In the early morning by the Qinhuai River, before dawn broke, Nie Yunzhu rose from her bed, washed, and brewed a pot of tea before stepping out the front door of her small building.
The gloomy night sky shrouded the distant city walls and mountains, leaving the outlines indistinct. She sat on the steps in front of the building, lost in thought. These days, her mind was occupied by one thing: the familiar sound of footsteps, which had not echoed here for twenty days.
Looking back, mornings like this had lasted for nearly a year. From the first time she met him over a chicken, to later seeing him run past every morning, exchanging greetings, and chatting briefly, each dawn had become a uniquely special time for her. Rain or shine, even on snowy days, he would unfailingly pass by. She had almost believed this would continue forever.
But these past twenty days revealed the truth—her connection with him was limited to those brief, simple encounters each morning. Since he hadn't come by, she had no way to seek him out. After all, he was the husband of the Su family's young mistress.
This realization left her feeling slightly troubled.
At first, she thought he might be busy, away on some urgent errand, or perhaps had skipped his morning exercise. But as days passed, unease crept in—what if something had happened to him? Once or twice, she had wandered near the Su family residence, circling the courtyard walls to look for any clues, but to no avail. The anxiety felt ridiculous, and she scolded herself for sneaking around like this, not understanding what she was even doing.
The height of her worry came a few days ago when several constables came to find her. She had been sitting in a daze in the backyard of the Zhuji general store, preoccupied with her thoughts. When a shop boy came in to inform her of their arrival, she was so flustered she almost tripped over the threshold. Standing before the constables, she was stunned, her mind blank as they questioned her.
Gu Yanzhen, Gu Yanzhen—it was always about Gu Yanzhen...
She almost blurted out, Let him go to hell!
The constables had come to inquire about her past relationship with Gu Yanzhen. Though annoyed, she absentmindedly explained their history. Only then did they inform her that Gu Yanzhen had been killed after leaving the city. She was taken aback.
Under normal circumstances, she might have felt sorrowful for a moment, but her thoughts were elsewhere. After a brief shock, she returned to her musings. The world was tumultuous—had Liheng encountered trouble as well?
Soon after, a visit to the Su residence eased her worries. She saw Liheng's wife, Su Tan'er, and some maids boarding a carriage. Though they seemed a bit rushed, it was likely just business matters. This discovery set her heart at ease, but the next day, new thoughts arose. If he wasn't in trouble and hadn't mentioned traveling far, could it be... he simply wouldn't come anymore?
She dismissed the notion as foolish.
Lately, her thoughts had been heavy and complicated. Yet, every morning, she brewed a pot of tea and sat on the steps, waiting until daybreak. She tried to lighten her mood, thinking playfully, If you don't come, I'll wait here every day!
With a sip of tea, she smiled to herself as a gentle morning breeze carried the sound of approaching footsteps.
After a twenty-day hiatus, Ning Yi resumed his habit of morning runs. Earlier, when Xiao Chan changed the dressing on his hand, she teared up and scolded him. Seeing the burn scars for the first time yesterday had made her cry even harder. Still, Ning Yi insisted on the importance of exercise.
His left hand had mostly healed, allowing basic movement without pain. While the burn had left the skin red and unsightly, it no longer affected daily life. He couldn't help but think back to jokingly calling himself the "Blood-Handed Butcher" in front of Lu Hongti—it had become a self-fulfilling prophecy, both in name and appearance, bringing a mix of amusement and helplessness.
Full recovery would take six months, thanks to the rare ingredients in Lu Hongti's ointment. Ning Yi had mentally prepared to lose functionality in his hand, given the circumstances of his injury, but survival alone was a blessing.
With the Su family's wealth, the cost of the medicine wasn't a concern. Last night, he casually explained to his father-in-law and Su patriarch about helping a friend and burning his arm in the process. Today, Xiao Chan had been reluctant to let him go, worried exercise would make him sweat, which could harm the healing skin. However, with Lu Hongti's inner cultivation technique, Ning Yi knew he could control his exertion and avoid sweat.
This morning, his run would end at Nie Yunzhu's small building.
"...I had to leave the city for a few days to help a friend. There was an accident, and my hand got burned. Fortunately, I found an excellent doctor, and the ointment is miraculous—it'll heal in about six months." Ning Yi sipped tea and held up his bandaged hand. "How does it look? Pretty stylish, right?"
Nie Yunzhu smiled softly, her gaze lowering. "It must have hurt."
"Well, it was excruciating at the time, but now it's fine," Ning Yi replied with a smile. "How have you been?"
"Not bad. Something amusing happened recently—someone brought a wooden token they carved themselves to the store…"
As dawn lightened the riverbank, the two fell into casual conversation. Seeing Ning Yi again brought Nie Yunzhu a sense of relief, yet recalling the past days left an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.
When the morning sun began to rise, Ning Yi stood to leave. Nie Yunzhu hesitated. "You…"
"Hmm?"
"Your hand is injured. You need daily medication and should avoid sweating. For your health, perhaps… you should stop running for now."
Her words came hesitantly. Ning Yi nodded. "I understand, but it's fine. Light exercise won't make me sweat. Besides, I've been practicing some inner cultivation—soon, I might even become a martial arts master!"
Ning Yi often shared tales of martial arts with her, and now he spoke of them cheerfully. Watching him walk away, Nie Yunzhu suddenly felt a cool tear streak down her cheek and land on her hand. Startled, she quickly wiped it away, her emotions in disarray. She took a step forward as if to call out, but stopped after two steps. Ahead, Ning Yi turned to look back.
"Ah, that reminds me—the wine preparations should be almost complete. When the time comes, I'll bring over the designs for each component. Ideally, we should find a few trustworthy blacksmiths to work on them separately to maintain secrecy. I'll do my best to ensure the specifications match perfectly. After that, we'll need to set up a workshop with strict confidentiality… Have you found a master brewer yet?"
Nie Yunzhu clutched her handkerchief to her chest, dazed for a moment before nodding firmly. "Yes, I've already made arrangements."
"Oh, that's good to hear." Ning Yi smiled, then waved his hand casually. "I'll be off for now. Classes won't start for a few more days, so I might take it easy for a bit. Maybe I'll drop by Zhuji for lunch; I've been craving century egg and lean pork congee."
Nie Yunzhu nodded with a smile. "I'll wait for you."
The faint sense of disappointment in her heart gradually faded away.
He's coming over at noon…
Feeling uplifted, she decided to set aside her worries and focus on the promising morning ahead. She made her way to the main shop to wait, but then remembered the news brought by the two constables about Gu Yanzhen's death. Why had those constables sought her out? Nie Yunzhu didn't harbor much ill will toward Gu Yanzhen—he was a talented man. His death struck her as both a pity and a cause for sorrow. Yet, at the same time, the idea that his death might somehow implicate her left her feeling a faint sense of disgust. After all, there was no real connection between them.
These conflicting emotions—sympathy and annoyance—were not mutually exclusive. They mingled within her, and after a while, she sighed, letting them gradually dissipate.
A few days later, the number of refugees outside the city began to grow. One morning, Nie Yunzhu mentioned to Ning Yi that someone she knew had met a tragic end outside the city recently. This person had been preparing to take up a post as a county magistrate and had a bright and promising future. She advised Ning Yi to be cautious, as the times were increasingly unstable. Ning Yi's expression grew complex.
"An acquaintance?"
"Not really."
"Oh," Ning Yi shrugged, "Heaven's jealousy of talent—what a loss."
This was another matter, and we'll set it aside for now.
The timeline shifts back to the evening of the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. Nearly two days had passed since the bloody incident that night. Several constables were investigating near the burnt remains of a boathouse along a desolate riverbank. The wind howled, and the sky grew darker; a thunderstorm was likely on its way.
"Once this rain hits, we probably won't be able to find anything!" one constable's voice echoed along the riverbank. The boathouse, now reduced to ashes and collapsed debris, still bore some charred remnants. Among the wreckage were burned corpses, so disfigured that it was unclear how long they had been exposed to the elements.
"If one of these corpses really is the Gu county magistrate, then what's the story here?"
"Probably Gu made some deal with those Yang brothers here and ended up being taken out by that assassin."
There were five constables present—three regular ones and two higher-ranked officials, the chief constable and his deputy. These two were official law enforcers of Jiangning Prefecture. They combed through the riverbank for clues, though much of what they'd needed had been discovered earlier that morning. They had already identified one of the corpses as Gu Yanzhen, the county magistrate. This second visit was prompted by the incoming rain, which might wash away any remaining evidence.
The chief constable, a man in his thirties surnamed Chen, walked up to the riverbank to search for more clues. Before long, the taller, leaner deputy constable, surnamed Xu, joined him.
"Chief Chen, everyone's saying the Gu family servants were killed by that female assassin. Now with Gu and the Yang brothers dead here, wrapping this up should be straightforward."
Deputy Xu made his comment, and Chief Chen chuckled. "That's what the prefect is hoping for, I'd wager."
The constables were here investigating a series of deaths tied to an incident from the morning before. Two of Gu Yanzhen's servants had been abducted and later found dead. Eyewitnesses had seen the assassin who had killed Song Xian on Dragon Boat Festival commit the murders. When Gu himself disappeared shortly after, suspicion arose, leading the investigation to this burned boathouse.
The Yang brothers—Yang Yi and Yang Heng—were notorious local thugs who lived in isolation. Their deaths wouldn't concern most people, and some might even celebrate it. However, with Gu Yanzhen involved, the case needed thorough investigation. After all, the death of a county magistrate within Jiangning Prefecture required an official explanation.
As ruthless as the Yang brothers were, few dared provoke them. Their deaths, alongside Gu Yanzhen's, seemed to point to someone as formidable as the female assassin. The reason for Gu's presence here? That would depend on whether officials wanted to tarnish his reputation or portray him in a favorable light.
A county magistrate's death was significant, but with the assassin already linked to Song Xian's case, combining the two incidents could simplify matters. By attributing all deaths to the assassin's rampage, the prefect could avoid juggling two messy cases. It was speculated that Gu had hired the Yang brothers for some shady dealings, only to be killed alongside them when they crossed the assassin. The narrative fit, and the prefect appeared inclined to adopt it.
"That's likely how this case will be closed," Chief Chen remarked with a smile.
As the two men strolled along the riverbank, Deputy Xu moved toward what appeared to be the primary murder scene. When he turned back, he realized the chief constable was no longer in sight. Searching through the bamboo grove nearby, he found Chief Chen "sitting" in an unusual manner.
He wasn't really sitting—there was no chair behind him. At this moment, the calm and composed man assumed a horse stance in the bamboo grove, mimicking the posture of sitting. His hands rested on his knees, presenting an appearance of perfect stability, as if he were seated. Slightly tilting his head, he gazed at the remnants of the house on the shallow shore in the distance, his expression uncertain and wary. Just as Deputy Constable Xu was about to step closer, the man suddenly extended his hand and said sharply, "Don't come any closer!"
"What is it?"
The wind swept across the riverbank as Chen stared for a long moment. Finally, he muttered under his breath, "This is… someone truly ruthless…"