Entering the City

Chu Ning didn't wait for her reply, his five fingers already gripping her shoulder.

"You dare—" Xie Mingli roared, but in the next second, Chu Ning forcefully pushed her back to the ground.

"Stop the nonsense. Is your life or your pride more important?" Chu Ning said in a deep voice, his eyes as sharp as lightning.

"You—" Xie Mingli gritted her teeth, a hint of shame and anger in her eyes, but she finally shut her mouth.

"Bear with it." He pulled open the woman's collar, revealing only a white ice-silk shirt underneath.

However, her skin, which was originally smooth as jade, was now covered in black thunderous patterns. The Yin Sha Thunder Poison had already invaded her blood vessels, and every inch of her skin exuded an unusual dark hue.

Chu Ning's fingertips rapidly pressed thirteen vital acupoints along the path of the thunderous patterns.

"You..." Xie Mingli struggled to maintain her consciousness, her face stiffening.

Chu Ning said gravely, "Don't overthink it. I'm saving you, otherwise, you'll die immediately!"

Blood beads splattered from Xie Mingli's bitten lips, but they evaporated into mist when they touched his hand. The ghost mask suddenly opened its fangs, and dark purple venom shot towards Chu Ning's face.

"Be careful!" she asked, forcing herself to maintain the last shred of composure.

Chu Ning directly reached out and pressed on the thunderous patterns on her shoulder.

"Boom!"

In an instant, scorching Thunderous Force surged from his palm into Xie Mingli's body, sweeping through her meridians and violently colliding with the cold Yin Sha Thunder Poison.

"Ah—!"

Her entire body trembled violently, her fingers digging into the ground, her knuckles turning white from the force, almost creating bloody marks in the dirt.

"Bear with it," Chu Ning reminded her in a low voice.

Xie Mingli gasped, her voice slightly hoarse, "When... when did this young lady... need you to remind her..."

The Thunderous Force in Chu Ning's hand became even more ferocious, like a storm scouring her meridians, forcefully expelling the Yin Sha Thunder Poison.

All the Thunderous Force poured into the seven orifices of the ghost mask, the screams shaking the rock walls and causing stones to fall.

With the smell of scorched flesh, the dark purple toxic blood was refined into green smoke.

The Thunder Poison suddenly retaliated, climbing madly along Chu Ning's wrist. Dark purple lightning, like venomous snakes, burrowed into his palm and rushed straight towards his sea of consciousness.

Chu Ning's eyes turned cold, and he forcefully injected his true qi into his palm. The Thunderclap Saber Art within him operated at full power, and the violent Thunderous Force swept through his entire body.

"Boom!" The two bolts of lightning clashed fiercely in his meridians, and the air around Chu Ning crackled with explosive sounds.

Lightning flashed wildly between the two, and the entire cave was filled with a strong aura of thunder.

"Pfft!"

Xie Mingli suddenly spat out a mouthful of black, foul blood, and collapsed onto the ground as if drained of all strength.

And on her collarbone, those black thunderous patterns finally began to gradually fade.

The Thunder Poison... had been forced out of her body.

Xie Mingli gasped for air, her body weak, but she could clearly feel that the severe pain that had been eroding her meridians was gone.

She looked up, her gaze complex as she looked at Chu Ning.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

Chu Ning sat cross-legged, recovering the true qi he had consumed. Hearing her question, he smiled slightly, "Just an ordinary disciple of the Thunderclap Martial Hall."

Xie Mingli fell silent. She knew very well that the man before her was definitely not an ordinary person.

His Thunderous Force was extremely domineering, something no ordinary martial artist could control.

Her eyes flickered, and she slowly spoke, "Young Master is not an ordinary 'martial hall disciple.' If I'm not mistaken, you must be... a participant representing the Thunderclap Martial Hall in the Azure Cloud Arena, right?"

Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged, and he still smiled faintly, "Oh? Why do you say that?"

Xie Mingli stared at him, her tone firm, "An ordinary disciple wouldn't have your strength."

Chu Ning chuckled and said nothing.

"Young Master is indeed extraordinary," Xie Mingli said, tidying her collar with a cold expression. "You saved me, I owe you a favor."

Chu Ning smiled, "You're welcome, you're welcome."

Things... were getting more and more interesting.

The two tidied their robes, walked out of the cave, and hurried towards the direction of the prefectural city.

The next day, as dawn broke, the majestic city walls in the distance finally came into view.

The prefectural city—Qingzhou Prefecture.

"Eleven... twelve."

As Xie Mingli's carriage rolled over the bluestone of the moat, Chu Ning was counting the number of corpses.

The bodies, marked with wooden plaques labeled "Refugee Rioters," were a pale grey under the bright winter sun. The spear tips of the city guards were still stained with fresh blood.

As the carriage passed, a drop of blood fell precisely onto the eye of the Black Tortoise carved on the carriage shaft, dyeing its gilded pupil crimson.

"What are you counting, young master?" Xie Mingli's fingertip brushed against the Ice Soul Cold Marrow, the pendant emitting a faint coolness under her touch.

Chu Ning lowered the Xiangfei bamboo curtain and crushed the blood on his fingertip. "Under the jurisdiction of the Marquis Wu's Estate, even the water in the moat is redder than elsewhere."

"Are you referring to the execution of those rioters?"

The carriage suddenly stopped, and the sound of chains dragging on the ground echoed from outside.

Thirty-six prisoners, their feet shackled, were being herded to make way.

"Make way! If you startle the carriage of the Marquis Wu's Estate's noble, we'll throw you into the moat to feed the fish!"

The guard's shout was silenced by Xie Mingli raising her hand.

The moment she lifted the brocade curtain, the prisoners abruptly knelt in unison, their foreheads thudding against the bluestone slabs.

"Let's go." As Xie Mingli lowered the curtain, Chu Ning saw the prisoners prostrating themselves, fearful of disturbing the noble in the carriage.

The carriage entered Vermilion Bird Street, and the clamor, mixed with the scent of blood, seeped through the window seams.

On the wide bluestone road, a bustling crowd moved along. The cries of vendors, the clatter of hooves, and the laughter of children intertwined, painting a scene of prosperity.

Tall buildings lined the street, housing restaurants and teahouses with carved beams and painted rafters. The patrons were richly dressed, their faces full of arrogance. Many martial artists also strode by, swords hanging at their waists, heads held high.

The prosperity of the prefectural city was far beyond what Qingyang County could compare to.

As Chu Ning looked at the street, his gaze fell upon an inconspicuous corner.

There, a ragged old man, hunched over, was kneeling before the entrance of a teahouse. His cloudy eyes held a pleading look. In front of him sat a worn bowl containing only a few copper coins. Beside him, a small child shivered in the cold wind, his face pale and lips cracked.

Passersby in fine clothing frequently walked past them, yet not a single person offered any alms.

Suddenly, a young master in fine silk emerged from the teahouse, followed by several house servants, a contemptuous smile on his face. He glanced at the begging old man, frowned slightly, and said with disgust, "You're filthy. Someone, drive this old thing away, don't spoil my mood!"

As he spoke, a house servant stepped forward and kicked over the old man's bowl, scattering the copper coins everywhere.

The old man tremblingly reached out to pick them up but was roughly pushed to the ground. Seeing this, the frail child rushed forward in terror, attempting to shield the old man, only to be kicked away by the house servant. He fell onto the cold bluestone ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Witnessing this scene, Chu Ning's fists clenched slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Xie Mingli noticed his change and said softly, "Young master, why get angry?"

Chu Ning said coldly, "They just want to live."

Xie Mingli tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her tone calm. "They were born this way; this is their fate."