Chapter 48: 048. I will watch over you
Translator: 549690339
[I will watch you]
The rain showed no signs of stopping; instead, it became even heavier.
Bei’an County town as a whole presented an atmosphere of oppressive silence.
Due to her professional habits from a previous life, Su Liang successfully evaded the patrolling government soldiers and approached the fifth house in Yumin Lane as Ning Jing had mentioned.
From the outside, it didn’t look any different from the neighboring houses.
Two old locust trees stood by the entrance, their leaves stripped by the wind and rain, leaving a layer of half-gray, half-green shredded leaves on the ground.
Hidden in a corner, Su Liang took a moment to think, stepped forward, grabbed the rusty copper ring on the door, and knocked hard.
After knocking more than a dozen times, there was a faint sound of footsteps coming from inside. She immediately left and hid in a nearby concealed spot.
The door opened, revealing an old man with wide eyes staring at the empty alley outside. After making sure that no one was there, he muttered something and closed the door again.
Su Liang picked up a stone and threw it hard against the door.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour with no reaction, she approached the door and knocked again.
Not waiting for someone to come out, she quietly left and went around to the back alley.
She knocked on the back door three times, but there was no response from inside.
Su Liang backed away, took a running start, and climbed over the not-so-high wall. She first found a hiding place to observe her surroundings.
It looked like an ordinary household. There were two vegetable beds in the backyard, a well, a grinding stone, and under a thatched shed, there were two large jars covered with wooden lids, but the stench was hard to disguise.
Su Liang took a closer look. If there were fermented fertilizer in the large jars, wouldn’t the neighbors beat them up? The smell was so strong in the rainy weather, let alone on a sunny day when the whole alley would suffer.
Moreover, this was a county town, and the small vegetable patch didn’t require much fertilizer.
Just then, a burly man entered the backyard cursing, “I’m almost suffocated by the stench of human flesh and shit! Finally, I managed to get some sleep! That old deaf bastard, always making a fuss!”
Su Liang’s eyes narrowed. She finally realized the purpose of the large jars the stench was meant to cover up what they were really hiding. Even if the searching government soldiers came, they might not want to approach, let alone open the jars to look inside.
Su Liang suspected that the deceased prisoners who had “escaped” last night were inside.
As soon as the incident happened, the county town was under martial law. It would be extremely risky to smuggle a living person out. Whether it was a living or dead person, it would be difficult to hide from the strict searches.
This was a county town and every household had limited space; it wouldn’t take long for them to be discovered in the cellars.
The three scholars had not been found because they were in the house of the chief of the capture squad.
But if a person was chopped up and put in a large jar with excrement, all they had to say was that the jar contained fermenting fertilizer and it would be taken away as soon as it stopped raining.
After all, manure in this world did have value.
The man pinched his nose and sat down on a chair under the thatched shed, staring at the back door.
Su Liang patiently waited for a while until the man closed his eyes and soon began snoring loudly.
Avoiding his line of sight, Su Liang quietly appeared behind him, swiftly pulling out the dagger hidden in her sleeve and viciously stabbing it into his neck. She then removed the dagger and quickly hid beside the path from which he had come from the front yard.
The man’s shrill scream pierced the sky as he clutched his bleeding neck. In the process, he knocked down one of the large jars, revealing a human hand inside…
Su Liang held her breath and focused, listening to the footsteps in the front yard. There were only two people.
After all, to disguise themselves as an ordinary household, the number of people had to be reasonable. This was also something that Su Liang had calculated.
As the first person approached, Su Liang estimated the distance between them based on the sound of footsteps.
Now’s the time!
She thrust her knife forward, stabbing the person in the head as they turned the corner!
Her target was the neck. Su Liang estimated the height of the person based on the man in the backyard, but this person was half a head shorter, so the dagger accurately pierced his ear!
Of course, the one assigned to guard the back door wasn’t the boss, it was the one who covered their ears and immediately let go, swinging their knife towards Su Liang.
As for the third person, he was the old man guarding the front door.
Usually, this was a family of an old father and two unmarried sons.
Although they had fought with Hu Er’s followers and Young Master Huang’s henchmen, those people were nothing but trash to Su Liang.
The scene Su Liang was facing now was her true first battle.
Even if the enemy was injured, their strength was not to be underestimated.
And that hunchbacked old man, who was trembling as he walked to open the door, suddenly straightened up, his eyes gleaming fiercely, and also attacked with a rusty axe!
Su Liang felt no fear, only a fighting spirit!
She put away her dagger, drew the long sword from her back, and for the first time, Su Liang used swordsmanship in actual combat.
When sparring with Ning Jing, Su Liang was always under pressure. At this moment, she finally understood how sharp and sophisticated this swordsmanship was.
It was the kind of feeling where every move flowed smoothly and felt useful.
Of course, this was closely related to Su Liang’s extraordinary comprehension, psychological qualities, and adaptability.
The old man was stabbed in the chest by Su Liang’s sword and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
As for the strongest one, who was injured by Su Liang’s sneak attack, he stumbled after not much fighting and wanted to flee when he realized things weren’t looking good.
Su Liang intensified her attack, aiming to incapacitate him without killing him.
Her sword pierced the man’s thigh, causing him to stumble and hit the wall.
Just as Su Liang was about to rush over and deliver the finishing blow, she suddenly sensed someone approaching. Her expression changed, and as she turned her head, her arm was grabbed.
“It’s time to go.” Ning Jing, wearing a straw raincoat, only exposed his cold eyes as he led Su Liang from the backyard to the neighboring house, then jumped over the wall to leave.
In the pouring rain, Su Liang was pulled by Ning Jing as they sped through the alley. As they passed a corner, she looked back and saw government soldiers rushing into the alley from another direction.
As soon as Su Liang killed the first person, the noise had attracted a neighbor to report the incident to the nearby patrolling soldiers.
In this short period of time, everything had just worked out perfectly.
Su Liang never spoke, disguised as a man and wearing a mask, she wasn’t worried about being exposed by the surviving man.
Most of the soldiers rushed to that house, so the two of them easily returned home. Su Liang was completely drenched, but in good spirits.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t going?” Su Liang asked.
Ning Jing ignored Su Liang’s question, “You were too reckless, not knowing how many people were in that house before taking action.”
Su Liang nodded, “Indeed. But under the circumstances, I couldn’t think of a better solution.”
She had already tested it out. Seeing the old man at the front door, she led people away twice by making noise, sneaked in through the back door, then waited for the person in the backyard to be alone before taking action. But at that time, she didn’t know how many people were in the front yard.
In the not-so-big house, there were not many good places to hide, and she couldn’t walk on walls and roofs, so going to the front yard was very dangerous. Luring people over and ambushing them from the shadows was the best option at that time.
After all, she had gone there and couldn’t return empty-handed. At least she had confidence in escaping. As for climbing walls, her skills were already quite proficient.
“What do you think I should have done then?” Su Liang asked seriously.
“Come back and find me.” Ning Jing said.
Su Liang was speechless, “Didn’t you say you were tired? Actually, it would be best to find a way to notify Mai Fei, but you asked me to go, isn’t that because you wanted me to take action? If I find you again, I might as well not go.”
“I can just watch you.” Ning Jing said indifferently.
Su Liang understood his meaning.
Ever since she had made up her mind to participate in the Military Exam, Ning Jing had been very dedicated in teaching her martial arts. Whenever she asked Ning Jing for a match, he would put aside whatever he was doing.
This time, when she said “let her fight,” it wasn’t because Ning Jing was lazy
but because she wanted Su Liang to gain experience.
But since Su Liang’s strength was not enough, Ning Jing said “watch her” to add an extra layer of protection, just in case.
“Did you say you were tired at the time, waiting for me to beg you to go with me?” Su Liang felt bewildered.
Ning Jing shook her head, “Not to beg, but to invite.”
Su Liang: … Is she really that proud and shy?
“As a matter of fact, it turns out you didn’t have to go.” Su Liang snorted lightly and went into the room to change clothes.
Ning Jing suddenly reached out to stop her, “Let’s do it again.”
Su Liang was confused, “What?”
A moment later, Su Liang held a dagger, pressed against the back wall, holding her breath and concentrating.
Ning Jing, who had agreed to recreate the fight they had just had and point out the inadequacy of Su Liang’s moves, did not pass through the front yard but fell from the sky to attack Su Liang!
Su Liang was shocked, narrowly dodging Ning Jing’s strike!
“If there had been one more person in the house, you would have been injured.” Ning Jing said calmly, her offense still relentless.
Su Liang agreed. She assumed that people in the front yard would follow that path, which was somewhat wishful thinking. If someone didn’t come from the ground, but from the air, she couldn’t defend against them.
“A sneak attack usually has only one chance, and if you miss or fail, it’s useless,” Ning Jing said while continuing to strike.
Indeed. If she had been able to take down the first person with a sneak attack, dealing with the second would have been much easier.
Su Liang discovered that although Ning Jing was using a sword, she was using the moves of a knife user, mimicking the strongest person’s moves she’d fought earlier, but even more fierce.
“If the older man had been in front, you would have had no chance of winning, ” Ning Jing said.
Su Liang used her sneak attack on the strongest person. If the old man had been injured by walking in front while the other person went against Su Liang unharmed, things would have turned out very differently.
Dozens of moves had passed, and Su Liang hadn’t fallen or been injured, but her clothes had been slashed in over a dozen places.
She knew that Ning Jing was showing mercy, but a ruthless enemy wouldn’t. If she were really injured, she wouldn’t have the strength to support herself now, and she doubted whether she would be able to escape.
After about thirty minutes of fighting, both of them were soaked in sweat, but compared to Su Liang’s disheveled state, Ning Jing looked like she had only been through a rain shower.
With the final move, Ning Jing placed her sword at an awkward angle on Su Liang’s neck.
Su Liang felt utterly defeated, and she heard Ning Jing say coldly, “I know you were a soldier in your previous life, skilled in martial arts, quick-witted, intelligent, responsive, but none of that matters in the face of absolute strength.”
“That’s true,” Su Liang sighed.
“Today you managed to return unscathed only by sheer luck. Next time, you may not be so fortunate.” Ning Jing said.
Su Liang nodded, “Yes.”
“Do you really think I don’t have to go?” Ning Jing asked Su Liang with her own words.
Su Liang shook her head, “No.”
Actually, she had always been under Ning Jing’s protection, but because Ning Jing didn’t like to talk, she let Su Liang handle everything she could; her presence was still important.
Su Liang looked at Ning Jing’s retreating figure and said, “Master, I was wrong. Next time, I’ll definitely invite you.”
This was the first time she felt Ning Jing was angry even though she couldn’t tell from his expression.
And when Ning Jing said he was tired, waiting for Su Liang to speak up and invite him along, he was testing her.
She wasn’t sure about her own martial arts skills as she hadn’t met many people since coming to this world. Even if Ning Jing hadn’t needed to step in this time, Su Liang should have asked him to come along.
She hadn’t lost or been injured, but there was a great deal of luck involved. Su Liang boiled some hot water, and after both of them had bathed and changed clothes, Chang’an came over…
“We caught the head bandit who kidnapped the prisoners last night, and two of his accomplices were killed by a mysterious person. They also confessed to several more accomplices hiding elsewhere.”
“The dead prisoners can’t even be identified by their remains.”
“Half of Bei’an County’s prison officers and government soldiers have been bought off, and we haven’t finished investigating.”
“My Master asked me to inform you both, the head bandit confessed Bei
Jingwang Mansion was behind it. The truth is not yet determined, but Ning
Jing should make preparations.”
Su Liang thanked Mai Fei for the reminder, and as Chang’an was about to leave, he turned back to ask, “What brings you both to the county town? My Master was planning to visit you today!”
Su Liang smiled, “He wanted to eat Osmanthus Cake, but we didn’t expect that the county town had a big event, and Mingxiang Building was closed.”
Chang’an coughed lightly, “So that’s how it is! Well, I won’t disturb you anymore, farewell!”
After closing the door, Su Liang went back and asked Ning Jing what he wanted to eat.
Ning Jing glanced at her, “Are you trying to please me?”
Usually, Su Liang cooked without letting Ning Jing order, as she was not a cook.
Su Liang smiled and said obediently, “Yes. Opportunities don’t come often.”
“You decide.” Ning Jing threw the problem of how to please him back at her.
Su Liang began brainstorming, she had to make something delicious that Ning Jing had never tasted before. She had brought some ingredients from the village, otherwise there would be nothing to use.
Originally, Su Liang hadn’t planned to call Ning Jing to help with the fire, but he came at the right moment.
‘With my martial arts skills, is there any hope of ranking in the top three in the Military Exam?” Su Liang asked.
Ning Jing shook his head, “No, if you train your martial arts until next year, the top three should be no problem. But that’s just a means for you to achieve other things, not the purpose of learning martial arts.”
Before today, Ning Jing had always been positive about Su Liang’s martial arts skills.
In fact, today’s biggest problem, according to Ning Jing, was not Su Liang’s weak martial arts skills but her overconfidence and lack of caution.
Su Liang nodded, “I’m relieved then. My ultimate goal of learning martial arts is to defeat you one day. Do you think there is hope?”
Ning Jing paused while adding firewood, “And if you defeat me, what will you
Su Liang chuckled, “Of course, I’ll order and you’ll cook. I want to eat Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.”
Ning Jing was puzzled, “Buddha? Jumping over the wall? What kind of food is that?”
“It’s complicated,” Su Liang said.
Ning Jing nodded, “All right. I want to eat that today. You make it.”
Su Liang: …
Due to the limitation of ingredients, it was impossible to make it. So, Su Liang, who had spoken offhandedly, now owed Ning Jing a serving of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall…
Unlike the rainy Bei’an County, the capital city was sunny and bright, with crisp autumn air.
Nian Jincheng returned from the military camp, not changing clothes or even drinking water, and went to find Nian Ruxue.
“Miss Qin sent someone to invite the Fourth Young Lady to attend the poetry meeting,” the maid said.
Nian Jincheng frowned. He had been busy with military affairs recently, and every time he had some free time, he wanted to teach Nian Ruxue martial arts skills, but on three consecutive occasions, she had been away from home.
Just as he was about to leave, Nian Jincheng suddenly remembered something and asked the maid, “Is the poetry meeting being held at Qin Mansion?”
“Yes. Today’s poetry meeting is hosted by Miss Qin. She said it’s the first time her cousin, Crown Prince Bei Jingwang, will be attending such an event since arriving in the capital, so she insisted that Fourth Young Lady attend!” the maid answered.
Upon hearing the words “Crown Prince Bei Jingwang,” Nian Jincheng’s eyes narrowed, and he hurried away. After changing clothes, he rode his horse to
Qin Mansion..
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