Breaking the Stalemate

Chapter 45: Breaking the Stalemate

"General."

"General."

"General!!!"

The high-pitched, continuous voices echoed, though it was impossible to tell how many times they had been repeated.

Ning Xuan held soft jade and warm fragrance in his arms, changing from one woman to another. There were singers, dancers, those who whispered seductively, and those who boldly enticed. He accepted them all, one after another, as if he were punching fiercely in a nightmare, pouring all his strength into each blow, leaving nothing behind.

Only when there were no more women left to fight or dare to approach in the entire Wenxiang Grass Hut did he stretch out his body in the most leisurely posture, completely devoid of human form, and collapse onto the large wooden couch of blissful union.

Even without invoking the Heavenly Demon Scroll, his physique had already reached 3.5, far exceeding the limits of ordinary mortals. Thus, even his revelry was far superior to that of common men.

The creaking of the chair ceased. He tilted his head back, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, his mind completely empty.

Around him, the women all leaned against the walls, carefully keeping their distance.

When they first learned they would be serving the General today, they were all incredibly happy.

General Anyuan was handsome, wealthy, powerful, and influential. He was practically the dream lover of every unmarried woman in Wangyue Prefecture, let alone women of the pleasure quarters. If they could be noticed by General Anyuan and taken away, their lives would be completely transformed.

Therefore, they had all been full of drive before coming here, and had even fought fiercely for the chance to be chosen.

Even in their service to the General just now, they had each displayed their unique talents.

But now, all their strength was depleted, leaving only sheer terror.

They stole glances at the young General in the distance, who seemed like a monster carefully cloaked in human skin.

His fierce methods had brought each of them to the brink of fainting. They had only gritted their teeth and clenched their fists to endure it, and now their bodies were either red or bruised. However, they could also tell that the young General had actually shown restraint, otherwise, several of their colleagues would have died on the spot today.

Ning Xuan lay on his back, lazily opening his eyes, and happened to meet the gaze of a courtesan.

The courtesan flinched back in fear.

Ning Xuan beckoned.

The courtesan braced herself, lowered her head, and cautiously moved her feet closer to Ning Xuan. Then, she timidly asked, "General, do you. Do you have any commands?"

Ning Xuan said, "Bring wine."

The courtesan quickly nodded.

Ning Xuan added, "And chisel a barrel of ice from the cellar."

After speaking, he lazily closed his eyes again.

The courtesan hurried to comply.

Ning Xuan did not touch the women again. He simply drank wine leisurely. Soon, the alcohol took effect, and he yawned, feeling sleepy.

He lay on the large couch of blissful union.

The courtesans were still well-trained. After their strength had slightly recovered, a musician began playing mournful tunes beside them.

Ning Xuan finally fell asleep comfortably.

He slept until noon the next day.

He got up again to eat and drink heartily, and after eating, he sought pleasure again, and then slept again.

That day, Chenxiang Pavilion closed its doors.

When someone inquired, the madam simply said it was booked by the General.

A dissolute young master angrily asked, "Which General?"

The madam replied, "General Anyuan."

Instantly, no one spoke.

Perhaps only a very small number of people in Wangyue Prefecture knew the true meaning behind Ning Xuan's title of "General Anyuan." But this did not prevent that tiny minority from telling their family's younger generation, "Do not provoke General Anyuan, absolutely do not. Even if he shits on your head, you must shout, 'Thank you, General, for bestowing wealth and honor!'"

The entire Chenxiang Pavilion began to revolve around Ning Xuan.

Yaozhen Celestial Master, who had been reflecting in her residence on whether she had offended the General, suddenly noticed that the brothel opposite was closed. Upon further investigation, she discovered it had been booked by her partner.

The serene, otherworldly face of Yaozhen Celestial Master was once again tinged with anger.

She had not yet sent Ning Xuan's "petition for judgment." At this moment, she burrowed into the ground and directly arrived at the Wenxiang Grass Hut where Ning Xuan was.

"Ah!"

Yaozhen Celestial Master saw something she shouldn't have and quickly ran away again.

After a long while...

She returned and let out another "Ah!" before screaming and running off.

It wasn't until much later that she returned and finally saw the young man sitting by the pond, leisurely feeding the fish while drinking wine.

The young General wore a wide Xuan robe, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes held a profound tranquility, giving him a somewhat elegant and refined appearance. However, the decadent atmosphere surrounding him caused Yaozhen Celestial Master to fiercely flick her horsetail whisk and say, "This humble Taoist believes that the General need not abandon himself because of a small matter!!"

Ning Xuan looked at her in surprise.

Abandon himself?

These past two days, he recovered very quickly.

He felt refreshed and invigorated.

The pain of being gnawed by demons, the agony of self-mutilation and killing, had all faded.

His nearly twisted heart had regained its light, having experienced the beauty of the human world.

He smiled faintly, a calm smile, and then grabbed another fish bait, tossing it into the deep pool amidst the green duckweed.

Immediately, koi carp leaped out to snatch the bait. The water surface became a flurry of splashing sounds as fish tails struck the water, sending droplets scattering everywhere. Each drop rolled on the duckweed leaves like a crystal bead, playful and lovely.

"Has it been sent out?"

Ning Xuan asked.

Yaozhen Celestial Master suddenly seemed a bit listless and whispered, "There's no need to request arbitration, is there?"

Ning Xuan said, "Send it out."

Yaozhen Celestial Master quickly replied, "General Ning, you are already one of the most promising generals. Although I am a Second-Rank Celestial Master, you must understand that a Second-Rank Celestial Master is actually less precious than a First-Rank martial artist. Yet you are only sixteen years old? You are even a year younger than me!

A sixteen-year-old First-Rank martial artist is already incredibly impressive. I will prepare the demon-reflecting mirror for you and gather resources to refine the Incense Demon's Demon Core with Dragon Fire."

Ning Xuan said, "Send it out, and then refine the pill."

He had considered that he could improve his physique through a "strong leading the weak" approach, but he absolutely could not find a way to enhance his spirit. Since the dynasty had a relatively complete cultivation system of "General Pill Cultivation," he might as well use "Pill Cultivation" to elevate his spirit.

Hearing him mention "pill refining" proactively, Yaozhen Celestial Master knew he hadn't given up and still aspired to improve, which made her secretly heave a sigh of relief.

As for "requesting arbitration," if she hadn't witnessed Ning Xuan's decisive and ruthless combat prowess, if she hadn't seen his courage in sealing the border, she truly would have believed that her partner was willing to cede a prefecture out of fear of the "Hell of Cold Ice."

Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, her eyes lit up. "General Ning, I forgot to tell you something."

Ning Xuan asked, "What is it?"

Yaozhen Celestial Master said, "The General's Tiger Tally is bestowed by the Son of Heaven, commanding two prefectures. This is not merely a nominal title; it has practical significance."

Ning Xuan asked, "What significance?"

Yaozhen Celestial Master said, "The Tiger Tally can consolidate the resources of two prefectures, nurturing important resources. The more territory commanded, the more resources can be nurtured, and the more precious they become. These resources are directly related to pill refining."

After speaking, she added earnestly, "This statement is absolutely true."

Ning Xuan was silent for a moment and said, "Send it out."

Firstly, "Pill Cultivation" was merely a method he was considering, not his primary approach.

Secondly, if important resources were needed, he could obtain them through trade. Why cultivate them himself? Although self-cultivation was indeed good, if it meant risking his life to protect territories that didn't belong to his Ning family, then forget it.

Seeing his persistence, the stubbornness in Yaozhen Celestial Master's heart began to stir again. However, after much thought, she didn't argue. Instead, she said angrily, "Before I came, I investigated the surroundings. The envoy from the Qin family is already very close to the Prefecture City. General, you should think about how to deal with them."

Ning Xuan leisurely lay down and beckoned to the young lady beside him.

The young lady, who had come to take over the shift, walked over timidly.

Ning Xuan pulled her into his embrace.

Yaozhen Celestial Master turned her face away, her cheeks feeling cold.

Ning Xuan said faintly, "If the envoy arrives, tell them I am here."

Yaozhen Celestial Master was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with joy.

She was sent by the Son of Heaven, tasked with cooperating with the generals below to execute the "Divine General Plan." Naturally, she hoped her partner would draw closer to the Son of Heaven and become a Divine General. Now, Ning Xuan's words were indirectly rejecting Great General Qin's marriage proposal. This truly made her heart bloom with happiness. She decided to report this matter as well, believing that the Son of Heaven would then understand General Ning's intentions.

So, General Ning was at Chenxiang Pavilion not for debauchery, but because he was needed here.

That made sense. General Ning was a young and outstanding talent; how could he possibly enjoy frequenting places of ill repute?

Yaozhen Celestial Master's gaze towards Ning Xuan suddenly filled with apology and joy. Then she lowered her head and muttered mysteriously, "I understand the General's deeper meaning. I shall leave now."

With that, she waved her hand, and with a flash of golden light, she vanished from her spot.

Ning Xuan: ...

He really didn't understand what that crazy woman was thinking.

What he meant was...

He had refused the Son of Heaven's bestowal and requested to cede a prefecture. Therefore, he also had to block the marriage alliance from Great General Qin's mansion this time, otherwise, how could the Son of Heaven tolerate him?

Conversely, by blocking Great General Qin's marriage alliance this time and refusing the Son of Heaven's favor, he was also making Great General Qin understand his intentions.

At the same time, by losing Ping'an Prefecture, he would no longer be directly adjacent to the "Hell of Cold Ice" and would not have to deal with matters there. This way, he pulled himself and the Ning family out of danger.

He had no desire to be the vanguard in the conflicts between the Son of Heaven and the old guard generals.

As for the Divine General Plan, he had no interest in fighting desperately for it.

There were countless heroes in the world, like carp crossing a river. How could they lack him, a decadent prodigal son indulging in pleasure and extravagance?