Chapter 30

Chapter 30

In the eyes of the world, Ning Yuzhou was an arrogant good-for-nothing.

Despite being nothing more than a mere mortal, he acted without any inhibitions due to his influential father. His previous actions had showcased his arrogance as well. While it was true that Ning Yaozhu and Sun Hongmao were in the wrong for harming him, his aggressive behavior was equally detestable. Not to mention, even the talented prince Ning Pingzhou, who belonged to the esteemed Ning family, had to seek his opinion in front of him, revealing how much Ning Yuzhou took advantage of Cheng Hao Emperor's favor.

For a mortal who couldn't cultivate to be so arrogant, it was no wonder he had lived this long.

"I don't want to go in, Fifth Brother..." Ning Yaozhu resisted, not only because she had a premonition of misfortune but also because she refused to face Ning Yuzhou. They were the ones who should be valued by the Ning family; why should they yield to the worthless Ning Yuzhou?

It was Ning Yuzhou himself who chose to enter the Scale Platform Hunting Valley this time. Why didn't he just die there when the maze collapsed?

Ning Pingzhou pulled her aside and said, "Ah Jiu, if you don't want to be punished by the elders of the Law Enforcement Hall, apologize to him first."

"I did nothing wrong! I never expected Sun Hongmao to act at that moment. Fifth Brother, you have to believe me!" Ning Yaozhu exclaimed anxiously.

Ning Pingzhou gently stroked her face and said in a warm voice, "I know you wouldn't do such a thing, but... Ah Jiu, haven't you noticed that Third Miss Wen has been nowhere to be seen?"

Ning Yaozhu was taken aback. A thought occurred to her, and her complexion paled slightly.

Indeed, she had not seen Wen Qiao just now. There was only one possibility – Wen Qiao might have already perished in the Scale Platform Hunting Valley. Although Wen Qiao was a sickly individual who was destined to die before the age of twenty, her natural death was one matter, while being killed by someone else was another.

"Could it be..." Ning Yaozhu's throat went dry. "She was already dead when she was attacked by the demonic beast in the maze?"

Before the maze collapsed, Ning Yaozhu had fled with the others. Just then, she had witnessed Ning Yuzhou carrying an injured and bloodied Wen Qiao whose condition was unknown. At that time, Wen Qiao looked terrifying; she had lost a lot of blood and her breath was almost undetectable. It was possible that she was truly gone...

Even if she wasn't dead, the collapse of the maze, followed by the fall from the labyrinth to the ground thousands of feet below, would make it difficult for a severely injured person to survive.

Ning Pingzhou's gaze darkened slightly as he said, "Ah Jiu, regardless of the situation, apologize to Ning Yuzhou first and try to gain his forgiveness."

"I..."

"Listen to me!"

Ning Yaozhu's expression turned grim, but she reluctantly agreed, "Alright."

Ning Pingzhou, upon seeing her consent, gently patted his sister's head and then led her toward the tent where Ning Yuzhou was resting.

In keeping with past traditions, after the Scaled Platform Hunting Valley was closed, a small bazaar would be held here.

Disciples from various clans would trade items they no longer needed from their acquisitions in the Scale Platform Hunting Valley. Mostly, it was a barter system where they exchanged goods they lacked. The royal NIng clan and elders from different clans jointly guarded the place, ensuring no murderous incidents for the sake of plundering treasures. Such small bazaars were warmly welcomed by cultivators.

Eventually, even numerous merchants and cultivators who couldn't enter the ScaleHide Valley came specifically to acquire various resources, further boosting the prosperity of this makeshift marketplace.

Consequently, after the Scale Ridge Hunting Valley was sealed, cultivators would stay for a day or two before departing. The camps of the various families would naturally remain, with no rush to dismantle them.

The siblings arrived in front of Ning Yuzhou's tent, where they found the Quanlin Guards posted outside.

Ning Yaozhu felt a twinge of discomfort again. The Quanlin Guards were meticulously nurtured protectors of the Ning family, but they were assigned to safeguard a good-for-nothing – it was a waste of their potential. It was vexing that someone who contributed little to the family could so comfortably consume its resources; even the most patient and magnanimous would harbor resentment and envy.

Their father, the emperor, was known for his wisdom and fairness, yet he became inexplicably muddled whenever matters involving Ning Yuzhou arose.

Ning Pingzhou gave the Quanlin Guards a casual glance before leading Ning Yaozhu inside. The guards made no attempt to stop them, clearly having received instructions from Ning Yuzhou beforehand.

Upon entering the tent, Ning Yuzhou was indeed seated in the prominent position, as expected. Apart from the lurking Qianshu and Sun Hongmao, who had been escorted by the Qianlin Guards, Wen Qiao was nowhere to be seen.

Ning Yaozhu felt a chill in her heart, suddenly hesitant to meet Ning Yuzhou's gaze.

The tent was eerily silent, with no one speaking.

Ning Pingzhou raised his head to look at Ning Yuzhou, who was sitting in the prominent seat. In his arms, he held a white jade flowerpot containing a two-inch-tall sapling. Its species couldn't be identified as a spirit herb. Beside him, a small rabbit, slightly larger than a human palm, lay on a table, its paws clutching a spirit pill which it licked occasionally while gazing at those around it.

The combination of Ning Yuzhou, the flowerpot, the sapling, and the rabbit was indeed peculiar.

Sun Hongmao sat slumped on the ground with his face lowered.

His complexion was pale, and his aura was in disarray. Upon a cursory glance, Ning Pingzhou noticed that his Spirit Aperture had been destroyed.

With a ruined Spirit Aperture, all cultivation would be lost, rendering him equivalent to an ordinary person, unable to practice anymore.

Ning Yuzhou's move was indeed ruthless. Sun Hongmao would likely hold a grudge against Ah Jiu and retaliate against her.

"Seventh Brother, what happened earlier was indeed Ah Jiu's fault. She has come now to apologize," Ning Pingzhou said, gently nudging his sister to take action.

Ning Yaozhu still felt indignant, but thinking about the possibility that Wen Qiao might already be dead, she felt a pang of guilt. She whispered, "Brother Qi, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Sun Hongmao to do such things back then."

Sun Hongmao lifted his pale face and glared at Ning Yaozhu with resentment, chuckling coldly. "Princess Jiuhao, it was an urgent situation. If we didn't act, we would have been killed by that demonic beast. It was an impulsive decision, but I did it for you. You've always disliked the Seventh Prince, haven't you? Believing him to be a good-for-nothing who constantly occupies the Ning family's resources. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of him..."

"Shut up!" Ning Pingzhou barked, staring fiercely at Sun Hongmao. "This is our Ning family's business, none of your concern as an outsider. Even if there are disputes among our disciples, we'll handle them ourselves. Why should an outsider like you meddle?"

Sun Hongmao was left speechless by this retort.

Not giving him a chance to defend himself, Ning Pingzhou continued, "Ah Jiu may be spoiled, but she abides by the Ning family's rules and would never attack a fellow clan member without permission. Back then, you only wanted someone to take the fall so you could have a chance to escape and win Ah Jiu's favor. But you didn't expect Seventh Brother to miraculously survive..."

Ning Pingzhou refused to let a despicable person sully his sister's reputation.

Fueled with resentment, Sun Hongmao tried to argue further, only to be shot down by Ning Pingzhou, leaving him gasping for breath and glaring at them hatefully.

Why should he bear the consequences for killing someone Ning Yaozhu despised?

Since he couldn't cultivate anymore anyway, he might as well drag someone down with him!

Ning Yaozhu was startled by his gaze and instinctively hid behind Ning Pingzhou.

Ning Pingzhou ignored Sun Hongmao and turned to Ning Yuzhou, saying, "Seventh Brother, it's right for you to punish Ah Jiu for trusting a despicable scoundrel. As your elder brother, I have no objections."

"Brother Fifth..." Ning Yaozhu looked at him in shock. He had just pleaded on her behalf, so why the sudden change?

Ning Yuzhou had remained silent throughout, observing the scene with a composed demeanor.

When Ning Pingzhou finished speaking, he smiled slightly and said, "I agree with that sentiment."

Ning Pingzhou and his sister: "..."

"I summoned Ning Yaozhu here not to punish her, but to inform her that Ah Chu has suffered because of her actions. I won't forget this incident. However, as Ning Yaozhu is a member of the Ning Clan, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to overstep my elders and deal with her directly. I will inform an elder from the Law Enforcement Hall about this matter, and they will handle it according to our clan rules."

Ning Pingzhou's expression darkened.

He had originally planned for Ning Yuzhou to mete out the punishment, as long as it satisfied his anger. It was better than following the clan rules strictly.

However, Ning Yuzhou's call for Ah Jiu seemed more like an opportunity for him to watch a spectacle rather than to avenge Sun Hongmao and himself. Despite Ning Pingzhou's usual indifference towards a mortal who couldn't cultivate, he now felt a hint of anger and felt manipulated.

Ning Yuzhou ignored him and turned to Sun Hongmao, "As for you, you owe Ah Chuo a life. Pay it back to her."

Pay it back? How?

While Sun Hongmao was still in disbelief, he was muffled by the Hidden Scale Guards and dragged away, never to be seen again.

Ning Yaozhu seemed frightened, huddling silently beside her brother, not daring to meet Ning Yuzhou's gaze directly. As a cultivator, she had witnessed many life-and-death situations and even taken lives of those who dared offend her. But Ning Yuzhou, an ordinary human, relied on the Hidden Scale Guards to kill so casually, his ruthlessness surpassing that of a cultivator.

Would he one day find her displeasing and kill her just as nonchalantly?

"You may leave now," Ning Yuzhou said calmly, his eyes lowered onto the white jade basin in his hands, seemingly unwilling to spare them another glance.

Ning Pingzhou shot him a glance before silently pulling his sister away.

After leaving Ning Yuzhou's tent, Ning Pingzhou took his sister back to their own tent for rest.

Upon returning to their tent, Ning Pingzhou could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing to the ground. This terrified Ning Yaozhu, causing her to scream in fright.

"Fifth Brother, how are you...?" Ning Yaozhu cried out in distress.

Ning Pingzhou swallowed a healing spirit pill and rested for a while. The searing pain in his chest subsided, allowing him to speak. "Ah Jiu, Ning Yuzhou isn't someone to trifle with. This time, he definitely won't let you off easily. You need to brace yourself."

At the end of his words, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

It was his fault for underestimating Ning Yuzhou before, thinking that a mere mortal couldn't cause any significant trouble. Never did he expect Ning Yuzhou to return safely from the Scale Platform Hunting Valley and for his own sister to provoke him.

Ning Yaozhu felt wronged and was also afraid of the impending punishment. Her heart was in a daze as she replied absentmindedly.

Ning Pingzhou patted her head and sighed.

After a moment of silence, Ning Yaozhu spoke up, "Fifth Brother, I still can't accept it! Ning Yuzhou is just a good-for-nothing. Why do we always have to give in to him? Just because Father Emperor favors him?"

Ning Pingzhou was taken aback and let out a slight sigh. "Do you think no one in the Ning Clan objects to Father Emperor's obvious favoritism toward Ning Yuzhou? But look at these past years—has anyone ever spoken up about it?"

"Isn't it because Father Emperor rules with an iron fist...?"

"Ha, although Father Emperor is the patriarch of the Ning Clan, he cannot make all the decisions for our clan. There are still the elders above him. Elder Yuan is impartial and fair in his actions, yet look at how much he speaks up. Do you think Father Emperor would dare to show such favoritism towards Ning Yuzhou without the approval of those elders? Or allow the Ning Clan's resources to be at his disposal?"

Ning Yaozhu stared at him in a daze. At this moment, all her previous perseverance seemed to be misguided.

Could it be that the Ning Clan disciples were truly inferior to a good-for-nothing like Ning Yuzhou?

Ning Pingzhou looked on with a pained heart. His sister was innocent and naive. Although she was envious of Ning Yuzhou, she would never do anything harmful. It was just the petty jealousy of a young girl, harmless in nature. He truly didn't wish for his sister to suffer too much, so he had always indulged and pampered her in the past. However, Sun Hongmao's misguided actions had dragged her into this conflict with Ning Yuzhou.

While they were burning with anxiety, Ning Yuzhou remained calm and composed. The disparity between them was clear as day.

***

Ning Yuzhou never considered himself a good person. Regardless of whether Ning Yaozhu's intentions were unintentional, he had no intention of letting her off.

It was understandable for a young girl to have some jealousy, but if she was foolish enough to be manipulated by others, what was the point of being a cultivator? It would be less troublesome to just be an ordinary person.

After dismissing the Hidden Scale Guards, Ning Yuzhou fed spirit medicine liquid to Little Miao Miao while chatting with her. The tent was equipped with soundproofing arrays, so he wasn't worried about their conversation being overheard.

"Azhu, Sun Hongmao caused your demise. Simply destroying his Spirit Orifice would be too lenient for him. Hand him over to the Sun Family; I believe they will know how to handle the situation," Ning Yuzhou said while his gaze softened.

Wen Qiao sipped on her spirit medicine liquid and gently brushed against him, conveying her approval of his decision. She was indifferent to Sun Hongmao's fate, knowing that her husband was avenging her.

Ning Yuzhou's eyes curved slightly. He would have preferred dealing with Sun Hongmao personally, but he didn't want Azhu to associate him with casual killing. Thus, he decided to return Sun Hongmao to his family, trusting that the Sun Family, being astute, would not keep such a menace around and risk offending the Ning Clan.

After feeding the spirit medicine, Ning Yuzhou gazed at the tiny Miao Miao in the white jade basin and let out a sigh.

Miao Miao rustled its leaves, looking at him in confusion.

Ning Yuzhou gently stroked the small tendril that playfully leaned in to entangle his finger, softly murmuring, "I wonder when it'll grow a bit more..."

In recent days, he had delved into his inherited knowledge, managing to uncover some examples of spirit herbs transforming into human form from the obscure corners.

It was said that some high-ranking spirit herbs, if they could harness the power of nature and cultivate into a shape-shifting form, would become a type of spirit creature, with their flesh, blood, and bones being invaluable treasures. However, for a spirit herb to transform into a human form, the time and effort required were even greater than that for a monster beast, sometimes even multiplied by hundreds of times before such a transformation could occur.

Wen Qiao's demon body seemed to lean more towards a certain type of spirit herb.

Though it currently appeared like an ordinary weed, its essence blood was potent enough to break the seals within his body and attract mutated monster rabbits to vie for its protection. It was certainly not an ordinary spirit creature lineage; it was likely a rare and extraordinary natural treasure.

Among the demon spirits, the higher the bloodline, the more challenging it was to assume a human form.

Fortunately, Wen Qiao was born human, inheriting only half of an unknown ancestor's divine bloodline. She transformed into a demonic body upon awakening her bloodline power, unlike those innate spirit medicines that required millions of years to take human form.

However, compared to human cultivation speed, her transformation might take even longer.

Ning Yuzhou sighed again, deciding to research and feed her more spirit medicine liquid to hasten her growth when they returned.

Wen Qiao was utterly bewildered.

She had no idea when she could transform. It wasn't her fault for her slow development, nor could she be blamed for not inheriting the other half of the bloodline. All she could do now was explore patiently.

Luckily, with everyone aware of her situation and a husband protecting her, she no longer needed to conceal her cultivation cautiously. This gave her more confidence in her transformation.

Wen Qiao remained quite optimistic.

Thus, she comforted her husband, assuring him that her current state was nothing, and she would work hard on her cultivation, so he needn't worry.

Ning Yuzhou found Miao Miao's comforting gesture amusing yet endearing. He wondered how little Miao Miao could be so adorable.

The more he saw her, the more adorable she appeared, and he couldn't help but feel the urge to do something for her.

Ning Yuzhou pondered for a moment before retrieving a large piece of spirit jade from his storage bag.

"Ah Chu, how about I make you a flower pot? This white jade pot can't compare to one crafted from spirit jade. You can also absorb the spiritual energy within this spirit jade for cultivation, killing two birds with one stone," Ning Yuzhou said warmly. Without further ado, he took out a chisel and began carving the pot.

Wen Qiao: "...."

Was her husband being too good to her? Was spirit jade something that could be casually used for a flower pot? What a waste!

Just as Ning Yuzhou finished carving the pot, Cheng Hao, whose matters had concluded, came over to check on him.

"Little Seven, what are you doing?"

Seeing Cheng Hao, Ning Yuzhou was slightly surprised. He glanced outside and asked, "Father, have the people from the Holy Martial Hall left?"

Cheng Hao was taken aback and looked at him in surprise. "You know they're from the Holy Martial Hall?"

Ning Yuzhou nodded and recounted the encounter with Feng Sanniang in the Scale Platform Hunting Valley.