Chapter 129: Omens of a Nightmare

Above the flowing riverbed, this kiss, falling into the autumn mood, was soft and quiet—a simple touch of four lips. Ning Yi was slightly stunned. Before him, the woman’s eyelashes fluttered. A moment later, she drew back, clutching the blanket, her face flushed and her head bowed, yet soon she lifted her gaze again.

"Yunzhu... Yunzhu has nothing else she can do. She only knows how to play a few tunes, sing a few songs, and beyond that... beyond that, this is all she can offer..."

She smiled earnestly, then lowered her head once more.

"Hearing of your troubles these past few days, Liheng, I was at such a loss, but you never came by. Seeing you safe today, I am truly happy... yet I know, with such matters, no matter how broad-minded you are, you must be feeling some unhappiness. If... uh..."

"You are taking a great risk doing this..."

Ning Yi sighed softly, then reached out to touch her left cheek. Nie Yunzhu’s neck instinctively shrank back, her eyes shifting with a trace of helplessness. After a moment, she tilted her head with a hint of shyness, leaning into his palm to feel the gentle caress. Ning Yi also tilted his head, smiling with a complicated expression after a moment.

"Heh, these past few days at home have indeed been quite annoying."

"A bunch of people chattering away, the Su family members at each other’s throats—the resentment is enough to pierce the sky..."

"Yes, heh, it seems I am quite pitiful..."

"Ruined the business..."

"Made a huge fool of myself..."

"Tricked by others and treated like a fool by everyone..."

"Heh heh, that counts..." After a long while, Ning Yi still seemed to find it amusing, shaking his head. "Heh..."

Su Tan’er stood there clutching the blanket, her cheek pressed against his palm, feeling the warmth of his skin. She hadn't dared to look up, but at this moment, feeling a bit strange, she lifted her gaze. Within her field of vision, his figure had drawn close, and in the blink of an eye, her lips were blocked again.

"Mmph..." Her body retreated slightly, her back pressing against the wooden wall. In the sunlight, Ning Yi’s figure loomed over her, separated only by the thin blanket. It was not unpleasant, and one of his hands slid behind her back to rest on her waist. She heard the rustling of leaves, and the sunlight glinted like gold through the foliage. For a moment, she felt dizzy.

When she regained her composure, her body was almost lying on the terrace, held up only by the wall at her back. Ning Yi knelt beside her, embracing her, pulling his lips slightly away from hers. He looked at her, still smiling; the smile was strange, yet carried a degree of relief. Nie Yunzhu, however, was in no state to ponder this. Their bodies were pressed tightly together, their chests heaving, and with every heartbeat, the sensation seemed to grow clearer. Ning Yi’s left hand rested against the side of her chest, nearly touching the skin between her breast and ribs. She moved her lips, trying to calm herself, but failed.

When she had impulsively kissed him earlier, she had tried to consider the consequences, though she hadn't expected certain things to happen so quickly. She had never experienced such things before, but since he liked it, then... "Yunzhu’s body has never been touched by another man, but... if Liheng wants it, I am happy to give it..."

Her face was crimson, her expression serious. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum, but at such close range, Ning Yi heard her clearly. He merely looked at her expression, his smile unchanging, when a slight sound rose from the side of the terrace. Ning Yi and Nie Yunzhu turned their heads.

Appearing at the doorway was Yuan Jin’er, dressed in green. Perhaps she had just returned home and, hearing voices on the terrace, had run over excitedly to find Nie Yunzhu. She had only taken two steps across the threshold when she froze. Her right index finger was caught in her teeth—likely the expression she had worn upon entering—and she stood there, stunned, still smiling. The three of them stared at each other. Yuan Jin’er remained with her finger in her mouth, her eyes darting back and forth. Her face flushed red and turned pale, and then she suddenly turned to run.

She ran in the wrong direction, turned back, tripped over the threshold, and fell with a thud onto the floor. As a girl, the sound of the fall was truly painful—even the corner of Ning Yi’s eye twitched—especially since she had fallen while still biting her finger. Her feet remained on the threshold, one of her embroidered shoes having fallen off, but she paid no mind, continuing to crawl and scramble away.

***

On this side, the atmosphere between Ning Yi and Nie Yunzhu had dissipated. Nie Yunzhu’s gaze shifted around, and seeing Ning Yi looking at her, she immediately lowered her head or looked toward the empty space to the left. When Ning Yi let go, she remained clutching the blanket, back against the wall, her legs curled up.

"I, I... I’ll go check on Jin’er..."

She said this softly, glanced at Ning Yi, and then scrambled up to chase after her.

"Heh..."

Ning Yi was still smiling. He sat down in his previous spot, back against the wall, head tilted upward, looking at the sunlight filtering through the rustling leaves and the zither not far away. His smile deepened. It was a happy smile, one that felt like he had gained something... He certainly understood the reason for the change in Nie Yunzhu’s emotions today, and he was happy for it. In this world, there are always those who truly care for you, whether you need it or not, and that is always a heart-warming thing. He didn't need to hide everything from Nie Yunzhu, but they hadn't brought it up before, so there was no need to recount all the events of recent days just yet. He simply hadn't expected her to go to such lengths.

This, then, made things simple... and also troublesome.

In the hall, Nie Yunzhu seemed to have caught up with Yuan Jin’er. There were faint sounds of arguing. Yuan Jin’er sounded very sad, sobbing and weeping—though whether it was truly to that extent remained to be seen.

"Sister Yunzhu, how could you..."

"In broad daylight, you two on the terrace, wanting to, wanting to..."

"Even if you wanted to be on the terrace, I wouldn't say anything if it were outside... but even if you wanted to do that, you shouldn't have... you shouldn't have used the blanket I sleep under..."

"Ning Liheng is a huge pervert!"

Yuan Jin’er shouted, kicking the wooden wall fiercely. Having lived there for a long time, she knew exactly where Ning Yi was sitting. The vibration of the kick traveled through, and Ning Yi felt as if he’d been struck hard in the back. He leaned away from the wall, laughing uncontrollably, his laughter growing louder until he couldn't help but hammer his fist against the terrace floor several times.

Yuan Jin’er was full of rage; Ning Yi was shameless. Between them, perhaps only Nie Yunzhu was the one caught in the middle, feeling the most embarrassed. A moment later, she walked back onto the terrace, her white-clad figure shrinking back, her fingers twisted until they were white. Suddenly, the fairy-like image of a zither-playing singer had vanished, replaced by a young wife who, having descended to the mortal world, was being scolded by her mother-in-law for not knowing how to cook. Ning Yi looked at her and smiled, then patted the spot beside him. Nie Yunzhu walked over, sat down with her legs tucked in shyly, and pulled at her hem to cover her ankles and socks.

"Uh, that thing we spoke of earlier, does it still count?"

Ning Yi took her hand and asked with a smile. With Yuan Jin’er’s interference, the atmosphere was likely ruined, but some things that needed to be confessed had to be confessed, and some relationships that needed to be clarified could no longer be avoided. Naturally, starting with such words made Nie Yunzhu shy again. "Jin’er... Jin’er is at home..."

Ning Yi laughed again. Amidst the golden dust, the two figures on the terrace talked. Nie Yunzhu was by turns shy, earnest, and surprised, but in the end, their joined hands did not pull apart...

***

Leaving the small building and starting the journey back, it was already afternoon. Ning Yi thought about what had happened—the confession and all the rest—and sighed softly. "The evil old society..." If this had happened over a year ago, he might have chosen to run away with Nie Yunzhu to live somewhere else. But now, in the Su household, there was not only Su Tan’er but also Xiao Chan. And as for Nie Yunzhu, the fact that she hadn't wanted to make things difficult for him was perhaps what made him feel the most conflicted.

Of course, thinking about it like this sounded like the words of a man who had taken advantage and was now feigning innocence...

Passing by Master Qin’s residence, he planned to go in for a visit, but seeing Lu Agui standing outside, he realized Kang Xian was there today.

Inside the house, the pair of siblings from the Zhou family were also present. Seeing Ning Yi, little Junwu ran over to hold him accountable: "Teacher, my sister and I went to find you this morning, where did you go?"

"Uh, I had some things to attend to this morning..." Ning Yi patted his head. Over there, Kang Xian had just finished a game of chess with Master Qin and invited Ning Yi to join. Zhou Junwu pulled over a small stool, while Zhou Pei followed silently, occasionally glancing at Ning Yi’s expression. Ning Yi chatted idly with Master Qin and Kang Xian. His mind was elsewhere; he frowned as he placed his pieces. After a while, Kang Xian said, "The city gates will open in a few days. We should arrange the apprenticeship ceremony for these two children soon, what do you think?"

Ning Yi looked at Zhou Junwu and then at Zhou Pei, smiling. "You still want me to teach them? Won't you be disappointed in me?"

"Victory and defeat are common matters for a soldier; that’s what Grandfather the Prince says. This wasn't the teacher’s specialty to begin with, so even if we lost, it was because they were too despicable. I still like the telescopes and things like that..."

Zhou Pei was silent for a moment. "I am learning the way of calculation from you, not business..."

"How about it?" Kang Xian laughed. Master Qin reached out to hold little Junwu’s hand. "Two good children."

"Since that is the case, of course I will teach them, but let’s hold off on the ceremony for now. It’s a bit too high-profile."

Kang Xian thought for a moment, placed his stone, and they chatted for a while longer before he asked, "Something on your mind lately?"

"Yes." Ning Yi picked up a piece and nodded.

"Actually, I’ve been waiting for you to come and ask for help these past few days, but it’s a pity you never came..."

Ning Yi looked at him. "Heh, Kang Lao is very righteous..." He hadn't thought of that, but he smiled. Kang Xian, however, was quite serious.

"Those who achieve great things are not necessarily proficient in everything. I know your temperament; you don't like to owe favors easily, so I didn't intervene before. But it has reached this point, and it would be a mere flick of the wrist to resolve it. Why is it so difficult to ask? Could it be that our friendship makes you feel that even this small favor is too hard to owe me?"

After he said this, Ning Yi looked around and his expression became slightly more serious. A moment later, he nodded. "Alright then..."

In the vast city of Jiangning, this was perhaps just a small corner where idlers gathered. A stone thrown into a pond creates a small ripple, only to be smoothed over by the wind and rain. Not long after, the city gates opened. Li Ping left Jiangning to seek an official post in Dongjing, and before leaving, he comforted Ning Yi regarding the Wu family’s affairs. Yushan Academy resumed classes, though some children dropped the courses Ning Yi taught. Su Zhongkan seemed to want to stir up trouble in the school, having some tutors gossip or ostracize him, but with Ning Yi’s usual self-amused style, these things had yet to have any effect.

Everything was developing in the direction everyone expected. The Wu family had secured the imperial merchant status and was preparing for it. Su Tan’er tried to stabilize the Su family’s situation, but it seemed to be a helpless slide. She invested a large amount of capital into a market originally targeting the Wu family; in the eyes of others, it was merely the desperate preparation of a woman trying to dump stock at low prices to disrupt the market. Of course, since it hadn't been implemented yet, not many people were looking to take her down.

Externally, due to Su Tan’er’s efforts, there was only a slight decline. The others were likely waiting for Su Tan’er to truly step down or for the situation to settle before considering whether to abandon the Su family—even if the family maintained a medium scale later, some would surely abandon them. As for inside the Su family, the pressure on Su Tan’er grew greater by the day. Since Su Boyong had not yet passed away, she could hold on for now, but how long she could sustain it was hard to say. Some cousins who were originally close to the main branch were already beginning to lean toward the second and third branches.

In the outside world, people spoke with relish of the Wu family’s ruthless tactics, of that poem "Drinking with Pei Di," and of Ning Liheng’s embarrassment, his current silence, and his loss of face. Of course, they talked even more about the future landscape of the cloth market and the expansion of the Wu family. Because there had been no movement for a month, the situation in the Jiangning cloth market seemed to be changing and brewing rapidly. People had almost forgotten the name Ning Liheng. And just when no one understood—or felt the need to understand—his recent movements, things finally began to show signs of a nightmare.

It was the end of the ninth lunar month, just one month after the annual cloth market gathering following the Mid-Autumn Festival. In that month, everything had been so clear, but one day, without any warning to the outside world, it began to turn strange.

If one were to look back from a thousand years later, it would be as if a stock had steadily and logically reached its peak, and just when everyone believed it would continue, it had dropped and crashed without warning, with no one even understanding why. And when people finally understood in the end, they were finally able to see the darkness hidden within those things, and the figure that had been looming over everyone from the very beginning...