A life of idleness in the world of demons

Chapter 49. The Little Swallow's Feast, the Divine Eagle Covers the Sky (6.0K words - Large Chapter)

Ning Xuan was playing with that piece of green jade pendant.

A cool sensation emanated from the jade pendant, which could indeed calm the mind.

Although this jade pendant cannot control the demonic plague warriors, it is still quite extraordinary.

The young master of Flying Eagle Tower really went to great lengths to convince him that "this jade can control demonic warriors."

He casually tossed the jade aside because Xiao Jie had arrived.

As soon as Xiao Jie arrived, she flew into her husband's arms like a swallow returning to its nest, and found her place on his strong thighs. She moved her soft, plump bottom to sit obediently.

Ning Xuan waited until she was seated before asking, "May I ask your name, young lady?"

Xiao Jie was stunned. Before she came, she had heard the maid say that "the general was receiving some guests just now."

But it was quite rare for the general to seek her out immediately after receiving his guests.

She glanced around.

This room is a quiet study, equivalent to Ning Xuan's private study.

She felt around her waist again, and the hand was still around her as usual.

Xiao Jie suddenly understood something. She bit her lip, staring blankly into the distance, and asked softly, "If I'm lying, will the general kill me?"

Ning Xuan said directly, "I have already killed those people from Flying Eagle Tower."

Xiao Jie was stunned for a moment, her previously stiff waist softened again, and her dull eyes regained their sparkle.

She said, "My real name is Bai Yufei. When I was fleeing from disaster, I was covered in dust and dirt. I eventually came to Wangyue Mansion and happened to find a job copying scriptures. So I made up a fake name to make a living."

Who doesn't want peace and stability?

But when I met you, sir, and saw your magnificent appearance, my heart trembled.
Thinking that rather than being ruined by an old man half-buried in the ground, I'd rather follow you, my handsome husband.

Even if you get tired of me and give me away, at least I gave my first time to a man I liked.

As she spoke, she suddenly chuckled: "Later, during the day I would count the money and think about running away, but at night I would snuggle up to your warm quilt and couldn't bear to leave. I would say I wanted to see the scenery in the distance, but I was just planning to pack my bags. But I really couldn't bear to leave you. Whenever we were together, I always thought that it would be so good if it could always be like this."

But who could have imagined that you, my lord, would reach this point? It's good to be under a big tree, so I won't leave. My heart is tied to you no matter what.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you. In any case, I belong to you in life and in death."

She closed her eyes, raised her snow-white neck, and looked as if she were at his mercy.

Ning Xuan felt pleased after hearing her explanation.

He then asked, "Why is Flying Eagle Tower chasing you? And what caused your escape back then?"

Xiao Jie said, "My family does have some connection with Flying Eagle Tower, or rather, the Ma family. My mother said that a long, long time ago, our family and the Ma family belonged to the same sect called the Joyful Union Sect."

Afterwards, the sect declined and disputes arose, leading to its division into two.

My elders left with a martial art called "Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong", while the Ma family's martial art is called "Shenying Futian Gong".

My great-grandmother said that our family was very powerful back then, and the Hehuan Sect was also very powerful; my grandmother said the same thing, but after she got old, she was not sure and said that she might have remembered it wrong; my mother said that my great-grandmother was lying, and that "Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong" was just a kind of lightness skill and a way to please men.

Even so, the "Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong" was a family secret technique, and she still insisted that I practice it from a young age.

Using this skill, my daughter and I would steal some valuables from the wealthy and unscrupulous to make a living, and we gradually became known as thieves.

Later, the Ma family came looking for them.

The Ma family is the opposite of my family. Their "Divine Eagle Overturning the Heavens Technique" is inherently powerful, but it is not as single-lineage as my family's. Therefore, after opening up to accept disciples, they quickly grew stronger. At that time, instead of declining, they established a force called Flying Eagle Tower.

The Ma family found us and said that the reason why the Hehuan Sect was so powerful back then was because the Hehuan Dao could only be achieved through dual cultivation between a woman who cultivated the Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong and a man who cultivated the Shenying Futian Gong, so that they could bring each other together and repeat their past glory.

At that time, I was young and somewhat tempted.

But afterwards, when my mother and I went to the Flying Eagle Tower, we were imprisoned.
Fortunately, the "Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong" technique also possessed the ability to shrink bones, allowing my mother and me to find an opportunity to secretly escape. Later, the Flying Eagle Tower began hunting us down. My mother died, and I eventually made my way to Wangyue Mansion. This is the whole story of Nunu.”

Xiao Jie looked somber, then said, "As for the 'Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong,' I've already used it on you, Young Master. Your soft, boneless body and light-as-a-swallow movements are all thanks to my practice of the 'Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong' since I was a child."

"But the Great Dao of Union is a fabrication. I have cultivated this method for a long time and have never seen any other miraculous effects. Besides, if this so-called Great Dao of Union truly existed, why would Flying Eagle Tower imprison us?"

Ning Xuan held Xiao Jie in his arms without saying anything more, a silent form of comfort.

Xiao Jie nestled quietly in her husband's arms. No matter how difficult the past had been, she had finally found her home.

The darkness has passed, and in the first light of dawn, the startled fledglings have found a new home and no longer need to live in fear.

Until Ning Xuan suddenly asked, "Can you shrink your bones?"

Xiao Jie nodded emphatically and said, "Yes."

Then she added, "This time, because of what happened to me, my lord, I have caused you quite a bit of trouble. Tonight, I will definitely show you some new tricks."

Ning Xuan said, "It's fine now too."

Xiao Jie's cheeks flushed, she clenched her weak little fist and gently punched Ning Xuan's chest, then secretly got up, pushed open the window to look outside, and seeing that no one was there, she leaped over and began to use her new skill.

This time, she will give full play to "Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong" in order to regain her position as "Madam Jie".

Whether something is moving or not and whether it has value are two completely different things.

Ning Xuan carefully sensed the concubine in his arms.

It was an incomparably joyful and pleasant feeling.

He couldn't help but sigh with emotion, saying, "You've only ever tested the waters in the past, never used your full strength, have you?"

Xiao Jie sobbed as she said, "I only used 40% of my strength because I was afraid that the young master would become suspicious."

Ning Xuan suddenly realized he was wrong.

He previously thought that all the courtesans in Chenxiang Pavilion combined couldn't compare to Xiaojie, but that's not true at all.

All those prostitutes combined probably couldn't compare to a single finger of Xiao Jie's.

As time passed, Ning Xuan suddenly had a strange feeling.

He felt the "stiff" blood and qi in his body beginning to become active.

Xiao Jie didn't seem to be having fun with him; rather, she was engaging in a mysterious cultivation that went beyond mere physical pleasure.

Xiao Jie's movements subtly affected his blood and qi, giving his "stiffness" a mysterious "blood-stasis-removing" feeling, like a stagnant ocean suddenly gaining a bit of initial power, which began to push up the waves.

The ocean waves are powerful enough to annihilate continents and destroy mountains and forests, but they cannot do the same to small rivers or even small ponds.

In other words, it can only be detected when one's Qi and blood are strong enough, or more directly, when one's constitution reaches around level 10.

However, Xiao Jie's strength was too small, so even though she was giving it her all, she still couldn't make much of a difference.

Even so, it's enough.

Ning Xuan had tried various methods to "invigorate blood circulation," but all of them had failed.

But things that had failed many times took a turn for the better because of a night of intimacy with his concubine.

Suddenly, an unbelievable thought came to mind.

'The matter of the Hehuan Sect, could it really be true?'

Immediately afterwards, his pupils contracted slightly.

Because the second thought was naturally deduced.

'If it's true, then this land a hundred years ago was also teeming with powerful figures. Why did they decline? Was it because the demons and monsters decreased in number or even disappeared for decades?'

Without powerful demons, there's less dragon energy to obtain; without demons, there are no demon cores either.

Then, a third thought popped into my head.

When this thought popped into his head, Ning Xuan jumped up as well.

Xiao Jie was exhausted.

She had just exerted herself to the utmost and was extremely exhausted.

"My lord," she gritted her teeth, "I can still..."

Ning Xuan quickly put on his clothes and then said, "I just suddenly thought of something I have to do."

Xiao Jie asked in surprise, "Young master, you don't actually believe that the dual cultivation method of the 'Divine Eagle Overturning the Heavens Technique' is real, do you?"

Ning Xuan touched her face and said, "As expected of Madam Jie, you can guess everything I want."

Xiao Jie smiled.

She knew her position was secure once again.

The matter that she had concealed from her husband and caused him trouble was thus forgotten.

"Be careful," she earnestly advised her husband, like a virtuous wife before he left.

Then, she saw Ning Xuan leave.

The young man put on a loose black robe and went out the door.

She was still calling out from behind, "My lord, be careful!"

Ning Xuan rarely goes out on his own initiative.

Because going out means taking the initiative to do something.

He's been very lazy lately.

He was waiting for Liu Shirong.

He wanted to use the traveling merchants' association to learn about the demons outside.

Yao Zhenxian Gu could actually do this, and she might even have more information to offer. However, Ning Xuan didn't really trust someone whose entire heart was in the "Emperor's faction."

At the very least, he needed a second way to obtain information, so that he wouldn't be "blinded by a single leaf" by Fairy Yao Zhen.

He didn't go to see his older brother because his older brother also had a lot on his plate.

The eldest brother needed to maintain the Ning family's rule over the entire Wangyue Prefecture. It could be said that the things he didn't do were all done by the eldest brother. Otherwise, even if he was General Anyuan, he wouldn't be able to be used properly if other forces were not familiar with him and couldn't share the same interests.

But he was never fond of this kind of political maneuvering. His elder brother understood him and was familiar with this kind of thing, so without saying a word, his elder brother silently endured everything.

Now, everyone in Wangyue Prefecture knows that General An Yuan is high and mighty. But no matter how high and mighty he is, he's still just a symbol. The person they can directly interact with is still the Celestial Master, Chou Nu. As long as Chou Nu is there, Wangyue Prefecture will remain stable and peaceful. On the other side, the eldest brother is still discussing the future of the Ning family with their father. This isn't about avoiding him, but rather it involves too many trivial matters and arrangements, and the eldest brother doesn't want these small things to hinder such a martial arts genius like him.

In addition, knowing that Master Yaozhen had gone to provide external support, the eldest brother would often guard the area around General Anyuan's mansion, just as he had quietly watched over him when he was a child, fearing that there might be a weakness in the mansion's defense system.

With a boss like that, who is busy from the moment he opens his eyes every day, how could he possibly assign any extra tasks?
Just then, golden light surged from the ground beside him, along with two figures.

The ugly slave wearing a ghost mask revealed himself by grabbing an unconscious young man.

This young man was none other than Qiao Ying, who had left earlier, or Ma Yingxiao, the owner of "Flying Eagle Tower".

Ning Xuan telling him to leave doesn't mean he can actually leave.

Ugly Slave bowed to Ning Xuan and his party before leaving.

Ning Xuan kicked Ma Yingxiao again, making him even more dizzy, before saying, "Brother, do you know that a group of powerful humans appeared about a hundred years ago?"

Ugly Slave had clearly thought about this matter before, and said at this moment: "Logically speaking, there should be, because the great generals are all remnants of that era, and then there was a gap of several decades, during which no great general has emerged again."

Ning Xuan asked, "What about that period of history? Father... did my father ever tell you about it?"

Ugly Slave glanced at him in astonishment, his eyes flashing with a complex expression.

He is not stupid.

Having gone through so much, and considering their daily interactions, plus these common slips of the tongue, he already had a guess in his mind.

Ning Xuan smiled, laid his cards on the table, and stopped pretending. He called out again, "Big Brother."

Ugly Slave paused for a moment, then a subconscious smile appeared on his face behind the mask.

But then he stubbornly shook his head and said seriously, "If I were your elder brother, then Mr. Taiyi would have committed a grave crime. No one is allowed to use dragon energy to nurture the next generation of the family unless they have His Majesty's permission. Therefore, I am not your elder brother."

Ning Xuan said, "In my heart it is."

Ugly Slave fell silent.

His eyes behind the mask were slightly red. Looking at the sincere expression on the boy's face, he knew that the boy was fully aware of his identity. After a slight hesitation, he nodded emphatically.

Ning Xuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Big brother, let's protect the Ning family together."

Ugly Slave stubbornly insisted, "I told you not to call me 'Big Brother'."

Ning Xuan smiled and said, "I understand, elder brother."

Ugly Slave also laughed, laughing until tears streamed down his face. He removed his mask, revealing his disfigured face, rubbed his eyes, and looked into Ning Xuan's eyes, both of them bursting into laughter again.

After a moment, Chou Nu put his mask back on and said, "Even Master Taiyi didn't know that he was a close confidant of the late emperor when he was in the capital. If he didn't know, then that period of history has truly been erased."

Ning Xuan asked, "Where are the files and records?"

The ugly servant said, "The palace was struck by lightning and then burned to the ground."

Ning Xuan said, "But I have now discovered a place that may contain the legacy of powerful figures from modern times."

Ugly Slave asked, "Flying Eagle Tower?"

Ning Xuan said, "Although there are no sweet plums around, there may be something fishy about it, but it is still worth investigating."

Ugly Slave said, "Flying Eagle Tower is nothing, I'm just afraid that the Third Miss of the Qin family will cause trouble later. After all, you rejected her, and her fiancé is still that Scholar Huang. Our feud with him is not over yet. This time, with the almost 'wife-stealing' incident, I'm afraid there will be another layer of grudges."

Ning Xuan naturally wouldn't say anything like, "It was clearly the General's Mansion that arranged for Qin Yi'er to come."

Given Qin Yi'er's tea-making skills, it's not surprising that she could turn black into white.

He thought for a moment, then began to recount the stories of "Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong", "Shenying Futian Gong", the Hehuan Sect, and Xiaojie.

There's no point in hiding this from my own brother.

We should share information to avoid any oversights.

A thoughtful look appeared in Ugly Slave's eyes, then he suddenly clenched his fist and said resolutely, "Then we must go! We must obtain the Divine Eagle Overturning Heaven Technique!!"

Having said that, his voice was filled with fighting spirit: "That top scholar Huang couldn't kill us when we were weak, so how could he possibly succeed now? They only know that you are a low-rank martial artist, but they don't know that you have hidden your strength and are actually a first-rank martial artist. This is enough to give them a big surprise."

Ning Xuan:
His lips moved, as if he wanted to tell his elder brother that he had actually reached the second rank.

But in the end, I didn't say it out loud.

It's possible that he's a genius or a prodigy to go from rank 0 to rank 1 in such a short time, but if he goes to rank 2, then it's hard to say.

This is too mysterious to explain.

Ning Xuan thought for a moment, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Big brother, listen to me, I have a plan."

Three days later, at noon, a torrential rain swept down, cleansing the world.

Ning Xuan heard Yao Zhen Fairy's rambling again.

“General Ning, you are a general who was enfeoffed in Wangyue Prefecture. In principle, you are not allowed to leave your fiefdom unless there is an imperial decree or special circumstances.”

The tiger tally made Ning Xuan the legitimate general of the region. He could command his partner to use the region's dragon fire to refine pills and cultivate resources, and he could make all the local prefects, both in name and in reality, submit to him.
However, the tiger tally was also a limitation.

His partner will know immediately as soon as he leaves his fief.

But this only means knowing that he has left; it's impossible to track his movements in real time.

"Ning Xuan, I have kept this a secret for you for three days. I have not said a word. You should go back now!"

Ning Xuan replied, "Yao Zhen, I was just going out for a stroll to clear my head and let my horse run wild, to process the inner demons caused by that demon core, so that I can better serve His Majesty."

"General, why are you being so glib again? Ah! I'll stop here for now."

It's clear that Fairy Yao Zhen has encountered an emergency.

The murmurs in Ning Xuan's ear finally stopped.

The sound of heavy rain washing over straw hats and raincoats could be heard.

The steed, head held high, crashed through the rain.

"How much longer until we arrive?" he asked the young master, who was half a horse's length ahead of him, in a calm tone.

The young master smiled wryly and said, "General, don't worry, I still want to live. I won't lead you around recklessly. But what exactly do you plan to do once we get to Flying Eagle Tower?"

Ning Xuan immediately started spouting nonsense: "This general wishes to join the Flying Eagle Pavilion, learn the 'Divine Eagle Overturning Heaven Technique,' and then verify whether the legendary Great Dao of Harmony is true. If it is true, this general will certainly work with the young master to carry forward the Flying Eagle Pavilion."

The young master said, "Although we have many disciples in our building, none of them have reached General Ning's level. Others may not be able to, but General Ning might be. Alas, I only hope that General Ning is sincere."

Ning Xuan nodded and continued to reassure the other party, saying, "There is no conflict between our two families. Now that the matter has been clarified, there is nothing to worry about. After this matter, you can move to Wangyue Mansion."

As they spoke, the two swift horses had already passed through the forest and arrived at a strange terrain.

This is an inland lake hidden by trees, with a small island in the middle of the lake, on which are tall buildings and rows of stone houses.

The building is nine stories high, about ten zhang tall, while the stone houses are all about ten zhang tall.

The path leading to this lake is a row of locked bamboo raft bridges.

At this moment, a torrential downpour caused ripples to spread across the lake, and the bamboo rafts rose and fell with the clear water.

There are two watchtowers at the bridgehead, with simple wooden huts on them, and figures can be vaguely seen looking out from inside.

The young master said, "General, it's just ahead."

Having said that, he pulled on the reins and was about to ride off quickly.

But it didn't work.

Ning Xuan was standing beside him without him noticing.

He did nothing, but simply emitted a faint aura of blood, and the steed that had been about to charge suddenly fell silent, its legs trembling, and then it knelt down.

The young master, who had been thrown off, flipped over to steady himself, but dared not move. He looked at Ning Xuan in surprise and asked, "General, what do you mean by this?"

Ning Xuan said, "A copy of the 'Divine Eagle Overturning Heaven Technique' in exchange for your life and a chance for the Flying Eagle Tower to rise to prominence—isn't that a bargain?"

The young master nodded repeatedly and said, "It's cheap."

Ning Xuan asked, "You're your father's only son, aren't you?"

The young master smiled wryly and said, "No."

He then added, "If that were the case, I wouldn't have volunteered to risk my life to go to your residence and snatch food from the jaws of death just to gain merit."

Ning Xuan sighed, "Sometimes, it's really not easy for people to live a good life."

The young master also sighed, then replied, "The general is right."

We're all smart people; the young master already knows what he needs to do.

He took a deep breath, stood on this side of the bamboo raft pontoon bridge, and raised his voice to communicate.

Soon, people began to emerge from the nine-story building and the stone house.

As the conversation progressed, the people inside understood what was being said, and they all looked at Ning Xuan with tense and complicated expressions.

Ning Xuan took off his bamboo hat, his wet black hair hanging down his back, revealing his young face.

At this moment, an old man stepped forward from the crowd, his voice booming. He cupped his hands and said loudly, "I am Ma Changfeng, the master of Flying Eagle Tower, and I greet you, General. You have come from afar and have been caught in a downpour. Please come into the tower. I have prepared a small feast to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey. We can discuss the rest of the matter over the meal."

Ning Xuan raised his voice and asked, "Does Master Ma know the meaning of 'When gods fight, mortals suffer'?"

Ma Changfeng remained unmoved and laughed, "Of course I know, but my Flying Eagle Pavilion is merely a mortal martial arts force. How could we possibly get involved in a battle between immortals? Hahaha, General, you're overthinking it. Please enter the pavilion quickly."

Ma Yingxiao was stunned and exclaimed, "Father! General Ning is sincere!"

Ma Changfeng shouted sternly, "You unfilial son, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Ning Xuan narrowed his eyes. He had given them a chance, but they didn't want it. Their words were firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Without further ado, he went straight to the point: "Since Master Ma thinks I can't take the 'Divine Eagle Overturning Heaven Technique,' why not send someone out to try it out?"

After saying that, he pointed to the floating bamboo raft bridge, which was bobbing up and down, and said, "Let's try it here."

Ma Changfeng asked, "How do we test it?"

Ning Xuan said, "Let's fight three rounds. If you lose all three, you must hand over the 'Divine Eagle Overturning Heaven Technique'."

Ma Changfeng said, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)