Ding-dang, ding-dang, the sound of the bells tinkled. In the early morning, Chan'er and Juan'er set the bowls and chopsticks on the table and ladled out the porridge and rice. Then, at Tan'er's instruction, they sat down beside her. In the morning light, the scene of a family of five eating breakfast together at the table was warm and peaceful.

Last night, Su Tan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er had also returned quite late. After Chan'er had cried, she sat with Ning Yi in the pavilion and chatted about her worries, tearfully rambling on. The little girl was quite pitiful. First, she worried that Ning Yi would leave her to see some vixen. Then, when she heard the clanging of gongs outside, she worried that her young master would encounter some accident. Later, she worried even more that if her young master went to see some vixen without taking her along, he wouldn't have any money…

"If Young Master goes and doesn't have any money, those people will look down on him. Actually, those women, saying they're so good, are all pretending. They're the most snobbish…"

The little girl sat in the pavilion, wiping away tears and earnestly worrying that he would lose face if he didn't have any money. Ning Yi felt warmth in his heart. He comforted her with a few words, and the two of them chatted idly in the starlight-dappled pavilion. Little Chan finally felt a little relieved.

Su Tan'er had returned late last night and hadn't slept much. Although these things weren't happening for the first time, she still looked a little listless while eating breakfast, having only washed her face and forced herself to perk up. Juan'er and Xing'er were about the same.

"We were stopped while returning to the city last night. I saw that the inspections for people leaving the city were very strict. They said a court official had been assassinated. The Flower Courtesan Competition today probably won't be held on White Egret Isle. But for now, we don't know how it will be arranged… and the dragon boat races this morning…"

While drinking her porridge, Su Tan'er routinely mentioned a few matters. Ning Yi shook his head. "Go get some sleep this morning."

"Huh?" Su Tan'er looked up at him.

"You, and Juan'er and Xing'er too, take a nap this morning. Leave the affairs of the courtyard to Chan'er. The rest, we'll talk about at noon."

"Mm-hmm." Little Chan quickly puffed out her chest and nodded vigorously. "Leave it to Little Chan. Miss should rest more."

"Then I'll listen to my husband." Su Tan'er nodded with a smile. Juan'er and Xing'er also smiled happily. "Thank you, Young Master."

"But your husband will probably have to go see the dragon boat races alone this morning…"

"I'm not going to see the dragon boats. I'm going to the schoolhouse for a bit."

"Isn't there no class today?" Su Tan'er asked, puzzled.

"There's nothing else to do anyway. I had some ideas yesterday, and I'll go do some experiments today. I'll be back by noon."

After that, they talked about some random, trivial matters. Su Tan'er asked about yesterday's competition and what had happened in the city before she returned. In fact, apart from the fatigue of not having enough sleep, Su Tan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er's moods were also a little down. It seemed that the technical breakthrough over there had failed once again. However, this kind of thing was normal. If you fail nine times out of ten, it's enough to wait for that one last success. It didn't seem like they were too discouraged.

After breakfast, Su Tan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er returned to their rooms to sleep. Ning Yi bid farewell to Little Chan and came out, driving the驸马府's carriage toward the market. Today was the Dragon Boat Festival, and the streets were lively and festive. Many people were gathering by the Qinhuai River to watch the dragon boat races, and the aroma of zongzi leaves filled the streets. However, there were also many vigilant soldiers. It seemed that the Jiangning Prefectural Government was quite troubled at the moment. It was difficult to take too many actions that would disturb the people during such a festive season, so they could only increase vigilance and inspection, and strictly control the population entering and leaving the city, first trapping the assassin in the city.

Turning toward the road to the schoolhouse, there were fewer pedestrians, but you could still hear the sound of firecrackers and drums. He greeted a familiar resident nearby on the road. After the carriage arrived at the gate of the rented courtyard, Ning Yi picked up a bundle from the carriage. He went into the courtyard, the room, and opened the door to the inner room, only to find that no one was there. He went in and looked around, paying attention to a few small clues. He noticed that the window that had been closed last night was now open. Then he closed the door and went out.

On the beam about three or four meters above the ground, the woman was sitting there wrapped in a long robe, looking down at Ning Yi closing the door. Then she turned and jumped down. The male robe unfolded in the wind. Under the clothes was a body wrapped in bandages, and slender legs spread out in the air for a moment before landing on the ground. She pulled up the collar of the robe to wrap her body, revealing still fair calves and bare feet. She tapped the sword on the nearby shelf.

Hearing the sound, Ning Yi waited a few seconds before opening the door again. With a thud, the hilt of the sword blocked the door from the inside. He handed the bundle in through the opened crack. When he closed the door, he saw the woman's fair wrist and a vaguely frosty profile as she took the bundle.

"These are clothes and food. I've also prepared lunch and dinner. It's probably not very nutritious, but I'll find a way to get something better. You're injured now. If you need any medicine, you can tell me. Don't worry, I'll buy it separately so as not to arouse suspicion. Later, you can give me the bloodstained clothes you took off and anything else that might cause trouble. I'll take care of it."

There was silence inside for a while. "You'll take care of it?"

"I know a little."

As he spoke, he went to the side and picked up a chisel, hammer, and other things, and tapped a few times on the brick that had been pierced by a sword last night. There was an immediate reaction from inside, probably because she was changing clothes.

"What are you doing!"

"This is too obvious. Anyone can tell it was pierced by a sharp weapon. I'll deal with it a little."

He knocked and chipped at the opening until it was misshapen, then blackened it with kerosene, polished it, and blackened it again. After a few times, he knocked on the door and went into the inner room, dealing with the other side in the same way. There was no one in the room. The torn bloodstained strips of cloth and other items were placed in the bundle on the table.

On the beam, the woman was sitting there in light green clothes and pants, watching the man finish. She seemed to check the bloodstained items on the table. Besides the outerwear, there were also some personal and private items. She felt a little annoyed for a moment, but then she heard the man below say, "Sorry, I forgot to buy you shoes. I'll bring them tomorrow." Then he picked up the bundle and turned to go out.

The feeling of annoyance faded. The woman shrank her legs a little on the beam. The trousers only reached her ankles at most, and her slender feet below her ankles were still bare. She subconsciously reached out to cover the back of her foot, then let go again, curling up on the beam.

In the outer room were various experimental equipment. In fact, Ning Yi had built a stove that was quite powerful. He burned coal inside. Ning Yi threw the bloodstained cloth and some small, fragmented things into it. Before long, they were burned to ashes. While burning, he casually mentioned a few things about the inspection by the soldiers outside, and then fell silent and stopped talking.

He quietly did his own experiments outside, mixing solutions, or writing some messy characters on the blackboard. A porcelain bottle exploded once, so he quickly cleaned it up. The sunlight shone down, and it wasn't very hot. The wild flowers and plants in the courtyard swayed in the wind. The lively sounds of the Dragon Boat Festival came from afar and never stopped. In this small courtyard, the quiet atmosphere became even more obvious. Lu Hongti sat on the bed with her sword in her arms, eating the meat buns that Ning Yi had brought, occasionally looking through the slightly larger gap, slightly puzzled, at the strange experiments on this side. The man looked focused, occasionally recording something in a notebook with a brush.

After a while, someone else pushed open the courtyard door. There were small, fragmented footsteps. It wasn't an adult. She packed up her things and jumped back onto the beam, holding her breath and listening. The voice of a little girl came from the side: "Young Master, I'm here!"

It was a little maid, looking very happy.

"Be careful over there. There might be broken pieces of porcelain. It's best not to touch the water on the table."

"Mm-hmm, I know…"

"Why did you come so quickly?"

"Sister Xing'er has already woken up, so she asked me to come find Young Master. Oh, right, Young Master, I bought two bells on the way. Look, would it be good for me to hang them outside?"

"Go hang them."

"Mm."

The sound of the bells was crisp and pleasant, occasionally coming through. The little girl seemed to be carrying a chair out, hanging the bells under the eaves outside the door.

"Young Master, when I came over, I saw a lot of soldiers on the street. Everyone was talking about yesterday's assassin, saying she was so powerful. Have you heard about it?"

"I've heard about it."

"Huh? What did Young Master hear about it? I heard it was a female assassin, wasn't it like that female thief, Yuan Xi?"

"I did hear that it was a female assassin. I even heard someone who saw it with their own eyes last night when I came over, giving a vivid description…" the man said casually, "Saying that the female assassin was highly skilled, eight feet tall, and eight feet around the waist. She held a golden-threaded broadsword and slashed all the way from Zhuque Street to Changye Street, causing the heavens and earth to change color and the sun and moon to lose their light. The Commandant Song Xian, used a set of Buddhist martial arts called the Tathagata Palm, which had already reached perfection, but the female assassin's earth-shattering slash was even more powerful. The two fought for one hundred and twenty moves, and neither could gain the upper hand…"

The little girl laughed. "No way, Young Master is talking nonsense again. Eight feet tall and eight feet around the waist, wouldn't that be a square?"

"The waist circumference refers to the round part, so it should be a cylindrical shape. A cylindrical female assassin holding a golden-threaded broadsword, how powerful."

"What does a golden-threaded broadsword look like?"

"Uh, maybe it's like the one that our Tang bodyguard has at home, with a few rings on it that can ding-dang…"

"…Young Master is telling a story."

"How can there be stories to listen to every day?"

"Oh…"

"Okay… Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a scholar named Ning Caichen. It is said that he failed the imperial examination and returned home, where he took a job collecting debts for someone…"

Streaks of light shone in from the roof tiles. The woman held her sword, leaning against the beam, looking at the light, listening to the voices coming from outside. The little girl busied herself a little among the flowers and plants in the courtyard, picking a few wildflowers. The man did strange experiments while telling strange stories. This morning was unusually quiet.

When it was noon, the two finally left, saying they were going to watch the dragon boat races and watch the Flower Courtesan Competition with their families. The fire outside went out, and things were packed and put away one by one. The door opened and closed again.

"The bells are so pretty."

"I bought them."

"Okay, okay…" The voices of the two faded away, and then the man's casual voice came over, "See you tomorrow, bells."

The little girl also looked back and said:

"See you tomorrow, bells."

The courtyard door finally closed, and the carriage left. The woman walked out quietly, looking at the pair of wind chimes hanging under the eaves. When the lively sounds of the Dragon Boat Festival came from afar, the woman thought about the bizarre and fantastical story called *A Chinese Ghost Story*. Compared to the performances told by those storytellers, this story was much better.

The ending hasn't been told yet…

At noon on the fifth day of the fifth month, Lu Hongti stood under the eaves, eating the cold meat buns, listening to the sound of the wind chimes, thinking faintly…

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

We've entered the top ten! Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, let's continue! Please give me monthly tickets! ^_^ (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log in , there are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)