Chapter 34: The Uninvited Guest

Chapter 34: The Uninvited Guest

Murong Wushuang had barely finished speaking when— Creak!

The gates of Haitang Manor swung open, and out stepped a tall and burly guard, his body like an iron tower, standing over 2 meters tall. He eyed Murong Wushuang coldly, taking in his shabby attire before sneering, "Kid, this is Haitang Manor. You must’ve come to the wrong place!"

Murong Wushuang shook his head. "No mistake. I’m here to see Young Master Ning. Could you do me a favor and announce me, big brother?"

The burly guard burst into laughter, cracking his knuckles as he strode toward Murong Wushuang. "Kid, you brought a chicken with you—don’t tell me you’re here to visit relatives?"

The Border Market was a lawless place, and there was no shortage of fools trying to scam their way into Haitang Manor for free meals. He’d seen plenty of them.

This guard assumed Murong Wushuang was one of them. So he grabbed the front of Murong Wushuang’s robe, intending to lift his scrawny frame and toss him out.

Boom!

Murong Wushuang stood firm, unmoved—but the guard was the one sent flying, tumbling like a gourd over a dozen meters away.

Murong Wushuang smirked. "Big brother, is your eyesight bad, or is the ground just too slippery? You should watch where you’re going instead of staring at me. See? Now you’ve hurt yourself."

The guard, furious, scrambled to his feet, his fists wreathed in faint Profound Qi as he threw a punch straight at Murong Wushuang.

"Talo, stand down!" Steward Qiu emerged from the gate tower, his gaze sweeping over Murong Wushuang with displeasure. "Gou Sheng, so it’s you. You still owe Haitang Manor three years’ worth of Annual Tribute. How much longer do you plan to drag this out?"

Murong Wushuang’s expression turned awkward. He forced a chuckle. "Just a couple more days. Just a couple more days."

Steward Qiu’s face darkened. "A couple more days? Hmph! You’ve been saying that for three years. Since you’re here today, you’d better pay up—or sell yourself into slavery to Haitang Manor. Otherwise, I’ll send men to your house right now and drag your grandfather here to work as a laborer."

Murong Wushuang clenched his fists tightly—but in the end, he relaxed them. Even though he had reached the Eighth Level of Profound Qi, opposing Haitang Manor with his meager strength would be suicide.

Haitang Manor’s influence was vast, far beyond what he could afford to provoke.

Two squads of armored guards had already stepped out from the gates, surrounding Murong Wushuang.

Suddenly remembering Ning Xiaochuan’s words, Murong Wushuang quickly grinned. "I’m good friends with your Young Master Ning. I came specifically to visit him today."

Steward Qiu frowned slightly. "Which Young Master Ning are you talking about?"

"Ning Xiaochuan! Brother Chuan!" Murong Wushuang said brightly.

The expressions of the surrounding guards turned strange. The one who had been thrown earlier burst into laughter. "What nonsense! How could our Manor Lord possibly be friends with a penniless wretch like you? Beat this brat to death!"

"Manor Lord… What Manor Lord?" Murong Wushuang was momentarily confused. "Wait, wait! Hold on! Let’s get this straight—what Manor Lord?"

On the city tower, Steward Qiu and Ye Chenglong exchanged a glance.

Ye Chenglong let out a thunderous shout, his voice booming like a great bell, "Hold your attacks for now!"

The fluctuations of Profound Qi radiating from Ye Chenglong were so intense that the guards were forced to retreat one after another.

Steward Qiu said coldly, "Since he claims to know the manor lord, this old man will go and inform the manor lord, letting him come out and verify it personally." He glared icily at Murong Wushuang and added, "If I find out you’re here to cause trouble at Haitang Manor on purpose, I’ll break your legs and drag you out to feed the dogs."

After saying this, Steward Qiu strode quickly into the manor.

Ye Chenglong glanced at Steward Qiu’s retreating figure, a meaningful smile flashing in his eyes.

Before long, Ning Xiaochuan emerged from Haitang Manor, flanked by a crowd of maids and servants. From a distance, he laughed and called out, "Gou Sheng, you’ve finally arrived! I’ve been waiting for you for days."

Murong Wushuang stared at the dozens of servants behind Ning Xiaochuan, swallowing hard in shock. "Holy crap, Brother Chuan! You really are the lord of Haitang Manor? That’s way too terrifying!"

The guards surrounding Murong Wushuang automatically stepped back, bowing respectfully.

Ning Xiaochuan chuckled and patted Murong Wushuang’s shoulder. "Come, let’s talk inside the manor. Huh? Where did this big hen come from?"

Murong Wushuang’s smile stiffened slightly. "Uh… this is my gift to you!"

"Great gift, great gift! Send it to the kitchen. Let’s have a feast at noon!"

Ning Xiaochuan led Murong Wushuang back to Purple Qi Garden, but Steward Qiu was nowhere to be seen along the way.

The moment they stepped into Purple Qi Garden, Ning Xiaochuan’s expression darkened slightly. "Someone’s been here. Who? Show yourself!"

Murong Wushuang also grew serious, his curiosity piqued. Who would dare trespass into the manor lord’s private garden?

Ning Xiaochuan moved swiftly, leaping 10 meters high and landing on a pavilion. With a single palm strike, he blasted toward a pillar.

A figure darted out from behind the pillar, countering with a palm strike of his own.

Boom!

The slightly aged figure was sent flying backward, landing on the ground with a look of shock. His voice was hoarse as he spoke, "Ning the Sickly… you can actually cultivate Martial Arts Profound Qi?"

Ning Xiaochuan descended gracefully from the pavilion, landing steadily. "Steward Qiu, didn’t I order that no one is allowed to enter Purple Qi Garden? What’s your purpose in sneaking in?"

The old man was indeed Steward Qiu. He had taken advantage of Ning Xiaochuan’s absence—when he went to greet Murong Wushuang—to sneak into the garden and investigate its secrets.

What he discovered shocked him. Ning Xiaochuan had planted a Mystic Wood in the garden.

Mystic Wood was a priceless treasure, a sacred tree capable of transforming ordinary land into a Spiritual Land. Where had Ning Xiaochuan obtained it?

He had intended to report this discovery to Fourth Master, but he hadn’t expected Ning Xiaochuan to return so quickly, trapping him inside Purple Qi Garden once more.

Even more shocking—the man everyone believed was on death’s door, the so-called "Ning the Sickly," was actually a martial arts expert, his cultivation no weaker than his own.

Steward Qiu sneered coldly, "Ning the Sickly, do you think cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi is a good thing for you? Wrong. It’s a death sentence for you. Once I report this to Fourth Master, you’ll die mysteriously in Haitang Manor by tomorrow."

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Do you really think you’ll walk out of this Purple Qi Garden alive?"

Knowing Ning Xiaochuan’s cultivation was formidable, Steward Qiu had no intention of fighting head-on. He turned and fled in another direction.

"Boom!"

Murong Wushuang threw a punch, forcing Steward Qiu back, and laughed mockingly, "Heh! Steward Qiu, this isn’t right. How dare you barge into the manor lord’s residence? What if you stumbled upon the lord doing something… intimate with the maidservants? How embarrassing would that be?"

"Since you two brats are asking for death, I’ll oblige!"

Steward Qiu’s brows furrowed as dazzling Profound Qi surged from his body, enveloping him in a massive orb of light. He struck out with a full-force palm strike, colliding with Murong Wushuang’s hand and unleashing a tremendous force that sent Murong Wushuang reeling.

"This old man’s cultivation is terrifying!" Murong Wushuang felt his arm nearly shatter, half his body going numb. He quickly circulated his Profound Qi to ease the pain.

Ning Xiaochuan spread his arms, crimson Profound Qi erupting from his body. A three-meter-long Profound Qi Sword materialized in his palm, and he swung it down with devastating force.

The Profound Qi Sword’s power was unstoppable, shattering everything in its path.

"Boom!"

Steward Qiu’s Protective Profound Qi Armor was pierced, and he was sent flying backward, his shock deepening. "A Profound Qi Sword!"

Despite cultivating for over forty years, he had never mastered the Profound Qi Sword. Yet Ning Xiaochuan, only sixteen, had already achieved it—his talent was monstrous.

Mastering the Profound Qi Sword meant invincibility within the same cultivation realm.

Steward Qiu no longer dared to fight. He turned to flee.

"Whoosh!"

The moment he turned, a second Profound Qi Sword shot toward him, cleaving his body in two from behind.

Blood splattered across the ground, a gruesome sight.

Ning Xiaochuan exhaled slightly in relief. Killing the old man was necessary—had he escaped and reported to Ning Qianwu, Ning Xiaochuan would have been forced to flee for his life.

But just as he relaxed, his instincts flared again. A far stronger expert was approaching rapidly.

This was a peculiar sensation—whenever danger neared, Ning Xiaochuan’s instincts warned him, as if he could foresee certain events.

Just like earlier, when he sensed someone intruding into Purple Qi Garden, it was this same instinctive alertness.

Ning Xiaochuan spun around, leaping half a meter into the air. Another Profound Qi Sword formed in his palm as he slashed backward.

"Boom!"

Ye Chenglong’s battle saber was severed by the Profound Qi Sword, the blade tip clattering to the ground. He staggered back three steps, staring at Ning Xiaochuan in shock.

Landing firmly, Ning Xiaochuan glared at Ye Chenglong, who had attempted to ambush him from behind, his voice icy. "Commander Ye, you’ve got quite the nerve—daring to attack the manor lord?"

Ye Chenglong's Martial Arts Profound Qi cultivation was extremely high, and his hearing far surpassed that of ordinary people. From a distance, he heard the explosive sound of Profound Qi coming from the Purple Qi Garden and immediately rushed over to investigate. The fact that Ning Xiaochuan could cultivate Martial Arts Profound Qi also shocked him.

However, this was a great opportunity for him to earn merit. So, while Ning Xiaochuan was slaying Steward Qiu with a single sword strike, Ye Chenglong swiftly flew out and launched a sneak attack from behind, intending to kill Ning Xiaochuan.

Though this attack failed, Ye Chenglong remained unshaken. After all, he was a master at the Ninth Level of Profound Qi, and dealing with a warrior at the Eighth Level of Profound Qi should have been effortless for him. He sneered, "Manor Lord? You're nothing but a discarded son of the Marquis' estate. I serve Fourth Master, and with just a single word from him, your life or death is decided."

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "Do you believe I can decide your life or death right now?"

Naturally, Ye Chenglong didn't believe him and burst into arrogant laughter. "Don't think your Profound Qi Sword is anything special. Today, I'll take your head to Fourth Master as a trophy. Let me show you the true power of my Profound Qi Sword!"

"Boom!"

Ye Chenglong clasped his hands together, and a blinding light erupted from his palms, forming a massive Profound Qi Sword. With a single slash, he brought it down upon Ning Xiaochuan.

Ye Chenglong's profound cultivation allowed him to condense an even more powerful Profound Qi Sword. The sword's energy rippled across several meters, causing the air to tremble violently.