Chapter 44: The Army Surrounds the Manor

Chapter 44: The Army Surrounds the Manor

"Young Master, where have you been these past two days? How did you end up like this? Did you run into bandits?" Yu Yan took in Ning Xiaochuan’s tattered clothes, disheveled hair, soot-covered face, and the injuries covering his body, thinking he had fled some disaster.

To be precise, he really had fled a disaster.

"You could say I ran into bandits. It’s too complicated to explain in a few words—I’ll tell you later. By the way, Yu Yan, I lost all my belongings this time and don’t have a single coin left. How long can the manor’s funds last?" Ning Xiaochuan asked a crucial question.

Before leaving, he had taken all the money from the manor. A place as large as Haitang Manor had to support hundreds of servants, which was already a massive expense.

Could Haitang Manor even survive now?

Yu Yan gently pursed her lips. "It’s fine. Don’t worry about such trivial matters, Young Master."

Ning Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yu Yan, where’s your butterfly hairpin? The Green Gold bracelet on your wrist? The jade pendant at your waist? Why are all your accessories gone?"

Yu Yan had once been a Silver-ranked Courtesan of the Jade Viewing Pavilion, worth millions, adorned with countless priceless ornaments. But now, none of them remained.

How could such a thing escape Ning Xiaochuan’s keen observation?

Yu Yan lowered her head slightly. "I don’t rely on my looks anymore, so I don’t need those accessories. Since the Young Master entrusted me with managing Haitang Manor, I must think of the manor’s needs first and not let you worry about mundane matters like money. Those accessories... I sold them to cover expenses."

Ning Xiaochuan took her small hand in his. "Silly girl! What girl doesn’t want to dress beautifully? Making money isn’t hard!"

He strode into the Purple Qi Garden, chopped off a piece of Blood Toad Wood weighing over 15 kilograms, then drove to the Imperial City to sell it.

By noon, he returned with over a hundred Mystic Medicine plants and a large sum of coins.

"Yu Yan, come here."

From his chest, Ning Xiaochuan pulled out a pendant—its chain crafted from polished Green Gold, the pendant itself a pure white Spirit Jade shaped like a translucent little seashell.

Spirit Jade usually grew within Mystic Beasts, embedded in their bones, formed from condensed Profound Qi and skeletal matter. It was exceedingly rare and precious.

This seashell necklace was specially chosen by Ning Xiaochuan for Yu Yan, costing 1.2 million Small Coins.

Such an expensive necklace was something even the privileged daughters of noble houses might not afford.

As he fastened the necklace around Yu Yan’s neck, a faint smile touched his lips. "There, that’s more like it! So beautiful. Do you like it?"

Yu Yan’s fingers traced the little seashell repeatedly, nodding vigorously like a pecking chick, tears welling in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

Yu Yan knelt on the ground and said, "Back at the Jade Viewing Pavilion, though others gave me jewelry, I always felt it was mere charity—like I was even lower than a beggar. But when the young master gifted me this, there wasn’t a trace of ulterior motive or pity in his eyes. That made all the difference. I was so moved, I couldn’t help but cry."

Ning Xiaochuan helped her up, wiping the tears from beneath her eyes with his fingers. "It’s just a necklace. Go now. Have someone move these coins to the treasury—they’re yours to manage from now on."

"Yes!"

Yu Yan nodded softly before turning to leave, her fingers tightly clutching the small shell pendant around her neck, her heart as sweet as if she’d tasted honey.

Just then, the newly appointed Steward of Haitang Manor rushed in frantically and dropped to his knees. "Manor Lord, disaster! The garrison from South Mountain Gathering has surrounded Haitang Manor!"

Ning Xiaochuan frowned deeply. How dare the South Mountain Gathering garrison besiege Haitang Manor? Did they not know this was an estate of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House?

A sense of foreboding rose in his chest.

Military mobilization and the encirclement of a manor were no small matters in the Imperial City Border Market—this was a major upheaval. Something grave must have happened.

But Ning Xiaochuan didn’t yet understand why the army had surrounded Haitang Manor, so he immediately headed for the manor gates.

Boom!

Two armored soldiers, each standing over two meters tall and built tall and burly, struck out simultaneously with palms shrouded in dense Profound Qi. Their blows shattered the half-meter-thick iron gates of Haitang Manor into pieces.

These two were martial arts experts, notorious figures in the military who commanded hundreds of troops.

"What are you doing? This is Haitang Manor! You can’t just barge in like this!"

A group of the manor’s guards rushed forward, but their cultivation was no match for these two elite soldiers. Within moments, all were knocked to the ground, unable to rise.

The guards of Haitang Manor were generally weak in cultivation. Apart from the former captain Ye Chenglong, who had reached the Ninth Level of Profound Qi, most were below the Sixth Level.

One of the soldiers, a bearded brute, pressed his boot onto a guard’s chest and sneered, "What worthless ‘Haitang Manor’? You dare harbor a fugitive of the imperial court? Believe me, every last one of you will lose your heads!"

"I truly doubt you have the guts!"

Ning Xiaochuan strode out from the manor, his gaze icy as he took in the shattered gates and the dozens of guards lying half-dead on the ground. "Who are you? Do you even know this is an estate of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House? Smashing the gates of a marquis’s manor—you’ve got quite the nerve! Men, seize these two and chop off their hands!"

Outside the gates, rows of heavily armored soldiers stood in formation, their eyes cold and murderous, their auras oppressive. Some rode fierce Mystic Beasts, sealing off the entire manor without a gap.

The military array was immaculate, their presence overwhelming.

This is a true army, well-trained and ruthless. Although their martial arts cultivation is similar to that of the guards at Haitang Manor, once they form their battle formation, a hundred soldiers could annihilate five hundred guards without leaving a single scrap behind.

The air outside Haitang Manor was thick with a chilling, murderous aura, terrifying the servants inside until their faces turned deathly pale. The manor’s guards had never witnessed such a formidable display—let alone resisting, they didn’t even dare to take a single step.

"This is what a real army looks like!"

Ning Xiaochuan inwardly marveled. If this army stormed into Haitang Manor, the estate would be flattened in an instant, littered with corpses.

A burly, bearded soldier from the army glanced lazily at Ning Xiaochuan, his foot still planted on the chest of a fallen guard, and sneered coldly, "Kid, who are you?"

"I am the master of Haitang Manor," Ning Xiaochuan replied calmly, though he didn’t even bother to look directly at the man. Instead, his gaze was fixed on a woman standing in the open space between the army and the manor.

Tall and slender, with a graceful waist, she stood with her back to Haitang Manor, arms crossed, her posture as straight and unyielding as the Dragon Elephant Halberd Spear planted beside her.

Though the three thousand soldiers surrounding the manor were fierce and imposing, like wolves and tigers, their eyes held nothing but reverence when they looked at her.

She stood like an unshakable mountain, towering above all martial artists, exuding an icy, untouchable aura.

Ning Xiaochuan had a strange premonition—if this woman willed it, she could slaughter every single one of the three thousand soldiers present, leaving no survivors.

And he wasn’t the only one who felt this way. The soldiers themselves were acutely aware of it, which was why they regarded her with such awe.

"So, you’re the master of Haitang Manor!"

Ji Hanxing suddenly turned around, her azure-blue hair fluttering in the wind. Her cold eyes gleamed with three-foot-long Profound Qi rays as she studied the footprints Ning Xiaochuan had left behind. After a moment, she nodded slightly. "Yes, it’s you."

Ning Xiaochuan felt her gaze pierce through him like a blade, as if she could see straight through his flesh and blood. His entire body stiffened, as if frozen, making even the slightest movement agonizingly difficult.

So strong!

The difference between his Ninth Level of Profound Qi and her power was like comparing a firefly to the full moon.

Hastily, Ning Xiaochuan used the power of the demonic sword to conceal his aura, disguising himself as an ordinary person with no cultivation. He spoke cautiously, "Are you here for me?"

He vaguely remembered this woman—they had crossed paths once at the South Mountain Gathering. Back then, she had been seated atop a Dragon Elephant, the awe-inspiring figure known as the Dragon Elephant Divine Warrior.

Ji Hanxing had followed Ning Xiaochuan’s footprints to Haitang Manor and immediately mobilized three thousand troops to surround it, ensuring Tianchenzi wouldn’t escape again.

But now, she frowned slightly. What’s going on? He doesn’t have any Martial Arts Profound Qi in his body?

Her Qinghao Glazed Eye could see through the cultivation of even those stronger than her, yet she detected nothing in Ning Xiaochuan. This puzzled her deeply.

How could a boy with no martial arts cultivation have rescued Tianchenzi?

A youth without any martial cultivation, who practiced the Blood Devouring Demon Art, nearly killed a genius expert of the Divine Body Realm?

How could this have happened?

Ji Hanxing walked up to Ning Xiaochuan, her slender waist, tall figure, and graceful curves exuding an icy, unapproachable aura. She took out a token and declared imperiously, "The Dragon Elephant Divine Warrior faction is apprehending a major criminal of the imperial court. We demand your cooperation!"

Ning Xiaochuan finally understood why the military had surrounded Haitang Manor—it was to capture Tianchenzi!

This was serious trouble!