Chu Ning's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at Xie Mingli pensively. Her words were not merely an expression of impatience toward Feng Li; they seemed more like a deliberate emphasis on something.
Was she trying to tell herself that she had nothing to do with Feng Li?
The corners of his lips lifted slightly, his smile neither deep nor shallow, as if he were pondering the deeper meaning behind her words.
Xie Mingli had always been cold and rarely cared about how others addressed her, yet today, she had unexpectedly shown such a clear attitude.
It seemed things were more interesting than they appeared.
Feng Li's expression changed slightly. He then forcibly suppressed his displeasure and tried to salvage the situation, revealing what he thought was a gentle smile:
"Li'er, you aren't usually this cold toward me."
His gaze sharpened slightly, and his tone suddenly grew heavier, carrying a hint of interrogation.
"Is it because of this brat?"
As his words fell, the atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly froze.
Chu Ning's expression remained indifferent, as though he had not heard a thing. The corners of his lips even curled up slightly, as if he were watching a boring play.
Xie Mingli's expression darkened, and her tone turned several degrees colder.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
She swept Feng Li an impatient glance, her tone already carrying an unmistakable dismissal.
"Hurry up and leave. If you go now, I'll just assume you were momentarily out of your mind."
Feng Li's expression turned completely gloomy. His lips pressed together slightly, anger surging in his eyes as if he were restraining something.
He was a direct disciple of Li Fire Palace, no less. When had anyone ever dared to rebuke him like this?
But before he could retort, a lazy voice carrying a hint of casualness rang out.
"You're Feng Li, right?" Chu Ning chuckled softly, his tone seemingly careless yet faintly disdainful.
"Miss Xie told you to leave. Can't you understand her?"
Feng Li froze for a moment, then his gaze turned icy as he looked over.
Chu Ning stood in the courtyard, raising his eyes slightly as he casually brushed the dust from his sleeve. A trace of nonchalance curled at the corners of his lips.
His tone was not harsh, but its meaning was enough to enrage Feng Li.
The air in the courtyard instantly solidified, and an atmosphere like a storm about to break spread throughout the area.
Feng Li's eyes were grimly cold, his fury soaring to the heavens.
He stepped forward, fixing his gaze firmly on Chu Ning. His voice was filled with undisguised arrogance. "Li'er, it's not that I wanted to cause trouble in Marquis Wu's Estate. You saw it yourself—it was this little mongrel who deliberately provoked me."
As his voice fell, Chu Ning let out a soft scoff, his gaze turning cold. "You really know how to twist the facts and call black white."
His gaze slowly swept over Feng Li as if he were looking at a mad dog making an unreasonable scene. "Who came here to demand an explanation without even asking questions first? Who keeps calling people little mongrel?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Li laughed in his fury, the flames in his eyes burning even more fiercely and scorching the air around him.
Flames suddenly surged around Feng Li. Scorching waves rolled like raging tides, the blazing heat distorting the air as the ground cracked slightly, as if even the earth were avoiding his fury.
"Li'er, I'll kill him today, then apologize to Marquis Wu's Estate another day!"
His violent aura swelled instantly. Flames formed a roaring flame lion behind him, its head raised to the heavens, its fangs savage, its killing intent already condensed into something tangible.
However, just as he was about to attack, a cold figure stepped in front of Chu Ning. Her silver-white sleeves fluttered lightly, carrying the chill of a snowy night.
Xie Mingli blocked Chu Ning, her tone leaving no room for argument. "No."
She raised her eyes to look directly at Feng Li. Her gaze was calm and undisturbed, yet filled with unwavering determination. "Young Master Chu is a distinguished guest of Marquis Wu's Estate, and he is also my savior. If I can't protect him in Marquis Wu's Estate, how will I establish myself in Qingzhou in the future?"
Feng Li frowned, seemingly unable to believe his ears.
Then his gaze suddenly turned cold, the anger in his heart almost impossible to suppress.
"Li'er, you're protecting him?"
Chu Ning froze for a moment, and his heart stirred slightly.
At that moment, he felt an emotion he had never experienced before. It was strange yet subtle.
Then the corners of his lips curved upward, as if he had suddenly decided...that this feeling was not bad.
This was the first time someone had stood so firmly in front of him, shielding him.
He had always walked through his world alone. In both his previous life and this one, danger had lurked everywhere, and he had long grown accustomed to facing everything alone and solving everything alone. No one had ever stepped forward to say a word for him, much less stood in front of him.
Although Xie Mingli appeared cold and spoke sparingly, at this moment, she had protected him without the slightest hesitation.
In that instant, he experienced for the first time what it felt like to be protected.
The emotion was unfamiliar, yet...enticing.
He greedily savored this fleeting feeling, as if it could fill some hidden gap in the depths of his heart.
The next second, he gently patted Xie Mingli on the shoulder. His voice carried a faint, indifferent smile. "Miss Xie, thank you. I can handle him."
Xie Mingli suddenly froze. She turned back to look at him, her brows knitting slightly as her voice deepened. "He's a Ninth Rank Middle Grade expert, while you're only a Tenth Rank Lower Grade. How can you deal with him? This isn't the time to show off."
A trace of worry flashed through her eyes.
In her understanding, the difference between the ninth and tenth ranks was like a heavenly chasm, an insurmountable gulf. No matter how extraordinary Chu Ning's talent was, there was absolutely no way he could cross that impossible boundary.
However, she did not know that Chu Ning's cultivation had been disguised by the Void Spirit Bell from the very beginning.
His true strength was Tenth Rank Upper Grade.
To conceal his strength, he had deliberately used the Void Spirit Bell to suppress his cultivation to Tenth Rank Lower Grade, solely to numb his enemies and avoid unnecessary attention.
At this moment, he smiled faintly, his eyes deep and his meaning unreadable. "Miss Xie, how would you know without trying?"
His tone was calm, carrying an invisible confidence.
Xie Mingli's lashes trembled faintly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened. She looked at Chu Ning, her lips pressing together slightly as a trace of struggle flickered through her eyes.
She did not want him to take the risk, but Chu Ning's gaze was as tranquil as the deep sea, carrying a certainty she could not ignore.
Feng Li, meanwhile, laughed in his fury. Flames churned around him as he sneered, "Very well! Since you're seeking death, I'll grant your wish!"
Before his voice had even faded, he stamped down hard. The ground cracked instantly, and blazing flames swept over like a violent gale, filling the air with the scorched smell of burning.
Chu Ning stood where he was, his gaze calm as water. Only a sharp glint suddenly flashed deep within his eyes.
He did not dodge. Instead, he slowly raised his hand and spread his five fingers. A faint golden radiance revolved in his palm.
Xie Mingli suddenly started.
She abruptly sensed that Chu Ning's aura had undergone a subtle change at that moment.
The aura of Tenth Rank Lower Grade had actually surged in an instant, faintly touching the threshold of the ninth rank.
Her heart jolted violently, her pupils shrinking as she looked at Chu Ning in disbelief.
Yet Chu Ning merely smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "Miss Xie, please step back a little later. Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire."
Before Xie Mingli could react, Chu Ning's figure had already shot forward like thunder!
Seeing this, a cold smile appeared at the corners of Feng Li's lips, and blazing battle intent ignited in his eyes. "Good! Now you look a little like a man!"
The Li Fire Whip lashed out from his hand, flames surging as it twisted and writhed through the air like a burning crimson dragon.
The whip's shadow suddenly split apart, transforming into nine fire dragons that roared as they sealed off every avenue of retreat for Chu Ning.
Flames soared into the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the entire courtyard became a sea of fire.
The walls collapsed with a thunderous crash beneath the whip shadows. The ground was scorched by the intense heat, gradually melting into crimson magma as waves of heat rolled and surged, suffocating all who felt them.
Yet Chu Ning's figure moved through the burning curtain like a ghost.
His footsteps drifted unpredictably, as if he were riding the clouds and mist. Every step landed in the dead angle of Feng Li's attacks.
"An aerial movement technique? Damn it." Feng Li's gaze sharpened, a trace of astonishment flashing through his eyes.
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