Chapter 6

Ning Fan reined in his killing aura and smiled as usual, but Wei Chi and the four hundred plum guards were all shocked, no longer daring to underestimate him.

The old demon’s eyes gleamed with a strange light as he looked at Ning Fan in disbelief.

Wei Chi, the commander of the plum guards, one of the three fused spirits under his command, was usually the proudest, yet Ning Fan had reduced him to silence with just a few words?

Moreover, the fleeting killing aura Ning Fan had just displayed was simply terrifying!

Killing aura is merely a form of pressure and cannot harm people, but with such killing aura, Ning Fan would not fear even a Void Shattering expert. He could stabilize his mind, making it as solid as iron and stone!

"Is this brat a murderer from a past life? Or perhaps, a heaven-defying genius..." The old demon looked at Ning Fan strangely, speculating.

Ning Fan had three reasons for saying the plum guards were a rabble. The old demon suddenly wanted to know what other flaws the plum guards had besides their lack of killing aura.

"Second, the cultivation techniques you practice have errors, causing you to get stuck at a bottleneck and unable to improve your cultivation."

"You say our cultivation techniques are flawed? Nonsense! We practice the Ice Flame Technique passed down by the city lord!"

Upon hearing Ning Fan’s words, the plum guards all panted heavily, their faces flushed with anger and resentment.

The cultivation technique bestowed by the city lord could not possibly be wrong!

They did not believe it, but the old demon did.

The old demon remained silent for a long time before saying indifferently, "The Ice Flame Technique might indeed have flaws... This technique was given by a strange old man back then... Initially, it opened meridians at an incredible speed, but after opening twenty-five meridians and reaching the fifth level, it became difficult to open the next meridian. Most of the plum guards are stuck at the fifth level of meridian opening, unable to break through to the next realm."

Upon hearing the old demon confirm Ning Fan’s words, the plum guards were all speechless.

No way, the cultivation technique we’ve practiced for over forty years actually has problems?

But thinking about it, more than half of the four hundred people are stuck at the fifth level of meridian opening, which seems a bit off.

"Perhaps I have a way to overcome the flaws of this cultivation technique, allowing you to break through to the sixth level of meridian opening, and even become fused spirit experts one day..." Ning Fan smiled faintly, and this smile stirred the emotions of the plum guards.

"Young Master! What did you say! You can overcome the flaws of the Ice Flame Technique!? You can help us reach a higher realm!?"

This "Young Master" was called out by the four hundred plum guards in unprecedented unison and from the heart.

"Brat Ning, if you can overcome the flaws of the Ice Flame Technique, I’ll hand the plum guards over to you to command!" The old demon’s facial muscles twitched, his voice tinged with a hint of pleading.

Unprecedented! The old demon, such a ruthless person, actually begged someone!

"I will naturally do my best for the plum guards, as they are my master’s subordinates. I have heard of the Ice Flame Technique before. It uses ice to represent yin and fire to represent yang, imitating the great yin-yang path. Initially, progress is extremely fast, but later, due to yin-yang imbalance, it often gets stuck at a bottleneck. After I enter Plum Manor, I will prescribe a medicine for you to refine into pills. Take one every three days, and after a month, you will all break through to the sixth level of meridian opening."

"Hisss!"

The four hundred plum guards all drew in a sharp breath! A month, not only to overcome the flaws of the cultivation technique but also to break through to a higher realm?

To know that even without the flaws, it would take at least several years for an ordinary person to advance from the fifth to the sixth level of meridian opening!

Is Young Master joking?

"After a month, if I can help you break through to the sixth level of meridian opening, you can submit to me then. After all, I don’t have a hundred percent certainty..."

"Please, Young Master, do your best!"

"Swish!" The four hundred plum guards all bowed down in unison.

"Of course."

Ning Fan gave the old demon a deep look. This old demon was quite calculating. Handing the plum guards over to him to command, was he afraid Ning Fan wouldn’t treat them seriously?

However, with the plum guards, Ning Fan would have his own power base. It wouldn’t be long before he could go and save his brother—Ning Gu!

"What is the third flaw of the plum guards? Brat Ning, tell me quickly, I’m eager to hear."

"The third... I said, you mustn’t get angry."

"I won’t get angry. If what you say is correct, I’ll be happy."

"The third, the formation the plum guards practice has a major flaw."

"What did you say! If you dare to repeat that nonsense, I’ll tear you apart!" The old demon flew into a rage, the first time in forty years he had truly been angry!

"Young Master, quickly apologize to the city lord! The formation we practice, the Two Instruments Chaotic Plum Formation, was created by the lady... the lady is the... in short, the lady can’t be wrong..."

Wei Chi, the commander of the plum guards, looked anxious, reminding Ning Fan.

"Created by the lady? I see. Master, please don’t get angry. I’m not lying when I say this formation has a flaw. Commander Wei Chi, forty years ago, when the plum guards used this formation to kill enemies, they often failed to defeat them, but they could protect themselves. Even against a Golden Core expert, they could hold their ground. Is that true?"

"Indeed. Because the Two Instruments Chaotic Plum Formation is a top-tier defensive formation..."

"Wrong. This formation belongs to the Two Instruments Formation. The characteristic of the Two Instruments Formation is one life and one death. The life formation has unparalleled defense. The death formation can kill enemies like clouds. The person who created this formation deliberately altered the death formation, leaving only the life formation. Therefore, this formation is not strong in attacking but is strong in defense. The lady probably didn’t want Master to commit too many killings... So this formation has a flaw, which makes the plum guards’ attacks much weaker..."

After Ning Fan finished speaking, the old demon fell silent for a long time, closing his eyes, his voice somewhat沧桑 (沧桑 means "weathered" or "aged," but in this context, it can be translated as "weathered" to convey the sense of age and experience).

"You’re right. Xiao Mei didn’t like me killing... She never liked it..."

This time, the old demon did not refer to himself as "老子" (lǎozi, meaning "this old man" or "I" in a more casual and arrogant way).

"From today, the plum guards will be under your command, no need to wait a month. Brat Ning, I believe you can cure them. How they cultivate is up to you to guide. Any spirit medicines you need, take freely. How to hone killing aura, you can decide on your own. And... if you find the ‘Chaotic Plum Formation’ too weak in attack, then... then change it... Wei Chi, lead Brat Ning to Plum Manor to get the medicine, I need to go to a place..."

The old demon waved his sleeve, transforming into a black rainbow and heading toward a forbidden area of Seven Plum City.

"Ah, the city lord is truly affectionate. We serve him because of this reason."

Wei Chi sighed, leaving Ning Fan speechless.

The old demon, a ruthless killer, could also be sentimental? Although, he did indeed have more human warmth than other demon cultivators.

"Young Master, I will take you to Plum Manor to get the medicine!"

Wei Chi dismissed the plum guards, his eyes respectful. From this moment on, the plum guards were under Ning Fan’s command. Ning Fan, whom he couldn’t see through, had revealed his extraordinary nature today.

"Legend has it that there are people in the world called ‘heaven-defying geniuses,’ who are reincarnations of ancient immortals, born with extraordinary intelligence. Young Master, you must be one of them... Following Young Master, the plum guards will finally have a chance to shine! The ice guards and sword guards will no longer dare to look down on us!"

Wei Chi’s heart was filled with beautiful visions as he led Ning Fan through the gate of flames into Plum Manor.

Plum Manor was built with bricks of fire.

Zhege watched the burning gate of Plum Manor, a bit afraid, her fingers intertwined, hesitant to enter. But a hand grabbed her hand, pulling her through the fire gate. The flames, as if having a spirit, did not burn Zhege at all.

The hand was not broad, but it was warm.

"Let’s go, I’ll find some spirit medicines, refine them into pills, and help you open your meridians so you can cultivate. In the future, my little Zhege might become a supreme female demon, feared by all. Wouldn’t that be great?" Ning Fan smiled.

"No, I don’t want to be a female demon. Can I be a female immortal instead?" Zhege shook her head vigorously.

"Sure, why not. On that day, I’ll say you’re an immortal, and in the Rain World, who would dare to call you a demon!"

Today, having subdued the plum guards and gained the old demon’s favor, Ning Fan’s demonic reputation would soon sweep through the Rain World! Standing tall, under the sky, who would dare to offend him!

"Young Master is absolutely right. Lady, being with Young Master is truly your good fortune!" Wei Chi flattered, but it felt misplaced.

"Who... who said I’m the Lady!" Zhege’s face turned bright red, but she couldn’t shake off Ning Fan’s hand.

"Young Master, Plum Manor has four thousand types of spirit medicines, all over a hundred years old. Which ones do you need for the plum guards... If you don’t recognize them, just say the names, and I’ll get them for you..."

"Hundred-year-old mulberry grass, hundred-year-old jade orchid ice, hundred-year-old snow ginseng, hundred-year-old Luo snake vine... Hmm, the medicines to detoxify Master are all here, but one seems to be missing... The medicines to treat the plum guards’ injuries are also here, but two seem to be missing... The spirit medicines to open Zhege’s meridians are all here... Oh, this is..."

Ning Fan’s gaze swept over the spirit medicines in the manor, but it lingered on a pile of dry grass in the corner, shocked for a long time.

"What is this medicine..." He hesitated, asking Wei Chi.

"Oh, just some weeds, no spirit, used to feed pigs." Wei Chi answered carelessly.

"Feed pigs! You use jade... to feed pigs!"

"Yes, this grass has no chewiness, even pigs don’t eat it..." Wei Chi patted his demon-catching bag, summoning a palm-sized purple pig for Ning Fan to see.

"Young Master, this is my demon pet—Heavenly River Pig. Don’t look at its unremarkable appearance, but even a fourth-level meridian opening expert can be killed by one charge. Alas, I feed it grass every day, and it seems to be malnourished..."

Ning Fan was silent for a long time, looking at Wei Chi with a complex expression.

"Wei Chi, you’ve got it! From today, don’t use this grass to feed pigs. Send all this grass to my residence!"

Ning Fan couldn’t imagine that the Jade Emperor Grass, which was renowned in the Immortal Emperor’s memory, was being used by Wei Chi to feed pigs.

This grass, seemingly without any spirit, was precisely what made it extraordinary. Think about it, how could ordinary weeds grow in an ice city!

Jade Emperor Grass, known as something even the Immortal Emperor found hard to obtain, when eaten dry had no medicinal effect, but when combined with a certain substance, it could be refined into a heaven-defying divine pill—the Jade Emperor Pill.

This pill could cleanse the body, improve physical constitution, and enhance cultivation, ultimately leading to the cultivation of a ‘Superior Immortal Body’!

In the memory of the chaotic ancient emperor, only two people in ancient times had cultivated the ‘Superior Immortal Body,’ each a peerless hero!

The former ruler of the Heavenly Court—Jade Emperor, and Wei Sheng—Wei Tuo.

Cultivating the Superior Immortal Body, why fear not having a plan to pass through the five passes. This poem speaks of the legendary Immortal Saint Wei Tuo, the strongest under the Sun Emperor!

The Jade Emperor Grass, known as something even the Immortal Emperor found hard to obtain, was being used by Wei Chi to feed pigs!

Ning Fan looked at Wei Chi coldly, such a waste of heavenly resources, this Wei Chi might be punished by heaven in his next life and turn into a pig.

Under Ning Fan’s glare, Wei Chi hurriedly averted his gaze, confused.

"It’s just a pile of rotten grass, just feeding a pig, is it really worth staring at me like this... Does Young Master, by any chance, like to eat grass? Even the kind pigs don’t eat?"

Wei Chi looked at Ning Fan, and indeed saw him squatting down, putting the dirty dry grass in his mouth and chewing, instantly filled with admiration.

"Truly worthy of being Young Master, he can eat what even pigs won’t, no wonder he’s so smart!"

(Seeking collection, seeking recommendation)

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