Ning Xiaochuan felt the Blood Qi within his body boiling over. His vital organs were all hurting from the blow of Qi.
Ye Chenglong's Cultivation was much more formidable than his. It was more advanced by an entire realm, and his speed was extremely fast too. In a flash, he was in front of Ning Xiaochuan, bringing down his sword upon Ning Xiaochuan's head.
Ning Xiaochuan dared not directly counter this attack and rolled to his left.
"Bang!"
The Qi Sword cleaved into the ground, cutting through half a meter of stone. A six-meter long groove was left behind and there were rock fragments everywhere.
Ning Xiaochuan swiftly raced away, trying hard to think of a countermeasure.
Ye Chenglong had attained Stage Nine Qi over a decade ago, so his Cultivation was definitely at the peak of Stage Nine Qi. His Qi was intense, imposing, and as quick as lightning. He was the greatest enemy that Ning Xiaochuan had ever faced.
Ye Chenglong condensed a Qi Sword once more and gave chase.
Ning Xiaochuan's heart burned with anxiety and he felt his neck turn cold as if a sword would slash through his head from behind at any moment.
Quick! Quick! Quick!
"Too late to run."
Ye Chenglong gave a sinister laugh. He bounded off the ground and soared up like a gigantic bird. He wanted to fly over Ning Xiaochuan's head and block the exit route.
Ning Xiaochuan was waiting for this chance.
Ning Xiaochuan halted. His palms were threaded with eight strands of Combat Qi that formed into a Qi Sword. He threw this sword towards Ye Chenglong who was above him.
Ye Chenglong was still flying in midair and had no way to dodge. He could only counter the attack directly.
However, he was not afraid and laughed boisterously. "I've already told you that, to me, your Qi Sword is totally powerless."
Ye Chenglong waved his arm. The Qi Sword in his hand swung forward as well.
"Bang!"
Both of the Qi Swords were shattered.
Still, Ye Chenglong's face instantly became tense.
This was because he saw a second Qi Sword flying towards him.
"Protective Mystical Fortification!"
Ye Chenglong hurriedly mobilized his whole body's Qi, turning it into a gigantic ball of Qi that shielded his body. He was still falling to the ground. If he landed, he had a hundred percent assurance of killing Ning Xiaochuan.
Naturally, Ning Xiaochuan would not give him this chance.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Three Qi Swords flew out consecutively, breaking Ye Chenglong's protective Mystical Fortification.
A beam of Sword Qi sliced off Ye Chenglong's right arm, and a scalding torrent of blood gushed out of his shoulder.
All of this had happened in the blink of an eye. Ye Chenglong had leaped up, then landed on the ground. In such a short time, Ning Xiaochuan had sent out three continuous swords and finally cut off one of Ye Chenglong's arms.
Ye Chenglong landed on the ground and promptly circulated his Qi to stop the bleeding of his shoulder. His hatred towards Ning Xiaochuan had reached its zenith. "You cut off one of my arms. Today, you must die."
Ning Xiaochuan was panting heavily. He had used up quite an amount of his Qi, but his combative spirit was unprecedentedly vigorous. He cried out loudly, "Come on then! We'll see if it's you or me who dies today."
"And me." Murong Wushuang dashed over, standing on the other side of Ye Chenglong.
Although Ye Chenglong had lost an arm, he had Stage Nine Qi Cultivation. He still must not be underestimated.
The three of them moved at once, and the yard was caught in this chaotic battle. Their figures flashed and flipped, and their Qi surged and swelled, causing sand and stone to fly everywhere.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
In the end, Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang were sent flying back. Blood trickled out of their mouths, and there was a bloody handprint on their chests.
Ye Chenglong stood there with disheveled hair. He was wounded and bleeding all over, and looked as malevolent as the devil. He glared viciously at Ning Xiaochuan, "Sicken Ning, prepare to die!"
Ye Chenglong condensed a Qi Sword once again. The Qi surrounding him rushed forth violently, turning into a tornado.
Ning Xiaochuan did a flip and knelt on one knee. He dipped his hand into his pocket and felt around for an Evil Dragon Scale. Qi encased his hand and he hurled the Evil Dragon Scale.
"Pfft!"
The Evil Dragon Scale pierced into Ye Chenglong's heart.
The black Evil Dragon Poison invaded his Combat Atrium and mixed into his blood.
Ye Chenglong could not even move. He twitched violently before falling heavily into the ground.
The Evil Dragon Scale had pierced his heart. He was dead for sure.
Ning Xiaochuan sighed at last, but then coughed up a fresh mouthful of blood. He quickly sat down and started to replenish his Qi.
After around two hours, the injuries of Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Wushuang were almost fully healed.
"I owe you a big one. Otherwise, I might really have been annihilated by them." Ning Xiaochuan's face was full of gratitude. At the same time, he said cautiously, "You must never tell anyone about the fact that I can cultivate Combat Qi. This matter… Is of momentous significance."
Murong Wushuang knew that Ning Xiaochuan's identity was not ordinary. This was surely a crucial matter. Thus, he nodded solemnly.
Ning Xiaochuan took out a delicate jade bottle and handed it to Murong Wushuang. "There are ten drops of Heart-nourishing Liquid inside. Use them! It'll be extremely helpful for your Martial Art Cultivation."
Murong Wushuang accepted this jade bottle with a gleeful look on his face. "Brother Chuan, you're not a Heart-nourishing Master, are you?"
Ning Xiaochuan said, "I'm just a Junior Heart-nourishing Master."
Murong Wushuang wore an expression of respect and admiration as he kept the bottle in a safe place. "Heart-nourishing Masters are all so rich. In that case, I won't be modest."
Ning Xiaochuan asked, "I'm curious. Didn't you just earn fifty thousand copper coins a few days ago? Why can't you afford Begonia Manor's annual payment?"
Murong Wushuang looked pained. "Because I have a chronically ill grandfather at home."
"This again!" A deep crease formed on Ning Xiaochuan's brow.
Murong Wushuang said hurriedly, "I'm telling the truth. My grandfather has been sick for more than ten years. I've invited a few Junior Heart-nourishing Masters to treat his illness, but he hasn't improved at all. They can't even find out the cause of his illness. These few years, I've gained quite a lot of debt thanks to treating his illness, so I've used the fifty thousand copper coins I earned to settle them."
"Not even Combat Qi and Junior Heart-nourishing Masters can cure him?" Ning Xiaochuan fell silent, then said, "After I reach the level of a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master, I'll go and treat your grandfather."
Naturally, Murong Wushuang was moved to tears. It should be known that employing a Junior Heart-nourishing Master's services required an astronomical sum. A Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master was even less affordable.
Perhaps a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master could cure his grandfather's illness!
The housekeeper and commanding guard of Begonia Manor had died. They must find a plausible cover-up. Otherwise, they would arouse the suspicion of Fourth Master in the Marquis's Residence.
Ning Xiaochuan was still a fledgling at the moment. He dared not let anyone know that he could cultivate Combat Qi.
"There's an assassin, there's an assassin…"
Ning Xiaochuan ran as he yelled.
The guards of Begonia Manor all rushed over, but when they reached the entrance of the yard, they were stopped by Ning Xiaochuan.
Ning Xiaochuan covered the bloody wound in his chest with one hand and ran out in panic and shock. "An assassin tried to kill me. Housekeeper Qiu and Commander Ye tried to protect me and ended up being killed."
When the guards saw the bodies of Housekeeper Qiu and Commander Ye, they jumped in fright and drew their sabers.
"Proprietor, where's the assassin?" someone asked.
"He was just here. I guess, after you guys came, he knew that he wouldn't be able to kill me, and fled… Huh, he's there, he's there…" Ning Xiaochuan pointed at the roof in terror.
Murong Wushuang acted as the assassin, his body shrouded in a black robe. He flashed across the roof and leaped onto the wall, escaping from Begonia Manor.
The guards swarmed out of Begonia Manor, giving chase. Of course, with their Cultivation, catching up to Murong Wushuang was impossible.
In the following two days, Ning Xiaochuan stayed in Begonia Manor, recuperating.
Of course, this was all for show. In truth, his injuries had healed long ago.
In the Purple Cloud Yard.
Ning Xiaochuan shut himself in, claiming to be recuperating. He ordered, "Yu Yan, bring me recent history books of the Yulan Empire. It'd even better if there are scrolls or records about the Dark Emperor City."
Ning Xiaochuan sat by the desk and flipped through the scrolls. He had already gone through a huge stack of volumes.
"Whoosh—"
A chilly wind brushed past.
Just as he was studiously reading, a person wrapped all in white cloth stood behind him like a specter. This person was wrapped like a mummy. Only his eyes were revealed through a gap in the cloth, shining with a green, eerie glow.
He was like a person and he was like a ghost!
Ning Xiaochuan seemed to sense something like an icy breeze at his back. He turned around suddenly and stared directly into the eyes of the "mummy". His heart jumped in fright, but he calmed down shortly. Heaving a deep sigh, he said, "You actually survived!"