The Uninvited Guest

Murong Wushuang had barely finished speaking.

"Creak!"

The gates of Begonia Manor opened, and a broad-shouldered, bear-waisted guard strode out. Built like an iron tower and standing over two meters tall, he coldly sized up Murong Wushuang. Seeing his shabby clothes, he gave a disdainful laugh. "Kid, this is Begonia Manor. You must have come to the wrong place!"

Murong Wushuang shook his head. "No, I came to see Young Master Ning. Brother, could you go announce me for me?"

The burly guard burst out laughing. Rubbing his fists together, he walked toward Murong Wushuang. "Kid, you brought a chicken with you. Don't tell me you're here to visit relatives?"

Bianji was a chaotic place. There were often fools who came to Begonia Manor hoping to swindle food and drink, and he had seen plenty of such people.

This burly guard took Murong Wushuang for one of them. He grabbed Murong Wushuang by the chest, intending to lift up his scrawny body and throw him out.

"Bang!"

Murong Wushuang stood firmly where he was, but the guard was flung away instead, rolling like a gourd across the ground before landing more than ten meters away.

Murong Wushuang smiled without quite smiling. "Brother, is your eyesight bad, or is the ground too slippery? You should watch where you're going when you walk. Stop staring at me all the time! See? That fall hurt, didn't it?"

The guard was so furious his hair seemed to stand on end. He sprang up with a flip, faint Profound Qi surging from his palm as he threw a punch at Murong Wushuang.

"Taluo, stand down!" Steward Qiu emerged from the gatehouse. He glanced at Murong Wushuang, displeasure in his eyes. "Gou Sheng, so it's you, brat. You've owed Begonia Manor three years of annual dues. When are you planning to pay?"

Murong Wushuang's face immediately turned ugly. He gave an awkward chuckle. "Give me another two days. Just two more days."

Steward Qiu's face darkened. "Two more days? Hmph! You've been asking for two more days for three years now. Since you've come today, pay up your annual dues—or sell yourself to Begonia Manor as a slave! Otherwise, I'll send men to your home right now and drag your grandfather here to do hard labor."

Murong Wushuang clenched his fists tightly, but in the end, he loosened them again. Though he had reached the Profound Qi Eighth Level, opposing Begonia Manor with his little strength would be no different from courting death.

Begonia Manor was immensely powerful. It was not something he could afford to provoke.

Two squads of armored guards came out through the gates and surrounded Murong Wushuang.

Murong Wushuang suddenly remembered what Ning Xiaochuan had said. He hurriedly smiled and said, "I'm good friends with Young Master Ning of Begonia Manor. I came specifically to visit him today."

Steward Qiu furrowed his brow slightly. "Which Young Master Ning are you talking about?"

"Ning Xiaochuan, Brother Chuan!" Murong Wushuang said with a grin.

The guards around him all wore strange expressions. The guard whom Murong Wushuang had thrown earlier burst out laughing. "What utter nonsense! How could our manor lord be friends with a poor wretch like you? Beat this brat to death!"

"Manor lord... what manor lord?" Murong Wushuang did not react at first. "Wait, wait! Don't hit me! Let's make this clear first! What manor lord?"

Above the gatehouse, Steward Qiu and Ye Chenglong exchanged a look.

Ye Chenglong shouted, his voice ringing like a great bell, "Nobody make a move yet!"

The Profound Qi fluctuations around Ye Chenglong were extraordinarily powerful, forcing the guards to retreat one after another.

Steward Qiu said, "Since he claims to know the manor lord, this old man will report to the manor lord and have him come out to identify him personally." He shot Murong Wushuang a cold glare. "If I find out you deliberately came to Begonia Manor to cause trouble, I'll break your legs and drag you off to feed the dogs."

After saying this, Steward Qiu hurried into the manor.

Ye Chenglong glanced faintly at Steward Qiu's departing back, a meaningful smile appearing in his eyes.

Not long afterward, Ning Xiaochuan came out of Begonia Manor. A group of maids and servants clustered behind him. From afar, he laughed and called out, "Gou Sheng, you finally came. I've been waiting for you for several days."

Murong Wushuang stared at the dozens of servants behind Ning Xiaochuan and swallowed hard. He said in shock, "Holy hell, Brother Chuan, you really are the manor lord of Begonia Manor? That status is terrifying!"

The guards surrounding Murong Wushuang automatically stepped back and bowed in salute.

Ning Xiaochuan smiled and patted Murong Wushuang on the shoulder. "Come, let's go inside and talk. Hm? Where did this big hen come from?"

Murong Wushuang's smile stiffened somewhat. "Heh heh, it's a gift for our first meeting."

"A fine gift, a fine gift. Send it to the cook. Have her prepare a table of good dishes for lunch today!"

Ning Xiaochuan took Murong Wushuang back to Purple Qi Garden. Along the way, they did not see Steward Qiu.

The moment they entered Purple Qi Garden, Ning Xiaochuan's face sank slightly. "Someone has been here. Who is it? Get out here!"

Murong Wushuang also turned grave, intensely curious about who could be bold enough to break into the residence of Begonia Manor's lord.

Ning Xiaochuan moved, leaping three zhang into the air before landing atop a pavilion. He thrust out a palm toward the space behind a pillar.

A figure flashed out from behind the pillar and struck out with a palm as well, clashing head-on with Ning Xiaochuan.

"Bang!"

The somewhat aged figure was knocked flying and landed on the ground. He stared at Ning Xiaochuan in shock, his voice hoarse. "Sickly Ning, you can actually cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi."

Ning Xiaochuan flew down from the pavilion and landed steadily on the ground. "Steward Qiu, didn't I order that no one was to enter Purple Qi Garden? What was your purpose in breaking in?"

This old man was none other than Steward Qiu. Earlier, while Ning Xiaochuan had gone out to receive Murong Wushuang, he had slipped into this small garden to investigate its secrets.

It would have been better if he had not investigated. Once he did, he discovered that Ning Xiaochuan had planted a Profound Spirit Wood in the garden.

The Profound Spirit Wood was a priceless treasure, a sacred tree capable of transforming a patch of land into spiritual ground. Where had Ning Xiaochuan gotten it?

He had been preparing to report this news to Fourth Master, but he had not expected Ning Xiaochuan to return so quickly and trap him inside Purple Qi Garden again.

What shocked him even more was that the consumptive whom everyone believed would not live much longer was actually a Martial Dao expert whose cultivation was not the slightest bit weaker than his own.

Steward Qiu gave a cold laugh. "Sickly Ning, do you think being able to cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi is a good thing for you? Wrong. It will bring you a fatal calamity. Once I tell Fourth Master this news, tomorrow you'll die in Begonia Manor without anyone knowing how."

Ning Xiaochuan said, "Do you think you can still leave Purple Qi Garden?"

Knowing that Ning Xiaochuan's cultivation was not weak, Steward Qiu had no intention of meeting him head-on. He turned and fled in another direction.

"Boom!"

Murong Wushuang threw a punch, forcing Steward Qiu back again. He grinned. "Heh heh! Steward Qiu, that's where you're wrong. How can a mere steward barge into the place where the manor lord lives? What if the manor lord happened to be doing something embarrassing with a maid and you saw it? Wouldn't that be terribly awkward?"

"Since you two little brats are looking for death, I'll grant your wish."

Steward Qiu's brows drew together. Brilliant Profound Qi burst from his body and completely enveloped him, forming an enormous sphere of light. He struck out with all his strength. Bang! His palm collided with Murong Wushuang's, erupting with overwhelming force and sending Murong Wushuang reeling backward.

"This old bastard's cultivation is powerful." Murong Wushuang felt as though his arm were about to split apart. Half his body had gone numb, and he hurriedly circulated his Profound Qi through his entire body.

Ning Xiaochuan spread his arms. Crimson Profound Qi surged from within him, condensing into a three-meter-long giant Profound Qi Sword in his palm. He slashed it down.

The Profound Qi Sword swept through everything in its path like rotten wood, utterly unstoppable.

"Bang!"

Steward Qiu's Profound Fortification Protective Shield was pierced by the Profound Qi Sword, and his body was hurled backward. The shock in his heart deepened. "A Profound Qi Sword."

He had cultivated for over forty years without managing to cultivate a Profound Qi Sword, yet Ning Xiaochuan had condensed one at only sixteen. His talent was simply too monstrous.

Cultivating a Profound Qi Sword meant being invincible among those of the same realm.

Steward Qiu did not dare continue fighting and turned to flee.

"Whoosh!"

At the instant he turned around, a second Profound Qi Sword flew over and slashed across his back, directly splitting his body in two.

Blood splattered across the ground, crimson and glaring.

Ning Xiaochuan also let out a slight breath of relief. Fortunately, he had killed that old bastard. If he had been allowed to escape and tell Ning Qianwu about this, Ning Xiaochuan would have had no choice but to flee for his life at once.

But the moment he relaxed, vigilance rose in Ning Xiaochuan's heart once more. He sensed an even more powerful expert rapidly approaching.

It was a wondrous feeling. Whenever danger drew near, this vigilance would arise in Ning Xiaochuan's heart, as though he could foresee certain events.

Just as he had sensed someone breaking into Purple Qi Garden earlier, it was an instinctive alertness.

Ning Xiaochuan suddenly turned around, his body rising half a zhang into the air. A Profound Qi Sword condensed in his palm, and he slashed toward his back.

"Bang!"

The battle saber in Ye Chenglong's hand was cut in two by the Profound Qi Sword. Its tip fell to the ground, while Ye Chenglong quickly retreated three steps, staring at Ning Xiaochuan in surprise.

Ning Xiaochuan landed on the ground and stared coldly at Ye Chenglong, who had tried to ambush him from behind. "Commander Ye, you've got quite the nerve. You dare attack the manor lord?"

Ye Chenglong's Martial Dao cultivation was extremely high, so his hearing naturally surpassed ordinary people by far. From a distance, he had heard the explosions of Profound Qi inside Purple Qi Garden and hurried over to investigate.

The fact that Ning Xiaochuan could cultivate Martial Dao Profound Qi had also given him quite a fright.

But to him, this was a fine opportunity to earn merit. Thus, just as Ning Xiaochuan had slain Steward Qiu with a sword, Ye Chenglong immediately rushed out and struck from behind, intending to kill Ning Xiaochuan.

Though this attack had failed, Ye Chenglong was not flustered. After all, he was an expert at the Profound Qi Ninth Level. Dealing with a martial artist at the Profound Qi Eighth Level should have been as easy as taking something from his hand. He sneered, "Manor lord? You're nothing but an abandoned son of the Marquis Mansion. I serve Fourth Master. With a single word from him, your life or death can be decided."

Ning Xiaochuan said, "Do you believe I can decide whether you live or die right now?"

Naturally, Ye Chenglong did not believe him. He burst into wild laughter. "Don't think your Profound Qi Sword is anything remarkable. Today, I'll take your head before Fourth Master and claim my reward. Let me show you the power of my Profound Qi Sword."

"Bang!"

Ye Chenglong brought his hands together. Dazzling light burst from his palms, merging into an enormous Profound Qi Sword that slashed toward Ning Xiaochuan.

Ye Chenglong's cultivation was profound, and the Profound Qi Sword he condensed was even more powerful. Sword Qi fluctuations filled an area several zhang wide, making the air boil.