Chapter 6

The Jiaoren’s eyes were magical, initially seeming dark, but on closer inspection, they had a mesmerising greenish hue. In the shadows, they glowed softly, like a sunlit emerald.

The room was dark, not even a candle was lit, though outside the sky was bright.

The fat guard, already quite large, blocked most of the light as he stepped inside.

He squinted his eyes to get a closer look but found it harder to see clearly.

Gu Tingshuang manoeuvred his wheelchair backwards a bit and calmly asked, "Shall I light a candle for you?"

The fat guard didn't catch on immediately. Seeing Gu Tingshuang retreat, he followed inside, bending lower in a hurried attempt to grab the "treasure" in Gu Tingshuang's hand.

In that instant, a very thin cord looped around his neck—a cord woven from the tendons of the Nine-Colored Deer, the one that even Phoenix Fire couldn't burn.

This was something Gu Tingshuang had been playing with in his hands lately, and no one had paid any extra attention to it.

Now, the weak and sickly fourteen-year-old boy erupted with astonishing strength, tightly strangling the fat guard's neck with a cold, steady grip on the thin cord.

The fat guard's struggle was frighteningly powerful, flinging Gu Tingshuang off his wheelchair. But Gu Tingshuang clamped down with all his might, his eyes more ferocious than the guard's.

Falling from the wheelchair, he used his entire body's weight to drag the thin cord, using such force that his own fingers bled, with large drops of blood rolling down the string.

After an indeterminate amount of time, when Gu Tingshuang was drenched in cold sweat, the fat guard's breathing stopped, and he fell backwards with a loud thud.

Gu Tingshuang also fell to the ground, his chest heaving violently.

When Ning Shiting arrived, Gu Tingshuang was chopping at the door sill.

Hearing his footsteps, the boy paused and looked up. His pitch-black pupils were icy and still held a remnant of killing intent.

Behind him lay a sea of blood.

He had extracted the fat guard's leg bone, using a sword sharp enough to cut through iron to carve it into a bone knife, which he then used to hack at the half-palm-high door sill blocking his wheelchair.

The corpse on the ground was unrecognisable, having been mercilessly overturned and trampled. The blood was nearly drained from the body, painting the walls, floor, furniture, and bed in vivid red.

The air in the room was thick with the smell of blood, almost suffocating, and a blood mist seemed to fill the air.

Those cold, indifferent eyes assessed Ning Shiting, not as if looking at a person, but evaluating prey.

He waited for Ning Shiting's reaction, showing no fear, only deep-seated defiance and arrogance.

Gu Tingshuang's entire demeanour silently communicated to Ning Shiting:

If you punish me, you will eventually become part of this sea of blood; if you don't kill me, others will meet the same fate at my hands.

This is the nature of wolves, their thoughts—they repay vengeance with vengeance, blood for blood.

"Kill… He's killed someone!"

Behind Ning Shiting, the tall thin guard held a limp silver wolf, his legs shaking so badly he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He had just chased the wolf and, after finally knocking it out, brought it back. Planning to skin and roast it in front of the Gongzi that night, he had only left for a short time, and upon returning, found a scene from hell!

Almost driven mad with fear, he barely retained a shred of sanity—

The elegant, gentle young man standing before him, who else could it be but the newly arrived Ning Gongzi?

The tall thin guard immediately latched onto Ning Shiting as a lifeline, trembling as he knelt and begged, "Gong...Gongzi! The Shizi, Shizi, he actually—"

The scene was so horrifying he couldn't even find the words to describe it, only bowing repeatedly, terrified, almost calling Ning Shiting 'Grandfather': "Please, Gongzi, seek justice for us! My brother died miserably, he had no cultivation roots, just a mere servant, but he was...a living person!"

"Please, Gongzi, seek justice for us!"

Pēng, pēng, pēng—three loud kowtows.

Ning Shiting turned to look inside and asked calmly, "Does the Shizi have anything to say to me?"

Today, he wore no veil, just a plain, elegant robe, standing quietly before him.

Last night, amidst dim candlelight and layers of veils, he remembered those Jiaoren eyes. So clear, they seemed to peer into one's heart.

Now, backlit, his face was hard to see clearly.

His silvery-blue hair fluttered gently in the breeze, clean and beautiful, untouched by a speck of dust.

Gu Tingshuang's lips twisted into a cold smile: "...No."

The tall thin guard crawled over, his forehead now a bloody mess.

He was sure this child, Gu Tingshuang, never sought sympathy and would never complain to this newly arrived stepmother, so he felt emboldened to twist the truth.

He listed one by one the 'crimes' of the Shizi mistreating servants, hoping Ning Shiting would take pity and transfer him to a cushy job in the kitchen or accounting office.

From what he knew, this stepmother was only seventeen.

The Jiaoren clan was naturally gentle. Ning Shiting usually behaved calmly and warmly, appearing very approachable.

Kneeling, he only saw the fragrant hem of Ning Shiting's robe.

Ning Shiting bent slightly, meeting the guard's eyes, "What do you think I should do?"

The Jiaoren’s eyes were magical, initially seeming dark, but on closer inspection, they had a mesmerising greenish hue. In the shadows, they glowed softly, like a sunlit emerald.

Such beauty was hard to describe in words, making one hold their breath, afraid to disturb the tranquillity in those eyes.

"What should..."

"How should..."

The Jiaoren’s cool hand covered the guard's, making him widen his eyes in shock.

Those hands were white, delicate, but slightly cool.

Every fantasy about hands, these hands could fulfil.

In that instant, the guard forgot Ning Shiting's identity and the current situation. His widened eyes reflected Ning Shiting's silent gaze.

The next moment, he was lifeless.

Ning Shiting released his grip, and the tall thin guard collapsed stiffly into the grass.

The poison had spread throughout his body the moment Ning Shiting touched him, corrupting his mind and corroding his bones.

Even in death, he didn't understand how he died, thinking he was still drowning in a gentle reverie.

Ning Shiting retrieved his hand gloves from his sleeve and carefully put them on.

He picked up the unconscious wolf, patted it gently, then placed it by the door sill, rubbing its head.

Gu Tingshuang watched all this in silence.

Ning Shiting said, "Shizi, you've now seen the poison of the Jiaoren. Without timely medication, you will die from the poison within a month."

"The medicine bag contains marigold, soul-stabilizing grass, South Sea pearls, mandrake, celestial mint, angelica, and qilin horn. This is the only remedy for the Jiaoren poison. Underneath the medicine bag is a fragment of the Shennong manual. If in doubt, you can compare the names of the herbs. You can also learn pharmacology from it to avoid future harm by drugs."

His eyes narrowed slightly, his voice still gentle and calm.

"If you die, nothing can be achieved, and no vengeance can be taken, Shizi."

Gu Tingshuang was silent for a moment, then laughed coldly: "It's not your place to teach me!"

He raised his hand and flung the blood-stained pearl veil at Ning Shiting: "Take your stuff back. I don't want it, and I don't want my wolf either. Here, take it all back."

Ning Shiting caught it, looked at it, then looked at him.

In a clear voice, he called his immortal cranes, "Let's go. When Ting Shu returns, have him send someone to clean up the Shizi's residence. Today, someone neglected their duties. I'll enforce family discipline to serve as a warning."

"From today on, dismantle the thresholds in every courtyard and pavilion, level all steps and paths into ramps to facilitate the Shizi’s movements."

"Yes, Gongzi."

The Author has Something to Say

The fake Ningning: Gentle and refined, like a clear breeze and bright moon. 

The real Ningning: Shake hands, move along, next one. 

The fake “Shizi”: Weak, pitiful, and helpless. 

The real “Shizi”: Come here, I'll show you something cool, next.