Three days later.
At dusk, a carriage stopped in front of General Ning's manor. Behind the lifted curtain was Ning Taiyi's aged face and stooped back.
A servant hurried out to help him. Just then, a delicate, lovely face appeared from the carriage.
The young lady took Ning Taiyi by the arm and said obediently, "Uncle Ning, take your time."
She stepped down from the carriage, then carefully helped Ning Taiyi out.
Ning Taiyi glanced at the young lady beside him and sighed inwardly.
The young lady at his side was Qin Yi'er, the third daughter of Great General Qin's household. She was naturally a legitimate daughter, not a concubine's child. She also had another identity: she was the fiancée of the Top Scholar who had once tried to kill the Ning brothers.
Ning Taiyi was a crafty old fox. He saw at a glance why Qin Yi'er had come.
But he couldn't refuse her.
Until they fell out openly, everyone had to follow the rules and reason.
What were the rules?
If you owed someone a favor and they came to collect, you had to repay it properly.
Back then, he'd waited outside the Qin residence for over a month, trying to find a way for the Ning Family to survive.
Manager Zhao had treated him with great consideration and never driven him away. And after Madam Zhao returned, she'd even helped arrange the marriage between Ning Xuan and Qin Jin'er. Now, Madam Zhao hadn't used the marriage to pressure him, saying things like they had to honor their betrothal. That was already giving him a great deal of face.
The Ning Family had begun to rise a little, but it was still small compared with Great General Qin's household.
If someone treated you this well and you didn't know how to appreciate it, you'd be refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. You wouldn't know how to behave.
Besides, Qin Yi'er hadn't even mentioned marriage arrangements during this visit.
After Ning Taiyi brought Qin Yi'er into the main reception hall, he immediately ordered, "Call General Ning back."
The servant went out.
Ning Xuan returned soon after.
No matter how much people pleaded or dragged at him, they couldn't get him to budge. But one word from his father brought him right back.
When he returned, the first person he saw was the beauty at his father's side.
Petite and pretty, tender and delicate—she was the same sort as Xiao Jie.
Ning Taiyi was about to introduce her, but the beauty bowed first. "This humble woman is Qin Yi'er, third in birth. Greetings, General Ning.
"I have taken the liberty of coming here because I am eager to find my mother. Unfortunately, evil spirits troubled us along the way, and all the guards accompanying me perished. Thankfully, Heaven took pity on me, and I managed to make my way here.
"I dare to impose on you now and beg you to shelter me for a few days. When my family sends someone to escort me home, I will surely repay your great kindness."
Ning Xuan paused.
Beside him, Ning Taiyi said, "Xuan'er, why haven't you arranged things yet?"
"Yes."
Without wasting a word, Ning Xuan planned to put this troublesome guest up at one of the Ning Family's more distant residences.
How could Ning Taiyi not know what his son was thinking? But Qin Yi'er had already done her homework. He could only say helplessly, "Xuan'er, Third Miss Qin has encountered evil spirits and is still badly frightened. You'd better arrange for her to stay near your lodgings. With you there, she won't have to fear any demons or monsters."
Ning Xuan's expression remained calm, as still as a well without ripples. "I understand, Father."
Ning Taiyi said, "And don't go across the street tonight. Carousing and revelry—what kind of behavior is that?"
As he spoke, he struck the ground hard with his cane and began coughing violently. The white hair at his temples trembled, and deep furrows appeared among the wrinkles around his old eyes.
Compared with a few months ago, Ning Taiyi had visibly aged even more.
Ning Xuan suddenly looked at Qin Yi'er and asked, "Third Miss, does the Qin household have any way to prolong life?"
He had asked Immortal Aunt Yaozhen before, and her answer had been no.
Now he was asking the third daughter of the Qin Family. If she said yes, perhaps he could change his plans.
His father had given birth to him and raised him, then exhausted himself paving the way for him.
That kindness was enough to make him go against his original intentions. So long as his father could live a few more years, he wouldn't mind getting drawn into the struggle between the old and new generals.
Before Qin Yi'er could answer, Ning Taiyi said, "Xuan'er, forget the Qin household. There is no such thing anywhere in the world."
He said no more.
But Ning Xuan understood.
This was the price of gathering the Dragon Qi of a region and becoming its high official.
Even the Son of Heaven was no exception, let alone a Prefect below him.
Qin Yi'er gave a slight bow and spoke gently, "Uncle Ning, though the Qin household has no means of prolonging life, my mother has always personally led people into the mountains to gather herbs and has accumulated a few rare medicinal ingredients. Once she is reunited with me, she will certainly send someone to bring them over, to show her respect for elders and devotion to filial duty."
Ning Taiyi smiled. "Third Miss is very thoughtful."
Then he said, "Xuan'er, Third Miss has been frightened on her journey and is weary from traveling. Hurry and make the arrangements."
Ning Xuan didn't move. Instead, he looked solemnly at Qin Yi'er and said, "Third Miss, if there is a way to prolong life, I would be deeply grateful."
Qin Yi'er replied sadly, "If such a method existed, I would have offered it to His Majesty long ago to earn his favor. General Ning, there truly is no such thing."
Ning Xuan nodded, then walked outside and called, "Xiao Jie, arrange a room for Third Miss."
More than half a month later.
Qin Yi'er was admiring the flowers in a pavilion near Ning Xuan's main residence.
The flowers were beautiful, but she was more so.
Today, Qin Yi'er was beyond reproach.
She wore no makeup. Perhaps because she'd been steeped in the finest music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood, and because of the power and extravagance of the Great General's household, she possessed a natural elegance.
A scene from earlier flashed through her mind.
Madam Zhao had said, "Ning Xuan has the bearing of a tiger or wolf and is extremely lustful. A general's blood runs hot, and his desires are far stronger than an ordinary man's."
Then Madam Zhao had looked at her daughter in the carriage and said, "You must overcome strength with gentleness."
Madam Zhao had ruled out the lovestruck type, reasoning that Ning Xuan had met countless women. Being lovestruck wouldn't make him like her; it would only annoy him.
Then she'd ruled out the blunt, carefree type, reasoning that such women could seem like tomboys. Ning Xuan had met so many women—why would he fall for a tomboy?
But a woman with a talent for tea artistry wouldn't necessarily work either. The problem was still that Ning Xuan had met too many women, and he was decisive and ruthless. He wouldn't be easy to fool.
After turning it over again and again, Madam Zhao had set her sights on Qin Yi'er.
Not only was Qin Yi'er one of the most accomplished in tea artistry among the Qin daughters, she was also the fiancée of the Ning Family's sworn enemy.
The matter with the Top Scholar had never been settled; they'd simply smoothed it over and moved on.
But the Ning Family couldn't possibly forget what the Top Scholar had done.
He had nearly brought about the Ning Family's destruction.
It could even be called a blood feud.
If so, Qin Yi'er naturally carried an air of "seduction"—the "seduction of revenge." If your enemy's fiancée were lying beneath you, crying and begging for mercy, wouldn't that be revenge too? Wouldn't it be satisfying?
A general's blood already ran hot. If she prodded him at just the right moment, she would naturally set it ablaze.
And once he touched Qin Yi'er, he would have to marry her.
A promising young general and a Top Scholar who still needed to rely on her Qin Family—Madam Zhao would be more than happy to let the latter become a stepping-stone for the former.
At that moment, Qin Yi'er quietly turned a golden grinder, crushing magnolia bark. From time to time, she weighed some on the scale beside her, blending a fragrance that would relax the body and mind while stirring desire.
This blended fragrance was called "Cloudborne Ease." Madam Zhao had come up with the name.
Reclining high, with white clouds for a pillow, the Dark Maiden came from the edge of Heaven.
She waved her hand and scattered jade petals; snow from a thousand peaks filled her arms.
The poem evoked what the fragrance did: it made one feel weightless, as though riding the wind up into the clouds, stealing the fairy's sash in playful delight, then laughing as one embraced snowy peaks and blew a jade flute.
For an ordinary person, the fragrance would be intoxicating. For a general, it was just right.
In other words, it could only do General Ning good.
A short while later, a faint fragrance already lingered around Qin Yi'er.
She compacted the blend, picked out a little to burn nearby, then glanced at the sky.
She had arranged to meet General Ning.
General Ning had no choice but to come, because more than anyone else, he wanted her to leave as soon as possible. He'd spent these days avoiding her whenever he could.
She had been forced to let him know that the Qin household would soon send someone to escort her home, but that she needed to discuss the matter with Ning Xuan first.
And today, she would stake everything on one move.
Once the general arrived, she would use the effects of "Cloudborne Ease" to loosen her robes and say, "Back then, that Huang fellow set a trap on Manfeng Mountain to kill you and Ugly Slave, nearly bringing disaster down on all of us. The debt between us is profound. I am willing to atone with my body and repay the wrongs committed in the past."
Huang fellow was the Top Scholar.
Qin Yi'er would remind Ning Xuan of what had happened, stoke his anger, then slip out of her clothes. With the fragrance helping her, success would be all but certain.
Even if Ning Xuan exercised every ounce of restraint and refused to touch her, she would have taken off her clothes and exposed her body to him. She could still make an issue of that.
With all those thoughts settled, Qin Yi'er was fully prepared.
Footsteps sounded in the distance.
A young man's figure appeared through the moon gate.
Qin Yi'er was about to greet him when she noticed a petite young woman following behind him.
She recognized the young woman.
Xiao Jie.
After Ning Xuan took a seat, Xiao Jie stood behind him. No matter how Qin Yi'er caught her eye or hinted that she should leave, Xiao Jie stayed put. At last, Qin Yi'er had no choice but to ask, "General, could you have Miss Xiao Jie step away for a moment?"
Only then did Ning Xuan say, "Xiao Jie, go outside for a while."
But there was no answer.
"Xiao Jie?"
Ning Xuan turned to look.
The fair-skinned Xiao Jie was squirming bashfully, biting her red lips. Her eyes were tender and overflowing with affection, dewy as apricots freshly kissed by a spring rain.
"General, I'm hot."
"General... I... I can't stand the heat."
Xiao Jie tugged at her clothes, baring her fair skin, then plopped herself onto Ning Xuan's lap and looped her arms around his neck. Right in front of everyone, she began to seek pleasure.
Qin Yi'er was completely stunned.
How had that little maid gotten to do what she was supposed to do first?
"General... I... I can't take it anymore."
"General!"
Xiao Jie became a white swan, lifting her snowy neck and breathing out hot air as she cooed and moaned.
Ning Xuan was flustered too. He looked at Qin Yi'er across from him with an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry, Third Miss."
Then, under Qin Yi'er's still-dazed gaze, he carried Xiao Jie back to his room.
After a bout of passionate lovemaking.
Xiao Jie was limp with exhaustion. She tapped the general between the brows and said, "You'll have to pay extra."
Ning Xuan laughed. "You really are capable. You saw right through what Third Miss was trying to do at a glance."
Xiao Jie giggled. Still laughing, she said, "Remember, you'll have to pay extra."
The next day.
In the garden.
Qin Yi'er was thinking of a countermeasure.
She sniffed a drooping flower, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.
She'd identified her enemy within the inner residence.
That enemy was Xiao Jie.
If that maid called Xiao Jie hadn't interfered yesterday, she would have succeeded already.
Afterward, when the general reappeared to discuss matters with her, his body still steeped in an erotic scent, he'd moved to another location. Naturally, all her preparations had come to nothing.
Madam Zhao had waited more than a month for Ning Taiyi back then. Qin Yi'er would stay for a little over a month too, and wouldn't extend her stay by gaining or losing favors.
That was all the time she had to carry out her mission.
Now there wasn't much time left.
No matter what, she had to find a way to get rid of this maid, then try again.
Of course, she couldn't kill anyone here. So she would use the tea skills she was so proud of to get her enemy sent away.
She'd observed Xiao Jie's habits. As long as she was still in the general's manor, she passed through here at this time every day.
Qin Yi'er waited.
She'd already thought of a plan.
After waiting for the time it took an incense stick to burn, Xiao Jie showed up, just as expected.
"Greetings, Third Miss." Xiao Jie bowed gracefully, then hurried to move on.
Qin Yi'er called out, "Stop."
Xiao Jie paused and asked, "What can I do for you, Third Miss?"
Qin Yi'er stared at her. When she heard footsteps nearby, she suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face.
The slap rang out clear and sharp!
In the next instant, Xiao Jie fell to the ground by reflex. Her right hand expertly pressed and raked at her cheek, leaving five distinct marks on her snowy face.
Qin Yi'er was stunned again.
And in that instant, Xiao Jie burst into loud sobs. Between cries, she shouted, "I'm sorry, Third Miss. It's my fault, all my fault. Sniffle, sniffle."
The footsteps came closer. A stout maid from the manor appeared.
Seeing the scene, then the swollen marks on Xiao Jie's face, the stout maid hurried over and cried, "Sister Jie, what happened to you?"
Xiao Jie tugged at her.
The maid looked fearfully at Third Miss, who stood off to the side, and immediately understood what had happened. Her legs went weak, and she hurriedly knelt. "Third Miss, Third Miss."
Covering her face, Xiao Jie said, "Please spare me, Third Miss. I'm of lowly status. Please don't hold it against me."
There were guards outside too. Seeing what had happened, they hurried off to find General Ning.
Qin Yi'er finally came to her senses.
She had been set up.
No.
Strictly speaking, she hadn't been set up; she had set the trap herself. But the maid named Xiao Jie had moved faster than she had, turning her own trap against her and taking control of the situation.
Qin Yi'er was furious.
She glanced around and began waiting for Ning Xuan.
Ning Xuan had sensed what was happening at his estate long ago. Before the guards could even hurry over to report it, he had already arrived.
Qin Yi'er hurried over and curtsied gracefully. In a plaintive voice, she said, "General, please hear me out. The weather was lovely today, and I was leisurely admiring the flowers in the garden. Just then, this maid named Xiao Jie hurried over from who knows where. Before I could ask her what was wrong, she suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard, then kept begging me to forgive her. I truly have no idea what she was doing. I hope you'll look into this matter carefully, General, and get to the bottom of it."
Xiao Jie wept like a pear blossom in the rain, covering her face as she said, "It's all my fault. Don't blame Third Miss. It's all my fault. Please punish me, General."
Ning Xuan's face turned livid.
He crouched down beside Xiao Jie.
Xiao Jie threw herself into his arms and began sobbing even harder. "I know Third Miss is noble and of exalted status. I only ask that she not take her anger out on the General. It's all my fault. If someone must be punished, punish me. Boohoohoo."
Ning Xuan held Xiao Jie tightly, then looked at Qin Yi'er and said calmly, "Third Miss, I'm sorry you weren't properly received. Please forgive us."
Xiao Jie hurriedly took Ning Xuan's hand, then bravely wiped away her tears, like a little flower that had weathered a violent storm yet still trembled as it stood upright on the earth.
In a gentle voice, she said, "General, it's all right. It doesn't hurt."
Qin Yi'er tried to explain again.
As if she'd timed it perfectly, Xiao Jie cut her off and repeated, "It doesn't hurt."
Ning Xuan's face grew even more livid.
Qin Yi'er lost it. Her face twisted with rage as she cried, "Fine! Fine! Fine! Just great!
"General Ning, so you've raised a tea-drinking queen in your inner quarters to fend off invaders, have you?
"General, you're quite something. You have fierce warriors guarding the border outside and a maid keeping the inner quarters in check inside. I admit defeat! I admit defeat!!"
Half a month later, a carriage from General Qin's residence arrived to take Third Miss Qin Yi'er away.
Once the carriage had left Wangyue Prefecture, Manager Zhao, who was driving it himself, simply said over his shoulder, "Ning Xuan asked for his territory to be reduced by one prefecture. His Majesty approved. His jurisdiction has now shrunk from two prefectures to just Wangyue Prefecture."
Inside the carriage, Qin Yi'er, who had been as dejected as a defeated rooster, suddenly brightened.
"Uncle, is that true?"
A smile appeared on Manager Zhao's plump face. "It happened a while ago. First Madam understood you wouldn't succeed as soon as she heard about it."
"A general with only one prefecture?" Qin Yi'er's pretty face showed a touch of mockery. The thought restored some of her lost dignity. The corners of her lips lifted, and her defeated expression swiftly returned to composure. Then she remarked, "When the great struggle is upon you, you don't dare fight. When the wind comes, you don't dare soar on it. What kind of general is that?"
Manager Zhao smiled without saying much.
He could tell that his niece's trip to Wangyue Prefecture had gone badly. But there was no way she'd been bullied; if she really had been, she would've blown up long ago.
Manager Zhao was curious about what his niece had encountered, but not curious enough to ask outright.
Seeing her make such a remark now, he assumed she was venting and let her say whatever she liked.
As for him, he rather admired that young general.
Back then, he'd carried a blade in each hand, and merely taking one step forward had made the guards at the General's residence grab their weapons. He'd also dealt with the demon disaster in Ping'an Prefecture and escaped unscathed. He was no ordinary man.
Now, this move of "requesting a reduction" might look like a loss of mettle, but if you considered what was happening across this land, it was indeed the right choice.
But it was only the right choice.
Now the demon disasters were spreading like fire across a wasteland, igniting one place after another. Retreating could certainly buy temporary peace, but even a single prefecture could leave you in the predicament of "a clever housewife unable to cook without rice."
He had also heard of His Majesty's "Divine General Plan." It was indeed a rare opportunity for a small family with only "the foundation of a single prefect's term" to rise.
Ning Xuan really ought to seize it.
But he had refused.
His Majesty had agreed as well. Generals were rare, certainly, but across this vast land, even if only one in a hundred thousand became a general, there would still be plenty. And as the demon disasters developed, there would only be more generals and Demon-Plague Warriors in the future.
His Majesty had agreed because he was not short of talent.
A general who could wield the power of demons, yet hadn't even entered the ranks, and didn't dare risk a fight—he would soon be eliminated.
Thinking of this, Manager Zhao turned his head slightly and smiled as he comforted his niece. "Quite a lot has happened since you arrived in Wangyue Prefecture. Since you didn't succeed this time, you're not the one who ought to regret it. Ning Xuan is. He failed to seize the opportunity when the tide was just beginning to rise."
Qin Yi'er nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something. With a harsh look, she said, "Uncle, when you get back, find someone to investigate a maid named Xiao Jie who's with Ning Xuan."
Manager Zhao paused, but this was a simple favor, so he agreed. "All right."
"His Majesty approved your request to reduce your territory. A new Tiger Tally will be sent soon. That Tiger Tally will hold the power of only one prefecture." Celestial Master Yaozhen spoke in a calm tone as she placed a pill refined from the Stealing Incense Rat on Ning Xuan's desk, then added, "This pill can still be refined with the Dragon Fire of one prefecture. Any higher level, and it won't work!"
Ning Xuan took the pill and examined it carefully in the sunlight.
The pill's fragrance left him feeling refreshed and at ease. Celestial Master Yaozhen had told him before that "the gap between someone taking a pill and the pill they take must never be too great. If they're close in strength, success is all but guaranteed."
That meant he could first request the Heavenly Demon Scroll of the Stealing Incense Rat, raise his spiritual strength above the Rat's, and then take the pill refined from it.
Just then, Celestial Master Yaozhen added, "His Majesty has also issued a secret edict."
Ning Xuan turned his head and said, "I know."
"But I haven't told you what the secret edict says yet," Celestial Master Yaozhen said curiously.
Ning Xuan asked, "What does it say?"
Celestial Master Yaozhen replied, "His Majesty said he understands your desire to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. Lying low for a while is fine, as long as you don't neglect your cultivation. For now, His Majesty has personally listed your strength as 'unranked' on your assessment record."
Ning Xuan paused.
He had actually already reached the second rank.
The information about him that was made public could list him as first rank.
"Hide a little, reveal a little"—that was how to last.
Revealing too much would naturally force him to take risks, leaving him unable to cope when faced with great danger. But hiding too much could bring needless trouble as well.
After thinking it over, he asked cautiously, "Immortal Maiden, do you think there's any chance of getting His Majesty to change my strength rating back?"
Celestial Master Yaozhen: ???
She snorted. Her mood, which had improved after His Majesty issued the secret edict, soured again.
She swept her sleeves and left.
Ning Xuan stood where he was, his hands curling into fists.
His arms were still without scales.
But soon.
At last, the Ning Family had escaped the tangled schemes and dangers it had faced before. He also had time now to develop at his own pace, enjoy life, and slowly expand his horizons.
Before you continue