Ning Yi wasn't aware that Lu Hongti had overheard his conversation with his wife on the rooftop, so he couldn't possibly interpret her reaction with any great insight. From beginning to end, he was merely speaking casually, without much calculation. The speaker may not have meant much, but the listener took it to heart.

Of course, even a heroine like Hongti might become particularly sentimental under certain circumstances, but that didn't mean her heart would be deeply moved. In fact, even if she didn't dislike Ning Yi, and even admired him, she had already dismissed some of the thoughts and possibilities she'd entertained when she first descended from the mountain. This man before her was not from the same world as she was, and with that realization, everything else became simpler.

Having decided to return to Jiangning as soon as possible, Ning Yi, the next morning, used the Tang family's connections to find an official ship. In Jiangnan, various wealthy merchants and officials had intricate networks, and the good karma he'd built on the run could still have an impact even in Zhenjiang. Although大佬 Tang Xiuxuan wasn't in Zhenjiang, some of the Tang family's descendants or wealthy relatives who had received favors from him hurried over upon learning of his departure, all expressing their willingness to go to any lengths to help if he ever encountered any trouble in the future. Since the Su family was in business, everyone offered polite words about potential collaborations if they were to do any business, leveraging their connections.

Back on the run, after Ning Yi fell unconscious, the entire group had been in a difficult situation. Later, learning that the pursuers wanted to capture Ning Yi, some people in the group had used some tricks to divert the pursuers' attention to themselves. For example, when An Xifu and others launched a sneak attack and bombed the camp, they deliberately sent a team to protect Ning Yi, which was actually a superfluous move to attract attention. After being captured, Ning Yi had vaguely pieced together the intention of the whole thing, but he didn't intend to pursue the matter given the circumstances. The other party had only made a small move, not a genuine desire to harm him. After all, Ning Yi had never expected much virtue from the people around him at the time and hadn't treated them as companions. Such events weren't entirely unexpected.

Now that he had returned, he wouldn't be polite if they were willing to build a good relationship. The business he had been preparing to abandon when he left Hangzhou due to the Lou family could now be directly rolled out along the Jing-Hang Grand Canal with these connections.

Su Tan'er was nearly nine months pregnant, and every day that passed brought her closer to delivery. Therefore, that afternoon, the family boarded the ship. This official building ship was the largest vessel that could be found in the inland waterways. Even sailing upstream on the Yangtze River, it was quite stable all the way. The ship had two floors, and Ning Yi and the others were arranged in the rooms on the first floor that felt the least bumpy. As expected, they would rest for a few hours at night, and by the evening of the next day, they would arrive in Jiangning.

On the twenty-eighth day of the second month of the tenth year of Jinghan, in the bright spring sunshine, the huge building ship sailing against the current slowly passed through the Yangtze River waterway. The trees on both sides were lush green, and occasionally, paddy fields and farmhouses, villages, flashed in sight. Lu Hongti stood at the bow of the ship watching all this and told Ning Yi of her intention to leave.

"After getting off the ship tomorrow evening, I'll head north and won't enter the city."

Ning Yi was silent for a moment beside her: "I know you're anxious to go back, but it won't make a difference to delay for a few more days. Besides, the ideas I want to give you haven't been completely sorted out yet. Stay a few more days, let me show you Jiangning properly."

Lu Hongti smiled: "I know you've already sorted it out pretty much. That must be your habit, never procrastinating."

"It's a bad habit..."

"And after you go back, there should be a lot of things to deal with at home. There's no need to spare time to entertain me. Besides, I've really been out for too long this time. The sooner I go back, the better. After all, I have a lot to do."

Lu Hongti's words were sincere and not just polite. Ning Yi thought for a while: "If it's just the things at home, there's really nothing to be busy with, it's all very simple, but since you..."

"I'm really worried about the寨子 (zhai zi, mountain stronghold). I've been out for too long, and I miss it." Lu Hongti said with a smile.

"Okay." Ning Yi nodded, "Then I'll get everything ready tonight."

"Thank you." Lu Hongti cupped her fist in salute.

"We're江湖儿女 (jianghu er nv, people of the pugilistic world), no need for these pretentious words."

"Hehe..." Hearing him say that, Lu Hongti trembled with laughter, "I also wrote a little notebook for you. It's not the kind of secret manual you see in those martial arts stories, but it should be useful to you. You probably won't become a top-notch master in the future, but if you keep practicing, you'll be more than capable of defending yourself in three to five years."

"I say... what exactly is your concept of a top-notch master..."

"The瓜葛 (gua ge, relation) with you, the melon lord of Xigua Manor, Chief Manager Liu Tiannan, Chen Fan, his master Fang Qifo, and Li Tianrun, Wang Yin, and even Bao Daoyi, who you killed, can all be considered top-notch. You're distracted by other things, and your foundation isn't solid, so you probably won't reach that level in this lifetime." Lu Hongti said with a smile.

Ning Yi wouldn't be discouraged by such a thing. He would think the world was fantastical if Lu Hongti said he could fight these people one-on-one. He thought for a moment: "What about Fang Shuchang and the others?"

"Those seven are about the same. Mr. Du Sha, who ranks first, has already reached the threshold of top-notch. The most powerful at the moment should be the '烬恶刀' (Jin'e Dao, Ash-Eater Blade) Luo Bingren, but he's always been low-key. However, the most talented is Qian Luoning, who ranks last. His achievements in the future should be above his other companions. You'll never reach it. If you work harder in the future... well, you should be about the same as Fang Shuchang is now."

Her martial arts are probably already at the level of a grandmaster, so her evaluation shouldn't be wrong. Saying these things, she looked at Ning Yi for a while, and then, with some emotion, she murmured, "However, the level of combat power isn't something that can be judged by these things..." She was probably thinking of Ning Yi's twisted mind, his decisive methods, and his ability to manipulate people's hearts and human nature, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Of course, she wouldn't say these things directly to Ning Yi. After chatting for a few more words, she sighed: "Actually, there's something I've been wanting to ask you all along the way..."

"What?"

"Those things you did in the Ba Dao Manor, those things you told Miss Liu, is it really possible for them to be realized?"

Ning Yi glanced at her: "Those who ask these questions are mostly 热心人 (re xin ren, warm-hearted people)..."

"Hmm?"

"I don't know." Ning Yi said, "I don't know what it will become if I keep doing it. If I do it seriously, it might be useful. Maybe in a hundred or two hundred years, some people will realize some things. But it's also possible that these things will be buried for four or five hundred years before someone discovers them. But no matter what, as long as it's within eight hundred years, we'll have taken the first step..."

Lu Hongti didn't understand what he meant by the last sentence "within eight hundred years," but she was used to Ning Yi saying strange things. She saw Ning Yi smile and shake his head, and continued: "You don't have to think about them for now... Of course, you can think about them, but you can't do anything. Over there, you should do some practical things first. To be honest, the siege of Hangzhou has already been lifted. I don't even know if it's necessary for me to go to the capital. And... if I really mess things up in the future, I might have to go and投奔 (tou ben, seek refuge with) you."

"Hmm?" Lu Hongti blinked, quite interested.

"People always do things this way. At first, they just want to do some things. In the middle, you'll meet all kinds of people and things, offend people you shouldn't offend, use means you shouldn't use, and in the end... those things will probably overwhelm your original intentions. You know? Those officials in the court, most of them are capable. At first, they also have a heart to love and serve the country, but slowly, the interests behind them gather differently, the direction is different, and the interests they need to protect at the moment are more important than their original ideas. I'm probably no different from them, and... I'm afraid I'll be even more unscrupulous than them. Then one day, I'll have to落草为寇 (luo cao wei kou, become an outlaw)."

"I welcome that." Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Hongti said with a smile, "To put it bluntly, I wish that day would come. I'll be waiting for you."

"I'll try to restrain myself."

They both laughed. After a while, Lu Hongti looked back and saw that Su Tan'er and the others weren't there, so she said softly, "Your wife is actually very good to you. You know? When I was monitoring her in Huzhou, the servants around her said that if you really died, your wife would probably disregard the fetus in her womb and go down with you. A woman can do that, she really likes you a lot. I... I admire her a little."

Ning Yi nodded solemnly: "... I know."

"Then what about Miss Nie in Jiangning? She's also a good woman. I know she had a rough life in her early years, falling into prostitution, but she has always maintained her integrity. Now she loves you wholeheartedly. If you abandon her, she will have nothing left. What will you do?"

Surprisingly, Ning Yi didn't hesitate much on this question: "What do you think?"

"I don't know... But you men always have multiple wives and concubines, ha, you always meet good women, and there's also Miss Liu..."

"Hey." Ning Yi turned his head and looked at her with a smile, "That's too much, don't just blame everything on me..."

"You answered so quickly just now, which shows that you've been thinking about these things all along. You're not completely heartless." Lu Hongti said with a smile, "What about the result? What's the result you came up with?"

Ning Yi looked at her: "If I divorced Yunzhu directly for Tan'er's sake and never interacted with her again, what do you think?"

Lu Hongti looked at him without speaking, frowning slightly.

"Then what if I left the Su family for Yunzhu's sake, what do you think?"

"..."

Lu Hongti frowned, still not answering. Although this was an era of multiple wives and concubines, the idea of ​​being single-minded to men was weak. The reason Lu Hongti asked this was probably that she hoped Ning Yi himself would be a more perfect person.

Ning Yi looked down at his hands, the back of his hands, and his palms: "Actually, for a while, I wanted to leave the Su family for Yunzhu's sake, but I didn't make it. Recently, I've been considering separating from Yunzhu for Tan'er's sake, but..."

Ning Yi shook his head, smiled, and ultimately said nothing more. Lu Hongti pursed her lips, then smiled slightly, as if she felt that Ning Yi would also have such tangled times. They chatted like this for a while. When they finished dinner at night, the ship stopped at a village along the way. They rested here for the night and rented a farmer's courtyard to live in. After lighting the lamp and settling in, Lu Hongti heard Ning Yi's voice in the courtyard: "It is said that once upon a time, there was a scholar named Ning Caichen, he..."

Xiao Chan was talking: "Guye (term for son-in-law used by servants)...uh, husband, husband, I've heard this story before..." Although Xiao Chan has been married to Ning Yi for some time, she often calls Ning Yi guye (son-in-law) out of habit.

"Even if you've heard it, listen to it again."

Lu Hongti knew that this family's relationship was quite harmonious. They would chat, tell stories, or play chess and cards at night. Even if Juan'er and Xing'er, the maidservants, were embroidering and sewing soles, Ning Yi could always find something to do with them. She walked out of the door. Sure enough, Su Tan'er was also sitting under the eaves there. After all, the weather was getting warmer, and you could enjoy the moon and stars in the yard on such days. Of course, it was the end of the month at this time, and there were only stars in the sky.

Ning Yi was telling the story called *Qian Nu You Hun (A Chinese Ghost Story)* that she had heard more than a year ago, but hadn't finished. When she came out, Su Tan'er and the others waved to her. She moved a stool and sat down beside Su Tan'er, as far away from Ning Yi as possible.

"... It is said that after Ning Caichen met Nie Xiaoqian in Lanruo Temple... Yan Chixia shouted, 'Heaven and earth are boundless, borrow the law of Qiankun,' and eight treasured swords flew towards the Black Mountain Old Demon at the same time... Finally, Nie Xiaoqian finished this sentence to Ning Caichen..."

The starlight was hazy. Ning Yi sat there and finished this not-so-long story. After finishing, he told a monster story called *Mei Nu (Plum Girl)* at Xiao Chan's urging. From beginning to end, he did not communicate with Lu Hongti.

After the story was finished, it was late at night. The next morning, the official ship set off early in the morning. In the afternoon, it was already close to Jiangning. Lu Hongti packed her small bag, ready to disembark near Jiangning.

"The story I promised to tell you last time is finally finished."

"I thought you would still keep me in suspense for the second story."

"Wouldn't that become a thousand and one nights..."

When handing her the written booklet and other items, Ning Yi said so, then smiled and handed her a stack of silver notes: "A total of twenty-four thousand taels of silver is the limit that can be taken out recently. Consider it my investment, or it can be considered the Su family's investment."

Lu Hongti frowned: "We over there... don't lack these..."

"Money can generate money. It's not for your internal use, it's for buying things from those merchants. Operate these investments first. These silver notes can be exchanged in关内 (guan nei, inside the pass). They won't refuse to accept them. Good weapons and armor are the most important. Training soldiers also requires investment, eating and using, but don't raise lazy people. Let them eat, live, and suffer together, and train them to death. Haha, you understand these things best after all. 武力 (wu li, military force) is the foundation, which can be expanded by economic operation. Everything is inside. Your Grandpa Liang is very powerful, show it to him. I'm still waiting for the day when I can go to you to seek refuge."

"Then I'll wait for that day to come sooner." Lu Hongti accepted the silver notes and looked at him with a smile, hesitant to say something, but in the end, she smiled and said, "Treat Miss Su well, and Miss Nie well. They deserve these things, and you... you deserve them like that. Don't let them down, don't mess them up."

Ning Yi nodded: "I know. I'll tell you stories again next time, and I'll listen to you telling stories about Lvliang. If there's any trouble, you can find me in the capital. I'm on your side."

Lu Hongti looked at him, her expression changing, and nodded with a hearty smile after a moment of silence: "Okay."

Lu Hongti disembarked on the north bank of the Yangtze River. After saying that they would meet again someday, Ning Yi returned to the ship. They watched this woman with high martial arts skills but alone, riding her horse and gradually walking away in the mountains there.

Half an hour later, the ship entered Jiangning and docked at the pier.

Jiangning was still as lively as usual. The pier was crowded with people coming and going. They went to the Su family's warehouse nearby to pick up the carriage. The shopkeeper here came to see Su Tan'er and Ning Yi, and then talked about some of the recent changes in the family. In fact, Su Tan'er said she was going to Hangzhou to relax. If everything was fine, the Su family might have been quiet, but since the war in Hangzhou broke out and Ning Yi and the others lost contact there, the second and third houses of the Su family must have made some moves. The changes that have taken place over such a long time must have changed a lot.

Listening to the information brought by the shopkeeper, Su Tan'er leaned on Ning Yi's side and just smiled faintly. Then Ning Yi helped her into the carriage.

The sunset had already fallen, rendering the remnant red of spring in the distance: "Let's go." They looked at the street scene of Jiangning in the distance, "Let's see what the home has become."

The carriage drove through the street. The sunlight fell, and the wind brushed the willows on the roadside, as if招着手 (zhao zhe shou, waving) to them. Ning Yi looked at the scenery in the distance through the car window. The tributaries of the Qinhuai River occasionally turned out from the field of vision. The waves of the sunset rippled on the water. Ning Yi knew that on a river bend in a certain part of this city, there would be a small building, and someone, also there, was waiting for his return...

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

Yesterday afternoon, the power went out, and this afternoon, the Internet was disconnected. Could it be that my continuous updating plan has alarmed the heavens?

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