Chapter 40

"Big Sister, have you heard the news?" Nangong Jie asked mysteriously in the garden.

"What news?" Nangong Ling looked bewildered, not understanding what was going on.

"The Xiao family sent someone to propose to the Lin family." Nangong Jie's eyes were full of gossip.

"Propose? Which Miss of the Xiao family?" Nangong Ling, though uninterested in the Xiao family, was curious about which two young people would become victims of a political marriage.

"It was the head of the Xiao family who proposed on behalf of Xiao Wenjian." Nangong Jie shook her head.

"Xiao Wenjian? But isn't the current generation of the Lin family only two young masters?" Nangong Ling asked, puzzled.

"Rumor has it that the Lin family has a young lady who was sent to a cultivation sect when she was very young, so few people in the capital know about her." Nangong Jie said excitedly, "Xiao Wenjian happened to meet her a few days ago and was struck by her beauty, vowing to marry her."

"Xiao Wenjian, that wooden stick who focuses solely on cultivation?" Nangong Ling was skeptical, "He doesn't seem like the type to fall in love with a woman. I wonder what kind of exceptional woman could break through his cold exterior."

"Rumor has it that the young lady from the Lin family is named Zhiyun." Nangong Jie recalled the gossip, "She seems to have joined a small sect called the Floating Flower Palace when she was young."

"What! Master..." Nangong Ling's face changed, and her lively eyes showed a rare hint of anxiety.

"What's wrong?" Nangong Jie was puzzled.

"Nothing, nothing." Nangong Ling realized she had lost her composure and quickly calmed down, "I just thought the name sounded familiar. I must have remembered it wrong."

Nangong Jie, looking at her cousin's expression, felt that her words were not entirely honest.

"If the marriage between the Xiao and Lin families is successful, even the Minister of Revenue will become a relative of the Xiao family." Nangong Ling analyzed, "The strength of the Xiao family, the first noble family, will be almost on par with the royal family."

"If you marry Xiao Wuqing, and with our Nangong family, the entire Great Qian Empire will be powerless against the Xiao family." Nangong Jie said jealously.

"Xiaojie, do you like Xiao Wuqing?" Nangong Ling suddenly looked into her cousin's eyes, speaking seriously.

"What, I, I don't." Nangong Jie, caught off guard by her cousin's question, stammered and blushed.

"I won't marry Xiao Wuqing. If you like him, go ahead and pursue him." Nangong Ling sighed, "But Xiao Wuqing is very flirtatious and has many women. If you marry him, you'll have to deal with the intrigue and jealousy among his women, and you might not be happy."

"Big Sister, Xiao Wuqing is so gentle, so handsome, and so good to you. Why don't you want to marry him?" Nangong Jie couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Little sister, just because someone is handsome and good to you, does that mean you have to marry them?" Nangong Ling smiled and shook her head, "You're still young, and there are things you don't understand. Since the Xiao and Lin families are about to form an alliance, you might as well get to know the two young masters of the Lin family. It could help you get closer to Xiao Wuqing."

Nangong Jie nodded, lost in thought about the possibilities with Xiao Wuqing.

Nangong Ling turned and left the garden, returned to her room, quickly packed her belongings, and put on her backpack and sword. She went to the back yard.

In the back yard, her special mount, "Little Red," was leisurely walking around. Seeing its owner, it excitedly ran up to her, rubbing its long head against her cheek affectionately.

Nangong Ling led Little Red to the front gate, mounted the horse, and was about to leave when a figure suddenly appeared, blocking her path.

"Where are you going?" The figure wore a green robe and a green mask, and the voice belonged to a woman older than her.

"I'm going back to Qingfeng Mountain." Nangong Ling did not hide her intentions.

The green-robed woman raised her head, and her cold eyes met Nangong Ling's for a moment. "I can't let you go."

"I'm not trying to escape from the Nangong family. Someone is targeting my master, and I need to go back and help her." Nangong Ling's beautiful eyes, like the stars and the sea, stared back unwaveringly.

"You can send a messenger to warn her." The green-robed woman's voice was emotionless.

"My master is simple and kind and can't handle these schemes." Nangong Ling shook her head, "I need to go back and help her get through this."

"The head of the family has ordered me not to let you return to your master." The green-robed woman still blocked her path.

"The letter Nangong Tianxing sent to trick me back was already seen through by me." Nangong Ling, addressing her father, the head of the Nangong family, by his name, "All he wants is to use me as a tool for an alliance. I promise you that once this is over, I'll return to the capital. If you don't agree, then take my body back to Nangong Tianxing."

The green-robed woman, clearly not expecting Nangong Ling's determination, hesitated.

"Or, you can come with me and monitor my movements." Nangong Ling took a step back and drew her sword, placing it against her neck, "Once my master's crisis is resolved, I'll return immediately. If I decide to die, even if you are a Tianlun expert, you can't watch me every moment."

"Fine." The green-robed woman, though cold, did not want Nangong Ling to die. After a long pause, she finally nodded.

"Mount up." Nangong Ling didn't waste words, gesturing with her hand.

The green-robed woman lightly touched the ground and appeared behind Nangong Ling on the horse without any visible movement.

Nangong Ling raised the reins, and Little Red let out a long neigh, bent its hind legs, and shot forward like lightning, raising a cloud of dust and quickly disappearing on the horizon...

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"Brother Zhong Wen, every time you come down the mountain, you bring back a beautiful girl. Even if the Floating Flower Palace has many rooms, one day they will be full." Shangguan Junyi, looking at Ning Jie behind Zhong Wen, covered her mouth and teased.

"Big Sister Shangguan, this is Sister Ning, whom I met on the road just now. She wants to go to Qinghai Province but got lost, so I brought her back to settle temporarily." Zhong Wen explained.

"If she wants to go to Qinghai Province, she shouldn't have passed through this Qingyun Mountain Range." Lin Zhiyun said, "Although it's possible to reach the destination by crossing the mountains, it's a long detour."

"What should I do?" Ning Jie, hearing that she had taken the wrong path, was naturally anxious, "I need to attend an important gathering at sea. If I can't reach the port on time, I'll miss it."

Seeing Ning Jie's anxious expression, Zhong Wen comforted her, "Sister Ning, don't worry. First, send a messenger to have your grandfather come and meet you, and then we can discuss the next steps."

"Thank you." Ning Jie nodded and thanked Lin Zhiyun and the others.

Ning Jie was not only beautiful but also exuded an intellectual charm from years of reading, making it easy for people to like her. Lin Zhiyun, seeing her well-mannered, gently consoled her and arranged for her to rest in a guest room.

After giving a large stack of books from the Jile Gang to Lin Zhiyun, Zhong Wen hurriedly prepared dinner, and the gentle and obedient Leng Wushuang helped him without hesitation.

After once again stunning the newcomer Ning Jie with his culinary skills, Zhong Wen returned to his room and began to refine a new type of pill.

The Transcend Ordinary Pill.

This pill, though named intriguingly, was only a low-level pill to enhance the cultivation of the Human Wheel stage. Although he had already refined the Spirit Ascension Pill, Zhong Wen was reluctant to use a pill that could help Earth Wheel cultivators at this time. After witnessing Xiao Wenjian's strength, he felt a sense of urgency and decided to quickly improve his cultivation. After racking his brain, he remembered a single formula mentioned in the books from the Medicine King Valley.

In ancient times, cultivators were generally much stronger than they are now. During that era, Human Wheel cultivators were almost considered "ordinary people," and the Transcend Ordinary Pill was designed to help them transcend their ordinary state and enter the realm of cultivation, enhancing their strength and helping them quickly leave the "ordinary" category.

With Zhong Wen's current alchemy skills, refining this low-level pill was as easy as pie. Soon, a batch of Transcend Ordinary Pills was neatly arranged in the pill furnace, and the room was filled with the fragrance of the herbs. After inhaling a few breaths, Zhong Wen, who was already at the peak of the fourth level of the Human Wheel, directly broke through the cultivation barrier and reached the fifth level.

He was about to swallow a pill to test its effects when he heard a "knock, knock, knock" at the door.

Putting away the pills and the pill furnace, he stood up and went to the door.

Opening the door, he saw a graceful figure, exuding a mature and intellectual charm, dressed in white, like a celestial maiden.

"Brother Zhong." Ning Jie's face was slightly flushed, and her voice was soft and pleasant, "Can I come in?"

This beautiful sister sneaking into my room late at night with such an ambiguous expression, could she be thinking of something indescribable?

Zhong Wen thought shamefully...