Chapter 386: Xiao Qiuyue's Arrival, He Jinyun's Mother!

Chapter 386: Xiao Qiuyue's Arrival, He Jinyun's Mother!

January 20th, 2025

Three days later.

Qinghe Commander's Mansion.

"The Third Mistress has returned!"

A clear and loud voice suddenly shattered the tranquility of the Qinghe Commander's Mansion.

"Qiuyue is back?" Inside the main hall, a man with a stern face looked towards the front courtyard in surprise.

Soon after,

The news of the Third Mistress's return spread like wildfire throughout Dongling City.

The death of the young master was not a secret in Dongling City.

Moreover, the young master, He Jinyun, had been famous in Dongling City since his early years.

His reputation as a man of extraordinary strength had already spread far and wide.

With the occurrence of this incident, many people had secretly become cautious.

Thus, the news of Xiao Qiuyue's return spread quickly.

At noon,

Xiao Qiuyue slowly walked out of the Qinghe Commander's Mansion.

Behind her, Qinghe Commander glanced at her indifferently as she walked away.

"Master, won't you stop her?"

"Let her go! Xiao Qiushui wants her back, she must have her reasons! Zhao Yulong asked me to drop this matter, and I can temporarily let it go, but how can she possibly let it go? I have many sons, but she only has one, and she watched him grow up day by day after carrying him for ten months!"

Hearing these words from the master of the house, the old steward behind him fell silent.

He knew that his master had not truly let go of the matter either.

However, there was no evidence, only speculation.

And the prime suspect was a favorite in the Inspection Office, favored by Zhao Yulong.

Furthermore, the Inspection Office was now too powerful to provoke.

His master had no choice but to endure it silently.

"I wonder what the Third Mistress is planning to do!" The old steward muttered, watching Xiao Qiuyue's departing figure.

Qinghe Commander also glanced at her and then withdrew his gaze.

"Let's go, return to the mansion! Close the gates!"

"Yes, Master!"

Meanwhile, at the Martial Academy.

Library Tower.

Slap—

Jiang Ning closed a thick book.

A panel appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.

[Skills]: Recognizing Characters + (8 Limit Breaks 9000/9000) (Characteristics: Photographic Memory, Extraordinary Senses, Keen Mind, Exceptional Comprehension, Heavenly Eye (First Breakthrough), Transcendent Sixth Sense, Unity of Knowledge and Action)



"Finally, it's full!" He exhaled with relief, feeling a sense of liberation.

After days of reading, he felt mentally exhausted.

However, the gains were substantial, giving him new insights and understanding of the ancient and modern changes in this world.

He realized that this world was not as simple as it seemed.

Just like the ancient myths of his previous life, this world's ancient myths also had numerous legends.

Many were recorded.

There were even some similarities in certain aspects.

In his previous life, he would have dismissed such legends as mere stories.

But this life and this world were different.

He had personally experienced soul-leaving-the-body.

He had witnessed the wandering of the Yin soul at night.

The Martial Sage, with a thousand-year lifespan, was alive in this era.

With all these experiences and his personal encounter with the wonder of time travel, he could not easily dismiss those legends.

He scanned the entire library with his eyes.

Then, he withdrew his gaze.

"Forget it, I won't read anymore! I've read most of the books I needed to, and I've acquired the necessary foundational knowledge! It's time to focus on improving my strength!"

After making his decision, he returned the book to its original place.

Moments later, he left the Library Tower.

Then, he headed towards the Dan Tower.

At the entrance of the mansion.

In the afternoon, the sun's intensity had lessened.

"Madam, if you're waiting for my young master, please come inside and wait. It's quite windy out here!"

Lu Yi looked at the woman before her, whose face was haggard but still carried a hint of nobility.

"No need, I'll wait for him here. I'll wait until he returns!" Xiao Qiuyue's expression was calm.

"My young master usually comes home very late!"

"Then I'll wait until late!" Xiao Qiuyue insisted.

Seeing that the woman was not going to budge, Lu Yi could only show a helpless expression.

At that moment,

A figure appeared at the end of the road.

"It's the young master!" Lu Yi's eyes lit up with joy.

"Is that Jiang Ning?" Xiao Qiuyue murmured, watching Jiang Ning in the distance, approaching swiftly yet gracefully.

On the other side,

Jiang Ning's heart skipped a beat.

An ambush!

His gaze immediately fell on Xiao Qiuyue.

"Is it her?!"

Noticing the three to four similarities in their features compared to Xiao Qiushui's portrait, he instantly recognized her identity.

He Jinyun's mother, the mistress of Qinghe Commander's Mansion, Xiao Qiushui's younger sister, Xiao Qiuyue.

"The timing fits perfectly!"

At that moment, he remembered the message Xiao Emei had sent him a few days ago.

"There are two people in hiding, judging by their auras, they should not have reached the Fifth Rank yet!"

Jiang Ning's heart stirred, and he no longer felt worried.

As he stepped into the fifth rank of the Internal Strength realm, the changes in his breathing were evident.

The refinement of his internal organs had enhanced their functions, and with each breath and heartbeat, he felt a noticeable difference from before.

His breathing was slow and prolonged, and his heart's rhythm was much calmer.

The two hidden figures nearby, however, had clearly not achieved this state.

Unfazed, he continued walking towards the front courtyard.

After a few breaths...

Jiang Ning halted.

Xiao Qiuyue spoke first, "Commander Jiang?"

"It's me," Jiang Ning replied nonchalantly.

"It's not easy to get to see you. It's truly not easy!" Xiao Qiuyue's eyes revealed a hint of emotion, her expression calm, and there was no trace of hatred in her gaze.

Just then...

Whoosh—

Two sounds of breaking through the air suddenly echoed from both sides, and two figures appeared, one on each side, surrounding Jiang Ning.

"So weak!"

Jiang Ning's gaze swept across them, and in his eyes, the two figures seemed to move in slow motion, posing no threat.

Forget it!

Let's keep it simple!

With this thought, he raised his hand and made two light tapping motions.

True essence tore through the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two figures that had leaped into the air were instantly sent flying backward, their hearts pierced with wounds that went straight through.

"Condensing Qi into might, breaking through with true essence! Commander Jiang, you're truly extraordinary!"

Xiao Qiuyue's tone was calm, and Jiang Ning's swift defeat of the two sixth-rank experts seemed to be within her expectations.

"Madam Xiao, were these assassins sent by you?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Yes!" Xiao Qiuyue nodded without hesitation, admitting, "It was me!"

The next moment...

She suddenly laughed.

"Commander Jiang, although there's no evidence that you're the murderer of my husband, my mother's intuition tells me that you're the one who killed him."

Seeing this, Jiang Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

His intuition told him that something was amiss with Xiao Qiuyue at this moment.

Xiao Qiuyue continued, "I also know that with your strength, I can't seek revenge. Even if Zhao Yulong intervenes, he wouldn't dare to oppose the Qinghe Commander's Mansion for the sake of his son's life."

"So, as a mere woman, I can only do it my way."

As she finished speaking, blood foam appeared at the corner of Xiao Qiuyue's mouth, and her vitality began to fade.

Jiang Ning's expression changed slightly as he saw this.

In a flash, he moved to support Xiao Qiuyue's collapsing body.

True essence flowed into her, and he suddenly felt that while Xiao Qiuyue's body seemed normal, her vitality was rapidly withering, and her internal organs started bleeding, with blood gushing out from her throat.

Aside from that, he couldn't detect any other abnormalities.

"There's no need to try, as I've used such a method. Your efforts are in vain."

Xiao Qiuyue pushed Jiang Ning away, leaving these words behind as her body slumped to the ground, and her last breath dissipated.

"What a domineering poison!"

Seeing Xiao Qiuyue's vitality completely extinguished in an instant, Jiang Ning's eyebrows knitted together.

The wife of the Qinghe Commander had died right before his eyes, and he was at a loss for words.

Within the imperial court system, the hierarchy of positions holds immense influence.

Take myself, for example; with my eighth-rank official status in Luoshui County and the privileges of the Inspection Office, I could be said to be at the pinnacle of power.

However, in Dongling City, I am merely an insignificant figure.

Although my current strength is formidable, I am not at the top of the hierarchy in Dongling City.

Dongling City is the county seat of Dongling Prefecture.

While there are only a few publicly known Grandmasters, the actual number of Grandmasters is undoubtedly higher than what is known.

Take the librarian at the Martial Academy, for instance; there are no rumors or legends about him outside.

But Jiang Ning believes that this person must be a Grandmaster.

If faced with an ordinary Grandmaster, he wouldn't have much confidence in winning.

After all, the gap between him and a Grandmaster is not just a small one.

It is a difference of nearly two entire cultivation realms.

The path of martial arts becomes increasingly challenging as one progresses.

However, correspondingly, every bit of progress brings about a more significant increase in strength.

His current cultivation level is merely at the initial stage of the fourth rank of martial arts.

Among the Grandmasters in Dongling City, it is impossible for all of them to be stuck at the first level of the fourth rank.

With such a vast gap, it's not easy to win against them in battle.

According to his understanding, the title of Grandmaster is bestowed upon those who reach the third rank, and the advancement to this rank is incredibly powerful.

They are no longer ordinary humans.

Without special means or the restraint of a stronger opponent, a Grandmaster can break through military formations and escape when the situation turns unfavorable.

This is why Grandmasters are granted special privileges in the Xia Dynasty.

They are no longer human, almost like divine beings.

Especially the Heaven Human Grandmasters.

They are like divine beings, capable of flying and moving through the earth.

A single person can form an army, and a single person can conquer a city!

Facing such a superhuman existence, Jiang Ning wouldn't dare claim he could win.

Moreover, even if he could win, choosing violence should be the last resort and the only way out.

Once this path is chosen, there's no turning back.

Either one man with a blade forces the Xia Dynasty to submit, as they did before the founding Martial Sage, or one faces endless manhunts and assassinations, never finding peace again.

The bird that sticks out gets shot down, and that's how it is.

These various thoughts flashed through Jiang Ning's mind in an instant.

Then, Bai Luoyu smiled.

"You and I are friends, so helping each other in times of trouble is only natural!"

"Moreover, even if we weren't friends, just as colleagues, if we don't help our own, who else would we help?"

As his words fell, Bai Luoyu's gaze finally landed on the corpse at Jiang Ning's feet.

His eyes narrowed.

"It's Xiao Qiuyue, the Third Lady of Qinghe Commander!"

"It is her!" Jiang Ning muttered.

Bai Luoyu said, "It's her; I've seen her before, and I wouldn't mistake her for anyone else!"

Then, his gaze swept over the two lifeless bodies in the distance before returning to Jiang Ning.

"Brother Jiang, what happened here?"

After a moment, Bai Luoyu nodded as he listened to Jiang Ning's explanation.

"So that's how it is! Now, we need to get Zhao Yulong involved!"

"Will Zhao Yulong help me?" Jiang Ning still sounded doubtful, even after hearing Xiao Qiuyue's words.

After all, Xiao Qiuyue's death was a significant matter.

Although she was not the primary wife, her death still involved the Qinghe Commander's reputation.

It's not something that can be taken lightly, dying right outside his home and in front of him.

Bai Luoyu smiled and said, "As for what Zhao Yulong will do, Brother Jiang, rest assured. He is the most protective lord I've ever seen! In Zhao Yulong's eyes, everyone from the Inspection Office is family, and everyone else is an outsider."

"If you want your people to truly dedicate their lives, you must protect them without reason."

"Only then will those beneath you be willing to die for you, to sell their lives for you, and to follow your orders without question."

"You may say he's not a good official, but you can't say he's not a good superior!"

"With Zhao Yulong here, as long as he's willing to step forward, this matter won't be a big deal."

"Xiao Qiuyue, although she's the Third Lady, she's not the primary wife and can only be considered a concubine!"

"The status of a concubine is ultimately limited!"

"If it were the primary wife of the Qinghe Commander, the First Lady, then her death would truly be a huge problem!"

After saying this, Bai Luoyu immediately took out the Tianji Lu to send a message.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a gray figure appeared in Jiang Ning and the others' line of sight.

The gray figure flashed a few times and arrived in front of Jiang Ning.

"Lord Zhao!" Bai Luoyu spoke up.

"Greetings, Lord Zhao!" Jiang Ning clasped his hands in respect.

Zhao Yulong waved his hand, "No need for formalities!"

His gaze fell on Xiao Qiuyue's body on the ground.

"Commander Jiang, what happened? Tell me the details!"

"Yes, Lord Zhao!" Jiang Ning replied.

He then proceeded to explain the entire situation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end