"Feng Li, did you know?" he said slowly, his tone breezy and casual. "The 'little mongrel' you mentioned really did spend the entire night with Mingli."
He paused, and the curve of his lips deepened slightly, his tone carrying a hint of something thought-provoking.
"It was just that she had been poisoned that night and needed someone to watch over her at close range. As for the antidote... well, you know. There couldn't be anyone else around to disturb us."
As his voice fell, the air seemed to freeze.
Xie Mingli stiffened slightly and instinctively turned her head toward Chu Ning, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.
As for Feng Li, his face twisted completely in that instant!
He watched helplessly as Chu Ning's fingers brushed across Xie Mingli's hair. The gentle movement was like the most intimate touch between lovers!
Chu Ning's actions had undoubtedly added another blazing log to the fire in his heart!
Xie Mingli had actually not refused?!
His breathing suddenly quickened, and Chu Ning's words from moments ago echoed in his mind.
"She's kindhearted. She can't stand to see others down on their luck."
"So she comforted me because she's kindhearted? Then what does this look of hers toward you, you little mongrel, mean?!"
Feng Li's chest heaved violently, and the resentment in his eyes was almost solidifying into murderous intent.
Chu Ning merely watched him quietly, a smile at the corners of his lips and a faint hint of amusement in his eyes.
He knew perfectly well that Feng Li's emotions had completely collapsed.
Seeing that Feng Li had lost control, Xie Mingli no longer wished to continue entangling herself with him.
"Help Young Master Feng down and let him rest properly," she told the guards before turning to leave.
"Little mongrel..." Feng Li's voice had already grown low and hoarse, thick with extreme repression.
"What?" Chu Ning chuckled, a meaningful curve on his lips. "Not convinced?"
Feng Li stared at him fixedly, his teeth nearly ground to pieces and the veins on his clenched fists bulging.
How could he merely be unconvinced?
The humiliation he had suffered today was etched into his bones!
Looking at Feng Li, who was furious to the extreme yet unable to vent his anger, Chu Ning sneered inwardly.
But he knew Feng Li would not accept this meekly.
He deliberately turned around and walked shoulder to shoulder with Xie Mingli, slowly leaving.
Feng Li's fists clenched as tightly as they could, and a trace of madness flashed through his eyes.
His figure suddenly moved, pouncing like a fierce tiger striking its prey!
"Go to hell!"
At that moment, his killing intent erupted completely. His true qi boiled, and a long sword blazing with incandescent light suddenly coalesced in his hand, thrusting straight for Chu Ning's heart!
However, what he saw was the cruel smile at the corner of Chu Ning's lips.
Pfft!
The dull sound of Rusty Saber piercing flesh rang out with exceptional clarity in the dead silence.
Feng Li's movements froze.
He looked down and saw a battered saber covered in rust deeply embedded in his chest, having pierced straight through his heart.
"You..." Feng Li's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
"You conceited, arrogant fool. Keep your mouth cleaner next time, and perhaps you'll live a few more days." Chu Ning's voice was utterly indifferent, laced with mockery and cruelty.
Feng Li's lips trembled, as though he wanted to say something.
But in the next instant, Chu Ning abruptly yanked out the saber!
A jet of blood shot into the air.
Feng Li staggered several steps, a faint wheeze escaping his throat as the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed.
Thud!
Feng Li's corpse crashed to the ground.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Everyone from Marquis Wu's Estate stared blankly at the scene.
Xie Mingli's pupils contracted slightly, and a complex look flashed through her eyes.
Chu Ning lightly shook the bloodstained Rusty Saber in his hand, his indifferent gaze sweeping over everyone around him.
The smell of blood spread through the air. A cold wind brushed across the ground, stirring up several withered leaves that spun soundlessly beside Feng Li's corpse.
Within the side courtyard of Marquis Wu's Estate, silence reigned like death. The lingering terror on everyone's faces had yet to fade, their hearts pounding wildly, yet no one dared make the slightest sound.
That saber strike had been too fast!
So fast that they had not even been able to see it clearly before Feng Li had already fallen.
He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, as though unwilling to accept it, as though unable to believe it.
He had been arrogant his entire life, never imagining that he would suffer such a complete defeat. Even less had he expected that after losing the contest, his sneak attack would earn him death!
Xie Mingli quietly looked at Feng Li's corpse, her gaze faintly cold and her voice calm yet carrying unquestionable authority. "He lost the contest and still launched a sneak attack. He brought it upon himself."
That short sentence exploded like thunder, shaking everyone to the core.
Looking at Xie Mingli's expression, they suddenly realized that she held not the slightest trace of pity, nor even any anger.
She was merely stating a fact—a conclusion that had been destined to occur.
Someone unconsciously swallowed and looked toward Chu Ning, who stood beside her.
The man who had just killed Feng Li now wore a slight curl of his lips, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery and amusement, as though he was quite satisfied with everyone's reaction.
His gaze swept across those present. Everyone who met his eyes felt a chill in their hearts and hurriedly looked away.
At that moment, everyone in Marquis Wu's Estate finally realized that this man was far more terrifying than they had imagined!
Xie Mingli withdrew her gaze and slowly said, "Prepare Feng Li's remains, send them back to Li Fire Palace, and report the matter truthfully."
"Yes!" Several guards from Marquis Wu's Estate hurriedly answered, afraid that any delay would anger these two baleful stars.
They did not dare hesitate and quickly stepped forward, intending to lift Feng Li's corpse.
However, when their palms touched the body, which still retained some warmth, their hands trembled slightly. They did not know whether they had been frightened by the corpse's grotesque appearance or intimidated by Chu Ning's killing intent.
"Let's go." Chu Ning turned his head slightly and spoke softly to Xie Mingli.
Xie Mingli glanced at him, her eyes deep, but in the end she said nothing. She merely nodded lightly and turned to leave.
Everyone watched the two of them disappear into the distance, their shock and terror beyond words.
Feng Li was dead, his eyes unable to close in death, and his corpse still lay quietly where it had fallen, like a warning bell ringing in the heart of every person in Marquis Wu's Estate.
That night, the name Chu Ning completely shook Marquis Wu's Estate!
The watch drum at midnight pierced through the dense fog, while the upturned eaves of Marquis Wu's Estate outlined a sinister silhouette beneath the moonlight.
Chu Ning stood alone in the courtyard. The lingering force of the Frost Thunder had yet to dissipate, and his robes moved without any wind.
Dead leaves scraped across the blue bricks, the sound of them crumbling into dust clearly audible, as though even the darkness had congealed within three feet of him.
A solitary lantern swayed beneath the corridor, stretching his shadow into a saber mark that split the sky.
Xie Mingli had already left, and everyone else had dispersed.
He had just killed a Ninth-Rank martial artist, yet he had not immediately repaid the price of the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique.
In that battle, he had indeed relied on the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's ability. Otherwise, defeating Feng Li, let alone killing him, would have been nearly impossible.
But Chu Ning knew all too well that such external power could not become a long-term dependence.
The Azure Cloud Arena was close at hand. If he could not truly raise his own strength, he would be unable to take even a single step on that arena filled with experts.
At that moment, he was only a hair's breadth from the Ninth Rank. If he immediately repaid the price of the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique, he could use that power to raise his cultivation realm, but he would waste this opportunity to break through on his own.
Within these ten days, he had to break through to the Ninth Rank by relying on his own accumulation, then repay the divine decree's price and use it to charge toward the Upper Ninth Rank!
"There isn't much time. I have to hurry." Chu Ning muttered to himself before turning and entering the room.
He sat down cross-legged, slowly closed his eyes, and regulated his inner breath.
Wisps of spiritual power circulated through his body. His true qi seemed like a slumbering flood dragon, faintly roaring as though it could break through its shackles and transform into a soaring dragon at any moment.
However, reaching the Ninth-Rank realm was no easy matter. This bottleneck looked tiny, yet it was like a heavenly chasm; the slightest carelessness could cause his cultivation to grind to a halt.
Before you continue