Chapter 3691: Sword Fighting Across the Realm (30)
Chapter 3691: Sword Fighting Across the Realm (30)
When expensive jewelry began to appear on the heads of the young miss's personal maids, the steward could no longer sit idly by. He knelt outside the door and begged Qin Nianzhi to come out. If this continued, Wanjian Manor would be ruined.
Qin Nianzhi remained unmoved. Perhaps she felt that life had no meaning and her heart was cold as ashes. She didn't take the steward’s pleas to heart.
When she was hungry, food was delivered to her, which allowed her to wallow in her sentimental melancholy without a single worry.
When Ning Shu heard this news, she knew this would be the result. To Qin Nianzhi, the death of her lover was more painful than being killed herself. Some people value romance above all else. To them, nothing was more important than love.
Ning Shu ate her peanuts and only gave a sarcastic laugh.
When Yin Nanlian of Lingyun Manor learned that Ning Shu had actually left Wanjian Manor to wander the world, she immediately packed her things to go find her. Previously, her heart had been covered in scars.
Her heart, which had been wounded by Chong Xuefeng’s coldness, now began to beat vividly again. The fact that he had left Wanjian Manor meant she still had a chance. She had to try, no matter what.
Of course, Yin Nanlian wouldn't just wander aimlessly. She had her sect send her information. Every sect had its own sources of intelligence, and having a target was better than having none.
Ning Shu’s daily life was very simple. She wandered around the world, looking for the world origin while she was at it. She desperately needed the world origin to rid herself of her fugitive status.
If she ran into the adjudicator again and got shot, she would really be screwed.
Ning Shu wandered everywhere but couldn't find the world origin. She specifically chose to visit places with sinister reputations, as such locations were more likely to produce a world origin.
Since it was a treasure, there would surely be some strange phenomenon associated with it.
Ning Shu’s aimless wandering made things very difficult for Yin Nanlian. Ning Shu would leave a place just as Yin Nanlian arrived, and they were constantly missing each other. If not for her sect's intelligence reports, Yin Nanlian felt she and Ning Shu would have spent their whole lives passing each other by.
So when Yin Nanlian finally saw Ning Shu, she flipped off her horse and threw herself into Ning Shu’s arms in a disheveled state. The impact knocked Ning Shu back several steps.
Ning Shu patted Yin Nanlian’s back and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Why did you leave Wanjian Manor?" Yin Nanlian stepped out of Ning Shu’s arms and wiped her tears. "Could you really just leave Wanjian Manor and Qin Nianzhi behind?"
As soon as she said it, Yin Nanlian regretted it. She had finally met him, so why bring up the frustrating business of Wanjian Manor? She carefully watched Ning Shu’s expression. Her look amused Ning Shu, who cleared her throat and said, "I have already severed my ties with Wanjian Manor. Rescuing Qin Nianzhi was simply the final task Master entrusted to me. A master’s kindness must be repaid."
Yin Nanlian nodded. "That makes sense."
She then pulled a water skin from her horse. "This is wine brewed by our Lingyun Manor. Have a taste."
Ning Shu took a swig. It was quite crisp. "Not bad. Did you need me for something?"
"I want to travel the world with you," Yin Nanlian said directly. Now that she had seen hope again, it was simply wonderful.
"Won't your father be worried?" Ning Shu asked with a raised eyebrow. She knew Yin Nanlian wouldn't give up so easily.
"No, he won't. My father said I can come back whenever I want," Yin Nanlian said nonchalantly. Her parents weren't an obstacle. In fact, her father was very happy that Chong Xuefeng had left Wanjian Manor.
Wanjian Manor was now nothing but an empty shell. When the old leader of Lingyun Manor heard about the state of Wanjian Manor, he couldn't help but shake his head. He wondered what Qin Song’s daughter was doing all day.
The foundation of Wanjian Manor was about to be ruined in her hands. Furthermore, many people had already begun to covet the sect’s weapon workshops, and bandits frequently came to extort them.
By this time, the disciples of Wanjian Manor had almost all left. Even the head disciple was gone. Anyone with even a bit of ambition had departed. The disciples who remained were useless idlers who were like little chicks in the hands of battle-hardened bandits.
The steward had no choice. If these bandits were allowed into the sect, it would be a disaster. Everything of value would be gone.
Wanjian Manor would truly cease to exist.
The butler knelt outside the door, begging Qin Nianzhi to come out and take charge. When Qin Nianzhi heard that bandits had entered her home, she felt a momentary surge of terror. In the past, someone had always stood in front of her to block such things, and she had never needed to worry. Now that she was being forced to take responsibility, she felt completely out of her depth.
She tidied herself up and went to the mountain gate. When she saw the groups of fierce bandits with their eyes full of ruthlessness and greed, her heart trembled. She shouted, "Who are you people?"
Seeing that Wanjian Manor really only had a young girl in charge, the bandits immediately began to whistle, acting incredibly flippant and debauched. Their eyes lingered on Qin Nianzhi. Their lecherous and greedy gazes caused her blood to boil with anger, though she couldn't stop herself from feeling afraid.
The sheltered Qin Nianzhi had never encountered such a thing. Back when Wanjian Manor was at its peak, these people would never have dared to provoke them. Now, Wanjian Manor was like a lion without claws. Anyone who didn't come to take advantage was simply an idiot.
Some of the men were discussing how the martial world beauty was indeed beautiful, asking their boss if they should capture her to be the lady of their stronghold.
There were also many maids to be captured for their pleasure. These bandits looked hideous and had foul mouths, making Qin Nianzhi tremble with rage.
"I don't want much. Give me fifty thousand taels of silver and we'll leave," the bandit leader said with a smile. The fat on his face wobbled. He clearly wasn't a good man.
Qin Nianzhi bit her lip. After a struggle, she asked, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course I am." The bandit leader thought it was fantastic that he could get fifty thousand taels without losing a single man.
"You must keep your word. Uncle Zhang, give him fifty thousand taels in silver notes," Qin Nianzhi said to the steward beside her.
The steward’s face turned deathly pale. He said anxiously, "Young Miss, you absolutely cannot do this! If we give it to them this time, they will just come back next time. They’ll treat us like a hen that lays golden eggs. They’ll come back again and again."
Furthermore, the weapon shops were all closed now.
The steward was so anxious he felt he might cough up blood. It wasn't as if the young miss didn't know martial arts. What was wrong with taking action to intimidate them?
The capable disciples were gone, and those who remained were lazy bums waiting for a free meal, but the young miss’s own martial arts were actually quite good.
If only Chong Xuefeng were here. A man who could break into the demonic cult alone to rescue her would find dealing with these people all too easy.
Why didn't the young miss try harder to stop him from leaving back then?
The steward felt that if he stayed any longer, he might have a stroke. From the moment the young miss offered to pay, she had already lost the upper hand.
"Young Miss…" The steward had served Wanjian Manor his entire life. At this moment, he felt utterly powerless. His mouth felt bitter, as if he had bitten into a gall bladder.