Official Road

On the wilderness highway.

Chu Ning strode forward, never directly using Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique. Instead, he chose to travel on foot.

When roaming the martial world, being too high-profile often invited trouble. He knew that all too well.

The cold wind sighed as it swept through the woods on either side. Branches and leaves rustled, while the occasional low growl of a beast echoed through the mountains, lending the scene a sinister air.

Thirty feet away on the highway, eight Snow-Treading Colts were crying out beneath the sword flashes of a sturdy man.

The caravan steward at the head was sent tumbling several yards by Sword Qi, landing before Chu Ning. Blood foam welled from his mouth, yet he clung desperately to the wooden box at his waist.

"Don't... don't touch it..." he murmured with difficulty, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

Chu Ning frowned and crouched down, taking the bloodstained wooden box from his arms.

He slowly opened it, and a wave of cold air rushed into his face.

Inside was a roll of ancient parchment, upon which the words Northern Border Military Manual were boldly written.

Chu Ning's pupils contracted slightly.

This century-old Ice Marrow... wasn't merely an alchemy ingredient, but the key to activating the barrier guarding the Northern Border?

The woman in ornate clothing tumbled awkwardly out of the overturned carriage. The jade hairpin in her hair had snapped, and when her dark locks spilled loose, they carried a faint wisp of cold mist.

Chill slowly spread from her body. The withered grass around her rapidly frosted over, and even the ground faintly showed cracks of crystallized ice.

"Ice Soul True Qi..." A glint flickered in Chu Ning's eyes. He instantly realized that this woman was no ordinary wealthy young lady, but an expert who possessed the bloodline of a cold-aspected martial art.

Her features were cold and beautiful, her bearing otherworldly. Even in such circumstances, her expression remained calm.

Greed flashed through the eyes of several Ranked Martial Artists. One licked his lips. "Tsk, I didn't expect there to be such a beauty too. Looks like our brothers have stumbled upon an unexpected delight."

Beside the carriage, several guards were covered in wounds. One had yet to fall and was gripping his sword with all his might, warily watching the highway robbers.

The guard endured his injuries and shouted angrily, "Do you know whose caravan this is? If you dare act recklessly, we'll make sure you're shattered to dust!"

The men burst into laughter at his words.

"Hahahaha, what the hell does your identity matter? Out here in the wilderness, whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules!"

"Enough nonsense. Brothers, take the money—and take the woman too!"

Chu Ning's pupils narrowed slightly. The girl's footwork in evading the Sword Qi had been exceedingly skillful. She was certainly no ordinary noble daughter.

"That little lady sure is pretty." The square-faced man, a Tenth Rank Middle Grade martial artist, lightly raised his sword. Her cloud-patterned brocade shoulder split open with a sharp tear, revealing the Ice Silkworm Silk undershirt beneath. "Why don't you come back to the mountains with your master and warm my bed..."

A scene suddenly flashed through Chu Ning's mind:

It was the night when the Wang family's vicious servants had stormed into his courtyard. Amid the wind and snow, his elder sister had been dragged into the rear hall, her collar brutally torn open as she looked back in terror at him, helpless to change anything.

"Elder Sister!!"

Chu Ning's gaze turned icy in an instant, and frost lightning suddenly burst from his fingertips.

"Clang!"

A pebble shot through the air and struck the sword from the man's hand with pinpoint accuracy.

"Ten taels of silver for a way to stay alive. Do you think it's worth it?" His voice was unhurried, yet its chill pierced to the bone. The men froze and looked toward the sound, only to see a young man in blue robes standing nearby with a bamboo hat on his head and a bamboo basket on his back, his expression indifferent.

"A Tenth Rank Lower Grade martial artist? You came looking for death?" the square-faced man sneered.

Chu Ning slowly stepped forward, the corners of his lips curling upward. "Since you like bullying the weak, why don't you try bullying me?"

The men exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! This is unbelievable. Someone actually came knocking on his own!"

"Brothers, since this brat wants to play the hero, let's show him what we can do!"

As soon as his voice fell, one of the Tenth Rank Middle Grade men suddenly drew his sword. A cold gleam flashed as it thrust straight at Chu Ning's throat.

Yet before the blade could fall, a thunderous gale had already struck.

"Bang!"

Chu Ning had appeared before the man at some unknown point and slammed a palm into his chest.

"Pfft—"

The man felt an irresistible force sweep through his entire body. He flew backward and crashed heavily into the carriage, vomiting blood before passing out on the spot.

The other bandits' expressions changed drastically.

"This brat... he's fast!"

Chu Ning lightly shook out his sleeve, his gaze calm. "Keep going."

The men's hearts turned cold. Sweat poured from the leader's forehead, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes before he suddenly roared, "All together!"

Several figures lunged at Chu Ning simultaneously. Blades and swords crossed in a web of flashing light, while fierce killing intent suffused the night.

Seven streams of Sword Qi formed an icy net, and frost flowers instantly condensed across the ground.

Chu Ning stood there as if frightened senseless. Just as the sword points were about to touch his nose, he suddenly raised a hand and removed his bamboo hat.

The twelve bamboo slips along the brim exploded at once, erupting with frost lightning.

The three disciples at the very front froze immediately, then toppled to the ground with their savage expressions still fixed on their faces.

"Did you think you could rob the road without any skill?" Chu Ning strode forward over the ice shards, blue-white arcs of electricity dancing across his fingertips. "Which sect are you from?"

The remaining men frantically circulated their inner force, only to discover that what flowed through their meridians was no longer true qi, but some kind of viscous frost lightning.

Their skin began to crack. From their wounds came not blood, but tiny ice crystals and sparks of electricity.

A cold gleam suddenly blossomed, and the blades shattered.

"Slash—!"

Blood sprayed as several figures crashed to the ground.

In the span of a few breaths, every bandit lay dead on the spot.

The remaining leader slumped on the ground, his face deathly pale and his eyes filled with terror.

"You... who are you?"

Chu Ning slowly walked before him and looked down from above. "You're not worthy of knowing."

Then he kicked him away.

At that moment, the woman in ornate clothing suddenly let out a muffled groan.

From the corner of his eye, Chu Ning saw a wisp of black qi coil around her ankle.

Among the pine trees beyond the highway, a middle-aged man put away a Lightning Pattern Crossbow, his expression gloomy. "The trash from the Cold Mountain Sect couldn't even deal with a herb gatherer."

"Senior Brother Wuwang, that girl was struck by Yin Sha Lightning. Within fifteen minutes, her meridians will certainly be severed." His follower stared at the faintly visible jade marrow pendant at the girl's waist.

"That's exactly what we want—to make the Marquis Wu's Estate investigate the Cold Mountain Sect."

Black lightning danced between Zhao Wuwang's fingers as he stared at the faintly visible jade marrow pendant at the girl's waist. A cold smile tugged at his lips.

"Heh... No matter how deeply the Marquis Wu's Estate hides its secrets, so what?"

"Senior Brother, are we really going to let her leave?" a Heavenly Thunder Sect disciple asked quietly. "This is the opportunity we've waited years for..."

"No rush." Zhao Wuwang raised his hand, revealing an ancient bronze seal in his palm, carved with the Wang family's distinctive pattern. "The Wang family doesn't want to personally move against the Marquis Wu's Estate, but they want the Northern Border barrier reactivated even less."

"When the Wang family's people arrive, we'll sit back and reap the benefits like the fisherman who waited while the snipe and clam fought."

"Who's there?!"

The frost lightning rising from the blade condensed in the air into the phantom of an Azure-Eyed Snow Fox, its sharp teeth clamped around Zhao Wuwang's throat.

Ice cracks crawled over the rust-covered blade, and star-like lightning gleamed within every fissure. Chu Ning's voice came from the treetops. "They're trash from the Cold Mountain Sect. What kind of trash are you?"

Zhao Wuwang's meridians had already been sealed by frost lightning. He could only watch helplessly as Chu Ning took his Lightning Pattern Ring.

The instant Chu Ning seized the Lightning Pattern Ring, he suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation spreading from inside it.

He turned it over and discovered a line of blood-red engraving within.

"When Jinghong appears, the azure clouds will be thrown into chaos."

The words seemed to be some kind of warning—or perhaps some kind of prophecy.

After dealing with the people from the Heavenly Thunder Sect, Chu Ning returned to the highway.

The disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect had long since fled. Only the woman in ornate clothing and the caravan steward remained. She sat leaning against the wreckage of the carriage.

She tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and bandaged her lower leg, where beads of blood seeped from the wound.

"Miss, do you need help?" Chu Ning shook the medicine basket in his hand. "I've dealt with these people. Be careful on the road ahead."

The woman quietly studied him. A strange glint passed through her eyes, followed by a faint smile.

"Thank you, Young Master, for coming to my aid."

Her voice was cool and clear, like a secluded spring flowing through the mountains.

Chu Ning waved his hand. "It was only a small effort. Don't worry about it."

The woman gave a slight nod without saying anything more, then slowly returned to the carriage.

The curtain fell, hiding her thoughtful gaze.

She held a small sword in her palm. The tiny character "Ming" was carved into its hilt. "My name is Xie Mingli. My elder brother, Xie Jinghong, is waiting for me to return."

The guards hurriedly reorganized the caravan and prepared to continue on their way.

"Yin Sha Thunder Poison? The Heavenly Thunder Sect really was willing to pay the price."

Xie Mingli sat leaning against the carriage wreckage, her fingers trembling as she pressed the Ice Marrow Jade Marrow at her collarbone, trying to suppress the spread of the Yin Sha Thunder Poison.

Her chest rose and fell violently, her lips pale. Clearly, she was enduring tremendous pain.

Even so, not the slightest trace of panic showed on her face.

"You saved me once, Young Master. I wonder... would you be willing to save me a second time?" She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze carrying a faint hint of probing and gratitude—but even more than that, calm calculation.

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback. His gaze fell on her cool yet visibly weary eyes. Though she was seriously wounded, she still sat upright as usual, her bearing undiminished in the slightest. She truly was a direct descendant of the Marquis Wu's Estate.

He did not answer at once. After a moment of silence, he slowly asked, "How?"

Xie Mingli exhaled softly, her fingers tightening slightly around her sleeve. "The prefectural city is still a hundred li from here... If you don't mind, why don't we travel together?"