Perhaps There Was a Miracle?

The beauty in the white dress did not respond. Instead, as if sensing something, she turned to look toward the entrance and happened to see Ning Fa standing there in a daze.

A look of surprise appeared on her jade-like face, and an inexplicable emotion flashed through her beautiful eyes.

The man in white beside her noticed her unusual reaction and saw Ning Fa as well. A half-smiling expression appeared in his narrow eyes, though there was a trace of chill in his gaze.

What a small world. I didn't expect to run into that green tea bitch so soon.

Damn, she really does look like a fairy descended to earth. Those ancient-costume beauties from my previous life would be reduced to dust beside this green tea bitch. No wonder she had the previous owner so utterly bewitched. Even after having his engagement broken off, he still dreamed that once he became a clan pill master, she would change her mind.

Ning Fa came back to his senses, clicking his tongue in wonder inwardly.

He knew both of the people before him, and his connections to them were far from ordinary.

The beauty in white was named Liu Qinghui. She was the childhood sweetheart of the previous owner, that huge sucker.

She came from the Liu Family, a small family attached to the Ning Clan. Her father and Ning Fa's father had been close friends, and the two families often visited one another.

Thus, calling the two childhood sweethearts was entirely accurate. Later, when Ning Fa was ten years old, Father Liu took the initiative to arrange an engagement between Ning Fa and Liu Qinghui, and Ning Fa's father readily agreed.

But later, once Ning Fa's Incomplete Lightning Spiritual Root was confirmed, the clan abandoned him.

Meanwhile, Liu Qinghui displayed a rare talent for pill refining and became an official pill master of the Ning Clan at an early age.

Under such circumstances, Father Liu did not hesitate to tear up Liu Qinghui's engagement with Ning Fa.

Ning Fa remembered clearly that when his father received the letter breaking off the engagement, his face turned livid with rage, and he spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.

Though his father was furious enough to go mad, Liu Qinghui's exceptional pill-refining talent had earned the clan's favor, so he could only swallow this extraordinary humiliation whole.

The previous Ning Fa, meanwhile, felt as though five bolts of lightning had struck him at once. He suffered an unprecedented blow and fell gravely ill, taking several months to recover.

Afterward, the previous Ning Fa obsessively studied pill refining, hoping to become an official clan pill master. It could be said that Liu Qinghui was the root cause of it all.

Therefore, merely seeing this woman made the current Ning Fa instinctively feel humiliated and enraged.

Ning Fa narrowed his eyes at her and secretly thought, Don't worry, brother. I'll make them repay the humiliation you suffered a hundredfold.

"Ning Fa, I didn't expect us to meet again after only three days."

At that moment, the man in white smiled at Ning Fa and spoke meaningfully.

Ning Fa looked at him, his brows rising slightly.

He knew this man as well. His name was Ning Ruiming, and he came from the Yuan Chang Island branch, which had now become one of the clan's eight main lines.

Although their branch had no Foundation Establishment Cultivator, they had placed among the top two in the previous main-line competition and thus became one of the clan's main lines.

Ning Fa's branch and Ning Ruiming's branch had considerable grievances between them. Their ancestral founders had already been hostile toward one another when the Ning Clan was first established.

When Ning Fa's ancestors had produced a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, they had tormented Ning Ruiming's branch miserably. But now, the development of the two branches was as far apart as heaven and earth.

In the previous clan main-line competition, Ning Ruiming's father had defeated Ning Fa's father to enter the top two and obtain a main-line quota.

As far as Ning Fa knew, there had been some hidden circumstances behind it, but his father had always treated the matter as taboo and refused to say more.

Now, Ning Ruiming's branch had not only become one of the clan's main lines, but Ning Ruiming's father had also become the clan's Tenth Elder.

Ning Ruiming had also entered the clan's Pill Hall early on and received abundant resources for pill refining. He was now a First-grade Mid-rank Pill Master and was being groomed as the Ning Clan's chief pill master.

Ning Ruiming and Liu Qinghui had both been present at the clan pill master assessment a few days ago and had personally witnessed Ning Fa fail the assessment.

Thus, Ning Ruiming's words were in fact mocking Ning Fa for his failure in the clan pill master assessment three days earlier.

These memories flashed through Ning Fa's mind in an instant. Facing Ning Ruiming's mockery, he remained unmoved.

He merely smiled at the man, then walked straight to the counter and began purchasing the spirit materials for the Essence Replenishing Pill from the clerk, haggling as though no one else were present.

In the end, he bought fourteen sets of Essence Replenishing Pill spirit materials for one hundred and forty spirit stones, then spent another three spirit stones on twenty Grain Abstinence Pills.

Ning Fa then strode away without looking at the two of them again.

Only after Ning Fa had left did Liu Qinghui withdraw her gaze. A trace of confusion appeared in her rain-misted eyes.

Ning Ruiming also frowned. He felt that Ning Fa seemed somewhat unusual today. In the past, Ning Fa had never found it so easy to remain calm upon seeing the two of them.

"Ning Fa just bought nothing but Essence Replenishing Pill spirit materials. It seems he still hasn't given up, but no matter how many times he tries, the result will be the same. Besides, he has no time left. His wager with the Fifth Elder is about to take effect."

Ning Ruiming smiled.

Liu Qinghui gave him a faint glance and softly said, "That may not be so. There is still one month left. Perhaps there will be a miracle."

At her words, a disdainful look flashed through Ning Ruiming's eyes. Yet, as though he had thought of something, a cold smile curled across his lips. "Yes, perhaps there will be a miracle."

Then, with his expression returning to normal, he said to Liu Qinghui, "Qinghui, we should leave as well. Otherwise, we won't make it to Tianshui Market in time."

Liu Qinghui was silent for a while before lightly nodding and leaving with Ning Ruiming.