The two youths in Scarlet Brocade Robes were both handsome, standing before Ning Xiaochuan. One of them, the younger-looking youth, was smiling as he stared at him. It was Wang Yunchong of the Celestial Elephant Marquis's Mansion.
Wang Yunchong was the same age as Ning Xiaochuan, sixteen this year as well.
Ning Xiaochuan frowned slightly, stared at Wang Yunchong, and said, "Do I know you?"
"Ha! Sickly Ning, after dying once, did you forget even me? Then you must still remember Yu Yan, the silver-ranked music courtesan from Jade Viewing Pavilion, right?" Wang Yunchong had not expected to encounter Sickly Ning here. It truly was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road. This sickly fellow was just too unlucky! Ha!
Three days earlier, at Jade Viewing Pavilion, Ning Xiaochuan and Wang Yunchong had competed over Yu Yan, the silver-ranked music courtesan. The two wastrel sons had thus come into conflict. Ning Xiaochuan's body had been weak, and Wang Yunchong had knocked him to the ground with a casual palm strike, triggering his congenital illness and stopping his heart outright.
Wang Yunchong had been scared half to death at the time. Fortunately, Ning Han of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion had also been present, so several wastrels had suppressed the matter together, claiming that Ning Xiaochuan had been angered to death after failing to win the courtesan.
But no one had expected Ning Xiaochuan to come back to life and crawl out of his coffin. When Wang Yunchong learned of it, he had been so frightened that he had not slept well all night, terrified that Ning Xiaochuan would reveal what had happened. If that occurred, he would be in for terrible misfortune.
Later, word came from Ning Han that the matter had already been suppressed. Even if Ning Xiaochuan went to lodge a complaint, nothing would come of it. Only then did Wang Yunchong truly put his mind at ease.
That was why, upon seeing Ning Xiaochuan today, he had dared to approach and greet him. He also wanted to see Ning Xiaochuan lose his mind at the sight of him.
In any case, Wang Yunchong was not afraid of him going mad. He was only a sickly invalid; a single slap would knock him to the ground. His only concern was accidentally using too much force and killing him with one slap.
Ning Xiaochuan seemed to understand something. A name Ning Xiner had mentioned surfaced in his mind: Wang Yunchong. The former owner of this body seemed to have been angered to death by that wastrel in a brothel.
"You are... Wang Yunchong?" Ning Xiaochuan wanted to confirm the other party's identity.
Seeing that Ning Xiaochuan had finally remembered him, Wang Yunchong immediately burst out laughing. "That's right! Sickly Ning, you finally remember me. Honestly, I have to say this about you: as a descendant of a marquis, how can you be such a sore loser? It was only a brothel girl, yet you were angered to death over her! A weak constitution is one thing, but a man's heart cannot be so small!"
Wang Yunchong clearly knew that he had killed Ning Xiaochuan with one palm strike, yet he deliberately spoke this way to mock him, wanting to see him fly into a rage.
Yet to his disappointment, Ning Xiaochuan barely reacted. It was as though he were hearing something utterly unfamiliar. He merely gave a quiet "Oh" and prepared to leave.
Just an "Oh"? Wang Yunchong could not accept that outcome. He hurriedly blocked his way again and sneered, "Sickly Ning, I suppose Ning Han has already told you what happened to that silver-ranked music courtesan, hasn't he?"
Wang Yunchong knew that Ning Xiaochuan had been fond of that silver-ranked music courtesan. He also knew Ning Han intended to kill her to silence her, so he deliberately said this and stared expectantly at Ning Xiaochuan's expression once more.
Endure it. Let's see how long you can endure.
Though Ning Xiaochuan had a good temperament, even he could not withstand Wang Yunchong's repeated provocations. His brows furrowed more deeply as he said, "Ning Han? He died yesterday. Didn't you know?"
"What? Ning Han died?" Wang Yunchong's expression changed drastically. He staggered two steps back and nearly collapsed when his legs went weak.
After a long while, Wang Yunchong finally steadied himself. His complexion improved slightly, and he began laughing loudly. "Trying to scare me? You want to scare me! Ha! Sickly Ning, I wasn't scared into growing up. Who would dare kill a disciple of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion in the Imperial City? Can't you find another way to frighten me? Please, scare me! Ha!"
Steward Hua, standing nearby, could no longer watch this. His face turned incomparably grim. Someone actually dared provoke a Heart Nourisher of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, right in front of him, a steward? They simply did not put him in their eyes!
This was nothing less than plucking fur from a tiger's body and pissing atop a divine dragon's head! "Bastard!" Martial Dao Profound Qi surged thickly through Steward Hua's voice, forming faint rings of ripples that made Wang Shi and Wang Yunchong shudder from head to toe, as though a great hammer had smashed into them.
Wang Shi possessed cultivation at the Profound Qi Ninth Level. Even so, his face turned deathly pale and cold sweat poured down his body.
Wang Yunchong, meanwhile, was merely a wastrel son with only Profound Qi Fourth Level cultivation. Blood hung at the corner of his mouth, and his entire body trembled. Had Wang Shi not lightly supported him, he would already have crumpled to the floor.
A master! Even standing beside Steward Hua, Ning Xiaochuan could feel that powerful wave of Profound Qi. It was like standing beside a great mountain, its overwhelming presence making it hard to breathe.
As expected of the sixth-ranked steward of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. His cultivation was unfathomable, absolutely beyond the Profound Qi Ninth Heaven.
Steward Hua's eyes brimmed with rage as he stared at Wang Yunchong. "This is the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. The person before you is an Elementary Heart Nourisher of our Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. How can a child like you insult him as you please? Men, drag him away. Break both his legs and cut out his tongue."
Two guards clad in Scarlet Scale Armor approached, emanating dense killing intent. Shing! Shing! Their crimson warblades left their sheaths. The blades were deeply curved like two Blood Moons, radiating scarlet light.
There was no need to guess that these two guards were ruthless figures who had killed many people. Their warblades must have drunk blood often for their killing intent to be so heavy! Wang Yunchong was frightened straight to his knees and stammered, "Th-th-there's a misunderstanding! Th-th-there absolutely must be a misunderstanding! H-he is just a t-trash from the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion! H-he can't possibly be a Heart Nourisher! S-Steward, he deceived you! I slapped him to death just two days ago. He can't even cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi, so how could he possibly be a Heart Nourisher?"
Ning Xiaochuan sharply caught one sentence. Had the former owner of this body not been angered to death? Why did Wang Yunchong say he had slapped him to death?
There had to be something hidden here! Steward Hua's expression darkened further. "Utter nonsense! Do you think this steward's eyes are blind, unable to distinguish between an unparalleled genius and a sickly piece of trash? No need to listen to another word from him. Daring to deliberately cause trouble at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, even a descendant of a marquis cannot be forgiven. Drag him away!"
Wang Yunchong's legs shook violently in terror. A warm liquid flowed down his thigh, soaking through his scarlet brocade robe and releasing waves of a foul stench.
Wang Shi had not expected matters to become so serious either. He knelt to beg for mercy as well. The Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall had a terrifying background; even the Celestial Elephant Marquis's Mansion could not afford to offend it. This time, they had truly rammed into an iron plate.
"Hold on!" Ning Xiaochuan said with a beaming smile. "Steward Hua, could you hand this person over to me? There may indeed be some misunderstanding here. I would like to have a proper talk with him."
Wang Yunchong, already seized by the two ferocious guards, hurriedly knelt before Ning Xiaochuan and repeatedly kowtowed until his forehead split open. He cried, "There's a misunderstanding, there really is! Brother Ning... Boss Ning, save me, save me! I'm innocent! Save me!"
Wang Yunchong wept so heart-rendingly that he nearly called out "Godfather Ning" and "Grandfather Ning."
Since even the person involved said there might be a misunderstanding, Steward Hua naturally could not say anything further. He handed Wang Yunchong over to Ning Xiaochuan to deal with himself.
Inside a quiet room in the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, an incense burner was lit. Only Ning Xiaochuan and Wang Yunchong were inside.
Wearing the Novice Heart Nourisher Robe, Ning Xiaochuan sat in a large rattan chair, holding a cup of tea and savoring it slowly.
Wang Yunchong had been scared out of his wits earlier, but he had recovered somewhat by now. With a thud, he dropped to his knees. "Brother Ning, I was wrong, truly wrong. I shouldn't have fought you over Yu Yan. She is yours; I always knew she was yours. You must spare me this once!"
Ning Xiaochuan set the jade-green tea bowl back on the table and said, "Answer one question for me, and perhaps I can spare you this time."
"Forget one question—even if it's a hundred, if I know the answers, I will definitely tell you," Wang Yunchong said fearfully.
Ning Xiaochuan said, "Everyone now knows that I was angered to death in Jade Viewing Pavilion after failing to win the courtesan. Why did you say that you slapped me to death? Who exactly was covering up the truth?"
Given Wang Yunchong's character, Ning Xiaochuan did not believe he could calmly handle the aftermath after killing someone.
Wang Yunchong hurriedly said, "It was all Ning Han, all Ning Han! He instigated you to compete with me for the music courtesan, provoking conflict between us. Then, in my anger, I slapped you to death... I didn't mean to, I truly didn't! I didn't know your body would be so weak... I... I..."
"Enough, enough," Ning Xiaochuan said. "I know you were set up by Ning Han too. You didn't do it intentionally."
Wang Yunchong was so moved that tears filled his eyes. He felt Ning Xiaochuan was truly understanding and reasonable. "Actually, there is a powerful figure behind Ning Han. Without that person's orders, Ning Han would never have dared plot to kill you."
"Oh? Who was it?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.
"It was Ning Han's father, the Fourth Master of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, Ning Qianwu." Hoping Ning Xiaochuan would spare him, Wang Yunchong said with righteous indignation, "That Ning Qianwu is wolf-hearted and ambitious. He knows the Sword Pavilion Marquis cares deeply for you and may one day pass the marquis title to you, so he wants to get rid of you."
Ning Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes, and Ning Qianwu's figure surfaced in his mind. No wonder every time he saw this Fourth Uncle, he could sense a faint killing intent emanating from him.
So he was the one behind the scenes who wanted to kill me! Ning Qianwu is an expert of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. Even Ning Xiner's cultivation is far inferior to his. If not for his fear of the Old Marquis currently in seclusion, he might have personally acted to kill me long ago.
It seems I cannot remain in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. Staying in the Marquis Mansion is no different from staying in a wolf's den. Once Ning Qianwu discovers that I can already cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi, he will certainly stop at nothing to get rid of me.
Ning Xiaochuan knew that he could not keep his Martial Dao cultivation hidden for long. Once this matter was exposed, the number of people in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion who wanted him dead would likely not be limited to Ning Qianwu alone.
If he wanted to continue concealing it, he could only leave the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion.
Ning Xiaochuan somewhat regretted using his true identity at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. He should have used an alias. In the end, his experience was still too shallow, and he did not understand the world's dangers deeply enough.
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