As night gradually fell, the moonlight shone clear and bright, draping everything in a gauzy veil.
The Trial Grounds.
Nie Li headed toward the place where he had met Xiao Ninger last time. From afar, beneath the clear moonlight, he saw a girl in a gauzy dress standing quietly. She seemed to have dressed up carefully today. Her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, adorned with silver ribbons. Her fair, delicate face and long, artfully shaped brows gave her a graceful, otherworldly beauty, untouched by the mundane world.
No wonder she and Ye Ziyun were known as the two great beauties.
"I thought you weren't coming," Xiao Ninger said, her bright eyes settling on Nie Li.
"How could I not? I'm a man of my word." Nie Li smiled faintly. "No matter how busy I am, I have to heal your injury first."
"Thank you," Xiao Ninger murmured, lowering her head, her heart full of gratitude.
Nie Li looked down at Xiao Ninger. She was even more captivating today than before. Her white silk dress outlined her slender figure, the fabric stretching slightly over her chest. The skirt fell to her knees, offering a glimpse of her long, taut, beautiful legs, toned by diligent cultivation.
"It should be a little better now." Nie Li held Xiao Ninger's jade-like foot. Her delicate ankle was like a beautiful, crystalline blue-snow crystal, small enough to fit in his hand, smooth and fine. The bruise from before had already faded somewhat.
"Mm, it has," Xiao Ninger replied with a nod. She was full of gratitude toward Nie Li. After he had massaged her, she had slept especially well these past few nights, no longer suffering as much as before.
Though he had massaged her once already, having Nie Li hold her ankle in his palm still made her feel a little bashful.
As Nie Li massaged Xiao Ninger, he said, "I'd like to ask you a favor. Could you help me?"
"Anything I can do, I will," Xiao Ninger answered sincerely.
"I have ten thousand Spirit Coins here. I'd like you to send people to the various medicine shops to buy Purple Mist Grass for me," Nie Li said.
"Purple Mist Grass?" Xiao Ninger asked, a little surprised. "What do you want it for?" Purple Mist Grass was an extremely cheap medicinal herb, generally used only for fumigation. People dried it and burned it like firewood; the thick smoke it produced drove away insects.
Purple Mist Grass was abundant and extremely cheap. One Spirit Coin could buy a big bundle, and every year the households of Glory City burned untold quantities of it.
Apart from fumigation, Purple Mist Grass seemed to have no other use. What did Nie Li want with so much of it that he was willing to spend ten thousand Spirit Coins?
"I have my uses," Nie Li said. He had asked Xiao Ninger to help because if she handled it, it would attract less attention. Nie Li was drawing too much attention at the moment, so he needed to keep a low profile.
"How much Purple Mist Grass do you need?"
"The more, the better. However much there is on the market, I want it all," Nie Li said.
Xiao Ninger really couldn't imagine what he could do with so much Purple Mist Grass.
"Leave it to me. I'll pay for it upfront. Ten thousand Spirit Coins is nothing to me!" Xiao Ninger said. Though her Lineage had fallen on hard times, it was still one of the Magnate Families. As a direct descendant with exceptional talent, she had never lacked money growing up. She rarely spent anything, so she had saved up several hundred thousand Spirit Coins.
Nie Li thought it over, then nodded. "All right. Buy it for me first, as much as you can. I'll pay you back double later."
"No need. It's just a little money," Xiao Ninger hurriedly said. She was glad she could help Nie Li. After all, she owed him such a great debt of gratitude that she didn't know how to repay him. A few Spirit Coins were nothing.
After he finished massaging her foot, Xiao Ninger's cheeks grew even redder. Even though she had been through this once before, she was still extremely shy about having him massage that awkward spot. She lowered her head and silently undid the buttons one by one. Today, Xiao Ninger wore a pink lace ribbon, making her look even more alluring and sensual than before. The subtle curves beneath it, and the fair, delicate skin around them, showed through in glimpses.
That tempting pink—more sensual than last time. A faint crevice was just barely visible. Nie Li quickly looked away and focused on massaging the bruise.
"Did you remember to take your medicine after you went home?" Nie Li asked. His hands gently kneaded and massaged the acupoints around the bruise, gradually working it out. Now and then, he felt the enticing softness.
"Mm." Xiao Ninger's cheeks were flushed, her expression alluring. Remembering how Nie Li had modified her cultivation technique, she said earnestly, "Nie Li, ever since I started cultivating the technique you modified, I've felt my Soul Power grow much stronger. I think you're a true genius. Even if everyone hasn't noticed your talent yet, the day you truly show it, you'll shine brilliantly!"
Xiao Ninger gazed at Nie Li's handsome face, slightly dazed. A nameless sadness and loneliness flickered in her heart. By then, she feared she would no longer be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Nie Li. Under that pressure, she had been cultivating extremely hard these past few days.
Hearing her words, Nie Li smiled faintly. He knew Xiao Ninger was encouraging him. Reborn, Nie Li's heart had grown immensely strong. He had no doubt that one day he would stand at the very peak. He intended to become a being far more powerful than Xiao Ninger and the others could imagine!
Regardless, Nie Li was grateful for Xiao Ninger's concern.
Sacred Family.
The council chamber of the executive elders.
Shen Ming, an executive elder of the Sacred Family, was a Silver-rank Demon Spirit Master. Though his cultivation wasn't particularly strong, he held considerable authority within the Sacred Family because he was highly capable and handled the family's affairs, great and small.
After hearing the report from below, Shen Ming's expression darkened with rage.
"A mere beginner in the martial arts apprentice class dares to challenge our Sacred Family!" Shen Ming's face was sinister. Nie Li's revelation of the origin of the Crimson Flame Explosion inscription had caused a very damaging stir among the various families. To put out the fire, Shen Ming had gone to considerable lengths, sending people to explain the matter to the other families before he finally won their understanding.
The incident had struck at the Sacred Family's fundamental interests, yet they couldn't take action against Nie Li, because they had heard that a powerful figure thought highly of him.
Only a few days had passed when news arrived that Nie Li had beaten Shen Yue, a direct descendant of the Sacred Family, at school.
"Isn't Young Master Shen Yue about to reach Bronze 1-star? How could he lose to that Nie Li?" Shen Ming asked, puzzled, and cast a cold look at his subordinate.
The subordinate felt Shen Ming's icy stare and shuddered. "I'm not sure either. Young Master Shen Yue said his strength and Soul Power were clearly greater than Nie Li's. He doesn't know what kind of sorcery Nie Li used to defeat him."
Hearing this, Shen Ming frowned. What sorcery? Shen Yue had simply been outmatched and was making excuses after losing. But how strong could a student in the beginner martial arts apprentice class be? He probably hadn't even reached Bronze 1-star.
"Executive Elder, should we report this to the family head?"
"No. We can't tell the family head about this. He's trying to break through to Legendary rank. Unless it's a matter of life and death for the family, there's no need to bother him with something like this." In Shen Ming's view, Nie Li posed no threat at all to the Sacred Family. "Have you found out which family that Nie Li belongs to?"
"Yes, Elder. We've found out. It's the Sky Scar Family!"
"The Sky Scar Family? Hmph. Just an ordinary Noble Family. How could they dare challenge my Peak Family? That ignorant brat probably stumbled across the origin of the Crimson Flame Explosion by chance and couldn't wait to show off." Shen Ming thought that the Sacred Family wouldn't give a minor Noble Family a second glance. If they really sent people to deal with the Sky Scar Family, the other families would surely notice, and then the Sacred Family would look petty. "Have Young Master Shen Fei keep an eye on Nie Li. A few boys getting into a quarrel and fighting at school is only natural!"
After hearing Shen Ming's words, his subordinate understood at once. Shen Fei was already a Silver-rank Demon Spirit Master at sixteen. With his strength, dealing with Nie Li would be a piece of cake. Shen Ming meant for Young Master Shen Fei to teach Nie Li a lesson at school.
After thinking it over, Shen Ming added a reminder. "The uproar over this hasn't died down yet, so wait before doing anything. Have Young Master Shen Fei act once things have quieted down a little!" As an executive elder of the Sacred Family, he had to handle things so impeccably that no one could find fault with him.
"Yes!"
In the City Lord's Mansion, Ye Ziyun's boudoir was exquisitely furnished.
At the desk, Ye Ziyun was studying something with her head bowed. From time to time, she paused, her brows knitted in thought. She had tried to find the source of the Gale Snow inscription Nie Li had drawn in some old texts, but she had failed.
Where had Nie Li found this inscription?
A moment later, a beautiful woman dressed in blue gauze walked in.
"Miss, may I ask what you needed me for?" The beautiful woman smiled deferentially.
"Aunt Xue, you're a master inscriptionist. Do you know where this inscription comes from?" Ye Ziyun looked up at her and asked.
Xue Yin's gaze fell on the sheet of paper before Ye Ziyun. Surprise flashed in her eyes. "Miss, where did you find this inscription? Why have I never seen it before?"
"Even you've never seen it, Aunt Xue?" Ye Ziyun asked in surprise. Xue Yin was a master inscriptionist! If even she had never seen it, could Nie Li have just drawn it at random?
"It looks like Gale Snow, but it isn't. It seems even more powerful than Gale Snow." Xue Yin traced its shape with her hand. "The proportions are balanced and harmonious. I don't know which master created it. Xue Yin is humbled. Could Miss have met a master inscriptionist?"
Nie Li was a master inscriptionist? That was impossible. How old was he? Remembering how effortlessly Nie Li had sketched out the inscription with just a few strokes, Ye Ziyun felt even more confused.
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