Chapter 18: 18 The Second Path

Chapter 18: 18. The Second Path

That night, Ning Xuan slept as usual.

He had already "demonstrated his uniqueness to his father." Surely, his father would give more thought to him when picking up this chess piece. If it still came to this—if his father still insisted he go to the Hanzhou Ranch to marry the Qin family's concubine-born daughter—then so be it.

His father controlled the big picture; if his father made a judgment, it was naturally considered from the perspective of the grand scheme.

Though Ning Xuan could not yet see it clearly, he would simply cooperate.

He would not, in a situation of extreme information scarcity, arrogantly assume that his own thoughts were correct.

That would only place the Ning family in an extremely dangerous position.

He slept until dawn.

The scent of a woman still lingered on him.

Just after Ning Xuan finished breakfast, a servant came to announce: "Young Master, the Master is looking for you."

Ning Xuan responded and arrived at the study for the third time.

Ning Taiyi stared intently at him and said in a complex tone, "Xuan'er, I must admit that you may be a martial arts prodigy encountered once in a hundred years. Now, I give you two choices."

Ning Xuan nodded.

Ning Taiyi continued, "First, from this day forward, you may flaunt your martial prowess and expand your reputation. This way, after you go to the Hanzhou Ranch, you will not be despised simply for being a known profligate. At that time, perhaps you can carve out a world of your own through your abilities.

However, it is also fraught with extreme danger. A concubine's daughter is ultimately not a legitimate daughter, and she will never be content with being just a concubine's daughter. If you are merely a profligate, then the daughter will have been beaten to the bottom by the Qin family, her every hope extinguished. Fortune rests upon calamity; in this way, you may attain peace and wealth.

But if you are not, if you perform to your full potential, the daughter will surely develop ambitions. At that time, you will inevitably be sucked into the vortex. You will either go all the way to the end, or die without a burial place halfway through. This is called 'calamity lurking within fortune'—it looks grand and magnificent, but in reality, it is surrounded by crises.

But since you possess such power, you will not be content. If you choose this path, my advice to you is to display your martial arts, but not too much. Do not let that Qin Jin'er explode with ambition because of it. Only in this way can you preserve yourself and protect the Ning family."

Ning Xuan shook his head.

He didn't particularly want to get involved in other people's messy affairs—the daily schemes, the constant playing it safe, and having to act like a submissive grandson.

He wanted to "let things rot," but he didn't want to become a pile of rotting shit.

So, he asked, "What about the second one?"

Ning Taiyi fell silent for a moment before saying, "The second path requires you to do one thing first. Once you have accomplished it, I will tell you. Otherwise, you had better obediently follow the first path."

Ning Xuan nodded and said, "I'll do it."

Ning Taiyi clapped his hands.

Suddenly, a flash of golden light erupted from the ground beside him. As the light dissipated, a Taoist priest in purple robes wearing a bronze ghost mask appeared.

The Taoist was otherworldly; standing there, he possessed a sense of transcendence, yet the bronze ghost mask added a touch of ferocity and horror.

Upon appearing, the purple-robed Taoist made an unexpected movement.

He pressed his hand against the mask, casually removed it, and revealed a terrifying face.

The skin was torn and festering, pitted and uneven, destroyed beyond recognition.

Yet, even with such a face, he flashed a smile at Ning Xuan, then put the mask back on, saying, "My name is Chou Nu. Thanks to Mr. Taiyi, I have been able to reach this stage. I am now considered the Celestial Master of Wangyue Prefecture and the surrounding twenty-eight townships and nine counties. In private, you may call me Chou Nu, but in front of outsiders, simply call me Celestial Master."

Ning Xuan recognized the voice.

This was the person who had called himself "Big Brother" yesterday.

In other words, this was his elder brother.

Big Brother was truly miserable.

For a moment, Ning Xuan felt that his father was definitely biased toward him.

Ning Taiyi said, "Xuan'er, I will say nothing until you have completed that task. But I hope you know that Chou Nu is not an outsider. Treat him... as you would an elder brother. In private, you are not allowed to call him Chou Nu."

The purple-robed Taoist laughed. "Just call me Chou Nu; Chou Nu is better."

"Big Brother," Ning Xuan said, performing a solemn bow.

Suddenly, the air went silent.

For a split second, Ning Taiyi was stunned.

For a split second, the purple-robed Taoist's eyes turned red.

But it was only for a moment.

After that moment, the purple-robed Taoist bowed and said, "As expected of Mr. Taiyi's son, possessing the same humility toward the talented as the Master himself."

Ning Taiyi seemed quite happy and laughed heartily, "You are no mere humble scholar; you are the greatest cultivation genius I have seen in my entire life."

Having said that, he looked solemnly at Ning Xuan again. "Xuan'er, remember, you can always trust Chou Nu. Chou Nu will not harm you... In fact, you might not know this, but Chou Nu actually watched you grow up. However, he only watched from a distance and never approached you."

Ning Xuan nodded.

Ning Taiyi waved his hand. "The thing you must do is serve as Chou Nu's Taoist disciple for a time.

Chou Nu will give you the details.

Only after you pass can I truly be certain that once you step into the true side of this world, you will not die easily."

Ning Xuan looked at the purple-robed Taoist.

Chou Nu said, "Young Master, arrangements must be made first. I will come find you in one month."

Ning Xuan said, "I will wait for you."

Chou Nu's figure flickered, golden light surged from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished without a trace.

Starting the next day, Ning Xuan began training twice as hard.

He performed frog jumps while carrying boulders as large as small hills; he performed the "One-Finger Zen" on cliffside boulders using only a single finger on the soles of his feet; he performed battle rope exercises by gripping python-sized ropes with both hands; he attempted to uproot small hills by gripping them tightly with both arms; he leaped from great heights to endure the powerful recoil... And, of course, there was long-distance running, push-ups, sit-ups, and practicing the Swallow Returning Stance to prevent his strength from becoming "dead strength."

He took a blade and continuously practiced the "Flying Swallow Crushing Mountains" technique.

He pondered deeply, attempting to find a trace of mystery within the Mountain-Crashing Bear's demonic arts so that he could execute the "Flying Swallow Crushing Mountains" without having to summon the Heavenly Demon Register.

Days passed...

Through grueling training, Ning Xuan's constitution changed from its original "2.2" to "3.0," and the bonus from the Mountain-Crashing Bear's Heavenly Demon Register decreased to "1.7."

After summoning the Heavenly Demon Register, his physique could now fully withstand the transformation without mutating further.

Not only that, but Ning Xuan truly found a trace of the "Flying Swallow Crushing Mountains" momentum within those demonic arts. That momentum was profound and mysterious, rooted in the flesh and blood, and could only be realized through an extremely clear understanding of the Mountain-Crashing Bear.

Ning Xuan did not know exactly what this power was.

But demonic arts were clearly no longer suitable.

Soon, a month had passed.

Chou Nu arrived on time.

He tossed Ning Xuan a set of wide-sleeved, cross-collared blue Taoist robes and a matching bronze ghost mask.

"Put them on. Until Mr. Taiyi is certain you can walk the second path, your identity cannot be exposed." Chou Nu thought for a moment and added, "From today on, I shall temporarily call you Qingfeng. I apologize, Young Master, but you must serve as my Taoist disciple."

Ning Xuan had seen Taoist disciples before.

That day, the yellow-robed Taoist had hovered in mid-air, eyes closed, performing a spell called "Golden Snake Entwining Demon."

Two Taoist disciples had been guarding beside him, holding swords, looking left and right with tension and vigilance.

Now, it was his turn.

Ning Xuan quickly put on the disciple's clothing and donned the mask.

Chou Nu asked, "You use a blade, correct?"

Ning Xuan nodded. "I learned from Master Zhang, the Wind-Chasing Swallow Blade."

Chou Nu said, "Then a nimble long blade will suffice."

Ning Xuan shook his head.

Chou Nu showed a look of confusion.

Ning Xuan said, "I use a beast-slaying blade. The longer, the better; the larger, the better."