Chapter 88: Old Grudges

Ning Xiaoling was so startled that she instantly hugged him. It took her a moment to collect herself before she remembered that she was now a cultivator in the Transcendent Realm. Such a short arrow could be easily dodged by forming a spiritual barrier for a moment.

But the momentary fear prevented her from reacting.

Now, belatedly realizing, she was holding Ning Changjiu's waist, feeling embarrassed and awkward, not knowing what to do.

Ning Changjiu glanced at the arrow on the wall and patted Ning Xiaoling's back, signaling her to let go.

Ning Xiaoling immediately understood, loosening her arms and saying worriedly, "Be careful, Senior Brother."

Ning Changjiu didn't say much and stepped back into the room.

The moment his foot landed, the sound of an arrow cutting through the wind struck again from the darkness. Even before the arrow left the string, Ning Changjiu sensed its direction. The warning from his Dao Heart precisely pinpointed the assassin's location. Ning Changjiu moved with the speed of lightning; his sudden burst of speed created an air blast that overshadowed the sound of the arrow.

The arrow again embedded itself in the wall, its fletching trembling violently.

At the same time, Ning Changjiu's figure had appeared before the concealed crossbow.

Just as the next crossbow bolt was strung and about to pierce the air, a loud bang was heard, accompanied by a boy's scream.

As the arrow was fired, Ning Changjiu precisely punched the person who shot the hidden arrow.

The room was not spacious. The person stumbled and directly crashed against the wall. His hand reached for his waist, trying to draw his personal dagger.

But the moment his hand moved, Ning Changjiu, swift as a hawk, precisely gripped his wrist, then struck and twisted it.

With a 'clack' sound, as if a wrist bone had dislocated, the boy let out a shriek. His right hand, along with the dagger's hilt, was forced back.

Ning Xiaoling hadn't had time to see what was happening inside when she saw a dark figure thrown out. Ning Xiaoling instinctively took half a step back.

As the figure fell to the ground, she saw clearly that it was a boy dressed in black, with a sallow, emaciated face. The boy seemed even younger than herself. His eyes held a fierce determination intertwined with unspeakable pain.

Ning Changjiu stepped out of the room, looking at the boy who was clutching his wrist and groaning in pain on the ground, and asked, "Who sent you?"

The boy was like an injured wolf pup, struggling on the ground, trying to get up. He stared at Ning Changjiu, his voice squeezed out between his teeth: "Where... where is Ning Qinshui?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Why are you looking for him?"

He retorted sharply, "Mind your own business... who are you people anyway... where did that old geezer go..."

Ning Xiaoling had calmed down considerably. Looking at the sallow, emaciated boy, she said, "Ning Qinshui is dead."

"Dead?!" He widened his eyes, his body trembling involuntarily. "He's dead?! How did he die? Who... who are you?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Ning Qinshui used to be our master."

The boy's body, which had relaxed slightly, tensed up again. "Then you're no good either!"

Ning Changjiu asked, "What enmity do you have with Ning Qinshui?"

A sudden surge of immense grief erupted in the boy's wolf-pup-like eyes. He seemed to recall something, his body hunched, trembling all over. "I... I wanted to kill him... How could he just die like that..."

Ning Changjiu said, "My condolences."

The boy struggled to his feet, half-crouching on the ground, and said, "You are his disciples, so you should die too..."

Ning Changjiu calmly said, "If I hadn't held back, you would have died when you fired the second arrow."

Ning Xiaoling nodded, "That day, Ning Qinshui tried to use us as scapegoats, but unexpectedly, it backfired on him, and he died a violent death himself."

Ning Changjiu looked into his eyes and asked, "Then why did you want to kill him?"

The boy looked at them, his gaze flickering, as if something was about to burst forth. After a while, his arms fell limply, his frail body swaying weakly, his voice like a cold mist carried by the wind.

"He... Ning Qinshui... that wicked Taoist killed Sister Bai. Sister Bai, such a gentle and kind person, he... he insisted she was a ghost. He killed her, treating her as a ghost!"

"I used to be a servant in a wealthy family, sold very young. Back then, I was small and thin, and many people bullied me. Only one person was very kind to me... She was the young lady's maid. One time, she saw others bullying me. She taught them a lesson and even gave me two lists, telling me to go to the tavern and buy things according to them."

"This was a good job; many people could skim a little money off it, a few cents here and there, and no one would know... But I gave her back every single cent. She counted the money, sighed, and her attitude was neither warm nor cold."

"After that, she privately helped me a few more times. Once, I asked her why she helped me, and she just said that she had gone through similar struggles herself. Now that she was the young lady's maid, her status was much higher, so it was natural for her to help when she saw such things."

"Later, I secretly recognized her as my older sister, and she agreed... Then, for a period, the mansion was haunted. The master spent a fortune to invite an old Taoist priest..."

"That... old Taoist priest, that old Taoist priest was Ning Qinshui!"

"He performed a ritual, pointed out many people in the mansion, calling them lesser spirits, and finally pointed at Sister, saying she was the head ghost, and that everything would be fine if she was killed..."

"How, how could that be?!"

"At that time, I wanted to save her... Many people grabbed me, saying I was bewitched by a ghost. The master gave an order, and they nearly broke my leg... I was lying on the ground, chewing on grass, someone holding my arm and stepping on my head, still struggling, when I suddenly heard Sister Bai's screams... screams over and over, that couldn't be muffled no matter what."

"Sister Bai... screamed for a long time."

"Then I never saw her again, not even her body."

"She was... killed by that wicked old Taoist!"

The boy clutched his face with his left hand, leaving bloody marks from his fingernails. As he recalled these events, his pupils involuntarily dilated, and his hunched back revealed gaunt, bony protrusions through his thin clothes.

Ning Changjiu listened to his narration, his expression mostly calm.

"And then?" Ning Changjiu asked.

The boy's voice was somewhat choked: "Then... then I stole money from the mansion, found an opportunity to escape, and was rescued by my master in a secluded place. I learned some martial arts, and then I inquired about that old geezer's residence... I've been waiting here for over a month."

Ning Changjiu looked at him steadily for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "It's a pity you don't have the aptitude for cultivation."

The boy was startled, then his neck flushed red, and he said angrily, "You are a cultivator, aren't you... You cultivators are indeed cold-blooded! I've told you so much, and you're still... still judging my aptitude! What if breaking my bones could save my sister's life? What then? You really are... cold-blooded and heartless!"

Ning Changjiu sighed softly and said, "But Ning Qinshui is already dead. What can you do now? Kill us too?"

The boy blurted out, "You are his disciples, so of course you are also guilty!"

Ning Changjiu threw the dagger to the ground and said flatly, "You can try again."

The boy reached out, wanting to grasp the dagger. His fingers brushed lightly over the cold blade. Overwhelmed by grief, he suddenly let out a strange cry, violently picked up the wooden handle wrapped with thick rope, turned the blade towards himself, and with a scream, thrust it towards his throat.

Ning Changjiu seemed to have anticipated this. He flicked a finger, and the web of the boy's left hand suddenly went numb. His grip loosened, and the dagger fell limply to the ground again. His thin, desperate face was reflected on the gleaming blade.

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and said in a hoarse voice, "I can't kill you, so why won't you let me die? My master told me that cultivators are all heartless beings who deceive the mortal world... It's true, cold and cruel. What kind of heavenly immortals are you?"

Ning Changjiu remained unmoved, merely asking, "What is your name?"

He froze, seemingly not expecting the other party to ask his name.

"My name is... Shu Bai." He stared at them for a long time, then his shoulders relaxed slightly, and he answered weakly.

Ning Xiaoling softly mumbled, "What a strange name."

The boy's face was serious: "Sister Bai gave it to me!"

Ning Changjiu asked, "What was your Sister Bai's name?"

Shu Bai's lips trembled slightly, and he said, "Sister Bai died many years ago. What's the point of asking that?"

Ning Changjiu suddenly reached out and pressed his head, lifting his entire body, and asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Thirteen!"

"Thirteen? Good. Who taught you these martial arts?" Ning Changjiu asked.

"My master..." Shu Bai's face suddenly darkened. "Do you intend to kill my master too? I came to assassinate you today. I'm not as skilled, so if I die, I die, but you must not harm my master. He's already old and frail..."

Ning Changjiu said, "Ning Qinshui is dead, and you want to kill his disciples to vent your anger. Why shouldn't I kill your master along the way?"

"You..." Shu Bai was speechless, and a great fear suddenly welled up in his heart.

His master had been very kind to him. When he escaped, if he hadn't met his master, who gave him a bowl of plain porridge, he would have starved to death long ago... His master had grown old and frail over the years, his hair white, and now relied on a walking stick, yet he still recited scriptures and performed good deeds daily. How could such a person die because of him...?

Shu Bai felt both regret and hatred, and tears suddenly gushed from his bloodshot eyes.

"Don't kill him!" Shu Bai shouted loudly.

Ning Changjiu stared into his eyes, slowly released his hand, his voice seemed somewhat weak, and said, "I won't kill you, nor will I kill your master."

"Why?" Shu Bai instinctively asked, but immediately remembered that immortals were often unpredictable, and quickly shut his mouth.

Ning Changjiu pressed his head, pushing him back down to his knees. He looked at the sallow, emaciated boy with the bony spine before him, his voice calm yet sounding like thunder in his ears: "What cultivators must eradicate are the evil beings that bring chaos to heaven and earth, and the living ghosts who disguise themselves as humans and walk among the world."