The Guest Official of Yang Manor

A round-topped sedan chair, carried by four people, with four guards, this was precisely the entourage of Guo Daichong, the Prefect of Yongan Prefecture.

Ning Chang'an had never met Guo Daichong, the Prefect of Yongan Prefecture, but he had heard many stories about the man and knew he was no ordinary person. He subconsciously took a few more glances at the round-topped, somewhat shabby sedan chair. Within a few breaths, the two approached each other and were already far apart.

A wave of wine aroma suddenly drifted over with the wind. Smelling the wine, rich and delicate, he knew it was good liquor. Just as Ning Chang'an was thinking about drinking, he smelled the aroma and couldn't help but sniff deeply. He had originally planned to investigate the Yang Manor and then explore the Ning Manor, but he was forced to stop in his tracks.

He stopped because the wine was too fragrant.

Ahead, standing quietly on the roof ridge's dragon-like ornament, was a tall and slender figure. In the darkness, it was not very clear, but its silhouette was exceptionally distinct. The figure had its back to Ning Chang'an, facing the wind, its robes fluttering.

"Tonight, clouds of sorrow abound, who knows of the moon's waxing and waning? Just drink this muddled wine, and dream of the afterlife."

With a sigh that sounded like a soft, melodious hum, the figure suddenly turned around.

Ning Chang'an was stunned, his expression astonished, and he was speechless for a moment, simply standing still.

"Don't you want to drink?"

A deep, slightly hoarse voice sounded.

Ning Chang'an looked at the wine jar the person held in their hand, its seal already broken. Wisps of wine aroma drifted over with the wind, entering his nostrils, but his heart tightened involuntarily. He still couldn't utter a single word. Ning Chang'an remained silent, and the other person said nothing more, only gazing at Ning Chang'an, quietly waiting. The person seemed certain that Ning Chang'an would eventually speak and was not in the least bit rushed.

"This isn't your real voice!"

After a long while, Ning Chang'an finally spoke, his tone carrying a strange sense of awkwardness.

"Are you still the same you?"

The other person retorted, their voice still hoarse and deep, but very lively.

Ning Chang'an's eyes, visible outside his night-traveling clothes, blinked. His current self was Soul Severing, a Guest Official of the Master's Tower who killed for certain purposes. To put it bluntly, he was an assassin. Soul Severing was certainly not Ning Chang'an. Ning Chang'an would not kill indiscriminately, even for immense benefits, he would not kill someone unrelated to him. But Soul Severing would. At this moment, clad in black and with his face hidden, he was no longer his former self.

"Your name is Lin Ying!"

Ning Chang'an said.

Lin Ying was a woman, a woman Ning Chang'an had met by chance. He had heard her scream, and the memory was very clear, so he knew her voice was not hoarse at all. On the contrary, it was very crisp.

Lin Ying, dressed in a purple, form-fitting long robe, gracefully sat down on the roof ridge's dragon ornament. Her slender eyebrows were slightly raised, and her large eyes gazed at Ning Chang'an, as if subconsciously asking, "How did you know?"

Ning Chang'an couldn't understand her gaze.

Ning Chang'an smiled awkwardly, his throat making a dry sound, unsure how to explain. Those memories, starting from their encounter, were all exceptionally awkward. He couldn't be as carefree as Lin Ying.

Lin Ying, on her own, tilted her head back and slowly drank from the wine jar with both hands, her eyes never leaving Ning Chang'an.

Ning Chang'an mumbled, "I heard it from someone."

Lin Ying's expression became even more curious, saying, "From whom did you hear it?" Her fingers were long and fair. As she tilted her head to drink, her long hair cascaded down her back, swaying in the wind like a curtain of black waterfall. As she swallowed, her throat moved slightly, a truly beautiful sight.

Ning Chang'an couldn't possibly say he had followed her and overheard it! He knew he absolutely couldn't say that. Moreover, he was curious how Lin Ying recognized him. Not to mention that he had become quite plump, looking like a completely different person, but also wearing night-traveling clothes that hid his face and head. It would be difficult for anyone not intimately familiar with him to recognize him. Ning Chang'an changed the subject, "How did you recognize me?"

Lin Ying placed the wine jar on her knees and said calmly, "There aren't many people in this world who can make me both angry and hateful! And I have a natural ability to be sensitive to things I dislike. If I hate someone, I can recognize them even if they turn to ash. Unfortunately, you are one of those people. The moment I saw you, I became very angry, and a sense of hatred welled up in my heart, so I knew you were Ning Chang'an of the Ning family. What do you think of this reason?" Her tone and expression, however, didn't quite seem angry; her resentment was like still water, possessing an ethereal quality.

Ning Chang'an shook his head and said, "I don't know. I only know I should apologize and make amends!"

Lin Ying's eyes lit up slightly and she said, "Apologize? Make amends? How will you apologize? How will you make amends? With what will you apologize and make amends?"

Ning Chang'an's gaze was serious, "As you wish!"

Lin Ying slowly stood up and said, "You'll let me set the terms?" A rare smile appeared on her face.

Ning Chang'an nodded. Seeing that fleeting smile on Lin Ying's face, Ning Chang'an couldn't help but smile too. Lin Ying's faint smile evoked some memories in him. Those memories were deep in his heart; he couldn't forget them, and they grew fresher with time. Recalling those years of wandering the martial arts world, that memory always felt so vivid and special in his heart.

Looking back, Lin Ying was probably the most stunning romantic encounter Ning Chang'an had after descending the mountain. Perhaps Ning Chang'an would never have such an experience again in his life.

He remembered it was the third month after he descended the mountain. At that time, he was new to the martial arts world, full of passion, determined to make a name for himself and carve out his own territory. He had suffered enough hardship on Dragon Green Mountain and endured enough lessons from Thunder God Yang Qingling. He had descended the mountain risking his life, and he would be too ashamed to return without achieving something, so he was full of drive. In Ning Chang'an's childhood memories, out of a month, he spent ten days practicing martial arts diligently, external body hardening, and internal energy cultivation. Regardless of the season, these were daily chores; ten days were spent training with Yang Qingling. While having a skilled elder as a sparring partner and martial arts mentor should have been an incredibly happy thing, and countless people in the martial arts world encountered bottlenecks and couldn't advance their skills, desperately seeking guidance from masters, Ning Chang'an felt no happiness at all in his youth. To be precise, Yang Qingling didn't teach him; he disciplined him. No matter what he wanted to teach Ning Chang'an or what insights he wanted to impart, he never spoke, only using his fists and feet to teach until Ning Chang'an finally understood. When he did speak, it was always with thunderous roars and scolding. Yang Qingling's strikes were always incredibly heavy and vicious, not enough to kill Ning Chang'an, but often causing him immense pain, as if he were in purgatory. So, the remaining ten days of the month were often spent dealing with various healing medicines, tonics, tiger bone wine, bear bile, and the like. Reading and writing were mostly completed during this time, as Yang Qingling wouldn't let Ning Chang'an have a moment of leisure. Fortunately, along the way, Yu Fu was by his side, accompanying and taking care of him, which allowed him to endure.

The time he descended the mountain, he was beaten half to death by Yang Qingling simply because he said he wanted to marry Yu Fu. They had already secretly pledged their love and made vows before that. Yang Qingling was furious upon hearing this and immediately attacked. In a fit of anger, Ning Chang'an left with the words, "I'll be back in three to five years," and with his wounds, he leaped off Dragon Green Mountain, enraging Yang Qingling, who sputtered and roared that if Ning Chang'an dared to return, he would tear him limb from limb.

Everything after descending the mountain was not as simple as Ning Chang'an had imagined. His life showed no improvement, and nothing went as he wished. After all, only a minority could truly make waves in the martial arts world. At that time, he could only drift aimlessly in the vast martial arts world.

The martial arts world was not the world he had imagined on the mountain; he felt its immense cruelty and indifference, filled with darkness and oppression everywhere. He began to wander aimlessly, joining a killer organization called Black Crow and starting to kill for money. At that time, he thought that a prominent figure in the martial arts world not only needed formidable martial arts skills but also substantial financial resources and influence. But at that time, he had nothing, so he killed for money. Even now, he couldn't understand why there were so many businesses in the martial arts world that traded lives for money, why it was filled with life-and-death feuds. He only knew that during that nearly year-long period, he killed someone almost every three days.

The last time, he lost. He lost miserably, beaten half to death by someone named Wang Lü. That time, his mission failed, and he fled into the deep mountains, finally managing to save his life.

He hid in a tree, binding his exhausted and suffering self, on the verge of fainting, to dense branches, silently enduring the pain, narrowly escaping Wang Lü's pursuit. He was severely injured and eventually gradually lost consciousness. When he suddenly woke up, he didn't know how much time had passed. He looked around and saw Lin Ying.

At that time, what he saw of Lin Ying was a naked bathing celestial maiden.

But he was completely bound to the tree and couldn't move. For a moment, he didn't dare to move and just watched from the shadows. In fact, with such peerless beauty before him, his heart was already captivated, and he didn't want to leave.

The tree was close to a mountain stream, with lush, verdant branches. Ning Chang'an, hidden in the tree, left no trace, unwilling and afraid to reveal any clues. Below the tree was a small patch of grass, and in front of the grass was a clear, small pool. The stream water flowed and gathered, making the water in the small pool clear to the bottom.

In the depths of the quiet mountains, there was no one around.

Ning Chang'an had thought that after escaping Wang Lü's pursuit, no more trouble would arise. But reality often exceeded expectations, presenting itself to you in a stunning and shocking manner. After he fainted and opened his eyes, he saw Lin Ying leisurely bathing in the pool. She was like a nimble fish swimming freely in the water, her posture relaxed and graceful.

She must not have known that a pair of eyes were admiring her from the shadows, looking at her fair and smooth naked body.

Lin Ying gently cupped the cool pool water with her hands and wet her loose long hair. The water reached her waist. Ning Chang'an could even see water droplets slide down her ethereal and beautiful face, down her slender neck, gathering between her collarbones and neck, then flowing down, past her full breasts, and then into the small pool from her flat, firm abdomen. In the sunlight, the water on her body shimmered with iridescent arcs of light. It was beautiful, full of youthful allure.