After the incident, Madam Mao helped Lady Su Lian analyze the situation. Upon closer examination, a few old love letters couldn’t truly ruin Yin Su Lian’s reputation. After all, the Song, Zhou, and Yang families involved would protect her reputation and try their best to cover up the matter. Even if Qi Yunke was resentful, he couldn’t use this as an excuse to abandon his wife. Otherwise, he’d truly prove himself narrow-minded and jealous.
Yin Su Lian was initially panicked, but after Madam Mao’s explanation, she calmed down. However, they agreed it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble and not provoke Cai Zhao again unless necessary.
Meanwhile, Qi Lingbo, unaware of the details, continued to plead with her mother for revenge. Unwilling to reveal her youthful indiscretions to her daughter, Yin Su Lian used Qi Yunke as an excuse. She said, “Darling, you wouldn’t want to cause more discord between your parents, would you? If your father and I reconcile, we might even give you a little brother. So, you’ll have to handle Cai Zhao’s matter on your own, okay?”
Qi Lingbo was left stunned and speechless.
In this battle, Cai Zhao emerged victorious.
She thought she could relax for a few days, practicing her skills, and experimenting with cosmetics, painting, and embroidery to regain her previous interests. Unfortunately, fate had other plans, and the young master Changning from next door promptly filled the void.
After returning from Shuanglian Huachi Palace, Chang Ning instructed Cai Zhao not to let anyone disturb him. He then secluded himself in his room for a full day and night, emerging only at dusk. After a hearty meal, he announced his intention to take a walk, citing the need to “aid digestion.”
The evening breeze was cool. The nineteen-year-old youth, with his fair skin and tall frame, had gradually shed his adolescent awkwardness, cutting a handsome and striking figure. Even with his face covered in sores, the maids in the courtyard still blushed and whispered about how attractive he would be once healed.
Cai Zhao had planned to lie down and read a novel, but Chang Ning’s words made her uneasy. “Where are you going for this walk?” she asked.
“Wherever my heart leads me,” Chang Ning replied, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. His wide sleeves fluttered in the night breeze, giving him the air of a carefree ancient scholar.
Cai Zhao, not falling for his act, pressed, “Are you going out to cause trouble?”
Chang Ning smiled mysteriously, “Events follow people, and people attract events. Where there are people, how can there be no happenings?”
Tired of his flowery language, Cai Zhao asked directly, “How much of your power have you recovered today?”
“Not much, just about half,” he replied.
“So, not even a full night’s recovery, and you’re heading out into the dark with a lantern to pick fights?”
Chang Ning, now taking a lantern from a servant, smiled, “Dear sister Zhao, go rest. I’ll be back soon.”
After a moment of internal struggle, Cai Zhao decided to follow him. What a tiresome fate!
Whether due to his half-recovered power or not, Chang Ning moved incredibly fast. He barely touched the ground as he quickly circled a grove and sped down a hillside for about half an hour, arriving at a cluster of brightly lit houses – the residence of the outer disciples.
Cai Zhao was shocked. “You’re going to cause trouble for the outer disciples? But there are so many of them!”
Chang Ning casually replied, “Have you become a coward too…” Seeing Cai Zhao’s wide-eyed glare, he quickly added, “Zhao Zhao’s chivalrous heart is beyond compare, but a gentleman knows when to act and when to…”
“Speak plainly!” Cai Zhao interrupted.
“Those puppies who bullied me before – I’m just settling some old scores. That’s not too much, is it?”
Cai Zhao recalled the group of lackeys surrounding Qi Lingbo when she first arrived at Wanshui Qianshan Cliff. This wasn’t the first time.
“You remember all of them?” she asked, impressed by his meticulous grudge-holding. She had long forgotten about them.
Chang Ning looked up at the sky, his expression pious. “Heaven has eyes and will help right these wrongs.”
He then approached a nearby courtyard, kicked open one of the doors with a loud “bang,” and shouted, “The sect is here to show some care!”
The disciples inside, whether reading or resting, cried out in surprise. A cacophony of footsteps, falling teacups, overturned water basins, and confused shouts from neighboring houses filled the air as the entire courtyard erupted into chaos.
Outside in the cold wind, Cai Zhao thought to herself, “…Heaven has eyes, my foot.”
Chang Ning calmly announced, “Don’t panic, fellow disciples. I’m just looking for someone.”
While disciples from other sects might not have been immediately recognizable, Chang Ning’s face full of sores was unmistakable at Wanshui Qianshan Cliff.
The startled disciples who emerged from their rooms reacted differently – some were wary, others cursed, but a few politely asked who he was looking for.
Chang Ning described, “The person has squinty eyes and a large black mole with a tuft of hair on his left cheek…”
Cai Zhao thought such distinctive features would make finding the person easy, but it turned out to be even simpler than she imagined.
Before Chang Ning could finish, the disciples’ gazes involuntarily shifted to the left, where a skinny disciple with a large black mole on his left face was trying to sneak back into his room – the very person they were looking for was right there in the courtyard.
Chang Ning raised his left hand and made a grabbing motion towards Black Mole. As if pulled by an invisible rope, Black Mole flew through the air in an arc, landing directly in Chang Ning’s grasp, which seized him by the neck.
Black Mole tried to grab Chang Ning’s hand while putting on a brave front: “Y-y-you, what do you think you’re doing! Don’t think I’m afraid of you… Aah!” His bravado ended in a scream.
With a muffled crack, Black Mole’s right arm went limp, apparently broken.
The other disciples were stunned, and Cai Zhao was dumbfounded.
Chang Ning wiped his right hand on Black Mole’s clothes, seemingly ready to continue.
“Hey, hey, Brother Chang, don’t be rash!” Cai Zhao hurriedly advised. “Violence begets violence – that’s not the way of chivalry!”
By then, the other disciples had come to their senses. A few who were close to Black Mole rushed towards Chang Ning, shouting. Chang Ning threw Black Mole heavily to the ground and began clapping his hands. His long sleeves fluttered like banners as he easily dispatched several attackers, who fell to the ground groaning.
Chang Ning turned to Cai Zhao with a smile: “What are you saying, Zhao Zhao? The brothers are being gentle and polite. How can this be called ‘violence’? Only this…” His pupils dilated slightly, revealing a hint of excitement as he spoke the last four words.
Turning back, he addressed the crowd in a gentle tone: “You all probably know why I’m looking for Brother Black Mole. As they say, every cause has its effect, every deed its consequence. Those of you who aren’t cut from the same cloth, don’t interfere. Otherwise…”
Even if he hadn’t spoken, the few who had initially rushed forward had already retreated after witnessing his powerful strikes.
Chang Ning lifted Black Mole’s upper body, gently patting the dust off his clothes: “Brother Black Mole, right? You have such distinctive features, hard to forget. It might not matter to others, but every time Qi Lingbo came to cause trouble, you were there. Come, let’s have a nice chat about who else was involved.”
Black Mole was terrified but hesitated, considering that Qi Lingbo was still the sect leader’s daughter.
Chang Ning thoughtfully helped him overcome his indecision by twisting his right arm sharply. Black Mole let out a pig-like squeal and quickly said, “All right, all right, I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything. I’ll point them all out to you…”
Chang Ning smiled gently, but to Black Mole, it was like seeing a demon incarnate. Trembling, he forced himself to stand, enduring the excruciating pain in his right arm as he led Chang Ning.
Meanwhile, Cai Zhao was torn. According to the unwritten rule of the jianghu that vengeance must be repaid, Chang Ning’s actions seemed justified. However, she felt uneasy about just standing by and watching. She wondered why nothing like this ever happened in Luoying Valley, leaving her without any experience to draw upon.
Just then, Fan Xingjia arrived, out of breath. Seeing Chang Ning in full fury from afar, he dared not approach and instead turned to Cai Zhao with a sheepish smile: “He’s causing such a scene, won’t you try to stop him, junior sister?”