On the day the passenger ship arrived at Qushui City, a fine drizzle fell from the sky.
Jiang Ning went to the Tidal View Inn, where the innkeeper recognized her at a glance.
"Oh? Lady Liu? What brings you back to Qushui City?"
At the time, Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an had stayed at this inn for over forty days. The innkeeper had a keen eye, and given the couple's striking appearance and demeanor, he had left a deep impression on them.
Jiang Ning wasn't in the habit of exchanging pleasantries with people. She simply said "I'd like a room" in a cool tone, then asked, "Is the room we stayed in last time still available?"
The innkeeper nodded eagerly, saying "It's available," to which she replied, "I'll take that one."
Returning to this place hadn't actually been that long ago, but because so much had happened in the interim, and Liu Ming'an wasn't by her side, Jiang Ning had a strange feeling of being in a different world altogether.
She got up and walked to the window, pushing it open. The fine rain drifted into the room on the breeze, falling on her face and hands with a slight chill.
The nearby sea surface rippled with the fine rain, and from the fishing boats on the shore came occasional shouts of men, snippets of conversation carried by the wind into the room.
"Hey, Third Brother, how was it today?"
"Ho! Luck was good, caught a few big ones..."
Jiang Ning watched for a while, then closed the window and threw herself onto the bed.
It was nearly dark, so Lan Xu must have closed up shop by now. She'd go find her tomorrow.
As for what to say or do once she found her, Jiang Ning hadn't figured that out yet.
The gentle rain continued all night, bringing with it waves of coolness.
After Jiang Ning got up, she dressed neatly, then called for the waiter to bring hot water. After washing up, she combed her hair, planning to go downstairs for breakfast before heading to Universal Blessing Temple.
When she reached the ground floor hall, some early-rising diners were already seated. The inn's waiters were bustling about, and upon seeing Jiang Ning, one approached with a grin, asking, "What would the lady like to eat?"
"White porridge, steamed buns, spring rolls—"
Just as Jiang Ning finished speaking, an astonished shout came from nearby: "Third Young Miss!"
Several gazes instantly fell on Jiang Ning. She looked towards the voice and saw three men in combat attire sitting at the next table, all staring at her in disbelief. One of them even had half a steamed bun dangling from his mouth, forgotten mid-chew.
She didn't recognize any of them.
Jiang Ning looked at them expressionlessly, trying to guess their identities.
Before she could figure it out, the three men had already picked up their bowls and chopsticks and sat down at her table. One with a full beard dismissed the waiter standing nearby, saying, "Whatever she ordered, go get it. Don't just stand there."
The waiter responded with a couple of "Oh, oh"s and walked away, while Jiang Ning silently observed the three men before her.
"Third Young Miss, what are you doing in Qushui City? Shouldn't you be at the mansion?" the bearded man asked, looking at Jiang Ning with confusion.
Another younger man with a baby face pushed a basket of red sugar flower buns towards Jiang Ning, saying cheerfully, "Third Young Miss, please eat first, don't go hungry. We haven't touched this basket yet."
Seeing that they meant her no harm, Jiang Ning lowered her guard a little and told the truth: "Who are you? I've lost my memory, I don't remember any of you."
The bearded man slapped his forehead. "Oh, I forgot, the master told us about this."
Jiang Ning understood now. These men were sent by Nangong Ya; they were from the Prime Minister's Mansion. Taking a closer look at their attire, they appeared to be guards.
Guards from the Prime Minister's Mansion appearing in Qushui City – was it for official business, or to investigate her whereabouts at that time?
These thoughts flashed through her mind, but Jiang Ning remained impassive as she picked up a red sugar bun and began slowly peeling and eating it, waiting for the bearded man to speak.
"Third Young Miss, I'm Sheng Jing, a guard from the mansion," the bearded man said, pointing to himself. Seeing Jiang Ning nod, he then pointed to the baby-faced man: "His surname is Cui, he's fifth among us guards, you can call him Xiao Wu."
Sheng Jing then pointed to the remaining man and introduced him: "His surname is Chi, he's Xiao Liu."
Xiao Liu looked at Jiang Ning, smiled shyly, and called out "Third Young Miss," then pushed the steamer of crystal dumplings in front of him towards her.
"Madam, your breakfast—"
The waiter returned with a tray, walking up behind Jiang Ning. As soon as he opened his mouth, Sheng Jing suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, "What madam? Our young miss isn't married yet, don't address her wrongly!"
Sheng Jing was built like a bear, towering over the waiter by more than a head. His shout nearly scared the waiter into dropping the tray, and other diners in the room couldn't help but look over at their table.
"Sheng Jing, sit down."
Jiang Ning spoke wearily, and after the trembling waiter had set down her breakfast, she explained, "He didn't address me wrongly. I already have a husband."
The three men's eyes widened in an instant.
Jiang Ning couldn't be bothered with their expressions. She picked up her spoon, scooped up some white porridge, blew on it, and put it in her mouth. As she ate, she asked, "What are you doing here? Is it some official business?"
Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu simultaneously looked towards Sheng Jing, who hesitantly answered, "The master, he instructed us to come here to handle something."
Jiang Ning pretty much understood. It was related to her, probably following Wei Fangxiong's lead to find Blind Yang.
Unfortunately, Blind Yang was still soaking in the sea, likely to float up only when spring came.
Jiang Ning said no more and quietly ate her breakfast. Seeing this, the three men resumed eating as well, quickly finishing the food in their bowls, then sat up straight, waiting for Jiang Ning.
"If you have business to attend to, go do it. Why are you watching me?" Jiang Ning glanced at the three of them, feeling uncomfortable being stared at while eating.
"Third Young Miss, what are you doing in Qushui City?" Sheng Jing asked again. It was too strange – a young lady from a noble family appearing here alone, without any guards. It didn't make sense no matter how you looked at it.
Sheng Jing thought for a moment and asked another question: "Does the master know?"
Jiang Ning suddenly smiled, only answering the latter question: "He doesn't know."
The three men exchanged glances, at a loss for words.
Jiang Ning swallowed her last spoonful of porridge, put down her spoon, and looked at Sheng Jing. "I know why you're here and what you're doing. I don't care to interfere with you, and you shouldn't interfere with me. Let's pretend we never met today, to avoid trouble."
With that, Jiang Ning stood up and walked towards the inn's exit. The three men behind her were stunned for a moment before hurriedly chasing after her.
"Third Young Miss, you're a woman alone in an unfamiliar place, we can't just ignore you..."
"That's right, Third Young Miss, come back with us. The master must be very worried about you..."
"Third Young Miss..."
The three men called out like they were summoning a lost soul. Jiang Ning was getting very annoyed and turned into an empty alley.
The three men following Jiang Ning saw her suddenly stop and thought she had changed her mind. But then she pointed behind them and asked, "What's that?"
The three instinctively turned around. There was nothing behind them. When they turned back, Jiang Ning had already taken a running start towards a nearby wall. In the next instant, her body soared through the air, flipped over the wall, and disappeared.
"Holy mother!" Xiao Wu cried out, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
Sheng Jing and Xiao Liu weren't faring much better.
When they finally reacted and climbed over the wall themselves, they found an empty space on the other side that led to another street, but Jiang Ning was nowhere to be seen.
"Brother Jing, what do we do now?" Xiao Wu swallowed hard, looking bewildered. In fact, he still hadn't recovered from the shock of seeing the Third Young Miss scale a wall.
"Let's go back to the inn and wait, and ask the innkeeper for some information," Xiao Liu suggested.
Sheng Jing turned back to look at the wall, which was as tall as two men, with a grave expression. He grunted in agreement.
No wonder the master had sent them to investigate the Third Young Miss's experiences. This was all too bizarre.