Chapter 3686: Sword Fighting Across the Realm (25)

Ning Shu took charge of Qin Song’s funeral. Qin Song hadn't lived to see his daughter return, and his daughter hadn't come back to wear the mourning clothes. Since Qin Song had only one daughter, Ning Shu acted as his son and did his funerary rites.

Qin Song was, after all, the leader of a famous martial arts sect. Now that he had passed away, many people came to offer their condolences. Many sects hadn't even reached their homes before they had to turn back to attend the funeral. The feeling was quite frankly beyond words.

It felt as though Wanjian Manor was a setting sun. Every day was filled with trivial, messy drama. The things that happened were truly speechless, the absolute cream of the crop when it came to being insufferable.

Looking at the busy Ning Shu, some people remarked that she was honest and kind, allowing her father-in-law a grand burial even after everything that had happened. In their hearts, however, they felt a bit of disdain. They thought Ning Shu’s character was too soft and weak, since she hadn’t even lost her temper after facing such a situation. Martial artists generally prioritized following their own will.

Sometimes, if one became too stubborn, they might even suffer a qi deviation.

With the ideals of ‘gratitude and revenge’ and ‘using martial arts to defy prohibitions,’ someone like her, who lacked any fire, was truly hard to watch.

They thought, maybe Chong Xuefeng deserved to have his betrothed run off with someone else.

Ning Shu was naturally aware of what these people were discussing, but she didn't care at all. Yin Nanlian came to speak with Ning Shu once again, saying that if life at Wanjian Manor was bad, she could go to Lingyun Manor. There was really no need to wrong herself like this.

Ning Shu only smiled and didn't speak. Did they really think she was a man without any backbone?

Haha…

Ning Shu liked to observe the courtesies before resorting to force. There was nothing more satisfying than holding the moral high ground.

When reason was on your side, even if you played dirty, you’d still have the moral high ground.

Impulsiveness solved nothing, and winning a war of words was even more useless. She couldn't exactly pull all these gossiping people into a shouting match.

That would make life far too exhausting.

When Yin Nanlian saw Ning Shu’s unhurried manner, she felt like she was about to explode with rage on her behalf. It was clearly Qin Nianzhi who had done wrong. Why were these people gossiping about Chong Xuefeng?

After the funeral ended, the attendees left. Some disciples of Wanjian Manor also found various excuses to pack up and leave. Some claimed their relatives were sick, some wanted to go home to get married, or some needed to inherit the family business.

Ning Shu said nothing and let these disciples go. Their hearts were already scattered. What was the point of forcing them to stay? It would only invite trouble.

People love to join in on the excitement and follow the crowd. Seeing many disciples leaving, others followed suit. Within a few days, the entire Wanjian Manor suddenly became much quieter. It was cold and lonely, permeated by a sense of decay.

It was essentially Ning Shu alone propping up Wanjian Manor, and the business at the sect's shops was lackluster.

In any case, misery never came singly.

Seeing that the weapon shop wasn't profitable, Ning Shu simply closed it down.

"Do you want to leave Wanjian Manor and come with me to Lingyun Manor?" During a meal, Yin Nanlian sighed and brought it up again. Ning Shu ate the food Yin Nanlian had prepared. Now, the servants remaining at Wanjian Manor had become lazy, but Ning Shu didn't say anything.

She would keep these servants for now. After all, Qin Nianzhi would have to come back eventually.

Ning Shu said to Yin Nanlian, "I am going to leave Wanjian Manor. If it is inconvenient for you, you can leave."

Yin Nanlian quickly asked, "Where are you going? What do you mean by leaving Wanjian Manor?"

Ning Shu put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "I am going to the demonic cult."

Yin Nanlian’s grip on her chopsticks tightened instantly, and her eyes turned slightly red. "Are you going to save Qin Nianzhi?"

Ning Shu nodded. "I promised Master that I would bring Junior Sister back."

"But Qin Nianzhi left with Situ Xun of her own accord. Her heart is no longer with you. Why do you still want to do such a useless task? She doesn't want you, but I do." Yin Nanlian was truly experiencing the bitterness of a woman chasing a man.

His heart was truly as hard as iron, and his heart had flown entirely to another woman. This feeling was very disheartening, truly disheartening.

Yin Nanlian put down her chopsticks and said, "Then I will go with you."

"What would you do there?" Ning Shu raised an eyebrow. She was going there to fight, not for an outing. Furthermore, Ning Shu didn't want to drag Yin Nanlian into this matter.

Ning Shu put down her handkerchief and narrowed her eyes slightly. "This is a matter for our Wanjian Manor. Lingyun Manor should not get involved. It would only complicate things, and you never know what will happen until the very last moment."

Yin Nanlian's heart gave a heavy thud. She felt there was some hidden meaning in Ning Shu's words, but upon closer thought, there seemed to be nothing.

Yin Nanlian thought that if she followed Chong Xuefeng to storm the demonic cult, it would be troublesome if the cult held a grudge against Lingyun Manor. She wasn't just Yin Nanlian, she was also a disciple of Lingyun Manor, and her father was the sect leader.

Doing something as baffling and detrimental to one's father as Qin Nianzhi had done wasn't an option. However, at the thought of Ning Shu going to such a dangerous place, she felt she couldn't just do nothing.

Ning Shu smiled slightly. "This is a matter between me and my junior sister. It isn't suitable for you to get involved."

Yin Nanlian looked up at Ning Shu. Meeting her shimmering gaze, she bit her lip and said, "Then be careful. I know you love your junior sister, but don't throw away your life for her."

Yin Nanlian stopped disparaging Qin Nianzhi. Wouldn't insulting Qin Nianzhi be the same as insulting the person she liked?

If it weren't for Chong Xuefeng's deep affection for Qin Nianzhi, Yin Nanlian might not have liked him.

In short, it was quite a contradiction.

Ning Shu nodded. "I understand. Are you going back to Lingyun Manor?"

"I'll wait for you here. I'll only feel at ease going back if you return safely," Yin Nanlian said.

The next day, Ning Shu packed simply, picked up her sword, and mounted her horse. She said to Yin Nanlian, "Please look after Wanjian Manor for me."

"Alright. If you encounter any danger, don't force it. If once doesn't work, try twice. Don't gamble with your life." In Yin Nanlian's heart, she felt that Qin Nianzhi simply wasn't worth this treatment from Chong Xuefeng.

This was clearly a thankless task. The girl's heart was entirely stuck on Situ Xun. Rescuing her with so much effort would earn no gratitude, and would surely end in resentment.

"I know." Ning Shu nudged the horse's flanks, and it galloped away.

Yin Nanlian pursed her lips and finally let out a long sigh.

The people of the demonic cult also knew they were generally disliked, so they established their headquarters on a mountain peak that was easy to defend but hard to attack.

Ning Shu traveled for several days before arriving at the gate of the demonic cult. She walked leisurely through the mountains. In the summer forest, the dew on the leaves dripped onto the ground, making Ning Shu’s clothes a bit damp.

Ning Shu tapped her finger. Although she felt restrictions from the rules of the world, she could still manage to keep the dew from dripping onto her.