031. Close blood relatives

[Blood is Thicker than Water] It was still dark when Su Liang woke up. The bedding and pillows at Qiuming Manor were too soft, and she was not used to it. Having lost her sleepiness, she got dressed and washed her face with cold water. Upon opening the door, she was greeted by a wave of crisp, cold air. As it would be inconvenient to do her morning exercises in someone else's house, Su Liang decided to go to the mountain top to watch the sunrise. Before she could step out of the courtyard, a creaking sound made her turn to see Ning Jing standing under the corridor. "If you want to leave, you can tell me. I won't stop you." Su Liang:... She stepped out and ran into an old housemaid. "I'm going to the mountain top to watch the sunrise." She informed, wanting to avoid Xing Yu Sheng and his old grandmother thinking she had disappeared." Not far behind her, Ning Jing glanced at the sky and silently followed. "If I were to leave, I wouldn't do so without my belongings." Su Liang said. Ning Jing's face looked even colder amidst the hazy morning fog, "It was my misunderstanding. But with your 5,000 taels, you don't need a bundle." That amount of money was enough for Su Liang to enjoy financial freedom for years. "You don't want me to leave?" Su Liang asked. Ning Jing nodded, "I want to hire you to work for me." Su Liang:...Here we go again. She had no plans to leave now but didn't want to make any promises easily. The two chatted on and off. You're not repulsed by Xing Yu Sheng's grandmother?" Ning Jing asked. Because she wanted me to be Xing Yu Sheng's concubine?" Su Liang shook her head, "That's not so bad. People are never perfect. She gave up the idea after I refused. She treats me well in hopes that I'll treat Xing Yu Sheng well. Besides close relatives, who gives without expecting something in return?" Ning Jing nodded slightly, "Even close relatives aren't necessarily so." "You..." Su Liang stopped suddenly, wanting to ask if Ning Jing was the wanted crown prince, but the question became, "What's the name of the crown prince mentioned by Qi Yan yesterday?" Gu Ling." Ning Jing's expression didn't change. Su Liang repeated the name and smiled lightly, "What a coincidence, it has the same meaning as my name." Ning Jing remained silent, and Su Liang didn't ask any further questions. However, some things had already been spoken without words. Upon reaching the mountain top, the sky had grown a little brighter. To the east, layers of clouds were stacked like a mountain range, with a faint red glow filtering through the clouds. The sun was about to rise. However, as the light grew brighter, it did not break through the clouds. It was overcast by the time the sky turned completely bright. Su Liang couldn't help but sigh, "I'm just not fated with sunrises." In her previous life, she loved mountain climbing and had climbed many famous mountains. But every time she eagerly awaited the sunrise, even checking the weather forecast in advance, she was always met with bad fortune—a cloudy day or rain. ... As Xing Yu Sheng got up and washed his face, a servant reported that the two distinguished guests had gone up the mountain to watch the sunrise. "This early?" Xing Yu Sheng was surprised and then exclaimed, "Their relationship is really good!" He imagined that before dawn, Ning Jing and Su Liang hand in hand, maybe Ning Jing carrying Su Liang on his back, climbed the mountain together, enjoying the magnificent moment when the sun burst from the east—the height of romance... When Xing Yu Sheng saw Su Liang, he smiled and asked, "I heard Ning Jing carried you up the mountain this morning? Was the sunrise beautiful?" Ning Jing, who was drinking tea nearby, still looked as if none of this concerned him. Su Liang's eyebrows knitted slightly, "Who made up such rumors?" Just as Xing Yu Sheng was about to say he was just joking, he heard Su Liang say earnestly, "It was clearly me who carried him." Cough…" Ning Jing choked on his tea. Xing Yu Sheng's face was filled with shock, the words "So you really are keeping a pretty boy and spoiling him that much" written all over it... When he realized Su Liang was joking, he started teasing Ning Jing. However, Ning Jing calmly wiped the tea off the table and said, "The mountain path was difficult, and she insisted on carrying me." When one person jokes about it, it's a joke. But when two people say the same thing, it becomes the truth. Xing Yu Sheng was filled with envy. Later, when Xing Yu Sheng's grandmother mentioned seeking a marriage alliance with Nian Ruxue again, he solemnly refused, stating that because of his poor health, he needed to marry a crown princess who could carry him up the mountain to watch the sunrise. Xing Yu Sheng's grandmother looked worried, "Did the poison not get cleared out properly, and now it's gotten to his brain?" But that's a story for another time. ... Xing Yusheng didn't know what had happened the previous night, and was just thinking about entertaining Ning Jing and Su Liang properly. Since Su Liang suggested going to the hot springs, Xing had already prepared everything for them, so it would be impolite not to go. However, Ning Jing refused, saying that he wanted to play chess today. Xing Yusheng: ...This pretty boy is really spoiled by Su Liang! So, Xing Yusheng, who had been twice rejected when he voluntarily offered to play chess with Ning Jing, could only accompany him with a smile. As a result, Xing Yusheng, who prided himself on his good chess skills, was totally defeated and became very depressed. After Su Liang finished soaking in the hot springs, Xing Yusheng had already left because he had to take medicine. After changing her clothes, Su Liang saw Ning Jing sitting under a tree in the courtyard, reading a book, the colorful leaves falling like dancing butterflies. "I'm going to give Xing Yusheng acupuncture," Su Liang said. Ning Jing looked up, "Go later." Su Liang thought he had something, so she went over and sat down, "What's the matter?" "Enjoy the cool breeze," Ning Jing said. Su Liang just felt baffled. "Your face," Ning Jing explained, still being as laconic as ever. Su Liang suddenly realized, touched her face and found it was still warm. It seemed that the rosy color from the hot spring had not yet faded. "Are you afraid that Xing Yusheng will be attracted to me?" Su Liang grabbed two leaves and handed one to Ning Jing. Ning Jing took it, "It's not fear, but you two are not suitable." "Aside from being a concubine, in what way are we not suitable?" Su Liang asked. "He's too stupid," Ning Jing said coldly, "If you two are together, you might not be able to help but kill him one day." Su Liang nodded, "Indeed. He doesn't even know he's being fed poison daily. If it weren't for meeting you, I would have seen the Yama King by now." Seeing that Ning Jing was about to put the leaf in his book, Su Liang laughed and said, "Let's have a tug-of-war." After Ning Jing listened to Su Liang explaining how to have a "tug-of-war" with the leaf stalks, he threw away the leaf she gave him, then picked another one... Su Liang thought Ning Jing would find it too childish and refuse to play, but didn't expect him to have a strong desire to win. When it was time for Xing Yusheng to come for acupuncture, he walked in to see the two sitting opposite each other at the table, each holding a leaf and pulling... Xing Yusheng was puzzled, "What are you two doing?" After Su Liang finished explaining, he coughed lightly, "Very interesting. Who won?" "I did," Su Liang said with a light smile. Xing Yusheng also laughed, suddenly feeling more balanced. No matter how good Ning Jing was at chess, he still lost at the leaf tug-of-war. However, when Xing Yusheng later mentioned the incident as a joke to his two subordinates, Qi Yan laughed, but Qi Jun said, "Crown Prince, Ning Jing might have deliberately let Miss Su win." "Why?" Qi Yan asked, "He didn't give our prince any face when they played chess together!" Qi Jun looked serious, "Ning Jing was trying to please Miss Su. Of course, he wouldn't let our prince win." Xing Yusheng: ... Can those two stop being so lovey-dovey before Su Liang is even of age! ... Ning Jing said that if Yan Sui personally took action, he would definitely come to kill him first. That day, Ning Jing and Su Liang left Qiuming Manor and went home, taking the carriage sent by Xing Yusheng. Xing Yusheng still went to Su Family Village to give acupuncture on time, and Ning Jing never saw the black mist appear on his forehead again. Lady Xing was very happy, because Xing Yusheng's complexion improved day by day, and he was no longer so weak that he needed a wheelchair, being able to walk upright now. ... On a dark and windy night. A petite figure in black clothes knelt on the ground, back straight, "Father, please give me one more chance. I'll definitely smash Ning Jing into pieces!" "Number Eighteen, I had high expectations for you, but I didn't expect...sigh! If the rules of Yanyun Building are broken, how can I convince my followers?" an old and deep male voice said. After a moment of silence, the old man spoke again, "But, you are my daughter. Although not of my flesh and blood, you are my close relative, and we can't treat you like others." The figure in black raised her head, her eyes slightly bright, "Father..." "Take a break for a while and recover your injuries well. As for Ning Jing and Xing Yusheng, I will personally handle them," the old man said. "Thank you, Father," the figure in black stood up. "Bring me the account book and give it to Number Seventeen to manage for now," the old man said. The figure in black shook her head, "Father, for safety's sake, I have destroyed all the account books, and they now exist only in my mind." The old man's eyes suddenly became deep and dark, "Hehe, in that case, so much the better. Take this medicine to heal your injuries." A bottle of medicine gleamed like jade, and the figure in black slowly approached the old man. When there was only one meter between them, the two drew their swords almost simultaneously and stabbed at each other!