Chapter 22

Niu Ben, quickly send someone to deliver this secret letter back to the manor and hand it to the mistress.

And also instruct the mistress to act on the matter in the letter immediately.

Also prepare a carriage, provision it well, and three days from now at dawn, you will accompany me to Dengfeng to visit the Shaolin Temple.

Also.

After summoning Niu Ben, Niu Dingtian quickly gave orders, then leaned in to whisper further instructions; after that, he handed over a secret letter.

Yes, master, I will attend to it right away, but—

But I have heard that after the Shaolin Temple closed its mountain for a hundred years, it has never received outsiders again; I fear—

Niu Ben took the letter, accepted the order, but then suddenly thought of something, his face showing hesitation, and he voiced his concern.

It's fine; it's merely a matter of using money to open the way—even chanting monks need to eat, and besides, after being closed for so many years, their lives are not easy either.

As the manor lord, I have plenty of ways to deal with them.

Niu Dingtian didn't care about this, waving his hand and appearing full of confidence.

Just then, the prepared Jiaxing breakfast was also brought over; Niu Ben personally received it, placed it on the table, and then quietly withdrew from the room.

Miss Han, wake up, get up and eat something.

Han Xiaoying was in a daze, dreaming of wandering beyond the heavens, when she suddenly heard someone calling; then she caught a familiar fragrance, and instantly felt hunger stir in her stomach, which had not eaten for a long time.

She slowly opened her bleary eyes and vaguely saw someone as if about to feed her.

It seemed to be that person?

Thus she slightly opened her delicate mouth.

Then she felt a soft, sticky morsel enter her mouth, followed by a sweet flavor spreading across her lips and teeth, beginning to rush toward her mind.

What a familiar taste.

For a moment, she also regained some energy.

After coming to her senses, she saw Niu Dingtian sitting sideways beside the bed, one hand holding a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, the other holding ivory chopsticks.

Then he picked up food from the bowl and carefully brought it to her mouth.

She opened her mouth, and it entered.

Glutinous rice lotus root?

Now Han Xiaoying tasted the flavor clearly; her dim eyes brightened slightly, she showed some surprise, then weakly spoke, looking at Niu Dingtian and asking softly.

That's right; I heard Miss Han is from Jiaxing, so I specially prepared some Jiaxing breakfast, though I don't know if it suits your appetite.

There's plenty more; Miss Han, try each one to see how it tastes.

Seeing the beauty taste the pastry and regain some vigor, Niu Dingtian felt pleased as well; he smiled, fixed his gaze on Han Xiaoying's pretty face, and spoke gently.

He thought this meal was indeed arranged correctly; that fellow Niu Ben really handles things reliably!

Han Xiaoying heard this, turned her head slightly, and saw that beside the bed on the small table there were still many foods.

Lotus starch dumplings, Eight Treasures cake, salted egg, soy sauce duck, glutinous rice lotus root, and

that bowl should be Jiaxing meat congee.

Being able to eat these in Luocheng is certainly not easy.

Seeing this, a warm current surged in Han Xiaoying's heart, her eyes grew moist, and she suddenly felt like crying.

These are all the things I loved most as a child,

Although I am a Jiangnan woman, from childhood I have roamed the martial world with my brother Han Baoju and several sworn brothers.

Though the sibling bond is deep, they are all rough men—either drinking or gambling/fighting—so I had never seen anyone so attentive and tenderly caring for me. In the end, Han Xiaoying gradually forgot she was a woman, forgot what a young lady likes, and ended up drinking alcohol, eating meat, and living in desolate wilderness temples.

Miss Han, try this Jiaxing soy sauce duck again to see if the flavor is authentic; when I was in Lin'an City I had long admired it, always wanting to go to Jiaxing to taste the genuine flavor, but never got the chance.

Seeing Han Xiaoying's mood was off, Niu Dingtian hurriedly changed the subject, then brought over that portion of soy sauce duck, picked it up, and gently fed it to her mouth.

Mm.

After Han Xiaoying realized her emotions were out of control, she felt a bit embarrassed, quickly covered it, smiled and gave a soft reply, then obediently opened her mouth to accept it.

Thus, the two silently understood not to speak further—one gently feeding, the other obediently opening her mouth—and before long, most of the breakfast on the table had disappeared.

Young Master Niu, I'm full, I can't eat any more.

Suddenly Han Xiaoying seemed to realize, noticing she had already eaten so much, faced with another offering of food, she felt a bit embarrassed and, blushing, softly refused.

Then, Miss Han, can you sleep? If you cannot, may I keep you company with conversation?

Niu Dingtian also did not insist; he put the bowl and chopsticks aside, then adjusted the blanket, and softly asked Han Xiaoying.

Mm.

Young Master Niu, when did you start practicing martial arts?

Having spent so much time together, Han Xiaoying also gradually relaxed her reservations; she softly agreed and then first opened the topic, asking the question she most wanted to know.

When she asked this, her eyes gained extra sparkle—partly due to admiration for jianghu people, partly due to a young lady's curiosity.

Well, I actually used to be a scholar, haha, Miss Han, you didn't expect that? I also fortunately obtained the qualification for the youth examination, but only ten years ago, due to a chance occurrence, did I abandon scholarship for martial arts.

And at that time

Seeing Han Xiaoying's curiosity, Niu Dingtian held nothing back and began to recount his past: his childhood studies, his sister-in-law Chen Jin'er, his younger sister 'Sha Gu', and his abandonment of scholarship for martial arts.

Han Xiaoying lay on the bed listening quietly; hearing of his childhood loss of parents, her face showed distress; hearing of Chen Jin'er, her heart felt admiration; hearing of his younger sister 'Sha Gu', she felt pity; hearing of Niu Dingtian buying manuals to practice martial arts, she couldn't help but smile.

The more she listened, the more she looked at the person before her, Han Xiaoying's thoughts rose and fell.

And Miss Han? Could you share the story of your own experiences?

After speaking for a long while, Niu Dingtian then stopped, smiling, and asked Han Xiaoying.

Me? I don't have any interesting stories to tell.

Han Xiaoying saw Niu Dingtian suddenly shift the topic onto her; at once she felt a bit nervous, also a little embarrassed, and hesitated, wanting to refuse.

After all, I merely have some jianghu wanderings—sleeping in the wild, roaming the desert—which hardly seem like the sort of tales a young lady ought to have, so for a moment I found it hard to begin speaking.

Niu Dingtian saw her hesitation, stepped close, looked straight into Han Xiao Ying's eyes and said confidently:

"I think, Miss Han, the story you tell must be the most beautiful story!"

Han Xiao Ying saw Niu Dingtian suddenly close in, and became nervous again, her delicate body shrinking slightly, both hands gripping the hem of her robe, then hearing his words, she realized and her heart pounded like a deer, her pretty face turned bright red.

Seeing that he did not retreat, she could only force herself to calm her emotions, suppress her embarrassment, and slowly speak:

"I am originally from Zhejiang Jiaxing, and I have an older brother, who is now Ma Wang Shen Han Baoju of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, whom I have known since childhood."

Han Xiao Ying also began to tell her own story; at first she was a bit restrained, but then she gradually relaxed.

She spoke of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, of the Eighteen-Year Pact, of the Black Wind Twin Devils, of Guo Jing, and of the Great Desert.

"Miss Han, do you know where my home is?"

As Han Xiao Ying was speaking, she suddenly heard Niu Dingtian in front of her speak; after hearing his words clearly, she couldn't help but feel a little strange:

Isn't it by the West Lake in Lin'an City?

If there are any typos or garbled sentences, please let me know, thank you.

(End of chapter)