Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 124 The Pact in the North (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)
"I'm leaving," he said in a low voice. "If I don't leave, I'll only be a burden to you and to the Marquis."

Xie Mingli's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she lowered her head. Snowflakes fell on her hair, melting quickly like silent tears.

She didn't speak, as if she was trying her best to hold back her tears.

After a long silence, she finally spoke softly, her voice slightly hoarse:

"how long?"

Chu Ning looked up at her.

The wind lifted a strand of hair from her temple, and he wanted to raise his hand to brush it away, but in the end he just held his hand tightly at his side.

He looked at her intently, as if meeting her for the first time, and answered solemnly:

"Three years at most."

"If I do not return within three years, I will either die on the way or be buried in the far north."

"Then I accept it."

"But as long as I am alive, no matter if the ice fields are sealed off or ghosts and gods roam freely, I will come back."

"I'll come back to find you."

Xie Mingli raised her head, tears welling in her eyes, yet she smiled:
"You came back just for me?"

Chu Ning remained silent for a long time.

Then, he said softly:
"I came back for you."

Xie Mingli suddenly bit her lip, and tears finally welled up in her eyes.

She stepped forward, hugged him tightly, and buried her face in his shoulder.

Her voice choked with emotion, yet she spoke rapidly, as if afraid he wouldn't listen before leaving:

"You must come back alive."

"You must not forget me, you must not disown me."

"Don't think that just because I know everything, I can handle it all..."

“I’ll wait for you,” she said. “If you dare to die, I’ll go to the far north and dig you out from under the snow.”

Chu Ning was stunned, then slowly raised his hand to hug her back.

His nose tingled, and he responded softly:
"it is good."

Suddenly, he cupped his hands towards Xie Chengjun, his eyes solemn:
"Ming Li, please accept my apologies, Lord Marquis, during this time..."

He spoke these words very softly, as if afraid that even a single word too harsh would hurt the person he cared about most.

Xie Chengjun did not respond immediately. He looked at his daughter's red, swollen, yet stubborn eyes, and after a long while, he sighed slowly.

"If you do not return, I will personally take her across the Great Wall and into the far north to find you."

That tone contained not a trace of grand ambition, but only a father's deepest concern and unwavering determination to never lose again.

Chu Ning bowed deeply, said no more thanks, and turned away without looking back.

Xie Mingli watched his retreating figure, her lips trembling slightly, but she ultimately gritted her teeth and softly called out:
"Brother Ning..."

He paused, but did not stop or turn around.

Her voice was soft, yet it cut like a blade in the wind:
If you do not return in three years, I will surely travel north to find you.

Chu Ning nodded, snowflakes falling on her hair and between her brows, not yet melted, and quietly replied:
"wait for me."

The voice was low and slightly hoarse, yet as firm as a flame that refused to be extinguished even beneath a thousand miles of frozen ground.

At this moment, the wind seemed to slow down, the snow became lighter, and a light veil, as if afraid to disturb the parting, draped the world in a veil.

Suddenly, Chu Ning stopped, turned around, and walked up to Li Jing'an.

"Old Li..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jing'an rolled his eyes without even looking up: "Do you want me to clean up your mess again?"

Chu Ning grinned and touched the tip of his nose: "There's nothing I can do. My lightning energy was completely drained this time. Although others can't hurt me for the time being, I... can't do anything to anyone either."

Li Jing'an glanced at him, flicked his sleeve, and tossed out a jade bottle. The pale blue bottle gleamed faintly, and an ancient seal talisman was affixed to its mouth.

“‘Return to Origin Pill,’ three pills. Take one when you’re about to die. It won’t guarantee you win, but it will keep you alive.”

"The Northern Territory is dangerous. Try not to go to the Three Absolute Cold Springs. If you go there, the Blood Refining Hall will not let you off the hook."

He paused, and a strange smile suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"Don't die... I was planning to offer you to the Pavilion Master. Maybe one day the Pavilion Master will be in a good mood and take you as an inner disciple."

Chu Ning was taken aback, then shook his head and chuckled, carefully putting away the pill bottle.

"If that day ever comes, I'll owe you a drink." "You owe me not only a debt of love, but also a debt of drinks," Li Jing'an said, pursing his lips.

Xie Chengjun walked over and took out a translucent ice-blue crystal from his pocket.

The icy crystals gleamed eerily in the wind and snow; even before the temperature arrived, the chill had already seeped into one's bones.

"A century-old cold marrow," he said calmly. "The energy of the far north ice plains can penetrate bones and corrode the soul. This item can slowly repair the damage to your thunder bones, and can also generate a wisp of energy beneath the snow plains."

Chu Ning bowed deeply, accepting the Cold Marrow with both hands, and gave a heavy bow, his voice low yet profound:

"Thanks."

Xie Chengjun didn't speak, but raised his hand and patted his shoulder. That hand, covered with calluses and battle scars, felt as heavy as a mountain, but it carried an unspoken entrustment and trust.

Then, he slowly bent down and picked up the broken snow knife from the snow.

The blade remained sharp, the lightning marks had not faded, and the snow had frozen on the scabbard, as solid as ice.

He hung the knife back on his waist, his movements extremely slow, yet like a ritual, sealing away the old life and entrusting a new one to it.

At this moment, his Qi Sea was like a dry well, his Dantian was empty and silent, and he could not even mobilize a trace of thunder energy, so he could not use the "Sky-Splitting Shadow Technique" at all.

He knew he was just an empty shell, a rusty broken knife.

But he did not hesitate for a moment.

Even if I'm just an empty shell right now,

"It's more human than living kneeling under their rules."

He turned his head and looked at the Zhenwu Division soldiers standing not far away, leading their horses.

The troops have not moved, nor have the horses neighed.

He took a step forward, the snow fell silently, and the lightning did not flash, yet no one dared to stop him.

In the distance, a young soldier, his hand gripping the reins trembling slightly, whispered something to his comrade beside him:
"He... just left like that?"

The sound was carried away by the wind and snow and quickly dissipated, but the shock it caused lingered in everyone's hearts.

It was as if they weren't seeing someone off, but rather witnessing the silhouette of fate resolutely stepping into the unknown end.

He walked up to the black-maned warhorse, raised his hand and gently stroked its neck. The warhorse neighed softly, as if it understood his thoughts, and lowered its body slightly.

Chu Ning flipped over and climbed up.

Just as he mounted his horse, a horn suddenly sounded in the distance.

"Take it!"

A chilling command, like thunder, descended from the long staircase.

Immediately following behind, several figures in black robes rose up from behind the head constable of the Ministry of Justice; they were none other than Prince Duan's personal guards.

In addition, three constables personally appointed by the Ministry of Justice have arrived swiftly from afar, their chains forged into bones, their killing intent palpable.

The situation changed drastically.

The air seemed to freeze over with frost, suppressing even the wind and snow.

Everyone was shocked, even the soldiers of the Zhenwu Division were at a loss, and they all cast questioning glances at Xie Chengjun.

Li Jing'an had already stepped forward, blocking the way for Xuan Yu's personal guards and the head constable of the Ministry of Justice. With a flick of his sleeve, his aura pressed down like a mountain collapsing.

"Anyone who dares to take a step will have to get past me first."

His eyes were sharp and piercing, like thunder hidden beneath a glacier.

The head constable of the Ministry of Justice said coldly, "Does the First-Class Pavilion intend to oppose the Great Qian Dynasty?"

“Resist?” Li Jing’an sneered. “Tell Prince Duan that if he really wants to kill Chu Ning, let him do it himself.”

One of the guards touched his sword: "Li Jing'an, be careful not to misrepresent your identity."

Li Jing'an snorted coldly, and lightning energy surged in his sleeves like rolling thunderclouds, ready to kill those in front of him at any moment.

“He is my student. If you want to kill him, you’ll have to ask me first.”

For a moment, the scene was deadlocked, with the air thick with tension and a palpable sense of killing intent.

But Chu Ning never looked back from beginning to end.

He simply sat upright on his horse, his white hair billowing in the snow wind, his cloak billowing like wings breaking through the sky.

A fox head pendant swayed gently in the wind on her chest.

Only when he pulled on the reins did a faint glimmer of light appear in the fox's eyes, extremely faint, yet its stubbornness remained undiminished.

(End of this chapter)