Chapter 22: Saving a Life

Chapter 22: Saving a Life

"Young Master Ning, what... what should we do now?" Yu Yan was on the verge of tears.

Yu Ningsheng naturally didn’t expect Ning Xiaochuan to save her. After all, even a Martial Venerable like the previous generation’s Jian Pavilion Marquis had died from the Evil Dragon’s poison. Not even a Great Heart Nurturer could likely save her!

Perhaps this was simply fate!

Ning Xiaochuan wrapped the Evil Dragon Scale in cloth and said, "The toxin hasn’t reached her heart meridian yet. There’s still hope. A blood transfusion!"

"There’s hope?"

"A blood transfusion?"

Yu Ningsheng found it bizarre—she had never heard of a person’s blood being replaced.

A blood transfusion was a high-risk procedure, and Ning Xiaochuan knew it would be difficult to explain to them. There was no time for lengthy explanations now.

He carried Yu Ningsheng into the Green Deer Horse Carriage and swiftly drove away.

Not long after they left, a Shadowy Figure arrived, staring at Black Scale’s frozen corpse before finding the bodies of two more Black-armored Warriors in the woods.

"All of them are dead. I must report this to Fourth Master immediately." The Shadowy Figure shuddered, cleaned up the five corpses on the ground, and hurried back to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House.

Jian Pavilion Marquis House.

Boom!

Ning Qianwu slammed his palm onto the black table before him, shattering it into pieces. The Martial Arts Profound Qi around his hand rippled outward, scattering wood fragments everywhere. "Useless! All of you are useless! Five Death Warriors sent to kill a sickly weakling, and yet you all perished!"

Ning Qianwu trembled with rage, his eyes blazing like fire.

A Black-armored Death Warrior knelt below, forced back three meters by the sheer force of Ning Qianwu’s Martial Arts Profound Qi. Fearful of the Fourth Master’s wrath, he said with reverence, "Black Scale was killed by sword energy that froze him from within. The other four died from the Blood Devouring Demon Art, turned into desiccated corpses." He paused before adding, "Their deaths resemble those of Young Master Han and the two servants."

Ning Qianwu took a deep breath, suppressing his fury. "The Old Marquis said this wasn’t the work of the Blood Devouring Demon Sect, so it definitely wasn’t them."

He narrowed his eyes. "Could there be someone else who knows this demonic art, deliberately opposing me?"

After a long moment of contemplation, Ning Qianwu still couldn’t make sense of it. Coldly, he asked, "Where is that sickly wretch now?"

"Judging by the carriage tracks, he likely went to Haitang Manor. Should I take men to retrieve the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood and kill that worthless sickly fool?" The kneeling Black-armored Death Warrior spoke with a chilling tone, his eyes dark with murderous intent.

Ning Qianwu shook his head. "Too late! Once Ning the Sickly reaches Haitang Manor, we can’t touch him. He’s just a dying man with half a year left—he won’t cause any more trouble. If we force the issue, the Old Marquis will never let it go. Instead, focus on uncovering the identity of that mysterious expert who keeps interfering with my plans using the Blood Devouring Demon Art! I leave this task to you."

"Understood!" The Black-armored Death Warrior withdrew.

……

…………

Ning Xiaochuan cracked the whip, urging the Green Deer Horse Carriage forward at full speed toward Haitang Manor!

"Young Master, someone in the Marquis House wants to kill you. Why are we still going to Haitang Manor?" Yu Yan asked in confusion.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Going to Haitang Manor is our only way to survive. The people in the Marquis House want me dead, but why didn’t they wait until I reached Haitang Manor to strike? Instead, they hid their identities and ambushed us on the road. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

Ning Xiaochuan explained, "Because everyone knows Haitang Manor is the Jian Pavilion Marquis House’s property. In the imperial capital, who besides those from the Marquis House would dare barge into Haitang Manor to kill? So, if I die inside Haitang Manor, the Old Marquis would immediately know it was someone from the Marquis House behind it. Once an investigation begins, many would suffer. My enemies aren’t that foolish!"

Yu Ningsheng sat inside the carriage, leaning against the wall as she suppressed her injuries with profound Martial Arts Profound Qi. Her eyes, more beautiful than the stars and moon, lifted slightly as she regarded Ning Xiaochuan with newfound respect. "I never expected your mind to be so meticulous. It seems everyone underestimated you—the sickly weakling of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Your intellect doesn’t match that of a mere sixteen-year-old. Cough!"

One of her snow-white hands pressed against her chest, but the blood continued to flow uncontrollably, dripping onto the carriage floor. The poisoned blood corroded straight through the wooden planks!

Ning Xiaochuan whipped the reins harder, urging the carriage forward until they soon arrived at Haitang Manor and drove inside.

A crowd of servants rushed out to greet them—stewards, maids, guards, and more—numbering in the hundreds.

"Prepare a quiet room for me, a jar of wine, a needle, silk thread—quickly! Wait, also bring a basin of hot water." Ning Xiaochuan carried Yu Ningsheng down from the Green Deer Horse Carriage and followed the head steward to a spacious chamber, where he laid her on a violet jade bed.

Chaos erupted in Haitang Manor as servants scrambled—some fetching wine, others searching for needles, some retrieving silk thread, and others boiling water.

None of them understood why Ning Xiaochuan needed these things.

In the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, Ning Xiaochuan was seen as a useless invalid.

But in Haitang Manor, he was the master. These servants, bound to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, had no choice but to obey his orders.

A person’s status differed depending on where they stood.

Ning Xiaochuan sterilized the needle with alcohol, threaded it with silk, and deftly began untying Yu Ningsheng’s robes once more.

"What are you doing?"

Ning Xiaochuan had already undressed her once before, and Yu Ningsheng naturally wouldn’t allow him to do so again so easily. But she was now extremely weak—the Evil Dragon Scale’s poison was gradually invading her Martial Arts Heart Palace.

If Ning Xiaochuan forced the issue, she wouldn’t be able to resist.

Yet, he withdrew his hand and spoke patiently, "Your wound has been infected by the Evil Dragon’s venom. Your Martial Arts Profound Qi can no longer heal it or stop the bleeding. The only option now is to suture the wound, or you’ll soon die from blood loss."

Yu Ningsheng had already lost a great deal of blood. Her white robes were now dyed crimson, and she looked utterly exhausted—like a delicate white orchid battered by wind and rain.

For a martial artist, minor wounds could be stopped with simple bandaging. But this was no ordinary injury.

Even large-scale knife or sword wounds can be sealed with Martial Arts Profound Qi, and then nourished by it to heal the injuries. For ordinary poisons, they pose no threat to a martial arts expert in the Divine Body Realm, as the toxins can be Refined away by the blood within their body.

However, Yu Ningsheng was poisoned by the "Evil Dragon Scale," and the venom of the evil dragon was far too potent. It suppressed her to the point where she couldn’t even circulate her Martial Arts Profound Qi, rendering her unable to seal her own blood vessels. She could only watch helplessly as her blood drained away, leading to her death.

Yu Yan stood nearby, tightly clenching her fingers, her voice tense as she asked, "Sewing the wound shut with a needle and thread… will that really work?"

Yu Ningsheng had also never seen anyone use a needle and thread to stitch a wound. But when she saw the unwavering calm in Ning Xiaochuan’s eyes, she inexplicably felt a sense of trust toward him. Gently biting her rosy lips, she slowly closed her eyes and said, "I’ll believe you this once."

Ning Xiaochuan approached and carefully lifted her undergarment. When he saw her pair of snow-white jade peaks, his heart stirred slightly—the sight was breathtakingly beautiful, forming a stark contrast with the bloody wound beneath.

He glanced briefly at her face. Though she wore a veil, he could guess she must be a peerless beauty capable of toppling cities and kingdoms. If the veil were removed, her flawless face would surely drive every man in the world mad for her.

Pausing only for an instant, Ning Xiaochuan quickly regained his focus and began stitching the wound.

No anesthetic was used—the evil dragon’s venom had long numbed her chest. Yet when Ning Xiaochuan’s hand pressed against her, her delicate body trembled slightly. Her fingers unconsciously gripped the bedsheet as an indescribable sensation arose in her heart—tingling, shyness, irritation, and fear!

Soon, Ning Xiaochuan finished suturing the wound, and the bleeding finally stopped.

"Is it done now?" Yu Yan let out a long sigh of relief, her fingers damp with sweat, feeling as though she had been more nervous than Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Ningsheng combined.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "The evil dragon’s venom has already invaded her bloodstream. With her current cultivation, she can’t Refine this toxin. Once it seeps into her Martial Arts Heart Palace, she will lose all her martial arts cultivation, and her body will dissolve into a pool of pus and blood."

"Young Master Ning, you must save her! Please, I beg you!" Yu Yan dropped to her knees before him.

Yu Ningsheng slowly opened her eyes and said softly, "Didn’t you mention a Blood Transfusion?"

Ning Xiaochuan nodded. "The risks are high. The human body strongly rejects foreign blood, and without special medicines, you could die from the incompatibility. Are you willing to try?"

"Do I have any other choice?" Yu Ningsheng smiled faintly, her beautiful dark eyes as radiant as stars in the sky, showing not a trace of fear toward death.

Staring into her eyes, Ning Xiaochuan felt as though all the eyes of the women he had ever seen before couldn’t compare to hers in beauty. "Then let’s begin," he said.

Yu Ningsheng's bloodline is of the Yin Attribute, and only those with Yin Attribute or Mixed-element Attribute bloodlines can perform a Blood Transfusion for her. Ning Xiaochuan happens to possess the latter.

Although the risks of a Blood Transfusion are high, the physical constitution of martial artists in this world is exceptionally robust, especially for those who have reached the Divine Body Realm. Their bodies have already transcended the ordinary, making them capable of enduring the dangers of the procedure.

Half of Ning Xiaochuan's blood flowed into Yu Ningsheng's body, while her poisoned blood was expelled. The entire process took a full three hours.

Once the last trace of poisoned blood left her body, she immediately activated her Martial Arts Profound Qi to seal the wounds and severed Ning Xiaochuan's continued blood supply.

Ning Xiaochuan was also pushed to his limits. Losing half his blood was something he would have never dared to imagine before, yet today, he miraculously succeeded.

"It must be related to that demonic sword in my Demon Ventricle. When my blood is severely depleted, the sword releases more blood to replenish my body. Just what kind of sword is this?"

Ning Xiaochuan entrusted Yu Ningsheng to Yu Yan's care and retreated to his own room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he began studying the demonic sword.

This sword had saved his life more than once. It could devour human blood and plunder Blood Nourishing Liquid, as if it possessed a soul of its own.