La luna brilla intensamente sobre las montañas desiertas y las flores llenan el cielo

Capítulo 15

Long Er entered the room and asked, "What happened to that crazy woman again?"

Long San was still a little dazed. She was the one who had wronged him, so why was she now feeling ashamed for him? Most importantly, he couldn't refute what she said. He looked up at Long Er, shrugged, and said helplessly, "She's throwing a tantrum."

“I know she gets angry; her voice is so loud you can hear it from far away.”

“I told her about the wedding ceremony, and she got angry.” Long San picked up the wooden doll on the table and pondered, “What kind of illness could change a person’s entire personality?”

Long Er was very unhappy: "Will your method work? That woman is acting strangely now, and we don't know what's wrong with her. Granny Yu told me today that she still wants to ask someone to perform a ritual, because it might really be some kind of evil illness. You should try to get close to her and be open with her, but be careful, or you might end up being tricked by her instead of getting close to her."

"I know what I'm doing." Long San, a seasoned traveler who had seen countless people, believed he could see through people's hearts. He nudged the wooden doll, watching it shake its head on the table, and said, "When she didn't know who I was, she spoke far more than she did with you and the nanny in the manor. You didn't see her expression then; she said that if you treat someone sincerely, you will surely be rewarded. I think she genuinely wants to get along well with this family." He thought for a moment, frowned, and poked the wooden doll again: "At least this Feng Ning is sincere now."

Long Er warned, "I'm afraid she might remember the past and harbor ill intentions again. In short, be careful to prevent her from holding back."

"That's natural; don't we all hold back a little?"

Long Er nodded. The three brothers each had their own strengths. Long San, who traveled the world and dealt with all sorts of people, was sometimes better at handling these strange matters than the others. He said to Long San, "Then you can handle this matter. I have to go out tomorrow and probably won't be back for ten days or half a month. I'm just letting you know in advance. Keep an eye on things in the manor."

Long San agreed, and the two brothers chatted for a while before Long Er took his leave. Long San looked at the wooden doll and called over a servant: "Go and tell the Third Madam that from now on, when I'm in the mansion, she should come to my courtyard for meals. There's no need for the kitchen to send her meals separately."

The servant obeyed and left. Long San poked the wooden doll and gritted his teeth, saying, "If you're still so fierce, I won't give you any food."

The next morning, Long San was practicing his martial arts when Feng Ning arrived. He was surprised: "Why so early?" Feng Ning sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard, pouting: "Didn't we say we were coming here for dinner?"

Long San looked at her in surprise, and then burst into laughter. Sure enough, eating was the magic weapon to deal with her.

"What are you laughing at?" Feng Ning was very unhappy.

"Still angry?" Long San put his sword away, went back inside to change his clothes, and came out to find that she still had a stern face.

"Why don't you try marrying a pig?"

Long San rubbed his temples: "Okay, I apologize for this."

Feng Ning snorted and asked, "When will we eat?" The topic changed so abruptly that Long San couldn't help but laugh again. Feng Ning glared at him and said, "Still laughing? Let me tell you, if it weren't for the fact that there would be more variety in the dishes since there are two of us eating, I wouldn't want to sit at the same table as you."

"Yes, yes, thank you for gracing me with your presence. I will definitely have them prepare more delicious food and a wider variety of dishes."

Feng Ning muttered, "That's more like it."

Breakfast was served quickly after being urged by Master Long San. It was indeed more and better than what Feng Ning ate alone in the courtyard. After eating her fill, Feng Ning's mood improved significantly. She said to Master Long San, "Let me tell you, you have to stay home every day from now on."

Long San had already gotten used to her way of thinking and couldn't help but laugh. Sure enough, Feng Ning continued, "If you're home, I can have dinner with you."

"Yes, yes," Long San replied, unable to stop smiling at her satisfied expression.

After dinner, the couple sat down together again, chatting about the topics they hadn't finished yesterday. It turned out that after Feng Ning got married, the head of the Feng family stayed for another month before leaving. Feng Ning wasn't exactly well-behaved while staying at the Long family's residence. She often went out to play with her dowry maids and frequently inquired about the Long family's background and wealth. However, because of the falling out between the two families before the wedding, Long San avoided her, Long Er was wary of her, and Long Da took his wife to live elsewhere. Feng Ning never managed to get along with anyone.

While eating snacks, Feng Ning commented, "This restlessness is probably just your own feeling. Maybe I'm not that bad." After a while, she added, "Look, you guys are ignoring me, how can I be okay? Maybe it's just to get your attention, that I really care about your family."

Long San confiscated her snack box: "Are you even going to listen properly?" She can't even shut up with food, it's a waste of money to buy it for her.

"If you want to hear it, continue." Feng Ning snatched the box back and hugged it, then turned her attention to a plate of grapes next to her.

So Long San continued talking. As time went on, Feng Ning lost patience. Long San was often not at home, so she began to try to win over Long Er. She would make snacks by hand, brew tea and send it to him, and often invite him to go out. But Long Er remained indifferent. Feng Ning behaved herself for a while, and then went home and lived for more than half a year.

During the past six months since Feng Ning returned home, the Long family still held some hope that the unpleasantness she experienced in the Long family during those six months would dissuade her from returning. However, unexpectedly, Feng Ning had grown plump and healthy at home and returned.

Upon her return, she was noticeably more restrained in her behavior, but she still enjoyed going out and showed interest in the Long family's assets and family secrets. At that time, rumors of the Long family's treasure began to circulate, and Long San was also encountering some trouble outside. Everyone's attention was focused on the outlaws, neglecting the situation at home. So one night, Feng Ning stole the Long family's treasure and fled. Fortunately, the Long family discovered it early and tracked her down to the Liang River outside the city.

Feng Ning knew everything that happened afterward. The Long family rescued her by the Liang River; she had hit her head and lost her memory. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Long San, according to your suspicions, was I sent by my family to steal the treasure?"

Long San pondered for a moment: "That's very likely. You married into the family and didn't get any benefits. Your family must be disappointed. You've been home for so long, and the news of my Long family's heirloom treasure has spread throughout the neighborhood since you came back. The timing is perfect."

"Did you start having trouble outside around that time?"

Long San nodded.

"What kind of trouble is it?"

"Assassination. I've been attacked several times, but not every time it was related to this." After all, he was a troublemaker in the past, and he was aware of that.

"Oh." Feng Ning remembered that Xiao Qing had mentioned Third Master had been attacked and hit his head. "Any clues about your attack?"

“Yes, I do.” Long San took out a box, opened it, and took out a knotted rope: “This was cut off from the wrist of the leader of the assassins during an encounter. I felt that he was after the Long family that time.”

Feng Ning took it and examined it closely. The knotted rope was made of several colorful silk cords, resembling an ornament or a token. As if sensing her thoughts, Long San said, "No one else has this on their wrist, only that person does. Could it be a token from some organization?"

Feng Ning nodded. In her opinion, it was more like a little trinket a woman made to give to her lover. Long San said, "To tell you the truth, Granny Yu always felt that my serious injury was related to you. She checked everything in your room, but didn't find any evidence, so she stopped."

"No wonder she dislikes me so much." Feng Ning pouted, feeling very unhappy. How could she do such a bad thing? Stealing was one thing, but she could never do something as heinous as having an affair and murdering her husband.

But Feng Ning couldn't sleep those nights; she was pondering something. Not why she stole, or for whom she stole, but how she stole?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. If she were to investigate the location of the treasure, shouldn't she have a map or some tools? She knew martial arts, so where were her weapons? She hadn't seen a single dagger in the room; it was as clean as a normal lady's room.

She sat up abruptly and began searching the room. Someone who had planned this for so long wouldn't have left no clues. She hadn't found Granny Yu, but perhaps she had hidden her well. She quietly searched every corner, turning over cabinets, tables, chests, and under the bed, but found nothing.

Feng Ning looked around, her gaze settling on the jewelry box. She walked over and opened it. It was just a simple square box containing several pieces of jewelry. Feng Ning weighed them in her hand; the weight seemed normal. She had searched the entire house, but this was the only box she hadn't examined closely. So she emptied the contents out, felt them with her hands, and examined them from top to bottom. She noticed that the color of the bottom was a little off. She reached down and pried at it, and surprisingly, she could remove the bottom. Some light silk cords floated out.

Feng Ning was stunned when she saw it.

Author's Note: Feng Ning has discovered an important clue. Have you guessed it yet?

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