288: Chapter 286 Thumb Ring

When Ning Yuanzhou returned to his mother's bedroom, the room was quiet.

Ning Wanqing sat on a stool by the bed, holding a warm towel in her hand, gently wiping the back of her mother's hand. Two maidservants, Cuizhu and Cuilan, stood to the side—one holding a water basin and the other holding replacement towels—hardly daring to breathe.

Ning Yuanzhou walked to the bedside and looked down. His mother's complexion was much better than when he had left. Most of that grayish Death Qi had faded, replaced by a faint, life-filled rosiness. Her breathing was steady and long, her chest rising and falling evenly, and there even seemed to be a faint smile on the corner of her mouth. It wasn't a final radiance before death; she was truly getting better. Ning Yuanzhou's heart eased, and his eyes grew a bit sore again, but this time they were tears of joy.

He bent down, gently tucked a strand of white hair from his mother's forehead behind her ear, and stood up straight again. He glanced at Ning Wanqing and lowered his voice, "Wanqing, come out for a moment."

Ning Wanqing handed the towel to Cuizhu, stood up, and followed Ning Yuanzhou to the outer room.

"Brother, what is it?" Ning Wanqing's voice was still a bit raspy, but much steadier than before.

Ning Yuanzhou looked at her and remained silent for a moment. "Wanqing, from today onwards, Physician Yun Ming is an honored guest of the Ning Mansion. No one is to neglect him. You must also treat him with great courtesy." Ning Wanqing nodded and said as a matter of course, "That goes without saying. Mr. Yun saved Mother; I can't thank him enough. Even if you didn't say it, Brother, I would still host him well."

Ning Yuanzhou didn't respond. His gaze fell on his sister's face, with a solemnity and seriousness in his eyes that Ning Wanqing had never seen before. Ning Wanqing's smile slowly faded. She looked into her brother's eyes, and a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease welled up in her heart. "Brother, did something happen?" she asked tentatively. Ning Yuanzhou shook his head. "It's nothing. Just remember my words." He didn't explain, nor did he say anything more. Ning Wanqing opened her mouth, wanting to ask, but seeing her brother's reluctant expression, she swallowed the words back down. Over the years of following her brother, she had learned one thing—ask what should be asked, and don't ask what shouldn't be. If her brother didn't say it, it wasn't meant to be asked. She nodded. "I'll remember."

Ning Yuanzhou breathed a sigh of relief and patted her shoulder. "There's one more thing I need to tell you. I'm returning to the capital early tomorrow morning."

Ning Wanqing was stunned for a moment. Her expression shifted from confusion to reluctance, and then from reluctance to understanding. "So soon?"

Ning Yuanzhou sighed. "I came back on leave and can't stay at home for long. So many official duties have piled up in the imperial court; if I don't go back now, the memorials from the Censorate will be submitted." What he didn't say was that he had no backing or background; every bit of his official position was earned through political achievements and hard work. He didn't dare to be lax, nor could he be. It hadn't been easy to come back this once; if he delayed any longer, those eyeing his position would start to make their moves.

Ning Wanqing lowered her head, silent for a moment, then looked up at Ning Yuanzhou. "Brother, go with peace of mind; I'm here at home. I'll take good care of Mother."

Ning Yuanzhou nodded and added, "If you encounter any problem you can't solve, you can ask Mr. Yun Ming for help. But remember, don't disturb him unless it's an urgent matter."

Ning Wanqing gave an affirmative response without asking further. She knew that if her brother told her to seek Yun Ming's help, he must have his reasons.

Ning Yuanzhou packed his bags overnight. He didn't take much: a bundle, a few changes of clothes, some dry rations, and the prescription left by Imperial Physician Zhao Ke—he wasn't keeping it to use, but to remember the name. He changed into light clothing and folded his official robes into the bundle. The emerald green jade thumb ring was still on his thumb; he scrutinized it for a moment under the candlelight. The jade ring was warm and smooth, showing nothing special. He turned the ring around but didn't take it off.

Before dawn the next day, Ning Yuanzhou set out.

He didn't disturb many people, only riding a date-red horse as he quietly left the city through the back gate of the Ning Mansion.

The morning mist was thick, with visibility of only dozens of yards.

The silhouette of Linan City loomed indistinctly in the mist, like an ink wash painting.

Ning Yuanzhou urged his horse along the official road, the hooves making dull thudding sounds on the earth.

The capital was hundreds of miles from Linan City, a journey of two or three days by horse. He had traveled day and night, riding two horses to death to rush back, and now he had to rush back again.

He calculated in his heart that upon his return, he would finish the backlog of official duties and also inquire at the Imperial Medical Academy about Imperial Physician Zhao Ke's background.

That grudge, he would not forget.

The mist gradually dispersed, and the sun emerged from the eastern ridge, golden sunlight spilling over the earth and driving away the last of the chill.

On both sides of the official road were continuous mountain forests, with dense trees and foliage blotting out the sky.

Ning Yuanzhou had been traveling for half a day and was exhausted, both man and horse. Just as he was thinking of finding a place to rest, he suddenly heard a strange sound from ahead.

It wasn't birds chirping or the wind blowing; it was the sound of footsteps—disordered, hurried footsteps emerging simultaneously from the woods on both sides.

His pupils constricted sharply, and his hand instinctively tightened on the reins.

Before he could make any reaction, over a dozen people suddenly rushed out of the woods. They didn't shout, they didn't yell, and they didn't say the phrase "leave your travel money behind."

They attacked as soon as they rushed out.

Sabers and swords descended together, cold light flashing, heading straight for Ning Yuanzhou's vital points.

Ning Yuanzhou's mind went blank.

He didn't even have time to be afraid or cry out; he simply closed his eyes instinctively.

At the very moment the blades were about to fall upon him, the jade thumb ring on his thumb suddenly lit up.

A layer of pale green light shield erupted from the ring, instantly enveloping his entire body.

The light shield was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it was indestructible.

Sabers and swords struck the light shield, producing crisp "clang clang clang" sounds as sparks flew in all directions.

Then, a terrifying force rebounded from the light shield.

The bandits holding the weapons were struck as if by an invisible giant hand, and they all flew backward together.

Someone hit a tree trunk with a dull "crack," the sound of a spine breaking. Someone fell onto a rock, their head lolling to the side as blood poured from their ears and nose. Someone flew several yards away, crashing to the ground and twitching a few times before becoming still.

Screams, the sound of bones breaking, and the thuds of heavy objects hitting the ground mixed together, echoing through the mountain forest before returning to silence.

Ning Yuanzhou opened his eyes.

He saw fallen bandits everywhere, swords and sabers scattered about, and blood staining the withered leaves.

He saw the leading burly man had been sent flying, crashing into a large tree with such force that the trunk cracked. The man's chest was caved in, his eyes wide and bulging, already devoid of breath.

The few bandits still alive were scared until their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; they scrambled into the woods and ran without looking back.

In an instant, aside from the corpses and the injured covering the ground, not a single bandit remained standing.

Ning Yuanzhou sat on his horse, his whole body stiff, only recovering his senses after a long while.

His hands were still shaking, and his legs were shaking too.

He looked down at the jade thumb ring on his thumb. The luster of the ring had dimmed slightly, no longer as warm and smooth as before, but it was still intact.

He gently stroked the ring, his heart in a state of turmoil.

That Yun Ming truly is an Immortal!

He took a deep breath and dismounted.

His legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground, only standing steady by leaning against the saddle.

He looked at the corpses on the ground, his brow gradually furrowing.

He had traveled this road countless times and had never encountered bandits.

The area around Linan City had always been peaceful, and the local government had never been lax in suppressing bandits. Why would a group of bandits suddenly appear? Moreover, these people—they didn't speak, didn't identify themselves, and didn't shout "leave your travel money behind"; they rushed out purely to kill.

It didn't look like a robbery; it looked like... silencing a witness.

Ning Yuanzhou's heart suddenly sank.

He crouched down, enduring his nausea, and searched the leading burly man's body.

He felt a hard object at the waist—a bundle wrapped in oil paper.

He unwrapped the oil paper to find a letter and a folded piece of paper inside. He first unfolded the paper—it was a portrait of himself, with clear features, official robes, and hat; one could recognize him at a glance.

Then he opened the letter. The letter was very short, with only a few lines. "One thousand taels of silver for the life of Ning Yuanzhou. Upon completion, present this token to the Li Family Cloth Shop in the capital's East Market to collect. The balance has been paid; act quickly." There was no signature or seal, and the handwriting was neat but deliberately avoided any characteristic brushstrokes.

Ning Yuanzhou's fingers trembled slightly. One thousand taels. His life was worth one thousand taels. He didn't know who wanted him dead. He had offended many people, but those who could afford one thousand taels for his life were few. As an official in the imperial court, he had offended powerful figures, colleagues, and local magnates. He wasn't sure who it was, but he would find out. He rewrapped the letter and portrait and tucked them into his robes. He stood up, mounted his horse, glanced back at the corpses littering the ground, and then urged his horse to continue his journey.