Compared to the bustling activity in the imperial concubines' courtyard within the palace, Chen Yi's courtyard outside the East Hua Gate felt more like a cold palace.

Even on New Year's Day, when firecrackers rang out endlessly, this courtyard still remained silent, under the desolate moonlight.

When Min Ming turned around, she saw Zhou Yitang sitting alone in the main hall.

Min Ming noticed that the great madam, as she called her, had not gone back to the guestroom early like she usually did upon returning but sat there instead, seemingly waiting for something.

In the firework light, Min Ming saw Zhou Yitang's teacup was empty. She put down the broom and went to refill the tea.

But the tea was finished and needed to be brewed anew.

Min Ming sat at the tea table, her delicate hands lit the tea brazier, added the tea leaves, boiled water to brew it, stirred it repeatedly with the tea stick until the tea was ready.

Just as she was about to pour the tea, a voice came to her ear:

"Make another bowl."

The voice was calm. Min Ming nodded in agreement. The great madam always spoke evenly. If it weren't for Min Ming's keen eye as a former courtesan, she might not have been able to discern anything at all about her emotions to this day.

Even today, it wasn't full understanding – it was just that Min Ming could occasionally sense traces of something.

Min Ming didn't say much and simply followed the instructions, brewing another bowl of tea.

On the small tea table in the center of the main seat in the hall, it looked as though it was waiting for someone.

Min Ming sat in a secondary seat, keeping watch together to await the dawn of the New Year, anticipating the firecrackers' bursts. As it happened, the courtyard wasn't without preparation for firecrackers—Chen Yi had gone to the palace to attend the banquet, so they hadn't been hung. They were likely to be put up tomorrow night.

Min Ming sat quietly watching the door outside. Suddenly, a voice reached her ears:

"Want to chat?"

Min Ming turned her head, lowered her gaze, and nodded gently:

"What does the great madam wish to talk about? The only thing I know well enough to talk about with her is Min Ning."

"Then let's talk about her."

Min Ming let her gaze stretch far and, wrapping her cloak tighter, said, "That girl Min Ning, from a young age she was fond of playing with knives and swords. When she was caught during a game as a child, she clutched a small wooden knife in her hands. She's naturally talented in martial arts. When she played recklessly with the kids in the alley, she'd disappear for hours, and I'd have to go searching for her. One time, her face was pale, but she pretended nothing was wrong. At home, she didn't make a fuss, but I could tell that something had happened."

"What happened?"

"She was competing with other kids to climb rooftops and accidentally broke her tooth." Min Ming chuckled softly and continued, "But that day, she was overjoyed because she'd won. She came home with a little wooden sword. Even when I found her out, she didn't feel guilty—she strutted around like she was some victorious general."

The one-armed woman listened quietly, piecing together the disciple's past bit by bit in her mind.

Without Chen Yi's knowledge, Min Ning had already traveled hundreds of miles away from the capital.

She walked onward, practicing her swordsmanship all the while, never slacking. She was a disciple far better than Chen Yi.

Of the four disciples Zhou Yitang had taught—whether it be Senior Sister Lu Ying, Min Ning, or Yin Tingxue—every one was better than Chen Yi.

"As she grew older, she stopped running wild in the alley. Her parents taught her to read. She could recognize characters, but there really wasn't any intellectual depth to her."

As Min Ming recounted these things, her eyes held a soft light.

"He's the same way," said the one-armed woman.

Min Ming raised her head and noticed that she too had a similar glow in her eyes that fleetingly passed.

Min Ming paused for a moment, then smiled apologetically and said:

"That's a good thing."

"Perhaps."

Zhou Yitang's gaze turned outward. Others might not know, but Zhou knew exactly what Min Ning was doing on her journey since leaving the capital.

While practicing her swordsmanship was fine, during breaks, she murmured about Chen Zunming.

"Chen Zunming this, Chen Zunming that…"

Zhou Yitang was annoyed by merely hearing it.

Apart from that, she was still rather satisfied with this disciple.

It made sense. Right after experiencing intimacy with him, Min Ning had to leave the capital city she'd lived in for over twenty years and head west into Shu. At the age to discover love's possibilities, she left everything behind to become a Ranger.

"Are you worried she might face danger?" Zhou Yitang asked.

Min Ming thought for a moment and said, "Of course I'm worried. I worry deeply. I'm afraid she'll encounter mishaps along the way. Otherwise, I wouldn't have told her so much about the Jianghu."

"No need to worry. She knows what to do," Zhou Yitang replied.

This wasn't empty consolation. Min Ning had not encountered any serious troubles during her journey. Not only that, she was currently escorting a wealthy girl.

The situation was this: the wealthy girl's surname was Bai, and she came from a merchant family in Nianxiang County, where the Western Jin bordered Great Yu. She was traveling to Great Yu seeking medical help, and apart from her own servants, the trip was protected by a guards' escort.

However, en route to Great Yu, in a guesthouse they stopped at, they were ambushed by enemies. Local mountain bandits surrounded the guesthouse. Half of her servants were killed, and in a desperate bid for survival, the escorts handed her over.

She was nearly defiled but was saved just in time by Min Ning.

Originally, they were just travelers passing on their respective paths, with no ties to one another.

But Min Ning intervened, rescuing Miss Bai. She decided against heading to Western Shu and instead opted to escort her back to the Western Jin, even if it meant taking a long detour.

Miss Bai was moved to tears, but confused nonetheless.

At that moment, Miss Bai asked her, "Young hero, though I greatly appreciate your lifesaving grace, there's one thing I can't understand. Why would you willingly change your route for me?"

Min Ning responded, "Having rescued you, I must see it through to the end. If you were ambushed again along the way, wouldn't my rescue have been in vain? So I've decided to see you home safely."

"Decided? When did you decide?" Miss Bai asked.

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