Gloomy night shrouded the distant city walls and mountains, making it impossible to see what lay in those far places. She sat on the steps before the building thinking—actually these days she thought mostly of one thing: those once-familiar footsteps hadn't sounded here for twenty days.

Thinking back, such mornings had continued for nearly a year. From first meeting him over that chicken to later seeing him run past every single morning, exchanging words, having conversations. Every morning was a most special time for her. Except when it poured rain, that figure passed by here every single day—even snowy days were no exception. She'd almost believed it would always continue this way.

Only these twenty days told her their connection was actually just this simple daily meeting. When he didn't come, she had no way to seek him out. That person... was after all the Su family young miss's husband.

This thought troubled her slightly.

The first few days, she'd only thought he had some urgent matter, or had traveled far, or had missed his morning exercise time. But as days passed, anxiety inevitably arose—worry that something had happened to him or some accident. Several days she'd intentionally or unintentionally walked near the Su residence, circling those high walls looking for any clues, but saw nothing. Anxious at heart, yet feeling sneaky, she truly didn't understand what she was doing.

This worry reached its worst several days ago when some constables came looking for her. She'd been sitting in the backyard of Zhu's main shop lost in thought when a shop assistant came to say constables were looking for her. She went completely blank, stumbling out in a daze and nearly tripping on the threshold before hearing the constable's questions and freezing for a long moment.

Gu Yanzhen, Gu Yanzhen, again Gu Yanzhen...

Let him go die.

—The two constables had come to ask about her relationship with Gu Yanzhen.

She almost blurted out her complaint but still absent-mindedly explained their previous relationship. Finally the two constables revealed that Gu Yanzhen had been killed after leaving the city, which stunned her for a moment.

Normally she might have felt sad about this, but with her current worries, after the shock she turned back to her concerns. The world wasn't really peaceful—could Liheng have encountered something too...

Until shortly after when she went near the Su residence and saw Liheng's wife Su Tan'er and her maids coming out to board a carriage. Though looking anxious, it seemed only business-related, which gradually eased her mind. But the next day she thought again—Liheng hadn't had an accident, and hadn't mentioned traveling when they'd chatted the day before. Being gone so long now, could it be... he wouldn't come anymore?

She felt such thoughts were truly foolish.

Recent days brought mostly gloomy, dejected, complex feelings, but every morning she still brewed that pot of tea and sat on the steps waiting until dawn. At these times she'd adjust her emotions.

Hmph, if you never come, I'll wait here every day!

She thought this as playfully as possible, sitting there taking a sip of tea. Then the morning breeze gently carried those footsteps over...

After twenty days, Ning Yi resumed his daily morning running habit. Though after getting up, while Xiao Chan changed his hand bandages in the room, she complained and nagged with tears in her eyes—and cried even more yesterday when first seeing that burned left hand unwrapped—the necessity of persisting with exercise remained.

His left hand injury had basically healed—meaning he could do basic movements without pain and had no major life problems, though unwrapped it looked rather ugly with the whole hand now red. He'd boasted to Lu Hongti about being the Blood Hand Butcher, never expecting it to become true. Both in reality and appearance it now matched, which was rather ironic.

Complete recovery would take half a year thanks to Lu Hongti's excellent medicine. He'd originally prepared himself for a ruined left hand—in those circumstances he'd had no other choice. Though regrettable, surviving left no room for hesitation. He was already ahead.

Some medicinal ingredients were expensive, but the Su family was wealthy so this wasn't a problem. Last night he'd roughly explained the "went to help a friend then burned my arm" story to his father-in-law and Old Master Su, glossing over what needed glossing. Xiao Chan didn't want him going out this morning mainly fearing exercise would make his arm sweat—burns primarily damaged skin glands after all. But Ning Yi now had Lu Hongti's internal energy techniques, so naturally needn't stop, just restrain the exercise amount.

Today's run would stop at Nie Yunzhu's small building.

"...Went out of the city a few days ago to help a friend with something. Had a small accident later and burned my hand. But fortunately found a famous doctor with miraculous medicine—probably be fine in half a year." Ning Yi took a sip of tea, raising his bandage-wrapped left hand to display in the air. "How about it? Don't you think this looks quite good?" He himself felt this look was indeed quite striking.

Nie Yunzhu smiled faintly, lowering her eyes: "It hurt, didn't it?"

"Uh, no feeling now, but it really hurt at the time." Ning Yi smiled. "How have you been recently?"

"Mm, fine. Something very interesting happened a few days ago—someone brought wooden tags they'd carved themselves to the shop..."

By the dawn riverside, it seemed like old times again with casual, trivial household chat. Seeing Ning Yi, Nie Yunzhu felt she'd set down her worries, though thinking back on these days' situation, some places felt empty. When dawn light appeared, Ning Yi rose to leave. Nie Yunzhu hesitated: "You..."

"Hm?"

"Your hand is injured, needing daily medicine, shouldn't sweat. For your health, these days... don't run and sweat anymore."

She struggled to speak these words. Ning Yi nodded: "Mm, I understand, but it's fine. Simple exercise isn't a problem—I won't sweat. I recently learned an internal energy technique and am exercising constantly. This level of intensity won't cause sweating. Haha, maybe I'll become a martial arts hero soon."

Ning Yi had told her about martial arts rumors before, speaking cheerfully about this now. Nie Yunzhu stood watching his back recede when a cool tear suddenly slid down her cheek, dropping on her hand. She froze slightly, then frantically wiped it away and rushed forward—but after two steps her embroidered shoes stopped. Ning Yi had turned around ahead.

"Ah, right, the wine matter should be almost ready. I'll bring the component designs over then. Best to find some trustworthy blacksmiths to make them separately. Mm, I'll try to ensure the specifications match. The workshop afterward will need secrecy... Have you contacted wine-making masters?"

Nie Yunzhu clutched her handkerchief to her chest, dazed for a moment before nodding forcefully: "Mm, already contacted them before."

"Oh, that's good." Ning Yi smiled, then waved. "I'll go first. Classes start in a few days so I can be lazy these two days. Maybe I'll sit at Zhu's at noon—heh, I miss the century egg and lean pork congee."

Nie Yunzhu smiled and nodded: "I'll wait for you to come."

The thread of loss in her heart gradually faded.

He'd come at noon...

Her mood brightening, other matters could be cast aside. In this morning full of vitality and hope, she prepared to go to the main shop to wait. Only then did she remember the news those two constables brought of Gu Yanzhen's death. Why had those two constables come looking for her? Nie Yunzhu wondered. She didn't necessarily dislike Gu Yanzhen—he was talented. His death made Nie Yunzhu feel somewhat regretful and sad, but on the other hand, even dead he seemed connected to her, which she found slightly repugnant. Clearly there was no relationship at all—these two feelings weren't contradictory. Mixed together, after a while she sighed and gradually let it fade.

Days later when refugees increased outside the city, one morning Nie Yunzhu told Ning Yi someone she knew had died outside the city recently. This person had been preparing to take up a county magistrate post, quite talented with a bright future ahead, so she told Ning Yi times were unstable lately—be careful. Ning Yi's expression was complex.

"Someone close?"

"Not close."

"Oh." Ning Yi shrugged. "Heaven envies talent—truly regrettable."

This was a later matter, not to be mentioned further.

Time rewinds to the evening of the sixth day of the sixth month. Nearly two days had passed since that night's bloody incident. Several constables investigated near that burned houseboat on the desolate riverbank. Wind howled as the sky darkened—thunder and rain would probably fall tonight.

"After this heavy rain, I'm afraid nothing can be investigated!" A constable's voice carried across the riverbank in the wind. The houseboat on the river shallows was now thoroughly burned—of course, some collapsed wreckage remained. Bodies burned black mixed within, now washed away for who knew how long.

"If County Magistrate Gu's body is really among them, what kind of case is this?"

"Probably that County Magistrate Gu was making some deal with the Yang brothers here, then that assassin dealt with them all together."

Five constables in total—three regular constables plus a squad leader and deputy, Jiangning Prefecture's truly official constable leaders. The five searched around the wreckage by the river. They'd actually found some clues when discovering it this morning, roughly confirming one charred corpse was Gu Yanzhen. They'd rushed back this second time anticipating rain. The thirty-something squad leader walked up the bank searching for other clues nearby. Soon the older, tall thin deputy squad leader followed.

"Squad Leader Chen, Gu family's two servants' deaths—everyone else says it was that female assassin. Now he's dead here with the Yang Yi and Yang Heng family. Case closed—easy to close."

The rather tall thin deputy surnamed Xu spoke thus. The squad leader surnamed Chen smiled: "That's what the Prefectural Magistrate hopes too."

They'd come today because of yesterday morning's bloody case outside the city. Two of the Gu family servants were abducted then their bodies dumped back. Appearing at the scene was the female assassin who'd killed Song Xian on Dragon Boat Festival. The other Gu servants had watched that female assassin kill with their own eyes. Afterward when County Magistrate Gu Yanzhen couldn't be found, everyone realized something had happened and expanded the search here.

The Yang Yi and Yang Heng brothers living here were already notorious villains living remotely. If they died, the government basically wouldn't care—might even applaud. But Gu Yanzhen's case happening now meant some things had to be investigated. A county magistrate dying in Jiangning territory required an explanation to superiors.

The Yang brothers were always arrogant and domineering but also extremely fierce. Few in Jiangning would easily provoke them or could handle them. Now investigating, the whole family dead—presumably only someone strong like that female assassin could manage it. As for why Gu Yanzhen and his servants were here, the reason depended on whether superiors wanted to blacken or brighten him—didn't matter.

Taken alone, a county magistrate dying in Jiangning territory would put great pressure on Jiangning's prefectural magistrate whether the case could be solved or not. But that female assassin was highly skilled, using martial arts to break laws. Having killed people, she'd already left the city. Since there was already Song Xian's case, pushing it up now and combining cases actually became decoration. At noon when everyone analyzed the case, the prefectural magistrate had shown intention to combine cases. He didn't want to directly handle two disgusting cases here—better to combine into one. Looking now, the logic actually worked—Gu Yanzhen hired assassins for dirty deeds, targeting that female assassin, resulting in dying here with the Yang family. That female assassin's fierce nature even led her to kill two more servants for revenge.

"Probably close the case like this."

Squad Leader Chen smiled, speaking thus. The two walked along the riverbank. The deputy went to check blood by the riverside that might be the primary crime scene. Moments later turning back, he couldn't find the other's figure. Returning to the bamboo grove, he saw Squad Leader Chen inexplicably "sitting" there.

He wasn't really sitting since there was no chair behind. This steady-looking man had taken a horse stance in the bamboo grove, posing as if sitting with hands on knees, perfectly resembling someone sitting squarely. Just sitting there with face slightly tilted, gazing toward the house wreckage on the distant shallows, expression uncertain. Deputy Xu was about to approach when he suddenly extended his hand: "Don't come over!"

"What's wrong?"

Wind swept across the riverbank. Squad Leader Chen looked for a long while before murmuring: "This is... such a ruthless person..."