Chapter 44

On the 14th of March in the fifth year of Wude, the day before the county examination in Qingyun County.

Ning Wuque stepped out of the house, took a deep breath of fresh air, and listened to the birds singing in the quiet mountains. The cherry blossoms in the courtyard were about to bloom, clustered here and there, pink and alluring, like women in pink dresses.

The faint fragrance of cherry blossoms wafted into his nose, making Ning Wuque close his eyes slightly, feeling relaxed. After four or five days of recuperation and the healing medicine from the Daoist, the sword wounds on his body had already scabbed over. To his pleasant surprise, after a fierce battle, his lungs and large intestine, which belong to the metal element in the five elements, had taken on a hint of gold.

In the five elements, the lungs and large intestine belong to metal, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal. As long as he practiced diligently, Ning Wuque believed that he would soon generate metal qi. Metal qi is sharp, and his attacks would become much stronger.

Shi Zhixuan and Xie Yanran had gone north with Li Xiuning to investigate the murderer, and they hadn't been seen for many days.

Ning Wuque moved his body in the quiet courtyard, and the sound of light footsteps echoed. Ruolan, dressed in a pink dress, walked in, holding a tray with a porcelain bowl emitting steam.

Seeing Ning Wuque, Ruolan came to his side, smiled slightly, and said, "Young Master, it's time to take your medicine!"

Ruolan had been taking care of him for several days, and Ning Wuque had gotten used to it. He smiled, picked up the medicine bowl, which was at the right temperature, and drank it all in one gulp, making a gurgling sound.

"Alright, no more medicine from now on. My body has already recovered."

Ning Wuque frowned. Good medicine is bitter, but drinking it every day is unbearable, even for a god. Now, even his saliva tasted bitter.

Thinking about it, he had been drinking medicine almost every day since he came to this world. Was he born to be a medicine pot?

"This medicine was boiled by Miss Luo, and it contains many precious herbs. Young Master, don't let her good intentions go to waste."

Ruolan covered her mouth and laughed, her slender figure exuding allure. Ruolan had a perfect figure, almost flawless, with a height similar to Ning Wuque's. She was slender and well-proportioned, with full breasts, a slim waist, and a plump buttocks, making her very attractive.

When she smiled, she looked like a butterfly in a flower garden, graceful and charming, making Ning Wuque momentarily dazed.

Feeling Ning Wuque's fiery gaze, Ruolan's neck turned slightly red, but her body leaned closer to him. Her red lips moved to Ning Wuque's ear, exhaling a warm, fragrant breath, her soft voice full of temptation.

"Young Master, am I beautiful? Do you want me?"

Seductress! Ning Wuque's face turned red, and he cursed Li Xiuning for not having good intentions, placing such a seductress by his side, truly tempting him to sin.

"Amitabha, form is emptiness, emptiness is form, form is..."

He silently recited the Buddhist scriptures, greedily inhaling Ruolan's fragrance. He was sure that Ruolan was still a virgin. Don't ask how he knew; it was intuition, the intuition of a wolf demon!

Seemingly not satisfied with the teasing, Ruolan extended her tongue and lightly touched Ning Wuque's ear, instantly igniting a flame in his chest. Ning Wuque found that he had a shameful reaction. The fragrance from Ruolan's body stimulated his hormones. Just as Ning Wuque was about to lose control, Ruolan finally moved away, smiling like a breeze, leaving a tinkling laugh.

"Young Master, if you want me, you'll have to work harder!"

"Seductress!"

A moment later, Ning Wuque finally calmed down, looking in the direction Ruolan had disappeared, and smiled slightly, shaking his head. "This woman, clearly not good at the beauty strategy, still tries to seduce me. Haha..."

Just now, Ruolan's heart was beating faster than his, and her body was almost tense. Moreover, Ning Wuque felt that Ruolan was not that kind of woman; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked a question like "Can immortals, gods, demons, and monsters be free?"

"What are you up to?"

Ning Wuque looked up at the cherry blossoms on the tree and smiled slightly. He had already died once; what did he have to fear from any conspiracy?

With nothing to do, Ning Wuque wandered around the Zhang residence for a while. This residence was just a temporary place for Zhang Qing to stay, and many rooms were empty. There were few people in the residence.

Ning Wushuang seemed to have been stimulated by the prison ordeal and had been practicing martial arts with the Daoist these past few days to strengthen his body. Thanks to the Zhu fruit he had previously consumed, Ning Wushuang's progress was very fast. Ning Bo Wu was also watching, and his talent in martial arts was so strong that even the Daoist was amazed. He could remember many boxing and sword techniques at a glance.

If not for the fact that Ning Bo Wu had lived with him for over ten years and was used to this, Ning Wuque would have suspected that Ning Bo Wu was pretending to be foolish.

The Daoist frankly said that Ning Bo Wu was not foolish but had been affected by some trauma in his childhood, which damaged his soul. There might still be a chance to heal him in the future.

Due to the Yixiang Garden incident, many officials from Jiangnan had come to Qingyun County. Zhang Qing was also a prominent figure in Jiangnan and was busy with various receptions. Fortunately, the county examination was the next day, so Zhang Qing returned home early that day.

After dinner, Zhang Qing called the three brothers, Ning Wuque, to the front room.

Looking at the clear-eyed Ning Wuque, Zhang Qing felt a headache. He didn't know where Ning Wuque got so much energy that he even alarmed the Crown Prince. In the morning, when he went out, he received a letter from the Crown Prince, hoping that he could bring the three of them back.

Zhang Qing also thought Ning Wuque was a piece of unpolished jade, but jade needs to be polished. Zhang Qing did not want Ning Wuque to enter the political arena too early, which was why he had refused the White Cloud Daoist's offer to take Ning Wuque as a disciple at the White Cloud Temple.

After some thought, Zhang Qing decided to keep this a secret and looked at the three brothers. "Your case has been resolved. It was Zhao Lian who colluded with the bandit leader, stole the gold, and framed you. Zhao Lian has been arrested, and County Magistrate Yang Wenqing has been dismissed for his negligence. Considering the harm you suffered, the county government has decided to compensate you with 300 taels of silver. Do you have any complaints?"

Zhao Lian being punished and Yang Wenqing escaping, Ning Wuque was not surprised. Yang Wenqing had the Yang family behind him, and finding a scapegoat, who else but Zhao Lian?

This is how the political arena works?

Shaking his head slightly, Ning Wuque sneered, "He got what he deserved. Zhongyuan has no complaints. The victim was not me but my brother."

Who was Zhang Qing? He naturally heard the dissatisfaction in Ning Wuque's tone, smiled bitterly, and looked at Ning Wushuang.

Ning Wushuang thought for a moment and said, "Your humble servant has no complaints."

Zhang Qing shook his head. This was not a lack of complaints but a surge of resentment!

"You don't understand. This matter involves a wide range of people, even the imperial family." Zhang Qing patiently explained.

Ning Wuque frowned. He had thought Zhang Qing was a righteous and unbending official, but it turned out that Zhang Qing also had a worldly and smooth side. His good impression of Zhang Qing diminished.

"Sir Zhang, we indeed have no complaints. 300 taels of silver for two lives, haha... The county examination is tomorrow, and Zhongyuan still has a few classics to review. We won't disturb you anymore."

Ning Wuque turned and left, and Ning Wushuang and Ning Bo Wu had no choice but to follow. Watching the three of them leave, the anger on Zhang Qing's face gradually dissipated. Not being in a position, one does not understand the politics. Ning Wuque, not having experienced the political arena, could not understand this approach.

Sighing lightly, Zhang Qing shook his head. He was doing this for Ning Wuque's own good. Thinking about the letter from the Crown Prince in the morning, which mentioned the Tang King's campaign against Liu Heita, Zhang Qing forgot about this matter. Palace affairs were the real big issues!