Different Paths Lead to the Same Destination

"Chirp chirp chirp~~"

It was noon, and there were few people on Ranfang Street.

Yejing Hall led his horse and walked along the street. The white bird on the horse's back was leisurely eating the small pieces of dried meat that had just been bought for it.

When they reached the entrance of Shuanggui Alley, the bird couldn't wait to fly into the deep alley. Along the way:

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp..."

"Are you back? Are you starving?"

"Chirp..."

The doting voice of a young woman came from behind the courtyard wall.

Yejing Hall smiled when he heard the voice and led the horse into the courtyard gate.

There were some changes in the clean and tidy courtyard. There was a row of small flowerpots under the courtyard wall, with young seedlings planted in them. He didn't know what kind of flowers they were.

Outside the kitchen, the chopped firewood was neatly stacked. Even the smoked meat, ginger, and garlic hanging under the window were neatly arranged. As a result, at the first glance upon entering, the whole courtyard seemed a bit brighter.

Yejing Hall had lived with his adoptive father since he was a child. Both of them were martial artists, and their home couldn't be called dirty or messy, but it was inevitably casual.

Seeing this scene, he suddenly felt that having a virtuous wife at home was indeed a very happy thing.

Luo Ning was wearing a light green long dress. She carried two plates of side dishes out of the kitchen. The bird was perched on her shoulder. Her expression was as cold and elegant and demure as when they first met. She didn't look at Yejing Hall, who was tying up the horse under the melon trellis, and just casually greeted him:

"Yunli went out to play. Come and have a meal."

Yejing Hall felt that Luo Ning had suddenly become much more friendly towards him. He was a bit surprised. He entered the kitchen, carried the stir-fried dishes, and put them in the main room. He looked at Luo Ning, who was arranging the dishes, and said:

"Miss Luo, why are you so gentle today?"

Luo Ning sat down on Yejing Hall's left side, opened a small wine jar, poured two glasses of wine, and said in a chatty tone:

"Although our relationship isn't very good, I really have to thank you for taking care of me these days. I've been in the capital for a while, and I didn't tell my family when I went out..."

Yejing Hall paused in the action of taking the wine glass and retracted his hand:

"You're planning to leave?"

"Chirp?"

The bird that had been eagerly looking at the stir-fried pork was immediately anxious when it heard this. It raised its head and looked at Sister Xiaogua pitifully.

Luo Ning picked up the bird and hugged it in her arms, rubbing it. Her slender eyebrows furrowed slightly:

"What do you mean by that? Do you still want to detain me in the capital and make me cook and wash clothes for you all the time?"

Yejing Hall didn't mean that. After thinking for a while, he said:

"Qiu Tianhe hasn't been rescued yet, and I haven't figured out the 'Minglong Tu' either. It's probably not appropriate for you to leave now."

"There's an important matter at home, and I have to go back. I promised that as long as Qiu Tianhe is released from prison, I'll teach you martial arts. Now I've already taught you the lightness skill, and I don't want the 'Minglong Tu' either. I believe that even if I'm not here, you can keep your promise..."

?

Yejing Hall frowned and said: "Are you planning to leave and never come back?"

Luo Ning didn't really mean that in her heart, but her face was very serious:

"You rescuing Qiu Tianhe and me teaching you martial arts was something we agreed on in advance. I've already taught you the lightness skill, and I don't even want the 'Minglong Tu'. What else would I come back for?"

Yejing Hall was indeed stumped by this question. He tapped the table lightly with his fingers and thought for a moment:

"Even if Qiu Tianhe is released from prison, he'll still be trapped in the capital. It's not a long-term solution. If I move around more in the court, I might be able to help him regain his freedom completely."

?

Luo Ning had originally just been using the "playing hard to get" strategy. She said she would leave and never come back, and then she would reluctantly agree to come back in a few days, so that this little thief wouldn't pester her and stop her from leaving.

She really didn't expect that Yejing Hall could make such a big promise just to keep her. She felt a bit embarrassed in her heart.

However, she definitely couldn't show this thought. Otherwise, if the little thief in front of her noticed, he would surely push his luck and make some improper requests.

"There's an important matter at home. Someone has already informed me, so I have to leave early. If... if you can help Qiu Tianhe regain his freedom completely, I'll come back in a few days and teach you the 'Fourteen Moves of Touching the Clouds'."

When Yejing Hall heard this, he showed a smile and then asked:

"What's the matter at home? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"This is my personal matter and has nothing to do with you."

"I'm just afraid that something will happen to you. You still won't tell me your identity. Once you run away, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. If you accidentally get into trouble outside, I'll still think that you won't come back and are not keeping your promise. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Luo Ning was silent for a moment. She couldn't say that she was going to Shuiyun Sword Pool to attend the old master of the Zhou family's birthday banquet. She just said:

"It's not a big deal. Hmm... I'm going back to give a gift. I'll come back as soon as I'm done. It will only take about twenty days..."

"More than twenty days..."

Yejing Hall had to go out with Third Aunt in a few days. First, he would go to Xiwang Town and deal with a few people, and then he would go to Shuiyun Sword Pool and deal with a few people on the way. When he came back, it would probably be around the middle of next month. The time to go out was about the same...

Yejing Hall thought for a while and nodded:

"Alright. Anyway, I'm also going out in a few days. It's very difficult to get Qiu Tianhe out in just a few days. How about we continue when we come back?"

?

When Luo Ning heard this, she thought that Yejing Hall didn't trust her and wouldn't help if she wasn't there. She said unhappily:

"I said I would come back, and I will. What are you going out for?"

Yejing Hall slightly spread his hands: "I'm a bodyguard at Tianshui Bridge, not a roaming swordsman. I have to do my job since I'm getting paid. I have to deal with some small business matters in a few days."

Luo Ning didn't ask any more questions. After thinking for a while, she picked up the wine pot on the table and poured wine for Yejing Hall:

"You have remarkable talent. Why be a bodyguard? Whether you go into officialdom or闯荡 the martial arts world, isn't it better than doing hard labor for others..."

With her hand resting on her water sleeve, the gentle gesture of pouring wine, coupled with the nagging words, made her look very much like a young wife complaining about her husband's lack of ambition.

Yejing Hall picked up his chopsticks and looked at Luo Ning, blinking his eyes.

Luo Ning noticed it. Her eyes turned slightly cold. She put down the wine pot, picked up the filled wine glass, and drank it in one gulp.

?

Yejing Hall was immediately speechless. He picked up the wine pot and poured himself a glass. He asked the same old question:

"I'm already risking my head to help you rescue someone. Miss Luo still won't give me a hint about your background?"

Luo Ning covered her face with her sleeve and drank the strong wine in one gulp. As soon as she put down the wine glass, Yejing Hall poured wine for her, and she didn't refuse:

"I have my reasons for not telling you my background."

"What reasons?"

Luo Ning didn't say because the Pingtian Sect was a group of rebels. Once Yejing Hall knew about it, he would have to choose between "his official career" and "following her". If he chose his official career, the two of them would have to go their separate ways, and the matter of Qiu Tianhe would be difficult to handle.

Secondly, the leader of the Pingtian Sect was a woman. If she confessed, she would have to tell all these things, letting Yejing Hall know that she was just an innocent single elder sister. She would probably not be able to resist all kinds of tricks from this little thief.

"Don't ask. When Qiu Tianhe is out of danger, I'll explain it to you clearly."

"Can you give me a hint in advance?"

Yejing Hall picked up the wine glass and sighed: "I feel like I'm morally corrupt now, courting a married woman, which goes against the principles of righteousness and chivalry. I can't even sleep at night..."

So you still know?

Luo Ning sat up a bit straighter and said seriously: "In that case, you should correct your past mistakes and rein in your wild horses before it's too late..."

Yejing Hall slightly raised his hand: "But the thing has already happened. Even if I rein in my wild horses, I've still made a mistake... If I cut the Gordian knot, I'm afraid Miss Luo will think that I'm a heartless person."

Luo Ning was so angry that she laughed. She picked up the wine glass and took a big gulp, too lazy to respond to words that were thicker-skinned than a wall.

Yejing Hall poured another glass of wine for her:

"Fate is really unpredictable. I don't have a wife or concubine yet. But as you know, I'm good-looking and have some talent. There are quite a few people interested in me. Prince Jing has opened the door of convenience for me. Don't you want to think about the reason?"