Xiao Ning carried a few packs of medicine upstairs, and seeing the door open, he couldn’t help but frown and say, “Why is the door open? Ah Yun and the child shouldn’t be exposed to the wind.”
Old Zhou was sweating profusely, his internal energy was wildly surging, and his meridians were stinging. The sealed acupuncture points had slightly loosened, startled by Xiao Ning’s voice, he almost suffering a qi deviation[mfn]going crazy/internal injury due to incorrect energy flow[/mfn].
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Ning noticed something was amiss. He first glanced at Shen Guan, confirming he was only asleep, but when he looked back at Old Zhou, his expression slightly changed: “Where is the child?”
Distracted by him, Old Zhou completely lost the strength to break through the sealed acupuncture points, and with cold sweat covering his head, he said, “Jiang Lingxin took her away.”
Xiao Ning raised his hand and grabbed the long sword from the wall before turning to leave, but Old Zhou called out to stop him. “Going now mean suicide, you are no match for him at all!”
A layer of frost seemed to have formed in Xiao Ning’s eyes. He looked back at Old Zhou and said, “She is my daughter, no one can take her away. Don’t let Ah Yun wake up and worry, take good care of him.”
Old Zhou saw Xiao Ning’s figure flicker, and in the next instant, he was gone.
Outside the city, hooves drummed urgently.
Dozens of horsemen escorted a carriage as it moved when suddenly a flute echoed from the woods, making the bamboo leaves tremble. The clatter of reined horses followed, and the carriage came to a halt.
Inside the carriage, a middle-aged woman nervously hugged the infant in her arms. Jiang Lingxin, who was seated at the head, slightly raised his eyes and casually put down the book in his hand.
“M-My Lord…” The woman was trembling all over and cried bitterly. She regretted ever being greedy for silver, taking the role of nanny for the child in her arms, never imagining it would be this terrifying.
“Shh.” Jiang Lingxin raised a finger, signaling her to be quiet. The little one, who has just born not long ago in his arms, was still sleeping soundly.
Outside the carriage wall, the entire forest was filled with killing intent.
The guards protecting the carriage felt a chill by their ears. They were highly trained shadow guards, so they reacted extremely quickly, they raised their long swords to strike down a slender, willow-leaf-like throwing knives that grazed their necks. Cold light erupted in the woods instantly as dozens of willow-leaf throwing knives arrived like shadows. The guards exchanged glances and stopped the carriage, then the left and right guards switched to bows and arrows instead before aiming at the woods. The flute whistled again, sometimes near, sometimes far, concealing the trajectory of the throwing knives. In a moment, a scent of blood had already emerged.
The guards all drew their bows, took aim at the woods, and released in unison. The bamboo shook violently as a figure burst from the trees, charging forward to attack!
The shadow guards under Jiang Lingxin were incredibly agile, and their collaboration in the few rounds of fighting was seamless, forcing the person in the woods out in no time. Xiao Ning wiped a line of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, piercing the air with his long sword before the willow-leaf throwing knives finally found a gap, heading straight for the carriage.
The flying knife was swift and carried an odd, sinister killing intent. The carriage curtain rippled open, and a hand casually reached out, pinching the blade. In an instant, the killing intent was neutralized, and the throwing knife was lifelessly held as if its throat had been choked. The slender, pale fingers twisted, and the throwing knife then headed towards Xiao Ning. If the killing intent the throwing knife carried just now was bizarre and gloomy, the blade now was like cold frost and proud snow, aloof and icy.
Xiao Ning twisted his waist, narrowly dodging it. A wound was cut on his cheek by the strong wind, and beads of blood dripped with the wind.
“Give me back the child.” Xiao Ning’s lips were pale, but his expression showed no compromise.
The carriage curtain completely shattered. Jiang Lingxin wore a black fur coat, his eyes cold and indifferent.
Xiao Ning clenched the long sword in his hand as hatred instantly surging: “Return her to me, she is my child.”
Jiang Lingxin slightly raised an eyebrow, his tone icy: “Guan’er is also my child, yet wasn’t he taken away by you?”
Xiao Ning’s brows furrowed tightly, and he said, “Ah Yun was willing, and even now he still slept in bed, yet to see the child. You are truly despicable to take advantage of his state. Give me the child.”
Jiang Lingxin’s face was cold, his heart as hard as iron: “There is nothing this lord wants that I have never obtained.”
Xiao Ning advanced with his sword. The fierce sword wind carried a sharp killing intent straight towards Jiang Lingxin, saying, “Then let’s try. The Xiao Sect has been able to exist in the martial arts world for so long, not just by relying on disguise skills.”
“Very well, let this lord see what Old Ghost Xiao taught you.” Jiang Lingxin stood in front of the carriage with no weapon in his hand, and just quietly looking at Xiao Ning. The oncoming sword wind lifted Jiang Lingxin’s dark robe, the blade aimed straight at his brow. Xiao Ning’s sword hovered an inch away when Jiang Lingxin’s hand intercepted it, turning the strike into a palm attack aimed at Xiao Ning’s chest.
Xiao Ning’s movement was also quick, he immediately turned like a swallow. The blade was withdrawn to avoid the palm wind. Failing the first strike, he unleashed another sword attack. He gripped the sword in his right hand, while his left moved like a ghost, flinging willow-leaf knives that struck in every direction. Every move and form carried killing intent; he had hated Jiang Lingxin for a long time.
Jiang Lingxin appeared passive but was extremely composed. Neither the frontal long sword nor the throwing knives at tricky angles could get close to him. He had practiced martial arts since childhood, studying under a great-grandmaster-level martial arts senior of the royal family, so he was naturally not to be underestimated. The Xiao Sect’s footwork was indeed good, but against him, it was truly insufficient.
Xiao Ning’s expression was stern. He sent out a sword with all his internal energy. This sword was a last-ditch effort, disregarding the vital points of his entire body, only seeking to exchange his life for an injury. He knew he was far inferior to Jiang Lingxin, and dragging it on would be pointless, so he might as well take a gamble.
Jiang Lingxin saw the determined, death-defying momentum of this sword attack and immediately turned his palm into a blade, striking the sword body directly. The moment the palm wind shattered the long sword, a willow-leaf throwing knife, thin as a cicada’s wing, flashed with cold light, slashing towards Jiang Lingxin’s neck.
Jiang Lingxin’s brow slightly rose as a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes, but it was only for an instant. The throwing knife was shattered by a sudden burst of internal energy. The shards cut a small wound on his pale neck, a thin line of scarlet blood seeping out. At the same time, the long sword in Xiao Ning’s hand shattered, and Jiang Lingxin’s palm did not retreat. The rushing palm wind struck his chest.
Xiao Ning turned and retreated, but it was already too late. Excruciating pain exploded from his breastbone, and blood surged up immediately. The force of this palm strike sent him flying three zhang[mfn]about 10 meters[/mfn] away, instantly scattering blood in the bamboo forest, and a gully was carved into the ground. Xiao Ning stabilized himself by grabbing a broken piece of bamboo and fiercely spat out a mouthful of blood, which was hot and mixed with broken pieces of flesh.
Jiang Lingxin slowly withdrew his hand, gently wiped the small cut on the side of his neck with his fingertip, and said, “That’s pretty good.”
Xiao Ning’s face was ashen. He struggled to climb up from the ground, spat out another mouthful of blood, and said, “Give me back my daughter.”
