Chapter Fifty-Seven: Twin Bells

  Outside the city gate is a main road, the sound of horse hooves echoes far away in the deep autumn night, startling the crows.

  Song Kai's heart was a bit heavy, he didn't think he would end up like this, but everything had nothing to regret about, if it happened again, he would still help Liu Yuyan without hesitation, just maybe more secretly.

  If I had known earlier that Yang Rongguang would be so ruthless, Song Kai would have taken preventive measures, but now it's too late to think about these things.

  "What about Uncle Fu?" Nie Ling sat in front of Song Kai, shrugging her shoulders, and the feeling of being wrapped in Song Kai's arms was still pretty good.

  "He stayed in Suzhou City, knowing where the gold and silver were hidden, hoping that Yang Rongguang would not lay a hand on an old man like him." Song Kai sighed.

  "It's really lawless, I thought only the Turkic country was like this, didn't expect it to happen in the Great Tang too," Nie Lingdang muttered, "So, Song Kai, follow me and I'll take care of you. By the way, that sound earlier, that ball of fire, how did you do it?"

  "It's just a small trick," Song Kai replied casually, "Alright, let's rest at the inn up ahead and continue on our journey early tomorrow morning, lest we catch a chill tonight and fall ill."

  "Good," Nie Zhong heard Song Kai's arrangement, she felt at ease, a completely different feeling from her previous escape.

  The hostel is called Suyue Hostel, a three-story bamboo building with a large area and many rooms.

  The business of this inn is very good because it is close to Suzhou City. Those travelers who cannot enter the city, when night falls, can only choose to rest at the inn.

  The accommodation fee is not expensive, the cheapest one only needs eighty cents per night, if it's a single room, at least four hundred cents are needed for one night, and the Tianzi brand house price is even higher.

  Song Kai dismounted and knocked on the door of the inn. The shopkeeper, rubbing his eyes, opened the door for Song Kai and let them in. This kind of inn was open 24 hours a day, specifically catering to travelers who couldn't enter the city at night.

  Song Kai carried his luggage and booked a double room.

  Nie Lingdang saw that she was going to sleep in the same room as Song Kai, and although there were two beds inside, her heart still beat a little faster.

  After entering the room, Song Kai carefully placed his luggage on the head of the bed and said, "Go to sleep, we still have a long way to go tomorrow."

  Nie Lingdang glanced at Song Kai and wanted to comfort him, but also didn't know where to start.

  "No need to comfort me. Once we arrive in Chang'an City, I'll be a good man again," Song Kai smiled and said, "This is called temporarily avoiding the sharp edge."

  "It's just a temporary avoidance of trouble, once the young lady regains her status, I'll definitely help you return to Suzhou City and chop that damned Yang Rongguang into eighteen pieces for you." Nie Lingdang clenched his fists in hatred.

  At this moment, her wrist began to vibrate with a "ding ding ding" sound, the tone was very crisp.

  "Ah!"

  Nie Ling Tong suddenly jumped down from the bed and stood on the ground, staring blankly at the bell on his wrist.

  The bell was still slightly trembling, emitting a pleasant and faint sound, although very small, but as refreshing as a gentle breeze.

  "What's wrong?" Song Kai's palm grasped his own pouch, his expression serious.

  "There...there...someone," Nie Ling Tong stared at the bell on his wrist, trembling with voice, "It's my dad, it's my dad who came!"

  Song Kai looked at Nie Lingdang with a surprised expression.

  Nie Ling's lips trembled, and it was clear that she was extremely emotional.

  Song Kai walked over, picked up Nie Lingdang, and put her on his own bed, saying in a low voice: "What's going on? Tell me clearly."

  Song Kai's embrace is very warm.

  She calmed down, swallowed her saliva and pointed to the bell on her right wrist: "This is a twin bell. In the north of our Turkic country, there is a large ice plain. Under the ice layer, there is a rare stone that looks like a gourd, divided into two parts. Once this stone is broken in half from the middle, the two broken stones will attract each other, as if there are two invisible hands putting them together."

  Song Kai nodded slightly, somewhat like a magnet, but also different.

  Nie Lingdang raised his wrist, looking at the bell on his wrist, and said: "My father obtained a piece of twin stone and made two bells out of its two parts. These two bells will produce a response, tremble and vibrate, and emit a pleasant sound within ten feet. You see, it's like this now."

  Song Kai looked at the slightly trembling bell and finally understood Nie Ling's meaning, "You're saying that another bell is within ten zhang of here? Or in other words, the person carrying that bell is inside this inn?"

  "Right!" Nie Ling's small hands clenched into fists, "It must be Father who has come to find me. The other bell is something that belongs to my father's treasure, it must be him."

  Song Kai thought for a moment, then pulled out a black iron lump from his leather pouch and put it in his bosom. He also took the curved knife and with one hand holding Nie Lingdang, said: "Let's go and take a look. If it's your father, that would be best. If not, I'm afraid your father is in trouble..."

  "Don't say any more, it must be Father," Nie Lingdang stood up and the two of them walked towards the door.

  Arriving at the door of the room, I saw a stout figure thumping down the stairs.

  There were not many rooms in the entire hostel that had their lights on, Song Kai pulled Nie Lingdang to carefully hide at the door of the room, looking at the scene outside.

  "Shopkeeper, was there anyone staying in the shop just now?" asked the stout man in a somewhat stiff official tone.

  "Ah," said the shopkeeper, yawning, "what can I do for you, sir?"

  "Where do you live?" the man continued to ask.

  The young shopkeeper shook his head and said, "Sir, you have something to instruct."

  Song Kai looked at the man and asked in a low voice, "Do you know him?"

  Nie Lingdang tiptoed and looked down, then nodded, "It's my family heirloom, Ashina Wanlang."

  Song opened his heart.

  Nie Lingdang could no longer hold back, and called out: "A Shi Na Wan Lang, over here."

  The tall and strong man who was negotiating below heard the sound, suddenly raised his head, and when he saw Nie Zhong's figure, he immediately knelt down on the ground, wailing loudly.

  The shopkeeper next door turned pale with fright, hastily shrinking his head and waving his hand: "It's none of my business, it's none of my business."

  "Come up!" Nie Lingdang called out.

  The man ran up the stairs, thud, thud, thud, and came straight to Nie Lingdang's room on the second floor. Three meters away, he knelt down again with a plop, his bearded face blurry with tears.

  "County Master, my master, Wan Lang has finally found you, finally...found you!"

  As he spoke, the big man crawled forward on all fours and kissed Nie Rong's toes.

  Nie Ling knelt down and patted Ashina Wanlang's head, "Wanlang, are you the only one? Where is my father?"

  "Oh no, King Nan didn't come. King Nan needs to handle some aftermath in the Holy City, it was General Ji who brought us here," said Wan Lang, kneeling on the ground.

  "Has Grandfather Qi arrived? Where is he? Quickly take me to see him," Nie Zhong said hastily.

  "Alright, Lady Jun, please wait here for a moment. I'll go and ask General Ji to come over," Ah Shi Na Wan Lang slowly backed away, then turned around and quickly ran towards the third floor. It seemed that they had previously stayed in better rooms on the third floor.

  Nie Lingdang stood up and turned around to look at Song Kai, with a smile on his face. "Song Kai, thank you."

  Song Kai also let out a breath of relief, entered the room, and put the iron lump back into his bag.

  Nie Ling Tong followed into the room, she felt that everything was so lucky, escaping during the day with a loyal maid to see her off, and meeting a kind-hearted Song Kai, now fleeing at night, and encountering the steward who came to find herself, the difficult days were finally coming to an end.