On the eighteenth and nineteenth of the seventh month, the court’s main army and the men of Dulong Ridge arrived at Jizhou, and at the same time, word that Song Jiang and the last remnants of Liangshan had been executed spread far and wide, put about by the local authorities.
From Zhuxi to Anping, the outlaws who had joined in the earlier excitement scattered like startled birds and beasts. Those who felt they’d offended the “Man-Butcher Ning” packed up their belongings and fled into the mountains to become bandits themselves — yet when the one or two ten-thousand-strong force began its sweep from Zhuxi onward, no small number were still caught up and dealt with. Exactly who among them Ning Yi didn’t much care — the main business was essentially finished, and there was nothing left requiring his personal involvement. As for the venting of anger through killing afterward, he had little enthusiasm for it. Whether it was Wurui Camp or the men of Dulong Ridge, they each had their own established methods for handling such matters, whether through official channels or through the customs of the rivers and lakes. And once handled, the deterrent effect could be maintained going forward.
Of course, some follow-up matters continued to arrive in the days that followed. For instance, Fang Duxing of Wurui Camp, along with various officials paying visits or extending invitations one after another — with the Liangshan affair concluded, no one dared underestimate Ning Yi’s standing in this region any longer. Ning Yi dealt with them one by one, which also took up a good deal of his time.
By the nineteenth of the seventh month, Wang Shanyue, Zhu Biao, and the others arrived as well, meeting with Ning Yi and paying their respects to Lu Hongti. Everyone found it rather surprising that Ning Yi’s master was such a young woman. Though “young” was, of course, relative to the status of “master” — Lu Hongti was, in fact, three or four years older than Ning Yi. In Ning Yi’s eyes, Hongti was precisely at that youthful, beautiful age; for Wang Shanyue and the others, her being one generation senior to Ning Yi was not something too difficult to accept either.
Between Ning Yi and Hongti, over the following two days, there was in fact a slight sense of distance in the atmosphere between them — a distance that had begun around the time Wang Shanyue and the others arrived, though in truth, in Hongti’s heart, it might have started even earlier. As for Ning Yi, he could vaguely sense the defensive wall Hongti had unconsciously begun to build, but in truth, in those first few days, he had no shortage of matters to attend to — even if it was only social obligations and receiving guests, it still consumed a great deal of his time.
As for Hongti, he was mulling over certain things in his heart. And over these two days, he had sent for the best cooks from several nearby counties, so that every meal they shared together was made from the finest, most exquisite ingredients the surrounding region had to offer. For Ning Yi, doing such a thing required no vulgar justification — if it could be done, he simply did it; he minded neither the worst nor avoided the best. Their daily conversations, for the most part, took place over meals and after nightfall.
Hongti’s injury was not severe; at least, once Zhou Tong had left, she had already outwardly recovered as though nothing had happened. The two of them moved into the small courtyard Zhou Tong had left behind, and every night, she would still work Ning Yi’s meridians to clear his blood flow. Ning Yi, thinking her injury hadn’t fully healed, had objected at first, but Lu Hongti insisted rather firmly, and so he let her have her way.
When the two of them were together, it was usually Ning Yi doing the talking while Hongti listened — she had things on her mind and rarely joined in the conversation. Once Wang Shanyue and the others arrived, Hongti became even more concerned with maintaining her image as “master” in front of Ning Yi. With others usually around, even if there was a relatively intimate feeling between them, it naturally wasn’t appropriate to show it. Though Hongti’s temperament was easygoing by nature, at this point she was, after all, technically Ning Yi’s senior, and Wang Shanyue and the others weren’t especially close with her either.
At noon on the twenty-first of the seventh month, after finishing a meeting with the prefect of Jizhou, Ning Yi took Hongti to the best restaurant in Yiyuan County to eat. They didn’t order many dishes, but naturally the finest available. While they ate, a wedding procession passed by below, gongs and drums sounding — Hongti watched it for a while, and Ning Yi noticed. Back at the courtyard, he was choosing his words carefully to say something, but just then someone came to pay a visit, and Ning Yi had to set the thought aside and go out to receive the guest.
In the afternoon sunlight, as Wang Shanyue passed through the courtyard corridor, he saw the tall, slender woman standing quietly in the sunlight of the courtyard, her head tilted slightly upward, seeming somewhat forlorn. But then Hongti turned and gave him a smile, greeting him. After a while, Wang Shanyue and Ning Yi rode out on horseback together, and he brought the matter up rather cautiously. “It seems… Senior Lu has something on her mind…”
“Yes, I know,” Ning Yi nodded.
Something had been turning over in Ning Yi’s mind for days now; he had planned to finish his business and talk it over with Hongti that evening. But that very afternoon, someone suddenly came to report that Miss Lu had packed her things and left the town, leaving only word for Ning Yi that she was returning home. The Dulong Ridge steward who delivered the message, sensing the matter might be significant, had rushed to report it right away. Ning Yi’s brow furrowed; he set aside his engagement with the officials and rode off in pursuit at once.
Not much time had passed. The steward, perhaps sensing the importance of Hongti’s identity, had also sent men to follow behind her — but not long after leaving the town, Hongti had entered a forested area in the mountains, and they had lost track of her. Ning Yi rode his horse hard toward the tallest nearby hill; when he reached the summit, sunlight poured down over him. He could not see her, but had some sense that she must still be nearby.
Wang Shanyue, following behind, saw Ning Yi shout from the hilltop: “Lu Hongti— come back here—”
With the force of the Broken Six Dao driving his voice, the sound carried far across the mountains and forests, echoing back.
“I know what you’re thinking— I have something to say to you! But whether you come back or not, you listen to me clearly— I’m coming to find you at Mount Lüliang—”
The words “I’m coming to find you at Mount Lüliang” echoed across the mountains and forests. Ning Yi shouted it twice more after that. After standing there a while, he pulled his horse around to head back. Wang Shanyue saw the expression on his face, and though he had things he wanted to say, wanted to ask, he couldn’t bring himself to voice them. Could it be that this master and disciple truly…
Thinking this, they made their way back along the road. Once back on the main path, Ning Yi immediately ordered a map of the surrounding area brought to him. He picked out the route most likely to be taken by anyone returning to Mount Lüliang and at once ordered the nearby government troops to search the area closely, then set off in that direction himself as well. Wang Shanyue said, “But didn’t you say you were going to Mount Lüliang—”
Ning Yi’s gaze turned sharp. “Are you joking? If there was something I needed to say, why would I need to go all the way to Mount Lüliang to say it? I only said that to lull her — we’re going ahead to the crossroads to wait for her!”
The group galloped hard, covering over ten li, and found a dark, unremarkable carriage at a nearby post station, then waited quietly near the crossroads. Ning Yi sat with his fist clenched against his knee, waiting for Hongti’s figure to pass by the roadside. But time crept by, minute after minute, and by the time evening arrived that day, the sun setting in the west and burning red, there was still no sign of her. They waited on until the sky had darkened completely, Ning Yi’s frown deepening further and further — at one point he even suspected the soldiers at the checkpoint were being too conspicuous, and sent word for them to appear more relaxed. As night deepened, the sound of wind and wild animals rose from the mountains. Ning Yi finally let the curtain of the carriage fall, laughed at himself with a self-mocking smile, and had the driver turn the carriage back the way they’d come.
Along the road back, there was only a small post station. Ning Yi and Wang Shanyue went in to ask whether anyone matching Lu Hongti’s description had come to lodge there, but the answer was no. She had likely spent the night in the forested mountains again. Ning Yi and the others took rooms at the station to rest there for the time being.
The road ran through wild country in front of and behind the station. Ning Yi sat outside in the darkness for a long while, gazing at the vast, pitch-black expanse of mountain forest. Perhaps… Wenyu and the others had been right after all — he really wasn’t very good at winning a woman’s heart.
Around midnight, the sound of wolves howling drifted from the mountains, mingling with the mountain wind, isolating this place amid darkness stretching far and near. Beneath the sky, only this small station, wrapped in darkness, showed a faint light. Ning Yi returned to his room at the station, pushed open the door, and walked toward the bed. Remembering he hadn’t lit a lamp, he was about to turn around when he felt a stirring sensation behind him. He turned — in the darkness were Hongti’s eyes, and a hand reached around, pressing gently against the back of his neck.
Ning Yi’s body stiffened, went numb, his limbs powerless, unable to speak, even a wave of exhaustion rising within him — but before his eyes, it was indeed Hongti. She supported him, laying him down on the bed, her fingers still cradling the back of his head, keeping him in a state just short of unconsciousness, still able to hear her clearly as she spoke.
“I— I’ve been watching you this whole time…”
Hongti leaned over him, her voice carrying a slight catch, yet also an emotion she could no longer suppress. A drop of water fell, landing on Ning Yi’s face, warm and damp.
“You’re too cunning. I have to leave — I, I don’t want you to speak, because you’re too clever, and if you spoke I’d surely be unable to leave…” She sniffed. “You anticipated everything, but what you didn’t expect was that after you came chasing after me, I was right there behind you, following you. I couldn’t bear to leave — I wanted to look at you a little longer. That’s the one thing you didn’t foresee…”
“I— I saw you rushing over like that, waiting there at the checkpoint, trying to catch me. I saw how angry you were, how frustrated you were… Even in the worst circumstances, you’ve never been like that — not even in Hangzhou, or when we were being hunted in the mountains, you were never like that. My heart was filled with a joy I couldn’t put into words. Ning Liheng… but I’m your master…”
“I know I shouldn’t be like this. I— I’m too old, and I’m your master… but I don’t know why, you’ve already found a place in my heart. I don’t deserve you…” She struggled to hold back her emotions. “I originally only meant to come down and see you, but when we ran into those Liangshan men, and I wanted to help you, all I could say was that I was your master. You’re a good man — I know you saw what was in my heart, and I know these past few days you’ve been troubled by it too… but I’ve already made my decision. I’m leaving.”
She continued, “This is the best outcome. Senior Zhou was right — since we’ve already presented ourselves to the world as master and disciple, we shouldn’t become lovers… heh, lovers… that was just something I imagined foolishly. I don’t want to hear you say anything, good or bad, I don’t want to hear any of it. I’ve made my decision, and you can’t stop me. I only wanted… to come here… and tell you all this. Don’t move, you’ll be asleep in a moment. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, I won’t be here anymore. Don’t come looking for me. I’ve truly made up my mind, I…”
Her voice choked, her fingers about to press down harder, to send Ning Yi to sleep — but in the dim light, she saw that Ning Yi’s eyes were still open, the veins on his forehead already bulging. His blood and vital energy surged, the power of the Broken Six Dao straining to keep him conscious, forcing open the meridians Hongti had pressed shut. Hongti shook her head. “What are you doing… don’t do this…”
She could, of course, simply put Ning Yi to sleep — but doing so would surely cause him serious injury. In fact, at this very moment, forcing the blood and energy up toward his head had already placed tremendous strain on him. Ning Yi’s eyes turned fierce, his lips trembling several times before he finally forced out the words: “You… listen…”
Hongti released the back of his neck, and with a rush, blood came pouring from Ning Yi’s mouth. She panicked instantly, the blood-warmth rising in her own hands as she worked frantically to ease the flow of blood in his head. Ning Yi drew a few breaths, his eyes fixed on her, and with great effort raised one arm, reaching out to grab hold of her clothing, not caring where exactly he grabbed. Hongti’s fingers were still pressed against his forehead. “Don’t do this… don’t move…”
Ning Yi clenched his jaw and, with a sudden burst of force, pulled Hongti’s entire body onto the bed, the two of them nearly rolling to the inner side of the bed together. Hongti, worried about his condition, had been holding back her own strength to accommodate him, but now Ning Yi’s body was half pressed against hers. Hongti pressed both hands against his temples, still trying to speak, but her eyes suddenly widened, because Ning Yi had already thrust his arm roughly beneath her clothes, pressing against her skin, reaching up toward her chest. She couldn’t get the words out, because Ning Yi had already leaned down and pressed his lips against hers — this was the first time Hongti had ever felt such a sensation, the taste of blood mingling between their mouths, soft, warm, and tinged with the smell of blood, while Ning Yi’s other hand had already taken hold of her breast.
“I…” Ning Yi pulled his lips slightly away from hers, struggling to hold onto consciousness. “I— I can accept you making your own decision… and doing all sorts of things to me that I don’t like! But… you have to listen to me finish what I have to say. I want to keep you here…”
As he spoke, he pulled his arm downward. “Even if it comes to this… so be it!” Ning Yi lay sprawled over her, his breathing rapid, blood still dripping from his mouth, hardly any strength left in him — but with a sweep of his arm, he yanked down the waist of her skirt and undergarments. Since Hongti was lying there, this sudden force only managed to pull her skirt and undergarments partway down, exposing her hips and legs. Ning Yi’s hand came to rest between her thighs.
Ning Yi lay sprawled over her, struggling to keep himself from losing consciousness. Hongti had been utterly stunned by this sudden burst of roughness from him — however many times greater her martial skill might be than his, at this moment she could not even bring herself to resist. After a long, dazed moment, she pressed her hands against his forehead and, unable to hold it in any longer, began to cry…