The flames from the lanterns burned in clusters along the street, and beneath the corpse of the old horse, blood had already pooled into a shallow puddle. The ground was strewn with blood, fallen bodies, and various scattered debris, and as the black-clad woman rushed toward a neighboring street, several armed officers didn't dare to make a move to stop her.
Ning Yi took a step forward, intending to sneakily follow, only to realize that Xiao Chan was clutching him tightly. The two were only about a head's height apart, but Xiao Chan was crouched beside him, making her appear shorter. When Ning Yi looked over, he found Xiao Chan staring up at him with a furrowed brow, her face close to tears as she tried to pull him away, but to no avail. When their eyes met, her expression momentarily softened into an adorable surprise before she quickly lowered her head.
Ning Yi sighed and patted her shoulder, saying, "Let's go."
"Oh." Xiao Chan promptly released her grip. Ning Yi headed toward the side street, but after a few steps, she snapped back to her senses and shook her head, "Wait, Master, where are you going?"
"Just to see the excitement..."
"No way!"
Xiao Chan suddenly jumped up, tugging on Ning Yi's clothing. "Please don't, Master! That female thief is really dangerous. We should go get something to eat; the young lady is still waiting for us..."
"It's fine, I'll just watch from a distance..."
"No! That female thief has already escaped..."
"It's not that easy... uh, if she really escaped, then I wouldn't be able to see anything anyway..."
With a loud thud, Xiao Chan hugged Ning Yi from behind, her arms tightening around him, scattering some spiced beans all over him. She shook her head vigorously against his back, saying, "No way, Master, you can't go..."
Ning Yi stood there, momentarily at a loss for words, then glanced around. "Xiao Chan, you can't be holding onto me like this."
In the previous chaos, most people were focused on the fight, so no one paid much attention to Ning Yi keeping her safe. Now that he spoke, Xiao Chan froze, as if shocked by an electric jolt, and immediately released him. But she still clung tightly to the hem of his clothes, her cheeks flushed. Ning Yi chuckled and ruffled her hair, messing it up and causing one of her hair wraps to fall off, leaving half her hair in a ponytail. Xiao Chan pouted, and Ning Yi took a step forward, saying, "It's fine, it's just to see what's going on."
"Master... please don't go..."
At that moment, blue-clad soldiers from the Wu Lie army came rushing from the other end of the street. The little girl continued to tug at Ning Yi's clothes, closely following him with an anxious expression, on the verge of tears. Her hair wrap had fallen off, and she fumbled to put it back on, looking incredibly cute.
The black-clad woman, covered in blood from her previous fight, would surely cause panic if she continued to run. However, the slightly chaotic scene lasted only as far as the next street. By the time Ning Yi and Xiao Chan reached another road, the panic among pedestrians had dissipated. Clearly, the female thief had either entered a nearby shop or residence or had quickly found a way to disguise herself. As they passed a tea stall, they overheard people discussing the fight on Zhuque Street.
"…I heard that the female assassin tried to attack Wu Lie's Captain Song Xian at Feiyan Pavilion. Although she didn't succeed, she killed over a dozen people before escaping. Tsk, tsk, blood flowed like a river… They had a fight on Zhuque Street, but now she's nowhere to be found. How could they hope to catch such a high-flying rogue?"
The Wu Lie Army garrisoning the Jiangning area didn't have the best reputation. The details about Captain Song Xian were mostly unknown to ordinary people, but among officials, a few were good-hearted, and in the marketplaces, there was a sense of relief when discussing him. However, it would be impossible to keep high-ranking figures from escaping. Among the nearby crowd, one could occasionally spot figures in blue short-sleeved uniforms—likely the most elite members of the Wu Lie Army. Their numbers might not be many, but they were still searching for the female assassin, and Ning Yi casually followed their movements, observing their search patterns.
At this point, Xiao Chan had calmed down, jogging a few steps beside Ning Yi while rearranging her disheveled hair and pouting, "Master can't find her, Master can't find her..."
The assassination attempt at Feiyan Pavilion and the fight on Zhuque Street were just small incidents in the course of the night, creating ripples that spread only within a limited range and among certain levels of society. Even if the Wu Lie Army was influential, they couldn't lock down the city or block roads on a night like the Lantern Festival to search for a suspect. In an era where news mostly spread by word of mouth, most people continued their celebrations and activities as usual.
The Old Rain Building, located about a street away from Wuyi Alley, was one of the largest restaurants operated by Jiangning's richest family, the Pu family. Five stories tall and spacious, the restaurant offered nearly every form of entertainment one could desire. Since the Pu family began to branch into the literary circles, part of their business had been infused with a scholarly atmosphere, making this building their most successful venture.
The entire building was structured like a square with a central courtyard that was wide enough to avoid any lighting issues. Within, there were rockeries, pavilions, and beautiful flowers and trees arranged in an exquisite yet compact layout. If needed, these could be moved to create a temporary stage. Surrounding the restaurant were enclosed houses and greenery, making for a pleasing sight from above. Inside, the restaurant was adorned with various literary works, exquisite screen dividers, and fine ceramics and lacquerware.
The Pu family invested a significant amount in this building, and its reputation was well-deserved. Wealthy individuals with social standing often felt proud to host guests here. High-ranking officials, like the local governor, frequently chose this place for banquets. Naturally, wealth was the deciding factor; those of scholarly backgrounds could only come if invited. This building exemplified the best combination of wealth and elegance.
Today, the Pu family was hosting numerous talented scholars. As the weather had yet to warm, and the river winds were strong, hosting boats was not feasible. This gathering resembled another poetry event from Pu Garden. Led by Pu Yangyi, they had invited many people according to the standards of the Pu Garden poetry meeting. However, few brought their families, as the famed courtesan Qilan from the Qinhuai Four Beauties accompanied them. In the past two or three years, Qilan had become a signature figure for the Pu family.
The atmosphere of the banquet was more casual than the Mid-Autumn Pu Garden poetry event, yet everyone remained poetically inclined. In addition to a few scholars already associated with the Pu family, a notable guest had also arrived—a young man often compared to the composed Cao Guan among Jiangning's younger generation. Known for his carefree nature and imaginative poetry, he was said to possess the spirit of the Tang Dynasty. This was Li Ping, who had participated in the Lichuan poetry meeting during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Li Ping was more famous than many of the people the Pu family could invite, yet being young, the differences among them were hard to measure. When others spoke of the Pu family, they mostly criticized the pervasive commercialism, perceiving them as a tier below the participants of the Zhi Shui Poetry Society or Lichuan Poetry Society. His presence at the banquet surprised many, but the invitation had less to do with the Pu family's wealth and more because he had previously heard several stories from Ning Yi at Yushan Academy, where he had developed a friendship with Su Chonghua. No one expected Su Chonghua's connections to hold such weight, but being able to invite Li Ping on a festive occasion like the Lantern Festival brought great prestige to the Pu family.
The other scholars initially felt that Li Ping's arrival might overshadow their own presence, but fortunately, he was modest. He merely composed poetry for fun, which was excellent but not overshadowing. He engaged in polite banter, making others feel more like friends than rivals. Qilan, skilled in social interactions, didn't show undue closeness to Li Ping and instead maintained a certain distance, skillfully managing the dynamics to keep the atmosphere lively and harmonious.
The poetry from the Lichuan Poetry Society and other gatherings continued to flow in for everyone to appreciate. The atmosphere was rich with poetic inspiration, and although the poems couldn't quite match those from Lichuan, Li Ping occasionally teased the scholars from Lichuan, which made others see them in a lesser light. As the banquet progressed with clinking cups and occasional drinking games, everyone enjoyed reciting poetry. Qilan performed a tune on the guqin, and as the time approached the third quarter of the night, Pu Yangyi moved over to chat with Li Ping, exchanging a few words with Su Chonghua and Xue Jin.
Before long, the conversation turned to last year's "Shui Diao Ge Tou," and then they inquired about Ning Yi. Pu Yangyi spoke casually, but he had long wanted to invite Ning Yi to this poetry gathering to enhance its prestige. Su Chonghua chuckled while mentioning some stories about Ning Yi at the Su family, and then they discussed Song Mao's praises from earlier in the year. Initially indifferent towards Ning Yi, Su Chonghua had grown wary; his main concern was that Ning Yi might overshadow him as the head of Yushan Academy. After all, he had been running the academy for years without much success, while Ning Yi arrived and quickly produced a number of excellent students. This was akin to a slap in the face, especially seeing how much Su Taigong valued Ning Yi, which naturally made him anxious. However, on the surface, he maintained a demeanor of discussing the younger generation with pride.
"That can't be true; I don't believe it," Xue Jin said, showing less restraint given the long-standing discord between the Xue and Su families. "I heard that 'Shui Diao Ge Tou' was just something he overheard from a Taoist priest. Hmph… he just took it for himself…"
"Ha ha, Xue brother, you're bringing this up again," another voice chimed in from the side—it was someone from the Wu family. The Wu family was one of the three major merchant families in Jiangning, and while the Xue and Su families were often at odds, the Wu family maintained good relations with both. The speaker was Wu Qihua, the second son of the Wu family, who was familiar with both Su Tan'er and Xue Jin. He had previously met Ning Yi when Su Tan'er visited the Wu family during the New Year. He laughed and said, "Who would really believe that about the Taoist?"
Pu Yangyi added, "I don't believe it either, but I've long admired this Li Heng. Su Shanchang, you must introduce me next time."
The conversation soon shifted away from Ning Yi's name, and they exchanged more jokes. Qilan performed another song and dance, and after looking out the window for a while, Wu Qihua turned back with a smile. "Pu Yang, it's quite a coincidence; the person we just spoke of seems to be lingering downstairs. Su Shanchang, Li brother, Xue brother, I only met Li Heng once and couldn't be sure. Come and take a look…"
His words were audible to most of the hall, instantly piquing interest among the guests. "Wu brother, who is it that has captured your interest?"
"Li Heng? Could it be...?"
Before long, this speculation spread throughout the second-floor banquet hall. Near the inner windows, Wu Qihua and several others stood together, pointing. "Everyone, take a look. That seems to be him, and the girl next to him is none other than Tan'er's maid, Xiao Chan!"
Down in the courtyard, near the rockery, Ning Yi and Xiao Chan were idly wandering among the lanterns, taking in their surroundings...