Chapter 18: The Second Path
That night, Ning Xuan slept as usual.
He had already “shown his uniqueness to his father,” and he figured his father would consider him more carefully when picking his next move. If, even after all this, is there was still to be a marriage to the Qin family’s concubine-born daughter at the Hanzhou Ranch, then so be it.
His father controlled the overall situation, and his father’s judgment was naturally made with the big picture in mind.
Although he couldn’t see clearly yet, he would cooperate.
He wouldn’t presumptuously believe his own thoughts were correct in a situation of extreme lack of information.
That would only put the Ning Family in extreme danger.
He slept until dawn.
The scent of a woman still clung to him.
As soon as Ning Xuan finished his breakfast, a servant came to announce, “Young Master, the master is looking for you.”
Ning Xuan acknowledged, and for the third time, he arrived at the study.
Ning Taiyi stared intently at him and said in a complex tone, “Xuan’er, Father has to admit that you might be a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy. Now, Father will give you two choices.”
Ning Xuan nodded.
Ning Taiyi said, “First, starting today, you can gain fame and prestige around Yaowu. This way, you won’t be looked down upon solely for being a dissolute young master when you go to Hanzhou Ranch. Perhaps you can carve out a niche for yourself with your abilities then.
However, it is also extremely dangerous. A concubine-born daughter is not a legitimate daughter, and she will never be content to remain just a concubine-born daughter. If you were merely a dandy, then the concubine-born daughter would be considered to have been dealt a severe blow by the Qin family, extinguishing all her hopes. Misfortune accompanies good fortune, and this way you may have peace and wealth.
But if you are not, if you try your best to show off, then the concubine-born daughter will surely harbor ambitions. At that time, you will be caught in a vortex, either seeing it through to the end or meeting a tragic end halfway. This is called ‘Good fortune hides misfortune, and misfortune hides good fortune.’ It seems glorious, but it is actually fraught with peril.
But since you possess such strength, you are bound to be unwilling. If you choose this path, Father’s advice is to display your martial arts, but not excessively. Do not let that Qin Jin’er be spurred into ambition by it. This way, you can preserve yourself and protect the Ning Family.”
Ning Xuan shook his head.
He wasn’t too keen on getting involved in other people’s trifling matters, dealing with constant scheming and intrigue, and then being a wronged grandson.
He wanted to slack off, but he didn’t want to become a pile of shit.
So, he asked, “Then what about the second path?”
Ning Taiyi was silent for a moment and said, “For the second path, you must do one thing first. When you have accomplished it, Father will tell you. Otherwise, you will obediently take the first path.”
Ning Xuan nodded and said, “I will do it.”
Ning Taiyi clapped his hands.
The ground beside him suddenly flashed with golden light, which then dissipated, revealing a purple-robed Daoist with a bronze ghost mask.
The Daoist was otherworldly, and his presence here exuded an air of detachment, yet the bronze ghost mask added a touch of ferocity and dread.
As soon as the purple-robed Daoist appeared, he made a surprising move.
He reached for his mask, casually removed it, revealing a terrifying face.
The face was ripped open, pitted, and disfigured beyond recognition.
Yet, with such a face, he smiled at Ning Xuan, then put the mask back on and said, “My name is Chou Nu. Thanks to Mr. Taiyi, I have come this far. Now I am the Celestial Master of Wangyue Prefecture and the surrounding nine counties and twenty-eight villages. Young Master, you can call me Chou Nu in private, and Celestial Master in front of outsiders.”
Ning Xuan recognized the voice.
This was the person who had called himself “Big Brother” yesterday.
In other words, this was his Big Brother.
Big Brother was truly pitiful.
For a moment, he felt that his father was definitely biased towards him.
Ning Taiyi said, “Xuan’er, Father will not say anything until you have completed that task. But Father still hopes you know that Chou Nu is not an outsider. Treat him as you would a brother. You are not allowed to call him Chou Nu in private.”
The purple-robed Daoist chuckled, “Still call me Chou Nu. Chou Nu is better.”
“Big Brother.” Ning Xuan bowed respectfully.
Suddenly, the air fell silent.
Ning Taiyi was stunned for a moment.
The purple-robed Daoist’s eyes reddened for a moment.
But it was only for a moment.
After a moment, the purple-robed Daoist bowed and said, “As expected of Mr. Taiyi’s son, you are as gracious to others as he is.”
Ning Taiyi seemed quite pleased and laughed heartily, “You are not a lowly person, but the cultivation genius I have seen in my life.”
Then, he looked at Ning Xuan solemnly and said, “Xuan’er, remember, you can always trust Chou Nu. Chou Nu will not harm you. In fact, you may not know it, but Chou Nu has watched you grow up. He just watched from afar, never getting close to you.”
Ning Xuan nodded.
Ning Taiyi waved his hand and said, “The task you need to do is to be Chou Nu’s Daoist boy for a while.
Chou Nu will explain the details to you.
Only after you pass will Father be truly sure that you will not die easily once you step into the true face of this world.”
Ning Xuan looked at the purple-robed Daoist.
Chou Nu said, “Young Master, this matter requires some arrangements. In a month, I will come for you.”
Ning Xuan said, “I will wait for you.”
Chou Nu’s figure flickered, golden light surged from the ground, and in an instant, he had vanished without a trace.
The next day, Ning Xuan began to train even harder.
He performed squat jumps with boulders as heavy as mountains on his back, did one-finger palm stands on cliffs with boulders balanced on his feet, swung himself like a rope with pythons in his hands, hugged small mountains in an attempt to uproot them, and jumped off high places to endure the powerful impact. Of course, there were also long-distance running, push-ups, sit-ups, and stepping on Swallow Return Stances to prevent his strength from becoming dead weight.
He picked up a saber and relentlessly practiced the Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain stance.
He pondered deeply, trying to find a hint of mystery within the Mountain Crushing Bear’s demonic arts so that he could perform Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain without having to invoke the Heavenly Demon Scroll.
Time passed day by day.
After arduous training, Ning Xuan’s physique improved from the initial “2.2” to “3.0,” and the bonus from the Mountain Crushing Bear Heavenly Demon Scroll was reduced to “1.7.”
After invoking the Heavenly Demon Scroll, his body could now fully withstand the changes without further mutation.
Not only that, but Ning Xuan had indeed found a trace of the “Flying Swallow Collapse Mountain” force within the demonic arts. This force was profound and mysterious, rooted in his flesh and blood, and could only be comprehended with an extremely clear understanding of the Mountain Crushing Bear.
Ning Xuan did not know what this power was.
However, the demonic arts were clearly no longer suitable.
Soon, a month passed.
Chou Nu arrived on time.
He threw Ning Xuan a set of wide-sleeved, cross collared blue Daoist robes and a matching bronze ghost mask.
“Put them on. Until Mr. Taiyi confirms whether you can take the second path, your identity must not be exposed.” Chou Nu thought for a moment and added, “Starting today, you will be temporarily called Qing Feng. Forgive the inconvenience, Young Master, but you will be my Daoist boy.”
Daoist boy, Ning Xuan had seen them before.
That day, the yellow-robed Daoist floated in mid-air, closed his eyes, and cast the Golden Snake Entangling Demon spell.
Two Daoist boys stood guard beside him, holding swords and looking around nervously and vigilantly.
Now, it was his turn.
Ning Xuan quickly put on the Daoist boy’s attire and put on the mask.
Chou Nu then asked, “You use a saber, correct?”
Ning Xuan nodded, “I learned from Master Zhang, the Swallow Chasing Wind Saber master.”
Chou Nu said, “Then a light and agile long saber will suffice.”
Ning Xuan shook his head.
Chou Nu looked puzzled.
Ning Xuan said, “I use a Beast Slaying Blade. The longer the better, the bigger the better.”
(End of Chapter)
