Killing Tribulation

This was Ning Xiaochuan's last night residing in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion. Ning Xiner had already packed his belongings, and tomorrow he would be heading to Begonia Manor.

Ning Xiner, who would be going to the Five Desolate Mountain Range for training with the geniuses of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion tomorrow, had also packed her own bag.

Ning Xiaochuan found an opportunity to take out the hundred drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir and hundred drops of Blood Accumulation Elixir that Ning Xiner had placed in his bag, and quietly put them back into hers.

At the same time, Ning Xiaochuan took out another small Jade Bottle containing thirty drops of Second Grade Heart Nourishing Elixir and also placed it in Ning Xiner's bag.

This was all the Heart Nourishing Elixir Ning Xiaochuan had refined from ten stalks of Second Grade Nourishing Heart Grass. It could have been sold for a large sum of wealth, but he felt that this Heart Nourishing Elixir would be more helpful for Ning Xiner's Martial Dao cultivation.

"Buzz!"

In the Imperial City, the Morning Bell rang!

Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Yan arrived at the back gate of the Marquis's Mansion, where an Azure Deer Carriage was already waiting.

An Elder dressed in Cloth Clothes stood in front of the carriage, handing a Purple Wood Box to Ning Xiaochuan and saying in a low voice, "Young Master, this is something the Old Marquis gave you."

This Elder was named "Ji Bo" and was an Old Servant who had always been by the Old Marquis's side.

With a look of confusion, Ning Xiaochuan took the Purple Wood Box. His arm sank slightly, and he quickly tightened his fingers to grasp the box firmly.

The Purple Wood Box weighed dozens of pounds and was not carved from ordinary purple wood. There were streaks of golden patterns flowing within the purple wood, which was the legendary "Gold Thread Purple Wood".

Even a box of Azure Gold could not buy a single piece of Gold Thread Purple Wood, showing how precious Gold Thread Purple Wood was.

Legend had it that a box made of Gold Thread Purple Wood could preserve food for a year without spoiling.

Ning Xiaochuan's palm pressed against the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box, and he immediately felt a trace of Earth Martial Essence Qi flowing into his body, instantly causing the Blood within his body to boil and circulate faster.

"Boom!"

Within his body, the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi was growing wildly! The Demon Sword within Ning Xiaochuan's body emitted a faint blood-red light, enveloping every part of Ning Xiaochuan's Blood Vessels. Therefore, even Martial Dao Experts like Ji Bo did not detect the fluctuation of Profound Qi within Ning Xiaochuan's body.

Ji Bo sighed, "The Old Marquis sending you to Begonia Manor is also because the Old Marquis knows the dangers of the struggles within the Marquis's Mansion and wants to keep you away from these conflicts to ensure your safety."

"This Gold Thread Purple Wood Box contains the Old Marquis's Earth Martial Essence Qi. If the Young Master's Congenital Disease acts up, pressing your palm on the surface of the box will allow you to absorb the Earth Martial Essence Qi inside, which can temporarily suppress the symptoms. If you don't use it, just put the Gold Thread Purple Wood Box in a bag. One of the purposes of the Old Marquis's current seclusion is to create this Life-extending Treasure for the Young Master."

Ning Xiaochuan felt a little moved. It seemed that the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion was not entirely cold and heartless; at least, there was still some familial affection.

Should he tell the Old Marquis that he could cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi? No, not yet!

"Although the Old Marquis's Cultivation is high and his authority is strong, there are too many factions within the Marquis's Mansion. Once the fact that I can cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi is exposed, many people will take risks and try to kill me behind the Old Marquis's back. It's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. I'll wait until my Cultivation becomes strong before saying anything!"

Although Ning Xiaochuan had only been in this world for a short time, his experiences over the past few days had made him understand the dangers of this world. Without sufficient strength, he would be unable to move an inch.

"Ji Bo, please thank Grandpa for me. I will live well." Ning Xiaochuan put away the Gold Thread Purple Wood.

Ji Bo nodded and said, "The forces within the Marquis's Mansion are complex and intertwined. For power and profit, and for the successor of the Marquis's Mansion, they are openly and secretly fighting. To better cover things up, I won't see you off, Young Master."

"Understood!"

Yu Yan boarded the Azure Deer Carriage, while Ning Xiaochuan sat outside the carriage, holding a whip covered in Azure Scales.

"Crack!"

The Azure Deer Carriage rolled over layers of fallen leaves, leaving this magnificent Royal Marquis's Prefecture, and sped away, disappearing at the end of the street.

Ji Bo watched the Azure Deer Carriage gradually disappear into the distance and thought of what the Old Marquis had said, "This child Xiaochuan's Congenital Disease has completely worsened. He has at most half a year left to live. Let him live out these last six months well!"

"Perhaps even the young master himself doesn't know he only has half a year left to live. It's truly a case of the Heavens being jealous of talent. Oh, Heavens! Can't you spare this child? Alas!" Ji Bo shook his head, letting out a sigh, and walked into the back gate of the Marquis's Mansion.

Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, within a garden! "What? The Old Marquis had Ji Bo deliver a Gold Thread Purple Wood Box to that sickly scoundrel? And it contains a large amount of Earth Martial Essence Qi?" Ning Qianwu slammed the table and abruptly stood up from his chair.

In the darkness, stood a warrior wearing black armor. Dark Blue flames flowed over the armor, making a crackling sound in the air.

The face inside the black armor had deeply sunken eye sockets, a prominent nose bridge, and was deathly pale, like the skeletal face of a skull.

He looked like a Hell Messenger, and his voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, "My first Martial Dao Divine Power is 'Heavenly Ear Spiritual Connection'. I personally heard the conversation between Ji Bo and Ning Xiaochuan. There is absolutely no falsehood."

The warrior in black armor repeated exactly what he had heard, word for word.

Ning Qianwu's gaze turned gloomy, and he sneered, "I naturally believe in your 'Heavenly Ear Spiritual Connection'. Within a hundred zhang, you can hear the sound of ants fighting. Ji Bo's Martial Dao cultivation is profound, but it's impossible for him to detect someone eavesdropping from a hundred zhang away."

"So that sickly scoundrel only has half a year left to live. It seems he truly isn't worth fearing. But Gold Thread Purple Wood and Earth Martial Essence Qi are treasures that are hard to come by. If they fall into my hands, they will definitely help my cultivation reach a higher level. Hei Lin, go now and bring back the Gold Thread Purple Wood for me. Remember, wait until you are outside the Outer City before making your move."

"How should we deal with Ning Xiaochuan? Should we eliminate him completely?" The warrior in black armor said in a lifeless tone.

Ning Qianwu said, "No need to kill him. Killing him will provoke the Old Marquis's anger. The Old Marquis will definitely know it was someone from the Marquis's Mansion who did it. If he investigates thoroughly, we won't have an easy time either. Breaking his legs is enough. Create a scene where he was robbed by thieves. Anyway, the Border District is very chaotic. It's quite normal for Sickly Ning, who has no strength to even truss a chicken, to be killed and have his treasures stolen."

"Understood!"

Black Profound Qi flowed around the body of the warrior in black armor, transforming into a whirlwind that slowly disappeared into the darkness.

"Clip-clop!"

Not long after, five warriors in black armor rushed out of the Marquis's Mansion, riding five pitch-black Iron Lion Mystic Beasts. They stirred up fallen leaves, like five black whirlwinds galloping towards the city gates.

The Imperial City of the Yulan Empire is divided into: Inner City, Outer City, and Border District.

Begonia Manor, a property of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, is located in the Border District, far from the Imperial City. It was once a place where the descendants of the Marquis's Mansion would stroll and enjoy themselves.

However, the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion has many properties. There are twenty-three manors in the Inner City alone, and over a hundred manors in the Outer City. As for remote manors like Begonia Manor, they have been neglected for a long time.

Only clan members who have fallen out of favor in the Marquis's Mansion are sent to manage these remote manors.

The Inner City is the most prosperous and magnificent area; the Outer City is where Martial Practitioners and merchants gather, while the Border District is a chaotic place.

Ning Xiaochuan drove the Azure Deer Carriage out of the Outer City and crossed the City Protecting River. The scenery around him changed. The tall, towering ancient buildings began to decrease, and ancient, lush green trees appeared before his eyes. He could even see some small mountains and streams.

"Yu Yan, who was the veiled woman who saved you and took you away that day by the river when Ning Han tried to kill you?" Ning Xiaochuan asked while driving.

Yu Yan lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, revealing half of her beautiful, oval-shaped face. After thinking for a moment, she said, "That was my young lady."

"Young lady? Who is your young lady?" Ning Xiaochuan had a deep impression of the mysterious woman who wore a white veil and killed with a sword. The first time he saw her, he thought she was a celestial being from outside the Heavens, so he was naturally quite curious about her.

Yu Yan hesitated for a while longer, then said, "I'll tell you, but you must promise not to tell anyone in the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion."

Ning Xiaochuan understood her thoughts. "Don't worry! I also had a hand in Ning Han's death. I won't tell anyone in the Marquis's Mansion about this."

Yu Yan nodded and said, "My young lady is one of the Three Great Beauties in the Imperial City, Yu Ningsheng. Her talent and dance skills are the best in the world. Even those peerless talents in the Heavenly Emperor Academy find it difficult to meet my young lady, and whether she will perform a dance for them depends on whether she herself is willing."

"Is your young lady also a woman from a Pleasure House?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

Yu Yan said anxiously, "Although my young lady was born in a Pleasure House, she is like a lotus emerging from the mud, unstained. She has more integrity and is kinder than many people. When I was sold into the Jade Viewing Pavilion, if my young lady hadn't taken pity on me and taken me in as her musician courtesan, I would definitely have become a low-class prostitute who spreads her legs to receive customers by now."

As she spoke, Yu Yan's voice choked with tears, as if recalling some painful past event.

Ning Xiaochuan said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up your sad memories."

"It's not Young Master's fault," Yu Yan pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Thump thump!"

Behind them came the roar of lions and the sound of iron hooves hitting the ground, startling the Azure Deer Horse pulling the carriage into a trembling state.

Five massive black Iron Lion Mystic Beasts galloped over, kicking up five trails of dust, and blocked the Azure Deer Carriage.

On top of the Iron Lion Mystic Beasts sat five warriors completely covered in black scales and armor. A thick killing intent emanated from them, making the surrounding space turn several degrees colder.

Among them, the aura of the warrior at the very front was the most terrifying. His eyes were dark and hollow, like a death god staring at Ning Xiaochuan.