Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: 206. Auspicious Day and Time

Chapter 206: 206. Auspicious Day and Time

Translator: 549690339

Originally thinking that the half-month vacation could be spent leisurely and comfortably, a significant accident occurred on the first day.

However, since the accident had already happened, the only thing to do was to quickly solve the “problem” and avoid leaving any hidden dangers.

After Su Liang made up her mind, Ning Jing said nothing.

She stood up, “The water is heated, you can go take a bath and then have a good sleep. We’ll depart before dawn. I’ll prepare some food for you to take with you.”

“You,” Ning Jings voice paused momentarily, “Can you stay here alone?”

Su Liang scoffed, “I know you think I’m weak, but who isn’t weak compared to you? Moreover, I can’t always follow you. It’s settled then; you have to do that thing yourself. ”

The death of “Ning Jing,” in fact, was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, someone couldn’t wear a human skin mask for a whole lifetime; it was just happening earlier than planned.

As for his real identity, they couldn’t let more people know, so the “suicide” could only be completed by Ning Jing himself.

“Alright,” Ning Jing nodded and then left.

After bathing, Ning Jing not only changed his clothes but also washed them and hung them in the backyard to dry. When he came back to the kitchen to put away the wooden tub, he saw Su Liang kneading dough.

“There’s no need for you to start the fire, just go get some sleep, and I’ll call you when it’s time.” Su Liang said without turning her head.

Ning Jing put down the wooden tub, draped his semi-dried hair over his head, and stepped out of the kitchen. Gazing at the bright moon in the sky, he sighed quietly and returned to his room.

Dawn was approaching.

After a sleepless night, Su Liang entered Ning Jing’s room, “Great God? Great

God, wake up?”

Upon Su Liangs third attempt at patting Ning Jing’s shoulder through the quilt, he slowly opened his eyes.

“How can you sleep so heavily?” Su Liang felt a bit strange, but only muttered a sentence before telling Ning Jing that the dried food was ready and that he could set off.

After getting up and washing up, Su Liang had already set out breakfast. Piping hot white porridge, tender and fragrant egg pancakes, and mixed vegetables.

On the side, Su Liang had prepared meat buns for him to eat on the road.

“We’ll need to find a corpse, right?” Su Liang asked.

Ning Jing nodded, “You don’t have to worry about it.”

“You’re right. I won’t interfere. You can handle it yourself.” Su Liang yawned as she spoke.

After Ning Jing finished eating, Su Liang handed him various medicines, explaining how to use each one.

As dawn broke, Su Liang led Ning Jing’s horse out of the stable and handed it to him, “You should go, be careful.”

Ning Jing looked at Su Liang’s sleepy face, which appeared even more soft and languid in the misty morning fog.

Ning Jing asked her, “Is there any ritual for farewells on your side?”

Su Liang was stunned for a moment, and then laughed. She took a step forward, gently hugged Ning Jing, said, “Take care,” and then let go. Their bodies didn’t touch intimately; it was just a slight bump of the shoulders.

Ning Jing’s expression was slightly startled.

Su Liang smiled and said, “Just like this. You better hurry up and go, don’t let anyone see you.”

“Be careful, don’t sleep too deep at night.” Ning Jing said before leading the horse towards the back door.

Su Liang ran to open the back door and watched Ning Jing leave. When he looked back, she waved at him again.

Ning Jing got on his horse and headed towards the back mountain.

It was only when his figure disappeared from her sight that Su Liang turned around, closed and bolted the door, yawned, and went back to her room to sleep.

Su Liang slept till approaching noon before waking up. She opened her eyes, sat up, looked around at the familiar environment, and remembered yesterday’s events. She rubbed her face and lamented, “Damn Uncle Liang, he’s really not a good person!”

As Su Liang stepped out, she heard voices outside the gate.

She went to the kitchen to wash her face with cold water briefly, tidied her hair, and walked over to open the door, seeing Su Bai, Su Dakuan, and Old Master Bai sitting under a tree outside.

As soon as Su Liang appeared, the three of them got up quickly, dusted themselves off, and walked toward her with smiles on their faces.

“Uncle Bai, Grandpa Dakuan, Mr. Bai.” Su Liang smiled and greeted them like always,

Su Bai’s expression was full of excitement, “I just learned about your return when I came into the village this morning. I couldn’t believe it! Yesterday, I had to go to the county town to meet the County Magistrate, and it got so late, so I didn’t come back.”

Because Su Village had produced two top scholars and opened a free school, Su Bai, as the Martial Arts Champion’s uncle, had quite a reputation in front of the Town Chief and the County Magistrate.

Su Liang laughed, “I’m just coming back to rest for half a month and then I have to go back to the capital.”

Upon hearing that Su Liang returned to their village from such a long distance to rest, the three of them felt warm and appreciated, knowing that she truly considered this place as her home.

Su Dakuan asked about his woodworking disciple Ning Jing.

“He’s doing well. He’s an official in the capital city, so he can’t leave easily. I was ordered to go to the north for some work, and after finishing it, I came back to stay for a few days,” Su Liang said.

Mr. Bai chuckled and said, ‘We all heard about it. Miss Liang defeated the number one warrior of Liang Country and helped Qian Country win back a city!”

Their eyes seemed to say: This is the girl that our Su Village has raised; she’s truly extraordinary!

Su Liang invited them into her house, but they all declined, saying they just wanted to see her and would not go in.

In fact, the three of them had already arrived early, knocked on the door once without any answer, and thought Su Liang might still be sleeping, so they waited outside for a long time.

“Just wait a moment.” After Su Liang spoke, she turned around and went back in, soon returning with two boxes of tea leaves.

She handed one box to Su Bai, the other to Su Dakuan, and smiled, “This is from Ning Jing.”

Mr. Bai had received his share the previous night, and it was exactly the same.

They were all specifically taken from the Ning Family store in Xuanbei City by Su Liang. As the future Mistress of Ning Family, of course, she didn’t need to spend any money.

“Such valuable tea leaves, we are not worthy…” Su Dakuan could tell the box’s value just by looking at the exquisite carvings on it.

“Did you forget what Ning Jing’s family does? He sells tea leaves, and this is from his own business. It didn’t cost him any money,” Su Liang said. Su Bai grinned, “The young master of Ning family still remembers us, he is truly thoughtful. ”

“Tell Mrs. Bai that I’ll be coming over for lunch,” Su Liang said.

Upon hearing Su Liang’s words, Mr. Bai’s smile caused his eyes to narrow, and he nodded like pounding garlic, “Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ll go and kill a chicken right now!” He walked away with light steps.

Su Bai promptly invited Su Liang over to his house for dinner that night.

Su Liang readily agreed, “Sure, I’ve been meaning to ask Uncle Bai about the school. ”

“Alright, I’ll have your aunt prepare a great meal, and we’ll have a couple of drinks,” Su Bai hurriedly said.

Su Dakuan, who originally had to sell his house due to illness, now lived in a cave in the back mountain with his grandson Erniu.

Thanks to Su Liang’s treatment, Su Dakuan’s health had improved significantly, and with his exquisite woodworking skills, many people were willing to hire him, especially knowing that he had once taught the Top Scholar Ning Jing woodworking.

Erniu and Little Tiger were both attending school, and after this spring, Su Dakuan had repurchased his former land and built a new house. Now, he and his grandson were living a good life, and he looked years younger.

Upon hearing Su Liang’s plans to have dinner at Bai Family and Su Bai’s home, Su Dakuan quickly invited her to come over to his house the next day, saying that he would kill a sheep for her to eat.

Su Liang waved her hand in refusal, “Don’t bother killing it now; I can’t eat that much. Why don’t we wait until the New Year? Tomorrow, when I come over, I want to ask you about some woodworking stuff. I want to make something.” Su Dakuan said it was fine for Su Liang to come over anytime.

After sending off the visitors who didn’t even enter the house, Su Liang closed the door, stretched lazily, glanced at Ning Jing’s room, and murmured to herself, “It’s about time I learned to be independent. Even without him, I have to live my life well.”

When Little Tiger and Zhuzi returned home from school and heard Su Liang was coming for lunch, they dropped their school bags and ran to call her. “Sister Su Liang, it’s lunchtime!” yelled the two kids, leaning on the door. They never expected the door to be unlocked, and they both fell to the ground with a thud.

It probably wasn’t too embarrassing for them since they fell together. They got up and happily ran up to Su Liang.

“My grandma made chicken soup!”

“We have mushrooms too! They’re delicious!”

Su Liang thought to herself, Ning Jing must be looking forward to picking mushrooms from the forest, but he’s too late. She would pick the mushrooms when she had time, dry them, and bring them back to the capital city. As Su Liang locked her door and walked to Bail s house, Little Tiger and Zhuzi chatted on either side of her.

Su Liang asked what they had learned today, and Little Tiger recited a poem in response, swinging his head.

Zhuzi picked up a tree branch, wrote Su Liang and Ning Jing’s names on the ground, and excitedly asked, “Sister Su Liang, when are you going to have a baby? My mother is going to give us a little sister!”

Su Liang:… “Ning Jing” had to die, impossible to have a baby.

On second thought, she found the idea amusing. Even if he were alive, their relationship was far from the point of having children together.

But Zhuzi insisted that Su Liang give him an answer.

Su Liang thought about it and said, “Let’s leave it to fate.”

Upon arriving at Bails house, the courtyard was filled with a pleasant aroma.

Today, Bai He returned to the village with his new wife, who was very shy and didn’t know where to put her hands when she met Su Liang.

Su Liang joked, “I’m not a man, what are you afraid of?”

Tne new Drlae Diusnea ana sala m a mosquito-llKe voice, “1vnss su IS so beautiful, like a fairy.”

Everyone laughed.

Madam Bai specifically took Su Liang aside, saying that she would set aside a portion of the food for Su Liang to take back to her guard. Madam Bai hadn’t told her family about this.

Su Liang said it was not necessary, as she had sent the guard out with a message last night.

The lunch was lively, and Su Liang even drank a cup of alcohol brewed by Mr.

Bai.

Returning home in the afternoon, Su Liang didn’t know what to do. If Ning Jing were here, she would have practiced martial arts early in the morning, then sparred with Ning Jing before getting tired and reading.

With her planned daily routine disrupted, Su Liang decided to skip practicing and went back to her room to read, intending to resume martial arts practice the next morning.

Dinner was eaten at Su Bails house.

Su Bai gave Su Liang a detailed report on the village school, including the number of students, their ages, the number of teachers, and their wages.

“Since it’s free, some adults also go to learn to read. As you suggested, we even hired an old account keeper to teach us bookkeeping, and many people went to learn,” said Su Bai with a smile. “It was agreed that if anyone committed a crime or did something bad, their children would not be allowed to attend the village school, and the village’s atmosphere has improved a lot. All thanks to you.”

“Actually, it’s all because of Ning Jing,” Su Liang said with a smile.

Su Bai asked seriously, “Are you and Young Master Ning really getting married this time? We heard that you two got engaged again in the capital city. Some people even said that if it weren’t for Ning Jing, you would have married some prince. Is that true?”

Su Liang shook her head, “Not at all. I come from a humble background, and it’s not easy to enter the royal family.”

Su Bai said solemnly, “Being with Young Master Ning is great. You two are well-matched in every way. He’s kind-hearted, and his family is simple.”

Su Liang nodded, “Yes, he’s all by himself.” Soon the Ning family would have no one left, and all their property would be hers, how delightful…

After discussing the serious matters, Su Liang announced that she would visit the school the next day and left.

Su Bai insisted on accompanying her home, and Su Liang eventually agreed.

On the way, Su Bai mentioned Su Liang’s grandfather and asked if she had ever considered moving Su Yuanzhou’s grave back.

“Home is where the fallen leaves return,” Su Bai sighed. “I’m just mentioning it to you. If you don’t want to bother, just forget it.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Su Liang. Relocating graves is indeed troublesome, but Su Yuanzhou was indeed the first generation to leave the village. Judging from his many years of care for Su Daqiang’s family, if he could die in peace, he would definitely return.

But Duanmu Cheng still wasn’t dead. Su Liang was afraid that if she really moved the Su family’s graves, it would cause a commotion and attract some people who might try to cause harm. She decided to deal with those people first.

“If you need help, just say the word. There are plenty of people in the village who would help with your family matters without hesitation, ” said Su Bai. Su Liang nodded, “Alright, when the time comes, I won’t hesitate to ask for help. ”

If she really wanted to move Su Yuanzhou’s family graves back to the village, she would undoubtedly need help from the villagers.

Su Bai escorted Su Liang to her front door and watched her go in before leaving.

Su Liang read a few more pages before going to bed.

Early the next day, Su Liang went for a run and did some exercise, then practiced martial arts after breakfast. Without Ning Jing’s supervision, she felt somewhat uncomfortable, lacking someone to spar with and feeling like something was missing.

For lunch, Su Liang went to Su Dakuan’s house. Although not as grand as slaughtering a sheep, the old man killed a fat chicken to treat her.

Returning home from school, Erniu recited the poems and texts he had learned seriously, and Su Dakuan’s face was filled with satisfaction. “The teacher says Erniu has potential for studying. I must live a few more years to support his education.”

Erniu furrowed his brow, “Grandpa, my name is Su Mingcheng.”

Su Dakuan laughed, “Look at this child, after studying, he won’t let us call him by his nickname.”

“Su Mingcheng, what do you want to do when you grow up?” Su Liang asked with a smile.

Erniu puffed out his chest and said, “I want to be like Brother Ning Jing, become a top scholar, and be an important official! Then I’ll take my grandpa to the capital city to enjoy a good life!”

Su Liang gave a thumbs up, “Ambitious.”

In the afternoon, Su Liang said she wanted to make a hairpin, and Su Dakuan gave her a piece of scrap wood from a good piece of wood and taught her how to use a carving knife.

Feeling that she had learned the skill, she took the tools home and started making the hairpin.

As a result, just like the bracelet she had made for Ning Jing last time, the finished product had a natural and rustic look, appearing clumsy and not at all dexterous.

Su Liang carved the flowers on the hairpin again, feeling that her craftsmanship was only ten times worse than Ning Jing’s…

The village didn’t have the materials she needed to add color to the hairpin. Su

Daqiang told her they would have to go to the county town to buy them, so Su Liang set the hairpin aside, planning to work on it when she went to town next time.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed, and the news of the Martial Arts Champion’s return to the village spread.

That day, the County Magistrate of Bei’an County paid a special visit to Su Liang, but she wasn’t at home. Instead, she was picking mushrooms in the forest with Mrs. Bai.

The County Magistrate waited a long time before finally seeing Su Liang return. He was very respectful towards her, bringing along several gifts as well.

Su Liang politely invited the County Magistrate for tea, hoping that the official would care for the villagers. To maintain appearances, she only accepted two boxes of desserts and returned the valuable gifts.

After seeing off the County Magistrate, Su Liang spread out the mushrooms on a large sieve borrowed from the Bai Family and placed them on a stone table in the courtyard to dry in the sun.

She would bring the mushrooms back inside before the sun set, and then put them back out when the sun came out the next day.

After drying them for three consecutive days, she harvested a small basket of wild dried mushrooms.

Calculating the time, Ning Jing would soon arrive in the capital city.

Ever since that day when Xing Yusheng and Qi Yan had intruded upon him swimming, Qi Jun never went swimming in the lake again.

Even when Lin Bojun and Qin Yujin got married, he just sent a gift and left without attending the wedding feast, afraid of being discovered.

Knowing that Su Liang was going to stay at Su Village for a while, Qi Jun counted the days. By the time Su Liang and Ning Jing returned to the capital city and he completed his mission, it would be at least the end of May or early June.

That night, Qi Jun lay on Ning Jing’s bed, just closing his eyes when he suddenly heard a faint noise on the roof.

He opened his eyes abruptly, his expression tensing as he sat up. Had the trouble he was expecting finally arrived after all these days?

An assassin wearing a mask broke through the window, and Qi Jun drew his sword to meet the attacker.

A moment later, the vase on Ning Jing’s windowsill shattered on the floor.

The intruder had impressive martial arts skills. Qi Jun knew he was no match for him and tried to find an opportunity to escape. He couldn’t be killed, and it would be even worse if people found out that he was an imposter.

But every time he tried to break free, he failed, and he now had two wounds on his body. Just as Qi Jun was thinking that he had failed Su Liang and Ning Jing’s expectations and would meet his end tonight, the assassin suddenly stiffened and fell to his knees!

Qi Jun was stunned, and in the next moment, he saw another person enter and pull a knife out of the assassin’s back.

Looking at the figure, he seemed familiar.

“Master Ning?” Qi Jun’s face lit up with joy.

Ning Jing’s face now bore Qi Jun’s features. “You’ve worked hard.” He said as he bent down to tear off the black cloth covering the assassin’s face, revealing a scar on his cheek.

“Luckily Master Ning returned, otherwise I would not see tomorrow’s sun.” Qi Jun heaved a great sigh of relief, “I wonder who sent this person.”

The assassin, who hadn’t yet died, looked at them in disbelief, “You two… are deceiving the emperor!”

“Sixth Prince’s man.” Ning Jing stepped on the assassin’s head with his foot.

The assassin suddenly widened his eyes, his expression displaying obvious panic, “I… I’m not!”

He had fought with Ning Jing before, and the scar on his face was a gift from Ning Jing, but he didn’t know it himself.

“Qi Jun. ”

Hearing Ning Jing call him, Qi Jun’s expression became serious, “What do you need, Master Ning?”

“Su Liang wrote a letter to me and sent you to deliver it. You left Bei’an County six days ago, traveling day and night to arrive tonight. You will return to the Marquis Zhong Xin Mansion after giving the letter to me.” Ning Jing said calmly.

Qi Jun was stunned for a moment before realizing that Ning Jing was asking him to leave.

Su Liang had left him some wound medicine. After treating his wounds, Qi Jun washed off the disguise, changed into clean clothes, and packed his belongings.

“Master Ning, shall I leave?” Qi Jun stood outside the door with his luggage.

“Yes, I’ll give you the gift of thanks another day.” Ning Jing’s voice came from inside the room.

Qi Jun smiled, “No need to be polite, take care, Master Ning.”

As he walked out of the courtyard, Qi Jun turned back and said with a smile, “Master Ning may not know yet, the auspicious date that Old Master Qin chose for you and Miss Su is the sixth day of the sixth month. When Miss Su returns in a few days, you’ll be able to get married! You’ll be faster than my master and his wife!”

Upon hearing this, Ning Jing expressionlessly stabbed the assassin on the ground and replied to Qi Jun with a single word, “Okay..”