In the room, Hongti held Fu Duanyun's hand, whispering to her like a sister, often mentioning the issue of "husband." Hongti didn't deny it, agreeing with her words.

After a while, Ning Yi brought out the roasted beggar's chicken from the next room. Besides the chicken, he had also brought several cans of fruit for dinner. The three of them—two dressed normally, and one still emitting a foul odor—sat at the table and began to eat.

During the meal, Ning Yi noticed that Fu Duanyun's thinking was normal in some respects. For instance, she didn't forget Ning Yi's earlier statement that "he and Hongti were married." However, she was unclear about the village and her current situation. She could still recount what happened "yesterday" in each household, but it seemed that everyone had gone visiting today. She occasionally mentioned her mother-in-law asking her to do things…

She was unaware of her physical abnormalities, whether it was her blindness, missing teeth, or the filth and stench caused by her incontinence. Only her physiological senses didn't lie. She was obviously very hungry and ate quickly, almost choking sometimes. She would then smile awkwardly at the two of them and say that the food was delicious, asking where the good things came from. Ning Yi and Hongti said they were brought from Jiangning.

They finished eating before sunset, and Fu Duanyun chatted with them for a while about the village, then bid them farewell. As she left, she held Hongti's hand, repeatedly telling her things, such as telling the new son-in-law not to feel wronged, and if there was anything missing at home, to take it from her place. The two of them watched her walk towards a house at the end of the village.

Having not examined it closely before, they now noticed that only that house in the distance was in good condition, seemingly having been repaired in recent years. Hongti led him over for a look. The contents of the room were quite dirty, but they appeared to have been somewhat tidied up. The tattered quilt on the bed was neatly folded, probably done by Hongti just now. A bag lay beside the bed, also Hongti's food bag.

"She lives alone," Hongti said.

Ning Yi nodded and squeezed her hand.

Hongti's mood was low because of this. As they walked out of the village, they saw Fu Duanyun also walking to the edge of the village, near the distant woods and hillside, looking towards the east.

Then she sat there, seemingly waiting for someone to return.

"Sister Duanyun is only four years older than me," Hongti said, taking a breath. She smiled, but then realized that a smile might not be appropriate here. "Liheng, you probably guessed it. Her husband and mother-in-law are both dead. Her husband died first, during the famine when everyone was搶粮 (qiang liang -搶粮 meaning rushing/fighting for food). They were fighting and fighting, and her husband died protecting the village. Before he died, he told her to take care of his old mother, but when my Shifu (Master) and I returned from outside, she was already疯了 (feng le - meaning crazy/mad)."

"Mm," Ning Yi responded softly.

Hongti paused for a long time. "Even after she疯了 (feng le), she was still very filial to her mother-in-law, farming, working, washing clothes, cooking, and serving the old woman. At that time, she would still take care of herself, just thinking... her husband had gone to Fenyang, having just left the day before. Sometimes, we thought that was better for her... Then, a lot of things happened in those two years. The village couldn't be defended and later fell. Everyone moved to Qingmu Fortress. Shifu (Master) also died. I always thought that Sister Duanyun and her mother-in-law had died in those turmoils, until I came back a few years later and found her living here alone…"

"Why... didn't you bring her back to the fortress?"

"I can't bring her back," Hongti said, sitting down on the grass here, her legs together, looking at the figure over there. "She would break down if I brought her back, making a scene as if she was going to die, hitting her head against the pillars, biting her own tongue. She always remembers this place, saying that her husband and mother-in-law went out and told her to wait for them to return. She can only live here. Actually... Sister Duanyun used to be very beautiful. When the bandits came, her mother-in-law died, but she didn't. Later, those people did something to her, which I can imagine. She later became like this... later became like this…"

Hongti narrowed her eyes, her gaze becoming sharp. "She can still do a lot of things! Doing housework, washing clothes, farming, she can actually do it all. She planted a very small piece of land over there, and there are harvests. She does this on purpose. She forgets a lot of things, but subconsciously remembers these things because, in this state, those bandits won't touch her... Sometimes, half of her land is ruined by people from nearby, and she will plant new ones. Sometimes I come to see her, bring her some things. If someone has ruined the land, I go looking for people nearby, sometimes I can find them, sometimes I can't... Once, I came later than usual, and a group of people passing by took all her little bit of food. There was no harvest in the field, and Sister Duanyun had been starving for four or five days. I don't know why she was still alive then…"

"…" Ning Yi looked at the crazy woman in the sunset in the distance.

"There are also good things… A few years ago, about three or four years ago, a lame man passing by wanted to settle down. Sister Duanyun is crazy, but he seemed to… have taken a liking to her. He stayed in the village and took care of Sister Duanyun. I secretly watched for a while. Sister Duanyun recognizes people, greeting him and talking to him, everything is fine. But when the lame man wanted to get into her bed, she wouldn't allow it. Every once in a while, the lame man couldn't help himself and would force her. Sister Duanyun would become like she was dead... The next day, she would forget about it and greet him as usual. Actually, I think it was good that someone was taking care of her…"

Ning Yi almost didn't want to ask, but he asked softly, "What about the lame man?"

"They spent two years together," Hongti said calmly. "Then one day when I went there, the lame man had been killed. Someone… someone who had escaped from Liao was temporarily living here, probably had been for several days. Sister Duanyun didn't look this old then. I saw… I saw him dragging Sister Duanyun to the stream, wanting to wash her clean. Sister Duanyun kept struggling. He tied Sister Duanyun up, and Sister Duanyun hit her head on the ground. Her teeth had already been knocked out, and her eyes were blinded… Actually, she never did that when the lame man forced himself on her…"

She didn't continue talking about this, nor did she say what happened to that guy. After a moment, she took a breath, "But I can only come here occasionally to bring some things… It's very chaotic here, not suitable as a base anymore. If I send someone to take care of Sister Duanyun, others might die for her sake. Sister Duanyun… probably won't live much longer. I don't know if I want to see her die, seeking release, or continue living like this. Actually, we might think she's pitiful, but who knows if she's happier now than when she was sober? No matter how difficult things are, she forgets everything the next day…"

"Liheng…" She smiled, saying to Ning Yi sitting beside her, "I don't want to tell you these things. Luliang Mountain is like this, I told you long ago, and you know it too. But I don't want to say too much about these things. After knowing too much, you'll always be unhappy. And… you will… um…"

She considered it, not saying the rest. After a moment, she said, "Actually, I grew up here. People in the mountains live like this, they're used to seeing everything, it's nothing…" She said, "Ning Liheng, I'm teaching you martial arts, I'm your Shifu (Master). At this moment, treat me as your Shifu (Master), okay?"

As she said these words, her expression became slightly serious. When Ning Yi first met her, she was often this serious and cold. However, after gradually getting to know her, she became warmer. Even when she put on a stern face, it was difficult to find any pretense. Only at this moment did Ning Yi see the Lu Hongti in that small courtyard, who seemed wary. She held her sword, sat there, and looked into the distance.

However, she wasn't really resisting Ning Yi. People in the mountains had lived like this for many years. She was really… used to seeing everything. That being used to it was extremely distorted, yet extremely ordinary, creating a sense of alienation. The coldness on her face didn't even seem like *tsundere*; it was neither sadness nor strength, unwilling to reject, yet unable to be kind. Only at this moment was she truly like a clumsy mountain woman…

…

"Mm," Ning Yi nodded, "You are Shifu (Master)." As he said this, he reached out his hand.

…

"I am your Shifu (Master) ah…"

Hongti closed her eyes and said softly. However, Ning Yi hugged her, letting her body lean into his arms.

"Mm, you are Shifu (Master)," he repeated.

"Ah…" The female Shifu (Master) hugging the ancient sword sighed softly. Her face still had the protective color of coldness, but she couldn't break free from his embrace. She just stayed like that on the grass, letting Ning Yi hug her. After a long time, she was as quiet as if she had fallen asleep.

…

"Let's go back and do things," Ning Yi said after a long while.

"Hmm?"

"We've seen what we needed to see. Although... this is not what I wanted to see, but it's good to see it. After seeing it, we should go back and do things," he sighed.

After a while, as Ning Yi and Hongti rode away, the figure on the hillside stood up and waved to them. The waving action looked so ordinary, as if she had never experienced any misfortune.

They held hands, and the horses walked slowly on the hillside.

The sun was setting. Even Luliang Mountain, in such a sunset, became gentle and magnificent.

And a step forward would be铁马金戈 (tiě mǎ jīn gē - iron horses and golden spears, symbolizing warfare) and漫道雄关 (màn dào xióng guān - the long road to the strategic pass, symbolizing arduous journey).

This day was the summer of the twelfth year of Jinghan, April 19th. On an unremarkable day, unremarkable people and things were seen…

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

When I woke up in the morning, I felt the wind blowing very comfortably. After feeling refreshed by the wind, I fetched water and washed clothes. The village was a bit deserted, probably because of the market nearby. Many people had gone out. I heard the Runxing's dog barking. That mad dog always barks randomly. Sooner or later, I'm going to throw a stone and cripple it, but I waited at the door with a stone for a long time, and then I didn't know where the dog had run off to.

In the morning, Uncle Shunyi came to the door to borrow our plane, probably because he was installing a door at home. I didn't really want to talk to him. He's a bigmouth, a man in his forties who talks nonsense with the old women in the village all day long. On the night I got married, those people making a ruckus at the wedding embarrassed me so much that I cried. But Youcheng said he's a good person. Oh well, in a while, I should be able to talk nonsense outside like those women, right? I found the plane at home, gave it to Uncle Shunyi, and he left. He didn't say anything this time, thankfully, or I wouldn't have known how to answer.

In the afternoon, there was good news. Hongti came back. She seems to be studying with her Shifu (Master). She comes back sometimes, and this time she even brought her husband with her. Her husband is from Jiangning and brought a lot of good things. Unfortunately, everyone is out, and she can't visit many families. I told her that Youcheng and her mother-in-law have gone to Fenyang, and the others have gone to the market. Maybe if she comes again tomorrow, she can see everyone. Youcheng and her mother-in-law will be very happy to see her and her husband. I still remember when we were hungry together as children.

After dinner, I went to the village entrance to see them off. The sun was very good, even though it was almost evening. This year will be a good year. Actually, since I was little, it seems like I haven't been hungry much. Now Hongti has also married into a good family. The years in Luliang Mountain are getting better and better, right?

Actually, I went to the village entrance because I also wanted to see the people returning to the village. I don't know why, but they haven't come back yet, even though it's so late. If they walk at night, there are wolves in the mountains. They shouldn't get separated. Youcheng and her mother-in-law should just stay out for one night. But being alone at home, I feel a little lonely.

Youcheng, mother-in-law, when will you come back…

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