Chapter 7: Three Tests

Zang Fan gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and went back into the house. Ning Jue remained silent and followed behind.

The two entered the study one after the other, seemingly wanting to have a private talk. Before Bai Hua could get close, Zang Fan slammed the study door shut with such force that Bai Hua dared not approach rashly, lest she annoy him.

She deliberately avoided suspicion by stepping back a few steps and turning to go to the main room to tidy up the dining table and prepare to wash it.

Although today's work was arduous, the situation has been opened up. If she can stay on smoothly, there will be an opportunity to gradually widen the opening, like a gentle rain nourishing the earth. Everything should be done slowly and steadily. If we are too hasty, it may backfire.

Bai Hua, dressed in thin clothes, squatted under the shed in the courtyard, fetching water to wash dishes.

The night breeze was a bit chilly, blowing swiftly and lifting a corner of her elegant blue dress. Because her hands had been soaking in cold water for a long time, she couldn't help but shiver and shrink her shoulders.

But there was no way around it; Young Master Ning's residence was small, consisting of four small rooms. Apart from a slightly more spacious bedroom, a study, and a bathroom, there was only one dining room furnished with a soft couch and tables and chairs.

These past few days, she has been making do with sleeping on the soft couch in the main room, barely managing to find a place to stay. However, there is not enough space left to place a stove, so if she wants to cook or wash dishes, she has to go to the thatched shed outside the courtyard.

When the weather is mild, it's fine, but if it's windy or rainy, not only is it difficult to start a fire and cook, but it's also easy to catch a cold when washing and cleaning.

Fortunately, the past few days have been sunny, and the temperature in early autumn is far from being bitterly cold; otherwise, even if she gritted her teeth, she would have had a hard time coping.

After tidying up, Bai Hua neatly placed the plates and bowls into the cupboard. As she washed and wiped her hands, she noticed that her knuckles were red from rubbing, her fingertips were cold, and they were stiff and hard to straighten. She couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

Inside the thatched hut, the bleak autumn wind swept over her, her skirt fluttering, her hair disheveled, and golden fallen leaves scattered throughout the courtyard. It would probably take some effort to clean it up tomorrow.

Suddenly, an indescribable feeling of grievance welled up in her heart. Bai Hua took a deep breath, raised her hand to fan her eyes, and tilted her head back to try to stop the tears from falling.

Looking up at the bright stars in the sky, she gazed at them longingly, wondering which two stars her parents had transformed into to protect and accompany her.

She missed her brother who stayed in the capital; he wasn't a cousin, but her own brother.

The two had not seen each other for a long time and had not exchanged letters. I wonder if my brother has recovered from the depression caused by his demotion, and how my sister-in-law and niece are doing...

The more I miss my loved ones, the more bitter and sullen I feel.

Bai Hua wiped her eyes with her sleeve, sighed, and walked into the house with a desolate figure.

The candlelight in the study was still on. She didn't approach rashly, but instead quietly poured herself a cup of hot tea to warm her hands. Then she sat quietly on a wooden chair a little distance away from the study and drank it without disturbing anyone.

...

Inside the study, the candlelight flickered, casting two tall, upright shadows clearly on the wall.

It gets dark early these days; it's only 7 PM now, and the sky is already completely dark.

Zang Fan slowly finished a cup of chrysanthemum tea, his anger subsiding slightly, and asked in detail, "She didn't just arrive today, did she? What was the test you gave her a few days ago?"

Ning Jue stood in front of the table, bent over, and carefully used a shovel to add incense to the incense burner on the table.

Upon hearing this, he continued working and replied, "Today is the third day. The first day tested physical strength, and I asked her to refill the empty water tank in the bathroom, which she agreed to."

Zang Fan scoffed, "With her frail body, how could she possibly lift a carrying pole?"

Ning Jue: "She couldn't carry it all in one trip, but she cleverly switched to a smaller bucket. She made five trips back and forth from the bamboo house to the stone stream, putting in many times more effort, and finally filled the vat with water. Because she completed the test within the allotted time, she passed the first test."

The path from Shixi to Zhuwu is up a mountain, and villagers rarely come up here on weekdays. It's not because Ningjue is domineering and restricts the villagers' freedom of movement, but because apart from some wild rabbits, there are no other wild game to hunt near the top of the mountain. Rabbit meat is not rare and is sold very cheaply at the market, so the locals are too lazy to bother going up the mountain to wait for rabbits.

So gradually, this area on the mountain road became Ning Jue's usual place to practice swordsmanship. To be on the safe side, they set up warning bells and hidden traps to prevent well-intentioned people from sneaking around.

There is usually only one narrow mountain path leading from the stream to the bamboo house, but it is a long detour. If you are familiar with the terrain, you can go directly through the bushes when fetching water, which will save you half the effort.

The woman was new to Xianyang Mountain and unfamiliar with the route. To save her energy, she might explore the side paths...

Zang Fan narrowed his eyes, recalling the dismantled mechanisms he had noticed on his way up the mountain, and instantly asked angrily, "Ning Jue, don't tell me... that you cut all the wires on the hidden traps we set up earlier because you were afraid she would accidentally trigger them? It took a lot of effort to set those up back then!"

The voice was too loud and somewhat noisy.

Ning Jue frowned, not feeling that this matter warranted such a strong reaction from Zang Fan, and replied in a calm tone: "Since it can be avoided, why hurt the innocent?"

"..."

Zang Fan felt his blood rush to his head.

Thinking back to July and August, when the sun is at its most scorching, he willingly came to do hard labor under the blazing sun, and even though he was covered in mosquito bites, he still insisted on staying to help set up hidden stakes.

In just a few months, someone used such an absurd reason to dismantle all the mechanisms?

Facing Zang Fan's accusing gaze, Ning Jue calmly added, "Those children in the village are becoming increasingly mischievous, and their range of activity is expanding. If they run up to the top of the mountain while chasing and playing and accidentally trigger a mechanism, we will have a hard time explaining ourselves."

That's barely a legitimate reason.

Zang Fan took a deep breath, and with a forced smile, asked again, "So, what about the second challenge?"

Ning Jue put down the incense spoon, casually resting his fingers on the handle of the incense burner. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his eyes and replied, "Courage."

Zang Fan patiently continued listening.

Ning Jue calmly recounted, "I ordered her to kill a chicken and cook it for me, intending to save time and test her courage and cooking skills together, but she didn't live up to my expectations."

Zang Fan raised an eyebrow: "She didn't succeed in killing him?"

If you failed to kill them, why leave them alive? But if you had killed them, why would you be called spineless?

A fleeting look of helplessness crossed Ning Jue's face as she replied, "She struggled to lift the knife, exhausting herself running until she still couldn't catch the chicken. She finally managed to grab its wing, but the flapping noise nearly scared her to tears. After all that commotion, she attracted the attention of the entire village. Seeing so many people, she hesitated to act. But... the villagers are kind and hospitable. Seeing this, they immediately went to help kill the chicken. We never expected such an unexpected turn of events."

Zang Fan asked, "Such blatant cheating, and you're letting her pass?"

Ning Jue hesitated for a moment, then remained silent.

Zang Fan was almost laughing in anger. He paced back and forth in the room with his hands on his hips, rattling off a detailed analysis of the many hidden dangers and drawbacks of keeping the woman, determined to persuade Ning Jue and stop him from being blinded by greed.

Ning Jue didn't explain further, only saying that he would make proper arrangements, clearly not taking it seriously.

Zang Fan was unwilling to give up and was determined to stir up trouble. He said with certainty, "She was pretending so obviously. How could she not even dare to kill a chicken? She clearly has martial arts skills, but she still acts like a weak willow in the wind, crying with red eyes at the drop of a hat, deliberately trying to gain your sympathy."

Ning Jue said, "She really doesn't know martial arts."

Zang Fan retorted angrily, "Oh, is it that my eyesight is worse than yours?"

Ning Jue tapped his fingers absently on the table, not wanting to answer meaningless questions.

Zang Fan couldn't help but raise his voice: "Why do you insist on keeping her? Is it just because she's beautiful? Yes, I admit that the woman is indeed as beautiful as a fairy, but when have you, Ning Jue, ever been the kind of person who gets lustful at the sight of a beautiful woman?"

Ning Jue said, "It's not that I insist on doing anything, I'm just giving her a chance. As for whether she can pass the subsequent tests, everything is still unknown."

Zang Fan crossed his arms and said dismissively, "Fine, I'll stay and see how she gets through this. If you continue to be biased and unfair, I won't stand for it."

Ning Jue nodded, allowing him to witness.

In fact, he believes he did not hold back; what he just told was only a partial account, and there are others he is unwilling to disclose.

In fact, what truly tested her courage yesterday was not the task of killing chickens.

He had an old injury flare up in the middle of the night, and the pain was unbearable. After waking her up, she calmly applied medicine and bandaged his bleeding arm.

Her composure was a sign of courage, which is why he passed the second test.

...

The full moon hangs high outside the window, leaves are falling from the treetops, it's getting late.

Zang Fan was a little sleepy. He tilted his head back, squinted, and yawned three times. He walked to the door and pushed open the study door.

With a creak, he was about to step out of the house when he looked up and saw that face he disliked standing right in front of him.

Even though the other person was sitting far enough away and didn't bother him at all, Zang Fan couldn't help but feel angry and annoyed.

Looking at where she was sitting, he became even more unhappy.

That was where he would sleep when he temporarily stayed in the bamboo house. He even bought the felt blanket on the small couch. Now, however, it has been taken over by someone else!

They were already emotional, and now they couldn't hold back their temper any longer.

Zang Fan turned to look at Ning Jue and said irritably, "She's here, where am I going to sleep tonight?"

This is a tricky problem.

Ning Jue thought it over carefully, believing that he was not favoring anyone, but simply proposing the most suitable and feasible method based on the current situation: "The bamboo house is small, and it can only accommodate three people in a cramped space. Why don't you go down the mountain tonight?"

It seemed rather inhumane to drive a woman down the mountain alone so late at night. But for Zang Fan, it was just an easy matter of walking a few more steps.

Upon hearing this, Zang Fan stiffened his neck, his mouth moved repeatedly, but he was too angry to utter a single word.

He had no temper with Ning Jue, but he always picked on the weak. So he turned his neck and glared fiercely at Bai Hua, his eyes menacing and intimidating.

It was as if his eyes were cursing—you monster!

Bai Hua lowered her head meekly, not daring to provoke her.

She was just resentful and thought to herself, "If you're so capable, why don't you get angry at Young Master Ning? What kind of person are you who only knows how to bully and scare her?"