Do you think we are all fools?” Zhao Shisong was about to speak when he saw that the copper coin on the wooden cabinet was cracked into three parts. With his mouth half-open, he looked at Ning Changjiu in astonishment. Ning Changjiu calmly looked at the young woman on the bed and asked, “Are you feeling better?” The woman glanced at the copper coin, gave a little chuckle, and was about to shake her head, but upon meeting his gaze, she only felt as if her heart were blown by the cold winter wind, stiff and cold. After a while, the woman finally smiled again, “Hey, I do feel much better. Even my body feels lighter.” Zhao Shisong was overjoyed to see that her complexion really improved, so the way he looked at Ning Changjiu became much nice. “I always thought that giving away the money to avoid misfortune was only a joke, but today, you’ve proven otherwise. You are extraordinary indeed. I don’t know how I should thank you.” Ning Changjiu said, “My junior fellow disciple and I have nowhere to go.” Zhao Shisong hurriedly said, “Someone come here. Arrange two clean rooms for the young Taoist priests.” The Taoist was stupefied and didn’t know what had happened. “This... This... Are you fooling me together?” Zhao Shisong was even more annoyed with him now, so he just flicked his sleeves. “See him off.” “Hey, I...” The Taoist priest stamped with rage. “My copper coin!” Ning Changjiu said, “On account.” ... It was late at night. The young woman woke up from the bed, lifted the curtain, stretched out lazily, and ran her fingers through her long hair over her shoulders. She slowly turned her head to light the lamp. Suddenly she cried out in alarm, covering her chests with her hands with a horrified look. In the dim room, there was vaguely someone sitting beside an ancient wooden table. “Enough with the acting.” The figure spoke and then the candle was lit up. “You... It’s you?” The woman gasped and reproached, “What a Taoist priest! In the daytime, you looked quite pretty and I saw you as a good person. What do you want to do after breaking into my boudoir at midnight? Get out right now, or I will shout for help!” Ning Changjiu turned the chair around and looked at her calmly. “Tell me about your mistress.” “Mistress?” The woman clutched her collar. “Nonsense! Do you think I look like a maid?” Ning Changjiu said, “You’ve been lying in bed and feigning sickness these days. You should not be able to get out. I have seen your mistress in the daytime. Let me tell you about her.” The woman stared at him fiercely and then chuckled. “You men, young or old, are all the same. You’ve been here. Why are you being prudish? Alas, do you think that you can ask me to sleep with you just because you cured me? If His Highness finds it out, he must beat you out of here.” Ning Changjiu asked, “Don’t you want to hear it?” The woman laughed and said, “You are quite unreasonable. Come on. Just tell me. Who is my mistress?” Ning Changjiu said, “She has a lot of pawns in the city, but her arrangement is too hasty. It shouldn’t be easy to coordinate and convey messages among different parties. I guess you haven’t received any letter from your mistress for a few days.” The woman shook her head and said, “I don’t understand what you are talking about.” Ning Changjiu continued, “Because she has been seriously injured. It is understandable. Given that so many people want to kill her, how can she retreat unscathed?” With an angry look, the woman gazed at the young man across the lamplight. “You are here...just to say these irrelevant words?” Ning Changjiu said, “I’m just an ordinary Taoist priest. I haven’t taken a stand yet. Everything you will say may affect my decision.” The woman’s eyes glittered and then turned calm. She said with a smile, “I’ve never seen such an ordinary Taoist priest who would break into a girl’s boudoir.” Ning Changjiu did not respond to her. Instead, he simply stared at her quietly. The woman suddenly felt that it was not a man but a cold ghost who was sitting before her. She gradually dropped her smile. “An ordinary Taoist priest? Why do you come to the imperial city? Don’t fool me with the excuse that you want to enforce justice on behalf of Heaven.” Ning Changjiu said, “I don’t need to explain to you. A true man won’t stand beside a collapsing wall. I’m capable of protecting myself. Certainly, I can intervene then.” “Huh? You’ve got the nerve.” Looking at the young man sitting quietly before her, the woman couldn’t help but slow down her breath. Ning Changjiu said, “Tell me the simplest story of your mistress. You don’t need to betray her.” “The simplest?” “Well, like her name, what happened three years ago.” Her name? What happened three years ago? Why did he take such pains to scare her for this kind of matter? He could have asked anyone else in the imperial palace! Was there any problem with him? The woman was stunned for the moment and had no idea how to respond. Ning Changjiu thought she didn’t want to tell him so he just couldn’t be bothered to talk more. A golden hairpin flew towards the woman from the dresser unknowingly, which nearly touched the tip of her nose. The woman swallowed slobber carefully, not daring to act rashly. “Are you testing me?” The woman still didn’t give up. “No.” Ning Changjiu sat quietly, waiting for her to answer. He raised his hand and abruptly gave off the fatal killing intent from all over his body. The woman sighed resignedly, “The mistress’s family name is Zhao, which is named after the state of Zhao, and her given name is Xiang’er. Three years ago...” Zhao Xiang’er... On a silent night, she slowly talked about the past.