Chapter 4

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The celebration banquet at the Snow Drift Hall continued until late at night. In the dead of night, the sky was filled with stars, and Ji Yichuan and his wife were returning home with the baby.

“Ugh!” Ji Ning, half-asleep, opened his drowsy little eyes and saw the starry sky.

Ah!

He had fallen asleep, and he actually fell asleep halfway through!

The performance was so wonderful, with the musicians in the grand hall playing the stone chime, bell, and ocarina, and the barefoot girls in animal skins dancing freely and wildly. The style was completely different from that on Earth, and it was really beautiful. Unfortunately, he was just a baby, and halfway through, he was so sleepy that he fell into a deep sleep.

“Yichuan.” Wei Chixue said as she walked, her voice filled with anger, “You said at the banquet that our son should seize the golden sword? How difficult is that? Don’t you know?”

“I could do it back then.” Ji Yichuan frowned.

“You are the strongest in the Western Manor of the Ji family. You could do it when you were young, but how many in the Western Manor of the Ji family over a thousand years of inheritance are like you?” Wei Chixue was angry. She was usually very gentle, but when it came to her son, she became anxious, “Moreover, today, the Manor Lord proposed that our child be the next Manor Lord. At that time, five of the executors agreed, and we only needed one more. As long as we persuade one more executor in the future... if we can get six executors to agree, our son can easily become the Manor Lord. Why must he seize the golden sword?”

Seizing the golden sword is too difficult.

Ji Yichuan shook his head and sighed, “You don’t understand.”

“How can I not understand?” Wei Chixue said angrily.

“You just came to the Western Manor of the Ji family, and you don’t understand the intricacies inside.” Ji Yichuan explained, “The ten executors of the Western Manor of the Ji family are divided into the Manor Lord faction, the Ji Lie faction, and the neutral faction. We need to win over one more executor, but the cost is too high.”

“So what if the cost is high?” Wei Chixue said discontentedly.

“Yes, paying a huge price can make our son the Manor Lord.” Ji Yichuan frowned and said, “But if our son is incompetent, putting him in the position of Manor Lord will only make him suffer. It will be a torment!”

Wei Chixue was taken aback.

“I don’t want our son to suffer.” Ji Yichuan said slowly, “That’s why I suggested he seize the golden sword.”

“If our son has extraordinary talent and insight, and makes rapid progress, he should be able to seize the golden sword and become the Manor Lord in that manner. No one will have any objections.” Ji Yichuan said, “But if our son cannot seize the golden sword, then he can live a leisurely life. I, Ji Yichuan, will protect him for life, ensuring he lives without worries.”

Wei Chixue was deep in thought.

She understood.

Being the Manor Lord doesn’t necessarily mean a carefree life. If one is strong, they can naturally hold the position. But if one is incompetent... even if they are forced into the position, they will only suffer.

“Yichuan, I wronged you.” Wei Chixue said softly.

Ji Yichuan just lowered his head and touched his son’s little face, “His eyes are so wide open; this little guy is already awake.”

“By the way, Yichuan, what name should we give our child?” Wei Chixue asked, “When I was pregnant, I asked you, but you were never satisfied with any name. Now that the child is born, we should think of a suitable name.”

“The name will follow our son for life.” Ji Yichuan said, “How can I not be cautious? I haven’t decided yet, but I suddenly thought of a name... let’s name our son Ning. No matter if his life is calm or turbulent, whether he is weak or strong, he should always maintain a calm heart.”

“Ning?” Wei Chixue repeated, “Ji Ning, Ji Ning...”

Ji Ning?

The baby in his mother’s arms opened his eyes wide. Was it the First Judge, Lord Cui, who decided his name in the Book of Life and Death? Or was it just a coincidence?

Could it be that he is also called Ji Ning in this life?

******

The strongest in the Western Manor of the Ji family is ‘Drip Water Sword’ Ji Yichuan.

The second strongest is ‘Tiger Demon’ Ji Lie.

Inside Ji Lie’s residence.

“Congratulations, Father, congratulations.” A middle-aged man with dozens of braids said, “Ji Yichuan is arrogant and blind, actually making his son seize the golden sword... In the thousand years of the Western Manor of the Ji family, no one has ever become the Manor Lord by seizing the golden sword.”

An old man with fiery red hair and a small red snake on his ear suddenly slapped the armrest, “When I was young, I should have been the Manor Lord! I was too arrogant and was defeated by my eldest brother, Ji Youyang. That old Ji Youyang sat in the position of Manor Lord for eighty years!”

“Eighty years!”

“I have been waiting, waiting, every day was a torment.” Ji Lie gritted his teeth, “I never expected that the direct line would produce a Ji Yichuan! He is truly outstanding. Fortunately, fortunately, Ji Yichuan is devoted to cultivating and has no interest in being the Manor Lord. This time, Ji Yichuan is too arrogant, making his son take this path.”

“Heaven wants us to be the Manor Lord.” The middle-aged man said excitedly.

“Don’t be hasty.”

Ji Lie said, “My failure when I was young taught me... don’t celebrate too early until true success! We need to make some preparations!”

“What do you mean, Father?” the middle-aged man asked.

Ji Lie frowned and thought deeply.

Time slowly passed, and the middle-aged man sat beside him, not daring to disturb him. He knew his father was thinking.

“Hmm!” Ji Lie said in a low voice, “Let’s do it this way!”

The middle-aged man looked at his father, “Father, what do you plan to do?”

“To obtain the golden sword, one must defeat all the tribal youths and the Ji family’s descendants.” Ji Lie said in a low voice, “The number of Ji family’s descendants is small, but they receive a large number of treasures and secret manuals. The number of tribal youths is large, but they have few treasures. Even so, in the Golden Sword Ceremony held every four years, it takes about six ceremonies for a Ji family descendant to barely obtain the golden sword.”

The middle-aged man nodded, “There are too many tribal youths, and some of them have extraordinary talent. However, even with extraordinary talent, we won’t teach them our true secret techniques; we will only teach them the second-best. Even if these tribal youths are powerful in the Golden Sword Ceremony, after seventy or eighty years, the strong ones will still be from the Ji family.”

“My point is...” Ji Lie said in a low voice, “Select the most outstanding tribal youths, and I will give them a large number of treasures and resources, and cultivate them vigorously. Without my cultivation, these tribal youths are already so powerful. Once they receive my cultivation, they will surely soar to new heights and become even stronger. I don’t believe that Ji Yichuan’s son can sweep all opponents and seize the golden sword.”

“Right, right.” The middle-aged man nodded.

Normally, the treatment of tribal youths and Ji family’s descendants is completely different.

The Ji family’s descendants are our own, so they naturally receive many benefits. We need to both win over and control the tribal youths! But this time... we will cultivate the most outstanding ones with all our might!

“Father, this way, Ji Yichuan’s son will definitely lose.” The middle-aged man said confidently.

“Ha ha ha...” Ji Lie laughed, “Remember, plant some people in Ji Yichuan’s side. I need to know the progress of Ji Yichuan’s son’s strength. Knowing oneself and the enemy is the key to victory!”

“Yes!” The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up.

******

In the warm little bed, Wei Chixue gently placed her son.

“Ning, be good, go to sleep.” Wei Chixue gently kissed her son’s little face and then lay down on the bed.

Ji Ning had a bitter expression.

He blinked, having just drunk milk, and felt a strange sensation.

The events of the past twenty-four hours were too shocking and unbelievable. First, he crossed the Bridge of Netherworld, and just as he was about to drink the Forgetfulness Soup, a great upheaval occurred in the Netherworld, and he managed to leap into the Human Realm, reincarnating in this world.

A large white dog, is it his Uncle Bai?

A black snake over a hundred meters long, with a head as big as a house, and can transform into a middle-aged man with black hair, is it his Uncle Hei?

Now they want him to seize the golden sword and become the Manor Lord?

Did they even ask for my opinion?

“Sigh, infants have no rights.” Ji Ning licked the milk from the corner of his mouth, then gathered his thoughts, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes: “It’s time to cultivate!”

On the first day in this world, Ji Ning felt the strength of his family. Could it be that leading countless tribes is not something ordinary? However, it’s clear that the position of Manor Lord is coveted by many. That old man with a small red snake on his ear has considerable power, daring to challenge the Manor Lord and even his father.

Who cares!

He is just an infant, and there’s no need to worry about so many things. The most important thing now is to cultivate, to practice the visualization technique, the ‘Nuwa Diagram’.

According to Lord Cui, even if he were to reincarnate in the Heavenly Realm, he could stand out among the heavenly soldiers and generals with this visualization technique, let alone in the human world. It must be one of the most advanced visualization techniques in the human world. Such a precious visualization technique, deeply imprinted in his memory, is the foundation of his existence in this world.

In his previous life, he suffered from illness for eighteen years, feeling so exhausted after a half-hour walk, and the helplessness of being tormented by illness was something he had endured enough! The helplessness of facing death, he had endured enough! Enough! It’s enough! The only way to control his destiny is the path of cultivation, as Lord Cui said!

Only cultivation!

Ji Ning closed his eyes and began to visualize.

A thread of the elemental energy of heaven and earth slowly entered Ji Ning’s body, being absorbed into his sea of consciousness, strengthening his soul. Since the elemental energy absorbed was just a thread, even Ji Yichuan and Wei Chixue couldn’t detect it.

Can a visualization technique actually draw in the elemental energy of heaven and earth for absorption?

This is very surprising.

Because this is not a cultivation technique or a secret art of immortals and demons. If it were a cultivation technique, even absorbing a large amount of elemental energy would be normal. But a visualization technique, even absorbing a thread of elemental energy... is very surprising.

“Swish~” “Swish~” Threads of the elemental energy of heaven and earth continuously entered the body of the infant Ji Ning.

Each entry of the elemental energy of heaven and earth is like a cleansing of Ji Ning’s body. Infants are the purest at birth, but after birth, they become tainted by the world. However, at this moment, Ji Ning is only slightly tainted, and once cleansed, he quickly becomes pure again, as pure as the moment of birth!