Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 61 Pawn Shop
"Dead?" Li Jing'an sneered. "No one has seen him since, so everyone assumes he's dead. In fact, he had long ago hidden in the Wang family, using a corpse to evade all surveillance."

Chu Ning gasped in shock: "He's actually the patriarch of the Wang family?"

“That’s right.” Li Jing’an nodded. “The rise of the Wang family twenty years ago began with his return. He used the Wang family’s body to lay out plans for many years, swallowing up five counties in three years and controlling the secret passages of three states in eight years. Merchants, smuggling, military equipment… all were controlled by him.”

"The Wang family members only know his name, but not his appearance. He is the ancestor 'worshipped' in the family genealogy, but he is the master of the dark side of the entire Qingzhou."

Chu Ning's expression shifted, his voice low and deep: "Then what exactly... does he want to do?"

Li Jing'an did not answer directly, but instead took out a dark gray leather scroll from his sleeve. The scroll had nine blood-red eye totems at the beginning that looked ferocious and twisted.

"Wang Lin uses the blood of the Wang family's direct lineage to sacrifice ninety-nine people every year during the Yin hour to refine the Nine Abyss Blood Pool, all in order to prolong his life by a hundred years."

“What’s even scarier is that this isn’t the first time.”

Chu Ning shuddered, a chill running down his spine: "He... has done this many times already?"

“Indeed. Each blood sacrifice takes place every twenty years. And now the Nine Abyss Blood Pool is almost overflowing.”

"So..." Chu Ning took a breath, "If we make a move tonight, won't we... alert the enemy?"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Jing'an's eyes as he sneered, "How can you lure the dragon without startling the snake? Wang Lin has been hiding for long enough and is cautious enough. But if you make a move against the Wang family, he will definitely not stand idly by."

He patted Chu Ning on the shoulder, his eyes calm and resolute: "Go ahead and make your move. If things get too big... I'll handle it."

At that moment, Chu Ning looked at Li Jing'an, her heart warmed, and all her doubts, confusion, and anxiety melted away in that one sentence, "I'll take it."

He laughed, his eyes blazing: "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Tonight——"

"Make this old snake reveal its true form."

Li Jing'an suddenly composed himself, turned to look at Chu Ning, and a strange look of inquiry flashed in his eyes.

"Where's your little pet?" he asked.

Chu Ning was taken aback, then raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What? You want it to bite you?"

Li Jing'an shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, his tone half-joking and half-serious: "No, no, no, I really can't handle that kind of bite."

Chu Ning smiled helplessly and carefully took the little snow fox out of her arms. The little creature curled up quietly in Chu Ning's arms, its fur as white as down, its eyes closed, and its breath barely perceptible.

"It doesn't seem to be sleeping," Chu Ning said, frowning with some concern.

Li Jing'an's gaze sharpened. He leaned closer, his fingers gently touching the snow fox's forehead, a faint wisp of spiritual energy quietly seeping in. He watched for a moment, then suddenly narrowed his eyes, saying with a half-smile:
"Not bad, kid, you actually used a beast-taming technique on it?"

Chu Ning's eyes widened: "How did you know?"

"Heh." Li Jing'an raised his hand and pointed to a spot on the snow fox's forehead. "There's still a faint trace of your divine consciousness here. Coupled with the slightly sluggish circulation of its spiritual meridians and its withered spirit, aren't these typical symptoms left by forcibly binding the Beast Taming Technique?"

He spoke slowly, but his words were sharp and cutting, leaving Chu Ning feeling embarrassed.

"But your technique is too crude. First, it directly imprisons its spiritual power, and second, over time, it will cause irreversible damage to its soul."

Chu Ning looked annoyed, looking down at the snow fox in his arms, as if he suddenly realized that he had done something wrong: "What do we do now? I... I didn't mean to."

Li Jing'an did not respond, but instead whispered, "Give it to me."

Chu Ning paused for a moment, then handed the little snow fox over. Li Jing'an took the snow fox, gently supporting it with his left hand and slightly raising his right, a golden rune appearing at his fingertips. He flicked his finger, and the rune slowly hovered above the snow fox's forehead. Then he unleashed several streams of spiritual energy, like fine threads, gradually dismantling the beast-taming mark that Chu Ning had previously retained.

His movements were swift yet orderly, his finger techniques both uncanny and elegant, as if he were tracing the most ancient pattern in the world. The originally chaotic traces of spiritual energy were reshaped by him into a miniature magic array, complex yet stable, transforming imprisonment into protection.

Chu Ning was so overwhelmed by what she saw that she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

As the final rune merged into the snow fox's body, a barely perceptible light flashed. The snow fox's previously listless body trembled slightly, its snow-white ears twitched, and then its bright, clear blue eyes slowly opened.

"Awoo..." It let out a small, weak, and coquettish whimper, nudging Chu Ning's fingers with its head.

Chu Ning's eyes lit up: "It's awake! Old Li, you're amazing!"

He reached out and took the little snow fox, as excited as a child.

Li Jing'an merely smiled slightly, flicked his sleeve, and said calmly, "Next time you use the Beast Taming Technique, remember to learn it thoroughly before using it. Your method might work on savage beasts, but using it on a spiritual beast like this is tantamount to destroying its soul. If it weren't for me... it probably wouldn't have lasted three days."

Chu Ning scratched his head, his face full of admiration and embarrassment: "Hey... thank you."

He lowered his head and gently stroked the little snow fox. It didn't seem to have fully recovered yet, but its bright blue eyes were clear and full of trust and dependence on him.

"Xiaoxue, I'm so glad you're alright." He said softly, his tone unusually gentle yet firm.

Li Jing'an withdrew his gaze, turned around with his hands behind his back, and left with only one sentence: "Go, you still have things to do."

Chu Ning was taken aback, then suddenly realized.

Yes, the Wang family.

He put away the snow fox and stood up.

……

As night fell, the eastern market of Qingyang County was enveloped in a deathly silence.

The streetlights flickered, but could not dispel the chill that permeated the air.

Chu Ning strode forward, his figure stretched long by the dim light, like a sharp blade about to sever a head.

The Wang family's pawnshop is right in front of us...

Inside the pawnshop, the accountant was turning the abacus, the crisp "click-clack" sound ringing out in the silence, like a death knell, each toll striking at the heart.

Amidst this clear sound, a chilling aura suddenly descended, like the sudden arrival of midwinter, the cold instantly penetrating to the bone marrow, causing one to tremble involuntarily.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning exploded!
Chu Ning unleashed a punch, and lightning transformed into a roaring dragon, churning the heavens and earth. A surging shockwave swept out, instantly sending two guards at the entrance flying several meters away, crashing heavily into the wall, their fate unknown.

"who--"

The shopkeeper suddenly looked up, but before he could utter a sound, a purple-gold blade of light flashed before his eyes!
"Snapped!"

The abacus shattered with a crash, the accountant's pupils dilated violently, and before the last bead could fall, an extremely sharp blade of light cleaved in from outside the door, carrying the destructive power of thunder and fire, splitting the entire pawnshop in two!

Amidst billowing smoke and dust, Chu Ning, wielding a rusty longsword, stepped in. His gaze was frosty, cold and ruthless, like a judge from the underworld.

(End of this chapter)