Time passed.
Jiang Ning continued to refine one Blood Lotus leaf after another.
With each leaf from the hundred-year-old Blood Lotus he refined, he could feel his vitality grow more robust.
In the blink of an eye.
Two hours passed, and the sun in the sky was almost directly overhead, perpendicular to the ground.
Creak
The door behind him slowly opened, making a faint rubbing sound.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning immediately turned around and saw Lin Qingyi, barefoot and wearing a thin dress, stepping out of her room.
"Sister Lin!" Jiang Ning called out, then stopped his fist practice and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for saving me last night."
As he spoke, he took out a green hairpin, carved with a phoenix spreading its wings.
He had bought this on his way here earlier, spending over a hundred taels of silver.
"Sister Lin, I saw this hairpin on my way here and thought it would suit you, so I bought it."
Lin Qingyi looked at the jade hairpin in Jiang Ning's palm and smiled faintly.
"It seems I didn't save the wrong person last night!"
As she spoke, she raised her hand slightly, and the hairpin in Jiang Ning's hand seemed to be lifted by an invisible force, flying straight into her grasp.
Once it was in her hand, Lin Qingyi examined it carefully.
Then she nodded slightly. "This is nice. I like it. Come here and put it on for me."
"Alright!" Jiang Ning obediently nodded.
He was deeply grateful to Lin Qingyi.
Not just for previous matters, but for her intervention last night, which had resolved a major crisis for him.
The events of last night still baffled him, and he couldn't understand what had happened.
As he approached Lin Qingyi, Jiang Ning took the hairpin and stood behind her.
After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and gathered Lin Qingyi's hair, holding it in his hand before slowly pinning it up.
At the same time.
Lin Qingyi's face flushed slightly.
Because Jiang Ning had been practicing his fist techniques earlier, he had worked up a sweat.
Now standing so close behind her, the scent of a young man filled her nostrils.
Having reached Jiang Ning's level in martial arts, his life essence had undergone a partial transformation, and he no longer carried the muddy scent of an ordinary person.
"Am I longing for a man?" Lin Qingyi thought to herself, then lightly chided herself.
"Sister Lin, all done!" Jiang Ning released her hair and took a step back.
The previously disheveled hair was now neatly pinned up at the back of Lin Qingyi's head, held in place by the hairpin.
The hairpin added a touch of intellectual beauty to Lin Qingyi's appearance.
Hearing this, Lin Qingyi reached up and touched the back of her head.
"Not bad. You know how to do this. Tell me, which woman did you practice on? Who have you pinned hair for before?"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but recall someone from his past.
His first love in his previous life.
They had loved each other, but due to the harsh realities of life, they had been separated and never ended up together.
During their three years together, he had pinned her hair several times.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning smiled faintly but said nothing.
Seeing this, Lin Qingyi changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, you came so early today. Was it because of last night's incident?"
"Yes," Jiang Ning nodded. "Please enlighten me, Sister Lin."
Hearing this, Lin Qingyi nodded slightly.
"Last night's incident was due to a soul leaving the body."
"A soul leaving the body?" Jiang Ning was astonished.
"Yes," Lin Qingyi nodded, then glanced at Jiang Ning, as if understanding his confusion.
She continued, "The soul is the result of an ancient cultivation system. To reach this stage, one must be born with a spiritual root."
"The soul, as the name suggests, allows one's spirit to leave the body at night, traveling a hundred miles in an instant. It's extremely terrifying! Moreover, with the power of the soul, one can influence reality."
At this point, Lin Qingyi looked at Jiang Ning. "You've gotten yourself into big trouble."
Although Jiang Ning's expression remained unchanged, his heart tightened slightly.
He then asked, "Sister Lin, what level is a soul leaving the body equivalent to?"
Lin Qingyi replied, "The soul travels at night, and the yang spirit travels during the day. After the yang spirit, one crosses the heavenly tribulation."
"In ancient times, after crossing the heavenly tribulation, one would become an immortal."
"According to ancient standards, a cultivator capable of soul travel would be equivalent to a grandmaster."
"But now, the environment has changed, and practitioners of this path have weakened. A cultivator capable of soul travel is only equivalent to a fourth-grade martial artist. It's not that impressive."
A fourth-grade martial artist!!
Hearing this, Jiang Ning's heart tightened, but he also felt a slight relief.
Although a fourth-grade martial artist sounded terrifying, it was less daunting than he had imagined.
He had initially thought that soul travel would be at least at the level of a grandmaster or higher.
But from Lin Qingyi's explanation, it wasn't that fearsome.
Not even a grandmaster, just a fourth-grade martial artist.
Given some time, he might be able to contend with such an opponent.
Lin Qingyi glanced at Jiang Ning and smiled. "But you don't need to worry too much. The person who soul-traveled last night was injured by me."
"Soul injuries are a thousand times more troublesome than physical injuries."
"Without at least a year, he won't fully recover."
"Besides, you're just a nobody right now. Such a big shot wouldn't bother with you."
"Moreover, your current status as a deputy commander of the Inspection Bureau, holding an eighth-rank official position, means that only true madmen would dare to kill you."
Hearing Lin Qingyi's words, Jiang Ning didn't quite agree.
This world didn't have the widespread surveillance of his previous life.
No matter how high one's status, at most, people wouldn't dare to kill you openly.
But killing you in secret and disposing of the body who would know who did it?
Safety was far from guaranteed.
Lin Qingyi added, "But you still can't let your guard down. You've been marked by the Yellow Heaven Sect."
"The Yellow Heaven Sect? Marked?" Jiang Ning was slightly surprised.
He suddenly recalled his actions last night.
"Could it be that even after being so careful, the Yellow Heaven Sect still found out?" he thought to himself.
At this moment, Lin Qingyi saw the surprise on Jiang Ning's face and nodded.
"Exactly. The soul that appeared in your home last night belonged to an Earth King of the Yellow Heaven Sect."
"In the Yellow Heaven Sect, Earth Kings hold extremely high status. They are practitioners who have mastered ancient cultivation methods."
"They possess various incredible divine abilities due to their mastery of ancient techniques."
"Last night's incident resulted in you being marked by that Earth King."
"Any martial artist in the Yellow Heaven Sect who can open their heavenly eye will be able to see the mark he left on you."
At this point, Lin Qingyi's gaze fell on Jiang Ning's eyes.
"Speaking of which, what exactly did you do to the Yellow Heaven Sect to provoke an Earth King to soul-travel and come after you?"
Jiang Ning hesitated for a moment, then said, "Last night, I killed a few members of the Yellow Heaven Sect."
"That explains it!" Lin Qingyi nodded.
Then she continued, "The Yellow Heaven Sect's influence is mainly concentrated in five of the Great Xia's nine provinces. Zeshan Province, where Luoshui County is located, doesn't have many Yellow Heaven Sect followers."
"This group from the Yellow Heaven Sect came to Luoshui County with the important task of spreading their teachings and recruiting followers."
"By killing their members and hindering the Yellow Heaven Sect's expansion, it's no surprise that an Earth King intervened from afar."
Hearing Lin Qingyi's explanation, Jiang Ning began to understand the situation better.
He then asked, "Sister Lin, does that mean the Earth King will come to Luoshui County?"
"No," Lin Qingyi shook her head. "What kind of person is an Earth King? Why would they come to Luoshui County for such a trivial matter?"
"Don't underestimate the Earth King's soul-traveling ability, which is only equivalent to a fourth-grade martial artist. But due to its peculiarities, they are regarded as reincarnated immortals and hold extremely high status in the Yellow Heaven Sect."
"Earth Kings are second only to Heaven Kings and the Yellow Heaven Sect's leader."
"Such a minor matter isn't worth the Earth King traveling thousands of miles to Luoshui County."
"Using soul travel to mark you from a thousand miles away is already the greatest help he can offer to his followers here."
After carefully listening to Lin Qingyi's words, Jiang Ning felt much more at ease.
The great figure capable of soul travel was still a thousand miles away, and with his soul injured, he couldn't come to Luoshui County.
This meant that his potential enemies were only Liu Linmen and his group.
Although a fifth-grade martial artist posed a significant threat, it wasn't something he couldn't handle.
Just like last night, with the advantage of terrain and weather, Liu Linmen hadn't been able to do much to him.
Jiang Ning had nearly blinded Liu Linmen.
After some thought.
Jiang Ning spoke again. "Sister Lin, do you have any way to remove the mark on me?"
"I can't," Lin Qingyi shook her head. "I don't have a spiritual root. I can't deal with such ancient immortal techniques."
Then she looked at Jiang Ning again.
"But you don't need to worry. As an eighth-rank official, the local Yellow Heaven Sect won't dare to touch you. Their mission is far more important than the lives of those you killed."
Jiang Ning smiled noncommittally.
He knew far more about this matter than Lin Qingyi.
Last night, the person he had killed was, if he wasn't mistaken, a member of the Worship Sect, not the Yellow Heaven Sect.
The fact that someone from the Worship Sect was traveling with the Yellow Heaven Sect undoubtedly indicated something.
Thus, the importance of the person he had killed was likely far greater than Lin Qingyi imagined.
So he didn't dare to let his guard down.
The mark Lin Qingyi mentioned was something he couldn't detect, let alone remove.
This meant that as soon as Liu Linmen showed up and opened his heavenly eye, he would know Jiang Ning was the one who had attacked last night.
"I need to hurry up and improve my strength!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He glanced at his status panel.
[Source Energy]: 31.7
The only way to quickly improve his strength was through Source Energy points.
Breaking through his skills wouldn't elevate his martial foundation, but it would undoubtedly greatly enhance his combat power.
Just like the arrows he had shot last night.
Without mastering the perfected Wind and Thunder Archery Technique, how could he have shot such terrifying arrows?
Last night, when he had barely injured Liu Linmen's eyes, it was thanks to the divine ability he had gained after breaking through his Water Affinity.
After some thought, Jiang Ning decided to return home and absorb the resources he had acquired today.
Then.
Jiang Ning clasped his hands. "Thank you, Sister Lin, for clearing up my doubts! I'll take my leave now."
"Wait!" Lin Qingyi raised her hand. "Do you want a wife?"
Jiang Ning: "..."
He then said, "Sister Lin, I have no such thoughts right now! Unless I find someone as beautiful as you, I might not be interested."
With that, Jiang Ning clasped his hands. "Sister Lin, I'll take my leave now."
After speaking, Jiang Ning turned and left.
Lin Qingyi watched Jiang Ning's tall figure and was momentarily stunned.
Then, as she watched Jiang Ning descend the stairs and disappear, she couldn't help but smile.
"This kid, he even dares to tease me now?"
Then, she seemed to drift into thought, as if pondering something.
After a few breaths.
Lin Qingyi sighed softly. "Sigh"
Her tone was filled with melancholy.
Then she walked to the wooden railing and looked down at the street below.
She immediately saw Jiang Ning, who was also looking up at her from the street.
At this moment, Jiang Ning stood on the street, looking up at the balcony of the Wanhua Pavilion, where Lin Qingyi was leaning on the railing, gazing into the distance.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning waved his hand in farewell.
Then he turned and left again.
"This kid, he's something! He fits my aesthetic. If I had met him when I was younger, I might have refused to marry that person and wouldn't have ended up a widow!"
"I wonder if the thing I've been investigating all these years is true."
"Did the old prince want me to marry him just because I was a good cauldron?"
"If that's the case, then the sudden death of the person I married might have been the old prince's doing?"
Thinking of this possibility, Lin Qingyi felt a sense of helplessness.
After marrying into the prince's mansion, she truly understood the terror of the Prince of the First Rank.
Even though the old man was white-haired and aged, he was still a colossal figure in the Great Xia.
Even with her current strength, she wasn't qualified to escape.
And if she did escape, her entire family of over a thousand people would perish because of her.
If this were true, the fact that the old prince allowed her to move freely showed just how confident he was.
Thinking of all this, Lin Qingyi sighed, filled with melancholy.
Then, she composed herself and shook her head.
"No!!!"
"I still need to find a wife for this kid. Otherwise, I'm afraid I might do something wrong one day."
"If I do something wrong, that kid might end up dead because of me!"
Lin Qingyi made up her mind.
Meanwhile.
After leaving the Wanhua Pavilion.
Jiang Ning fell into deep thought.
His visit to the Wanhua Pavilion today had resolved many of his doubts.
Especially the biggest one: what had caused last night's incident.
Soul travel.
That was the root of last night's events.
"Thankfully, Lin Qingyi was there!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He was deeply grateful to Lin Qingyi.
She had helped him so much.
"I wonder what level Lin Qingyi is at?" This question arose in Jiang Ning's mind, and he felt that Lin Qingyi was shrouded in mystery.
According to Lin Qingyi, an Earth King was equivalent to a fourth-grade martial artist.
A fourth-grade martial artist was undeniably powerful.
Even in the current era, they are considered top-tier experts.
And Lin Qingyi had been able to injure the soul of that Earth King last night.
This showed that Lin Qingyi was no ordinary person.
With such strength, how could she merely be the deputy leader of a small branch of the Wanhua Pavilion in Luoshui County?
If the Wanhua Pavilion could afford to have someone like Lin Qingyi in such a lowly position, then the world wouldn't belong to the Great Xia, but to the Wanhua Pavilion.
"Lin Qingyi isn't simple, but it's not easy to probe further," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
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