Chapter 735: Before the Storm (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Ning Tunan said he was talking nonsense?
The Chamberlain's face was filled with a look of utter disbelief, his finger trembling as he pointed at the other man's monogram at his waist, his emotions completely out of control: "I was clearly telling the truth! Ning Tunan, you, you—then how do you explain this thing?"
He was so anxious he wanted to stomp his feet.
"Don't try to fool me by saying you sculpted this for fun. With your pride, Ning Tunan, would you stoop to such self-deception?"
Even if Ning Yanzhen had truly fallen from grace, would he be unable to distinguish between the genuine and fake Wenxin's monogram? The scene before him was completely beyond his comprehension.
Ning Yan: "..."
After calming down a bit, his mind raced as he deduced. There was no doubt that Ning Yan was a woman.
Otherwise, Master Yan wouldn't have repeatedly expressed his regret that Ning Yan was a woman, saying that although she possessed talent and comprehension, she was unable to open her dantian and cultivate her literary mind due to her female body. Ning Yan was pregnant and even sought advice from his wife on raising children; the midwife on the day of her delivery was recommended by his wife. If Ning Yan were a man, things wouldn't have been so peaceful with the midwife.
So, here's the question—
Why is Ning Yan, who is a woman, able to unite the hearts of the people?
The attendant swallowed hard: "Could it be—"
Ning Yan wanted to hear what kind of human words he could utter, so she asked indifferently, "You surnamed Xie, could it be something?"
"You are one of the rarest people in the world..."
The attendant swallowed the rest of the words with difficulty.
Ning Yan glanced at her sideways: "Rare what?"
Knowing the man before her, she knew he wouldn't be able to come up with a good answer.
The Chamberlain bowed and apologized, as what he was about to say had offended Ning Yan, and apologizing first was certainly the right thing to do: "Hermaphrodite?"
Only this guess can perfectly explain it.
He didn't receive a reply from Ning Yan, but instead witnessed a long sword being drawn, accompanied by a soft sound of a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl, as it hurtled towards his face.
In a panic, the Chamberlain drew his sword to meet the attack.
The two swords clashed, and before the Attendant could say anything, Ning Yan kicked him in the stomach. He cried out and fell to the ground in a sorry state, his sword slipping from his grasp. Ning Yan pointed her sword at him, her beautiful face seemingly contorted in pain: "You, surnamed Xie, say another word?"
Ning Yan questioned him sharply, her tone clearly showing genuine anger.
She was, after all, a scholar of literary talent, and the force of her kick wasn't too great. The attendant, protected by his literary energy, wasn't injured either. Only the obvious footprint on his abdomen left him somewhat embarrassed. He rubbed his soft belly and said, "It's not this, and it's not that. Are you trying to say that you, as a woman, have condensed literary talent?"
It would have been better if we hadn't brought it up, because once we did, he discovered a blind spot.
Ning Yan's literary style and her signature literary motifs are very familiar.
He wasn't sure, so he decided to take another look.
Everyone's literary monogram is unique, but Ning Yan's monogram, apart from the characters on it, is exactly the same as her late husband Yan An's in color, size, and even the highly distinctive seal knob. Even the literary style and atmosphere are strikingly similar.
If the Chamberlain had closed his eyes at this moment and relied solely on his breath to recognize people, he might have mistaken the person standing in front of him for Yan An.
Before the Attendant could figure things out, Ning Yan sheathed her sword and replied calmly, "Yes, so what?"
Four words interrupted the attendant's wild imagination.
Attendant: "..."
He nearly froze on the spot.
Wenxin Wenshi, was she a woman, or his classmate?
The attendant raised his hand and pinched his arm. The obvious pain told him that what he was seeing was not a dream.
Ning Yan: "It's not appropriate to talk here. Let's go to the government office first."
The Attendant, clutching his stomach, scrambled to his feet, unable to resist the urge to glance at Ning Yan out of the corner of his eye. Zhao Wei, who had witnessed the entire beating, thought to himself, "Serves him right," but acted with a helpful hand, raising her hand to assist him: "Are you alright, sir?"
Only then did the Chamberlain notice Zhao Wei beside him.
Turning to look at the tall, valiant martial artist, the more he looked at that strikingly feminine face, the more he felt it was a woman rather than a man with female features. As if possessed, he asked Zhao Wei, "May I ask this lady's esteemed name?"
Zhao Wei: "My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Wei, the Wei of 'lush'."
As for those unacceptable words, let's not even mention them.
Upon hearing this, the attendant twisted his left ankle.
The crisp sound sent chills down one's spine, and before he could stumble and fall, Zhao Wei grabbed his arm and lifted him up. Faced with Zhao Wei's questioning gaze, as if to say, "How come you can't even walk properly?" the Attendant was on the verge of tears: "I'm too old, I can't take any more shocks."
Thus, Shen Tang encountered a courtier with one leg deeper than the other, mistakenly assuming he had a leg ailment like Luan Xin. The difference was that Luan Xin was lame in his right leg, while this man was lame in his left. Suppressing her worry that he was another troublemaker, she gently invited the courtier to sit down.
"I, Xie, have met Mr. Shen."
"Mr. Xie, there's no need for such formalities. I just heard from Dawei that you've come to visit an old friend. Unfortunately, Ji Shou isn't here. If you don't have anything urgent, Mr. Xie, you might as well wait here for a while. Ji Shou will join you once the war is over."
Upon hearing this, the Chamberlain realized something was amiss.
Just as he was about to explain, Ning Yan interrupted him, asking in surprise, "When did you become old friends with Kang Jishou?"
As far as she knew, Kang Shi had little interaction with him.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang looked at Ning Yan in surprise.
What's going on?
Seeing that Shen Tang showed no sign of anger, the Attendant forced himself to explain: "Please forgive me for deceiving you, Lord Shen. In fact, I came to find Tu Nan, but Tu Nan is not yet famous, and I was worried about causing unnecessary trouble, so I pretended to be Kang Jishou."
Shen Tang asked Ning Yan for confirmation: "Are you here to see Tu Nan?"
Ning Yan was also completely confused: "What do you want with me?"
The Chamberlain hadn't expected to be able to fulfill his request without going to Longwu County, but he harbored some thoughts of "revenge" and wasn't prepared to reveal everything now. He said mysteriously, "Naturally, it's to fulfill a righteous man's promise and deliver a precious treasure to Tu Nan."
For Ning Yan, her deceased husband's remains were indeed a treasure.
Ning Yan lowered her eyes and pondered for a long time, but she couldn't remember which "righteous man" the Attendant was referring to. The Attendant didn't want to be stabbed to death by Ning Yan with his sword when he turned around, so he cupped his hands to Zhao Wei and said, "Could you please trouble Lady Zhao to make a trip and ask me to fetch two items from my lodging? Just tell my wife that they are for Tu Nan, and she will know."
Zhao Wei would naturally not refuse a simple errand-running job.
Relying on her martial prowess, she could leap across rooftops and walls, making her way directly between two points, arriving in a few bounds on rooftops and courtyard walls.
May I ask your honorable surname, sir?
While waiting, Shen Tang also learned a little about the Chamberlain.
The attendant said, "My surname is Xie, my given name is Qi, and my courtesy name is Shizang."
"Xie Qi?"
Xie Qi misunderstood Shen Tang's words: "The shape of a vessel".
He was ridiculed by his peers in the same clan for many years because of this name, after all, the name sounds very depressing.
Furthermore, his talent was rather mediocre, and he developed his literary talent late in life; his father passed away before he could give him a courtesy name.
The name "Shizang" was given to him by Yan Shi.
Shen Tang asked the attendant with a smile.
"A wise man keeps his talents hidden until the right time to act"—this is indeed a good name. But I wonder if Shi Zang has yet to get his chance?
As someone who enjoys taking advantage of even the smallest things, she'd work for a dog for days if it passed by, let alone a living person. Xie Qi came to Ning Yan's aid, and Ning Yan was her subordinate; in effect, Xie Qi had come to seek refuge with her! Scholars are usually reserved, so as a lord, she needed to be more proactive. As for the pitfalls of the scholar's way… she refused to believe she wouldn't run into a normal person.
Shen Tang mentally counted the students of Yan An's father, thinking to himself that this old gentleman was quite good at teaching disciples. Ning Yan, Xie Qi, Yan An, Zheng Qiao, and Xu Jie were all Yan An's students, but they became disciples at different times and were not all in the same class.
Perhaps I could change my perspective.
Let's take advantage of the banquet organizers.
Xie Qi was slightly surprised, seemingly not expecting Shen Tang to be so proactive right away. He hadn't made any preparations at all. In a flash, Zhao Wei rescued him, carrying the things and rushing over. Before she even arrived, her voice came first: "My lord, the things have been brought."
A black sword case with a reddish tinge.
A ceramic jar wrapped in layers of hemp cloth.
Xie Qi stumbled to the pottery jar, and under Ning Yan's bewildered and inquisitive gaze, he looked at her with a sorrowful yet sympathetic expression. He took a deep breath and said, "Tu Nan, I have not failed the righteous man's trust this time, and have brought Xingning to you."
A casual remark struck Ning Yan like a thunderclap.
The explosion left her head buzzing and blank, as if the world was spinning upside down before her eyes, robbing her of her ability to speak.
Her body seemed to have a mind of its own, trying to get up and move forward, but her knees gave way and she fell back down with a thud. It was only after a while that she belatedly felt a sharp pain in her knees, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Xingning, Xingning...Xingning is back?"
Shen Tang, who was sitting at the head of the table, was also shocked and sat up straight.
"Yan Xingning?"
Looking at Ning Yan's appearance, Xie Qi vaguely understood why Ning Yan's literary style and Wenxin Huaban (a type of calligraphy) were so similar to Yan An's; it was because she couldn't forget that person. He explained the whole story: "A few days ago, a group of palace eunuchs came to my door and entrusted this item to me. The eunuch was grateful for Xing Ning's kindness and risked his life to work with several colleagues to hide Xing Ning's remains."
Speaking of that eunuch, Xie Qi still sighed.
The current situation remains at the temporary palace, with almost no chance of survival. Given the hatred the Dragon-Slaying Bureau allied forces harbor towards Zheng Qiao, and the public's anger towards this tyrant, a massacre of the palace is practically a certainty should Zheng Qiao fail. Alas.
The common people will only applaud and cheer.
On the other side, Ning Yan managed to calm her turbulent emotions.
She wiped away her tears, only her reddened eyes testifying to her recent loss of composure. She bowed deeply to Xie Qi, saying, "Thank you for sending Xingning here. I will repay your great kindness in this lifetime!"
She didn't know much about Xie Qi, but she knew that he had been very tactful and adept at navigating social situations since his youth, rarely getting into trouble. The risk of sending the remains back to Xingning was immense, yet he had done it; how could Ning Yan not be grateful?
Xie Qi avoided the question, saying, "We were classmates, why bother with thanks?"
Ning Yan's attention was entirely focused on the pottery jar, paying no attention to the contents of the sword case, but Shen Tang's curiosity was irresistible. She squatted down beside the sword case, frowning in thought: "What's inside the sword case?"
Of course, there are swords in the sword case.
It's just that the sword's owner is being disrespectful to it.
Xie Qi said, "It's a broken sword."
Ning Yan mistakenly thought that the sword box also contained Xing Ning's relics, and asked in confusion, "Broken sword? But Xing Ning's broken sword was given to me a long time ago."
She even sought out a master swordsmith to reforge the broken sword into her daughter's personal sword, so that she could inherit her deceased father's spirit.
Having learned by chance that Bai Su was an excellent swordsmith, she specially brought her daughter and generous gifts to visit him, requesting his assistance. Bai Su said it was a pity that the sword was broken, and that some auxiliary materials would be needed to restore it. Since Ning Yan's daughter had not yet condensed her literary heart, the matter of reforging was not in a hurry.
Xie Qi forced a forced laugh: "Hehe, it's not Xingning's broken sword, uh, it is, it is Zheng Nujiao's..."
Shen Tang pricked up his ears: "Nü Jiao?"
She thought it was some female ruler, Ning Yan's close friend.
Xie Qi whispered, "Zheng Qiao."
Upon hearing the name "Zheng Nvjiao," Ning Yan knew it referred to Zheng Qiao. Her face instantly turned frosty, and her eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"Why should I accept his broken sword?"
Xie Qi also said, "Who knows? How can we ordinary people guess what a madman is thinking? He asked me to deliver it, so I delivered it... What you do with it is up to you. Whether you throw it away and it's better to be out of sight, or melt it down and recast it, it's all up to you... After all, it was forged from the fine iron that Master Yan painstakingly searched for, it would be a pity to throw it away..."
Ning Yan ignored his subsequent advice: "It's lost."
Get her as far away as possible; I find her disgusting to even look at!
Shen Tang tapped the sword case with her finger, her expression shifting between confusion and bewilderment. When she heard that Ning Yan didn't want the thing, she said, "Tu Nan is going to throw it away? If you really don't want it, I'll take it."
Ning Yan said, "This item is unlucky."
She thought that her lord was reluctant to part with the fine iron of the sword.
"For some reason, I always felt that this sword shouldn't have been lost; the aura emanating from it... is rather strange..."
He couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange, and as he spoke, Shen Tang opened the sword case. Inside, there was indeed a broken sword neatly arranged. The scabbard was made of sharkskin, adorned with a ruyi tassel, and the blade lying beside the scabbard was broken into three pieces, its cold light gleaming and its sword intent penetrating to the skin.
Ning Yan recognized Zheng Qiao's sword at a glance and looked away in disgust, but her lord's words made her uneasy. Seeing Shen Tang about to reach for it, she quickly stopped him: "My lord—be careful, there might be something wrong with this sword—"
I don't believe what Zheng Qiao gave me is anything good.
Xie Qi said, "It shouldn't be poisonous."
He walked out of the palace with the sword in his bare hands.
If there had been any poison on it, he would have been dead long ago.
Shen Tang shook his head: "It's not poison..."
She stared at the sword for a long time, trying to describe the feeling: "This sword...it seems to be alive...something is moving, but it's trapped inside the blade and can't get out. Tu Nan, Shi Zang, Da Wei, do you guys feel the same way?"
The three people whose names were mentioned shook their heads.
No matter how they see it, it's just an ordinary broken sword, and one that hasn't been properly maintained.
Shen Tang was puzzled: "This shouldn't be the case..."
Reassuring Ning Yan not to worry, Shen Tang gripped the sword hilt with one hand and grabbed the scabbard with the other, waiting patiently for a moment. Then, Shen Tang raised the hand holding the hilt: "It's right here! There's something inside!"
Ning Yan suggested, "Shall we let General Bai take a look?"
Bai Su is an expert in casting; perhaps he can discern some secrets.
Shen Tang put the sword hilt and scabbard back into the sword box, but her gaze remained fixed on them: "Alright, let Shao Xuan take a look."
Unexpectedly, Bai Su also couldn't see the problem.
After asking around, only Shen Tang had this feeling.
Shen Tang: "..."
Ning Yan suggested, "My lord, would you like to take a look at Xingning's sword? These two broken swords were forged in the same furnace, sharing the same origin. If it's not due to the broken swords themselves, then Zheng Qiao must have tampered with them."
(〃'▽'〃)
Shiitake Mushroom is determined to get her driver's license. She signed up two years ago, but she hasn't even stepped into the test center for the first part yet. Sigh, this won't do. Once she gets her license and buys a car, she can take her leather jacket and mom for a drive everywhere.
(End of this chapter)
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