Chapter 71: Bell, See You Tomorrow
May's weather brought waves of heat to Jiangning city. When the wind chime sounds drifted lazily over, the somewhat desolate courtyard was covered with green ivy climbing up the earthen walls. Wild flowers and grass grew densely in the yard, grasshoppers leaped out only to vanish again, crickets chirped from beneath bricks and stones. Sometimes butterflies fluttered by, and a bird perched on the vine-covered frame preening its feathers, its melodious song filling the air before it spread its wings and flew away, leaving the vines swaying gently and scattering golden light across the ground.
She sat beneath the frame against the wall corner, her sword placed beside her in the weeds. It was morning, and from behind the wall came the pleasant sound of children reciting poetry in unison.
Occasionally, that person's voice would also drift over: "...The phrase 'village worthies are thieves of virtue' means..."
"...Zilu didn't appreciate the behavior of so-called hermits..."
"...Speaking of this, I'm reminded of a story I once read..."
The voice sounded casual, without the usual classical particles of "zhi hu zhe ye," without too many "the sage said." It was different from the teachers she'd encountered before, making him seem... not very steady.
This way of speaking wasn't as pleasant as the students' recitations, yet she could actually understand it. Occasionally he'd tell those students stories too—such a lax private school. The students weren't very disciplined either, sometimes calling out "Teacher, teacher..." or "Teacher Liheng..." asking strange questions or cheerfully discussing stories with their instructor.
Such lack of propriety—if this were back home, these children would have their palms swollen from beatings and be made to stand in the sun all day!
Still, although that speaking voice lacked the dignity of a proper teacher and the plain language wasn't as melodious as the students' recitations, sometimes she felt this person's words seemed to make sense.
He would come by once in the morning, bringing food and necessities for the day. The food was enough to last the whole day, though if he came at noon, he'd also bring hot meals. In the afternoon he'd do strange experiments in that room, occasionally speaking a few words to her, and she'd casually respond with a few words of her own.
They hadn't formally met face to face, as she still couldn't see through this person. When he came, she often sat on the roof beams watching coldly, or went out the window to the rear courtyard. The little maid often came too, sitting on the outer corridor steps chatting with the family's young master, prattling about various random things. From this she learned that his family ran a cloth business.
After the little maid finished chattering, she'd usually pester him for stories like that fantastical "A Chinese Ghost Story," though unfortunately it wasn't finished—perhaps he'd already told it to the maid on the road that day. Now he was telling a story called "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," its plot vaguely similar to the current state of the realm, except in it the Wu Dynasty had been changed to the Song Dynasty.
Thus in these summer afternoons, in the quiet courtyard, the man named Ning Yi would conduct his strange experiments while telling peculiar stories. The little maid sat in the front courtyard, while the black-clothed woman hugged her ancient sword sitting in the grass behind, listening to tales of the martial world, jianghu, heroes, and sects—like two separate worlds divided from reality.
When evening came time to leave, the little maid would habitually turn back and say: "Bell, see you tomorrow."
Her voice was sweet, melting into the reddish twilight falling from the setting sun.
After the first two days passed, Ning Yi hadn't deliberately tried to manage anything.
There were many ways to make someone think you were sincere enough—the best method usually being: you really were sincere.
He didn't try too hard to think of anything or do anything special. Though the woman occasionally answered a few words, she wasn't willing to truly meet and talk with him face to face, and he didn't mind. He prepared food for the day each morning, and when he could come at noon or evening, he'd try to bring hot meals. Her injuries seemed quite serious, but since she was in hiding, there wasn't much to be particular about.
Each day he also brought her things she might need, even buying an extra set of black clothes for her to change into. When outside he'd occasionally say a few words, telling her how to be careful with things in the room, which things could be touched and which shouldn't be disturbed. She probably thought him strange, but there was no need to explain anything for now.
After Dragon Boat Festival passed, his life rhythm returned to the daily routine of teaching, wandering about, and doing experiments. On the afternoon of the tenth day of the fifth month when he returned home, Su Tan'er hadn't come back yet and Xiao Chan had business elsewhere, leaving the courtyard empty. He went to his room to organize some things, and when he turned his head, he suddenly noticed a figure at the door. At first glance he thought it was Xing'er, the taller of the three maids, but when he went to open the door he realized something was off.
After pulling open the door, the woman stood there quietly, wearing the green dress Ning Yi had bought for her, meeting his gaze with her heroic and cold bearing.
Ning Yi let out a breath: "Coming here like this is too risky..."
The outside government soldiers were still patrolling strictly. No matter what her purpose, following him here was really going against the wind. After Ning Yi said this, the woman seemed to frown slightly in confusion, then turned to leave. She seemed to want to return the way she came, preparing to climb over the wall, when Ning Yi suddenly called out: "Wait." Then he pointed toward the side gate, "Go that way, I'll get the carriage."
Not long after, the carriage left through the Su family's side gate, circled around heading toward the academy. Halfway there, he heard the woman say: "I already know where your home is..." As someone who licked blood from knife edges, she had a cautious nature. Saying this much was enough without needing more words. The carriage arrived at the side of that small courtyard when the road was empty in the sunset. The woman lifted the curtain and leaped directly into the courtyard's wall, leaving her words echoing softly behind: "My name is Lu Hongti."
Thus they were finally considered acquainted.
The next day when he went, the woman no longer avoided meeting Ning Yi. In the following days, they could exchange various trivial conversations. Several days later in the afternoon, Ning Yi was doing experiments in the outer room when the sky darkened outside with lightning and thunder, and torrential rain poured down as if to drown all of Jiangning city. The house leaked in this heavy rain, so Ning Yi placed several buckets inside and out to catch the water with their ding-dong sounds. Xiao Chan hadn't come today. Ning Yi sat in a chair in the outer room to rest and casually asked about martial arts.
Separated by just one wall, Lu Hongti, who was sitting on the bed in the inner room watching the rain through the window, smiled: "You've listened to those romance stories and now really want to learn martial arts? And what place is the Song Dynasty?"
Ning Yi laughed with a "heh": "No matter what, it's still very interesting."
"Interesting is indeed interesting." Lu Hongti was silent for a moment. "But in the end they're just romance stories. This world... has no major sects, no many jianghu heroes, no such refined manners and jianghu rules. There are only brigands and outlaws. You speak of it nicely, but in reality they're just a bunch of desperados without so many scruples. If they encounter the poor and weak, they rob and kill them. If they meet government soldiers oppressing good people or encounter similar bandits, they cup their hands and let them pass, avoiding them if possible... Heroes, where are there really any heroes who serve the country and people?"
"Not even one?" Ning Yi asked lightly.
"...Perhaps a few."
Ning Yi smiled and changed the topic: "How formidable are you in the jianghu?"
"I've heard of a few people but never fought them. As for the rest... they're all thugs and ruffians, what jianghu?" There was some pride in her tone but also displeasure, though not directed at Ning Yi. "I can handle a few or a dozen, but not dozens or hundreds. In military formations, it all amounts to nothing."
"So you've been on battlefields..."
She paused, then laughed: "You really want to learn martial arts? My martial arts?"
"Uh, if I could learn..."
"If I taught you, do you know what would happen?"
From the previous sentence, Ning Yi sensed something was off and tentatively asked: "Are your martial arts only suitable for women to practice?"
"No, if men learned them, they might become even more formidable." She smiled, speaking easily and straightforwardly.
"Then... without seeking to become some expert, though I'm past the age, I'm naturally intelligent and broadly learned. Could I reach second-rate?" Since she didn't seem serious anyway, Ning Yi fantasized and spouted nonsense.
"Heh." She laughed. "If you learned my martial arts and lacked perseverance, giving up halfway, that would be your good fortune. But if you truly had perseverance and practiced diligently without cease, then I can guarantee you wouldn't live past five years..."
Ning Yi was silent for a while: "What exactly is this internal energy?"
Lu Hongti said: "So-called internal energy is essentially just breathing techniques. Regular breathing methods, when practiced long-term, have health-strengthening effects. But truly profound internal energy uses breathing methods that are actually extremely extreme, controlling the human body through breathing rhythms. If children practice them, over time their bodies adapt to these breathing methods. Children's bodies are malleable, so their organs change accordingly, allowing them to later exert force in certain extreme ways and withstand the enormous burden this brings..."
"However, adult bodies are already set. To exert force in extreme ways causes great inherent damage. If you had the perseverance to train in breathing methods that contradict your current patterns, after several years your organs would shift position and you'd die coughing blood and weakened. Others only think children practicing yields twice the result with half the effort while adults get half the result with twice the effort, but that's not actually the case... Now you understand—in those romance novels you mentioned where adults can also practice and become experts just by obtaining good techniques, it's all fantasy..."
Outside the rain poured heavily and the sky was dark. Ning Yi sat there stunned for a while before finally understanding what internal energy really was—controlling breathing patterns from childhood to in turn transform one's body and organs. Martial arts must be practiced from childhood because children can adapt to the transformation. Some thoughts stirred in his mind, and after a moment he took out a notebook and pen: "Let me write this down..."
Sensing that Ning Yi didn't seem very disappointed, Lu Hongti was slightly puzzled, though she had no intention of digging deeper. After a while, feeling bored: "Since there's nothing to do now, why not continue the story of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils?"
"Pure speculation, better not to tell it..." Ning Yi said casually. Silence fell on the other side. A few seconds later he laughed heartily: "Just joking, just joking. But it seems my stories have more interesting martial arts after all. Haha, alright, today I win. Yesterday we got to the part about the Six Meridians Divine Sword versus the Buddha's Palm technique..."
"...Flame Saber." A moment later, Lu Hongti's voice drifted eerily from the inner room, sounding like it carried resentment from a vengeful spirit.
Ning Yi moved his stool further away to avoid another sword stabbing through the wall...