Decocting medicine is a delicate job like threading a needle. Wang Gu'an did it methodically. He was immersed in it, and a kind of inexplicable happiness emanated from the young man.
However, the black-clothed girl was not patient. In fact, apart from practicing swords and knives, the girl was not very interested in anything. She left her hometown at a young age and traveled around alone, living a rough life. Therefore, she did not feel uncomfortable with the boy's small house with four bare walls. In fact, she had been exposed to wind and rain for a long time, and even the most delicate and sophisticated people would become very unsophisticated.
The girl asked, "Is your left hand okay?"
Wang Gu'an, whose left hand was bandaged with cotton strips, was carrying a bowl of medicine with both hands. After the girl took it over, he smiled and said, "It's okay. Before I went back to the alley, I found some herbs and mashed them and applied them to the wound. When I was a kiln worker, I used this for all the injuries and cuts. It worked every time. It was a secret recipe told to me by an old man in Yang's shop a long time ago. But I promised the old man not to tell anyone else. Otherwise, Miss Ning, you might need it when you travel around. If you want, I can go to the old man in Yang's shop and ask him for help. It's just that I was in a hurry to go to the medicine shop today, and I didn't see the old man. I just hope he left temporarily."
When the girl drank the medicine, her long eyebrows that were not like willow leaves but like narrow knives frowned slightly, but she still drank the medicine soup without changing her expression. After returning the porcelain bowl to the straw sandal boy waiting on the side, she muttered, "You are a good guy. No wonder you are so poor. You deserve to be bullied."
Before the boy could react, the girl added, "Don't mind, I'm a straightforward person."
The girl probably didn't know that the latter sentence was even more hurtful.
Wang Gu'an hesitated to speak.
The girl in black wiped the medicine residue from the corner of her mouth with her thumb, then sat up straight and said seriously: "The saint who now rules this world, that is, the teacher you mentioned, is willing to help you finish the job so that you will not have to worry about your life in the future, but you must know that human power will eventually be exhausted, even saints are no exception. What's more, Mr. Liu's situation is not very good, a bit like a clay Buddha crossing the river and it is difficult to save himself. I am afraid that he will not be able to control your life and death in the future. How can I live in the world? I will repay a drop of water with a spring, and I will repay a glare at me!"
When human power is exhausted, I will repay a spring with a spring, and I will repay a sniper with a sniper, like a clay Buddha crossing the river...
At this time, the girl's heart was full of unknown pride. Listen, is what I said very knowledgeable?
Unfortunately, Wang Gu'an lived next door to a scholar who was well-educated. Almost twice a day, morning and evening, the neighbor would recite the sages' books to clarify his aspirations. According to Ye Dan's own words, "I am good at cultivating the noble spirit." Therefore, Wang Gu'an had seen pigs run even though he had never eaten pork. He was not unfamiliar with the scholar's literary sayings. Even if there were some obscure words, he could guess them almost accurately through the context.
The girl stared at Wang Gu'an, trying to find shock, admiration and confusion on the boy's face, but Wang Gu'an had an expression of "I understand, girl, go on" that asked for a beating.
The girl was very discouraged. Her spirit of high spirits suddenly waned. She said unhappily, "For example, if you saved my life, I would help you kill Fu Nanhua of Laolong City or Liu Zhimao of Shujian Lake. But if you want to kill both of them and eliminate the trouble forever, you have to spend money to avoid disaster. Because we just met by chance, we don't have such a deep relationship, so you need to use a bag of gold copper coins as a reward."
The girl quickly pointed to the bag of spring money, "For example, I like this bag very much. The copper coins of the other two bags of offering money and lucky money are not good-looking, and the inscriptions are not pleasing."
Then the girl raised her chin slightly, "If you are willing to pay me two bags of copper coins in addition to making this deal, I will help you settle Laolong City and Yunxia Mountain. Of course, if I die early in Liu Zhimao's hands, nothing will happen. After all, my cultivation is not high now. I have just entered the sixth realm of the ninth realm of martial arts. As a pure martial artist, my physical toughness is not yet great. As for the fifteenth floor of mountain climbing, the fifteenth realm, it has only reached the Dragon Gate realm in the middle five realms. In the alchemy room, I have six patterns, but I have not successfully added the finishing touches, nor have I made the goddess fly..."
Wang Gu'an was really confused and bewildered.
The girl was a little angry and embarrassed. She was always ashamed of her low realm. Wang Gu'an's stupid look of "Girl, explain it to me again" undoubtedly touched the girl's most sad part.
Seeing the girl's gloomy face, Wang Gu'an knew that the situation was not good even if he was a fool. He quickly changed the subject, "Why were you so badly injured before, but now you seem to be almost healed?"
The girl lowered her eyebrows a little, crossed her arms around her chest, and said in a hoarse voice: "I was really dying at that time. If Taoist Lu hadn't saved me, I would... Anyway, I owe you a huge favor, and I shouldn't take advantage of the situation and ask you to take out three bags of gold and copper coins. My life, Ning He, is not comparable to Liu Zhimao's, so I was wrong. Just pretend that I didn't say anything. After I leave the town, I will do my best to help you solve those worries, but I have to say it in advance. I, Ning He, will only do my best and will not fight with others even if I know I will die... to exchange my life."
Perhaps it was because the girl's confession was too rare, so she was extremely depressed.
Wang Gu'an asked: "Which bag is the money for the donation?"
The girl pointed to one of the golden embroidered bags.
Wang Gu'an took out three copper coins from the bag, held them in his palm, and pushed the three bags horizontally in front of the girl with his arm, saying with a smile: "These are for you."
The girl was stunned, and after a long time, she asked: "Wang Gu'an, did you get your head pinched by a door when you were a child?"
Wang Gu'an said helplessly: "No, when I was helping people herd cattle when I was a child, I was often hit by the tail of the cattle."
The girl suddenly became furious, slammed the table, and asked: "Do you like me?!"
Wang Gu'an was stunned.
The girl grinned and gave Wang Gu'an a thumbs up, saying, "Good taste!"
Then she bent her thumb and pointed it at herself, saying with great energy, "But I won't agree. The man I like must be the most powerful swordsman in the world. The most powerful! Great swordsman! The Taoist Buddha, the Confucian saint, must bow their heads and give way before his sword!"
Wang Gu'an blushed and scratched his head, saying, "Miss Ning, you misunderstood. I don't like you..."
The girl raised her eyebrows and thought about it. She leaned forward, squinted her eyes, raised her hand, and left an inch of space between her thumb and index finger. She asked with a guilty conscience, "You don't even like me this much?"
Wang Gu'an said firmly, "No! Don't worry, Miss Ning!"
The girl withdrew her hand, sighed heavily, and said with pity, "Wang Gu'an, even if you are lucky enough to marry a wife in the future, she will probably be a fool."
Wang Gu'an sat across the table and smiled happily, "As long as she is a good person, that's all."
The girl didn't comment on this.
Living a life of idleness and waiting for death, being content with a small fortune, and rising to prominence, just as her mother said, is because everyone has their own destiny, and there may not be a distinction between high and low.
But her father also had a different opinion on this. If it is not destined, don't force it. Not forcing it does not mean not asking at all. Asking is still asking. If it still doesn't work in the end, that's another matter.
Of course, her father would never dare to say these words to her mother in person.
Wang Gu'an asked casually, "Miss Ning, are you here to seek opportunities in our town?"
The girl didn't hide anything and answered, "I spent all my fortunes and a favor to get this place in the town, but I'm different from those people. I don't ask for any luck. I just want someone to help me make a sword, preferably one that suits my taste. As for whether it's sharp or not, and whether it can carry a lot of sword energy, that's secondary."
Wang Gu'an asked in confusion, "Sword forging?"
The girl said, "It's the blacksmith, Master Ruan. He has a great reputation here, and there is a rule that he only forges one sword every thirty years. The reason why he is willing to come here to replace Liu Chunshui is that he thinks this place is suitable for sword forging. I'll try my luck and see if he is willing to forge a sword for me. If it doesn't work, I can't do anything about it. I'll just consider it bad luck."
Wang Gu'an smiled and said, "Good people are rewarded."
The girl said weakly, "Nothing can be done."
She glanced at the boy, "Does your left hand hurt?"
Wang Gu'an was stunned, "It hurts."
She doubted, "Then why don't you look like it?"
Wang Gu'an said as if it was a matter of course, "Even if I roll on the ground and scream, it won't stop hurting."
The girl slapped her forehead, "I'm really helpless. You are the same as my father, but you are far less capable than him."
Wang Gu'an smiled and said nothing, looking quietly at the yard outside the house.
The girl pushed the three bags of copper coins back, "I don't want them."
Wang Gu'an retracted his gaze and whispered, "Miss Ning, have you ever thought that it might not be a good thing for me to keep them? After meeting Mr. Liu, I am more certain of this."
Once the girl decides on something, she will never change it. She shook her head and said, "That's your business, it has nothing to do with me. I have thought about it. I will definitely repay you for saving my life in the future, and I will never cut corners. I must live up to the name 'Ning He'! But you must be good in these years, don't die accidentally. You just have to survive this period..."
The boy, who has always been easy to talk to, took the initiative to interrupt the girl's words for the first time, "It was Taoist Lu who saved you, Miss Ning, so you don't have to feel that you owe me anything. If I didn't think I was going to die at the time, I would have thought about asking Taoist Lu to do more for my parents, otherwise I would not have opened the door at all."
The girl snorted coldly, "That's your business!"
The boy smiled and repeated her words, "That's your business."
Staring at each other.
The girl was the first to give up, and she said to herself with a headache: "If you like me, I really can't agree to you."
Wang Gu'an held his head with both hands.
He had no choice but to deal with such a stubborn and strange girl.
At this time, someone climbed into the yard from the wall. It must be Ji Chenru who would do this. He trotted to the door and was about to open his voice, as if someone suddenly grabbed his neck and he couldn't say a word.
Wang Gu'an quickly got up, came to Ji Chenru and whispered: "Can I stay at your place for the next two days? This girl may want to stay at my place."
Ji Chenru pushed Wang Gu'an's head away, rubbing his hands like a fly rubbing its claws, and said attentively: "Girl, my house is big and has all the items. If you don't mind, how about staying at my house?"
The black-clothed girl with her back to the two of them said calmly: "I don't mind."
Ji Chenru grinned, looking at the slender and moving back of the sword, and said unwillingly: "Girl, you don't know that before, two groups of people blocked my way at the covered bridge, crying and begging me to sell them the ancestral treasures, but I didn't agree. It was so unlucky that those people almost scolded me to death by Master Ruan. I see that you are also a foreigner who came to the town to try your luck. Although I, Ji Chenru, may not sell it to you, it will definitely be okay for you to have a look and broaden your horizons!"
Ning He still said indifferently: "No need."
Ji Chenru sat in the original position of Wang Gu'an. When he saw the appearance of the girl in black, his eyes lit up and he said, "Young lady, don't be so reserved. Wang Gu'an and I are squeezed in this shabby house. When you go to my big house, you won't feel restrained, as if you have no place to put your hands and feet."
Ning He replied with a straight face, "I appreciate your kindness. Go to the other side to cool down!"
Ji Chenru didn't feel embarrassed either. He stood up and said, "Okay, a golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as a grass nest at home. Let's understand."
Ji Chenru pulled Wang Gu'an to the door and nudged the boy with his elbow, "What's the matter?"
Wang Gu'an said in embarrassment, "It's hard to explain for a while. Just tell me if I can live with you?"
Ji Chenru rolled his eyes and said, "What's the matter, but you have to promise me to help me keep an eye on Shi Hui and don't let that little beast Ye Dan ruin her. When the time comes, you have to help me protect the innocence of my future wife!"
Wang Gu'an said without hesitation: "Don't even think about it!"
Ji Chenru patted Wang Gu'an on the shoulder and said earnestly: "Just take it as your agreement."
The black-clothed girl in the room suddenly turned around and said: "Do you know that you are a natural sword embryo? The reason why the porcelain buyer didn't take you out when you were nine years old should be that he wanted you to absorb more spiritual energy here. This choice is right. So you must seize the opportunity with Master Ruan and let him accept you as a disciple. Remember, at least an inner disciple, preferably a direct disciple. As for the closed disciple, don't expect it. Your roots and talents are not good enough to be exaggerated."
Ji Chenru smiled and nodded vigorously, saying "OK, OK", then looked back at Wang Gu'an, pointed at the girl in the room, and then pointed at his head.
Wang Gu'an said, "She is telling the truth, don't take it lightly."
Ji Chenru stopped smiling and fell silent, whispering, "I think something is wrong. There are two groups of people on the corridor bridge. Who do you think is leading the way? It's that bastard Lu Zhengchun from Fulu Street! Isn't this a weasel paying New Year's greetings to chickens? I don't care about money, why should I do business with them? Besides, that armor is an old item passed down from generation to generation in my family. If I sell it, I will dream about my grandfather in my dreams in the future, and he will scold me to death!"
After hearing all this, Wang Gu'an felt like he was facing a great enemy, "You have to be careful, Lu Zhengchun and those outsiders are not easy to mess with!"
The young man turned around and asked, "Miss Ning, do you know the origins of those people?"
The black-clothed girl nodded and said, "The old man and the little girl are from Zhengyang Mountain, which is considered a famous and upright sect in your Dongbaopingzhou. The old man is not a human... In short, he is a hundred times more powerful than Fu Nanhua or Cai Jinjian. The woman and his son are not simple either. In fact, those who can enter the town together are certainly not ordinary rich people. The woman is very cunning, and the little boy does not seem to be kind-hearted, so I advise your friend to quickly let Master Ruan recognize him as a disciple, which is equivalent to having a life-saving talisman. In the town, no matter how powerful the backing is or how thick the background is, no one dares to wrestle with a saint."
Wang Gu'an asked Ji Chenru again, "Are you sure you can be the apprentice of Master Ruan?"
Ji Chenru was a little entangled, and hesitantly said, "It was not the first day I went to be an apprentice to help. The look in Master Ruan's eyes was similar to that of Old Man He. I guess he will observe me for a while before deciding whether to accept an apprentice. It's just..."
Wang Gu'an glared fiercely.
Ji Chenru smiled awkwardly, "It's just that Master Ruan has a precious daughter who is a big eater. I was shocked, so I joked a little. I didn't expect that the girl would be so aggressive when she swung the hammer while forging iron. She was usually very shy. I didn't expect that she couldn't take a joke. I made her cry at that time. It happened that her father bumped into me. The way she looked at me was not right. I was sure that I would not accept her as an apprentice. But anyway, I didn't want to be someone's apprentice. We had served the old man He with a strange temper, which was enough for us. I just wanted to make a living in the blacksmith shop..."
Wang Gu'an looked up with a dark face.
Ji Chenru, who was half a head taller than the boy in straw sandals, lowered his head and didn't dare to look at the boy.
This scene made Ning He feel a little puzzled.
This was also the first time the girl saw Wang Gu'an really angry.
Wang Gu'an asked in a low voice: "Did you get some extra locust leaves on your body after what happened at the old locust tree?"
Ji Chenru shook her head and said: "No, but the fortune teller who always likes to sneak a peek at women said some unlucky words to me, and I almost smashed his stall."
Wang Gu'an's face changed slightly, his brows furrowed, and he turned his head to look inside the house and asked: "Miss Ning, in exchange, three bags of gold and copper coins, okay? Also, will it cause you big trouble, please make it clear in advance."
The girl in black thought carefully, "It's a big trouble, but not a big problem. But you must be careful these two days, and let your friends not run around the streets, after all, my current situation is not very good."
She added: "Two groups of people, two bags of money. Let Master Ruan recognize you as a disciple, another bag of money. In short, I will collect a few bags of money for each task you complete. Don't worry, since I have agreed, there is a guaranteed harvest of two bags."
Wang Gu'an ran into the house and quickly pushed the two bags of money, including Yingchun's money, to the girl, "Take it."
The girl was not a person who would drag her feet. She did not refuse. After putting away the two bags of copper coins, she said with a fake smile: "There are many people in the world who put money into their own pockets. Are there people like you who like to be a boy who gives money away?"
The boy did not refute this time. He nodded and smiled: "Money is very important, very important, very important."
Ji Chenru, who had been kept in the dark, said anxiously: "Wang Gu'an, are you crazy? Why give her the money? Two bags of copper coins, how long will it take you to spend?"
Wang Gu'an said unhappily: "My money, what do you care about?"
Ji Chenru said confidently: "Your money, isn't it my money? Think about it, if I borrow money from you, do you have the nerve to ask me to pay it back?"
Wang Gu'an did not speak and fell into deep thought.
Ji Chenru also realized that his joke was inappropriate and kept silent.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room was a little heavy.
Wang Gu'an asked, "Miss Ning, you really won't..."
The black-clothed girl glanced at the white-sheathed long sword on the table and nodded, "No problem!"
After that, she couldn't help but said, "Are you annoying, nagging mother-in-law? You still say you are not a good person?"
Wang Gu'an smiled.
Ji Chenru thought about it and didn't say anything.
The tall boy finally kept his words in his stomach, thinking that the girl probably hasn't seen the other side of this guy.
Wang Gu'an rarely has a hard time talking, but when he does, Wang Gu'an will really be very hard to talk to.
Ji Chenru has seen him.
Ye Dan next door should have seen him too.