Chapter 7

After eating the steamed bun, Tang Ning lay on the ground for a while, watching Xi Ti walk forward. Knowing that it was time to rest, he hurriedly got up and followed behind.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, came to a courtyard. The courtyard was large, with dozens of large water jars placed inside.

Xi Ti pointed to two buckets in the corner: "These two are yours. There is a river to the south. Go there to fetch water. Choose any empty jar and fill it up."

Tang Ning nodded, picked up the two buckets, and ran out the door toward the south.

Not far away, he saw a person carrying two buckets of water walking briskly toward him. Upon closer inspection, it was Gu Chengqian.

"Are you still doing this assignment?" Tang Ning asked, thinking they had already finished it. After all, he had spent so much time running up the mountain, and seeing them still doing this assignment made him quite happy.

"Do you think it's easy to fill up that large jar?" Gu Chengqian stopped and said.

"How much have you filled? How many trips will it take to fill it up?"

"I've filled it halfway. It takes about ten trips with two full buckets."

"Is the river nearby?"

"Follow this road, and you'll know when you get there. I won't talk to you anymore; I need to hurry."

Tang Ning carried the empty buckets and walked forward. Along the way, he saw many people coming toward him, some walking fast and some walking slow. Many of them were walking a bit and then resting.

After walking a long distance, he finally reached the river. He filled the two buckets with water and carried them back. Halfway through, he couldn't go on and had to stop to rest. He had grown up going up the mountain to cut firewood and carrying it home, so he was no stranger to such tasks.

However, carrying two heavy buckets of water for such a long distance was something he had never done before. The distance from the river to the courtyard was at least two li.

Moreover, he had to carry the buckets, not shoulder them. When he carried firewood home, he always put it on his shoulder, which was much easier.

After resting for a while, he picked up the buckets and continued walking. On his third trip back, he met Gu Chengqian, who had already filled the water jar and completed the assignment.

Fortunately, many others had not finished yet.

As time passed, fewer and fewer people were on the road, and more and more had completed the assignment. Gradually, he was the only one left. On his sixth trip back, Xi Ti came over: "Go eat. It's time. After eating, rest for an hour, and continue in the afternoon."

He put down the buckets, and his arms felt as if they were filled with iron, unable to lift them.

When he reached the dining hall, it was already empty. The others must have finished eating. He wondered if Liu Ruhuan had eaten and returned to his room.

He found that Liu Ruhuan was not in the room.

"Huh, where did she go? She shouldn't wander around by herself when I'm not here."

Just as he was about to go out to look for her, Tang Ning remembered that Qin Luo had mentioned arranging something for her today. So she must have been taken by Qin Luo. He decided to wait for her to return on her own.

He fell onto the bed, his body extremely tired, and immediately fell asleep.

In a daze, he felt a warm body squeeze in next to him, and a familiar fragrance wafted to his nose.

He had a dream where he was riding a tall horse, galloping through a blood-red world. Looking down, he saw that the horse was a skeleton, and its hooves were stepping on piles of dry bones.

Tang Ning suddenly opened his eyes, realizing it was just a dream. Liu Ruhuan was lying in his arms, her big, watery eyes looking at him.

Seeing him awake, Liu Ruhuan snuggled closer to him, kissed his cheek, and gently rubbed her face against his.

"Ruhuan, where did you go this morning?" Tang Ning asked.

Liu Ruhuan raised her head and gestured with her hands. Tang Ning didn't quite understand, so she repeated the gesture.

"Are you saying that you went out to buy vegetables in the morning and then washed them when you came back?"

Liu Ruhuan nodded.

"Ruhuan, were those people nice to you? Did they scold you?" Tang Ning was very worried, as she couldn't speak and feared others might look down on her or bully her.

Liu Ruhuan gestured again, indicating that she didn't know how to buy things but just followed others to pick up items and wash vegetables.

"Ruhuan, I will learn well and when we go out, you can stay at home and not work outside."

Liu Ruhuan's face pressed against his, and she nodded.

"Tan Ning, Tan Ning." A knock came from outside the door.

Tang Ning got out of bed and opened the door. Gu Chengqian walked in: "I woke up and was bored, so I came to play with you. What are you doing? Why is your door locked during the day?"

Tang Ning didn't lock the door when he came in; it must have been Liu Ruhuan.

"I was sleeping."

"Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was already awake. By the way, I saw you carrying the buckets pretty fast today. You were the first to complete the assignment among us. That's impressive!"

"Haha." Gu Chengqian looked quite proud: "Of course, I've been practicing martial arts since I was a child."

"Are you all trained in martial arts from a young age? I feel like you are all very skilled."

"Not all of us. Most are like you. When they first came, many were even less capable than you. I was also quite tired on the first day, but after a while, you get used to it."

"Is that so? They were like this when they first came?"

"Yes, what did you think? Hey, what is your sister doing here?"

"She helps with buying vegetables and washing them."

"What's her name?"

"Liu Ruhuan, she can't speak."

"Oh."

The two chatted for a while. In the afternoon, everyone gathered at the foot of the mountain. Xi Ti gave instructions, and they each went to do their assignments.

Tang Ning returned to the road and picked up his buckets. He was the only one who hadn't completed this assignment.

After about an hour, when he poured the two buckets of water into the jar, it finally overflowed.

Tang Ning lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

After resting for a while, he walked to the next assignment location, which was a plum garden. The assignment was to stand in a horse stance for half an hour.

He couldn't hold the stance for that long, so he would squat until his legs went numb, fall down, rest for a while, and then continue.

After accumulating half an hour, he started the next assignment: high kicks, one thousand times.

When he reached two hundred kicks, Xi Ti told him to eat, and the assignments for the day were over.

These new disciples had five daily assignments: running up the mountain, carrying buckets, horse stance, high kicks, and punching. Tang Ning had only completed three.

After eating in the evening and returning to his room, he went straight to the bed and lay down.

Liu Ruhuan climbed onto the bed and sat behind him, gently massaging his shoulders and back.

"Ruhuan, have you eaten?" Tang Ning asked, lying on the bed, with Liu Ruhuan's soft hands on his back.

Liu Ruhuan nodded.

The door opened, and Gu Chengqian walked in, seeing Tang Ning lying on the bed and Liu Ruhuan kneeling there, massaging his shoulders and back.

He was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, his eyes full of envy. He took a stool and sat next to Tang Ning: "You're lucky to have your sister here. When I'm tired, I wish my father had bought a maid for me."

Tang Ning, lying on the bed, didn't turn his head. He was too lazy to move. Liu Ruhuan's gentle hands on his back felt very comfortable: "When did you finish your assignments today? I saw you finish quite early and play around."

"Not really! I finished about half an hour before the meal. The morning assignments were tiring, but the afternoon ones were easier. I completed them in one and a half hours."

"You mentioned there's an annual assessment. Do you know when it is?"

"I'm not sure. It should be after we've practiced for a year."

Tang Ning sat up: "You've practiced martial arts before, right? Can you show me some moves?"

"I practice external martial arts, not internal cultivation."

"Internal cultivation? What is that?" Tang Ning, who had never heard of it before, asked curiously.

"Internal cultivation is about building internal energy. The deeper your internal energy, the more powerful your techniques. If someone has shallow internal energy, even the most powerful techniques won't be very effective."

"Can you show me the external martial arts you practice?"

"Sure, but it's a bit cramped here. Let me show you a set of our family's boxing techniques." Gu Chengqian stood up, got into position, and started punching, each punch powerful and full of energy.

After finishing the set, Gu Chengqian retracted his fists, took a deep breath, and sat down.

"Can you teach me this set of boxing techniques?"

"Sure." Gu Chengqian said readily.

"Teach me now! Let's find a more open place." Tang Ning jumped out of bed and said.

"Now?" Gu Chengqian looked hesitant: "How about tomorrow? I need to wash my clothes later. I have a lot of clothes that haven't been washed for days."

"Alright, you can teach me tomorrow."

The two chatted for a while, and Gu Chengqian left. Tang Ning washed up and lay on the bed. Liu Ruhuan closed the door, blew out the lamp, and snuggled into his arms.

In the quiet of the night, the room was silent, with only Tang Ning's steady breathing. Liu Ruhuan held him tightly, her big eyes fixed on him. After a while, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, then did it again.

The bright moonlight outside shone through the window onto the blanket covering them. Liu Ruhuan's moist lips kissed Tang Ning's cheek several times, and her small body twisted in his arms, finding a more comfortable position. She pressed their faces together and closed her eyes.

In a daze, Tang Ning felt a spinning sensation, his body sinking, sinking, sinking.

It seemed like a long time had passed before he opened his eyes. He saw a gray, misty world, the sky and the ground both gray and indistinct.

It was as if a thick fog enveloped everything, making it impossible to see or hear anything.

"Is this a dream?" Tang Ning thought.

He pinched his thigh hard, feeling a bit of pain.

No way! How can a dream feel painful? Tang Ning was confused. He raised his hand and slapped his face. A loud sound echoed, and he felt immediate pain.

This isn't a dream; it's real. Tang Ning opened his eyes wide, looking at everything around him in disbelief, even though he couldn't see anything.

He was scared and raised his hand again, slapping himself. The same sound and pain.

No, no, this can't be. I'm clearly in bed; how can I be here? He couldn't believe it, didn't dare to believe it.

Slap, slap, slap. The loud sounds echoed, and his face burned.

"Why don't I wake up? Why don't I wake up?" Tang Ning kept slapping himself, panicking.

He fell to the ground with a thud, his face already swollen.

"Ruhuan, Ruhuan." He suddenly stood up and shouted loudly into the surrounding mist.

He shouted for a long time, but only his voice echoed in the vast emptiness.

"I want to go back, I want to go back." He whispered, running forward without hesitation.

The surroundings were gray and misty, like a thick fog always surrounding him. He ran, ran, not knowing how long, until he was exhausted and fell down.

Lying on the ground, he looked up at the gray sky, seeing nothing. It felt like everything was an illusion, and he had never moved, always been there.

He was desperate, his body extremely tired, unable to even move his hands. He closed his eyes.

Just sleep, sleep. Maybe when I wake up, I'll be back in that world of birds and flowers, most importantly, back by her side.