Jiang Lingxin watched Xiao Ning stumble to his feet before walking towards him with bloody footprints at every step. His long sword was broken, and he was unarmed. Jiang Lingxin didn’t know what kind of death throes he could still attempt.
Xiao Ning wiped the blood from his face, tore open the sleeve of his right arm, revealing a slightly pale arm. A cold gleam shone from the fingertips of his left hand, where a silver needle as fine as an ox’s hair had appeared at some point. Jiang Lingxin watched him seal the silver needle into his right arm. Instantly, the blood vessels under the pale skin suddenly bulged out in sections.
Xiao Ning’s left fingertip traced from the crook of his right arm to his wrist; a blood-red color appeared inch by inch where it passed. In a flash, the zhenqi[mfn]internal energy[/mfn] that had been scattered by Jiang Lingxin’s palm strike seemed to re-coalesce. He formed his right hand into a fist from a palm, and the strong wind it raised carried a fierce killing aura.
Jiang Lingxin shook his head and said, “Tricks of the wicked, not enough to look at.”
Xiao Ning silently flew forward, ruthlessly throwing a punch. Jiang Lingxin raised his hand to meet it with a palm strike. A single palm strike sent Xiao Ning flying three meters back, a spray of blood scattering across the ground before the carriage.
Jiang Lingxin opened his palm with some surprise. A little blood-red color appeared in the center of his palm where the palm and fist had just met. He nodded and said, “Oh? Poison.”
Xiao Ning choked on the surging blood in his throat and coughed violently, clenching his fist and pouncing forward again. Jiang Lingxin’s right arm was slightly numb, so he simply didn’t use it. He used his left hand, transforming it into a palm strike, and exchanged several moves with Xiao Ning. Xiao Ning should have been exhausted, yet he fought with increasing ferocity. He attempted to exchange life for injury several times and finally found a weak point! He unleashed a punch, which Jiang Lingxin dodged with a flash, and at the same time, Jiang Lingxin’s “Cloud Hand” technique went straight for Xiao Ning’s heart. Xiao Ning did not avoid nor retreat, turning his fingers into a hook and attacking Jiang Lingxin’s throat.
He truly didn’t care about his life, Jiang Lingxin frowned. If he had landed that palm strike, Xiao Ning’s heart would have been completely shattered.
Xiao Ning’s eyes were filled with ferocity. He utterly hated Jiang Lingxin for assigning Ah Yun to be a spy in the Prince Mansion back then, utterly hated Jiang Lingxin for repeatedly forcing Ah Yun to a dead end, and utterly hated Jiang Lingxin for taking his daughter. If he couldn’t get the child back today, why should he go back to see Ah Yun again!
Jiang Lingxin hesitated for a moment with his palm, ultimately dissipating seventy percent of his internal energy. Even so, with that palm strike, Xiao Ning’s body flew out several chi feet like a broken kite before rolling bloody onto the ground. Meanwhile, only a tiny bloody scratch appeared on Jiang Lingxin’s throat.
“Set off.” Jiang Lingxin only glanced at the battered, dying Xiao Ning lying on the ground, turned, and returned to the carriage. The surrounding shadow guards nodded and said, “Yes,” and ride away one after another. Just then, Xiao Ning’s fingertips on the ground moved, and he slowly raised his head, choked out a mouthful of blood, and said, “The child… give her to me…”
Jiang Lingxin’s hand, which was about to draw the curtain, paused. He watched as Xiao Ning tremblingly climbed up, staggering toward him step by step. Blood had almost soaked his clothes, and his disheveled long hair covered his eyes and brows. Jiang Lingxin had seen Xie Junyi before, the young heir had a pampered life, innocent of the ways of the world, weak and naive, he didn’t know what Guan’er even saw in him. But looking at Xiao Ning in this state right now, Jiang Lingxin felt he was much more pleasing to the eye.
The shadow guards’ long swords were drawn in unison, pointing at Xiao Ning. With just one command from Jiang Lingxin, he would be pierced by a thousand swords.
Jiang Lingxin said nothing and just watched Xiao Ning walk up to him. Xiao Ning was at the end of his tether. His feet stumbled, and he fell to the ground, then a piece of broken jade falling from him.
It was a Bixie[mfn]a mythical beast[/mfn] jade talisman, the only one of its kind in the world. Years ago, Jiang Lingxin personally tied it to Shen Guan’s waist and gave it to his disciple. Later, Shen Guan gave it to Xiao Ning, and it was shattered by Jiang Lingxin’s own hand during the fight just now.
“Guan’er even gave this to you.” Jiang Lingxin’s expression was indifferent. After a long while, he said, “Forget it. It seems the position of Division Master is truly less important to him than you.”
Xiao Ning coughed a few times, his consciousness gradually fading. Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying came from the carriage. Xiao Ning abruptly opened his eyes, bit his tongue to keep himself awake, and fumbled to take out the last throwing knife from his waist, vowing to keep the child even if it cost him his life.
Jiang Lingxin listened to the baby’s cry and was momentarily lost in thought. Seeing Xiao Ning’s dying struggle, he shook his head and said, “It’s just a child, why go to such lengths?”
Xiao Ning swallowed the blood in his mouth, his eyes bloodshot while his voice hoarse, “Ah Yun bore her for me, and he hasn’t even seen her yet…”
Jiang Lingxin was silent for a long time, then sighed, picked up the child from the hands of the terrified nanny before getting off the carriage, and placed the child in front of Xiao Ning. After some thought, he threw down a bottle of pills, saying, “Take these. Don’t make Guan’er have to take care of you too.”
Jiang Lingxin abandoned the carriage, mounted a horse before leading the shadow guards away, never looking back.
The child cried for a moment, but fell silent as soon as Jiang Lingxin left. She opened her eyes and quietly watched Xiao Ning. He wiped the blood from his face, careful not to frighten her. After a long pause, he carefully lifted the child and stepped back slowly.
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