By the end of the meal, not a scrap was left on the table. In particular, Old Chen's signature braised pork ribs were picked clean, down to the crushed bones.
After lunch, Jiang Moran did not actually make her train for two extra hours.
He merely had her stand in a horse stance for half an hour.
“Young Master!”
“I’m heading out!”
Half an hour passed in a flash. With a look of delight on her face, Ning Qingzhu called out a quick farewell to him and followed Old Chen out the door.
Watching her cheerful retreating back, Jiang Moran could not help shaking his head. Over the past two years, the girl's temperament had grown more and more like his.
The nearby town was not too far away, and Old Chen brought her there in no time. Today was market day, so the streets were unusually crowded and bustling with activity.
After entering the town, Old Chen hurried off to buy some fruits, vegetables, and ingredients, only instructing her to wait for him there before sunset.
Ning Qingzhu nodded, and once Old Chen had walked off into the distance, she turned and headed in another direction.
Weaving through the crowded streets, she arrived at an inconspicuous teahouse.
“Sister Qiu!” As soon as she entered the teahouse, she spotted a familiar figure and immediately called out to her.
A woman sat by the window in the teahouse. Though she was seated in a corner, her vibrant red dress was extremely eye-catching, and her face was strikingly lovely.
She looked up at Ning Qingzhu, a smile spreading across her face.
“Little Qing, you’re here,” the red-robed woman said with a smile, pouring a cup of tea for her as she spoke.
Ning Qingzhu walked over, sat down, and took a sip of the tea. “Sister Qiu, how many more days are you staying here?”
The red-robed woman also took a sip of tea. “I’m leaving tomorrow. What I came here to do is already done.”
Hearing this, Ning Qingzhu felt a bit of regret. She had thought the woman would stay for half a month, not expecting her to leave so soon.
She had met the red-robed woman a week ago. At the time, the woman was fighting in an alley, struggling on her own against three formidable martial artists.
The three had worked together seamlessly, launching attacks at the red-robed woman from every conceivable angle, leaving her with no choice but to barely defend herself.
Seeing this, Ning Qingzhu had lunged forward without a second thought, disrupting their coordination. With her help, the two of them joined forces and repelled the three attackers.
When the red-robed woman saw that the person who helped her was just a young girl, her face was filled with surprise—after all, those martial skills were far beyond what any ordinary young girl should possess!
Right then and there, the red-robed woman had asked her for a favor.
Hijacking goods!
She had not specified what the item was, offering only a very generous reward.
Seeing Ning Qingzhu remain silent, the red-robed woman seemed to understand what she was thinking and immediately said, “Don’t worry. The thing I’m taking back shouldn’t belong to them in the first place; they merely claimed it for themselves.”
Since the red-robed woman put it that way, and because the offered reward was indeed very generous, Ning Qingzhu agreed on the spot.
The two agreed on a time: they would strike tonight at midnight!
Ning Qingzhu used half of the advance payment to buy Peach Blossom Wine. Though it was not as rich as the kind from Fengcheng, it still possessed a subtle, fragrant aroma of peach blossoms.
Old Chen was waiting at the city gate early on. From afar, he spotted Ning Qingzhu walking over while holding a jar of wine.
“Little Qing, that jar of wine in your hands...”
“I bought this for Young Master. It’s his favorite Peach Blossom Wine,” Ning Qingzhu said with a smile, her curved eyes looking extraordinarily lovely.
Peach Blossom Wine? Old Chen paused slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled. This wine was not cheap—thirty copper coins per tael. Where did Little Qing get the money to buy wine?
Though confused, he still stepped forward, intending to take the wine jar from her.
Young Master spoiled Little Qing quite a bit, so it was better for him to carry the wine.
However, Ning Qingzhu took a step back and said with a beaming smile, “Uncle Chen, I want to carry this to Young Master myself.”
Understanding her intention, Old Chen chuckled and nodded in agreement.
The two returned early. By the time they reached the riverside courtyard, the sun had not yet fully set. The glow of the setting sun reflected on the lake's surface, so bright it felt intoxicating.
Unmoved as ever, Jiang Moran reclined in his armchair, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.
For some reason, the gentle breeze blowing against his cheek felt somewhat ticklish. He opened his eyes to see Ning Qingzhu looking down at him with a mischievous smirk.
She was tickling his face with a blade of grass, not stopping even when she saw him wake up. “Young Master, how can you be so lazy?”
“This is called following my heart. It’s the realm of unifying knowledge and action! If I want to lie down, I lie down; if I want to sleep, I close my eyes the very next second.”
Ning Qingzhu let out a snort, amused by his shameless excuse.
She pulled out the Peach Blossom Wine hidden behind her back, shook it slightly, and said with crescent eyes, “Young Master, look what this is!”
Just smelling the faint peach blossom fragrance in the air, Jiang Moran immediately knew it was Peach Blossom Wine. His eyes lit up instantly. “Peach Blossom Wine! Hahaha, looks like spoiling you wasn't in vain after all.”
Old Chen had taken the vegetables into the kitchen to wash them. Coming out just in time to see this scene, he could not help nodding while stroking his beard.
Little Qing really has grown up and become thoughtful.
Jiang Moran was in a great mood. At the dinner table, he personally poured wine for Old Chen, leaving the old man somewhat flattered. He even heaped Ning Qingzhu's bowl full of her favorite dishes.
Sitting beside Jiang Moran, whenever he finished a cup of wine, she proactively refilled it for him. Meanwhile, he and Old Chen drank and chatted, covering everything from national affairs and politics to how many men had entered the neighboring village widow’s house—at which point Ning Qingzhu stepped on the top of his foot.
The meal lasted until the wine had gone around three times and all dishes tasted to satisfaction, with stars speckling the night sky. Only then did Jiang Moran rise with a trace of sleepiness in his brow, while Old Chen stayed behind to clean up the mess.
In the dead of night, after everyone had fallen asleep, a figure appeared in the courtyard. Ning Qingzhu was dressed in her form-fitting martial arts attire.
She stole a sneaky glance toward Young Master’s bedroom door. Seeing that it remained tightly shut, she could not help patting her chest.
A surge of nervousness from doing something bad welled up in her heart, making her heart beat slightly faster.
...
On the other side of town, the red-robed woman had been waiting in an inn early on. However, she had now changed into inconspicuous black attire and sat quietly in a corner.
Located in such a remote place, the inn naturally did not have much business, yet there were always people exuding the aura of the jianghu coming and going.
There was no Shopkeeper in the inn either, only a waiter handling odd jobs.
He walked over to the red-robed woman and asked with a smile, “Customer, do you need more tea?”
Just as the red-robed woman was about to shake her head, her gaze suddenly passed him toward the doorway, and she immediately changed her words: “Pour another cup.”
As soon as the waiter left at her command, Ning Qingzhu sat down opposite her, her breathing somewhat rapid from rushing over.
“Your timing is spot on. Let me introduce myself—my name is Qiu Zhiya,” the woman in red said with a smile.
Ning Qingzhu picked up the teacup, took a sip, and calmed her ragged breath before asking, “Sister Qiu... where are we hijacking tonight?”
“In two hours, on the official road ten li outside the western city wall. The other side is quite skilled, so it’s best to take the goods and leave immediately without getting dragged into a prolonged fight.”
After finishing the tea in her cup, the woman in red pulled out two black veils. She put one on to cover her face and handed the other to Ning Qingzhu. “Put it on. Don’t let them recognize you.”
Ning Qingzhu took the veil and put it on, mimicking her actions.
The two stepped out of the inn and leaped onto the rooftops toward the area outside the western city. Their bodies were as light as the wind, jumping and darting silently across every roof.
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