Di Ming

Chapter 118 The Mantis Queen
Seeing Ning Qingchen laughing happily, Zhu Yin couldn't help but remind her, "Dr. Ning, don't laugh yourself sick. We don't have any medicine for side stitches in our medicine kit."

"Hmph!" Ning Qingchen stopped laughing, gave a cute little huff, and tilted her head. "You still have the nerve to say that? When I grow up, will the medicine box be empty?"

The baby girl was unbelievably beautiful. Zhu Yin couldn't resist reaching out his claws to pinch her pink, round little face.

"You are the most amazing doctor in the world today. When you grow up, what kind of medicine box will you rely on? You will be able to build hospitals, run medical schools, and preside over the medical administration of the Ming Dynasty."

"Really?" Overjoyed, Ning Qingchen wobbled into Zhu Yin's arms, clinging to him like a koala, her little hands reaching for Zhu Yin's ears. "I want to be the dean! I want to be the principal!"

"Hahaha!" Zhu Yin laughed, letting the baby tug at his ears. "Alright, alright, you can be it, whatever you want."

Seeing her younger sister and the little tiger so affectionate, Ning Caiwei couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

That heartless woman, she's so close to her brother-in-law, yet she speaks so harshly to her own sister.

Have they all forgotten how they treated the little tiger before? They were arrogant at first, but now they're obsequious.

She touched the Tiger Roar Zither and said earnestly:
"Little Tiger, I also want to learn the guqin and calligraphy. Otherwise, if I really have that destiny in the future... I mean, if I really become the Empress, I won't look like an Empress if I don't know the guqin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, right?"

Zhu Yin: "..."

Ning Qingchen: "..."

Zhu Yin couldn't help but exchange a glance with Ning Qingchen. The little tiger was speechless, while Ning Qingchen looked utterly bewildered.

"You really dare to dream." Ning Qingchen finally couldn't hold back anymore and said in a childish voice, "What the hell is this 'Empress of the World'?! You big demon king, you want to be an empress?! I'm going to die laughing!"

The little doctor clutched his stomach, laughed so hard he fell onto the bed, his little legs kicking wildly.

"Hehe! If you don't become the empress, I'll laugh for the rest of my life."

"Damn it!" Ning Caiwei dropped the pretense, plucked the strings with her small hand, produced a tinkling sound, and said with raised eyebrows:

"What are you yelling about? I was just saying 'what if'! If you're prepared, you'll succeed; if you're not, you'll fail. If you really have that fate, by then I'll be too old and busy with national affairs. Will I still have time to practice the piano and calligraphy?"

"If my handwriting is terrible and I'm completely clueless about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, won't I become a laughingstock among the court officials?"

"Little Demon Doctor, do you dare say that what I said is unreasonable?"

Ning Qingchen laughed even harder, gasping for breath.

She spoke of something that was completely unrelated and unrelated to the main point, yet she spoke of it with such seriousness and earnestness. Perhaps her rationality had been corrupted by her ambition.

Zhu Yin's face turned green. "Caiwei...we do have this idea, but the road ahead is long and arduous, the goal is ambitious, and the revolutionary task is far too difficult. I dare not say that we can succeed."

Ning Caiwei laughed and said, "If it doesn't work in China, we'll go abroad, to North America."

Zhu Yin shook his head: "Run to North America? To become an Indian king? There are no Chinese in North America, what's the point of us going? Or do you have the ability to immigrate millions there?"

"There aren't many refugees now, and society is stable. Even if we migrate, how many people can we bring in? This isn't a chaotic era, nor is it the Yuan or Qing dynasty."

"Without people, everything is empty."

Unexpectedly, Ning Caiwei changed her tone, "So you want to usurp the throne? Use both soft and hard tactics, intimidation and deception to take over the Ming Dynasty, just like doing equity acquisition and asset restructuring, or going public through a backdoor listing."

"My goal is not to become empress, but also for the common people and the fate of China."

Ning Qingchen laughed even harder when she heard her sister's words.

From childhood to adulthood, this "demon sister" has always been like a goddess, pure and aloof. But in reality... she is a down-to-earth, ordinary woman.

Even though she is high and mighty, deep down she still craves fame, wealth, food, and sex.

Sister Mo has no prior dating history, but she actually cares a lot about marriage and love.

We can't say she's wrong.

After all, most people are like that. There are very few Platonists like myself who prioritize spiritual values. What billionaire heiress would choose to study medicine diligently, thinking of saving lives?

However, it's a bit ridiculous that Sister Mo, who is clearly an ordinary person full of everyday life, acts like a fairy, constantly talking about the fate of China and the common people.

Ambition is ambition, why make it sound so grand and noble?

Ning Caiwei saw through her sister's inner thoughts and said in an annoyed tone:

"There's one more thing I need to remind you, little magic doctor. You're not a three-month-old baby anymore. You should be able to tell the young lady apart."

"Don't forget, I'm the older sister, and you're the younger sister. I'm like a mother to you, so you need to show me basic respect. Don't call yourself 'older sister' in front of me, okay?"

Ning Qingchen suddenly thought of the control that Sister Mo had exercised over him back then, and couldn't help but feel a little afraid.

The facts have already proven this.

She couldn't beat the Demon Sister. She really couldn't; she was completely under her control.

Will she control my childhood again this time? That's terrifying.

But this time, Zhu Yin is there!
You big devil, I will never let you control me again, and I will never let you kill my pet again!
This is ancient times, not the Ning family. I will no longer be afraid of you.

Thinking of this, Ning Qingchen grabbed Zhu Yin with her small hand, looked at Ning Caiwei with a slightly provocative expression on her porcelain doll-like face.

The meaning is clear: Great villain, I have a powerful backer now.

She even used her little hand to make a gun gesture and aimed it at her sister.

Ning Caiwei was immediately at her wit's end. Her younger sister had been rebellious since childhood, and if she hadn't strictly disciplined her back then, she didn't know how far she would have gone.

She covered her forehead and smiled bitterly, "What? You've got a powerful backer now, haven't you? Don't tell me that he and I are still young and far from getting married. Even if we do get married in the future, he'll side with me and won't be your backer. It'll probably be a double whammy."

Ning Qingchen, after all, was no longer a mature adult. Upon hearing "doubles for men and women," she immediately shrank back, lowered her head, and looked pitiful, almost about to cry.

What if it's a mixed doubles match?

Is my sister's childhood going to turn gray again?

It seems there's no way to escape the clutches of the Demoness.

It's hard to hold back...

Zhu Yin patted Ning Qingchen's head and laughed, "Your sister was just kidding you. There's no such thing as a mixed doubles match."

"Little Tiger, you..." Ning Caiwei was furious, stomping her foot and saying, "You just spoil her! So you think I'm the bad guy? And you're the one protecting her and playing the good guy!"

Ning Caiwei was too lazy to comfort her sister. This little demon doctor wasn't a real baby; after all, she had the memories of an adult. How could she be indulged?

Of course, she still needed to play the good cop/bad cop with Zhu Yin. After all, her younger sister had the body of an infant, but her emotions were already childlike, so she couldn't be treated like an adult; she still had to consider her sister's feelings.

The little tiger is really clever; it quickly took on the role of the good cop.

The two worked together so well.

Ning Qingchen sneered inwardly: "Hmph, one plays the bad cop, the other the good cop, do they really think I'm a child? I'm a top student from medical school, okay? Is my IQ fake?"

"Tch, they're barely grown up, a long way from getting married. They're like a young couple, putting on an act for me. Honestly..."

But then she heard her older sister say, "Little sister, I'm leaving in a few days to go to Guangxi to see the dairy cows. Although Little Tiger has to go to the Imperial College, he'll be back every afternoon and can still take care of you."

"After your sister leaves, you must listen to the little tiger."

"Huh?" Ning Qingchen opened her little mouth, her voice still childish, "You're going on a business trip? When are you coming back?"

Hearing that Sister Mo was leaving, she felt reluctant to part with her.

Ning Caiwei smiled and said to Zhu Yin, "See? This girl has a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

She touched her little sister's face. "Isn't that right, little magic doctor? I won't be gone for too long. I'll leave in early September and will definitely come back before the Lunar New Year. It will be at most three or four months."

"It'll take that long, won't it?" Ning Qingchen lowered her head. "Then you have to be careful and stay safe."

Zhu Yin suddenly thought of something and said, "What will happen to Tianyu Pavilion if you leave? I need to study and take care of Qingchen, so I don't have the energy to manage Tianyu Pavilion."

Ning Caiwei laughed and said, "Have you forgotten what my aunt said about lending me people? The Tian family has many businesses. I can just pick any experienced and capable manager to help me take care of them for a few months."

"After I leave, the training of these trainees will be entirely in your hands."

Zhu Yin nodded: "Don't worry about that. I'll teach them three classes every day after school. But where should we build the candy factory?"

"Building a factory takes time, so you should start as soon as possible."

Ning Caiwei said, "That's a good question. I was just about to tell you about this. I think it would be easier to manage if the candy factory were built right next to the courtyard, right under the nose of the residence."

“This land covers several hundred acres and belongs to the Zhou family. There are empty spaces all around the yard, so we might as well use it.”

"This is allowed?" Zhu Yin frowned. "This land was originally intended for the Zhou family to build their family cemetery, and the courtyard is also a villa for the tomb keepers. How can they let us build a factory here?"

“We rented the yard, and we’ll probably leave when the lease expires. The candy factory is built here, so how can we move it? If the Zhou family doesn’t allow us to build it, then we’ll demolish it.”

Ning Caiwei said, "You're an intelligence officer, so you must have already found out the Zhou family's background, right?"

Zhu Yin replied, "Zhou Zier, the head of the Zhou family, has been an official in Shaanxi for thirty years. He rose from county magistrate to the position of Minister of the Imperial Horse Administration in Shaanxi, managing the military horse ranches throughout the Northwest. He was a third-rank official."

"Zhou Siqing's two sons and three sons-in-law are all in the Shaanxi horse administration system, either in various supervisory offices or in the Tea and Horse Bureau, all related to horses. Because these official positions are highly localized, it is difficult for them to move."

"To put it simply, the Zhou family practically monopolized the horse administration and tea-horse trade in the Northwest."

Ning Caiwei said, "But now that we have a powerful backer, will the Zhou family still make things difficult for us? The entire Zhou family are officials in Shaanxi, so it's unlikely they'll come back. Anyway, they won't be building a new cemetery."

“If we buy this land, wouldn’t everything be solved? My aunt wants to take me back to Guanzhong to have a look, so we can take this opportunity to buy these 500 acres of land.”

"With such a large piece of land, we can not only expand into a large mansion, but also build a candy factory, warehouses, playgrounds... we can do a lot of things."

“With my aunt around, I was fully confident that I could persuade the Zhou family to buy the land at a good price. Before I left, I started looking for people to build a factory, and to keep it a secret, I said it was a weaving workshop.”

"Alright." Zhu Yin stretched and yawned. "I don't care about buying land and building houses. You can handle it."

Ning Caiwei yawned as well, "Go to sleep, I'm tired."

After discussing it for a while, the two blew out the lamp and rested together.

.........

The next day, Ning Caiwei suddenly took two girls, Ding Hongying and Galo, to Dongshan to pick chrysanthemums.

Before picking chrysanthemums, she first took a stroll around the neighborhood and specially invited the busy village girls to pick chrysanthemums in the mountains.

The village girls, of course, were not as leisurely as she was. They couldn't put down their work and politely declined Ning Caiwei's invitation.

Ning Dajiao, you rich lady, you live a leisurely life, can't you see that we poor folks are busy weaving and spinning?
Picking chrysanthemums? No way!
Ning Caiwei, on the other hand, did not invite the truly leisurely women.

After wandering around the village for most of the hour, Ning Caiwei finally took Ding Hongying and Galo to pick chrysanthemums on the East Mountain.

The news that Ning Caiwei went to Dongshan to pick chrysanthemums soon reached the ears of the Indian monk Sangha Mo, who was a distinguished guest at the Liu family.

Ever since the village opera ended, he had been sending Liu family servants to secretly monitor Ning Caiwei's comings and goings, but he hadn't been able to make a move. Today, the opportunity had finally arrived!
He didn't even care about the news that several eunuchs had escorted Ning Caiwei back last night.

He was not afraid of the officials of the Ming Dynasty. In his experience, all officials treated him as an honored guest.

With my appearance and attire, I would naturally receive preferential treatment in this country.

More than one eunuch inquired of him whether the miraculous secret methods of India could truly make their lost lingams grow back.

Kama returned to his room and retrieved several potent and potent medicines, along with some strange and unusual items. He then set off excitedly with two Nepalese disciples.

The two Nepalese disciples who had protected him on his journey to the Ming Dynasty were also very happy.

As fanatics of the Indian religion, the two were not only loyal disciples of Kama, but had also learned those "powerful secret techniques," which they used on Ming Dynasty women every day, and were in high spirits.

Of course, I couldn't be happier to go "hunting" with my master this time.

Kama, accompanied by his two disciples, was completely fearless and full of confidence.

Both were fearless Gurkha warriors, accustomed to going barefoot and known for their "iron feet," traversing the mountains as if they were on flat ground. Their Gurkha kukri could easily sever a bull's head.

Even ten cowardly Ming people wouldn't be a match for two disciples.

What about three young women?
Today, let us take heaven and earth as our mat and mountains and forests as our tent, and show that beautiful young woman from the Ming Dynasty the divine power bestowed by Shiva and the revered one of the religion.

Guided by a servant from the Liu family who knew the area well, Kama and his two disciples arrived at the southern foot of Dongshan Mountain. After crossing a wooden bridge, they followed a winding mountain path deeper into the area.

They actually followed Ning Caiwei and the other two.

……

The front yard of the Wang family mansion.

A burly man with an imposing presence was training a group of royal family private guards.

The eighty men, all shirtless, were drenched in sweat from his training, and their movements appeared quite disciplined.

This man was none other than Instructor Gong, whom the Wang family had hired at great expense.

Because he was rumored to be able to defeat ten men and was highly skilled in spear and staff fighting, in the Wang family, although he was a martial artist, his status was equivalent to that of a secretary, a retainer, and an accountant.

This Instructor Gong has a mysterious background; perhaps only the head of the family and his brothers know his secrets.

Upon arriving at the Wang family, he dismissed eighty of the family's servants under the pretext of a lack of bravery and recruited eighty new servants, whom he then rigorously trained.

The eighty new recruits trusted him so much that they respected Instructor Gong more than the head of the household.

"Instructor." A young man in plain clothes came to Instructor Gong and said in a low voice, "Little Pockmarked from the Liu family reports that the Indian sorcerer has already gone to Dongshan."

Instructor Gong narrowed his eyes. "What's he doing in Dongshan?"

The young man in plain clothes said, "I don't know. But now that he's entered Dongshan, whatever he's doing, it's the best time to make a move."

"Killing him will be a way to recoup some interest for our sect, and the Holy Maiden can rest in peace."

Coach Gong's gaze turned icy as he said in a low voice, "Then let's collect some interest first."

Then, Coach Gong made an excuse to leave the Wang family compound, took a detour, and headed towards Dongshan.

Zhu Yin knew as soon as Kama and the others entered Dongshan.

He was still worried about Ning Caiwei.

Although Ning Caiwei was accompanied by Ding Hongying, who was skilled in swordsmanship, and Galo, who was skilled in archery, Gamo had two kukri warriors carrying kukri scimitars.

The fierce and skilled warriors of the Gorkha were a force to be reckoned with, even by later British and Japanese armies.

When Fukang'an led a large army to conquer the Gurkhas, he relied on the fearless Solon warriors (Daur soldiers) in his army to fight the Gurkhas head-on, and with the help of cavalry archery and firearms, he was able to defeat them.

Zhu Yin never underestimated his opponents.

To prevent Ning Caiwei from falling, Zhu Yin decided to take Lancha and Meihe with him into Dongshan.

But before Zhu Yin could go inside, he saw a familiar figure also enter Dongshan.

Instructor Gong from the Wang Family Compound!

Rumor has it that he can defeat ten men. But based on intelligence gathered, Zhu Yin judges that this mysterious Instructor Gong may be capable of defeating more than ten men!

His strength is probably not much worse than Lancha's. Even if he isn't a match for a hundred men like Lancha, he's probably not much weaker.

Why did he also enter Dongshan?

Zhu Yin immediately became highly vigilant. This was a potential variable!

The appearance of Coach Gong might cause Ning Caiwei's plan to fail.

Zhu Yin immediately took Lancha and Meh and secretly followed Coach Gong into Dongshan.

……

Dongshan.

In a valley where mountain springs gurgle and chrysanthemums bloom in autumn, Ning Caiwei and two others are sitting on a meadow, absentmindedly weaving flower wreaths.

"Princess," Galo said, his Mandarin becoming increasingly fluent, "Will that person really come?"

Ning Caiwei smiled and said, "Sister Galo, even if he doesn't come, I have other ways to get rid of him."

"However, I heard that he has two powerful Nepalese warriors with him, so we should still be careful."

Ding Hongying said disdainfully, "Aunt Ning is really overthinking it. With my sword in hand, what can two old female warriors do? I'll draw my sword, Garo will shoot his arrow, and ten old female warriors will be done for."

As she spoke, she stroked the hilt of her Japanese sword, her oval face radiating an indescribable confidence.

"When I'm three years older, stronger, and taller, I'll be even more unmatched. I've heard that Liu Yunfeng from Zhejiang and Xiang Yuanchi from Huizhou are both masters of swordsmanship. I'd like to ask them for their guidance in a few years."

Ning Caiwei had heard of the two people Ding Hongying mentioned. Xiang Yuanchi was a famous martial artist in the late Ming Dynasty, especially skilled in double swords, and there is a memorial hall dedicated to him in later generations.

Ning Caiwei, who had also begun learning martial arts, asked with great interest, "Is there a universally acknowledged number one martial arts master in the Ming Dynasty?"

“Yes, there is.” Ding Hongying said matter-of-factly, “Duke Wu Xiang, Yu Dayou, my father also admired him very much, but Duke Wu Xiang has already passed away. If we talk about martial arts skills, then Commander Qi is the best.”

The implication is that, in terms of individual martial arts skills alone, Yu Dayou is superior to Qi Jiguang.

After they talked for a while, Ding Hongying suddenly sneered and said, "Aunt Ning, the Indian monks have arrived."

Ning Caiwei turned her head and saw a strange-looking Indian monk leading two oddly dressed Nepalese warriors into the valley.

When the Indian monk saw him, he immediately revealed a disgusting and lewd smile.

"My God!" Kama exclaimed with delight upon seeing Ning Caiwei, who resembled a lotus bud emerging from the water. He beamed and said with a hearty laugh.
"The divine revelation told me that whoever you meet is the right person; they are the messenger sent by God to save you."

"Whatever happens next, it will be the only beautiful story that ever happened."

His eyes gleamed as he stared intently at Ning Caiwei.

“My God, you are the most divinely blessed Eastern woman I have ever seen. Today you will be bathed in divine light. I will take you back to India and make you a saint.”

He spoke in Sanskrit, which Ning Caiwei and the other two women couldn't understand, but they could all see the smugness of this Indian monk.

As Kama approached with a grin and his disciples, he took out a red pill and swallowed it.

Even an idiot would know what he's trying to do.

Both disciples also swallowed a red pill.

Kama then took out three black pills and handed them to a disciple, instructing, "Suppress them and feed them one to each of them."

He noticed that the three women showed no fear whatsoever. But in his view, this was simply because they were willing to offer themselves to him.

He ignored the knife Ding Hongying carried and the bow and arrow in Galo's hand.

He didn't think the two girls could do anything, even if they had weapons.

However, just as Ding Hongying was about to draw her sword, a deep voice suddenly said:

"This is a great place."

Everyone turned around and saw a tall man walking leisurely into the valley.

Coach Gong? Ning Caiwei frowned upon seeing this person.

Oops!

Could this person be an accomplice of an Indian monk?
According to Little Tiger's intelligence, this Coach Gong may be more than ten men strong, and Hongying is probably no match for him!
"Instructor Gong?" Jiamo said in broken Chinese, his expression slightly changing. "Your Excellency..."

Instructor Gong smiled and said, "I've come to the mountains to relax. Please, Master, make yourself at home."

He strolled over leisurely, then suddenly leaped out like a leopard, pouncing on a Gurkha warrior.

The samurai was shocked and retreated rapidly, swinging his scimitar.

However, Coach Gong's movements were far too swift, much faster than his own. Just as he raised his scimitar, his wrist was grabbed.

His wrist felt as if it were locked by an iron band in an instant, his entire arm went numb, and the curved knife was snatched away by Instructor Gong.

The Gurkha warrior realized something was wrong and only managed to take two steps back before his head suddenly flew off.

"Pfft—" Blood gushed out like a fountain from the empty neck.

Another Gorkha warrior reacted at this moment, roaring as he swung his sword at Instructor Gong, swift and ruthless.

Then, Coach Gong strode forward without fear, casually parrying and slashing with his curved sword.

"puff-"

Another head flew up.

In the blink of an eye, Instructor Gong killed two Gorkha warriors as easily as killing chickens.

He came here to kill, but he came empty-handed; he had taken the weapons by force.

"You, you..." The Indian monk trembled with fear. "What are you doing! My God! What have you done!"

At this moment, even Ding Hongying was covered in cold sweat.

Because she was certain that this Coach Gong was far superior to her.

This guy is something else!
P.S.: That's all for today. Happy holidays everyone. There are no recommendations right now, so we'll rely on your monthly votes. But I know we don't have many readers, so our power is limited. Please give your votes if you have them, and don't worry if you don't. Regarding martial arts, this chapter isn't a martial arts story, and there's no exaggeration. Thank you, and goodnight.

(End of this chapter)