Chapter 63: Promise and Life

Chapter 63: Promise and Life

Yue Wuyang fixed his piercing gaze on Ning Xiaochuan and declared, "Ten years ago, your father, Ning Qianyi, led an army of 700,000 to attack the Blood Devouring Demon Sect's stronghold, Nine Death Cliff. At the time, this Marquis and Yu Ningsheng's father, Mo Longting, were both part of the army, following your father's command. However, Ning Qianyi and Mo Longting secretly colluded with the Demon Sect, betraying the army's movements and causing the deaths of 700,000 soldiers at the foot of Nine Death Cliff."

Yue Wuyang's eyes brimmed with sorrowful tears as he continued, "This Marquis witnessed with my own eyes how those Demon Sect fiends slaughtered, boiled, and even devoured our brave soldiers alive—yet I could do nothing to save them."

"After narrowly escaping death, I brought the news back to the Imperial City. The Emperor was furious. He initially intended to execute every last member of your Jian Pavilion Marquis House, but in consideration of your family's past contributions to the court, he ultimately only sentenced your father to death, sparing the rest of your household. Such is the boundless mercy of the Emperor!"

"As for Left Commandant General Mo Longting, his entire family was exiled to the borderlands, and the women of his household were reduced to prostitute slaves. Yu Ningsheng was sold into the Jade Viewing Pavilion during that time. Back then, she was still called Mo Ningsheng—a mere seven-year-old child."

Yu Ningsheng had not knelt before Yue Wuyang. Hearing him recount this painful history, the agonizing memories of a decade ago resurfaced, filling her heart with bitterness. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

Ning Xiaochuan clenched his fists tightly, burning with the urge to expose Yue Wuyang's vile deeds. It was Yue Wuyang who had secretly conspired with the Demon Sect back then, yet he shamelessly twisted the truth to pin the blame on Ning Qianyi. The sheer audacity of this man was sickening!

"Hold back, hold back—I must hold back! Yue Wuyang is now a favorite of the Yulan Emperor and a powerful Marquis. Even if I revealed the truth of that year, no one would believe me. Worse, it might provoke Yue Wuyang to silence me for good."

Suppressing the fury in his heart, Ning Xiaochuan glared fiercely at Yue Wuyang, engraving the face of this despicable man into his memory. With a cold laugh, he retorted, "If the Emperor decreed that someone be reduced to a prostitute slave, does that mean no one else can redeem her?"

"Of course not! This is the Emperor's authority, the majesty of the royal family—no one may defy it!" Yue Wuyang's gaze bore into Ning Xiaochuan as an overwhelming pressure crashed down upon him, making his bones creak under the force.

He sought to crush Ning Xiaochuan with sheer dominance, to force him to his knees.

Ning Xiaochuan channeled the Profound Qi within his body, using the Annihilation Sword Qi to resist the oppressive might of the Marquis. Raising his voice, he declared, "The Emperor is no true god! Has he never made mistakes? Is every single one of his actions infallible?"

These words were nothing short of treasonous. Everyone present broke into a cold sweat at Ning Xiaochuan's audacity.

Was this boy courting death?

"The Emperor is the true god, wise and mighty—he cannot err!" Yue Wuyang sneered. "For a mere youth to dare question the Emperor's authority is to scorn imperial power—a crime of treason! Guards! Drag this rebellious traitor out and execute him!"

Originally, Yue Wuyang had intended to allow Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Ningsheng to be together, thereby sabotaging the alliance between the Jian Pavilion Marquis House and the Golden Roc Prince's Manor.

But he never expected Ning Xiaochuan to be such a bold person, daring to defy imperial authority. This made things simple—defying imperial authority was tantamount to treason. Now, he could justifiably kill Ning Xiaochuan.

Once Ning Xiaochuan was dead, the marriage alliance between the Jian Pavilion Marquis House and the Golden Roc Prince's Manor would collapse, and nothing would stand in the way of the Yulan Emperor seizing control of the 2 million troops under the Jian Pavilion Marquis's command.

"Eliminating Ning Xiaochuan would mean removing a major thorn in the Emperor's side. My power and influence will surely rise in the future," Yue Wuyang thought with a cold smirk.

Two formidable military experts strode in from outside, drawing the broadswords at their waists. They reached out to grab Ning Xiaochuan's arms, intending to drag him out and execute him.

Boom!

A gust of wind and thunder flashed through the air.

Ning Qiancheng suddenly appeared in the Jade Viewing Pavilion, throwing a punch that sent the two military experts flying. They crashed through the pavilion's walls and tumbled onto the street outside.

Standing protectively in front of Ning Xiaochuan, Ning Qiancheng's eyes blazed with divine light, his body radiating overwhelming dominance and killing intent. He let out a deafening roar, "Let’s see who dares try today!"

The force of his shout momentarily deafened everyone, like the roar of a Dragon and tiger combined.

Yue Wuyang felt a flicker of disappointment. Had Ning Qiancheng arrived just a moment later, Ning Xiaochuan would already be dead. Unfortunately, this reckless man had shown up in time, making it far more difficult to kill Ning Xiaochuan now.

Even with Ning Qiancheng's arrival, Yue Wuyang's resolve to kill Ning Xiaochuan remained unshaken.

"Insulting the Emperor and defying imperial authority—these are crimes equal to treason. Ning Qiancheng, do you also intend to rebel?" Yue Wuyang demanded sternly.

Unfazed, Ning Qiancheng spread his arms, unleashing an overwhelming sword intent that surged like a crimson beam, piercing through the Jade Viewing Pavilion's roof. "If I wanted to rebel," he bellowed, "I could order the 2 million troops outside the city to storm the Imperial City right now! The streets would run red with blood, and chaos would reign. Tell me, Yue Wuyang, Cloud Marquis—do you think you could stop my tiger-wolf army? I could kill you three hundred times over!"

His voice was fierce, his aura terrifying, and his words echoed through the streets around the Jade Viewing Pavilion, heard by countless onlookers.

The sword intent around Ning Qiancheng condensed into a crimson light pillar, tearing through the night sky and piercing the clouds. Even from 150 kilometers away, the pillar's glow was visible.

"Ning!"

"Ning!"

From the Imperial City came the thunderous roar of an army.

Two million soldiers chanted "Ning" in unison, raising their spears to the sky. The sheer force of their voices shook the heavens, reverberating through half the Imperial City. Countless martial artists trembled in fear—was the Jian Pavilion Marquis House truly about to revolt?

"Ning!"

"Ning!"

Even from outside the Imperial City, the army's battle cries faintly reached the Jade Viewing Pavilion, carrying an unmistakable air of slaughter.

Yue Wuyang's expression darkened as he watched the crimson light pillar erupting from Ning Qiancheng. "That must be the signal to the troops outside the city," he thought grimly. "If I push him too far, he might actually rebel. What wouldn’t this madman do?"

"Good! Good! Good! Ning Qiancheng, you’ve got guts, real guts," Yue Wuyang sneered.

Ning Qiancheng retorted, "Nonsense. The men of our Jian Pavilion Marquis House all have guts, unlike some people who wear theirs on their faces."

The Old Marquis also manifested his Martial Soul Avatar, appearing in the Jade Viewing Pavilion, and angrily scolded Ning Qiancheng, "Our Jian Pavilion Marquis House is utterly loyal to the court and His Majesty, without a trace of rebellion. Ning Qiancheng, you insolent brat, get back home and reflect in seclusion for half a year!"

The Old Marquis's arrival was within Yue Wuyang's expectations, and he merely watched coldly from the sidelines. Others might think the Old Marquis was genuinely punishing Ning Qiancheng, but he knew it was all just an act—one playing the stern role, the other the lenient, putting on a show for everyone. First, intimidation, then a display of loyalty. This way, they could both cow the crowd and avoid any real punishment for Ning Qiancheng. That was true skill. In his youth, this old fox of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House had been quite the infamous troublemaker in the Imperial City!

The Great Golden Roc King's Martial Soul Avatar appeared in the Jade Viewing Pavilion, a massive golden-winged roc materializing behind him, its aura terrifying. He spoke gravely, "This matter has already stirred up enough trouble in the city. When will it end?"

No one dared to utter another word!

Yu Qianqian trailed behind the Great Golden Roc King, glaring furiously at Ning Xiaochuan before turning her bright eyes toward Yu Ningsheng, eager to see just how beautiful the woman was—the one for whom Ning Xiaochuan had dared defy imperial authority to redeem. She had originally intended to bring people to beat to death the little vixen who had seduced her fiancé, but she had barely stepped out of the palace before the Great Golden Roc King caught her and dragged her along to the Jade Viewing Pavilion. When her eyes fell upon the Cold Silkworm Elixir in Yu Ningsheng's hand, she nearly fumed with rage.

Damn Ning Xiaochuan! That bastard Ning Xiaochuan! How dare he give away the Intermediate Elixir I gifted him to another woman? How utterly despicable!

Ning Xiaochuan felt Yu Qianqian's piercing gaze and was utterly baffled. Why is she looking at me like that? As if she’s full of resentment. Is it because I haven’t returned the Heaven and Earth Bag to her? But no—she was the one who insisted on giving it to me. I don’t get it.

Unaware of his engagement to Yu Qianqian, Ning Xiaochuan had no clue why she was glaring at him as if she wanted to devour him whole.

"Let this matter end here today. Anyone who dares to prolong it further will face my wrath," the Great Golden Roc King declared, his gaze lingering pointedly on Yue Wuyang with a clear threat.

Though Yue Wuyang wielded immense power, he still didn’t dare challenge the Great Golden Roc King.

Just as everyone assumed the matter was finally over, Ning Xiaochuan stepped forward fearlessly and declared, "I will redeem Yu Ningsheng. That is my promise to her!"

The entire crowd was stunned. This kid still dares to speak up? Is he really willing to risk his life for a mere courtesan?

The Great Golden Roc King's expression darkened.

The Old Marquis also grew furious and growled, "Xiaochuan, step back at once!"

Ning Xiaochuan stood firm. "No. If a man cannot keep his own promises, what else can he uphold?"

Silence fell over everyone.

He's truly risking his life.

While others thought Ning Xiaochuan was foolish, the women of the Jade Viewing Pavilion were deeply moved by his unwavering determination. Only women of their lowly status could yearn so desperately for a man who would sacrifice so much for them.

If they could meet such a man, even dying with him would be worth it.

Yu Ningsheng's eyes brimmed with tears as she shook her head frantically at Ning Xiaochuan.

When Yu Qianqian heard Ning Xiaochuan's words, an inexplicable sorrow welled up in her heart. If a man was willing to throw away his life for a woman, how deeply must he love her?

Suddenly, she felt like the one who was truly unnecessary—it was her.

"Father, I... I won't marry him!" Yu Qianqian's eyes shimmered with tears. She cast one last glance at Ning Xiaochuan before turning and running out of the Jade Viewing Pavilion.

Of course, Yu Qianqian didn't know that Ning Xiaochuan's persistence wasn't born of romantic love but of a promise in his heart. As he had said—if a man couldn't even keep his word, what else could he possibly hold onto?

When Yu Qianqian uttered those words—"I won't marry him"—a trace of confusion and bewilderment flickered in Ning Xiaochuan's eyes.

No one had expected things to unfold this way.

The Old Marquis's heart was a storm of mixed emotions as he clenched his teeth tightly. He shot Ning Qiancheng a meaningful glance.

Ning Qiancheng nodded and, with lightning speed, struck Ning Xiaochuan on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious before carrying him back to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House!