Chapter Thirty-Three: The Attack on the Pavilion of Precious Elixirs

The onlookers were dazzled and bewildered; most hadn't seen clearly before Lord Ning's blade flew from his hand, shredded by the sword's radiance and scattered into fragments. His sleeve was sliced open in several places by the same sword light. Such a loss was not insignificant; infuriated, he let out a roar and swung his fist. The forceful wind of his punch collided with Ghost Seven's sword, sending sparks flying.

Could it be that fists were tougher than blades? Even Ghost Seven, who had always worn a stoic expression, was moved. The sword in his hand bent under the impact of the punch, then snapped back straight, the powerful force surging into the blade jolting him two steps backward.

Lord Ning, in a wild fury, lunged forward, fists raining down faster and faster, exuding a sweeping dominance that forced Ghost Seven to retreat again and again, until the woman in yellow cursed, "Useless fool—you only know how to dodge!" Ghost Seven's expression shifted once more; when his sword was bent yet again, he did not retreat. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, black energy surged from the sword, enveloping Lord Ning's fist.

"How dare you!"

A voice of mild reproach echoed from the top floor of the Treasure Pill Pavilion. Though not loud, it struck Ghost Seven with such force that he coughed blood and staggered backward.

Even those who lacked the strength to see the fight clearly realized from Lord Ning’s pale, bloodless face and dim eyes that he had suffered greatly—the elders of his family had stepped in.

The woman in yellow, however, was not ready to let matters rest. She continued to shout, "How dare a mere Ning family oppose me! Ghost Seven, if you don't kill that wretch, then use your own sword to slit your throat!" If not for powerful backing, she surely wouldn't know the meaning of death.

A trace of helplessness flashed in Ghost Seven's eyes as he slowly raised his sword.

“Hmph…”

The mysterious cultivator from the Ning family, who had yet to reveal himself, snorted coldly but did not attack Ghost Seven, clearly disdainful of bullying a junior. Yet the Ning family cultivators encircled Ghost Seven tightly.

Outnumbered, Ghost Seven's expression remained calm and untroubled. Suddenly, without warning, black light burst from his sword—not toward the Ning family, but toward Yu Youwei at the side.

The Ning cultivators did not know Yu Youwei, but they recognized Ning Mofei beside her. They rushed to intercept the sword's black light, but failed to stop its elusive streak.

A crisp "crack" sounded as Ghost Seven’s sword tip struck the Frostblade Sword again, its tip bent by a peculiar vibration. Ghost Seven’s eyes, usually tranquil as still water, now showed a glimmer of surprise.

Yu Youwei breathed a sigh of relief: Thank heavens for the Frostblade Bloodline Treasure—otherwise, she’d have been done for this time!

"Outrageous!" The Ning family's mysterious cultivator bellowed in anger. A shadow of a palm appeared above the Ning estate, snatching at the air and flinging the woman in yellow up some ten meters, sending her flying out of the city like a broken sack.

"Stop!"

The youth in yellow cried out in alarm, turning back with Ghost Seven to rush after her outside the city.

Some Ning family guards began to pursue as well, but Lord Ning, his face dark, cursed them fiercely. Only then did everyone notice his right fist, blackened and shining, the sleeve shredded to pieces by sword light, his arm swollen with terrifying black veins—signs of poison invading the bloodstream and being forcibly suppressed.

While the crowd felt their scalps tingling, Yu Youwei, holding Ning Mofei’s hand, stood on the steps before the Treasure Pill Pavilion and called out, "If you can't detoxify him quickly, you'll need to sever the wrist, or the poisoned blood will attack the heart and it will be too late! Anyway, once you reach the Nascent Soul stage, you can reshape your form."

"Sever the wrist? You say it so easily!" Lord Ning almost laughed in exasperation. Still, he followed Yu Youwei's advice and had his men cut off his hand, preserving it in a jade box meant for storing spiritual medicines.

The jade box contained spiritual energy, which kept the medicinal aura intact and prevented the severed hand from drying out for a time. So long as the poison was quickly purged from the limb, it could be reattached with a regenerative ointment—this was why Lord Ning did not hesitate to sever his wrist, not truly intending to wait for Nascent Soul cultivation to reshape his form.

"Niece-in-law, you'd better explain what is going on!" Lord Ning snapped. It was understandable—who wouldn’t be in a foul mood after an unexpected brawl and losing a hand?

Yu Youwei replied, innocently, "I’m just as baffled—I can’t understand what madness possessed that wild girl. Suddenly, such powerful people appeared, and the guards of the Treasure Pill Pavilion had no clue about their origins?"

One of the guards who had attacked Ghost Seven shouted, "If someone comes to the Treasure Pill Pavilion and doesn't cause trouble, we don't need to know who they are."

Yu Youwei raised her brows in surprise, "That sounds a bit suspicious, doesn’t it? Oh, you must know who these people are!"

"You’re slandering us!"

"With so many guards in the Treasure Pill Pavilion, you couldn't stop Ghost Seven and his companions until Uncle Nine arrived and barely saved us. Were you hoping Mofei would die?" Yu Youwei spoke rapidly, her tone growing colder. What had only been a vague intuition now became a suspicion when this guard spoke up.

"You little brats! What are you up to?"

This shout came from the wounded Lord Ning, who swung his left palm, force unleashing to form a giant hand.

"Ninth Brother, have you lost your mind?"

A startled cry came from inside the Treasure Pill Pavilion as Second Lord Ning leapt out, raising his palm to meet Lord Ning’s. Both brothers were thrown backward, neither gaining the upper hand.

"I manage the Treasure Pill Pavilion. If you have any complaints, take them to our elder brother," Second Lord Ning said forcefully.

"We’re leaving!" Lord Ning said angrily.

"Wait," Yu Youwei said, pointing to the guard hiding behind Second Lord Ning. "Mofei, who is that? Does he have anything to do with Sixth Brother?"

"Sixth Brother knows him."

"Are there any books not yet returned from the study?"

"Two, no, I think three haven’t been returned."

Others could not follow their conversation, but the guard clearly understood, and his face changed dramatically.

"Mofei, later you should confess to the ancestor and ask him to check how many books are missing from the study," Yu Youwei said, then bowed to Second Lord Ning, adding, "Second Uncle, you should investigate why, under your management of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, someone encouraged the master to steal books from the ancestor's study, and recover them as soon as possible."

"Are you giving me orders?" Second Lord Ning asked coldly.

With a chilly smile, Yu Youwei’s watery eyes flashed with cold light—even Second Lord Ning, master of the Foundation Establishment stage, felt a chill in his heart. Just as he opened his mouth to rebuke her, she said calmly, "Someone tried to kill Mofei over those books. I hope Second Uncle will help remove the threat to Mofei. Is that too much to ask?"

"Perhaps he’s the mastermind! Niece-in-law, let’s go find your elder uncle and your father." Seventh Lord Ning, never on good terms with Second Lord Ning, grabbed Ning Mofei and sped away toward the Ning estate; Yu Youwei hurried after them.

Behind them, Second Lord Ning's gaze was sharp as a blade. As an elder, he had been publicly confronted by his new niece-in-law, losing face completely, and now the murmurs among the crowd sided with her, suspecting him of ulterior motives. He wished he could put a hole right through Yu Youwei.