novelraw Chapter 500: Mother of the Cannon Fodder Child of Destiny (14)
Chapter 500: Mother of the Cannon Fodder Child of Destiny (14)
All the way to the mountain gate, with the crisis completely resolved, the members of the Xie Family finally let go of the tension they had been holding in their hearts.
With everything settled, however, including the family head and the group of elders, no one's face showed much joy.
There was no other reason; everyone knew that after this ordeal, the Xuanming Sect would absolutely not let the matter rest.
From now on, the moment any Xie Family member stepped out of the great formation would likely be their death sentence.
Of course, what truly chilled everyone's hearts at this moment were those fellow righteous cultivators.
Earlier, Family Head Xie had personally handwritten several letters pleading for help, sending them one by one to various friendly sects and major families.
Yet now, with the Xuanming Sect making such a grand and completely unsubtle display, the families that came to offer support were few and far between.
Even the Azure Cloud Sect, one of the three great righteous sects of the current era, to whom they offered substantial tribute every year, hadn't shown their face...
In the end, it was the Family Head Xie before them who let out a light sigh, gently comforting the clansmen before him:
"The Xuanming Sect's tyranny is hardly a calamity for our Xie Family alone. Thanks to Miss Shen this time, we were able to turn danger into safety. Preserving the lives of our clansmen is already a tremendous stroke of luck.As for the others..."
Looking at the clansmen before him, Xie Mubai sighed again at length:
"In these turbulent times, being able to luckily settle in a quiet corner isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Indeed, at least the family members were still alive and well. On the back mountain, they weren't short on food. Hunkering down for three, five, or even ten years wasn't a problem.
This was already very good.
For a great family, as long as the bloodline inheritance remains unbroken, there will inevitably come a time to rise again.
Thinking of this, everyone exchanged glances and unanimously cupped their hands in acceptance of the order:
"We obey the Family Head's command!"
Indeed, a great family that could endure to this day always had its merits. Once again receiving a qiankun bag filled to the brim with gifts of thanks, An Ning secretly marveled that, if nothing else, this Xie Family's little treasury was truly quite well-stocked!
Only then did she leisurely leave, taking along the little kid who seemed to be still savoring something with lingering satisfaction.
Who would have thought that upon just returning to the small courtyard, she would see the little fellow eagerly summon his longsword. With a lift of his hand, a tremendous thunderous force shot straight into the sky.
The sword's momentum actually resembled that of Sect Leader Nangong from earlier. The difference lay only in the depth of cultivation and the sheer, awe-inspiring dominance within it.
If not for the fact that the courtyard's surroundings were still reinforced by An Ning's spiritual energy, otherwise...
Without even thinking, An Ning knew her little nephew must have had a sudden enlightenment. She couldn't help but take a difficult, deep breath of turbid air.
Especially when she thought of how she herself had once struggled under Xiao Tan's relentless beatings, toiling for nearly a hundred years before barely earning a single "not bad."
At this moment, An Ning had to admit that the gap between human talents was at least as deep as the Mariana Trench.
"Auntie, what's wrong with you?"
An Ning's heart was nearly filled with enough resentment to nurture a malevolent sword immortal, while the little culprit responsible was still tilting his innocent and adorable little face, blinking his big eyes with curiosity.
An Ning: "..."
Reciting several times in her mind that everyone has their own strengths and there is always someone better, An Ning finally managed to adjust her mood. She raised her hand and gave the little fellow's head a fierce ruffle.
She said with an air of breezy nonchalance:
"That sword move just now was not bad!"
Thanks to An Ning's excellent acting skills, Xiao Yi, completely unaware anything was amiss, ran forward with his messy, straw-like hair and grinned:
"I knew it! Didn't Auntie say before? Regardless of good or bad, as long as it benefits oneself, everything under heaven can be used for my purposes!"
Although that person earlier was indeed very bad, it was undeniable that his swordsmanship was truly formidable.
There was nothing wrong with him learning a bit more, right!
Seeing the little kid's thoughts, An Ning couldn't help but give a light snort, casually tossing out a small cyan jade-colored bottle.
"These are Meridian-Warming Pills. You just achieved Foundation Establishment, your foundation isn't stable yet, and then you suddenly had an enlightenment. With such a massive rush of spiritual energy washing through you, it's inevitable that without intervention, your internal meridians would suffer some minor damage. Take one pill daily without fail. Until you are completely healed, don't use large amounts of spiritual energy again."
"Got it! Auntie, Yi'er promises to be very obedient recently!"
Feeling a tiny, slight discomfort within his meridians, Xiao Yi hurriedly took the medicine bottle with both hands, raising his hand with a grin as he made his promise.
The smile on his already bright little face grew even more radiant.
After carefully sensing the little fellow's cultivation level once more, An Ning couldn't help but wave her hand to shoo him away. Xiao Yi didn't mind, still grinning as he said:
"Then Yi'er will head back first! Auntie, rest early. Remember not to study elixirs too late!"
Tsk, such a little adult in a child's body!
Watching her little nephew hop and skip away, and thinking back to the scene just now, lying on the spiritual fir wood soft couch, An Ning couldn't help but let out a sigh of turbid air.
It had to be admitted, earlier, due to this cultivation world being clearly lower-level, An Ning herself had held a bit of contempt.
Even for the rumored number one expert.
However, now, it had to be said that no matter the world, one should never underestimate those who can reach the pinnacle through their own strength.
Just like today's Nangong Ding.
The highest cultivation in this world was indeed only Foundation Establishment, but his spiritual energy was profound, his swordsmanship was also transcendent, and he could even stir the heaven and earth's spiritual energy with a single sword stroke. To put it bluntly, in terms of combat power, he could even rival a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator from the previous world.
When An Ning read novels before, she had heard a saying: cultivators in low-spiritual-energy worlds often have stronger combat power at the same realm.
It seems that wasn't without reason.
Perhaps it was precisely because breakthroughs were so difficult to achieve that the spiritual energy within their bodies became increasingly refined and dense instead?
Sigh, one could only say it was fortunate they didn't really fight today. Otherwise, forget about her, who had just broken through to mid Foundation Establishment not long ago; even at the same realm, without using other methods, she might not necessarily win.
As for swordsmanship, thinking of her little nephew's performance today, An Ning now only had one thought:
Damn, I really want to fight these heaven-sent prodigies!
Forget it. Everyone has their own strengths. Tonight, I'll just refine another batch of high-grade elixirs to comfort myself.
The next day, Xie Xuan, who came as usual to spar in swordsmanship but found himself inexplicably covered in several dozen new cuts: "???"
After the storm passed, the mountain quickly returned to peace.
Even though another storm was destined to come, it didn't stop everyone from continuing to enjoy this moment of tranquility. The second day, Xiao Yi packed his bundle and stepped back into the schoolhouse.
Thanks to the earlier formation diagram, A-Yi, who was already quite popular, became even more welcomed.
In great families, even children have a certain cleverness.
With the life-and-death crisis before them, even the earlier secretive jealousy had diminished greatly. Instead, because his cultivation and swordsmanship were far ahead, bringing everyone a sense of security, Little Boss Xiao Yi was subtly trending towards becoming the king of the children.
Even An Ning, having personally witnessed the prowess of this world's number one expert, was determined to lay low for a while.
Other things could rely on strategy, but in the cultivation world, she had to admit that it was still one's fists that brought a greater sense of security...
Cultivating, refining elixirs, occasionally tasting delicious food with her little nephew, exchanging insights on swordsmanship and talismans...
After completely settling her heart, and with her previous experience and powerful spiritual awareness supporting her, An Ning's cultivation speed wasn't much slower.
In the seventh year of their seclusion, half a year after Xiao Yi stepped into mid Foundation Establishment, Auntie An Ning had successfully followed closely behind, advancing to the late stage, thoroughly stepping into the ranks of this world's top experts.
At that time, Xiao Yi had just turned sixteen.
In short, just the cultivation speed of these two was enough to shatter the Dao hearts of countless people.
Especially since the Xie Family members also knew that this Miss Shen was not only exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship but also an incredibly formidable alchemist.
As for Xiao Yi himself, not just in swordsmanship, but his talent in formations and even artifact forging was terrifyingly extreme.
Talent, this thing, was truly terrifying!
In the study, holding more than one plea for help in his hand, Family Head Xie couldn't help but sigh deeply.
However, in reality, including the Family Head Xie before them, what everyone knew was merely the tip of the iceberg. Influenced by his aunt since childhood, Xiao Yi had known one essential principle from a young age: never completely reveal all your trump cards to others.
Tucking the newly forged small magical tool into his pocket, the handsome young boy in crimson robes with a red jade hairpin in his hair had just finished class. He eagerly bid farewell to his group of little friends and, like a leaping flame, excitedly ran towards the familiar small courtyard.
Hehe, he already had some ideas on how to grow spiritual medicine within a storage space. Auntie was definitely going to be happy later!
However, before he could share this good news, the next second, he heard his aunt, who also seemed to be in a rather good mood.
Half a quarter-hour later:
"Ah, go out to gain experience? Us, right now?"
Answering him was An Ning's equally bright and cheerful smile:
"Yes, right now!"