After Mid-Autumn Festival, it was a rare leisurely afternoon. An autumn breeze rustled through the courtyard, causing the leaves to whisper.

Facing the courtyard, in a practice room with a wooden floor, Ning Yi was dressed in a set of short, close-fitting clothing, performing a serious warm-up exercise with his hands on his hips.

Xigua, on the other side, had just returned from outside. She had taken a bath, tied up her hair, and was wearing a loose and comfortable light blue top and long skirt, sitting barefoot on a chair by the side of the room.

"I originally wanted to find Lao Ba for a spar, as Sister Ti and Boss Du said he's become even more powerful. It's a pity you sent him on a mission."

She tucked her right leg onto the chair, hugged her knees, and casually spoke while watching her dignified husband throwing punches with vigor. Ning Yi, however, ignored her chatter.

"Hah! Ha! Hah! Hah!" Skipping with agile steps, throwing a series of punches that, although strange in the past, were now commonplace for Xigua, Hong Ti, and others, Grandmaster Ning Liheng finally stood in the center of the room after completing his warm-up. "You, get up."

"Huh?" Xigua blinked, pointed at herself, and then, after a moment, got down from the seat, took two steps forward, her eyes narrowed into crescents. "Oh." She waved her hands, facing Ning Yi.

"I, will have a fair martial arts contest with Saber Master Liu Xigua." Martial arts grandmaster Ning Liheng raised his right hand, gesturing towards Xigua.

"Uh..." Xigua blinked, then raised her hand as well. "I, Saber Master Liu Xigua, will have a fair martial arts contest with Mind Demon Ning Liheng."

She thought for a moment, then stretched out her arms, using the move "White Crane Spreads Its Wings."

Experts rarely started a fight with the "White Crane Spreads Its Wings," an impractical move. Grandmaster Ning Liheng felt insulted.

But he remained expressionless, very mature.

"I sent Qian Lao Ba to Jiangning."

"Oh." Xigua reacted, nodding. "Did he lead-"

In that instant, Grandmaster Ning Liheng suddenly exerted force and charged forward, sweeping his leg towards Xigua, who was standing on one leg. Xigua's body swayed, her skirt fluttering in the air. She flipped backward, and before she could steady herself, Ning Yi rushed towards her, like a fierce tiger about to pounce on her.

Xigua took a step back, grabbing Grandmaster Ning Liheng's collar. Under the enormous force of the impact, the two of them spun around while pulling each other. Xigua's skirt almost unfurled into a lotus flower, and after three turns with a whoosh, Grandmaster Ning Liheng rolled out. He reached out and pressed his hand on the ground to stand up twenty feet away. His head was a little dizzy, but he quickly adjusted his vision. Very mature.

"You should have blocked the second sweep. You shouldn't have pounced on me."

She hopped, clenching her fists.

"I was afraid of hurting you." Grandmaster Ning Liheng twisted his neck from side to side. "Now, let's get serious."

"Oh." Xigua nodded. "So Lao Ba led the team to Jiangning? Xiao Hei and Yuwen went too, right? What do you plan to do with He Wen?"

"In the political arena, I have no prejudice against him. Whether we become friends or enemies depends on future developments."

Grandmaster Ning Liheng spoke, adopting an offensive stance. After all, he had come out of the grandmaster ranks, and his posture was flawless, showing the demeanor of a master. Xigua adopted a reckless, “King Eight Boxing” stance, looking like someone offering themselves up for slaughter.

"It's also time to probe his attitude. To be honest, the big guys in the army don't have a good impression of him, especially after this so-called Heroes' Gathering. They all want to beat him up."

"I think Black Tiger Digs the Heart!" Grandmaster launched a surprise attack.

"King Eight Climbs a Tree!" Xigua opened her arms and jumped up, startling her opponent.

"Is that even a move?"

"You can't climb it, so you jump." She explained.

"That makes a lot of sense when you put it that way." Ning Yi nodded. "I thought you'd like He Wen more. After all, he's dividing the land."

"In terms of ideals, I don't hate him, but I'm also a woman. It's not okay for him to take advantage of me."

"- Monkey Steals Peaches!"

"I didn't."

In the room, Grandmaster Ning Liheng rushed forward, and Grandmaster Liu Xigua caught it with a palm and counterattacked. The two exchanged blows swiftly, clashing together with a series of "pitter-patter" sounds. This time it was no longer "Black Tiger Digs the Heart" versus "King Eight Climbs a Tree," but a well-organized fight. If ordinary experts were present, they would be frightened, because the martial arts of both grandmasters were extremely high. For a time, they fought evenly matched, difficult to separate, a rare peak duel.

"He Wen is developing too fast. Holding this gathering is to stabilize his rule. A lot of things will happen inside..."

"If I have the chance, I'd also like to go to Jiangning and take a look, after all, it's your hometown..."

"Forget it this time. If things go wrong, they'll start fighting like dogs over there... Hmph, your skills aren't bad."

"Yuwen brought guns, right? I heard Lao Lin will go. Please be gentle."

"You... you're panting. It's not just Lao Lin. All the forces will send people this time. Martial artists are just actors on stage, under the stage-"

"The water is very deep. Based on the rise of the Five Party of Fairness, if He Wen can't stabilize it- Take this punch!"

"Dodged."

"If he can't stabilize it, the army may start fighting directly in Jiangning. Monkey Steals Peaches!"

"Didn't steal it."

"Double Dragons Go Out to Sea!"

"Monkey Steals Peaches!"

"Black Tiger Digs the Heart!"

"Parricide - Don't pull my skirt!"

"There's no move called parricide. If you mess up, you have to admit defeat-"

"Ah-"

The two were fighting with reckless "King Eight Boxing" moves in the center of the hall, and then Xigua screamed, grabbed her skirt, and started running. There was a "tearing" sound in the room, and after a moment, Grandmaster Ning Liheng forced Liu Xigua, who was also a grandmaster, into a corner and knocked her to the ground.

"You're tearing things up!" Xigua punched him.

Grandmaster Ning Liheng won the fair martial arts contest, panting heavily, lying on the ground. Xigua lay on the floor, spreading her arms, accepting the education from this defeat.

"Little Ji's birthday is in two days." She sighed softly. "Where do you think he's run off to now?"

"Knowing that guy's personality of loving to join in on the fun, Lao Ba might run into him in Jiangning."

"I should have gone. What if he meets Lao Lin?"

"Lao Ba is leading a group of people, all of whom are skilled. They wouldn't necessarily lose if they met."

"You also said it might turn into a battlefield..."

"I mentioned it to Lao Ba. If he sees that brat, tell him to run quickly or just grab him back."

"I'm still worried..."

"You're clouded by concern. Even if it's a battlefield, that guy isn't without the ability to survive. Don't forget how many Jurchens he killed with Brother Zheng Si during that time. He's more cunning than a rabbit. He'll run at the slightest sign of trouble."

"You're not worried about him being in a place like that?"

Ning Yi also turned over, and the two lay side by side, looking at the ceiling of the room, the sunlight streaming in from outside. After a while, he spoke.

"Boys always have to go out." He thought for a moment. "It's all your and Hong Ti's fault for teaching him martial arts."

"Isn't it because you're always telling him that you're a martial arts master, that Zhou Tong was your sworn brother, and that Lu Tuo was killed by your palm..."

"Those are all true stories. It's still your fault."

The couple shifted blame and argued with each other. After a while, they waved and hit each other, and Xigua laughed, climbing onto Ning Yi. Ning Yi frowned. "What are you doing?"

"One more time."

"Did I win or did you win?" Ning Yi sighed. "You're not playing by the rules."

"You won. It's all me and Sister Ti's fault..."

The autumn breeze rustled through the courtyard, and the leaves whispered. Their voices then turned into soft murmurs, melting into the warm autumn breeze.

On the same autumn day, more than two thousand miles away from Chengdu, the boy cared for by this couple was traveling through Tongshan County in Jinghu North Circuit with a group of companions.

More than two months had passed since he left Chengdu. Still traveling with him were the scholars led by "Great Potential" Lu Wenke, "Respect the Gods" Fan Heng, "Cold-faced Cheapskate" Chen Junsheng, and Wang Jiang and his daughter Wang Xiuniang, who had been traveling with them because of Lu Wenke's relationship.

It was not easy to travel in chaotic times, and that was why it was so precious to find a few reliable friends to travel with. Lu Wenke and others also cherished this fate, and as such, the group traveled together for two or three thousand miles, watching the scenery and experiencing the folk customs along the way. After more than two months, they became increasingly familiar with each other, almost developing a family-like relationship.

This was different from Ning Ji's fantasy of the outside world when he set out, but even in such chaotic times, there always seemed to be a relatively safe path to follow. They had heard news of bandits along the way, and had seen relatively difficult officials, and even during this time traveling along the south bank of the Yangtze River, they had seen the sails of warships heading to the north - there seemed to be fighting in the north - but major disasters had not appeared before them, so that Ning Ji's dream of becoming a martial arts hero had become a bit lax.

Before arriving at Tongshan, they first passed through Jinghu North Circuit, and the group traveled through the relatively prosperous Jiayu, Ezhou, and Chibi. This area had always been a place of war. It had suffered from the disasters of war when the Jurchens came, and was later taken over by Liu Guangshi. After gathering the strength of local gentry and receiving "support" from the Huaxia Army, the city's prosperity had somewhat recovered. Now that the battle was already underway in Jiangbei, the atmosphere on the south bank of the Yangtze River was only slightly more somber.

Scholars like Lu Wenke had the desire to govern the world, and every time they arrived at a place, in addition to visiting scenic spots and historical sites, they would also personally visit the places that had previously suffered from war, looking at the broken walls and ruins burned by the Jin soldiers, strengthening their ambitions.

After passing through Jinghu North Circuit, they arrived at Tongshan County, which was the border between Jinghu North Circuit and Jiangnan West Circuit. Tongshan County was not a large city. Because it had also suffered from the disasters of war, the city walls still appeared damaged, but there were scenic spots such as Jiugong Mountain outside the county seat. When the Jurchens swept through a couple of years earlier, the local army did not resist much, and most of the people went into the mountains to hide. Except for the burning of the county seat, there were not many casualties. However, this year Liu Guangshi wanted to fight, so he had conscripted many strong men here, and there was a lot of bitterness on the streets.

From Tongshan southward, entering Jiangnan West Circuit, another three or four hundred miles would reach Lu Wenke's hometown of Hongzhou. He kept talking about how he was going to return to Hongzhou and bring all that he had seen and learned in the southwest to bear, but when he arrived here, he was not in a hurry to go home immediately. The group toured Jiugong Mountain for two days, and also saw the place where the Jin soldiers set fire on that day in Tongshan County. This afternoon, they set up a hot pot in the courtyard they had rented at the inn. Everyone decorated the place, prepared ingredients, and composed poetry, having a great time.

The inn was a newly renovated storefront, but it had also suffered from the disasters of war. A large pagoda tree in the backyard had been burned by fire, half dead and half alive. It was golden autumn, and the leaves on the half of the big tree in the courtyard began to turn yellow. The scene was magnificent and full of symbolism, so Fan Heng shook his head and said that the tree was just like the current situation of the Wu Dynasty, and he recited two poems.

Lu Wenke and others were also talking about the current state of the country, and Chen Junsheng occasionally interjected, still in his usual sharp style. Several servants in the courtyard set up a shed to block the falling leaves, and Wang Jiang bought a lot of ingredients from outside, and was preparing them there with his daughter Wang Xiuniang.

Ning Ji sat among the scholars talking and chatting, listening to their nonsense, while his eyes were always on Wang Xiuniang, who was cutting meat there. Today, in order to prepare this hot pot, everyone had spared no expense and bought two large pieces of meat, which were being cut into thin slices under Wang Xiuniang's knife, making Ning Ji restless. After cutting half of it, Wang Xiuniang smiled and came over to greet everyone, reaching out her greasy fingers to pinch Ning Ji's cheeks.

"Little Long, little Long, you're always looking at my side, could it be that you've fallen in love with your sister?"

Ning Ji didn't bother with her, and Lu Wenke chimed in, "I think he's fallen in love with that meat."

The group had been traveling together for more than two months, and they had finally reached a consensus on Ning Ji's large appetite and gluttony. Seeing Lu Wenke speak, Wang Xiuniang smiled gently, "Then eat more later." It was not clear whether she was talking about Lu Wenke or Ning Ji.

After traveling together for this journey, some warm developments had finally occurred between Lu Wenke and Wang Xiuniang - in fact, Lu Wenke was at the age of romance, and he had some family wealth in Hongzhou, while Wang Xiuniang was certainly young and beautiful, but in terms of status, she was not worthy of him, but people were not plants, how could they be without feelings? The subtle feelings of the two sides had naturally been established after traveling together for these two months.

Although Lu Wenke could not marry her as his wife, there was no harm in taking her as a concubine, and for a woman like Wang Xiuniang who made a living by performing in the Jianghu, as long as Lu Wenke was reliable, this could be considered a good destination.

It was not yet night, and everyone was playing around and eating snacks. When talking about the local situation in Tongshan, Fan Heng, the middle-aged scholar who loved to lecture Ning Ji on knowledge, said, "Yesterday when we came back from outside, Little Long, do you remember the Li Family Fortress we saw on the road?"

"Yes, I remember." Ning Ji nodded.

"I asked around this morning, and the largest wealthy family in the area, as well as the most powerful Jianghu expert, came from that Li Family Fortress."

After traveling together for more than two months, Ning Ji's secret of gluttony had been exposed, and as a young man, he had not deliberately hidden his love for martial arts. Although Fan Heng and others were scholars, they regarded Ning Ji as a junior worthy of cultivation, and with the background of the Jiangning Heroes' Gathering a millennium away, they also inquired about various Jianghu anecdotes in the area.

At this time, he smiled at everyone, "It is said that the background of this local expert is not simple. His father was a member of the Great Brightness Sect. He was originally one of the protectors of the Great Brightness Sect, and used to have a nickname called 'Monkey King', and his name was Li Ruoque. Don't listen to how comical the name sounds, his skills are amazing, I heard that he has some Great Monkey Fist, Little Monkey Fist..."

"White Ape Tongbei." Ning Ji said.

"That's right, and White Ape Tongbei Fist." Fan Heng said, "This Li Ruoque has been famous for almost twenty years, but his family business was not large back then. After all, before Jingping, the world valued literature over martial arts. The Li family also had a great feud with that Mind Demon in the southwest. Even before Mind Demon killed the emperor, many experts of the Great Brightness Sect entered the capital, and 'Monkey King' Li Ruoque was one of the generals under that 'Forest Piercing North Leg' Lin Zongwu. Later, he died under the iron hooves of the Huaxia Army. It seems that monkeys can't run faster than horses after all..."

Fan Heng was a scholar and had no great respect for martial artists. At this time, he made a joke and smiled, "After Li Ruoque died, the one who inherited the family business was called Li Yanfeng. This person's skills are even better than his father's. After Li Ruoque died, he not only quickly made a name for himself, but also expanded his family business several times. Then, the Jin army's offensive came south. In such a chaotic world, the greenwoodsmen had an advantage. He quickly organized the local villagers to go into the mountains. After coming out of the mountains, the largest household in Tongshan, hehe, became the Li family."

"The current Li Yanfeng is a favorite of General Liu Guangshi. He built a fortress, organized local militias. Can you see what path he's taking? He's imitating the past Miao Jiang Tyrant Saber. It is said that this time there is a war in the north, he sent the Li family's soldiers to listen to the orders of General Liu. The Jiangning Heroes' Gathering is where Li Yanfeng himself went to be the deputy. Little Long, if you go to Jiangning, you might see him."

He told what he had found out, speaking eloquently. Chen Junsheng thought for a moment, "This time, I heard that the leader Lin will also go to Jiangning. Something will happen in the middle."

Lu Wenke nodded and said, "Over the past ten years, it is said that the leader of the Great Brightness Sect has been organizing resistance against the Jin in the north, and the affairs of the sect in the south are indeed a bit scattered. If he goes to Jiangnan this time and issues a call, another group of people will join the various forces in the world. It seems that this Jiangning Gathering will indeed be a dragon and tiger battle."

"A chaotic situation is not a good thing. Little Long is at such a young age, so don't join in the fun." Someone was worried about Ning Ji.

Fan Heng nodded.

Lu Wenke said, "Why don't we just take a look first? When we get to Hongzhou in a few days, I'll ask the elders in my family to inquire more and ask about the tricks in this Jiangning Gathering. If there is any real danger, Little Long might as well stay in Hongzhou for a while. You don't have to rush to go to your hometown."

Ning Ji did not intend to explain to him, and reached out to scratch his cheeks. "We'll see."

Chen Junsheng smiled over there and said to Lu Wenke, "You should say, there's plenty of fatty meat."

"There's plenty, there must be plenty."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Ning Ji laughed too. He liked this atmosphere, but of course, the people in front of him did not know that the matter of going to Jiangning was not something that a few pieces of fatty meat could shake.

Amidst the laughter, the setting sun cast golden afterglows in the backyard of the inn. Trees swayed above the courtyard, and leaves fell. When Wang Xiuniang came over with the food, everyone teased Ning Ji again. It was a scene of harmony and joy.

The next day was the nineteenth day of the seventh month of this year, and it was also a day for everyone to rest temporarily. A few scholars got up a little later. In the morning, Wang Jiang and his daughter Wang Xiuniang took advantage of the time to go to the streets of the county to perform and earn some travel expenses - Wang Xiuniang's relationship with Lu Wenke was still uncertain, so they had always been self-sufficient like this, and Lu Wenke did not stop them.

Everyone was discussing whether to go out to play in the afternoon at the inn. According to the innkeeper, the Li Family Fortress was not closed off and had a spirit of martial arts. Although many people had been sent across the river to fight, people were still practicing martial arts in the fort on weekdays. Occasionally, Jianghu people or passers-by would be allowed to visit or even spar. It was always good to go and take a look.

It was noon, and when it was almost time to eat, the streets outside seemed to be quiet instead. Suddenly, someone rushed into the inn covered in blood, shouting, "Help!"

The group was sitting in the hall of the inn playing cards. Seeing such a scene, Ning Ji flew over and helped him up, quickly identifying his injuries. And Wang Jiang was still running towards the scholars, "Help! Help Xiuniang..."

As he spoke, a few yamen runners also rushed into the inn, one of them shouting, "The villain is committing a crime, escape, take him down!"

Someone had already waved a chain, pointing to Lu Wenke and others who were standing up in the hall, "No one is allowed to move! Whoever moves will be punished as an accomplice!"