bookandnovel 015 was not an accident.
015 was not an accident.
Ning Mansion, backyard.
A huge earthenware jar was being cooked over a roaring fire, with bubbles constantly rising and falling.
A pungent herbal smell wafted over.
Ning Kui sat cross-legged in the vat, his skin red and his fine dragon scales seemed to breathe, expanding and contracting to absorb the nutrients from the medicinal liquid.
The water temperature looks alarming, but it's actually only around 60 degrees Celsius.
It contains many precious herbs, such as the temperature-regulating Ice-Cooling Grass and the Blood-Stimulating Red Sun Flower.
He closed his eyes, feeling his body slowly growing stronger, which felt incredibly comfortable.
Inside the Temple of Consciousness, the numbers on the stone tablet are also actively reflecting the status.
[Martial Arts Realm: Skin Refining Realm (Minor Success), Progress (180/500)]
[Progress (181/500)]
[Progress (182/500)]
.......
"One medicinal bath can probably increase progress by 80 to 100 points."
Ning Kui opened his eyes and could feel that the medicinal power in the liquid had been completely absorbed, and the water temperature was rising rapidly.
Simply consuming Qi and Blood Pills only increases progress by 20 points, but when combined with a medicinal bath, it increases it by four to five times, which is astonishing.
It's a pity it's so expensive. He spent a full five hundred taels of silver and only bought three portions.
If he soaks in it once a day, he'll have to go to Li Qijue to borrow money again after three days.
Just as he was pondering what excuse to use three days later, Xia Chan's voice suddenly came from the inner room with delight: "Young Master! Madam is awake!!"
"The young lady is awake?!"
Ning Kui suddenly stood up from the earthenware jar, just in time to meet the cicada that rushed out of the inner room to announce the good news.
The two stared at each other in disbelief, both frozen in place for a moment.
"Splash!"
Ning Kui quickly crouched back into the water and shouted, "Didn't I tell you not to come out? What are you doing?!"
Xia Chan looked embarrassed and annoyed, but seeing that Ning Kuixian couldn't hold on any longer, she felt a strange sensation in her heart.
She turned to the side and peeked out, saying, "But young master, you also said that you would come to find Madam as soon as she woke up."
Ning Kui was speechless; he had indeed said something similar.
"Okay, you go back inside first, I'll come over after I change my clothes."
"All right……"
Xia Chan twisted her index fingers together and muttered under her breath, "Other young masters all have maids to help them change clothes, but you refuse. That's strange."
After she returned to the house, Ning Kui hurriedly climbed out of the water tank.
After losing the temperature control provided by the medicinal liquid, the water temperature had already climbed to over 80 degrees Celsius, which even he, with his minor achievements in skin refining, found too hot.
When they entered the room, Zhao Wanyu was lying on the bed, sipping rice porridge cooked by Xia Chan.
"Kui-ge'er, you're here."
Seeing Ning Kui's hurried and energetic manner, she was about to get up.
Before she could react, Ning Kui rushed over and pressed her down: "Young lady, you're still recovering from a serious illness, you need to take good care of yourself!"
Zhao Wanyu stared in astonishment at Ning Kui, who was several meters away a second ago and was now right beside her the next moment. She suddenly realized that everything had changed when she woke up.
The leaky thatched hut was transformed into a fine two-courtyard tiled house, and a diligent maidservant was also brought in to serve it.
Even Ning Kui has become so much stronger all of a sudden.
Fortunately, seeing the concern and worry in Ning Kui's eyes, Zhao Wanyu knew that some important things had not changed.
Then all these changes become less difficult to accept.
The mother and son chatted about the events of the past few days. Upon learning that Ning Kui had begun practicing martial arts and had started working in the Zhenni Si (a local government office), Zhao Wanyu's face was filled with relief.
She watched Ning Kui grow up and naturally knew that Ning Kui appeared content with making a living, working hard every day to fish for a hundred or so coins. He seemed honest and dutiful, but in reality, he was ambitious and had great aspirations.
"Kui'er has grown up. Even if I don't make it through this time, I'll still have the face to meet your parents in the underworld."
"Young lady, stop talking about such unlucky things. The good days are yet to come."
When the topic turned to Zhao Wanyu being hit by a falling rock while gathering herbs on the mountain, her expression suddenly became somewhat unnatural.
"Young lady, what's wrong?" Ning Kui noticed this and frowned as he asked, "Does your wound still hurt? Should I go to Huichuntang and fetch Doctor Liu?"
Xia Chan immediately stood up: "Young Master and Madam, don't move! I'll go fetch Doctor Liu!"
The two people's concern warmed Zhao Wanyu's heart. She stopped Xia Chan and shook her head, saying, "It's not that my wound is injured, but in my memory, that stone didn't fall from above my head."
It seems to have flown from the side and hit me, I suspect...
"Was it done by someone?!" Ning Kui's eyebrows shot up, and an uncontrollable rage suddenly ignited.
No matter who the other party is, hurting the young lady is touching his sore spot.
Several figures flashed through his mind; they were all people who often went up the mountain with his mistress.
He was willing to assume the worst about everyone if he could find the culprit.
Always harbor petty thoughts, yet act like a gentleman.
Zhao Wanyu quickly spoke up to ease the tension: "It's been so long since then, and Kui-ge'er has made something of himself, so I don't need to go up the mountain anymore."
"Let's not dwell on these unpleasant things. Kui-ge, you should invite Lord Li to your home another day. He's been kind to you by promoting you, so you should thank him properly."
Ning Kui nodded in agreement, but beneath his calm exterior, his killing intent was still boiling.
"This matter is not over yet..."
--------
On a sweltering summer afternoon, the streets were sparsely populated, and most of the vendors with their stalls were huddled in the shade of trees, dozing off.
Ning Kui swaggered out of the county government office, followed by two obsequious yamen runners.
One of the constables was leading a tall, black horse, which, according to the stable boy, was a hybrid with the blood of a demon beast.
The Zhennisi waist token was actually very useful. Ning Kui went directly to the county government office to check the case files. Those clerks didn't have time to collude with their superiors, so they could only obediently follow orders.
Li Qijue, after all, was a scion of a noble family from Yujing City. He couldn't stand being treated badly and had an overly strong sense of self-respect.
Unlike him, when he gets reckless, who dares to give him the cold shoulder? He'll just go up and start a big fight.
Before leaving, Ning Kui also took a warhorse with demon beast blood.
You disagree? Then write a memorial to the emperor!
Only the emperor can manage the affairs of the Suppression of Rebels Division.
But frankly speaking, the government has the responsibility to provide warhorses for the Zhenni Division. If they don't provide them, Ning Kui will take them himself. What's wrong with that?
"At least I don't have to carry the Dragon Scale Halberd back and forth anymore."
Ning Kui sat comfortably on horseback, recalling the files he had just reviewed.
He specifically researched cases of herb gatherers being murdered in the past two years, including those bitten to death by venomous snakes, those eaten by wild animals, and those kidnapped and extorted by bandits.
None of them were killed by being crushed.
"If the government has no leads, then let's go to the clinic to investigate."
He gently pulled on the reins, his boots lightly touching the horse's belly, and the magnificent black horse turned towards the north city as he wished.
In the southern part of the city, there are mostly large medical clinics like Huichun Hall. Unless absolutely necessary, herb gatherers or hunters will prioritize going to nearby small medical clinics to get their medicine.
The northern part of the city was mostly inhabited by lowly families, vagrants, and beggars. As soon as you crossed the Shadow River, the familiar stench lingered in the air.
Occasionally, I would run into two or three acquaintances on the road, and they would all lower their heads timidly.
He was afraid of offending the once familiar Brother Kui, who was now a stranger, Lord Ning.
The big black horse snorted, its iron hooves pounding on the bluestone slabs, its head held high.
Even this beast knows that he is nobler than these lowly beings.
"Has class stratification reached such a point that the Song Dynasty has truly reached a point where reform is imperative?"
It's laughable that Wang Xianggong and Li Qijue thought that as long as they drove away the evil spirits, the people could recuperate and live a good life.
Little did they know, they themselves...
Ning Kui shook his head and remained silent; this was not something he should be considering at the moment.
There were only a few proper medical clinics in the entire northern city, and Ning Kui quickly rode his big black horse to visit them all.
Almost every clinic has received patients with head injuries from falling rocks, most of whom were injured in the last two weeks. Some even died despite attempts to save them.
I revisited a few of the injured, and they all found that they had been hit in the same spot.
"By Kunze Lake, on the Mountain of Human Heads."
Ning Kui stood on a high slope, looking down at the vast, shimmering Kunze Lake and a low mountain standing beside it.
Its shape is very similar to a human head, and there are two natural stone pits on the lower part of the mountain top, which look like the eye sockets of a skull.
The area is extremely yin in nature and is rich in medicinal herbs.
That was also the place where the young woman was hit.
"No matter who it is, they should always pay the price for their mistakes."
The Dragon Scale Halberd reflected the afterglow of the setting sun, its blade gleaming with golden light, seemingly acknowledging Ning Kui's words.