Chapter 230: A Fifth Rank Peak's Goodwill

Chapter 230: A Fifth Rank Peak's Goodwill

In the courtyard.

"Good wine!" Lu Qingshan quietly savored a small sip of the fine liquor, then opened his eyes in admiration.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning smiled.

"The Valley Lord personally visits and even heals my brother's paralyzed arm. It's only natural that I treat you to the finest wine in my possession," Jiang Ning said as he poured a bowl of wine.

Lu Qingshan waved his hand, "It's just a simple act of kindness! Nothing to make a fuss about!"

"I will forever remember this kindness!" Jiang Ning spoke, raising the bowl of wine in his hand, "I offer a bowl to the Valley Lord!"

"A toast!" Lu Qingshan clinked his bowl and said.

"Of course!" Jiang Ning replied.

The next moment, the two men drank from their bowls, and the cold liquor spilled from the corners of their mouths, landing on the ground with a faint chill.

"This wine..." Lu Qingshan took a sip, his face revealing a look of appreciation, "This wine sends a chill through my body, as if I'm standing amidst a thousand-year-old ice. If I were to drink a bowl of this in the summer, it would be incredibly refreshing!"

Jiang Ning laughed, "Then next summer, I'll invite the Valley Lord to taste this wine again!"

"Good!" Lu Qingshan nodded vigorously.

Then, he praised, "This wine is extraordinary. It seems to have the effect of transforming one's body and enhancing martial arts prowess."

"Indeed!" Jiang Ning slightly nodded in agreement.

"Jiang Tongling is truly generous! To bring out such a precious item!" Lu Qingshan expressed his admiration.

Jiang Ning smiled.

Just then, Lu Qingshan suddenly spoke, "I smell the scent of the Panther Transformation Pill on your body, Jiang Tongling. You must have taken the Panther Transformation Pill recently?"

"That's right!" Jiang Ning nodded, then poured a full bowl of wine for Lu Qingshan and himself.

"In that case, thank you, Jiang Tongling, for helping my Medicine King Valley deal with that arrogant fellow!" Lu Qingshan said, then raised the bowl of wine in front of him. "As a token of my gratitude, I offer a bowl to Jiang Tongling!"

Clink!

The two porcelain bowls touched, emitting a crisp sound.

"Are you saying you consumed the Panther Transformation Pills yourself?" Jiang Ning asked.

"How could I blame you?" Lu Qingshan shook his head with a smile. "Jiang Tongling helped my Medicine King Valley deal with that rogue. It's only natural that the spoils of war belong to you. In fact, my Medicine King Valley should offer a reward for this!"

"You're too kind, Valley Lord!" Jiang Ning praised.

At that moment, Jiang Ning fully understood the goodwill of the Medicine King Valley Lord before him.

Otherwise, with Lu Qingshan's strength, there was no need to say such words.

A typical Fifth Rank Martial Artist, Jiang Ning felt he had the skills to match and qualify for a confrontation.

But at the Fifth Rank Peak, according to the records in the book, a single sword could slay a thousand soldiers.

Such strength was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary mortal body; it was akin to possessing a nuclear-level power.

Then, the two men raised their bowls filled with wine and drank.

As the wine entered their bodies, a mist of heat rose from Jiang Ning's head.

After finishing the bowl of wine, Jiang Ning set down the bowl and said, "Jiang Tongling, now that we've met and become friends, how about we make it official?"

"If we're drinking together, aren't we already friends?" Lu Qingshan asked.

"You're right! I was being redundant!" Jiang Ning laughed.

Then, Jiang Ning refilled both their bowls with wine.

Looking at the bowl, where the wine shimmered like starlight, Lu Qingshan suddenly spoke, "Jiang Tongling, I heard that last night, the young master of the Qinghe Marquis' family died outside the Surveillance Office, about five hundred meters away. Is this true?"

Hearing Lu Qingshan's words, Jiang Ning nodded slightly, "It's true. What Tongling was assassinated last night."

"Ah..." Lu Qingshan gasped, then took a sharp breath, "This complicates matters! The young master of the Qinghe Marquis' family died in Luoshui County. In a few days, there will be major disturbances in Luoshui County!"

Then, Lu Qingshan turned to Jiang Ning, "Jiang Tongling, be careful from now on! Stay alert!"

"Why?" Jiang Ning asked.

"I've heard that you had a conflict with the young master. If the Qinghe Marquis' people come to Luoshui County, they will surely suspect you. Although everyone knows it couldn't have been you!"

"But the Qinghe Marquis' family, as the descendants of the founding Marquis, they don't follow rules or evidence. They'd rather wrong a thousand than let one go!"

"As long as they kill all the suspects, it's considered avenging the young master!"

"This way, they can also preserve the Qinghe Marquis' family's reputation!"

"Fortunately, Jiang Tongling is from the Surveillance Office. Even the Qinghe Marquis' family wouldn't dare act recklessly."

"So in the coming days, Jiang Tongling, it's best to stay within the Surveillance Office and avoid leaving the city. Wait for this storm to pass!)"

Jiang Ning bowed in acknowledgment, "Thank you for the reminder, I understand!"

After lunch.

After seeing Lu Qingshan off.

At the banks of the Luoshui River.

Lu Qingshan and Gongsun Yu stood by the shore, quietly feeling the cold wind blowing in from the lake.

Lu Qingshan's grayish-white hair at his temples suddenly flew backwards.

"Elder Gongsun, what do you think of Jiang Ning?" Lu Qingshan suddenly asked.

"This person is extraordinary. Facing the Valley Lord, he didn't show a trace of fear!" Gongsun Yu replied.

"You're not seeing the full picture!" Lu Qingshan shook his head. "Did you notice his forehead just now?"

"What about his forehead?" Gongsun Yu asked, puzzled.

"His forehead is slightly raised, indicating that his psychic energy has greatly improved in a short period, reaching an extremely high level, not inferior to mine!" Lu Qingshan explained.

"Not inferior to the Valley Lord?" Gongsun Yu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes! Not inferior to me!" Lu Qingshan nodded slightly.

"Such a monster?" Gongsun Yu's expression was one of disbelief.

"At his age, with such a clean past and experiences, his psychic energy has unexpectedly grown to this level, and coupled with his rapidly improving strength, his origins are very questionable." Lu Qingshan said.

"What do you mean?" Gongsun Yu asked.

"I suspect he's the reincarnation of an ancient existence." Lu Qingshan slowly spoke.

"Is there really such a thing as reincarnation?" Gongsun Yu was taken aback.

"Yes!" Lu Qingshan nodded firmly. "Not only this generation's Buddhist-Taoist twins, but the founder of the Bashu Sword Pavilion was also the reincarnation of an ancient immortal!"

"The current leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect, renowned as the second most powerful in the world, is also rumored to be the reincarnation of an ancient immortal."

Hearing this, Gongsun Yu said, "According to the Valley Lord's theory, could Commander Jiang also be the reincarnation of such a great figure?"

"Mhm!" Lu Qingshan slightly nodded and said, "Do you remember yesterday's rain?"

"The rain in the evening?" Gongsun Yu asked.

"Mhm!" Lu Qingshan nodded. "That rain was unusual. According to the celestial phenomena, it shouldn't have rained during that time. That rain was likely man-made."

"And now it seems that rain might have been directed at the Young Lord!"

Gongsun Yu's eyes widened in shock. "Do you mean that rain might have been summoned by Jiang Ning? Could he be the ultimate culprit behind He Jinyun's murder?"

"It's possible!" Lu Qingshan smiled. "It's just a possibility, my speculation! If he's the reincarnation of an immortal, then summoning the rain that covered Luoshui County makes sense."

Meanwhile.

After seeing Lu Qingshan off, Jiang Ning sat alone in his courtyard, sipping hot tea.

Lu Qingshan's sudden visit had caught him completely off guard.

"This is a good thing! Lu Qingshan's visit shows goodwill, indicating that the conflict with Medicine King Valley is in the past, and I won't have to worry about their threat in the future!"

"And it also brought vitality back to my brother's paralyzed right arm. This is a great blessing."

Jiang Ning's face lit up with a genuine smile as he thought of this.

In recent days, he had also been aware of the deep gloom in his brother's heart.

Anyone would feel down if their limbs suddenly became crippled, with one arm useless.

Jiang Ning had planned to wait until his strength and status improved before finding a way to treat his brother's disabled arm.

After all, the stronger one's abilities, the higher the level of access, and the more likely one would find a feasible solution.

Now, this problem had been resolved, alleviating his brother's long-standing gloom.

Just then, Jiang Ning's expression became solemn.

"Someone's here!"

The next moment, his figure disappeared from the spot.

At the entrance.

Knock, knock, knock—

Ye Qiu gently knocked on the door.

The next moment, the door, which had just been closed, opened.

Action: Ye Qiu and Jiang Ning make their way towards the eastern residence.

"Brother Ye, what brings you here today?"

"Nothing much," Ye Qiu shakes his head. "I just wanted to share my troubles with you, Brother Jiang."

"What troubles you so, Brother Ye?"

"It's about what happened yesterday," Ye Qiu explains. "Our young lord suddenly passed away outside the Inspection Office, and the circumstances were strange. The Marquis was helpless, so he tasked me with investigating the culprit."

"You were there, Brother Jiang. How can we investigate this?"

Hearing Ye Qiu's words, Jiang Ning's heart grew heavy.

"It's true," Jiang Ning speaks up. "This is an unprecedented manner of death, making it impossible to investigate."

"Indeed," Ye Qiu sighs.

By this time, the two have reached Jiang Ning's eastern residence.

Seated in the courtyard, they converse for a long while.

Half an hour passes.

Jiang Ning sees Ye Qiu out of the residence.

Closing the main gate, Jiang Ning returns to the courtyard.

His expression turns solemn.

Ye Qiu's visit and their conversation were clearly meant to test him, as he had suspected.

If not for his preparations, he might not have handled the situation well in his previous life.

Jiang Ning's heart grows heavier at this thought.

Even Ye Qiu suspects him, though they have no evidence.

But as his master Wang Jin once said, do actions truly require evidence?

Evidence is merely a precondition for enforcing the law.

For the powerful, does the law even hold any sway over them?

Rules are made by the strong.

They exist only to restrain the weak, like a sheep pen.

The pen is built to keep the sheep from escaping, not to protect them from wolves.

"Strength is my greatest reliance!" Jiang Ning declares inwardly.

At this thought, he extends his right hand, and a golden box appears in his palm.

Earlier, Lin Qingyi had mentioned its contents—a strange blood that seemed to be the Hundred Spirit Blood.

Hundred Spirit Blood is a precious substance, created by collecting and refining the essence from a hundred beasts.

According to Lin Qingyi, this blood has extraordinary effects and is a treasure for Blood Exchange Masters.

In the market, a single drop is worth ten gold, or ten thousand silver taels, and it's scarce even at that price.

This is primarily because it's a treasure for Blood Exchange Masters.

Moreover, Hundred Spirit Blood has another effect.

It enhances Vital Energy Power, a pure increase in strength.

"No wonder," Jiang Ning realizes. "When I smelled the Hundred Spirit Blood, my body craved it, and my mind felt an overwhelming desire."

He now understands why.

Such a precious substance offers immeasurable benefits to the mortal body, naturally making it yearn for it.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning glances at the box and then at his brother and sister-in-law's residence.

The next moment, he unleashes his Psychic Energy Field, enveloping Jiang Li.

"Brother, I'm going to the island in the lake's center!"

Jiang Ning's words, carried by his psychic energy, reverberate in Jiang Li's ears.

With that, he turns and leaves.

Opening the golden box, he hears the whispers that had nearly entrapped him before.

In the courtyard, too close to his brother and sister-in-law's family, he fears the noise from the Demon God statue might disturb them. So, he chooses to return to the uninhabited island for his cultivation.

On the lake's surface, Jiang Ning effortlessly walks on water.

The Dragon Sinew's explosive power makes each step on the water feel no different from walking on solid ground.

Every footfall on the water is as stable as on land.

He isn't surprised by this, as many in his previous life had experimented with it.

Falling from a fifty-meter height into water feels no different from landing on concrete, as long as the impact force is strong enough.

Walking on water is easy with sufficient explosive power.

Moments later, he arrives at the uninhabited island once more.

Gazing at the vast lake and feeling the cool breeze, Jiang Ning's mood lightens.

Then, he retrieves the golden box from his Bag of Holding.

"I wonder how much the Hundred Spirit Blood will boost my Vital Energy Power and Essence Energy points."

With that thought, Jiang Ning checks his status panel.

Essence Energy: 241.43

He memorizes this number.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end