Chapter 31 Wishing you well, I always hope my beloved will have everything go smoothly...
Before dawn, Yu Nie rummaged through drawers and cabinets, finding a bunch of bottles and jars. After counting them, she put them all into the long, narrow bundle she carried with her.
After finishing these tasks, she went to the backyard and prepared all the required amounts of pigment for the day.
After leaving a note on the table, he carefully opened the gate, untied the little red horse from its reins, led it out of the stable, and, bathed in the fading moonlight, headed towards Huaiyuan City.
Along the tree-lined path, the dew-kissed wild grasses exuded a refreshing fragrance. Occasionally, an unknown mountain bird would flutter past her head with a "whoosh," startling her so much that she would shrink her neck and break out in a cold sweat on her back.
She's been easily frightened since she was a child. If she were a cat, without a doubt, she would be the kind of tabby cat whose fur stands on end the moment someone casually kicks a pebble on the road.
The bells on the horse's necks rang out clearly in the quiet countryside.
Although Yu Nie was somewhat afraid, she had already come out, so she could only grit her teeth and move forward.
As she walked alone, she inexplicably recalled the ghost stories that her martial uncle, Cui Miaochang, had told them.
Ghost stories say that a person has three lamps on their body: one on the top of their head and the other two on their left and right shoulders. When walking at night, if someone calls your name from behind, never turn around. If you do, the lamps on your shoulders will go out, and you will be easily possessed by evil spirits.
The more she thought about it, the more her scalp tingled. She didn't dare turn her head to look back at all. She lifted her legs and patted the horse's belly to speed up the journey.
Seven miles into the city—for the first time, she felt that this journey was longer than the days she spent waiting for her monthly allowance.
She hurried along cautiously, forcing herself to straighten her neck, heading towards Huaiyuan City.
Perhaps out of fear, her horse ran much faster than usual.
She was completely focused, her attention entirely on the path.
Suddenly, a white figure darted out from the roadside bushes.
Startled, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and quickly pulled on the reins. The little red horse neighed in pain, reared up, and kicked its front hooves wildly in the air before finally landing heavily.
This startled Yu Nie quite a bit; her heart nearly jumped out of her throat, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She patted her chest, and it took her a while to calm down. Once her heart had stopped beating so fast, she mustered her courage and looked towards the bushes where the white figure had darted out.
In the middle of the official road, a snow-white rabbit was squatting, its eyes, like red glass, darting around. Its whole body was trembling, and its two long ears were perked up alertly, listening to the movements around it.
Upon seeing that it was a rabbit, Yu Nie immediately lost her fear.
She breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I thought it was something else, but it turns out to be a little guy like you."
She leaned down: "Since we've met on a narrow path, but you're cute, I'll let you go first. Just be careful that other people don't see us and capture you."
Even after she said that, the rabbit remained motionless, squatting in the middle of the road.
Thinking it was having a stress reaction, Yu Nie dismounted from his horse, stepped lightly, and crouched down beside it.
Seeing that it wasn't trying to run away, she gently reached out to soothe it: "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. If you don't want to move, I'll take you to the side, okay?"
The rabbit moved slightly in her palm.
Yu Nie was overjoyed, taking it as a promise, and reached out with both hands to embrace it.
But as soon as her fingers touched the snow-white fur, the little white rabbit suddenly turned in a different direction.
In the not-too-dark daylight, she finally noticed the bleeding wound on its leg.
She suddenly realized what was happening and felt a pang of pity: "No wonder you weren't moving, you were injured."
Seeing that the wound was quite deep, Yu Nie quickly took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and bandaged it up simply.
Such a severe injury, if left untreated, could very well kill it.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to take the rabbit to the city to see the veterinarian who treated the cattle and sheep.
Once it has recovered from its injuries, we'll release it back into the mountains.
She spoke gently to it, "Don't be afraid. I'll take you to the doctor to check your injury first. He won't hurt you. If you want to come with me, rub my hand to show that you agree."
As she said this, the rabbit, as if it understood human nature, hesitated for a long while before actually moving closer to her.
The two, human and rabbit, reached an agreement, and she smiled as she picked it up and set off.
With her companions, the second half of the journey became more enjoyable, and she was no longer afraid.
After nearly two cups of tea's time, she finally caught a glimpse of the magnificent city gate tower with its flying eaves and bracket sets.
On the towering crenellations of the city wall, the torches on the platforms were still burning, blending with the daylight, and the figures of the patrolling soldiers on the wall were clearly visible.
It's dawn, and the morning drum is sounding.
The city gates were wide open, and merchants and customers waiting in line to enter the city were entering one after another.
Holding the rabbit in his arms, Yu Nie followed the group into the city.
She went to the vet first, putting down the rabbit she was holding so it could be treated.
A short while later, she went to the government office without stopping.
After explaining her purpose to the guard outside the door, the guard who remembered her face turned around and went inside to report.
Before long, the guard ran out and said respectfully, "The master is taking a nap in his study. Young Taoist priest, please come with me."
Passing through the front corridor and the arched doorway, the roses and pink peonies in the flowerbeds were just as beautiful and vibrant as they had been the day before.
Upon reaching the study door, the guard bowed and reported inside: "Sir, the Taoist priest from Lingbao Temple has arrived."
"Yes, let her in." The voice inside sounded slightly deep.
Yu Nie thanked the guards and stepped into the study.
Zi Jing leaned against the dark blue silk couch, one elbow propped on a low sandalwood table, idly flipping through an ancient book. The words on the cover read "Bamboo Annals".
Hearing the sound, he lazily lifted his eyelids, his gaze fixed on her, his alluring features captivating her with an unintentional charm: "Little Taoist priest, it's been a night. Are you preparing to travel the world?"
He asked the question because he noticed the bundle on her shoulder.
Without saying a word, Yu Nie sat down opposite him, took off his bundle, moved the teacups and teapot on the table to the side, took out the wooden box inside, placed it in the center, and opened it.
He carefully took out each porcelain bottle from the box and introduced them in detail:
"These three white bottles contain water-based flammable powder."
"The brown ones are all fluorescent pink."
"The rest is all alcohol. I told my husband before that this stuff can be used to clean wounds."
After saying that, she closed the box and looked at him intently: "That's all. It should last for a while. Just keep it safe, young man."
She introduced a whole bunch of things. Zijing put down her book and glanced at the pile of jars on the table: "Little Taoist priest... why did you suddenly bring all these here?"
Seeing that he wasn't in a hurry at all, Yu Nie put her arm on the table and leaned closer to him: "Tsk, is my lord really unaware or pretending not to know? I've heard that you sent people to arrest Zhao Shuhuai. You're new here, so you probably don't know that the garrison in Huaiyuan City has been almost turned into his private army by Zhao Shuhuai over the years."
“Your commander holds a high position and wields great power, but he is currently far from the emperor's reach and his authority is limited. Since Zhao Shuhuai can openly defy orders, it's hard to guarantee that he won't make trouble for you. That's why I brought these things with me, hoping they can be of some help.”
After her earnest words, Zijing understood why she had come.
He chuckled and slightly raised his chin: "What are these water-based flammable powders and night-shining powders for?"
She explained in detail: "As the name suggests, water-burning powder can be ignited when it comes into contact with water and can be used to repel enemies."
After a pause, she picked up the brown bottle and shook it: "As for the fluorescent powder, it's a good thing. You can coat it on your arrows, shoot them at night, and follow the powder on the ground to find your target. If you want to use it to track people during the day, just dip it in some green vitriol oil and apply it, and they'll be immediately visible."
“And another thing…” she put down the bottle: “If you are marching at night and your tinderboxes are unusable, you can take a small pinch of this powder, sprinkle it on a dry twig, and strike it with a flint to use as a makeshift torch.”
She emphasized, "However, the light doesn't last very long, probably only about half a quarter of an hour at most, so please don't forget."
Upon hearing that these unassuming bottles were so useful, he remained calm and composed, his face beaming with warmth: "I never imagined that the young Taoist priest would possess such ingenious items; it has truly broadened my horizons."
His dark eyes were fixed on her, and his tone became even gentler: "But is this water-burning substance really that powerful?"
He picked one of the two items to ask about, his expression frank, yet concealing a subtle probing intent.
"Guaranteed to be amazing." Yu Nie smiled, immediately got up, took the tea in front of him, walked to the door and splashed it out. He then turned back, grabbed a bottle of water, lit it, unscrewed the stopper, and sprinkled it on the damp ground.
In the blink of an eye, the tea on the ground burst into flames half a meter high.
Lu Jinshi, who had been stationed outside the door, was astonished by what he saw.
Zi Jing stood with his eyelashes slightly lowered, hands behind his back, staring at the fire on the ground.
The person next to him laughed heartily, giving him a smug look: "See? I told you, it's guaranteed to be amazing."
It ignites upon contact with water, and indeed it does.
He stared at the flickering flame and asked, "Is this water-burning substance easy to make?"
“Aluminum… uh, that silver frost is extremely difficult to extract. It takes twenty magnets to grind out one qian (a unit of weight). I spent almost two years accumulating these three bottles. This stuff… mass-producing it is still quite difficult,” Yu Nie replied earnestly.
Zijing asked again, "According to what you're saying, young Taoist priest, as long as there are enough lodestones, you can get more water vapor?"
Yu Nie nodded slightly with her chin: "That's the logic."
After saying that, she lowered her voice and took two steps closer to him, saying, "Young master, I'm giving you these things, but you mustn't say that I made them."
Seeing her cautious demeanor, the corners of his lips curved slightly: "Young Taoist priest, if you're so careful, why did you dare to bring me these things?"
Yu Nie's eyes were bright and clear, her snow-white skin contrasting with the touch of rouge on her lips. She turned her head and smiled at him: "My lord is of pure and kind nature, and upright in character. I wish you well, good fortune, and peace in all directions. We have known each other for a while, and it is not the way of a righteous person to stand idly by."
The flames on the ground were burning brightly, their light flickering.
She opened her mouth and said, "I always wish that my husband will be successful in everything he does, and that taking risks for his friends is not worth mentioning."
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