Ning Yuzhou briefly mentioned the matters he had learned from Feng Sanniang, yet even this left Emperor Chenghao utterly shocked.
“So that’s how it is.”
A sense of clarity washed over Emperor Chenghao, and he finally understood why so many foreign cultivators had appeared in the Lintai Hunting Valley this time. It could be said that the cultivators of Dongling were caught in an unprovoked disaster, unlucky enough to encounter the Sacred Martial Hall searching for the Chosen One. They were treated as prey by these foreign cultivators.
But even so, what could they say? Could they possibly blame the Sacred Martial Hall for seeking the Chosen One?
The matter of the Chosen One had always been of immense importance, affecting the entire Sacred Martial Continent. A small place like Dongling had no say in the matter.
Moreover, with the status of the Sacred Martial Hall, a tiny territory like Dongling had no one capable of challenging it, let alone the fact that Ning Zhezhou was already listed as a candidate for the Chosen One on the Sacred Martial Hall.
Recalling his earlier conversation with the disciples of the Sacred Martial Hall, Yin Xingheng and his junior brothers, Emperor Chenghao let out a faint sigh in his heart.
Once Emperor Chenghao finally composed himself, he noticed Ning Yuzhou, appearing completely indifferent to the situation. He was polishing a flowerpot carved from spirit jade using a piece of scarlet sandrock. His every movement was leisurely and serene, exuding a sense of calm that seemed to dispel all worldly troubles.
The agitation and complexity in Emperor Chenghao’s heart caused by the matters of the Sacred Martial Hall gradually subsided.
He smiled and asked, “What are you carving a flowerpot out of spirit jade for?”
“It naturally has its purpose.”
Only then did Emperor Chenghao notice the white jade pot on the table and the demonic rabbit gnawing on a spiritual pill, leaving him momentarily stunned.
The tiny sapling in the white jade pot tried its best to pretend it was just an ordinary blade of grass, staying perfectly still, its act thoroughly convincing.
The demonic rabbit showed no interest in Emperor Chenghao. Snuggling next to the white jade pot, it licked the spiritual pill and glanced at the little sapling, appearing tame and harmless. No one would suspect that this seemingly innocuous rabbit was, in fact, a mutated sixth-tier demonic rabbit, extraordinarily fierce.
Whether it was the little sapling in the white jade pot or the demonic rabbit chewing on the spiritual pill, both appeared so mundane that they were hardly worth a second glance. Emperor Chenghao couldn’t see anything special about them.
However, since they were here, it was clear they belonged to Ning Yuzhou.
Emperor Chenghao only gave them a quick look before losing interest. He then asked, “Why don’t I see your wife?”
“We got separated,” Ning Yuzhou replied indifferently.
Emperor Chenghao was stunned again. “When did this happen? Where did you get separated?” After asking, he quickly realized something and his expression became subtle. He couldn’t help but glance at his youngest son, only to see his calm demeanor, still gentle and unperturbed, without any signs of anxiety or sorrow.
For a moment, Emperor Chenghao doubted his own suspicions.
“Xiao Qi, your wife…” He hesitated, as if afraid of poking at his son’s potential heartbreak.
Although Ning Yuzhou didn’t want to explain further, he couldn’t let his father make random guesses, so he reluctantly said, “Ah Chuo and I got separated in a demon cultivator’s cave in the Lintai Hunting Valley, but I know she’s still alive. You don’t need to worry.”
Wen Qiao, hearing Ning Yuzhou’s words, nearly wanted to move her leaves to indicate that she was indeed alive so that her father-in-law wouldn’t worry.
Still alive, but missing… Could it be…
“Was your wife captured by those foreign cultivators?” Emperor Chenghao’s expression darkened.
Previously, when Ning Huayuan discovered the foreign cultivators, quite a few of them fled toward Lintai Mountain. Due to their large numbers, they could only capture a portion of them, while many others escaped. Although they had sent people into Lintai Mountain to search, those who managed to escape under everyone’s watchful eyes were undoubtedly of high cultivation. By now, they had likely fled Dongling.
Ning Yuzhou hadn’t expected his father to imagine such a scenario, which saved him the trouble of making up an excuse to cover for Ah Chuo. Hence, he didn’t bother to explain further.
This silent attitude only reinforced Emperor Chenghao’s suspicions, prompting him to sigh and comfort his son. “Don’t worry, I’ll send people to look for her. Believe me, your wife is blessed by heaven and will surely be fine…”
The more Emperor Chenghao spoke, the more uncertain he felt.
Those foreign cultivators who had escaped were of extremely high cultivation levels. Could Wen Qiao, a low-level female cultivator at the Entry Yuan Stage, possibly have survived? Even if she had, her poor health made it hard to imagine where she could have fled. The world beyond Dongling was vast, filled with countless cultivators and innumerable powerful figures. For a low-level female cultivator with a frail constitution like Wen Qiao, her fate was all too predictable.
Ning Yuzhou glanced at him, his gaze flickering slightly, and said, “I’ll go look for her myself.”
“What?” Emperor Chenghao was shocked. “You’ve decided to go by yourself? Absolutely not! Xiao Qi, you’ve endured all these years; you can endure for one more year. Wait until the seal in your body is lifted, and then you…”
“It’s already been lifted,” Ning Yuzhou interrupted.
Emperor Chenghao froze for a moment, then quickly thought of something and anxiously asked, “Lifted? How could that be? Isn’t there still one more year? What about your body…”
Ning Yuzhou quickly reassured his worried father with a gentle tone. “Don’t worry, Father. There’s nothing wrong. I can cultivate now.”
Ning Yuzhou had long prepared an excuse for the early removal of the seal in his body, attributing it to a fortunate opportunity he had encountered in the demon cultivator’s cave, which allowed him to begin cultivating ahead of time. He didn’t disclose that it was related to Wen Qiao’s blood essence. Although he trusted his father, Ning Yuzhou had no intention of letting anyone outside himself know about Wen Qiao’s extraordinary bloodline for now.
Hearing this, Emperor Chenghao felt much more at ease and was extremely pleased.
He had always thought his son would have to wait until adulthood to begin cultivating. By then, the reputation of being a “waste” would be washed away as he rose to fame. The excuse would be simple: the Ning family’s alchemists had finally refined a detoxification pill that cured the poison, allowing his Yuan Spiritual Root to recover.
This was why they had publicly claimed that his Yuan Spiritual Root had been damaged by poisoning in the first place.
“In that case, return to the imperial city and focus on your cultivation. Once you’ve reached the Yuan Martial Stage, then you can go out,” Emperor Chenghao said, worried that his son’s low cultivation level would make him vulnerable to harm in the outside world.
In Dongling, the Ning royal family held absolute authority. Even though Ning Yuzhou had been unable to cultivate for years and was labeled a “waste,” no one dared to bully him. However, the outside world was different. The Ning family’s influence was negligible beyond Dongling. If a Ning family member ventured out, they could no longer rely on the family’s protection and would have to rely on their own strength.
This was why Emperor Chenghao was reluctant to let Ning Yuzhou leave to search for Wen Qiao.
Ning Yuzhou replied, “I will return to the imperial city first and head out after some time.”
Hearing this, Emperor Chenghao realized that his son already had plans. Knowing that this son of his had always been independent and required little of his concern, he finally felt more at ease. He comforted him again, saying, “Your wife will surely be fine. She’ll definitely be waiting for you to find her. Since you care for her so deeply, she wouldn’t bear to leave you…”
Wen Qiao couldn’t stop her leaves from trembling slightly, almost causing her entire sapling to blush.
She felt utterly embarrassed. How could a father-in-law speak such things in front of his daughter-in-law? She had never known that the normally dignified Emperor Chenghao was such a loving and gentle father in front of Ning Yuzhou, able to say such mortifying things without hesitation.
What made her even more flustered was that Ning Yuzhou, while looking straight at her, actually agreed. “Yes, Ah Chuo would never bear to leave me.”
Wen Qiao: “…”
Emperor Chenghao then added, looking gratified, “You’ve waited so long for her, from her childhood until she came of age, even urging me to issue an imperial decree to arrange your marriage. In the past, you always stayed in the forbidden grounds, training alchemists and talisman makers for the Ning family. If it weren’t to protect her, you wouldn’t have left her alone in the Wen family. I always felt guilty toward Wen Boqing, but thankfully, the Wen family didn’t dare mistreat her publicly…”
Wen Qiao: “…”
This was too much information for her to process. She felt like she needed time to recover.
Ning Yuzhou still wore his usual gentle smile, his warm eyes brimming with amusement as he watched the tiny sapling’s leaves curl up involuntarily. With a soft, bashful tone, he said, “Father, please don’t talk about this anymore. Ah Chuo doesn’t know about it yet.”
Emperor Chenghao chuckled in response, taking a sip of tea from the table. Suddenly, he let out a surprised exclamation. “Xiao Qi, why has this grass changed color?”
Just moments ago, it had been a tender green, clearly a newly sprouted sapling. But now, faint traces of red had begun to seep into the green, giving it an odd and eerie appearance.
Emperor Chenghao thought of something and exclaimed, “Could it be some high-grade spiritual herb?”
Wen Qiao: “…”
Wen Qiao dared not move a muscle, continuing to pretend to be an ordinary weed. Her reddish hue quickly faded away.
Emperor Chenghao observed, “Indeed, the color changed again.”
Wen Qiao felt a wave of exhaustion in her heart.
Ning Yuzhou found it amusing but said calmly, “Perhaps. I haven’t figured out what kind of spiritual herb it is yet, but it’s definitely extraordinary.”
Emperor Chenghao was somewhat surprised. He had always known his son to have exceptionally high standards—not out of arrogance or conceit, but because his vision was broad, and anything unremarkable simply failed to catch his eye. It was understandable, given that after awakening his bloodline powers, Ning Yuzhou possessed a complete bloodline inheritance with vast knowledge. His understanding likely surpassed that of even the top sects on the Sacred Martial Continent.
If something could gain Ning Yuzhou’s affirmation, then this spiritual herb must indeed be remarkable.
Emperor Chenghao now viewed the tiny sapling in the white jade pot with great esteem. Having already noticed the mutated sixth-tier demonic rabbit chewing on a spiritual pill with nonchalance, he was completely calm about the situation.
As expected of his son—sharp-eyed and skilled at recognizing spiritual treasures. Truly remarkable!
The demonic rabbit: ▼-▼ It was only here because it was attracted by the spiritual pill and the sapling…
After discussing this, Emperor Chenghao brought up Yin Xingheng and his fellow disciples from the Sacred Martial Hall.
“According to Young Master Yin, Zhezhou has been selected as a candidate for the Chosen One by the Sacred Martial Hall. He will soon leave Dongling with Yin Xingheng and his fellow disciples to undergo tests at the Sacred Martial Hall. In the future…” At this point, Emperor Chenghao frowned slightly.
Every ten years, the Sacred Martial Hall would reveal a name—the candidate for the Chosen One. After passing a series of trials, if the candidate earned the full recognition of the Sacred Martial Hall, they would enter a mysterious realm. It was said that the tasks undertaken by these Chosen Ones were of critical importance to the survival of the Sacred Martial Continent. Once selected, none could refuse the summons of the Sacred Martial Hall.
As for what they were required to do, outsiders had no way of knowing. Such matters were secrets of the Sacred Martial Hall, and the outside world had only limited knowledge of them.
“Your third brother’s departure may mean he won’t return for a long time.”
Emperor Chenghao sighed softly. Ning Zhezhou was the Ning family’s meticulously cultivated elite disciple. If the emperor were to step down in the future, Ning Zhezhou would naturally become the family patriarch. Who could have anticipated such a turn of events? While being chosen as the Chosen One was undoubtedly an immense honor, it also meant leaving the family behind indefinitely, with no guarantee of safety or survival.
It was both an honor and a danger.
In fact, once Ning Zhezhou left with Yin Xingheng and the others, he could no longer truly be considered a member of the Ning family.
Emperor Chenghao looked at Ning Yuzhou and, after a brief hesitation, couldn’t resist asking, “Xiao Qi, what do you think of the Sacred Martial Hall?”
Ning Yuzhou replied evenly, “I don’t know. I’ve never had contact with the Sacred Martial Hall, so I know very little. I also don’t know how the Chosen One is selected or what they are meant to do.” After a pause, he continued, “Since the matter has already been decided, the Sacred Martial Hall will naturally provide compensation. Father, you needn’t worry too much. If the opportunity arises, I’ll check on Third Brother and see how he’s doing.”
Hearing this, Emperor Chenghao felt somewhat reassured.
Relieved, Emperor Chenghao sat for a while longer and casually brought up Ning Yuzhou’s recent command for the Qianlin Guards to apprehend Sun Hongmao.
After learning the whole story, Emperor Chenghao’s expression was difficult to read. In a cold voice, he said, “You did exactly the right thing. For Sun Hongmao to dare harm you and Ah Chuo in such a way, he must not be let off lightly. As for Yaozhu, she cannot escape blame either. When we return, she will be handed over to the Judicial Hall. Her cultivation will be abolished, and she will start anew.”
Ning Yuzhou nodded slightly, saying nothing more.
Since the people from the Sacred Martial Hall were still present, Emperor Chenghao, having ensured his son was well, soon took his leave.
Later, the Qianlin Guards brought in several storage bags, reportedly filled with compensation gifts from the Sun family.
Ning Yuzhou casually rummaged through them, picking out a few items of interest to himself and instructing the rest to be sent to the Ning family’s stewards as communal property.
—
On the night following the end of the Lintai Hunting Valley training, many cultivators at the camps below Lintai Mountain remained sleepless for a long time.
Whether it was the slaughter of Dongling cultivators by foreign cultivators or the arrival of Yin Xingheng and his fellow disciples, a shadow had been cast over the hearts of Dongling’s cultivators. Unfortunately, even as they broke camp and departed Lintai Mountain, most of them, apart from the Ning family and the senior members of a few major families, still had no idea why Yin Xingheng and his companions had come.
Wen Mei, though one of the few who knew, dared not speak recklessly due to the gravity of the matter.
Sitting in a demonic beast carriage, Wen Mei lifted the curtain to look outside.
Her gaze fell on the Ning family’s demonic beast carriage ahead, and her expression darkened as she thought of something.
“Ah Mei, do you think Ah Chuo really died in the Lintai Hunting Valley?” Wen Xian asked. “When we left earlier, the Seventh Prince boarded the carriage alone. I didn’t see Ah Chuo anywhere.”
“I don’t know,” Wen Mei said flatly, clearly unwilling to say more.
Wen Xian’s eyes darted around as she continued, “Ah Chuo really was pitiful. She had just gotten married and then died in the Lintai Hunting Valley. She shouldn’t have gone. I heard that the Sun family, to atone to the Ning family, has already dealt with Sun Hongmao, and even the Ninth Princess is now under the custody of the Qianlin Guards…”
Wen Mei frowned and said sharply, “Didn’t the Seventh Prince say that Ah Chuo was merely separated from him? Why talk so much?”
Wen Xian’s face stiffened at the reprimand, but she chuckled awkwardly and said in a sarcastic tone, “I’m only worried about Ah Chuo. Why are you snapping at me? By the way, I heard that those Yin brothers are from some mysterious sect, and they’ve come to Dongling to select disciples. The Third Prince was chosen as one of their disciples and left with them last night. Who knows when he’ll return? You’re still engaged, after all…”
Wen Mei pretended not to hear and closed her eyes to feign sleep, though her mind wandered back to what had happened the previous night.
Late at night, she had received a voice transmission from Ning Zhezhou, asking to meet her in a small grove near Lintai Mountain.
Wen Mei naturally went.
The grove was not dark under the moonlight. The silvery light bathed the handsome man standing there, softening the contours of his features and lending him an ethereal glow.
Though they were engaged, the ten-year age gap and disparity in cultivation meant they barely saw each other and were essentially strangers.
This time, Ning Zhezhou had asked her to meet in order to discuss dissolving their engagement.
Wen Mei had anticipated this the moment she learned that Ning Zhezhou was the candidate chosen by the Sacred Martial Hall. Thus, when he brought it up, she felt unusually calm and even accepted it naturally.
Ning Zhezhou’s gaze held some guilt as he said, “I am leaving this time, and I do not know when I will return. In the future, I may not… This engagement was arranged by our elders, but I do not wish to delay Miss Wen because of my own circumstances. If fate allows us to meet again and we are both willing, we can consider forming a dual cultivation alliance then.”
Wen Mei was somewhat surprised. She understood why Ning Zhezhou wanted to end the engagement. With his uncertain future, the engagement had become insignificant and unnecessary to maintain. What surprised her was his additional suggestion, which sounded like a form of compensation.
Did he feel guilty about failing to rescue her in time in the demon cultivator’s cave, nearly causing her death?
Wen Mei, however, thought he was overthinking.
Although they were engaged, they had barely interacted and had no feelings for each other. Besides, after experiencing multiple brushes with death, she had come to realize that rather than relying on men, she preferred to pursue an unrestrained path to becoming a strong cultivator, yearning for the broader world beyond.
He had his path as the Chosen One, and she had her path to strength.
In the end, they amicably agreed to dissolve the engagement and returned the betrothal tokens to one another.
After the engagement was annulled, Ning Zhezhou departed Dongling that same night with the Yin brothers.