"I remember you. You're Feng Xue."
In Ning Jiang's line of sight was a woman of eighteen or nineteen. She had a delicate, oval face, a tall figure, and flirtatious eyes that seemed to constantly give off sparks. While she couldn't compare to the four great beauties of Luoyang City, she was still a rare beauty in her own right.
However, Ning Jiang had no good impression of this person whatsoever. There was a small grudge between them.
This woman named Feng Xue, whose background was unknown, was staying in a Heaven-grade room at the Drunken Moon Pavilion. Originally, she had nothing to do with Ning Jiang and his sister, but a conflict arose between them because of the Upper Grade Treasure Artifact in Ning Yu'an's hands—the Snow Cold Sword.
The so-called Upper Grade Treasure Artifact was a classification of Weapons.
Treasure Artifacts were divided into Low Grade, Middle Grade, Upper Grade, and Top Grade.
Qi Cultivation Realm experts generally used Low Grade Treasure Artifacts, Postnatal Realm powerhouses often used Middle Grade ones, and Innate Realm experts used Upper Grade.
As for Top Grade, they were incredibly rare and could only be chanced upon, not sought. Basically, only those Innate Limit Strong Persons were qualified to possess them.
Even if an ordinary person were to obtain a Top Grade Treasure Artifact, they would be killed for it. Without sufficient strength, possessing something too valuable was a disaster.
An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth.
Treasure Artifacts of different qualities had vastly different values. Low Grade Treasure Artifacts were generally worth a few hundred Primordial Stones, Middle Grade a few thousand, and Upper Grade tens of thousands. Top Grade ones were priceless with no market; a single Top Grade Treasure Artifact would cost over five hundred thousand Primordial Stones, with better ones fetching over a million.
The entire Ning Family of Baiquan Town didn't even have a million Primordial Stones in total.
In fact, many Innate Realm experts couldn't afford an Upper Grade Treasure Artifact. One had to understand that an Ordinary Innate Realm expert had a net worth of only about ten thousand Primordial Stones. To buy an Upper Grade Treasure Artifact, they would need to save up Primordial Stones for several consecutive years.
The entire Ning Family possessed only four Upper Grade Treasure Artifacts in total.
This Upper Grade Treasure Artifact of Ning Yu'an's had been specially left behind by Ning Changfeng and his wife for her protection before they went to the Li Family. However, this Snow Cold Sword was actually a defective product among Upper Grade Treasure Artifacts; it was flawed.
In terms of value, it was only one or two times better than a Middle Grade Treasure Artifact, far inferior to a flawless Upper Grade one.
But even as a defective item, it was enough to tempt Feng Xue, who was at the Postnatal Early Stage.
After all, most Postnatal Powerhouses couldn't even afford a Middle Grade Treasure Artifact, which cost several thousand Primordial Stones—not a small price.
The Treasure Sword Ning Jiang carried was a Middle Grade Treasure Artifact, a gift from Ning Changfeng. He couldn't have afforded it on his own either.
After this woman named Feng Xue set her sights on Ning Yu'an's Snow Cold Sword, she got ideas. She wanted to buy it from Ning Yu'an, but her offer was absurdly low—only three to four thousand Primordial Stones. It was clear she had no sincerity.
Even if the Snow Cold Sword was defective, its price was still over ten thousand Primordial Stones.
Besides, it was a gift from Ning Changfeng and his wife, carrying a special meaning. How could it possibly be sold?
When the deal fell through, Feng Xue grew resentful. Ning Jiang still remembered the insults and threats she had hurled at them: "You two paupers living in a Human-grade room, the fact that I'm even willing to buy your things is me giving you face. Don't be so shameless when I'm being courteous. Be careful you don't get killed after walking out of here. You'll lose both your lives and your treasure then."
At that time, Ning Jiang and Ning Yu'an had no background in Luoyang City. Though furious, they could only endure Feng Xue's behavior.
But their tolerance didn't improve the situation. Feng Xue seemed to think the two of them were easy to bully and became even more excessive, escalating her harassment. Every time she saw Ning Jiang and Ning Yu'an, she would insult them. Her tone was so harsh and her gaze so contemptuous that it would have angered a clay statue.
Back then, Ning Jiang had been seething with rage, but it was Ning Yu'an who repeatedly comforted him, telling him not to stoop to Feng Xue's level.
Ning Yu'an was considerate and feared they would be at a disadvantage if a conflict broke out with Feng Xue, so she kept enduring it.
But Ning Jiang understood perfectly well. In the end, it was because he lacked power. That was why Feng Xue dared to humiliate him and Ning Yu'an so brazenly. If he were in the Innate Realm, would Feng Xue dare to utter a single insulting word?
"Little Brother, let's go. Don't pay any attention to this crazy woman."
Seeing Feng Xue emerge, Ning Yu'an's expression turned cold, and she pulled on Ning Jiang's arm, wanting to leave.
She and Ning Jiang had no relatives or connections in Luoyang City, while this Feng Xue, who could afford a Heaven-grade room, was either rich or noble.
But Ning Jiang shook his head and stood his ground. The him of today was no longer the same Ning Jiang who could only swallow his anger and endure humiliation.
He was a Legendary Venerable from a hundred thousand years ago!
"Sister An, there's no need to be afraid of her," Ning Jiang said slowly. "I told you, from now on, we don't need to bow our heads to anyone. No one will ever be able to bully us again."
This wasn't an empty boast, but his promise.
Once he gave his word, not even the heavens collapsing or the sun and moon falling from the sky could change it!
"As for this Drunken Moon Pavilion, unless we choose to leave, no one can force us out. Sister An, I know she couldn't have forced you to leave on her own. This is the Drunken Moon Pavilion's territory, after all. Not unless the Drunken Moon Pavilion itself can no longer tolerate our presence!"
A dark light flashed in Ning Jiang's eyes. With his wisdom, it wasn't hard to see the key to the matter. Although Feng Xue was staying in a Heaven-grade room, she was ultimately just a guest. She wasn't qualified to drive Ning Yu'an away from here on her own.
The Drunken Moon Pavilion must have been involved.
With that, Ning Jiang took Ning Yu'an's hand and walked toward the Drunken Moon Pavilion.
'I'd like to see what role the Drunken Moon Pavilion played in all this.'
Seeing how resolute he was, Ning Yu'an followed him. She took a deep breath, resolving that no matter what happened, she would stand by Ning Jiang's side.
Besides, the Ning Jiang of today gave her a sense of security, as if he would shield her from anything that came their way.
'Little Brother... he's really grown up...' Ning Yu'an murmured to herself.
"You two paupers! The Drunken Moon Pavilion has already ordered you to leave! Aren't you going to get lost?!" Feng Xue shouted harshly, standing at the entrance.
"Get lost."
Ning Jiang shot her a sideways glance. This single, small movement was unprecedentedly sharp, like a Divine Sword cleaving through the air. The chill in it was like an ancient, glacial wind, freezing heaven and earth.
That single look easily shattered Feng Xue's arrogance. Her heart trembled, and she involuntarily took a step back.
A hundred thousand years ago, a single glance from Ning Jiang could intimidate legions of heroes!
As she retreated, the two of them entered the Drunken Moon Pavilion.
Stunned for a long moment, Feng Xue finally came to her senses. The fact that she had been scared into retreat by a single glance from Ning Jiang filled her with rage. "So what if you go back into the Drunken Moon Pavilion? You're just asking for more humiliation! Don't tell me you'd dare cause trouble in the Drunken Moon Pavilion? How ridiculous!"
BANG!
Suddenly, a tremendous crash erupted throughout the entire Drunken Moon Pavilion.
Feng Xue jumped in fright. She whipped her head around to look, her eyes instantly widening.
"Is... is... is he insane?" Feng Xue stammered, dumbfounded.
In the center of the Drunken Moon Pavilion's first floor was a massive painting wall. The wall was over three men tall and cast entirely from colored glaze. Its surface was exquisitely engraved with a scene of a bright moon rising from the sea. Mist billowed over the water, and the moon, partially obscured, looked as if it were drunk.
The Drunken Moon Pavilion had earned the "Drunken Moon" part of its name from this very painting wall.
The painting wall was worth over ten thousand Primordial Stones.
Anyone who entered the Drunken Moon Pavilion would be amazed by this wall at first glance. This Drunken Moon Painting Wall was a symbol of the pavilion.
The Drunken Moon Pavilion had been established for thirty-four years.
The painting wall had existed for thirty-four years.
But now, this glazed painting wall had been shattered to pieces by a single punch from Ning Jiang!
SHING! SHING! SHING!
The fragments exploded outwards, whistling as they scattered in all directions.
Feng Xue was stunned.
On the first floor of the Drunken Moon Pavilion, the numerous Martial Artists were also stunned.
"Heavens, is this kid insane? For thirty-four whole years, no one has ever dared to cause trouble in the Drunken Moon Pavilion! Who doesn't know that the Liu Family is behind this place!"
"The Liu Family may have been demoted to a second-tier family three years ago, but who doesn't know how deep their foundations are? Their Twelve Golden Guards alone are enough to crush any other second-tier family!"
The entire crowd was in an uproar.
Gaze after gaze converged on Ning Jiang. Then, astonishment slowly filled those gazes.
The first person to dare cause trouble in the Drunken Moon Pavilion in thirty-four years was such a young man!
He looked to be only about sixteen, didn't he?
"Heh, and I thought he was going to reason with the Drunken Moon Pavilion. I never expected him to be such an impulsive brute. Smashing the painting wall with his fist... it's certainly shocking, but how can he possibly withstand the fury of the Drunken Moon Pavilion? Or even the fury of the Liu Family?" A mocking light appeared in Feng Xue's eyes. 'What an idiot. This kid is a dead man.'
All around, sighs could be heard.
By causing this disturbance, Ning Jiang had already stepped one foot through the Ghost Gate.
Under the countless gazes,
Ning Jiang and Ning Yu'an stood together. Deep shock was also visible in Ning Yu'an's eyes.
But she pressed her red lips together and said nothing, only tightening her grip on Ning Jiang's hand.
No matter what, she would never abandon Ning Jiang. No matter what, she was willing to bear the consequences with him!
「Meanwhile.」
In a luxurious private room on the top floor of the Drunken Moon Pavilion,
"Brother Ma Yuan, what on earth happened that you would have to come all the way to the Drunken Moon Pavilion to apologize?"
"Ai, I've been through some major ups and downs today. It's a long story. After I go apologize to that young master, I'll come back and catch up with you, Shopkeeper Zhu. By the way, is there a Young Master Ning... in your Drunken Moon Pavilion?"
Ma Yuan didn't get to finish his sentence before a massive crash echoed through the entire Drunken Moon Pavilion!
"Hm? Someone dares to cause trouble in my Drunken Moon Pavilion?"
Shopkeeper Zhu was a pot-bellied, middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes.
"Brother Ma Yuan, please wait here. I'll be right back."
Shopkeeper Zhu's face was cold. He had no time to continue his conversation with Ma Yuan. With a flash, he rushed out.
「First Floor.」
When Shopkeeper Zhu saw the floor covered in fragments of colored glaze, his face turned completely ashen.
"I don't care who you are or what your reasons are. Since you dared to smash the Drunken Moon Painting Wall, you will not escape with your life!" A grim chill spread from Shopkeeper Zhu's words.
His fury was practically enough to set the plains ablaze.
His words sent a chill down the spines of some of the lower-cultivation Martial Artists.
"Still acting so calm? Do you think you have Wenhua City backing you up?" Feng Xue sneered, looking at Ning Jiang's placid expression.
"What a waste of a young life," someone lamented.
"What's there to waste? He doesn't know life from death and is just seeking his own doom," someone else sneered coldly.
Almost everyone believed that Ning Jiang was not long for this world.
Yet Ning Jiang only grew calmer, like a living Buddha.
Ning Yu'an gripped his hand tightly, standing with him, not retreating a single step!
"Young Master Ning!"
Just as the atmosphere reached its iciest point, a voice filled with pleasant surprise suddenly rang out.
「The next moment.」
Under Shopkeeper Zhu's astonished gaze,
Under Feng Xue's deeply furrowed brow,
And under the uncomprehending stares of the entire crowd,
Ma Yuan quickly arrived at Ning Jiang's side.
Then, this man—the one who managed Yang Liu Road and was on equal footing with Shopkeeper Zhu—respectfully cupped his fist towards Ning Jiang and bowed. "Ma Yuan has come to apologize to Young Master Ning!"
The entire hall... stood frozen.