Chapter 18 Wang Yunchong's Gift

Chapter 18 Wang Yunchong's Gift

After leaving the Assembly Hall, all the fourth-generation descendants of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House received one hundred drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid and one hundred drops of Blood Nourishing Liquid, their faces brimming with excitement.

Only Ning Xin'er and Ning Xiaochuan wore no smiles.

"Brother, why did you agree so readily? If you had begged Grandfather, given how much he has doted on you since childhood, he would never have agreed to exile you from the Marquis House. Once you leave, it will be difficult to return," Ning Xin'er said.

Ning Xiaochuan merely smiled faintly. "Leaving the Marquis House isn’t so bad. At least there won’t be anyone sneering at me anymore."

Ning Xin'er pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, making her look utterly adorable.

"Hah! Isn’t this the Marquis’s dear grandson, Young Master Ning? Oh, no—I should call you Manor Lord Ning now! Congratulations!" Ning Hengqing approached with several other talented geniuses of the Marquis House, greeting Ning Xiaochuan from afar.

A few days prior, Ning Hengqing had been berated by Ning Xiaochuan outside the Assembly Hall until he vomited blood. After days of recovery, his injuries had finally healed.

He harbored deep hatred for Ning Xiaochuan in his heart. Now that Ning Xiaochuan had been exiled from the Marquis House, he naturally came to mock him and settle the score.

Ning Xiaochuan observed the approaching geniuses of the Marquis House—all at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi, with Ning Hengqing himself having reached the Eighth Level of Profound Qi.

Their martial prowess was something ordinary people could only admire from afar.

"So it’s Brother Hengqing. Have your injuries healed?" Ning Xiaochuan asked with a genial smile.

The mention of this made Ning Hengqing seethe inwardly, but he suppressed his rage and forced a smile. "Perfectly fine!"

"Oh! I’ve heard the Five Desolate Ridges are extremely dangerous. Brother Hengqing, you must take care! Don’t let some blind mystic beast injure you. As for me, I’ll just enjoy my peaceful life at Haitang Manor—I wouldn’t dare venture into such a perilous place. Brother Hengqing, stay safe." With that, Ning Xiaochuan took Ning Xin'er’s hand and turned to leave.

Ning Hengqing trembled with fury, ready to charge forward and teach Ning Xiaochuan a lesson, but he was stopped by Ning Meier.

"Why are you stopping me?" Ning Hengqing growled.

Ning Meier, sixteen or seventeen years old with waist-length hair, wore a green dress as vibrant as lotus leaves. She was the most outstanding young woman in the Jian Pavilion Marquis House after Ning Xin'er, having already reached the Ninth Level of Profound Qi. With her curvaceous figure, long lashes, and seductive gaze, she smirked and said, "Are you a match for Xin'er?"

The moment Ning Hengqing recalled Ning Xin'er’s cultivation level, he immediately calmed down.

Ning Meier watched Ning Xiaochuan and Ning Xin'er’s retreating figures with a mocking smile. "Just a sickly weakling, a worthless man. Why lower yourself to his level? He’s destined to remain a mediocre nobody for life, while after our training in the Five Desolate Ridges, our cultivation will soar. It’s not impossible for us to enter the Emperor's Martial Palace. From now on, the gap between us and him will be as vast as heaven and earth. He’s nothing but an ant, while we will be revered martial experts."

Ning Meier was arrogant and looked down on everyone, striving to marry the strongest young man of her generation. She despised trash like Ning Xiaochuan the most, and if not for Ning Xin'er, she wouldn't even spare him a glance.

...

"Brother, you must take good care of yourself at Haitang Manor. Once I return from my three-month training, I’ll come to see you." Ning Xin'er was helping Ning Xiaochuan pack his belongings, secretly slipping the hundred drops of Heart Nurturing Liquid and hundred drops of Blood Nourishing Liquid she had just received into his bag.

Ning Xiaochuan naturally noticed her little act and was deeply moved.

Footsteps sounded from outside as a guard from the Jian Pavilion Marquis House entered and said, "Young Master Ning, a young lord surnamed Wang seeks an audience with you outside the manor."

"A young lord surnamed Wang?" Ning Xiaochuan frowned slightly, unable to recall anyone by that name, and glanced at Ning Xin'er.

Could it be a friend of this body's previous owner?

Ning Xin'er also shook her head. Her brother had rarely left the manor due to discrimination and seemed to have no friends.

With curiosity, Ning Xiaochuan and Ning Xin'er made their way to the main gate of the manor.

Wang Yunchong was dressed in a crimson brocade robe, his hair tied in a topknot, and he fanned himself with a folding fan, exuding the air of a noble scion. Seeing Ning Xiaochuan emerge, his face lit up with delight as he hurried forward. "Brother Ning, you’ve finally come out! I’ve been waiting for quite some time."

"Wang Yunchong! How dare you show your face at Jian Pavilion Marquis House!" Ning Xin'er erupted with a dazzling surge of Martial Arts Profound Qi, shaking the surrounding space within seven or eight meters. A layer of crimson Profound Aura condensed in her palm as she slashed forward. The aura sliced through the air like a blade, severing Wang Yunchong’s topknot and sending his hair tumbling loose.

Had that Profound Aura been aimed at his neck, Wang Yunchong’s head would have already flown off.

Condensing Profound Qi into a blade-like aura, projecting it outward to kill from a distance—plucking leaves to strike like flowers, freezing water into swords—this was a technique only achievable upon reaching the Seventh Level of Profound Qi.

For someone like Ning Xin'er, who had cultivated a Divine Martial Body, conjuring Profound Aura was effortless. A single palm strike could slay enemies from over ten meters away.

Wang Yunchong had long heard of Ning Xin'er’s reputation and was so terrified his face turned pale. He didn’t dare move, nearly wetting himself again, and hastily cried, "Misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding! I came specifically to apologize to Brother Ning! Someone—quick, bring the gift!"

Behind him stood a Green Deer Horse carriage.

From within, a slender, snow-white hand reached out, lifting the beaded curtain. A young girl in a white chiffon dress stepped down gracefully.

Her figure was delicate, her skin fair, and a striking red floral pattern adorned her forehead. Her hair was styled in an elegant updo, secured with a butterfly jade hairpin.

Lowering her head gently, she bowed respectfully to Ning Xiaochuan and said softly, "Yu Yan greets Young Master Ning."

"This is..." Ning Xiaochuan stared at the beautiful girl before him, no older than fifteen or sixteen. Wasn’t she the same woman he had saved by the river that day? Now, dressed in splendor and adorned with makeup, she was flawless—like a blooming orchid.

Though young, she had already blossomed into a stunning beauty.

Wang Yunchong smiled and said, "Brother Ning, are you satisfied with this gift?"

"A gift?" Ning Xiaochuan replied.

Ning Xin'er also looked on with curiosity.

Wang Yunchong explained, "To redeem Miss Yu Yan, I spent all my savings over the years and even borrowed heavily. I just wanted to properly apologize to you, Brother Ning. I hope you can forgive my past ignorance and foolishness."

The Jade Viewing Pavilion was no ordinary brothel—it housed women of both exceptional beauty and talent, commanding exorbitant prices. Even the descendants of nobles found it difficult to redeem them.

For the past three days, Wang Yunchong had been borrowing money to gather the ransom for Yu Yan. Only today did he finally manage to collect the full amount. The moment he redeemed her from the Jade Viewing Pavilion, he immediately sent her to Ning Xiaochuan.

Wang Yunchong pulled out a piece of brocade from his sleeve, inscribed with writing, and handed it respectfully to Ning Xiaochuan. "This is Miss Yu Yan's Contract of Servitude. I now entrust it to you, Brother Ning."

Leaning in, he whispered into Ning Xiaochuan's ear, "Miss Yu Yan is a Silver-ranked Courtesan of the Jade Viewing Pavilion—she sells her art, not her body, and remains untouched. Brother Ning, you are truly fortunate!"

Ning Xiaochuan's eyelid twitched. In his past life, he had never visited brothels, yet this playboy was gifting him a courtesan as an apology!

This...

Afraid that Ning Xiaochuan might refuse, Wang Yunchong quickly boarded the Green Deer Horse carriage.

With a crack of the whip, the carriage sped away.

"Hey! Wang Yunchong!" Ning Xiaochuan called out, but the carriage had already vanished at the end of the street.

Ning Xiaochuan turned his gaze to Yu Yan standing below the steps.

She stood there pitifully, her delicate fingers clutching the hem of her dress, lips pressed together, her eyes brimming with tender emotion as she stared intently at him.

Ning Xiaochuan had never encountered such a situation before and was at a loss on how to handle it. Sending her back to that playboy Wang Yunchong would be pushing her into the fire—he couldn’t possibly do that.

But... keeping her was absolutely out of the question for Ning Xiaochuan.

"Tch!"

After a long moment of hesitation, Ning Xiaochuan tore the Contract of Servitude in half and handed it to Yu Yan. "Miss, from now on, you are free."

He took Ning Xin'er's hand and turned to enter the Marquis's residence, leaving Yu Yan alone at the foot of the steps.

Clutching the torn contract in her hands, her beautiful face filled with fear, she suddenly knelt with a thud. "Young Master Ning, I beg you not to send me away! Without the Contract of Servitude, I have no identity. The Heavenly Might Army in the imperial city will surely arrest me and throw me into prison—either exiled to the barbarian borders or sold into lowly government brothels!"

"What? Without the contract, you lose your identity?" Ning Xiaochuan's heart sank with guilt. He had wanted to do a good deed but had instead harmed her.

Ning Xin'er felt pity for the woman and said, "Brother, for women like her who are sold into brothels, their status is as low as that of servants in a noble household. Their contract of servitude is their only proof of identity. If their master drives them out, they become people without any identity at all. If caught by the authorities, they might even be executed as enemy spies. Brother, why not keep her?"

Yu Yan stared at Ning Xiaochuan with pleading eyes.

"But I'm leaving for Haitang Manor tomorrow," Ning Xiaochuan said.

Ning Xin'er replied, "Isn’t it perfect to have someone to take care of you?"

Ning Xiaochuan glanced at Yu Yan kneeling before him. She was undeniably beautiful, with delicate skin that seemed to glow and eyes as bright as black pearls.

In his past life, he could never have imagined having the power to decide the fate of such a beautiful woman with just a word.

Ning Xiaochuan felt a headache coming on. After a moment of thought, he said, "Fine, come with me to Haitang Manor!"