Official Road

On the wilderness official road.

Chu Ning walked briskly, not using the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique directly, but choosing to travel on foot.

When walking the Jianghu, being too high-profile often attracts trouble; he knew this well.

The cold wind whistled, blowing through the trees on both sides, their branches rustling. Occasionally, the low growls of wild beasts echoed through the mountains, exuding a sense of gloom.

On the official road, thirty feet away, eight Snow-Treading Steeds were whinnying in the sword light of a man in tight-fitting clothes.

The caravan manager, who was leading the group, was flung several dozen feet by the sword energy and landed in front of Chu Ning. Blood foam gushed from his mouth, but he tightly protected 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, crouched down, and took the blood-stained wooden box from his embrace.

He slowly opened it, and a blast of cold air hit him.

It was an ancient sheepskin scroll, on which was clearly written—The Northern Border Military Manual.

Chu Ning's pupils contracted slightly.

This century-old Ice Marrow... was not just an alchemical ingredient, but the key to activating the northern border's defense formation?

The young lady in brocade clothes tumbled out of the overturned carriage in a sorry state. The jade hairpin in her hair was broken, and her scattered black tresses carried a faint wisp of cold mist.

The cold air slowly spread from her body, causing the surrounding withered grass to quickly frost over. Even the ground faintly showed cracks of ice crystals.

"Ice Soul True Qi..." Chu Ning's gaze flickered, and he instantly understood that the young lady's identity was by no means that of an ordinary wealthy family, but a master with a bloodline of cold-attribute martial arts.

Her face was cold and beautiful, her demeanor ethereal. Even in this situation, her expression remained calm.

A glint of greed flashed in the eyes of several Ranked Martial Artists. They licked their lips, "Tsk, I didn't expect such a beauty. This has given us brothers an unexpected surprise."

Beside the carriage, several guards were injured. One of them had not yet fallen, gripping his long sword tightly, his eyes warily fixed on the bandits.

The guard, suppressing his injuries, roared, "Do you know whose caravan this is? If you dare to cause trouble, I'll make sure you're smashed to pieces!"

The men laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"Hahaha, what bullshit identity? Out here in the wilderness, whoever's fist is bigger, that's who calls the shots!"

"Stop the nonsense, brothers, grab the silver and take the people!"

Chu Ning's pupils contracted. The young lady's footwork in evading the sword energy was extremely exquisite, certainly not that of an ordinary family's daughter.

"The little lady is quite spirited." The square-faced man, mid-tier tenth rank, lightly flicked his sword. The brocade on the young lady's shoulder was torn open, revealing the ice-silk lining underneath. "Why don't you come back to the mountain with me and be a bed warmer..."

A scene suddenly flashed through Chu Ning's mind:

It was the night the Wang Family's wicked servants broke into his courtyard. In the wind and snow, his Elder Sister was dragged into the back hall, her clothes roughly torn, looking back at him in terror, powerless to change the situation.

"Elder Sister!!"

Chu Ning's eyes instantly turned icy, and frost lightning exploded from his fingertips.

"Ding!"

A pebble shot through the air, precisely knocking the sword from the man's hand.

"Ten taels of silver for a way to live. Do you think it's worth it?" His voice was neither hurried nor slow, but chilling to the bone. The men were startled. Following the sound, they saw a young man in blue, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a basket, standing calmly not far away.

"Low-tier tenth rank? Are you looking to die?" the square-faced man snorted coldly.

Chu Ning walked forward slowly, a slight smile on his lips, "Since you like bullying the weak, why not try bullying me?"

The men exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! This is unbelievable, someone actually came to offer themselves up!"

"Brothers, since this kid wants to play the hero, let him taste our methods!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a mid-tier tenth rank man suddenly drew his sword. A cold light flashed, striking directly at Chu Ning's throat.

However, before the blade could fall, a thunderous gust of wind had already arrived.

"Bang!"

Chu Ning had appeared before the man at some unknown time and struck his chest with a palm.

"Pfft—"

The man felt an irresistible force sweep through his entire body. He was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the carriage, spitting blood, and falling unconscious on the spot.

The faces of the remaining bandits changed drastically.

"This kid... such speed!"

Chu Ning lightly flicked his sleeves, his gaze calm, "Continue."

The men's hearts grew cold. The leader's forehead was covered in cold sweat. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly roared, "All of you, attack!"

Several figures lunged at Chu Ning simultaneously. Sword light and blade shadows intertwined, and sharp killing intent permeated the night.

Seven streams of sword energy formed an ice net, and frost instantly condensed on the ground.

Chu Ning stood frozen in place as if he had been scared silly. As the sword edge was about to touch his nose, he suddenly raised his hand and took off his bamboo hat.

The twelve bamboo skewers around the brim of the hat exploded simultaneously. The skewers, mixed with frost lightning energy, erupted with a roar.

The three disciples at the forefront froze instantly, their ferocious expressions fixed as they fell to the ground.

"You dare to rob others without any skill?" Chu Ning stepped forward slowly on the ice shards, blue and white arcs of electricity dancing at his fingertips. "Which sect do you belong to?"

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

Their skin began to crack, and instead of blood, tiny ice crystals and electrical sparks emerged from the wounds.

A cold glint suddenly erupted, and the blade light shattered.

"Pfft—!"

Blood splattered, and several figures crashed to the ground.

In just a few breaths, all the robbers lay dead on the spot.

The leader, left behind, slumped to the ground, his face ashen, his eyes filled with terror.

"You... who exactly are you?"

Chu Ning walked slowly to him, looking down at him, and said lightly, "You are not worthy of knowing."

Then, he kicked out.

Just then, the young woman in brocade clothes let out a muffled groan.

Chu Ning's peripheral vision caught a wisp of black energy coiling around her ankle.

In the pine forest outside the official road, a middle-aged man put away his Lightning Pattern Crossbow, his expression grim. "Trash from the Cold Mountain Sect, can't even deal with a simple herb collector."

Senior Brother Wuwang, that girl has been struck by Yin Sha Lightning. Her meridians will be severed within half an hour," an attendant said, staring at the jade pendant faintly visible at the girl's waist.

"This is exactly what we want, for the Marquis Wu's Estate to investigate the Cold Mountain Sect."

Zhao Wuwang's fingers danced with black lightning as he stared at the jade pendant faintly visible at the girl's waist, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Heh... no matter how deeply the Marquis Wu's Estate hides, what of it?"

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

"No rush," Zhao Wuwang raised his hand, revealing an ancient bronze seal in his palm, engraved with patterns unique to the Wang Family. "The Wang Family is unwilling to act against the Marquis Wu's Estate personally, but they are even less willing to see the northern border's barrier restarted."

"When the Wang Family arrives, we'll reap the benefits."

"Who's there?!"

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

The rusty blade was covered in ice-cracking patterns, and within each crack, starlight-like lightning flickered. Chu Ning's voice came from the treetops. "They are trash from the Cold Mountain Sect. What kind of trash are you?"

Zhao Wuwang's meridians were already sealed by the frost lightning. He watched helplessly as Chu Ning took his Lightning Pattern Ring.

The moment Chu Ning snatched the Lightning Pattern Ring, he suddenly felt a strange fluctuation emanating from within the ring.

He flipped it over and found a line of blood-red engraving.

"Jinghong appears, Qingyun is in chaos."

These words seemed to be a warning, or perhaps a prophecy.

After dealing with the Heavenly Thunder Sect people, Chu Ning returned to the official road.

The Cold Mountain disciples had already fled. Only the young woman in brocade clothes and the caravan manager remained. She leaned against the wreckage of a carriage.

She tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve to bandage her calf, blood beads seeping from the wound.

"Do you need any help, miss?" Chu Ning shook his medicine basket. "These people have been dealt with. Be careful on the rest of your journey."

The woman looked at him quietly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, then smiled slightly.

"Thank you for your assistance, young master."

Her voice was clear and cold, like a flowing mountain spring.

Chu Ning waved his hand. "It was just a small effort, no need to take it to heart."

The woman nodded slightly, saying no more, and slowly returned to the carriage.

The carriage curtain fell, obscuring her thoughtful gaze.

She held a small sword in her palm, its hilt engraved with the small character "Ming." "My name is Xie Mingli. My elder brother, Xie Jinghong, is waiting for me to return."

The guards busily organized the caravan, preparing to continue on their way.

"Yin Sha Lightning Poison? The Heavenly Thunder Sect really knows how to spend money."

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

Her chest heaved violently, her lips pale, clearly enduring immense pain.

Yet, even so, her expression showed no sign of panic.

"The young master saved me once. I wonder... if he would be willing to save me again?" She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze carrying a hint of probing and gratitude, but more than that, it was calm calculation.

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback, his gaze falling on her clear yet slightly weary eyes. Despite her severe injuries, she sat upright as always, her demeanor undiminished. She was indeed the direct descendant of the Marquis Wu's Estate.

He didn't rush to answer, but after a moment of silence, he slowly said, "How can I save you?"

Xie Mingli exhaled softly, her fingertips tightening slightly on her sleeve. "It's still a hundred li to the prefectural city... If the young master doesn't mind, perhaps we could travel together."