Chapter 477: Wang Qingtan's Marriage

Chapter 477: Wang Qingtan's Marriage (End of Volume)

Nine Heavens Tower.

Third floor.

Jiang Ning sat down in a corner by the window.

Compared to the bustling first floor, the third floor was much quieter.

"Sir, here is the menu. Please take a look and see what dishes you would like!" The Waiter took out a menu from the open drawer under the round wooden table and handed it to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning took the menu and quickly scanned it.

Then he returned the menu to the Waiter.

"Bring me all the signature dishes, a few side dishes for drinking, and a pound of Jade Blossom Dew!"

"Hmm", the Waiter's face showed a hint of hesitation upon hearing this.

"Is there a problem?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Sir, Nine Heavens Tower has a total of twenty-four signature dishes!" the Waiter explained.

"Twenty-four dishes, are you afraid I can't afford it?" Jiang Ning asked.

The Waiter shook his head vigorously. "How could I doubt your ability to pay, sir? You have an extraordinary presence and are certainly not the type to eat without paying!"

Hearing this, Jiang Ning smiled.

The Waiter continued, "It's just that Nine Heavens Tower always provides ample portions. Twenty-four dishes are quite a lot, enough to satisfy over a dozen grown men. I'm afraid you might waste too much."

"Bring them anyway. As long as the taste is good, you don't need to worry about me not finishing them!" Jiang Ning said.

Hearing this, the Waiter understood.

After running the floor at Nine Heavens Tower in Guangning City for so many years, he had seen many martial artists, especially those with a great appetite.

"I underestimated you! Despite your young appearance, you must be a top-tier martial artist!" the Waiter flattered.

"You're right. The Inspector Jiang before you is indeed a top-tier martial artist!" a male voice suddenly came from behind.

Hearing the voice, Jiang Ning and the Waiter turned around at the same time.

They saw a man in a purple robe slowly walking towards them.

Beside him was a Sword-Wielding Woman.

She didn't look very old, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a body as smooth as jade.

But Jiang Ning knew that the Sword-Wielding Woman was definitely not young.

Because she was at least a 4th Rank Expert, possessing Immortal Skin and Jade Bones.

A 4th Rank Expert with Immortal Skin and Jade Bones naturally appeared much younger.

In reality, this Sword-Wielding Woman could easily be in her forties or fifties.

But it was hard to tell her age from her appearance.

Then, Jiang Ning's gaze was instantly drawn to the man in the purple robe.

His eyes flashed with surprise.

Because he recognized this man. He was Young Lord Lu from the Guangning Marquis Manor, Lu Junyi.

They had met once before at the Dongling Prefecture Governor's Mansion.

"Inspector, I greet you!" Hearing the young lord's hint, the Waiter immediately knelt down.

Having worked at Nine Heavens Tower for many years, he naturally knew the name of Young Lord Lu Junyi and had seen him from a distance several times.

Such a person, who couldn't be bumped into, was naturally etched into his memory.

So when he heard that these words came from Young Lord Lu Junyi, he had no doubt.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning raised his hand slightly, and the Waiter's bent legs were lifted off the ground.

"Step back!"

"Yes, sir!" the Waiter slowly retreated.

After taking a few steps away from Jiang Ning, he turned and ran off.

"Inspector Jiang, do you mind if I sit here?" Lu Junyi came to Jiang Ning's table, smiling.

"Please sit, Young Lord!" Jiang Ning gestured with his hand.

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. Since Lu Junyi was now greeting him with a smile, there was no need to create enmity.

Hearing this, Lu Junyi immediately sat down with a smile.

He didn't show any anger at Jiang Ning for not getting up to greet him.

"It's been a few months since we last met, Inspector Jiang. I didn't expect to meet you here!" Lu Junyi wiped the table with a handkerchief and said.

The Sword-Wielding Woman stood calmly on his left.

Jiang Ning glanced at her briefly and then paid no further attention.

Although it was obvious that this Sword-Wielding Woman was Lu Junyi's bodyguard and must be quite powerful, he didn't feel any pressure from her at this distance.

He could roughly guess her strength, likely a common Grandmaster, most probably at the peak of the 4th Rank.

Because Grandmasters weren't as common as cabbages.

Even in the capital city, Grandmasters were not as common as cabbages.

A common Grandmaster in a Marquis manor was a highly respected figure.

It was difficult for such a person to lower themselves to serve as a bodyguard for a young lord.

When one's strength reached a certain level, strength was status.

"I also didn't expect to meet you here, Young Lord!" Jiang Ning said calmly.

Lu Junyi smiled and said, "Speaking of which, why did Inspector Jiang suddenly come to Guǎngníng Chéng? Is it because Lord Wenyuan Shen took office?"

Jiang Ning replied, "I came to report work!"

"Ah, I see!" Lu Junyi clapped his hands.

After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Does Inspector Jiang have any news of Prince Qi's Consort?"

"Prince Qi's Consort?" A glint of light flashed in Jiang Ning's eyes.

He naturally knew who Prince Qi's Consort was.

It was Lin Qingyi.

"No!" He then shook his head indifferently.

"So, Inspector Jiang doesn't have any news of Prince Qi's Consort either!" Lu Junyi pretended to be disappointed, slowly shaking his head.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning did not respond.

"By the way, do you know Dongling Prefecture Governor's Eldest Daughter, Wang Qingtan?" Lu Junyi asked again.

"I've heard a little. What about her?" Jiang Ning said coolly.

"What do you think if I propose to her? I've heard she is of extraordinary beauty, unmatched in the world! Her father is the Dongling Prefecture Governor, so our statuses would be well-matched", Lu Junyi probed.

"I advise you to drop this idea!" Jiang Ning said firmly.

"Why?" Lu Junyi looked at Jiang Ning with a half-smile.

"Because I think you should drop this idea!" Jiang Ning said with no room for argument.

Hearing this, Lu Junyi looked at Jiang Ning with a calm gaze and remained silent.

After a few moments, he suddenly stood up.

"I will seriously consider Inspector Jiang's advice, but the person I mentioned just now wasn't me! I have no intentions toward my junior sister."

"It's my master who has this idea, wanting to offer Wang Qingtan to the second son of Prince Huai'an in marriage!"

"If you want to stop this in time, Inspector Jiang needs to get Ye Zhengqi to intervene! The face of a Heavenly Master, my master will give it."

"And if you can get Shen Wenyuan to help, that would be even better!"

With that, Lu Junyi turned and left.

Watching Lu Junyi's back, Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.

Prince Huai'an.

He had heard of him long ago.

It was around June or July last year.

At that time, River Dragon Tian Buyi intercepted the tribute the Medicine King Valley was offering to Prince Huai'an, the Leopard Fetus Body Transformation Pill.

Later, Tian Buyi died at his hands, and the Leopard Fetus Body Transformation Pill fell into his possession and was used by him.

At that time, the Leopard Fetus Body Transformation Pill brought him considerable help.

From that point on, he had dealings with Prince Huai'an.

At this moment, the information about Prince Huai'an surfaced in his mind.

Prince Huai'an, a prince residing in Huai'an Prefecture, was a prince on the rise.

Now the entire Huai'an Prefecture was under his fief.

Several decades ago, the Huai'an Prefecture was still the Huai'an Marquis Manor.

In the Huai'an Marquis Manor, a lowly concubine gave birth to a son.

No one expected that this lowly concubine would give birth to a son who would lead the declining Huai'an Marquis Manor to become the Huai'an Prefecture.

And the lowly concubine, because of her son, became a new star and completely changed her fate.

With the information about Prince Huai'an in his mind, Jiang Ning roughly understood why Lu Junyi would suddenly say such things to him.

Prince Huai'an, though residing in Huai'an Prefecture, had already extended his reach into Guangning Prefecture.

The fact that the Medicine King Valley had to annually offer tribute to the Huai'an Prefecture was proof enough of this.

Now, with Shen Wenyuan's rise in Guangning Prefecture and his acceptance of the imperial court's patronage, he was enfeoffed as a Marquis.

The Shen family thus gained the fief of Xichuan County, which was within Guangning Prefecture.

This added significant pressure to the Lu family.

The Lu family, by this generation, had already lost its former glory.

Though they had inherited the title of Marquis, no one had emerged as a pillar of strength since the first Lu Marquis died.

Someone like Shen Wenyuan.

Therefore, Shen Wenyuan's appointment as the head of the Guangning Prefecture Inspection Bureau in Guangning City was already a significant threat to the Lu family.

Not to mention the rising Prince Huai'an.

If the second son of Prince Huai'an truly married the eldest daughter of the Dongling Prefecture Governor, Wang Qingtan, his influence would extend from Huai'an Prefecture to Guangning Prefecture.

A strong dragon entering the territory, the local snake, the Guangning Marquis Lu family, would have little resistance.

The power and strength gap between them was too great.

As for why Lu Junyi told him these things, Jiang Ning did not find it strange.

At the same time, elsewhere.

"Young Lord, why did you tell him those things?" The Sword-Wielding Woman asked as she followed behind Lu Junyi, speaking only after they had descended the stairs.

"It's simple, to use this Inspector Jiang to gauge his standing in Ye Zhengqi's heart!" Lu Junyi explained.

He continued, "I heard that at Xiao Qiushui's Master Feast, Ye Zhengqi specially took him along, intending to resolve the grudge between this Inspector Jiang and Palace Master Xiao."

"I heard that the feud wasn’t resolved, and instead, Ye Zhengqi and Li Sishang ended up fighting each other."

"In the end, both of them were fine, but Xiao Qiushui died, which is both laughable and tragic!!"

"This is exactly a case of immortals fighting and mortals suffering!!"

At this point, Lu Junyi suddenly sighed deeply.

Nine Heavens Tower.

At a window seat on the third floor.

Tap, tap, tap—

Jiang Ning lightly tapped the table, lost in thought.

Out of both emotion and reason, he had to help Wang Qingtan.

After all, she had truly helped him a lot and had been very kind to him.

Moreover, she had always disliked such arranged marriages.

She had even expressed to him during their conversations that she would never marry in this life, that she had no intention of getting married at all.

He supported Wang Qingtan’s thoughts.

After all, the path of martial arts was a path of individual transcendence.

Ordinary humans married for two reasons: first, because of the fleeting nature of a hundred years, they wanted to leave something behind in this world. Second, to raise children to support them in old age.

And there was also the aspect of inheritance, the continuation of life.

But as someone of Wang Qingtan’s status, the reincarnation of a Heavenly Phoenix Maiden, she didn’t need any of these things.

The Heavenly Phoenix Maiden was one of the ancient divine beings.

They were their own inheritance, regardless of the passage of time. Like Wang Qingtan, they would reincarnate and live another life.

Such beings didn’t need descendants to carry on their legacy.

Just then, there was a movement in front of him.

Jiang Ning looked up and saw a Waiter holding a vermilion tray with four fresh dishes, standing a few meters away without approaching.

"Bring it over!" he said calmly.

Then he stopped dwelling on Wang Qingtan’s matter.

As Lu Junyi had said, Wang Qingtan’s marriage was the idea of her adoptive master, his own master.

He just needed to ask Ye Zhengqi to intervene, and his master would likely give him this face.

For now, he didn’t want to trouble others with this.

And he didn’t think it was necessary to trouble Ye Zhengqi.

Because in a few days, he would break through to the 3rd Rank, achieving the rank of Heavenly Master.

And with his cultivation, he could quickly complete the Second Blood Transformation using the Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique and the enlightenment of the Heaven and Man as One realm.

With the accumulated Essence Points, he believed he could further advance the Wood Chopping Blade Technique and quickly draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, completing the Third Blood Transformation.

A Heavenly Master who had undergone the Third Blood Transformation at such a young age.

He believed that if Wang Qingtan’s master was reasonable, he would give him this face.

After clearing his thoughts, he looked at the steaming hot dishes brought by the Waiter, and his appetite was immediately aroused.

These past few days, he had been traveling and hadn’t had much good food.

Now, the colorful and fragrant dishes in front of him had whet his appetite.

For him, savoring fine cuisine was a pleasure, a way to make life feel worthwhile.

The next moment, he picked up his chopsticks and took a small bite of the venison.

As soon as the venison entered his mouth, his eyes lit up.

"Sir, this is Jade Blossom Dew, one pot costs five taels, and two pots make up one catty!" The Waiter placed the four dishes on the table and then brought two pots to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning nodded. "Order the rest of the dishes as quickly as possible!"

"Of course, sir. I’ve already asked the kitchen to prioritize your order", the Waiter replied.

"Good job!" Jiang Ning said.

Beside him, Lvyi lifted the wine jug and filled Jiang Ning’s cup with wine.

Jade Blossom Dew was different from ordinary wine.

It shimmered with a faint silver glow.

Jiang Ning glanced at it and raised the cup to his lips.

Jade Blossom Dew went down smoothly, without the usual throat-burning sensation or strong alcohol taste of ordinary wine. Instead, it had a faint, refreshing, and pure flavor.

It left a sweet aftertaste and a hint of fruit aroma.

"Very good!" Jiang Ning nodded.

The taste of Jade Blossom Dew, in his opinion, was also very suitable for women to drink.

"Sir, I’m glad you like it!" The Waiter bowed and nodded, then slowly retreated.

"Sit down and join me!" Jiang Ning said, looking at Lvyi, who was still standing beside him.

"Yes, sir!" Lvyi heard Jiang Ning’s instructions and, without any resistance, sat down on the seat next to him.

The next moment, seeing the fish meat that Jiang Ning had placed in her bowl, her eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.

The two of them then started eating.

Especially Jiang Ning, who was completely unreserved.

These past few days, he hadn’t had a good meal, and with nothing much to do today, he naturally wanted to treat himself well.

Chapter end