Maestro de la ambigüedad

Capítulo 32

Feng Ning tossed the box onto Nie Chengyan's lap: "Here, the things are for you. Tell Long San to come and pick them up. I'll be gone for two days and then I'll be back."

Nie Chengyan didn't even look at what was in the box. He simply waved his hand, and Huo Qiyang immediately stepped in front of Feng Ning, clearly not intending to let her leave.

Feng Ning wasn't in a hurry. She simply said, "Those people have been chasing me all the way. I shook them off in Qingfeng City and ended up here. Now I should lure them away, otherwise, if they track me here, wouldn't that cause you trouble? Let the Long family handle their matter." She didn't seem too afraid of being tracked or hunted down. She added, "I'll lure them away, then come back and wait for Long San. He can pick me up when he gets this box."

Han Xiao was stunned. When he took the box, he also took her. This lady was quite interesting. She actually described herself as having such a low status.

Nie Chengyan said, "Since Madam Long has come to my Nie residence for help, how could I let you go back and risk your life? I will make arrangements for Qingfeng City. You can rest here."

After listening, Feng Ning thought for a moment and said, "Alright, since Young Master Nie is willing to take on this task, I won't refuse. Then please arrange a room and treat me to dinner; I'm really tired."

Nie Chengyan narrowed his eyes, harboring deep suspicions about Feng Ning, but he did not reveal his thoughts. He only instructed Steward Chen to settle her in, and sent someone to Qingfeng City to deal with those who were tracking her, based on what Feng Ning had said.

The next day, Princess Ruyi and her entourage packed their belongings, preparing to leave Baiqiao City as Nie Chengyan had requested. She feared she might never return, and after boarding the carriage, she sat there blankly. The coachman, without orders, dared not set off. Steward Chen, following proper etiquette, had been watching over the distinguished guest for a long time, but seeing her depart, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He was worried something might go wrong, and he wouldn't be able to explain it to his master.

Sure enough, the princess suddenly jumped out of the carriage and, completely disregarding her status and etiquette, took off running towards the mansion. Steward Chen was so shocked that his scalp tingled, and he hurriedly waved for his men to follow. Although the men were faster than the princess, no one dared to forcibly stop her. Princess Ruyi ran wildly with her head down, bursting into the garden. She intended to cross the park to go to her study, but unexpectedly, she saw him in the park.

Nie Chengyan was planning to interrogate Feng Ning, so he arranged a tea party in the garden after breakfast. Han Xiao was pouring him medicine when she looked up and saw a large group of people barging in behind Princess Ruyi.

Huo Qiyang stood outside the circle of Nie Chengyan and the others, blocking the princess with his arm. He Ziming also stood to the side, in a guard-like posture. Nie Chengyan calmly held Han Xiao's hand as he poured the medicine and said, "It's time to pour it."

Han Xiao hurriedly put away the small medicine jar, then couldn't help glancing repeatedly at the princess. Nie Chengyan patted her hand reassuringly and pulled her to sit down. Seeing their affectionate display, Princess Ruyi couldn't help but shed tears, which streamed down her cheeks, making her look rather pitiful. In front of everyone, she shouted loudly, "Brother Nie, I love you, I truly love you. Whether it was when we first met, when you were full of vigor, or now that you're in a wheelchair, I only love you. If you don't want me, you'll regret it." She reached out and forcefully wiped away her tears, "I won't lose to any woman, not Xie Jingyun, not Han Xiao, I'm not inferior to them, you'll regret it, just wait and see, you'll definitely regret it."

She finished speaking loudly in one breath, and without waiting for a reply, turned and left. This was perhaps the most shameful thing she had ever done, but having done it, she felt a real sense of relief. She was unwilling to marry the old man from the northern desert; she refused to accept her fate.

Seeing Princess Ruyi make a scene and then leave so readily, Feng Ning exclaimed in surprise, then asked, "Why did she look like she was heading to the execution ground?"

Han Le, acting like a little adult, explained from the side: "She's going back to marry a foreign ruler."

"Oh." Feng Ning nodded: "I see. Does she want to marry Lord Nie so that she can avoid a political marriage? She could also marry Long San, the effect would be similar."

Nie Chengyan was drinking his medicine when he heard this and almost choked. What was wrong with Long San's wife? Although he had heard that they didn't get along, there was no reason for her to push her husband away like this.

He finished his medicine in a few gulps, put the bowl aside, cleared his throat, and began to ask, "Has Madam Long rested enough?"

"Hmm, not bad."

"What's in the box you brought?" A roll of sheepskin map and a seal. Nie Chengyan had actually seen them last night.

Feng Ning shook her head: "I didn't open it. I saw that they were going to take it, and the Long family hid it so well, so I thought it must be something important. So I took it and ran away."

"If it's something important, why didn't you return to the Dragon Mansion and hand it over to the steward? Instead, you traveled all the way here to me."

“There’s a traitor in the Long family. Otherwise, how would they know where the things are hidden? The three Long brothers are not here. I dare not hand them over carelessly. Besides, they’ve been chasing me all the way. I don’t know anyone else. I only heard Long San say that you are his close friend, so that’s why I came.”

Feng Ning's words made sense, but Nie Chengyan still didn't quite believe them. He asked again, "If there was an inside traitor stealing the goods and someone was chasing you, how could you escape?" Most importantly, Feng Ning was a spoiled and pampered woman who had fled here alone. He simply couldn't believe that she had escaped here alone.

Feng Ning fiddled with the teacup lid and replied frankly, "They can't beat me."

"Feng Ning." Nie Chengyan was now certain that there was something wrong with her. He called her by her name and said coldly, "You don't know martial arts."

Feng Ning's eyes widened in surprise: "Am I supposed to be unskilled in martial arts? No wonder the people in the Long Mansion are so surprised..." Before she could finish speaking, Huo Qiyang's fist had already swept towards her face. Feng Ning reacted extremely quickly. She leaned back, seemingly boneless, and dodged the attack. Then, she spun back, braced her arm against Huo Qiyang's arm, and pushed him away in an instant, neutralizing his move.

She had no intention of fighting. After deflecting Huo Qiyang's punch, she stopped attacking. Without Nie Chengyan's instruction, Huo Qiyang retreated to the side. Feng Ning shrugged and said to Nie Chengyan, "You see, I do know martial arts."

Nie Chengyan was silent for a moment, then Feng Ning said again, "I have no bad intentions. You can go and tell Long San to come and identify me. I will eat and stay here well and won't run away. You can send someone to keep an eye on me. They all say I've changed, but I don't remember anything and I don't know if I've changed or not."

"Are you sick?" Han Xiao was surprised when she dodged Huo Qiyang's punch so nimbly, but now that she said she couldn't remember anything, his medical instincts kicked in.

“Hmm.” Feng Ning nodded: “It is said that I did something bad and ran away, and was swept into the river. They found me on the bank downstream. They think I hit a rock in the river and injured my head. After waking up, I don’t remember anything.” She thought for a moment and then said: “It’s not that I don’t remember anything. Sometimes there are still some fragments that flash through my mind.”

Han Xiao glanced at Nie Chengyan, and seeing him nod, she reached out to take Feng Ning's pulse. Feng Ning asked in surprise, "Are you a doctor? There are female doctors too?"

Han Xiao smiled but remained silent, focusing solely on taking her pulse. Feng Ning let her be, resting her chin on her other hand: "I've seen many doctors, and I've been taking medicine for a long time." Speaking of medicine, she wore a look of disgust. Han Le, standing beside her, nodded in agreement, and Feng Ning chuckled at his expression.

Han Xiao withdrew his hand and said, "There's nothing wrong with it."

“That’s right. If there are still problems after taking medicine for so long, those doctors must be ashamed to death.” Feng Ning seemed used to being examined like this. She said, “They all say I’m a bad woman. I think I was just too pretentious before I lost my memory. Now I’m just returning to my true nature.”

Nie Chengyan had to admit that Feng Ning was indeed quite different from the one Long San had described to him; she seemed rather strange, but she certainly didn't mean any harm. Anyway, he had already sent someone to find Long San, and whether it was true or not, they would know once Long San arrived.

Three days later, Long San arrived. During these three days, Feng Ning behaved very calmly. As she said, as long as she ate and slept well, she was content. She was lazy all day, only going to the garden to play with the children when she was bored. In just a few days, she had become the leader of the children in the Nie household; Han Le and the servants' children all loved playing with her. However, Nie Chengyan and Huo Qiyang understood that Feng Ning's skills were extraordinary, and if they were to fight seriously, Huo Qiyang would likely not have the upper hand.

Long San's arrival confirmed Feng Ning's identity, and the box she took away was indeed an extremely important item; everything she said was true.

But the way the couple got along was strange; they weren't close, yet they weren't distant either, like familiar strangers.

"Do you all think I'm in cahoots with that group to rob your family?" Feng Ning's tone was firm, yet tinged with a hint of grievance at being wronged.

“Yes.” Long San sighed.

"Then you must go back and plead my case, otherwise Granny Yu will punish me again."

The name Yu Mama reminded both Han Xiao and Han Le. Han Le exclaimed, "That fierce old lady!"

"Oh, you guys have met before too?"

Han Le nodded vigorously: "Back then, she stole my sister and married her to him as a concubine." Han Le pointed at Long San, and both Nie Chengyan and Long San wished they could throw him out.

"Oh my, so we're sisters! How did you end up here?" Feng Ning asked curiously.

Nie Chengyan, his face dark, shouted, "Xiaoxiao is not your husband's concubine."

Feng Ning glanced at Nie Chengyan, then at Han Xiao, and gave a knowing "Oh." Her gaze towards Long San was filled with sympathy. Long San pursed his lips and said to her, "This was something that Granny Yu believed in when she saw how badly I was injured, so she didn't approve of the marriage proposal."

“Since it keeps causing misunderstandings, it’s better to be on the safe side and write a letter of divorce.” Nie Chengyan said through gritted teeth, seemingly unable to contain his anger.

Without further ado, the two men, working in perfect unison, prepared paper, ink, and brush. Long San quickly wrote out a "letter of divorce." Feng Ning watched longingly from the side, seemingly filled with envy, and finally couldn't help but say, "Why don't you write one for me too?"

Long San's hand trembled, almost causing him to write the character crookedly. Fortunately, he had already finished writing the last character. He pressed his fingerprint on the paper and pretended not to have heard. Feng Ning pressed on, saying, "It's very simple. Just copy this and change her name to mine."

Long San ignored her, handed over the letter of divorce, and pushed her out, saying, "Go pack your things, everyone is waiting for us to come back."

“I have no luggage. I have paper and pen now, so I’ll write another one while I’m at it. Didn’t they say I’ve committed all seven grounds for divorce? It’s easy for me to get a divorce.”

Long San still didn't hear, and only said to Nie Chengyan, "I have something to do at home, and there's no one to help you in the desert for the time being. Send someone to take over the spies' work."

Nie Chengyan nodded, and the two whispered a few words. Long San turned back to look at Feng Ning, said a few more words to Nie Chengyan, and finally took his leave. Feng Ning was a little unhappy, and listlessly waved goodbye to Han Xiao and her brother before following Long San away.

Han Xiao was a little worried: "Master, I can't diagnose Madam Long's illness, but she said that she does have many dreams and occasionally suffers from headaches and dizziness."

"She has taken a lot of medicine for her intracranial ailment, so it's probably not completely cured. But it should be fine; she just needs to rest and recover. The Long family has no shortage of doctors, so don't worry."

Han Xiao nodded, thinking that he would consult the divine physician when he returned to the mountain to see how to treat this kind of amnesia. But when they returned to the mountain, they only found a letter left by the old man in the clouds.

Seemingly unwilling to say goodbye, the old man chose an unexpected time to quietly depart.

Author's Note: Okay, everyone, please stop guessing about time travel, soul transfer, and stuff like that. This is a normal, fictional ancient romance novel; no supernatural events will happen. Feng Ning's story will be mentioned gradually later; she's a very important character.

The old man of clouds and mist has already left, and the princess is going to marry into the desert. I think everyone has guessed that in the end, everything will be resolved in the desert.

Hand in hand

The letter from the old man in the clouds was signed for Han Xiao, but Nie Chengyan didn't care. He opened it and read it with Han Xiao.

In his letter, the old man said that he should have gone to take care of his own affairs much earlier, but he postponed the plan for a year in order to pass on his medical skills to Han Xiao. So, no matter what Han Xiao thought or whether she admitted it or not, she owed him a debt of gratitude. He said that the master could only lead her to the door, but the rest was up to her. He had taught her everything he could, and how far she could go was entirely up to her.

In the letter, the old man in the clouds also said that he believed Han Xiao was aware of her talent, but he hoped she understood that talent was not something she possessed alone. In this world, all cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. He had once encountered someone whose talent was no less than Han Xiao's, whose medical skills were truly admirable, but in the end, he had forced that person to retreat to the desert. He said he hoped Han Xiao wouldn't suffer the same fate, and that she should carefully consider everything before acting, and not easily trust others, nor easily trust herself.

He left his courtyard to Han Xiao, where she could use all the books, classics, medicines, pills, and medical tools. The old man in the clouds instructed her to read all the books carefully.

But then he changed the subject, saying that Han Xiao came from a humble background and couldn't handle grand occasions, while Nie Chengyan was the lord of a city and in charge of Cloud Mist Mountain. The difference between them was vast, and the two would surely realize it in the future. He told them not to think that just because he was an old man, he didn't understand love; he had simply seen too much of the world, and that love alone wasn't enough to guarantee a lasting relationship. The old man emphasized that, according to social customs, Han Xiao was not a suitable match for Nie Chengyan, and he hoped Han Xiao would have the self-awareness to understand this.

Do not forget the vows you made.

The last sentence in the old man's letter weighed heavily on Han Xiao's heart.

Nie Chengyan was furious after reading the letter. This old man just couldn't stand to see him doing well or happy. He would destroy anything Nie Chengyan liked. What nonsense was this about how love and affection alone could guarantee a happy marriage? Did he think only those without love and affection could find fulfillment? What utter rubbish!

He was so angry that he was about to tear the letter up, but Han Xiao snatched it away: "This is a letter left to me by the divine doctor, don't tear it up."

"What's so precious about this tattered letter?"

“It’s not a treasure, it’s a warning.” Han Xiao folded the letter and placed it on the first shelf of the bookshelf, saying, “The Divine Doctor does have some truth to what he said. Master, I’m going to prove him wrong.” She clenched her little fist: “One day, I will make the Divine Doctor truly convinced that I am the perfect match for you.”

Nie Chengyan's eyes lit up. The old man's letter had this effect?

He took her hand, touched his face to it, and gently coaxed, "Are you worthy of me? How do you think you'd be worthy?"

Han Xiao blushed under his gaze. She bit her lip and suddenly thought of something: "I'll use this doctor's letter to mark the bookshelves. I'll read one book after another until I've learned everything. Then the doctor will have nothing to say."

Nie Chengyan's face froze. This bookworm, the more he studied medicine, the dumber he became. He pulled her onto his lap, hugged her, and kissed her lips: "I have a better idea. Let's have a bunch of babies, then that old man will have nothing to say."

Han Xiao jumped up in embarrassment: "This..." She pretended to be busy and pushed open the back window of the study.

Nie Chengyan wouldn't let it go and pressed on, asking, "What is this?"

"Master," Han Xiao pointed out the window, "look."

Nie Chengyan pushed the wheelchair over: "Nothing you do will work. Don't try to fool me. You have to give me an answer about what's going on between us."

Han Xiao didn't respond to his words, but pointed to the scenery outside the window and said, "So, from here, you can see Baiqiao City very clearly." Nie Chengyan sat by the window and looked out without saying a word. He knew that this courtyard was rebuilt by the old man after he had built Baiqiao City. It turned out that this place offered such a clear view of Baiqiao City.

"Master, look, that's the Nie residence." Han Xiao leaned over the window and looked intently. Nie Chengyan lowered his eyes and saw two obvious friction marks on the wooden frame of the windowsill, marks left by someone standing there for a long time, holding the window frame.

Han Xiao followed his gaze and saw the scratch. She sighed inwardly, squatted down, nestled on Nie Chengyan's lap, and quietly watched with him.

Nie Chengyan remained silent for a while, then stroked the window frame and said softly, "The old man was a bad person. He harmed many people and made many enemies. When I was a child, my parents were killed by one of his enemies. The old man went out to look for them, but he couldn't even find their bodies. He killed that enemy, but he refused to erect a tombstone for my parents. He always lied to himself, saying that my parents must not be dead, but I know that's not true. If they were still alive, they would definitely come back for me."

Han Xiao straightened up and hugged Nie Chengyan tightly. Nie Chengyan held her close and continued, "More than ten years later, the same thing happened to me again. Xiao Xiao, I really hate him. He made me an orphan, and he made me cripple."

"You have me, and Lele, we're family." Han Xiao's eyes reddened, wishing she had divine power to wipe away all his sorrow.

"But even you, he wants to take away from me. You're all I have left, and he knows that's all I have, yet he still wants to separate us."

"We will never be apart, never. I swear I will never leave you, and I will never let you be alone again."

Nie Chengyan stared at her and asked, "Really? You swear."

"Yes." Han Xiao nodded vigorously. "Unless you don't want me anymore, I will stay with you until I die, I swear." Han Xiao buried her face in his palm and said softly but firmly, "The oath I swore to the divine physician was that I would never marry my master, while your oath was that you would never marry the person the divine physician arranged for you. I've thought about it again and again, and strictly speaking, I should be the person the divine physician arranged for you. If we both keep our oaths, then neither of us will die a good death."

She looked up and smiled at him. Nie Chengyan wanted to say that such a vow was bullshit and should be ignored, but Han Xiao pointed her finger at his lips to stop him from speaking. She continued, "I don't care about marriage or status. I just want to be with you."

“I care. I want you to marry me in style and honor. I don’t want you to suffer.” He stroked her face. “I want to marry you and have several children with you. I don’t care if the old man agrees or not. He can’t control me.”

Han Xiao nestled into his arms: "Your thoughtfulness is enough."

Nie Chengyan put his arm around her, then realized something was wrong and she dodged him, so he simply asked directly, "So, are you going to marry me or not?"

"Ayan, my feelings for you are no less than yours for me." Han Xiao looked at him earnestly, changing her address to Ayan to match his. She stood up, stood by the window, and stroked the window frame: "I've lost my parents and elders, but you still have one. No matter what, he's still your grandfather. No matter how much you dislike him, you'll still have feelings for him. You worked hard to build the city down the mountain, opposing him, but he stood here silently watching you. Ayan, do you know he doesn't care about you?"