Wang Yunchong saw that Ning Xiaochuan was deep in thought and assumed Ning Xiaochuan was considering how to punish him, so he began pleading again. "Brother Ning Xiaochuan, we're actually the same kind of people. In the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, you're called 'Sickly Ning' and suffer every kind of humiliation. I'm not much better off either. To my face, they call me Wang Yunchong; behind my back, they call me 'Wang **.' I'm actually a very law-abiding person!"
"If you were law-abiding, would you still visit brothels?"
Ning Xiaochuan smiled, rose to his feet, and walked out, leaving Wang Yunchong kneeling there alone.
Ning Xiaochuan was not someone who refused to let matters rest once he had the upper hand. A minor character like Wang Yunchong was merely a chess piece being used by others. If he truly broke Wang Yunchong's legs and cut out his tongue, the matter would certainly blow up.
And once it blew up, it would do Ning Xiaochuan no good at all.
Wang Yunchong felt as though his entire body had been drained dry. Only after an unknown amount of time did he climb to his feet, realizing that Ning Xiaochuan had spared him. At once, he felt as though he had survived a calamity.
"You truly deserved this this time. You nearly got even me killed," Wang Shi said with a dark expression.
With a mournful face, Wang Yunchong said, "Third Brother, I had no idea Ning Xiaochuan would suddenly become a Heart Nourisher. Three days ago, he was clearly still a sickly weakling."
"There's something else I need to tell you. Ning Han really is dead. It happened yesterday—he was killed by the Blood Devouring Demon Sect," Wang Shi said.
Wang Yunchong had only just breathed a sigh of relief, but upon hearing Wang Shi's words, he was so frightened that he dropped onto the ground. "Blood... Devouring... Demon... Sect."
Wang Shi was no wastrel. He was an outstanding figure of the Celestial Elephant Marquis's Mansion and handled matters with extreme rigor. "I investigated Ning Xiaochuan's records. When his mother was alive, she was a member of the Demon Sect, and her status within it was extremely high."
Wang Yunchong's face turned deathly pale. "S-so that means Ning Xiaochuan ordered the Demon Sect to kill Ning Han? Third Brother, Third Brother, you have to save me! The Demonkin of the Blood Devouring Demon Sect eat human flesh alive and drink human blood. I don't want to be eaten alive by them!"
"Alas! If you knew this day would come, why did you act as you did? I can't save you. The only one who can save you is Ning Xiaochuan. Even if he does not deal with you, those Demon Sect people will certainly take your life," Wang Shi said.
"I understand, I understand. Ning Xiaochuan is very fond of a Silver-Ranked Music Courtesan from the Jade Viewing Pavilion. I'll go buy that Silver-Ranked Music Courtesan and give her to him as an apology," Wang Yunchong said.
Wang Shi sighed and shook his head. If Wang Yunchong were not his own younger brother, he would not bother wading into this muddy water. He stopped Wang Yunchong and reminded him once more, "I have already asked around with people from the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. Ning Xiaochuan truly is a Heart Nourisher. That means he has been concealing his cultivation all along. This is very likely a chess piece laid down by the Blood Devouring Demon Sect. Therefore, you had best not reveal even half a word about Ning Xiaochuan to anyone. This is not something we can meddle in. It would be best to pretend we know nothing; that may preserve your life."
"I'll keep my mouth sealed. I won't dare say even half a word." Wang Yunchong's legs were trembling. He felt that provoking Ning Xiaochuan was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life.
The First King of the Yulan Empire's residence—the Golden Roc Royal Mansion.
The Golden Roc Royal Mansion was grand and majestic. Jade slabs a foot wide paved the corridor floors, while golden pillars thick enough for several people to embrace supported magnificent palace towers. It was as luxurious and noble as an imperial palace.
Steward Hua was currently within the Golden Roc Royal Mansion, reporting Ning Xiaochuan's affairs to Yu Qianqian.
Yu Qianqian wore a green gauze blouse embroidered with golden dawn silk, paired with a moon-white skirt. Her figure was slender as a crescent moon, and her skin was tender as jade. Though she was merely an immature young girl, her breathtaking oval face was enough to make all women beneath heaven jealous! This was the bearing possessed only by a princess of a noble mansion. Girls from ordinary households might also be beautiful, but they could never possess such noble and elegant grace.
"To refine ten stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass overnight, with each stalk yielding four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir—unbelievable, simply unbelievable! This is a Peerless Prodigy in the cultivation of Heart Nourishers! His Martial Heart Palace must be a Variant Heart Palace. Ordinary people could never reach such a level." Astonishment filled Yu Qianqian's starry eyes.
Her own Martial Heart Palace was also a Variant Heart Palace, known as the "Immortal Lotus Heart Palace." Her heart was shaped like an emerald lotus, able to emit the fragrance of lotus blossoms. Her skin was even fairer than lotus petals, crystalline and translucent, with a fragrant aura curling around her body.
She too was a genius in cultivating as a Heart Nourisher, yet she could only refine six stalks of Nourishing Heart Grass each day. She was far from reaching Ning Xiaochuan's terrifying level.
"Indeed, this child is remarkably extraordinary. His future achievements will be limitless. It's just that..." Steward Hua said.
"But what?" Yu Qianqian asked.
Steward Hua bowed to Yu Qianqian. "This subordinate investigated his background. He is a fourth-generation descendant of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. Since he was born with a hidden ailment and could not cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi, he came to be called Sickly Ning and held little status in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. Yet through my contact with him, how is this child any sickly invalid? He is plainly a Peerless Prodigy. What hidden circumstances lie behind this?"
Yu Qianqian's eyes brightened slightly. "So it was him. No wonder his name sounded somewhat familiar."
"Princess, did you know him before?" Steward Hua asked.
Yu Qianqian shook her head. "No. I merely heard his name from many geniuses of the noble mansions. I heard that he was the son of an unparalleled Heaven's Chosen of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. Yet though the father was a tiger, the son was a dog—born sickly and weak, he became a laughingstock among the descendants of nobles. That is why his name sounded familiar."
Steward Hua nodded. "Ning Xiaochuan's father was far more than merely an unparalleled Heaven's Chosen. Ten years ago, he was a figure who swept through the entire Yulan Dynasty like a raging wind. Among his generation, he was invincible. Even the Cloud Marquis, Yue Wuyang, known as the Youngest Martial Venerable, suffered four defeats in four battles at his hands. Unfortunately, ten years ago, something happened. Ning Xiaochuan's father and mother both died within the Ning Family Ancestral Hall."
"What happened then?" Yu Qianqian asked curiously.
Steward Hua shook his head. "This matter caused an enormous stir at the time. Even half of the Six Paths Demon Sovereign of the Demon Sect came to the Imperial City. Yet only the elders of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion knew exactly what happened, and they never revealed a single word to the outside world. Ten years have passed, and people gradually forgot about it."
"Interesting, interesting. The father was an unparalleled Heaven's Chosen, while the son is a Peerless Prodigy. This Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion truly produces talent generation after generation. If I am not mistaken, Ning Xiaochuan's nickname of 'Sickly Ning' was merely a way for the Sword Pavilion Marquis to throw dust in others' eyes. In truth, he is a genuine Heaven's Chosen," Yu Qianqian said.
Steward Hua nodded. "This subordinate thinks so as well. After all, if a peerless genius like Ning Xiaochuan were truly exposed in the open, there would certainly be people unwilling to let him grow. The Sword Pavilion Marquis did this to protect him. Princess Consort, what should we do?"
Yu Qianqian rested her chin on her hand, her long eyelashes fluttering. "Since he is a Peerless Prodigy, naturally we cannot let him fall into someone else's hands. Keep this matter as confidential as possible. Do not let the other two great Heart Nourishing Halls learn of it. As for his treatment... raise it directly to the standard of an Intermediate Heart Nourisher!"
"This subordinate understands!"
Steward Hua had originally intended to report Wang Yunchong's matter to Yu Qianqian as well, but after thinking it over, he felt it was far too trivial and not worth disturbing the Princess Consort over. Thus, he respectfully withdrew.
Yu Qianqian's jade-like fingers gently smoothed her long hair. She grew even more curious about Ning Xiaochuan—not only about his origins, but also about his talent beyond ordinary people and the nickname "Sickly Ning."
Another interesting person has appeared. When I have time, I could personally visit him at the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, Yu Qianqian thought.
Of course, the thought merely circled through her mind once. Then she devoted herself to other, more important matters.
In Yu Qianqian's eyes, Ning Xiaochuan was only a somewhat unusual genius. What the Golden Roc Royal Mansion lacked least were geniuses!
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