Chapter 30: 30 and Ready to Slacker Off Again

Chapter 30: 30. Time to Slacker Again

In the Ning Estate, inside a carriage.

The situation on the chessboard was already clear.

As Master Ning placed his final stone, there were no moves left.

The scholar did not bother to count the score, stating coldly, "Mr. Taiyi, you have lost by thirty-seven moves."

Master Ning stroked his beard and laughed. "I am old, old, Scholar. You let me win."

The scholar frowned as he watched his smile.

To lose without acting like a beaten dog was, in itself, a manifestation of character.

But character required a foundation of strength to support it.

Master Ning's foundation lay in Manfeng Mountain.

If one wins outside the game, the game itself is merely a game; winning or losing no longer matters.

A thought flickered in the scholar's mind, and he suddenly realized something. He said coldly, "Mr. Taiyi, your people ended up consuming the demons of Manfeng Mountain ahead of schedule after all. You have collected the Dragon Qi and gained your leverage. May I know why?"

Manager Zhao, who was sitting nearby, turned his gaze over as well. His round, smiling face had turned incredibly grim, as cold as a piece of iron.

It could be said that if Ning Taiyi failed to answer this question correctly, the Ning family would be utterly finished.

No one likes it when a settled matter is overturned.

Ning Taiyi bowed slightly and cupped his hands toward Manager Zhao. "This time was my mistake. Please allow me to disembark first so I may arrange a banquet to offer my apologies."

Immediately after, he looked at the scholar and chuckled. "Scholar, do not let your anger flare. I shall explain everything clearly, one by one."

Manager Zhao frowned impatiently and said bluntly, "Old Ning, you've broken the rules. What is there left to explain?"

Just as his last word fell, the sound of hurried footsteps and the clashing of metal scales suddenly came from outside the carriage.

The black-armored soldiers blocking the gates of the Ning Estate felt their hair stand on end and snapped to attention.

Not far away, a golden light surged from the ground.

Within the golden light, two masked figures emerged.

The black-armored soldiers stared at the masked Taoist boy, who was carrying a saber across his shoulders, as if facing a formidable enemy. Some even placed their hands on the hilts of the blades at their waists.

In their eyes, this masked Taoist boy possessed such a surging aura of vitality that it was as if rolling smoke was emanating from him.

As the masked boy took a step forward, their bodies tensed further; it was only their military discipline that prevented them from retreating.

The leader of the black-armored soldiers asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?!"

At that moment, the curtain was lifted.

The three people inside the carriage cast their gazes outward.

Master Ning saw his two returning sons and finally let out a long, long, long sigh of relief. He would rather die himself than see these two sons die.

The scholar closed his eyes slightly, raised his hand to pick up a stone, and slowly released the chess jar.

The masked Taoist boy did not answer.

In the distance, the Ugly Slave cupped his hands and spoke respectfully, using the etiquette of a subordinate to a superior: "Mr. Taiyi, on Manfeng Mountain, Qingfeng and I were intercepted by another Celestial Master and a Taoist boy."

Inside the carriage, the scholar's hand paused for a moment upon hearing this, but only for a moment; his ability to maintain composure was significant.

The Ugly Slave continued, "Those two were aiding the wicked and assisting the demons, so Qingfeng and I killed them."

As he spoke, Ning Xuan threw a large sack from his back directly outward.

Blood-stained, shattered heavy crossbows, fragments of purple robes, and scattered personal ornaments fell all over the ground.

*Clack.*

The chess piece in the scholar's hand was startled and fell, hitting the board before bouncing off and rolling into a dark corner.

The scholar hurriedly leaned over to pick it up.

Master Ning suddenly looked at Manager Zhao, his face full of indignation. "Manager Zhao! Speaking of which, am I not one of General Qin's men?"

Manager Zhao was also stunned. He looked at the scholar who was bending over to pick up the chess piece, his brow furrowing, before letting out a hollow laugh and raising a hand to calm the situation. "Alright, alright, Old Ning. Let's investigate clearly first."

As he spoke, he looked toward the two figures in the distance, his gaze finally landing on the masked Taoist boy.

He recognized the Ugly Slave, but he did not recognize this one.

From their conversation, he had grasped the gist of the matter: To ensure nothing went wrong, the Scholar had sent his trusted subordinates to stand by at Manfeng Mountain. If Ning Taiyi dared to send the Ugly Slave to exterminate the demons, the subordinates would strike from the shadows, using a borrowed knife to kill, and then depart without a trace. Such a matter would be impossible to bring to light due to a lack of evidence. But now, the plan had gone awry.

He was very curious as to how it had gone wrong.

His intuition told him that the problem lay with this masked Taoist boy.

He tilted his head and asked curiously, "And this one is?"

Master Ning smiled. "Xuan'er, why haven't you taken off your mask and come over to greet... Uncle Zhao?"

The masked Taoist boy immediately removed his mask, revealing the face of a youth.

Ning Xuan shouted from a distance, "Uncle Zhao!"

Manager Zhao nodded blankly, then looked at Master Ning and said, "This..."

Master Ning said, "There is no demonic aura on my son, is there?"

Manager Zhao stared for a long while before shaking his head.

Master Ning continued, "This trip to Manfeng Mountain was taken by my son and the Ugly Slave together. My son acted as the Taoist boy."

Manager Zhao's Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly understood what Ning Taiyi was trying to do.

Master Ning said, "If you don't believe me, would you like to have someone test him?"

Manager Zhao glanced at the dozen or so black-armored soldiers, intending to tell them to test Ning Xuan's strength, but he immediately saw the heavy sweat on the leader's brow and the extremely nervous expressions of the men behind him.

He was not a martial artist.

But these dozen or so men were certainly not weak martial artists.

He glanced again at the shattered crossbow and the purple robe, which were still stained with blood.

He knew perfectly well that if the Scholar had sent people, he must have calculated a certain victory.

In other words, it should have been impossible for the Ugly Slave to be killed by those two.

So...

Manager Zhao completely understood Ning Taiyi's intention. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. "This matter is of great importance. I do not have the final say..."

Master Ning said, "I am also considered one of General Qin's men, which is why I am letting you look into this first. If I weren't, I wouldn't have hesitated to take Xuan'er straight to the Imperial Capital."

Manager Zhao said hurriedly, "I understand, I understand."

Then, he looked at Ning Xuan and said, "Nephew, perform a single strike."

Ning Xuan nodded and wasted no words. He instantly drew his blade and performed a single *Yan He* strike against the air.

A piercing, extreme hum immediately rang out through the air.

The expressions of the nearby black-armored soldiers changed drastically.

Manager Zhao was a man of discernment.

He looked at Ning Xuan with a serious expression, sizing him up, and then said, "Nephew is truly a young hero; your future is limitless."

Then, he turned back to Ning Taiyi. "Old Ning, the General will certainly investigate the ambush at Manfeng Mountain and provide an explanation. As for Nephew Ning, I have already learned of it. There will be a response by the end of the month at the latest. As for the handover before the end of next month, it will certainly be postponed, but I do not have the authority to decide that. Allow me to report to the General first. Rest assured, General Qin is a man who cherishes talent, and since you are considered part of the General's Estate, you won't come to harm."

Ning Taiyi nodded. "Then I shall trouble you, Brother Zhao."

The smile lines on Manager Zhao's fat face fully expanded as he cupped his hands. "Brother Ning is too polite."

Then, he glanced at the scholar who was still searching for his chess piece and called out, "Scholar?"

The scholar did not answer.

He called again, "Scholar, have you found the chess piece?"

Seeing that he could not avoid it, the scholar mumbled indistinctly, "It's hard to find..."

Manager Zhao said, "You can go back and tell the General about that yourself."

A moment later...

The soldiers of General Qin's Estate, who had arrived to demand accountability, departed in a hurry.

Inside the study of the Ning Estate...

After the Ugly Slave explained the details of the incident to Master Ning, Master Ning looked at Ning Xuan in astonishment.

How did he not know his son had been raised like this?

But after the astonishment came a heart full of gratification and joy.

His furrowed brows smoothed out, and his solemn face broke into a smile.

He praised repeatedly, "Good, good, good."

Only then did the Ugly Slave speak. "Mr. Taiyi, Young Master Ning possesses extraordinary talent and will surely be valued by the Emperor. Why must we speak to General Qin first and then have him report upwards?"

His question was somewhat abrupt and tinged with annoyance.

Master Ning stroked his beard and laughed.

How could he not know what kind of person the Ugly Slave was?

The Ugly Slave wasn't asking for himself; he was asking on behalf of Ning Xuan, helping him vent his frustration.

Ning Xuan was a youth with a strong temperament. He had previously been unwilling to live under someone else's roof. Showing such prowess now was surely his way of saying, "The Emperor is first, and I am second." He was undoubtedly thinking, "I could clearly become a General myself, so why do I have to go through this damn General Qin?"

Thus, Master Ning said, "Before the Dragon Qi was obtained, the government was already incredibly complex. Now that we have the Dragon Qi, it is even more unimaginable. Neither the puppet Imperial Court on the surface nor the true Imperial Court at its core are easy to deal with. I have struggled my whole life and still haven't seen through the intricacies or gauged how deep these waters truly are. The various major powers are constantly entangling with one another... Xuan'er has talent, but his background is shallow."

The Ugly Slave said irritably, "What if his background is shallow? Who didn't fight their way up? Thirty years east, thirty years west—do not look down on a youth for being poor! Mr. Taiyi, are you perhaps underestimating the Young Master?"

As the two spoke, they were both secretly watching Ning Xuan.

However, the expression on Ning Xuan's face was somewhat anxious.

Master Ning couldn't help but ask, "Xuan'er, what... are you thinking about?"

Ning Xuan finally let out a sigh and said, "I was thinking, can I move house?"

"Move house?" Master Ning asked in surprise. "Where do you want to move to?"

Ning Xuan said seriously, "My killing intent was too heavy this time. I want to move to Wangyue Prefecture. That way, I can frequently go to the Zen Monastery to burn incense and use the tranquility of the monastery to wash away the killing intent in my heart."

Master Ning looked at the Ugly Slave.

The Ugly Slave nodded; he had seen Ning Xuan's killing intent and knew his brother was not exaggerating.

Master Ning thought about it and felt it was fine.

He had operated in Wangyue Prefecture for nearly thirty years, and it was filled with his people; moreover, his son was so formidable.

His son was becoming sensible.

Master Ning felt immensely gratified.

"Pack your things and go," Master Ning said with a relieved wave of his hand. He didn't even ask where his son would move to.

The entire Wangyue Prefecture was his eyes and ears; why bother asking?

He left immediately.

A demon slayer by day, a visitor to the Fragrant Pavilion by night.

Xiao Jie stopped the carriage, glanced at the Young Master, and asked, "Didn't you say you were going to worship the Bodhisattva?"

Ning Xuan replied, "I'm going to worship a female Bodhisattva."

With that, he walked briskly toward the distant, brightly lit, and incense-filled paradise.

(End of Chapter)