Chapter 2: Daoist Longshan |
Under the night sky.
Flames shot into the sky, furious tongues of fire devouring the plum blossoms and pavilions of Xue Mei together.
One by one, the black-clad men coldly watched the inferno grow more terrifying. They were merciless and cruel. Occasionally, one or two survivors would dash out from the sea of fire, unable to endure the heat—only to be decapitated on the spot.
Lord Feng's lips curled into a slow smile.
He wanted to see Xue Mei Manor reduced to ash with his own eyes.
The fire grew even more intense.
From the distance, a black-clad man rushed in, flustered.
“Lord Feng, Daoist Longshan from the Zhenwu Sect is already on his way. Should we retreat now?”
Lord Feng’s brow furrowed, a deep wariness flashing in his eyes.
“I don’t know, sir.”
“Useless!”
Lord Feng snorted coldly, then finally gave the order:
“Retreat!”
Daoist Longshan was said to be extraordinarily gifted. Rumor had it he inherited the Zhenwu legacy and burst onto the scene with a huge reputation in the Great Yan Dynasty. He later rebuilt the Zhenwu Sect and earned great renown among all Daoist sects in the land.
It was said he was close to reaching the Heaven-Man Realm. Even with superior numbers, Lord Feng and his men had no confidence in defeating him.
He gave one last deep glance at the manor, now engulfed in flames.
With this level of fire, ordinary martial artists had no chance of survival—let alone a newborn baby. The child had likely passed out and would soon be turned to charcoal in his sleep.
With a cold smile, the black-clad men vanished with the wind.
...
Inside the secret compartment.
Ning Qi felt the rising heat around him, both alarmed and furious.
He hadn’t expected them to be so vicious—not only slaughtering everyone in the manor, but also determined to burn the place down completely.
A cold glint flickered in his eyes.
But now wasn’t the time for anger. His priority was staying alive.
The Innate Fetal Breath Technique continued to operate, slowing the heat from spreading too quickly. But as the fire intensified and began swallowing even this secret compartment, there would be no way out for Ning Qi.
He had just been born, couldn’t move, hadn’t even eaten. If not for the technique he’d created, he’d already be dead.
Even so—
This still looked like a dead end.
“What should I do?”
Ning Qi’s mind raced. Amid the roaring flames, he vaguely heard that the black-clad men had already left.
“Daoist Longshan? Zhenwu Sect? Is he a friend of my parents, or just a righteous man passing by?”
Thoughts sprang up one after another in Ning Qi’s mind.
He knew—his one shot at survival might rest in Daoist Longshan’s hands.
He curled himself up even more tightly in the swaddle. The material was unusually special, giving him a bit more comfort. He had to hold out until the Daoist arrived—and make sure the man noticed him.
“Sound!”
“I need to make my cry loud enough not to be drowned out by the fire!”
Though the Daoist was likely a top-tier expert and could probably detect his presence the moment he exited his fetal breath state, Ning Qi still wanted to make an effort.
“How can I make my voice louder?”
“Merge it with breath. Let the sound ride the airflow… baby cries are already sharp enough, but if the vibration frequency of the vocal cords is just right…”
“……”
Beams of insight flashed one after another through Ning Qi’s mind.
He tried opening and closing his mouth. His innate qi stirred. He had a strong feeling—if he cried now, it would be loud enough.
This was a vocalization technique.
Ning Qi thought it deserved a name: Sonic Resonance Method.
A gleam lit his eyes.
If he knew martial arts, he could probably develop a complete sound-based technique—like the Lion’s Roar from Buddhist martial arts in the wuxia novels of his past life!
Such was the power of full-level comprehension.
Everything was ready.
Now all he could do was hope.
“Daoist Longshan, please hurry!”
If the Daoist arrived too late, he might already be a charred corpse.
He could already feel the temperature getting more intense. Crashing sounds of collapsing structures echoed again and again. If the secret compartment weren’t made of special materials, he’d have been crushed already.
...
The night deepened.
But Xue Mei Manor blazed red like midday. The sea of fire lit up half the sky.
When Daoist Longshan arrived and saw the scene, fury surged in his eyes.
“D*** bastards!”
He had come here by invitation—only to find a scene of total massacre. The brutality of the attackers was beyond belief.
With a furious shout, powerful qi surged between his palms like a fine rain, suppressing the flames below.
Some fire was extinguished—but new flames flared up instantly.
His face turned darker.
If he’d arrived when the fire first started, he could’ve snuffed it out. But now, the outcome was set in stone. Even with his full strength, he could only save a few crumbling ruins.
Qi shielded his body. He walked through the fire unscathed, shouting as he went:
“Master Ning!”
“Lady Jiang!”
“Daoist Longshan has come!”
He knew Ning Ye and Jiang Xuemei were probably dead—but he couldn’t help hoping.
He kept calling out.
No reply came.
Frustration filled Daoist Longshan’s heart.
If only he had arrived half a day earlier, maybe this could’ve been prevented.
Suddenly.
He stopped in his tracks—he thought he heard a baby crying.
He instinctively doubted his ears. In a blaze like this, how could there still be a baby?
But then, his expression changed.
The cry grew louder, piercing through the flames.
This was no hallucination.
“There’s someone alive!”
Daoist Longshan became excited.
With a leap, he shot toward the corner the cry had come from. Qi gathered in his palm, and the flames in that area were instantly suppressed.
He stepped closer, surprise growing in his eyes.
The crying clearly came from the secret compartment before him.
His palm released a blade-like edge of qi, slowly cutting open the compartment—
And there, swaddled in cloth, was a tiny figure.
Looking at the baby, Daoist Longshan’s astonishment deepened.
The moment he opened the compartment, the baby stopped crying—
And just stared at him quietly.
As if… that cry had been for the sole purpose of luring him over.
Not only that—
He could sense the temperature inside. While milder than outside, it was still unbearable for a newborn.
To survive until now was a miracle.
Even so, the baby’s skin had already flushed red.
“This child’s life is truly blessed!”
Daoist Longshan gently lifted Ning Qi. Inside the swaddle, he found a jade pendant engraved with the character “Qi,” along with a copy of the Night Plum Sword Technique.
“That technique was co-created by Master Ning and Lady Jiang… so you must be their child.”
He sighed softly.
“This must be fate. Perhaps your parents’ spirits were watching over you, helping you survive this massacre.”
“From now on, you’ll be called Ning Qi.”
As he spoke those words—
Daoist Longshan was startled to see the baby flash a happy smile.
“You little rascal… such rare spiritual awareness. You were born able to tell good from evil. You’ll be something special one day.”
Ning Qi was studying the middle-aged Daoist before him: gray robe, goat-like beard, calm and kind eyes—
Someone you could instantly trust.
When he heard the man’s voice calling his name earlier, he had used the Sonic Resonance Method to cry out—
Now, he was finally safe.
Relief washed over his heart.
Having just crossed over, then immediately faced such danger—
And still being just a newborn—
When he heard the Daoist call him Ning Qi, he smiled faintly and finally succumbed to sleep.
Daoist Longshan was startled.
He quickly checked Ning Qi’s pulse.
Upon confirming that it was only exhaustion and energy loss, he sighed in relief—
Then, he was once again stunned.
Because within the child’s body, the flow of innate qi was incredibly dense.
“No wonder he lasted through the flames… Now that I think about it, that cry earlier seemed to carry some kind of technique, too?”
“Could this truly be one of those born with knowledge?”
His gaze toward Ning Qi grew more amazed.
No doubt about it—this child was a rough gem.
Strong natural foundation, exceptional intuition, extraordinary intelligence.
“Master Ning, Lady Jiang… to have left behind such a gifted child—you can rest in peace.”
“I will take him as my disciple, raise him well, and teach him everything I know. As for the ones who killed you—I’ll get to the bottom of it!”
Looking at the inferno that had devoured Xue Mei Manor, Daoist Longshan silently made his vow.
...
The next day.
Daoist Longshan stood before a makeshift memorial, holding Ning Qi.
It was the grave he made for Ning Qi’s parents.
The fire had raged too fiercely—no one survived but Ning Qi. No bodies remained.
Having eaten food provided by Daoist Longshan, Ning Qi was now awake.
He gazed at the grave, his expression complicated.
Just after crossing over, he’d become an orphan.
But the love in Jiang Xuemei’s final moments remained vivid in his mind.
They gave their lives to protect him.
That debt would never be forgotten.
“One day, I’ll avenge you both.”
Ning Qi silently vowed.
He remembered that man—Lord Feng—and all the killers.
Cold killing intent surged in his heart.
Not only had they killed his parents, they nearly burned him alive.
This blood debt must be repaid!
With full-level comprehension, all he needed was a peaceful place to grow.
He would rise quickly—
And revenge would not be far off.
And now—
That peaceful place was here.
Daoist Longshan sighed, thoughts swirling in his heart—
Then turned them into a warm smile as he looked down at Ning Qi.
“Little one, from now on, you are the ninth disciple of Daoist Longshan!”
“Come back to the mountain with me!”
Now that he had Ning Qi with him, it wasn’t the time to chase the culprits.
He had to ensure the child’s safety first.
Whoever could wipe out Xue Mei Manor overnight was no weakling—
After all, Ning Ye and Jiang Xuemei were formidable in their own right.
Seeing Ning Qi’s tiny smile, Daoist Longshan felt his spirits lift too.
Holding Ning Qi, he floated off into the distance.
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