The sky was gloomy, threatening rain. Near the city gates of Jiangning, the guards meticulously inspected the pedestrians entering and exiting. Vegetable vendors entering the city were subjected to particularly strict scrutiny, and leaving the city was even more difficult. It had been over ten days since Song Xian's assassination, but the atmosphere around the Jiangning city gates remained tense and grim.

As a squad of soldiers approached from a distance, she concealed herself in a nearby alley.

"...It's been almost half a month. These past few days have been relatively good. Before, they would have turned a cockroach inside out if it tried to leave the city... Three notorious bandits have been caught, so in a way, it can be seen as doing good for the people... This shouldn't last too long, though. Jiangning is a major city, and if it continues like this, everyone will complain. The shops have already been affected in terms of business these past few days. What does a court official have to do with ordinary people? That Song Xian's reputation was already terrible to begin with... But regardless, I still think it's too risky for you to run off like this... How's your injury?"

Inside the room, Ning Yi chattered away while conducting an experiment. Lu Hongti stood not far from the experiment table, watching him mix some solutions and then light the alcohol lamp, offering no response to the question about her injury.

"What exactly are you doing?"

She finally spoke when Ning Yi poured the solution into a cup and threw a rusty iron rod into it, causing it to emit hissing smoke.

"Some chemical reactions. I'm not even sure what I'm doing..."

"Chemical reactions?"

"Let's assume that the world is made up of tiny atoms. Atoms are... uh, like this table. We magnify it, magnify it, magnify it, and then maybe we can see those smallest, individual things clustered together. Those things are atoms... There are certain types of different atoms. These basic atoms make up all things in heaven and earth. Different atoms sometimes attract each other and sometimes repel each other, creating... chemical reactions."

"..."

"Hmm?"

Ning Yi shrugged, looking at Lu Hongti, who had a strange expression. She then smiled. "I don't believe it. How do you magnify it?"

"Oh, there are certain principles. Let me show you the most basic." Ning Yi said, taking a small box from a shelf and removing an irregularly shaped piece of colored glass from it. He then pushed over a book.

"This is a fragment from a colored glass lamp sold in the market. It's not easy to find an ideal double-convex lens, but you can always use it to see. Look, aren't the words magnified?"

At this time, glass, referred to as colored glass (琉璃, Liuli), was already being sold in the market. It was probably different from Western soda-lime glass, but the transparency was already very high. Ning Yi wasn't planning to study this aspect yet, otherwise he would probably have to find a way to make a telescope. Showing off for a moment, the woman squinted. "Water droplets can also magnify things, but I've never seen anything that can magnify them more."

"If you understand the principle, you can magnify it. Investigating things is investigating the principles of all things, haha..."

"But why have you scholars investigated things for so many years and still haven't seen anything that magnifies things more than water droplets or ice shards?"

"Uh..."

Ning Yi was momentarily speechless. She then smiled. "So, according to what you're saying, are you trying to pursue the art of turning base metals into gold with this chemical reaction of yours?"

"Once we can really figure it out, we can do anything. Some chemical reactions are unstable. If unstable reactions are stimulated, they generate high heat and expansion, then *boom*... Like that bag of gunpowder on the shelf next to you. If its power could be increased five or ten times, what do you think you could use it for? Ah, that's right..." Ning Yi said, picking up the rusty iron rod from the cup and rinsing it with some water. "Look, the rust is gone."

"You boiled it and then washed it away with water," the woman said expressionlessly. Ning Yi rolled his eyes, but she laughed.

"This is a crooked path. Although I don't understand it, I don't believe you."

"If you really understood it, I wouldn't tell you..." Ning Yi shook his head and sighed. "Right, martial arts masters all have cool nicknames. What's your nickname?"

"Lu Hongti."

"Having no nickname is too uncool. You have to choose a cool one, otherwise people will laugh at you when they hear you don't have a nickname. Look at that Fang La who's rebelling out there. He calls himself 'Sacred Duke,' exuding dominance, so when he rebelled, a lot of people came... I think we should prepare for this. Or we can discuss it, call you Iron Fist Invincible Lu Hongti... That's not fitting. You run faster, so we can call you Forest Piercing Northern Leg, but now everyone is talking about serving the country and the people. How about River and Mountain Iron Sword Lu Hongti? Is that too domineering?... Or do you want something more low-key? Hey, come out and chat..."

"Boring."

Lu Hongti coldly turned around and returned to the inner room, closing the door behind her. She leaned her long sword on the ground, unable to suppress a smile. After enduring this smile for a moment, she asked, "Why weren't you even a little discouraged when I said you couldn't learn martial arts that day?"

"You didn't say I couldn't learn martial arts," Ning Yi said, presumably mixing reagents again. "You said I couldn't learn your internal energy."

"Hmm? Are you so confident that there's internal energy that you can learn?"

"I've inquired about some things in this regard and just guessed... Since internal force (内力, Neili) is a way to coordinate breathing and exert force, even though there are those extreme methods that require people to practice from childhood, there should also be more people researching methods for adults to exert force, right? Even if the effect isn't as good as yours, there should be some effect. I... shouldn't be wrong in guessing this."

There was a long silence inside. "Do you really want to learn? Do you think I'll teach you?"

"I don't know. How about this? You teach me martial arts, and then say a wish or something. As long as it's reasonable, I'll try to help you fulfill it."

"A merchant?"

"No, I never thought of taking advantage of you. You can think of it as an equal exchange."

"The skills of my school, although insignificant, are not something that can be casually exchanged with others. You saved my life, and I should repay you. You can also ask me to do something. But I won't teach you martial arts. I don't see why you, a scholar, want to learn martial arts. You're not going to the battlefield, and you're not trying to fight people with martial arts. You're just... curious, learning it for fun..." Her speech gradually quickened. "You scholars talk about being able to fight ten thousand enemies, about governing the world and saving the people. But with so many scholars nowadays, I don't see how you're saving them... You're a talented person, but you're wasting your talents on these crooked paths. Why not save the world and the people? Establish a life for the people, and bring lasting peace to all ages... If we're going to exchange, if you can bring lasting peace to all ages, I can exchange anything for you, how about it?"

Confucianism had been prevalent in this world for thousands of years, and the Wu Dynasty was particularly prosperous in literary pursuits. This woman might not have read many books, but she had heard many principles and understood them in her heart. At this time, these words might not be directed at Ning Yi, so Ning Yi just smiled. "Bringing lasting peace to all ages, that proposition is too big and too vague. Your wish isn't very reliable."

"Heh, then a generation of peace."

"That's also divided into the Wu Dynasty, the world, or the people's peace..."

"What if it's to bring peace to the people?"

"Not worth it. Spending so much time, exerting so much effort, wasting my whole life. I wouldn't be able to become a top master, and if I have to do so many things, I won't have time to practice. I'm afraid even a second-rate master would be difficult..."

"Heh, what big words. You scholars... all have big words." Lu Hongti laughed inside, probably thinking Ning Yi was joking. "Literary and martial arts are different paths. I know many of you scholars also have abilities, but they're different. You don't need to learn. You're not going to the battlefield, you're not fighting people, you don't have the real ruthlessness. Maybe you wouldn't even be able to bear to kill a chicken. After learning it, it won't be useful, it will only distract you, and it will delay your original skills... I don't think it's necessary to teach you."

"Tsk, consider it..." Ning Yi shrugged. "And I can still kill a chicken."

There was still time, and Ning Yi wasn't in a hurry. Afterwards, he changed the subject, and in the gloomy room, he continued to tell the subsequent story of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. In fact, Lu Hongti was also a little depressed. If she had said it earlier today, when the little maid came over tomorrow to listen, she would always have to listen to the content she already knew again, but at this time, she still couldn't help but listen.

The next day, when she heard footsteps coming from the door, she also heard the clucking of a hen. That guy went outside and knocked on the door. "Come out, come out, I'll show you something." Lu Hongti went out and saw him holding a small package in his hand, grabbing a hen, and pointing to the stove over there. "Help me boil some hot water, thank you." Obviously, he was going to perform in front of her and show his ruthlessness in killing chickens. Lu Hongti didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This young man had an aura about him, as if doing anything, even if it was weird or unconventional, seemed reasonable.

She went to the side and started the stove to boil hot water. As the wind chimes under the eaves jingled softly, Ning Yi skillfully killed the hen, then plucked its feathers and cleaned its internal organs. Then he opened the small package to prepare various seasonings, brushing them on once, and then preparing to skewer the hen with an iron skewer.

"I received reliable news that in two days, the defense on the city gates will be withdrawn. The government office can't hold out any longer. But after the overt guards are withdrawn, the covert guards will probably be even more strict. I don't know how your injury is, and I haven't been able to bring you anything good to eat during this time. I'm treating you today, and in the future, when you travel the world, you can't say that I, Blood Hand Butcher Ning Liheng, treated you badly... Uh, it's best not to say I treated you..."

"Did you give yourself that title?"

"How is it? Overflowing with murderous intent, right?"

"Ugly..."

"This chicken can testify, the nickname is very fitting."

Ning Yi didn't argue with her. He prepared various powdered seasonings, including cumin, and then slightly modified the stove. Lu Hongti said, "My injury has recovered 50%. It's still risky to go out at this time. If I recover completely, it won't be a big deal for me to leave without using the city gates."

Ning Yi was stunned. "So... I still have a period of time to pry the martial arts secrets out of your mouth?"

"You... are really annoying."

"Hehe." Ning Yi laughed and stopped provoking her, starting to roast the skewered chicken over the charcoal fire. These were new recipes developed by the chefs at Bamboo Lodge, and soon the aroma filled the air. Thunder rumbled outside, and it looked like it was going to rain again. Ning Yi turned his head.

"Right, I've been meaning to ask you, why did you kill Song Xian?"

Over there, Lu Hongti's eyes narrowed slightly, like a cat with its fur standing on end, looking at Ning Yi...

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

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