Encountering Rain at West Lake

The lamplight flickered gently. The not-so-lavish feast was drawing to a close. Noticing that the lamp was running low on oil, Xiao Chan came over, refilled it, and adjusted the wick to make the light brighter.

Although the two at the table were nearly a generation apart, they found themselves quite compatible after talking for a while. Qin Shaohe wasn't some pedantic scholar. His insights and views on many matters were as good as his father's. After expressing his thanks, he began by discussing some of the events that had occurred during last year's disaster relief. He had basically followed the disaster relief strategies outlined in Ning Yi's booklet. However, such matters were subject to countless changes and variables. Qin Shaohe had handled them according to his own judgment at the time. Now that he had returned, he wanted to discuss these issues in detail with Ning Yi.

His attitude was sincere and unpretentious. However, Ning Yi had originally written that booklet based on a combination of disaster relief strategies and personnel management experiences he had read about in the past. Now that Qin Shaohe had practical experience, his understanding of specific matters was actually deeper than Ning Yi's. Therefore, Ning Yi simply exchanged his own experiences with the other man and asked about the conditions during the disaster. These were the important matters.

Aside from the important matters, they chatted about various things from all over the country. During his days back in Jiangning, Qin Shaohe had heard some news. Smiling during their conversation, he said, "I've long heard of Li Heng's unparalleled literary talent. Now that you've returned to Jiangning, I've also heard that the courtesan Li Shishi from Fan Lou has come to Jiangning. Li Heng is willing to help Jiangning's reputation. I suppose you'll have a new work coming out soon. Is that so?"

"Someone did come to ask me once. We're not very close, but it's hard to refuse. However, there are many talented and refined people in Jiangning. I think there's no need for me to embarrass myself. I heard that Li Shishi is incomparably beautiful. Offending beauties in this matter has no benefits..."

He had said these same words to Puyang Yi back then. Qin Shaohe, upon hearing them now, laughed. "You're joking, you're joking. But if Li Heng is really interested in that Li Shishi, perhaps we can meet her another day."

"You know her, Brother Qin?"

"I don't know her. I haven't been back to Bianjing for many years. Sometimes when I go back, it's only a quick visit. I don't know how the top courtesans of Bianjing are these days. But I do know the Madam Li of Fan Lou. If she's here, seeing Li Shishi shouldn't be a problem..."

Ning Yi nodded. "So Brother Qin is on good terms with that Madam Li. Her age is about right..."

Qin Shaohe was drinking. He was usually rather serious and proper, but now he almost spat out his wine. He sat there laughing for a long time, but then nodded. "She was indeed a beauty more than ten years ago... My father was an official in Bianjing back then, as Li Heng knows. At that time, I went to Fan Lou a few times, but mainly because of your Second Brother Qin. The Second Master ran rampant in Bianjing, philandering and causing trouble. He was a pest in Bianjing. He often went to Fan Lou to support them, so I often went to drag him home. After going home, he would inevitably be beaten and scolded. That's why I became somewhat familiar with that Madam Li. I still have some face with her... Oh, I heard Li Heng is interested in martial arts?"

"Hmm?"

"Shaoqian was like that back then. He admired chivalry and loved martial arts. He often exchanged pointers with martial artists and boxers, coming back with injuries all over his body. That's why he later joined the military."

"I've never heard old Master Qin mention that."

"It's not much to speak of. Just a bit of brute strength. I don't know how he is now. I only know that he's earned some military merit over the years and has been promoted quickly. But that has nothing to do with personal martial prowess. He hasn't talked much about it in recent years, mainly because he's afraid of worrying our mother. He's stationed in Sizhou. He received the news earlier than I did. He should have arrived home earlier than me, but I don't know what's delaying him. He hasn't returned yet today. When he does, Li Heng will definitely have something to talk about with him."

After chatting about Qin Shaoqian for a few sentences, Qin Shaohe lowered his voice slightly as Xiao Chan went out to fetch tea. "What does Li Heng think of this assassination and the subsequent events?"

Ning Yi glanced at him and paused with his wine cup in his hand. "Brother Qin came back mainly to investigate this, right?"

"Li Heng is truly remarkable. I was talking to my father about it a few days ago. My father said that Li Heng would definitely have anticipated some of these things..."

"There's not much I could have anticipated. It's just that old Master Qin deliberately let the assassin escape."

Qin Shaohe looked at him. After a long while, he nodded and sighed. "It wasn't exactly deliberate. Uncle Kang deliberately revealed some flaws, originally only wanting to lure the fish to show themselves. Who knew the fish would be too big and the net would break, allowing them to actually take the person away. Father... probably anticipated some of this, but seeing it actually happen was still very disappointing. Actually, Kang Shishu's influence is ultimately greater here in Jiangning. But even in the驸马府, I'm afraid it may not be entirely clean." (驸马府 - Fu Ma Manor, residence of the imperial son-in-law)

"The Wu and Liao have been trading for nearly a century. The interests are deeply intertwined. Even the Su family, where I am, has commercial dealings with the Liao after a few twists and turns. This isn't anyone's fault. You can guess what it's like without seeing it. Seeing it, there's really no need to be too surprised."

"It's just a bit disheartening after all."

The two were speaking somewhat cryptically, but in reality, they were talking about the events after the assassination. Originally, Jiangning should have been the Wu Dynasty's home ground, and with Kang Xian, this mastermind, in control, how could it have been so easy for the other side to abduct the captured and heavily guarded wounded man? Originally, Kang Xian had wanted to see if there were any remaining forces behind the scenes, deliberately relaxing the defenses. Who knew that they would actually take the bait? Judging from Qin Shaohe's attitude, there were definitely pro-Liao forces operating behind the scenes, and this network of interests was probably involved in a great deal, so much so that Kang Xian hadn't been able to take action even now.

At this moment, Xiao Chan returned. The two clinked their cups together and changed the topic. However, Qin Shaohe's attitude toward Ning Yi was slightly different from before. He had originally known that Ning Yi was extraordinary. Although there were some examples of that, and he had heard his father say a lot, he hadn't personally witnessed it. With these few sentences of conversation, this middle-aged man who held the official position of Prefect, had a true recognition of the Ning Yi before him.

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On a night of bustling lights in Jiangning City, several hundred kilometers away, north of the Huai River and in a mountain range south of Xuzhou, some things were happening.

Desolate mountains and wilderness, devoid of human habitation. As far as the eye could see, everything was shrouded in black forests. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting a hazy and eerie light. In the forest, a fire was burning at an old mountain temple.

Four travelers were resting in this temple.

These were four men. Three of them were tall, one was tall and thin; one was blind in one eye, his head wrapped in bandages, and he had a large, burly frame; and one was even taller than that man, his skin tanned dark, probably from too much sun. There were five or six large and small scars on his face. These scars extended to his body. He wore an iron band around his forehead, like a wandering monk with hair, except that his hair was too wild. He squatted there like a crouching beast. Everyone could feel the fierce aura emanating from him.

The man they were with was wrapped in many bandages. His injuries hadn't healed. He lay on a pile of straw in a corner of the dilapidated temple, staring blankly at the flames. A pot of rice porridge was almost ready over the fire.

These were the men who had participated in the assassination in Jiangning. The giant with the scarred face was the one who had joined in later to rescue the man. Although they had escaped from Jiangning at the time, Kang Xian was able to mobilize considerable power in the dark. There had been several interceptions along the way since then. Fortunately, the giant was highly skilled in martial arts, and they had reacted quickly along the way, escaping here. They hadn't been harassed for several days now.

However, another interception was about to arrive.

Four pairs of eyes were watching from the dark forest.

"...The information we received is correct. They should be of military background from the north. They have injuries, but not serious ones. It doesn't affect their combat strength. The blind man is probably the easiest to deal with. The tall and thin one still has his full strength... Those two are nothing. But the one by the fire, his aura is calm and steady. He's trained in superior internal energy and has been through a lot of killing. He'll be hard to deal with."

The night forest was quiet. Occasionally, the sound of birds could be heard, or the rustling of unknown animals passing through the forest, rendering the silence even more profound.

"...Heh, they dared to go to Jiangning and kill my old man... I'm also hard to deal with."

"Want to try?"

"...A father's revenge... does it need to wait overnight?"

************************

The wind blew in from the forest outside, slightly stirring the flames. The giant with a jagged broadsword strapped to his back stood up from the fire and looked out into the darkness.

A moment later, a sound came from the other side of the dilapidated temple. Then, there was a slight moan from an animal. Upon hearing the first sound, the tall and thin man and the one-eyed giant grabbed their weapons and stood up. The next moment, they relaxed slightly. They knew it was the sound of a wolf. There were wolves in the forest, and it had triggered a trap.

Because triggering traps always caused people to feel nervous, although several people had wilderness experience, one sentence always had to be said by someone first. The tall and thin man opened his mouth: "There's..."

At the moment that the word "wolf" was about to come out, the air, at the moment it began to loosen, suddenly shrank to the extreme!

With a "whoosh", the light of a blade almost howled from outside the temple gate with the sound of wind and thunder. It was a long knife thrown with all its strength. Several sounds rang out in an instant, tearing through the night sky.

"Whoosh—"

"Ah—"

"Bang—"

The sound of the wind swept in, and the black-skinned giant smashed open the long knife with a wave of his hand at the moment of his roar. The iron arm guard collided with the blade, and the sparks that were stirred up splashed out. The blade flew toward the top of the temple. In the center of the dilapidated temple, the flames were stirred and danced wildly, rotating. In the dark temple, the dust and wind seemed to wrap a figure and crash in. The black giant turned around, and the sound of "bang, bang, bang, bang" rang out in the air. The light in the dilapidated temple dimmed, and shadows on the wall reflected two figures colliding frantically. The newcomer used the momentum and sharpness of his peak state to clash head-on with the giant four times in the blink of an eye, forcing the giant back a step. When the others in the dilapidated temple reacted, the giant had already been pushed away with one punch, revealing an opening. The whole body of the person who rushed in seemed to contract and release, exploding in front of the giant!

The most powerful move of the ancient Baziquan, *Tie Shan Kao*!

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ps: In many materials, Baziquan is often considered to be a saying of Bajiquan, or its predecessor, and Bajiquan is said to have originated in the Qing Dynasty. However, some materials also believe that the two are actually different martial arts, and the origin is difficult to verify. Some say that they are named after place names. There was Baziguo in the Qin Dynasty, and Sichuan and Chongqing were called Bazhou in ancient times. The folk customs were fierce and brave, and the prototype of this set of martial arts appeared in the Qin and Han Dynasties, etc., etc... Well, in short, there is no more research here. Considering that some serious readers will raise questions in this regard, let me say it here first ^_^ (To be continued.) Vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)