Chapter 5: The Awakening of the Demon Sword

Chapter 5: The Awakening of the Demon Sword

For an ordinary person, 30,000 Small Coins would naturally be a considerable fortune. But for the prodigal descendants of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, it was merely the cost of a few nights of revelry at the brothel.

Every member of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House received a Monthly Allowance, the amount of which varied depending on their status and cultivation level.

Take Ning Han, for example. Though his talent was mediocre, as a direct descendant of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, he received 100,000 Monthly Allowance every month.

Ning Xin'er's Monthly Allowance was naturally even higher—500,000 per month. However, her expenses were also substantial, as she spent most of it on cultivation, purchasing Heart Nurturing Liquid, Blood Nourishing Liquid, Qi Condensing Powder, and the like.

These were all essential treasures for cultivation, refined by Heart Nurturers, and their prices were exorbitantly high. Though the Jian Pavilion Marquis House distributed some of these treasures each month, the quantity was limited, and most had to be purchased independently.

Despite this, Ning Xin'er had still managed to save quite a bit. Taking out 30,000 Small Coins was no difficulty for her. What concerned her was why her brother needed such a large sum.

Ning Xiaochuan had also once received a Monthly Allowance, but because he couldn’t cultivate martial arts, his allowance was meager. Moreover, the savings he had accumulated over the years had all been spent during his last visit to the brothel, forcing him to swallow his pride and borrow from Ning Xin'er.

"I want to go out for a walk and buy some things. A man feels insecure if he steps out without money," Ning Xiaochuan said, not yet ready to tell her about his ambition to become a Heart Nurturer. He figured it would be better to reveal it only after he had truly succeeded.

Ning Xin'er bit her lip lightly, her gaze oddly fixed on Ning Xiaochuan. "Brother, are you going to the brothel again?"

"Ah! I..." Ning Xiaochuan’s expression turned awkward, unsure how to explain.

Though disappointment flickered in Ning Xin'er’s eyes, she still went back to fetch 300 Large Coins, carefully wrapping them in a bundle before handing them to him. "You’re my brother. No matter what path you choose in the future, I will never look down on you."

"Thank you. In a few days, I might be able to repay all of this to you."

Ning Xiaochuan took the 300 Large Coins, feeling the weight of the bundle in his hands. A sense of security settled in his heart as he hurriedly left the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, intending to first purchase the precious herbs needed to refine the Heart Nurturing Cauldron.

Watching Ning Xiaochuan’s eager departure, Ning Xin'er stood in the courtyard, her lips pressed tightly together. Tears welled up once more in her large, dark eyes. "Father, Mother... I don’t know if this is the right thing to do, but I know this is the only way Brother can find some happiness. In the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, everyone looks down on him. He can never gain dignity there. Perhaps... perhaps spending money there will let him reclaim some of it."

The currency of the Yulan Kingdom was minted from precious metals—Small Coins were made of red copper, while Large Coins were made of silver. Hence, Small Coins were also called "Copper Coins," and Large Coins were referred to as "Silver Coins."

As for Green Gold, it was even rarer, seldom appearing in the market. Only the descendants of nobles and kings occasionally used it to flaunt their status.

Now, Ning Xiaochuan walked out of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House with 300 Silver Coins on his back, without any maids or servants accompanying him. Truth be told, few among the Jian Pavilion Marquis House’s attendants were willing to follow him anyway—not only did they receive no rewards, but they were also easily bullied by others.

The Yulan Kingdom is a Fifth-Grade Empire on the Tianxu Continent, established over 800 years ago. Its territory is vast and boundless, spanning 47,000 km from north to south and 40,000 km from east to west, with a population exceeding 10 billion. It is a land of abundant resources and flourishing prosperity.

Surrounding the Yulan Kingdom are numerous Fourth-Grade Dynasties, Third-Grade Kingdoms, Second-Grade Federations, and First-Grade Remote Tribes. These tribes, federations, kingdoms, and dynasties all regard the Yulan Kingdom as their imperial overlord, offering countless tributes, coins, and beauties every year.

Moreover, the powerful martial artists from those nations often choose to cultivate in the Yulan Kingdom. Some pledge allegiance to noble marquis households, while others join sect-based martial institutions. This is because the martial arts level of the Yulan Kingdom far surpasses that of the Fourth-Grade Dynasties and Third-Grade Kingdoms. Only in the Yulan Kingdom can one become a stronger warrior!

Walking through the imperial capital of the Yulan Kingdom, one can frequently see blue-haired beauties from the North Ice Kingdom, slaves from the South Wild Tribe, and noble young ladies speeding past the center of White Stone Avenue in Green Deer Horse carriages. There are also warriors carrying battle swords, leading crimson lion-tiger mounts, their aura sending chills down the spine.

Warriors walk with swords on their backs, while beauties ride in fragrant carriages!

"What an enormous city—it stretches beyond sight!"

Ning Xiaochuan strolled down the street, fascinated by everything in the imperial capital. Yet after walking for a full hour, he realized he had only traversed a single avenue.

"Huh? Those seem to be disciples of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House." Ning Xiaochuan stared at a distant alley, where two servants of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House were dragging out a rather beautiful woman. She cried and struggled, but it was useless—both servants were cultivators who had refined Martial Arts Profound Qi, their strength immense as they hauled her into a dark-green carriage.

Ning Han stood nearby, a cold and cruel smile on his face. He glanced around and ordered, "Stuff this wretch into a Luo Leather Bag."

Many bystanders witnessed this scene, yet none dared to intervene. Who would dare provoke the Jian Pavilion Marquis House? It was utterly common for noble scions to kill on the streets, let alone abduct a woman.

Ning Han then boarded the Green Deer Horse carriage, which swiftly sped away.

Ning Xiaochuan, with his modern mindset, could not accept such an act. He was furious at Ning Han's behavior—abducting someone in broad daylight was sheer lawlessness.

If others wouldn't act, he would.

If before he had merely found Ning Han somewhat arrogant and disrespectful, now he saw him as nothing but scum.

Ning Xiaochuan rented a Green Deer Horse carriage, cracked the whip, and gave chase, pursuing them all the way out of the inner city to a rather desolate district in the outer city.

The imperial capital of the Yulan Kingdom was divided into the inner city, outer city, and border markets. The inner city was naturally the most prosperous area, gathering nobles, martial arts experts, and wealthy merchants. Though it occupied only one-thirtieth of the capital's area, it housed forty percent of its population, making every inch of land priceless.

The outer city remained bustling, but it had both prosperous and desolate districts.

Ning Han's Green Deer Horse carriage was parked in a desolate area of the city, where a turbulent river flowed relentlessly. Willow trees lined both banks of the river, and the vegetation was dense.

Ning Xiaochuan leaped down from the Green Deer Horse carriage and chased after them. From a distance, he spotted two servants tying stones to a Luo Leather Bag.

The bag writhed incessantly, emitting muffled sobs from within.

"This girl is a Silver-ranked Courtesan from the Jade Viewing Pavilion. What a waste to just throw her into the river," one of the servants sneered.

Ning Han stood by the riverbank, the wind tousling his robes, a cold smirk on his face. "Haven’t you played with enough women already? This one must die—no room for mistakes. Stick with me, and you’ll never lack for women."

"You’re absolutely right, Young Master Han! With just a word from you, whether it’s a virtuous maiden or a wealthy heiress, they’ll fall right into your hands. Heh heh!"

The other servant chimed in, "It’s tied up. Should we throw it in now?"

The woman inside the Luo Leather Bag wept and struggled desperately.

Ning Han let out a cruel laugh. "Blame yourself for knowing too much. Toss her in!"

Just as the two servants were about to lift the bag, a furious shout rang out behind them. "What are you doing? In broad daylight, you dare commit murder and sink a body?"

Ning Xiaochuan stepped forward, his rage boiling over. These people treated human life as utterly worthless—binding a living person in a bag and drowning her in the river. How much terror must she be enduring?

Was this something humans should do?

The two servants were startled and dropped the bag, turning around in shock. Their jaws dropped—why was it this useless waste?

Ning Xiaochuan strode forward and untied the Tendon Rope binding the Luo Leather Bag, pulling out a girl of about fifteen or sixteen.

Her skin was fair, her eyes bright, her lashes long and delicate—she was quite beautiful. But now, her face was deathly pale, her delicate frame trembling uncontrollably.

"Young Master Ning? Why is it you? Don’t worry about me—run! They’ll kill you!" Yu Yan had witnessed Ning Xiaochuan being beaten to death in the brothel just days ago. Though she didn’t understand how he had come back to life, she was deeply worried for him, knowing Ning Han’s ruthlessness.

Ning Han was initially taken aback, but when he saw Ning Xiaochuan, his surprise melted into a mocking grin. "Ning the Sickly, I never expected you to show up here. Ha! Truly, you walk willingly into hell when heaven’s path is open. Ning Hai, go kill him for me. Today, we’ll finally rid ourselves of this nuisance."

The servant named Ning Hai hesitated. Though Ning Xiaochuan was a sickly weakling, he was still a direct descendant of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House—a true noble scion!

"What are you afraid of? I and Fourth Uncle will take responsibility," Ning Han said.

Ning Hai, who had reached the Fourth Level of Profound Qi, felt reassured by Ning Han’s words. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he grinned. "Ning the Sickly, you actually thought you could play the hero? Too bad you’re no hero—today, you’ll just be a dead dog. Bet you never dreamed today would be your last, huh? Hahaha!"

Ning Hai's foot stomped violently on the ground as his body shot forward like an arrow, his fist hurtling toward Ning Xiaochuan. A faint red Profound Qi glow enveloped his fist, tearing through the air with sharp cracking sounds.

Upon reaching the Fourth Level of Profound Qi, one could release Profound Qi externally, using it to injure others. A single punch could deliver a force of 2,000 jin (approximately 1,000 kg). Combined with the destructive power of Profound Qi, such a strike was enough to kill even an iron-skinned bull.

Though Ning Xiaochuan had reached the Third Level of Profound Qi, the gap between him and a Fourth Level cultivator was anything but small. He had dared to confront Ning Han and his men, believing they wouldn’t dare kill him.

Only today did he truly understand how cheap human life was in this world. If one lacked sufficient strength, they could only wait for death.

Ning Han seemed to already envision Ning Xiaochuan’s skull being shattered, a cruel smirk twisting his lips.

Yu Yan tightly shut her eyes, unable to bear witnessing such brutality.

Ning Xiaochuan stared at the massive fist closing in on him. He took a slight step back, steadied himself, and felt his blood surge rapidly within his body. He raised a palm to block Ning Hai’s punch.

Clang!

The small sword within Ning Xiaochuan’s heart suddenly emitted a joyful hum. A crimson stream of energy erupted from his heart, coursing through his blood vessels before surging into his palm.

At that moment, Ning Hai’s fist collided with Ning Xiaochuan’s palm with a thunderous boom—yet, to his shock, Ning the Sickly wasn’t knocked down?

Panic quickly set in as Ning Hai realized the blood in his body was flowing at least ten times faster than normal, completely beyond his control. It surged violently toward his fist, then into Ning Xiaochuan’s palm, being absorbed into his body.

…………

Note: The Yulan Kingdom spans 47,000 km from north to south and 40,000 km from east to west, covering an area of 1.88 billion square kilometers. Asia, by comparison, is approximately 44 million square kilometers. This means the Yulan Kingdom’s territory is about 40 times the size of Asia. With a population of 10 billion living across an empire equivalent to over 40 Asias, the land is vast and sparsely populated rather than crowded.

This note is intended to help readers better visualize the scale and grandeur of the Yulan Empire.