……
“Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, please come in.” After sending the Jing Wuming trio to the next room, Ning Cheng had just walked over to the door of Ruan Mingshu’s room, when Ruan Mingshu took the initiative to open the restriction.
Ning Cheng took out two cards and handed them to Ruan Mingshu, “Many thanks to Junior Apprentice Sister Mingshu’s help. I haven’t used these cards. Therefore, I’m giving them back to you. Also, thank you for the help for the previous matter; otherwise, we would have no place to stay right now. As for that Array Disc, I will return it to you in two days.”
Ruan Mingshu received the cards and put them away in her lotus pouch before smiling and speaking up, “Since we have already decided to cooperate with each other, such help is only natural. As for the Array Disc, don’t worry about it.”
After saying that, Ruan Mingshu asked a seemingly unintentional question, “Right, that woman called Shi Yulan, the one who stood next to your side, she truly is quite beautiful.”
“Yes, she is beautiful. If there is nothing else, I’m going back for some rest.” Ning Cheng didn’t want to share much with Ruan Mingshu, especially the fact that he encountered that Miao Pu today.
Before meeting Miao Pu, Ning Cheng still harboured some confidence in killing Miao Pu. However, after seeing Miao Pu, Ning Cheng felt his faith falter a little.
Miao Pu’s cultivation did not appear at the Celestial Bridge Realm; instead, it looked more as if his cultivation had already reached the Undead Realm. Even using a Grade 4 Array Disc in tandem with Jing Wuming and Lan Ya would be enough to get rid of Miao Pu. If Ning Cheng who had personally arranged the Array Formation, it would have still proven useful. However, this was not his Array Formation. Moreover, it was also just an Array Disc, which made Ning Cheng’s chances of pulling through even lower.
“Ok, you go back and take rest. Although there are a few things that need discussion, I will come to find you later.” Ruan Mingshu spoke out in her usual soft voice. Just as she had mentioned before, she had a few things that she needed to talk with Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng did not feel willing to talk much about the current matter. At the same time, the Ruan Clan and he were not even close to each other. Moreover, Ning Cheng also had a few deep secrets, which should remain secrets. Besides, if the Ruan Clan discovered even one of his secrets, he would not have made it out of the Thunder Enforcement City alive. They certainly would not wait until now.
Ning Cheng had just returned to his room and hadn’t even activated the Restrictions on the door when he heard Shi Yulan’s voice, “Senior Apprentice Brother Ning, can I come in?”
Shi Yulan was Jing Wuming’s former Dao Companion. For her to come to his room alone at this time made Ning Cheng frown slightly. However, he still replied, “Come in. However, I hope that the person you are looking for is Wuming and not me.”
Shi Yulan quickly entered Ning Cheng’s room and took the initiative to activate the Restrictions on the door.
“Take a seat. So, what did you come here to look for?” Ning Cheng pointed towards the chair in front of him and spoke.
Shi Yulan first gave Ning Cheng a respectful bow before speaking up, “Many thanks to Senior Apprentice Brother Ning for saving me twice.”
Ning Cheng showed a faint smile before replying, “I just saved you twice. It’s not much.”
Shi Yulan let out a sigh internally. How couldn’t she understand what Ning Cheng’s words implied? That is, Jing Wuming had saved her life countless times already, and she still hadn’t seen fit to even give that man a proper thanks.
Without continuing down the path of thanking Ning Cheng with words, she took the initiative to sit down before speaking, “My father’s name is Shi Kuangsheng, and my mother is called Yu Molan. My father was a Devil Cultivator; however, my mother came from a famous clan and was a soft and quiet woman. During a battle within a mystical place within the Le Continent, my father met my mother and fell in love with each other at first sight. However, my grandfather hated my father as he was a Devil Cultivator and took the initiative to betroth my mother to Tan Xun, of the Le Continent’s Tan Clan.”
Shi Yulan’s voice felt as if came from the distant horizon, so quiet that people couldn’t even hear it unless they concentrated on her voice.
“The Tan Clan is one of the great clans of the Le Continent; even the Le Continent’s most premier academy, the Kun Yun Academy, was founded and built by the ancestors of the Tan Clan. Every Academy Head came from the Tan Clan, and it had enormous sway within the Le Continent. After Tan Xun saw my mother, he couldn’t help himself. However, my mother already had my father in her heart and refused all of Tan Xun’s advances.”
However, the pressure from both the Tan Clan and the Kun Yun Academy was not something that my parents could go against. The Tan Clan wanted to force my mother to marry into their clan; however, my father managed to struggle enough to let my mother escape. However, my father was just a single person. A single person’s strength remained meaningless in the face of such a behemoth and ended up eventually killed at the hands of the Tan Clan. However, by the time my mother managed to escape, she was already three months pregnant with me.
Shi Yulan seemed to have recalled all the hardships she had to face with just her mother as tears started welling up in her eyes. Even her tone had begun to turn slightly shaky.
“Because the Tan Clan couldn’t catch my mother, they directed all their anger towards my father’s and my grandfather’s houses. They exterminated my grandfather’s family, without even sparing the children or even the new-borns. They then burned my father’s Life Essence with Yin Flames for 49 days, before he finally succumbed and died to the inhumane torment.”
“My mother was devastated after hearing the news of my father’s death and turned weaker and weaker each passing day. Finally, when I was seven years old, my mother also left me. I grew up in hatred, and I vowed to completely destroy the Kun Yun Academy and massacre that bastard called Tan Xun. However, my strength was still not up for undertaking such a task. Although I went down the path of a Devil Cultivator, I still had no realistic ability to eradicate the Kun Yun Academy. It was also at that time that I met Jing Hao.”
“Jing Hao himself did not know about his own history. Although to the world he was Tan Xun’s Disciple, he is actually the illegitimate son of Tan Xun. Moreover, he also had truly superior qualification; therefore, since Tan Xun was the Academy Head of the Kun Yun Academy, he naturally heavily favoured Jing Hao.”
Ning Cheng took the initiative to help Shi Yulan pour a cup of Spirit Tea, as he vaguely started to connect the dots. Shi Yulan led a truly miserable life. If replaced by him. His means of revenge might not turn out much worse than Shi Yulan’s way of doing things.
Sure enough, Shi Yulan continued with a mournful voice, “To destroy the Kun Yun Academy and eradicate the Tan Clan, after I met Jing Hao, I deliberately killed a few True Inheriting Disciples of the other great academies to rouse their anger and jealousy. Some of them were even the direct descendants of many important Academy Elders. This incident finally led to a public outcry. During the commotion, Jing Hao took me and fled to the Kun Yun Academy. To let the others know that I was in the Kun Academy, I deliberately leaked bits and pieces of my whereabouts that led to the Kun Yun Academy.”
Ning Cheng couldn’t help but give out a sigh in his heart. When Jing Wuming had narrated his side of the story, Ning Cheng had wondered as to who might have leaked the news. According to him, the fact that he took Shi Yulan into the Kun Yun Academy was a tightly guarded secret. No one else knew about it; however, as soon as they entered the Kun Yun Academy, it immediately became public. It turned out that Shi Yulan was the one who had leaked the information. It was just that this Shi Yulan used some ruthless and unscrupulous means of killing a few unrelated people to instigate hatred. If he had been the one in her shoes, he definitely would never use such a method.
Shi Yulan showed a strained smile, “I achie
ved my purpose. I borrowed Jing Hao’s hand to extinguish the Kun Yun Academy and even eradicate the Tan Clan while also taking out Tan Xun. I avenged myself; however, I also can’t help feel sorry for Jing Hao. He was completely innocent in all of this. He even took me to escape into the starry skies. Not only did he save me many times, he even provided me with all the resources for cultivation. Because of this, spending one more moment with him was akin to another moment of torment for me.”
“Every time he went in search of cultivation resources, I secluded myself to cultivate. However, the fact was, I did not dare to stay close to him. Sometimes I even thought that if one day Jing Hao ended up falling, I would also commit suicide. That way, this entire debacle would end. However, whenever he returned, the things I owed to him kept increasing. People are not trees and grasses, even someone wretched like me can feel tormented in my heart.”
Ning Cheng remained silent; he did not know how to comfort the two sides.
“I took the True Spirit World; at the same time, I didn’t want to venture out to search for resources. All to make Jing Hao understand that I was a selfish person and that he should leave me. However, that Jing Hao, he is just too stupid. He never even said a heavy word against me. Although it pained me to stay with Jing Hai, I also owe my life to him.”
“It remained the same till the day Shang Mou Celestial River King met me and said these words, “I had a disposition that could even charm the dead. If I remained by Jing Hao’s side, it would eventually bring harm to Jing Hao. He can take me away and give me the freedom that I desired, while also not hurting Jing Hao. I couldn’t stand the daily torment anyway, even if Shang Mou Celestial River King had not appeared, I would have still tried to find the chance to leave Jing Hao.””
“But you shouldn’t have taken Wuming’s True Spirit World. Do you know what the True Spirit World entails? It entails countless lives.” Ning Cheng still helped Jing Hao by putting in a word.
Shi Yulan spoke with an even miserable tone, “The True Spirit World does not belong to his Tan Clan; instead, it belongs to my Shi Clan. This was something my father had inherited. However, before he could even finish refining it, the Kun Yun Academy ended up killing my father. Unfortunately, I could not keep the True Spirit World with me. Currently, the True Spirit World is in the hands of that Shang Mou Celestial River King. The reason I took to the True Spirit World with me was not that it was something precious, but because it was the only thing my father had left behind.”
“If that is the case, then why did you appear in the auction in the slave market?” Ning Cheng suddenly had a vague subconscious thought that the death of Shi Yulan’s parents might have some relations to the True Spirit World.
“It was still because of the True Spirit World. I had initially thought that Shang Mou Celestial River King had truly taken a fancy to my looks. However, I was wrong. No, too confident in myself. Whether Shang Mou Celestial River King took a fancy to my looks or not, his real purpose, however, was definitely the True Spirit World.” Shi Yulan clenched her fists tightly. The kind of unwillingness and resentment emanating from her was something that even Ning Cheng could clearly feel.
Chapter 0508 – Concealment Artefact
Translated By – DemonKiller
Checked and Edited By – Livewidsmile
Proofread By – DemonKiller
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“I decided to follow Shang Mou and immediately left the Ocean Gambling City. He said that it was not safe to keep the True Spirit World on me and decided to keep it with him for my sake. In any case, I did not have even half a shred of ability to resist that man.” Shi Yulan’s tone also calmed down. Ning Cheng guessed that Shi Yulan must have already written down this vendetta.
“How did you come to the Orchid Borough Celestial River, before ultimately ending up in the slave market?” Ning Cheng asked doubtfully.
Shi Yulan’s hands turned pale as she clenched them hard, “Shang Mou came to the Revolving Jade City at the invitation of the Orchid Borough Celestial River King, and he brought me here. In fact, he already made it out that I was a vengeful person and did not trust me enough to leave me behind in the Shang Mou Celestial River. I did not want to turn into a puppet and ended up using his name to sign up for the Striking Order Starry Skies’ Celestial Scryer Genius Try-outs, which angered him. In front of many people, he decided to leave me in the slave market, without even a shred of mercy.”
“Is Shang Mou Celestial River King still in the Revolving Jade City?” Ning Cheng asked with surprise.
He felt startled that Shang Mou Celestial River King actually came to the Revolving Jade City. As for Shi Yulan wanting to take part in the Celestial Scryer Genius Try-outs, he already realised that it was to save her life. To leave the Shang Mou Celestial River King, the only path was to reach the Striking Order Starry Skies.
Shi Yulan nodded, “Yes, he is indeed in the Orchid Borough Celestial River; however, he will soon leave the Orchid Borough Celestial River.”
“I’m afraid that he won’t let you go once he realises that the man who bought you was Wuming.” Ning Cheng spoke with a frown.
Shi Yulan remained silent. She honestly did not have any place to go. If Ning Cheng drove her away, the next moment, she would once again fall to the hands of Shang Mou Celestial River King.
“For now just stay here and don’t go out. Just go and talk to Lan Ya and keep her from getting out. Wait until the selection rounds for the Orchid Borough Celestial River begins, that Shang Mou Celestial River King should leave by then. Shang Mou Celestial River also has the same try-outs; as such, he can’t stay here for long.” Ning Cheng eventually decided to let Shi Yulan stay.
Shi Yulan did not say any thanks; instead, she stood up and gave Ning Cheng a deeply respectful bow before turning towards the door of Ning Cheng’s room.
“Wait a minute.” Ning Cheng stopped Shi Yulan, “Do you know any place in the Revolving Jade City that specialises in concealment artefacts?”
“There is a place called Ice Wind Merchant House. It is not a conspicuous place, but many people know it inside the Revolving Jade City. Moreover, that place contains some of the best concealment artefacts. At the same time, the price for those artefacts are also very high; as such, ordinary cultivators would not even think of willingly going there even if they knew about the place…..”
Speaking until here, Shi Yulan subconsciously tried to take out a jade strip containing the map of Revolving Jade City from her ring. However, it suddenly showed a self-deprecating smile. Apart from the set of robes over her body, she did not have any other things. However, she continued to speak, “The Ice Wind Merchant House is located near the gate of the North City District of the Revolving Jade City. When you get there, just ask any local cultivator, and they will point it out to you.”
Ning Cheng nodded and spoke, “You go back and tell Lan Ya to not come out during this time. I’ll bring you and Lan Ya a ring tomorrow.”
Shi Yulan also did not refuse, in a city within the starry skies, without a ring and without a weapon; it would only result in death. To say nothing about participating in the try-outs in such a condition.
Shi Yulan had just left when Jing Wuming arrived at the door to Ning Cheng’s room.
Ning Cheng opened the restriction and let Jing Wuming come in. Jing Wuming had already heard Shi Yulan’s words, while Ning Cheng also knew that Jing Wuming had stood by the other side of the door to listen. Because of this, Ning Cheng had deliberately not activated the Sound Isolating Restriction over the door, all to let Jing Wuming hear the contents of the discussion. To clear the misunderstandings between two people, the first step was to make sure both parties knew what the misconceptions were.
However, between Jing Wuming and Shi Yulan, there were no misunderstandings at all. For both of them, it was a father’s vendetta; as such, Ning Cheng had no way to resolve such a situation.
“I heard it all.” After Jin
g Wuming came in, those were the first words he spoke.
Ning Cheng gave a sigh, “I don’t know how to help you. Since you and Shi Yulan had a very close relationship, you will have to figure out some way to deal with it yourself.”
Jing Wuming’s face no longer showed the torment and agitation that he showed before; even his tone had become calm and steady. “Xiaocheng, this is the end of the matter. There is no right or wrong about this matter. By all accounts, I should have killed her for revenge; however, I could not get down to doing such a thing. Her parents and her entire family perished at the hands of my Kun Lun Academy, and yet she did not lay a hand over me. The only thing I feel sorry about is the lost lives of brother and sisters of the Kun Lun Academy. I….”
“The dead are already dead, Wuming, I shouldn’t need to say any more of this matter. However, even if there were no Shi Yulan, the Kun Lun Academy would still have such a side; eventually, such a thing was bound to happen. If it were just general hatred and distaste, then it would have been fine; however, hatred wasn’t even an option, as even children were also not spared from death.” Ning Cheng gave out a deep sigh.
When he had gone to the Red Star Sword Faction for revenge, he took the initiative to allow the cultivators unrelated to the Red Star Sword Faction to escape. When the Kun Lun Academy destroyed her family, they did not even spare the children. What was more important was that the two sides did not have any enmity between them. Replaced by Ning Cheng, in the face of such evil actions, he would also not have chosen to endure it.
“Wuming, don’t overthink about it. I wanted to tell you something. I originally planned to ask you and Lan Ya for help in ambushing Miao Pu. However, I have seen Miao Pu’s cultivation, which should be at least in the Undead Realm. If we tried to ambush him, it would only prove extremely difficult. With the addition of Shang Mou Celestial River King in the Revolving Jade City, I suggest that you stay put in the Bright Gist Resting Pen for this month and do not casually venture out. If there is something else, wait till the selection rounds are over.” Ning Cheng’s tone turned more cautious this time. At this moment, many things were piling up over each other. In case of an accident, the few of them would not even have the chance to run away.
The Gate Of Good Fortune c1-905 Page 412