「Cyan Cloud Country, inside the Drunken Moon Pavilion.」
HAAAH!
Ning Jiang took a deep breath, his shock finally subsiding.
'Looks like I'm not dreaming. A pity this body can only hold on for three more days...'
BANG.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open. A large man swaggered in, his posture arrogant.
"You're Ning Jiang? Your sister, Ning Yu'an, is in trouble. My young master sent me to find you. Come with me." The large man's tone was harsh and commanding.
"Hm?"
In an instant, Ning Jiang's gaze changed. It became colder than ice, more piercing than the sight of fresh blood. An endless killing intent erupted like a volcano, shooting out with an aura that could slaughter all in its path.
The large man was startled, the hair on his body standing on end.
'Is this kid really only at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation?'
Pinned by that gaze, the large man, despite his Cultivation at the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation, found his entire body stiffening up.
A saying came to his mind.
A dragon has a reverse scale; touch it and you will die!
"Lead the way."
Ning Jiang uttered two words. His voice was as calm as still water, but beneath that tranquility lay a ferocious killing intent, waiting to erupt.
...
The thirty-li-long Changle Street, Luoyang City's largest marketplace.
「Treasure Herb Hall.」
"Ning Yu'an, it's written here in black and white. Either you return the Primordial Stones now, or you can forget about leaving."
Wu Wen was aggressive, staring daggers at Ning Yu'an.
In her line of sight was a young woman of eighteen or nineteen. She had a delicate and slender figure and was dressed in purple. Her only flaw was a slightly haggard look, but it didn't detract from her refined beauty, instead adding a touch of fragile grace.
"Wu Wen, I thought you were my friend, yet you framed me. Don't you feel any guilt?"
Ning Yu'an's voice was pleasant, but it was now filled with immense anger.
"Don't look at me like that. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being a shameless flirt. The idea of someone of your status trying to seduce Young Master Zhou Wenhao is laughable." Wu Wen's eyes were filled with scorn.
"Zhou Wenhao... so it was because of him!"
Hearing that name, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck Ning Yu'an's mind. She understood everything in an instant.
Zhou Wenhao was twenty-one years old, the most outstanding young genius of the Zhou Family. At his young age, he was already an Innate Realm expert and was widely acknowledged as one of the Luoyang Ten Heroes!
She and Zhou Wenhao had been strangers, but on one occasion, he had come to the Drunken Moon Pavilion for a banquet and happened to see her.
After that, Zhou Wenhao had sought her out several times. Ning Yu'an understood the vague intentions he expressed—he was taken with her beauty.
But Ning Yu'an had rejected Zhou Wenhao's advances each time. No matter what he said, she remained unmoved.
Thinking back, she realized that Wu Wen had only befriended her after Zhou Wenhao had visited a few times. And every time Zhou Wenhao came to see her, Wu Wen would ask if she was interested in him.
She had assumed Wu Wen was just a gossip and had answered her truthfully without hiding anything.
Only now did Ning Yu'an understand. It was obvious that Wu Wen liked Zhou Wenhao, but his attempts to get close to her had made Wu Wen jealous.
"Ning Yu'an, this is Young Master Zhao Feng of the Zhao Family, another of Luoyang City's young talents. You can either return the Primordial Stones immediately, or you can spend a night with Young Master Zhao. If you do, not only will your debt be wiped clean, but Young Master Zhao will also give you some Ice Spirit Flowers for free." Wu Wen pointed at Zhao Feng, who was standing beside her.
"Dream on."
Ning Yu'an's body trembled as she spat out the two words as if they were laced with blood.
She knew Zhao Feng. Ever since seeing her once, he had become obsessed, constantly pestering her to no end.
"Ning Yu'an, don't be stubborn. I've already sent someone to fetch that short-lived ghost of a brother of yours. I know he's the person you care about most. Every day at noon, when the world's Yang energy is at its peak, his fire poison acts up, causing him unbearable pain. By the time he gets here, it should be about to flare up. I wonder, can you bear to watch him suffer a fate worse than death?"
In an instant, as if her fatal weakness had been seized, the color drained from Ning Yu'an's face.
It was just as Wu Wen said. Ning Jiang's fire poison was about to act up. The thought of Ning Jiang writhing in agony made Ning Yu'an's heart ache with a stabbing pain.
"So, what will it be, Ning Yu'an? You don't have much time left. Make your choice." Seeing the struggle on Ning Yu'an's face, Wu Wen pressed her relentlessly.
"I..."
A miserable despair filled Ning Yu'an's eyes. She felt as if she'd been forced to a dead end, with a bottomless cliff behind her and nowhere to run. But just then, footsteps rang out as a figure walked in.
Ning Jiang had arrived!
He was dressed in white, about sixteen years old, with a sickly pallor on his face.
"Heh, short-lived ghost. You're finally here," Wu Wen sneered.
"Little brother, go back first. I'll handle things here," Ning Yu'an said, forcing herself to remain calm.
Looking at the delicate woman before him, a flicker of memory passed through Ning Jiang's eyes.
He was originally a Legendary Venerable from a hundred thousand years ago, an unparalleled figure of his era. In just a thousand years, he had reached the Venerable Realm within the Great Thousand Realms. He had even fought a Great Emperor to a standstill while still a Venerable, earning him the title of the number one expert beneath the Great Emperors.
With his talent, he was destined to step into the supreme Emperor Realm, to look down upon all living beings, invincible in all the world.
Unfortunately, despite his world-shaking talent, he had fallen while pursuing the "Vanished Ten Thousand Years"—a blank period in history that concealed a great secret.
Unexpectedly, a hundred thousand years later, he had been reborn in this body.
The original owner of this body had died in bed not long ago due to the "Black Jade Fire Poison Curse."
It was at that moment that Ning Jiang was reborn, coming back from the dead.
Coincidentally, the body's original owner was also named Ning Jiang.
Ning Yu'an was his older sister, who had always cared for him with meticulous attention.
She had even fallen into debt over Primordial Stones because of him.
The Black Jade Fire Poison Curse was a vicious Curse Technique. A person afflicted by it would gradually have their body turn to jade, and every day at noon, the fire poison would erupt, causing pain so unbearable they wished for death.
Only a Treasure Medicine called Ice Spirit Grass could suppress this curse.
Ning Yu'an had spent all her Primordial Stones to buy Ice Spirit Grass, which was how she ended up being deceived by Wu Wen.
Wu Wen was a guest at the Drunken Moon Pavilion, staying in the room next to Ning Yu'an's. Over time, they became acquainted.
Just seven days ago, Ning Yu'an had almost no Primordial Stones left after buying Ice Spirit Grass. When Wu Wen found out, she offered to lend her some.
Wu Wen had been very enthusiastic at the time, only asking Ning Yu'an to casually write an IOU. The note didn't specify a repayment date for the Primordial Stones, only that she could pay it back whenever it was convenient.
Ning Yu'an, not suspecting a thing, believed Wu Wen was kind-hearted and even came to see her as a close confidante with whom she could talk about anything.
But alas, this was the very "friend" who had set her up!
They had originally agreed she could repay the Primordial Stones anytime, but now she was being forced to pay them back immediately.
Ning Jiang ignored Ning Yu'an's plea for him to leave. He looked at Zhao Feng and Wu Wen, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. "Speak. What do you want?"
He was serene, like the abyssal sea, his emotions unreadable.
Zhao Feng was already impatient. "My subordinate should have told you the details. It's simple. Have your sister spend the night with me."
"You are unworthy." The three words were filled with contempt.
"Little brother, you...?" Ning Yu'an looked at Ning Jiang. Having spent every day with him, she vaguely sensed that the Ning Jiang before her was somehow different from usual.
"It's fine. Leave everything to me."
Ning Jiang knew Ning Yu'an was worried, but he was no longer the old Ning Jiang!
"I'm not worthy? Good, good! You've successfully infuriated me. You say to leave it to you, but what do you think you can change? I doubt you can produce the Primordial Stones either. In that case, I'll give you two options. We're both Martial Artists, so we'll settle this like Martial Artists. You and I will fight right now. If you win, the matter is settled. Or, you can cripple one of your own arms!" Zhao Feng sneered, enraged by Ning Jiang.
"You are at the Postnatal Middle Stage, while I'm at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer. I am no match for you. There is no need to fight."
As Ning Jiang spoke, his shoulder trembled, and True Qi surged through his left arm.
CRACKLE-CRACK!
The sound of shattering bone echoed through the room as his left arm fell limply to his side.
He had crippled his own arm, shattering all the bones within.
He had made his choice.
The hall fell silent.
But Ning Jiang's face remained as calm as ever, unfazed by honor or disgrace, as if the sky itself could fall without startling him.
Ignoring the many shocked gazes, Ning Jiang took Ning Yu'an's hand and turned to leave.
"Coward. As a Martial Artist, one should have the spirit to die as shattered jade rather than live as intact pottery. When a common man is enraged, blood spills five paces. Yet he would rather cripple his own arm than dare to fight Zhao Feng. Truly despicable." After the silence, a scornful voice spoke up in the Treasure Herb Hall.
People looked over, their expressions surprised. It was Huang Qing, a candidate for the Ten Heroes.
"Indeed. If he had fought Zhao Feng, even if he died, it would have been a heroic and noble end. If a Martial Artist lacks even this much courage, what's the point of practicing martial arts or pursuing the Dao? He's destined to be useless!" A woman in yellow robes beside him agreed.
More than a few people present agreed, and soon, a chorus of ridicule erupted.
Zhao Feng remained silent. 'That terrifyingly calm gaze... could that really belong to a coward?'
"This young man is quite a character."
On the top floor of the Treasure Herb Hall, a place only distinguished guests could enter, a woman's soft, mellow voice sounded out.
It was a woman in red.
Yue Lianxi.
A name that made countless men in Luoyang City lose their minds and souls.
She was about twenty-five years old. Unlike Ning Yu'an's refined and gentle beauty, hers was a mature charm.
She had witnessed Ning Jiang's actions just now. Unlike the others in the Treasure Herb Hall who looked on with contempt, her expression was one of appreciation.
"Miss, I don't understand. Didn't you say that a person must have backbone, a spirit that would rather break than bend? But he crippled his own arm and endured ridicule. Why would you praise someone like that?"
The maidservant beside Yue Lianxi spoke up. She was fourteen or fifteen, dressed in green, with delicate features.
"You don't understand. A great man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. What is temporary honor or disgrace?"
"When a common man is insulted, he draws his sword and fights. That is not true courage. The truly courageous person in this world remains unfazed when faced with a sudden crisis and does not become enraged when wronged without cause. This is because they hold a great burden and their ambitions are far-reaching."
"That young man just crippled his arm. He was decisive, not sloppy in the slightest. He didn't even flinch at the pain of his bones shattering. It shows that his willpower is terrifyingly resilient."
"Remember this: enduring violence and humiliation does not mean one is weak. On the contrary, so-called strength belongs to those who are unmoved by such things."
"Only those who can bend their knees can fly higher."
"A person like that is a true expert!"
Yue Lianxi said a great deal in one breath, even going so far as to call Ning Jiang a "true expert."
This made the maidservant's eyes go wide with disbelief.
She knew how discerning her mistress was. She didn't even spare a glance for the Luoyang Ten Heroes. Only the famed prodigies of the Cyan Cloud Country were worthy of her attention.
A mere Ning Jiang had earned such high praise from Yue Lianxi?
"Although he was humiliated, if he is able to grow, he will most likely become a formidable figure. Qiu Yue, take a Bone Shaping Pill to him for me. Also, buy back that IOU. Consider it us forming a good bond."
Yue Lianxi gave the order, swift and decisive as lightning.
"Yes."
The maidservant withdrew. She would obediently carry out any decision Yue Lianxi made.
As for the IOU, the insignificant Zhao Family wouldn't dare refuse.
'Ning Jiang... an interesting person. This trip to the Treasure Herb Hall wasn't wasted after all. The Nine Great Young Masters of Cyan Cloud Country are famous throughout the world, with Young Master Soaring Dragon leading the pack. Perhaps he has that kind of potential as well...'