As the first rays of morning sunlight spilled into the room, Lin Ningyu opened her eyes. For a moment, she was disoriented, then frowned. Yesterday, she had a strange dream—someone was calling her, but the voice seemed muffled, as if separated by some barrier. The more she tried to follow it, the more indistinct it became.
Her mind lingered on the dream, hoping to notice details she had missed before, but in the end, she found nothing. Resigned, she brushed it aside, closed her eyes again, and planned to wait for Lin Daiyu to wake up before getting up.
Since the two young sisters were staying together for the first time, Lin Ruhai was very attentive to their well-being. He specifically summoned the housemaid assigned to Lin Ningyu—a personal arrangement to ensure fairness.
Upon learning that the sisters were getting along well, even whispering to each other for long periods, and especially that Lin Ningyu had such a clear understanding of the Lin family's affairs, Lin Ruhai was delighted. These were truly Lin family children—exceptional in every way. He decided that he would personally teach all of them.
As a veteran and successful figure in the imperial examination world, Lin Ruhai was confident he could cultivate all his children to success. Thus, the day after Lin Ningyu moved into Lin Daiyu's small courtyard, the Lin children were ushered into what could only be described as their father's "expectation-style education."
Lin Xuanyu, of course, had no choice. He hadn't finished memorizing the previous lessons, and now more had been added. If it weren't for his strong mental resilience, he might have gone insane—not that he couldn't memorize, but classical texts were just not his thing! Fortunately, Lin Ruhai considered his son's pride and didn't have him study alongside his sisters. Otherwise, Lin Xuanyu's carefully maintained image of a gentle young master would have crumbled completely in front of everyone.
As Lin Xuanyu endured the torment of memorizing classical texts, he glanced at Lin Zhiyu, whose face mirrored his own misery. Relief washed over him. "See? Misery is best shared," he thought.
Lin Zhiyu, of course, knew classical texts were not her strength. She came from a family of traditional medicine practitioners, and it had been years since she touched any. Now she was being forced to start over—and learning something she didn't even like! Of course she couldn't sit still.
People say joy is doubled when shared; he thought misery should be shared too—not that it halves the pain, but it makes it strangely satisfying.
Lin Ningyu, however, didn't feel the suffering of her brother and sister. She found the books quite interesting. Lin Ruhai had official duties and couldn't stay with the children, so he left Lin Ningyu in Lin Daiyu's care, assigning her tasks before departing.
Lin Daiyu had been tutored by Lin Ruhai since she was four, so teaching Lin Ningyu to read and write was no problem. Before beginning, Lin Daiyu had considered various potential issues—what if her little sister refused to learn or couldn't grasp it? But she hadn't expected Ningyu to be so intelligent.
Lin Ningyu blushed slightly at Lin Daiyu's praise. Her sister had taught her a little before, but they had stopped due to her need to recuperate. That prior learning had given her some talent, though she was certainly not someone with photographic memory. Yet today, after Lin Daiyu taught her just once, she grasped the content completely, even performing flawlessly when tested.
Lin Ningyu resolved to ask her sister later. With her advanced medical knowledge, Lin Daiyu might know why this was possible. Lin Daiyu's eyes shone. She wasn't petty—seeing her little sister's intelligence made her genuinely happy. But before she could speak further, the housemaid beside her entered, flustered.
"What is it?" Lin Daiyu frowned. This housemaid had accompanied their mother to the household and was an experienced woman. Lin Daiyu had never seen her so panicked. "Did something happen?"
The housemaid, seeing Lin Daiyu's frown, calmed herself slightly before speaking.
"Miss, this old servant needs to request leave. My wretched son… I don't know what's wrong with him. Today, no matter how I called, he wouldn't wake. I was worried and panicked, so I came to report first. Please do not be angry, Miss." Earlier, her daughter-in-law had informed her that her son had red spots on his neck and couldn't be awakened. She had wanted to see him directly but needed to help Miss prepare for her journey back to her ancestral land tomorrow. Fearful she wouldn't make it in time, she had come first to request leave.
"In that case, go ahead. Wang, stay here and mind things," Lin Daiyu said, glancing at Wang the housemaid. "Give her 20 taels of silver."
"Use this 20 taels first. If it's not enough, come back to me," Lin Daiyu added. She noticed the housemaid hesitated, likely holding back concerns about the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Lin Daiyu was not patient with such hesitation, but she understood the maid's intentions.
Lin Ningyu, of course, understood as well. The maid was likely about to lecture about hierarchy, but Ningyu ignored it, not wanting to trouble Lin Daiyu.
"Daiyu, let's end our morning lesson here. Have some tea and take a break. I'll go check on Sister—she's probably being driven crazy by Brother." Their father's idea of having the brother supervise the sister's studies still baffled her.
Lin Daiyu remembered the expression on her sister's face that morning and burst out laughing. She had never realized her sister disliked studying. In the past, she had always seemed calm, graceful, and bookish. She had assumed her sister would enjoy reading—yet clearly not.
"Well, go quickly. Sister has probably been waiting for you to rescue her," Lin Daiyu said.
"I suppose so," Lin Ningyu said with a hand over her mouth, smiling. There was probably a brother in need of rescuing too, but that was a secret—his dignity must be preserved.
She informed Lin Daiyu and left, ignoring the nervous housemaid.
However, Lin Ningyu did not immediately rescue her siblings trapped in the sea of knowledge. She stopped on a small path in the courtyard, frowning. She smelled a faint metallic-sweet scent—blood. The early spring air was crisp and cold, yet the scent had not been carried away by the wind. It must be nearby.
Seeing the puzzled expression on the housemaid, Lin Ningyu felt a chill. Apparently, only she had detected it.
"Miss?" Chun Tao asked, surprised. "Weren't you going to fetch the eldest Miss and Second Young Master?"
"Go get my sister and brother. Tell them I have something to discuss," Lin Ningyu instructed.
"Yes, Miss."
Though Chun Tao was reluctant to leave Miss alone, she obeyed and ran toward the front courtyard.
Lin Ningyu, curiosity piqued, followed the scent herself. She stopped at a fake rock formation in the garden. It was complex, with a hollow at the base just big enough for a person to hide.
Closing her eyes, she emptied her mind and sensed her surroundings, just as she had done as a child when locating her siblings. Gradually, the scene appeared in her mind.
She was correct—someone was hidden there. Their breathing was faint, and they lay motionless, apparently unconscious.
Lin Ningyu hesitated, then decided to check. The person was barely alive; surely a quick look wouldn't hurt? Though risky, her sister's earlier teachings kept echoing in her mind.
"Could this be a highly skilled martial hero…"