The Meridian Diagram

Lin Ying looked at Ning Chang'an and said, "You have no money and no power. It seems I can't ask for anything from you. But fortunately, you're somewhat useful. Why don't you lend yourself to me for a few days?"

"What?"

Ning Chang'an was stunned.

Lin Ying said calmly, "I'm short of a bodyguard, and you're a good choice. I want you by my side for a month, at my beck and call. All past grievances can be resolved. What do you say, such a request shouldn't be too much, right?"

Ning Chang'an fell silent. The image of Lin Ying bathing in the pool appeared in his mind. Being a flower protector for a month wouldn't be bad, he thought. With a change of heart, he replied, "No problem, but I can't leave Yongan Prefecture."

Lin Ying nodded slightly. "I can't leave Yongan Prefecture either!" Her eyes narrowed into a gentle curve as she looked at Ning Chang'an and said softly, "Want to have a drink?"

Ning Chang'an chuckled. "Why not?!"

Lin Ying flicked her wrist, and the wine jar she was holding flew towards Ning Chang'an with a whoosh. Ning Chang'an's eyes flashed with sharpness, and he was surprised. He couldn't do that; it would require incredibly strong internal energy. The wine jar flew through the air in a straight, slow trajectory, as if an invisible hand was supporting it, carefully delivering it inch by inch to Ning Chang'an.

Lin Ying had casually revealed her strength, and Ning Chang'an already knew she was powerful.

Ning Chang'an caught the wine jar, lifted the lower half of his mask, and began to drink greedily. After Ning Chang'an had his fill, Lin Ying started to speak. "There's a big gathering in Yongan Prefecture tomorrow, and I want to go. You have to accompany me. But before that, I need to set three rules with you." Lin Ying seemed to have never considered that Ning Chang'an would refuse.

Ning Chang'an exhaled a breath of wine and said, "Tell me!" He hadn't refused.

Lin Ying said, "First, you must obey me in everything; you are not allowed to act on your own. Second, you must resolve any trouble that arises. Third, you are not allowed to reveal your true identity."

Ning Chang'an replied, "These three points aren't difficult!"

Lin Ying continued, "I will give you a new identity: my butler. You must remember, absolutely do not act rashly when the time comes."

Ning Chang'an just drank, but he committed every word Lin Ying said to memory.

Lin Ying blinked and asked, "Can you imitate old people?"

Ning Chang'an looked surprised and then laughed. "An elderly, prosperous-looking old man? I should be able to imitate one. Do you want me to be your old butler?" He suddenly felt curious, wondering about Lin Ying's intentions behind this arrangement.

Lin Ying explained, "It's normal for a young lady to have an old butler or a loyal servant accompanying her when she goes out. It wouldn't arouse suspicion. Are you done drinking? If so, come with me. I need to give you a makeover!"

Ning Chang'an shook his head. "Such good wine, I can't bear to finish it all at once."

Lin Ying smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I have plenty more at home. As long as it doesn't cause trouble, you can drink as much as you want. I can even turn you into a drunkard."

Ning Chang'an's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

Lin Ying nodded very seriously.

Ning Chang'an hugged the wine jar and gulped it down in one go. Then, he pulled down his mask. Lin Ying moved with a graceful leap towards the north of the city, with Ning Chang'an following leisurely behind.

"What, the Yang family suffered a complete annihilation? Yang Wudou, Yang Qianjun, and all the elites of the Yang family perished?"

In a luxurious, brightly lit room, a man in white stood before a desk, facing a half-open window. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed out the window with a look of shock and anger. Three feet behind him stood a middle-aged man with hawk-like eyes and a hooked nose, dressed in a dark brocade robe. He stood with his head bowed, appearing extremely cautious. Hearing the man in white's exclamation, he quickly replied, "Everything was proceeding according to plan, without any mistakes. But unexpectedly, a strange individual appeared. First, they used a demonic sound to mesmerize people, causing chaos throughout the Yang Manor. More than half of the people present were prostrating themselves, their heads bleeding without them even realizing it. I've never seen such sorcery; it's truly evil. Even more astonishing, the mysterious person stood in mid-air without falling. With a mere wave of their hand, they slaughtered nearly a hundred elites of the Yang Manor. Yang Qianjun's unique formation, Thousand Army Break, unleashed its full power, yet that person remained unharmed. I was incapable of intervening and could only flee. I failed in my duty, please punish me, young master!"

The young man in white was none other than Young Master Tang.

Young Master Tang's expression was stern. He murmured, "Demonic sound devouring the mind, controlling the body, walking on air, killing with a wave of the hand..." A strange light flickered in his deep eyes. He suddenly turned around and said, "Pojun, tell me in detail what happened. Don't miss a single detail of what you saw. Such a powerful individual must have a significant background. If I don't investigate thoroughly, I won't be at ease, and my plans won't be thorough! You know what kind of place Yongan Prefecture is. These people, when they rose to power, were all big shots holding military authority. Although they've retired and are living in seclusion here, they are not at peace. They are secretly colluding, forming factions, and engaging in favoritism. The Crown Prince has been secretly building his influence here for who knows how long. The struggles in the royal city are bloodless, and though I dislike it, I must participate. However, Yongan and Yongping are no ordinary places. These two sleeping beasts have the power to influence the overall situation. Their officials, disciples, and trusted generals are spread throughout the land, their influence is immense! I must guard against them, and I must contend with them... Hmph, those who laugh at my lack of strategy are fools! How can sparrows understand the ambition of a swan! When I hold the reins of the empire in the future, who in the four directions and eight realms will dare to disobey me?!" Young Master Tang waved his right hand, and with a swish, he made a killing gesture, the fierce glint in his eyes slowly receding.

Pojun stood up straight, his face solemn. "Young Master is a man of great destiny, destined to wield divine artifacts. It will not be long now!"

Young Master Tang's expression completely softened. "Tell me what happened! Recently, the Great Zhou Dynasty has been frequently attacking our borders, and there's constant conflict. The Peacock Dynasty is also restless. Looking at the world, undercurrents are surging. I have a feeling this is the calm before the storm. I can't stay in Yongan Prefecture for too long. Once this matter is settled, I will immediately summon Wu Qu, Lian Zhen, Wen Qu, Lu Cun, Ju Men, and Tan Lang, the other six, to go to the border together and fight against the Great Zhou Dynasty to gain some merit. Then we will return to the court, thoroughly stabilize our foundation, and secure a certain degree of influence. We cannot let the Crown Prince have his way in everything."

Pojun nodded repeatedly and recounted the entire incident of the Yang Manor massacre in detail, without concealing anything he saw or heard. The narration took nearly half an hour.

After listening, Young Master Tang fell into deep thought.

When Yang Wukui had just joined the army and his foundation was unstable, he was once surrounded by the Great Zhou Dynasty army. Young Master Tang had provided assistance and saved Yang Wukui's life. Therefore, everyone in the Yang family had a good impression of Young Master Tang and was quite close to him. Yang Wukui had even gained a firm footing with Young Master Tang's support and achieved great military success on the border. Yang Wukui could be considered Young Master Tang's trusted subordinate and loyal follower. He had always heard that Yang Wudou was also talented in military strategy and command, no less capable than Yang Wukui. Therefore, he wanted to win him over to accompany him to the border to gain military merit. He never expected that on the very night he sent his subordinate Pojun to discuss matters, Yang Wudou died, and the entire Yang family suffered a devastating blow. This had truly thrown Young Master Tang's plans into disarray.

Originally, Yang Wudou and Yang Qianjun's deaths were insignificant. But what was crucial was that Yang Qianjun had a former subordinate unit of three thousand well-trained soldiers. These were originally intended to be Yang Wudou's personal troops when he joined the army. If Young Master Tang had won over Yang Wudou, this unit of three thousand men would have also become his. Unexpectedly, complications arose, and both Yang Wudou and Yang Qianjun died at the same time. These three thousand elite soldiers could only watch as they were incorporated into other forces. It was like a duck caught in the mouth flying away. How could Young Master Tang not be furious?

With this, Young Master Tang's capital for gaining military merit on the border was reduced by nearly one-third, a painful blow.

"Damn it, I've never heard of this White Shadow demon. To save a lowly servant, they ruined my plan. One day, I will tear them to pieces. Also, that person in black needs to be investigated thoroughly. If my guess is correct, this person must be from the Master's Tower. Only the Master's Tower would have such audacity. Damn the Master's Tower, refusing to serve me, I will eradicate them completely one day. Hmph, someone is secretly playing dirty tricks against me, trying to disrupt my grand plan. They deserve to die! Pojun, investigate, and make sure you find out everything clearly!"

After hearing Pojun's detailed account, a trace of ferocity surged on Young Master Tang's face. He gnashed his teeth in hatred and coldly commanded.

"Yes! Your subordinate will attend to it immediately!"

Pojun took his orders, exited the room, and disappeared in an instant.

After Pojun left, Young Master Tang paced around the room, his left middle finger twitching slightly. When he was thinking deeply, his left middle finger would involuntarily twitch. The faster his thoughts raced, the faster this finger would twitch, though with very small movements.

Wisps of incense curled out from a pair of white jade ring censers on the desk, calming the mind and refreshing the spirit.

Young Master Tang walked to the desk, stood still, and placed his hands on the surface. He held a brush as if wanting to write something but not knowing where to start. His left hand rested on the desk, and his incessantly twitching middle finger tapped rhythmically on the surface.

After a long, long time, Young Master Tang's body shuddered. He suddenly picked up his brush and wrote a large character "Kill" in the center of the spread-out Xuan paper. The brushstrokes were extremely heavy, like a knife, exuding a murderous aura and filled with hostility.

Young Master Tang stared at the large character "Kill," his expression cold. He murmured to himself, "The Ning family, the Ning family, Ning Shengdao, Ning Shengdao, what exactly did you obtain back then? It actually led to a fatal disaster, ruining a lifetime of fame. But no matter what it is, I must obtain it. If even Spirit Snake Island covets it, it must be extraordinary! Could it really be the legendary Meridian Diagram? Throughout the world, cultivating martial arts, merging with nature, and understanding creation allows one to seek the path of Qi Transformation into Spirit. By understanding destiny and the extreme of life and death, one can even ascend to immortality in broad daylight. External, internal, Qi, Essence, Spirit, various martial arts, and all sorts of Mind Methods. Even my royal family's secret scripture, the Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art, is only a quasi-Peerless Essence Cultivation method. Without the method to transform Qi into Spirit, even with several Divine Cultivation manuals, one cannot achieve it. If I can obtain the Meridian Diagram and cultivate internal energy according to its secrets, with the power of my Purple Qi Transforming Dragon Art, I will surely be able to open the twelve main meridians and eight extraordinary meridians. At that time, I will achieve Qi Transformation into Spirit in one fell swoop, my lifespan will greatly increase, and I will become virtually immortal. Who will be able to do anything to me? Won't it be easy for me to conquer the world? But this water has become extremely murky. King Mao is watching covetously, the Money Gang also wants a piece of the pie, the Poison Dragon Cult, the Dragon Yang Sect, various factions are all eyeing Yongan Prefecture. Damn it, Ning Maodao is about to die, yet the old stubborn refuses to speak, insisting on not speaking without the token... This token must be on Ning Chang'an. The most urgent task is to capture Ning Chang'an... Liu Ruyan, you protect this brat too much. Originally, I wanted to leave a trace of bloodline for the great General Ning Shengdao, who quelled rebellions. But now I have no choice but to kill him. Does a man who dares to compete with me for a woman deserve to live?!"