Chapter 6: Rain Rings (Part 6)
The rain fell all night, finally easing as dawn broke.
As soon as news from the Ni family ancestral home arrived, Ni Zong hurriedly dressed and, along with his wife Liu Shi, daughter Ni Mi Zhi, and daughter-in-law Tian Shi, rushed to the ancestral home.
“When did Sister-in-law pass?” Ni Zong, his face etched with feigned grief, asked the old steward at the door.
“Madam passed at dawn,” the old steward replied, wiping his tears with his sleeve and choking back sobs.
Ni Zong looked up and saw Liu Shi inside, sitting on the edge of the bed, weeping. His gaze swept across the room, landing on Nanny Qian standing to one side. He frowned, realizing that since entering the courtyard, he hadn’t seen any other servants besides the old steward and Nanny Qian.
Even his niece, Ni Su, was nowhere to be seen.
“Where are the other servants? And where’s my niece, Ni Su?” Ni Zong felt something was amiss.
“Madam dismissed all the servants before she passed,” Nanny Qian said, emerging from the room and bowing to Ni Zong. “As for the young miss, Madam couldn’t bear to have her watch her die, so she sent her to Da Zhong Temple yesterday. The young miss is currently praying for Madam at the temple. We just sent word, so she’ll likely return later.”
Ni Zong wondered about the apparent affection between this fake mother and daughter, but at this moment, he couldn’t say anything. He simply nodded and called for his own steward, instructing him to bring their servants to arrange the funeral.
Ni Zong was annoyed that Cen Zi Shu had caused him further trouble even in death. Knowing that her funeral arrangements would require people, she had dismissed the servants beforehand.
But then he thought, Cen Zi Shu must have known that after her death, the family assets she had clung to would rightfully fall into his hands. Unable to accept this, she had deliberately done this.
A sense of triumph swelled within Ni Zong, though he maintained a facade of grief. Seeing a servant boy passing by, he kicked him. “Where’s Qingwen? Where has he run off to at a time like this? Find him and bring him here!”
“Yes, sir!” The servant boy, kicked in the lower back, stumbled and fell, then quickly scrambled to his feet and ran off.
Ni Zong busied himself at the ancestral home for half a day, but Ni Su didn’t return. He then heard from his steward that Ni Qingwen was at the Ni family clinic.
Ni Zong rushed to the clinic, where his daughter-in-law, Tian Shi, was wailing. “Which heartless beast did this to my husband!”
What happened?
Ni Zong entered the hall. Sunlight streaming through the window illuminated Ni Qingwen’s festering hand. Ni Zong’s pupils contracted. “What happened?” he asked in a low voice.
The attending physician, a perceptive man, was even more respectful towards Second Master now that the mistress of the First Branch had passed. “Second Master, Young Master Qingwen came into contact with the sap of the Cat’s Eye Grass.”
Cat’s Eye Grass was the local name for the herb. Its proper name was Five Phoenix Spirit Branches, and when dried for medicinal use, it was called Qi Ze.
“I was drunk and don’t know where I fell. That’s how it happened,” Ni Qingwen said, his face pale with pain, his voice trembling.
With his fierce wife present, Ni Qingwen didn’t dare reveal the truth.
“How could I have raised such a…” Ni Zong’s anger flared. He pointed at Ni Qingwen, then, seeing his bloody hand, turned his head away, swallowing the rest of his curse. He urged the physician, “Treat him quickly!”
The physician quickly cleaned the wound and called for his apprentice to bring medicine.
“Master!” Ni Zong’s steward rushed in, sweating profusely, too breathless to speak properly. “I went to the First Branch’s estates to check the accounts and collect the deeds as you instructed, but all the fields and estates have been sold!”
What?
Ni Zong felt his vision darken. The steward quickly supported him.
“All sold?” Ni Zong murmured in disbelief.
“Yes, all bought by Headman Li. It was done legally. I sent someone to the Li residence to inquire, and they said Nanny Qian, from Cen Shi’s household, personally handled the transactions,” the steward said, panting.
“Cen Zi Shu!” Ni Zong’s face turned livid with rage. He pushed the steward away and paced back and forth, then roared, “Where’s Ni Su? Where is she? Who else could Cen Zi Shu have left the money to besides her?”
“Master, the people we sent to Da Zhong Temple have returned. No one at the ancestral home sent any message to the temple. More importantly, that Ni Su never went to Da Zhong Temple!” the steward said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, his voice filled with indignation.
“She didn’t go?” Ni Zong’s heart pounded in his chest, a sense of foreboding washing over him.
“Why would she go to Da Zhong Temple? I saw her outside yesterday!” Ni Qingwen, despite his pain, added fuel to the fire, seeing his father’s darkening expression. “She and Ni Qinglan have a study outside the city. She went there yesterday! I even saw her packing some things. If she didn’t return to the mansion last night, she probably ran off with the money!”
“If you saw her, why didn’t you tell me? Were you out whoring? If it weren’t for your injured hand, I’d break your legs!” Ni Zong furiously kicked Ni Qingwen off his chair.
The kick landed on the injuries Ni Qingwen had sustained at the study the previous night, but he didn’t dare complain. As his wife, Tian Shi, leaned down, he reached for her hand to help him up, but she grabbed his collar and glared at him. “Ni Qingwen, were you out whoring?”
“No, no…” Ni Qingwen had indeed been drinking before going to the study, but he didn’t dare tell Tian Shi the truth.
Tian Shi, emboldened by her family’s financial support, was used to being domineering with Ni Qingwen and wouldn’t let him off easily. The clinic became chaotic. Ni Zong, too exasperated to care, stormed out and leaned against the doorframe, speechless with rage.
“Master, if Young Master is right, Ni Su left last night. But the rain was heavy then, so she can’t have gone far. It’s only past noon now. If we send people after her, we can still catch her,” the steward said, following him out.
“Send people?” Ni Zong stopped rubbing his eyes. “Who do you suggest we send?”
The steward smiled mysteriously. “I’ve heard there are bandits on Mount Jin Que outside the city. They’re mercenaries. If Master is willing to pay, they’ll definitely bring her back.”
Ni Zong pondered for a moment. Despite his usual stinginess, the thought of the vast sum of money from the sale of the First Branch’s lands and estates made him clench his fists. “Go and arrange this immediately. But don’t tell them she has any money. Just say she’s a runaway bride. Make sure they bring her back alive.”
“Yes, sir,” the steward replied. Seeing Ni Zong’s expression, he cautiously asked, “But what about Cen Shi’s funeral? Shall we still proceed?”
Ni Zong’s face darkened further.
His brother, Ni Zhun, had cured the county magistrate’s chronic illness, earning the magistrate’s favor and protection for the First Branch. With Cen Shi’s death, the magistrate would likely come to pay his respects. If Ni Zong wanted to rightfully take control of the Ni family clinics, he couldn’t neglect the funeral.
His jaw tightened. “Proceed. And make it a grand one.”
—-
After sending Uncle Zhang and Xing Zhu away, Ni Su didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she had the two servants fetch a carriage and went to Zao Hua Village to find a medicine woman. This woman possessed detailed records of the female ailments she had encountered throughout her life, as well as folk remedies she had learned from other medicine women in her youth.
A month ago, Ni Su had paid her to hire a literate person to record her experiences and knowledge as she dictated. The medicine woman, having lived half her life, had never met such a young, unmarried woman who dared to associate with people like her. With the introduction from a familiar midwife, she readily agreed.
After obtaining the records from the medicine woman, Ni Su immediately left. However, the heavy rain that night made the journey difficult. The carriage got stuck twice on the muddy mountain road, delaying them considerably.
As dusk approached, the two servants stopped the carriage by a stream, unharnessed the horses, and let them graze and drink. Ni Su ate a few bites of the dry rations they offered and stared at the setting sun reflected in the water.
They were still some distance from the nearest town, Qiao Zhen, but it was getting dark. The two servants didn’t dare delay and set off again after the horses had eaten.
At midnight, as Qiao Zhen came into sight, the servant driving the carriage roused his companion, about to speak, when they heard the rapid approach of hoofbeats.
The other servant looked back. Under the moonlight, a group of dark figures on horseback drew closer, their horses neighing. A sense of dread washed over him. “Miss, there are many people coming from behind!”
Ni Su pulled back the curtain and looked out. Seeing the approaching figures, she also felt a sense of foreboding. But before she could react, the riders, lightly equipped, easily overtook their slow-moving carriage and surrounded them. There were more than a dozen of them.
Ni Zong had truly spared no expense this time.
“Miss…” The two servants, terrified by the sight of the bandits’ swords, huddled inside the carriage.
The bearded leader slashed through the carriage curtain with his sword, then hooked the lantern hanging from the awning with the tip of his blade and brought it closer. Another rider, tall and thin, unfurled a scroll and squinted at it. “Got her, Boss. It’s her.”
The bearded man stared at Ni Su’s face, momentarily captivated. “They say a beauty looks even more beautiful under the lantern light. It’s true. Miss, you’re clearly a sheltered young lady from a wealthy family. You’ve never left Que County and probably don’t know the shortcut through the mountains. We’ve been chasing you relentlessly and finally caught you.”
“How much did Ni Zong pay you?” Ni Su leaned back, her gaze fixed on the sharp blade holding the lantern, forcing herself to remain calm.
“What? Do you have money to offer?” The bearded man, his fierce eyes scrutinizing her, said nonchalantly. “We’re not easily bought off with a small sum.”
“If Ni Zong can afford it, so can I,” Ni Su said, her palms sweating. “As long as you leave me unharmed.”
“Boss, how much money could a runaway bride have?” The thin man looked at Ni Su’s mud-stained clothes and the single pearl hairpin in her hair. But then his gaze fell on her face, and he grinned. “I’ve never seen such a beautiful young woman. If we sell her, we could probably get a higher price than that rich man offered!”
“Don’t you dare.”
The bearded man, who had been slightly swayed by the thin man’s words, heard the young woman’s voice from inside the carriage. He looked up and saw a dagger in her hand, pressed against her own throat.
“Let’s talk this over nicely…” The thin man was taken aback. He had never seen anything like this. Faced with them, this delicate woman held a dagger steadily.
“I know you only want money. I can offer you more than Ni Zong, enough to ensure my safety. But if you have any other ideas, you’ll get neither me nor the money.”
As Ni Su spoke, she observed the bearded man’s expression. Seeing his hesitation, she knew she had guessed correctly. Ni Zong wanted her alive.
She continued, “If I die, you won’t find the money I’ve hidden. My servants don’t know where it is either. And you won’t get the money from Ni Zong.”
“Boss… she’s right.” The thin man scratched his head, then, seeing the thin line of blood appearing on Ni Su’s neck, said irritably, “This woman is really fierce!”
The bearded man’s sharp gaze swept over Ni Su’s face. He seemed to be considering his options. The silence was agonizing for Ni Su. She stared back at him, not daring to relax, her back drenched in cold sweat.
The two servants huddled inside, trembling with fear, not daring to look out. Ni Su, peering through the torn curtain, saw the bandits falling from their horses one after another.
Suddenly, the world fell silent. The fierce wind died down, and the chirping of cicadas filled the air.
Ni Su watched as the startled horses bolted, leaving a single figure standing among the motionless bodies of the bandits.
She cautiously stepped out of the carriage, her knees weak. She steadied herself against the carriage and slowly approached the figure.
The moonlight was silver, and his cloak was dark, its embroidery shimmering.
Ni Su abruptly stopped.
The events in the cypress grove at Da Zhong Temple flashed through her mind.
She instinctively took two steps back. He turned slightly, his eyelashes fluttering. The sword in his hand dripped blood. His downcast eyes were empty and lifeless.
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