Chapter 1: Surviving a Near-Death Experience

At that moment, a somewhat weak voice called out from the side, "Elders, I wish to take my husband away"

Two talking guards then noticed a woman standing to the side, dressed in coarse linen garments. Although she wore simple clothing, her remarkable poise could still be faintly discerned. The only regret was that her face had been disfigured, partially obscured by her slightly disheveled hair, making one reluctant to look a second time.

Ning Cheng sat on the old wooden couch, his mind drifting between thoughts of his current situation and his younger sister, Ning Ruolan. At the same time, he truly could not understand why Tian Muwan would treat him that way. Based on his understanding of Tian Muwan, she was certainly not the type of girl who would be so superficial.

That's not right. He remembered feeling extremely down after being rejected by Tian Muwan, and as a result, he took the wrong path and ended up on the overpass alone. Then, a streak of yellow light from the horizon struck him, and then... there was nothing that followed.

Another guard grunted, "He must be dead. Who told him to be so reckless, daring to be disrespectful to Miss Jian? Now look at the situation; not only has the Ning family been destroyed, but he himself has also found relief. He brought this upon himself."

Ning Cheng was unsure whether Ji Luo Fei had added something to that cup of water, but he felt that after drinking it, he regained some strength.

"Enough, enough, take it away, it's too unsightly to leave it here." The short and stout guard pocketed the silver coins and waved his hand impatiently.

With a clang, a rusted iron door was opened, the echo of the door being opened was muffled by the surrounding ancient buildings, lingering endlessly

Unfortunately, Ning Cheng's qualifications are extremely poor, and for many years he has been unable to gather any energy. Not only that, he often resorts to beating and scolding Ji Luofei, whose appearance has been ruined. Fortunately, Ji Luofei, as a homeless daughter-in-law, has always endured and never said much. Upon returning from the academy and learning that the Ning family had been destroyed, she immediately came to the prison. Originally, she wanted to inquire whether Ning Cheng could be released, but to her surprise, Ning Cheng had already lost his breath and was thrown out of the cell by the jailer. Upon returning from the academy and learning that the Ning family had been destroyed, she immediately came to the prison. Originally, she wanted to inquire whether Ning Cheng could be released, but to her surprise, Ning Cheng had already lost his breath and was thrown out of the cell by the jailer.

Jiluo Fei saw the expressions of the two jailers. Without waiting for them to speak, she took out a dozen silver coins and handed them over, "Gentlemen, my husband has already left, I..."

With a thud, the frail man was thrown to the ground by two prison guards, kicking up a cloud of dust, and then there was no further movement

"Why ask me about what you have done yourself?" Ji Luofei replied succinctly and then set Ning Cheng down.

At the same time, he also understood who the person carrying him was; this disfigured woman was his fiancée, named Ji Luofei, somewhat akin to a child bride on Earth

"If Ji Luofei had not been disfigured, she would indeed be a beauty." As he watched Ji Luofei's silhouette, another guard tossed a silver coin in his hand and remarked in a judgmental tone

After a dozen breaths, a young man with his head drooping was dragged out from behind the iron gate by two guards holding his arms. This young man, with his head hanging low, appeared to be breathless, and his arms were so emaciated that they seemed to consist only of bones. The tattered, bloodstained clothes he wore clearly indicated the extent of the torment and suffering he had endured.

The reason he was astonished was that his original name was also Ning Cheng. It was just that he often had a nightmare, in which he found himself in an extremely strange place, being secretly plotted against and imprisoned, then tortured to death. Although it was just a dream, Ning Cheng still changed his name to Ning Xiao Cheng.

The entire Ning family was raided, and the only survivors were the old steward Ning Gao and the woman before him. Ning Gao was the steward of the Ning residence, and he escaped disaster because he was abroad on business when the raid occurred. The woman, named Ji Luofei, was the wife of the Ning family and had just been released from prison. She had managed to avoid calamity by remaining at the Cangqin Second Star Academy.

... ...

To my surprise, after all the twists and turns, he still called out to Ning Cheng, and indeed, he was reborn in the very environment of his dreams

"Old man, be careful with your words. Let's first drag him out and deal with it later," the short and stout prison guard quickly advised.

Ning Hongchang indulged Ning Cheng in other matters, but he would not compromise on the issue of marrying Ji Luofei. Originally, Ning Cheng was very dissatisfied with the disfigured Ji Luofei, often resorting to beatings and scolding. Fortunately, Ji Luofei was submissive and never contradicted Ning Cheng.

They were originally supposed to handle the body in Ningcheng, but unexpectedly someone came to take care of it, and even offered silver coins. Such a favorable situation, of course, they would not refuse

How was the Ning family destroyed?" Ning Cheng suddenly asked again. Even if it concerns himself, Ning Cheng must clarify this matter. Although he suspects that the Jian family and the Qiu family are responsible, he needs to ask for some clear answers.

After speaking, she poured another cup of clear water and fed it to Ning Cheng. Then she said: "I will go boil some water for you to bathe. Forget about some things; you know they are not beneficial for you."

What shocked Ning Xiaocheng was that the body he was reborn into was originally called Ning Cheng

Is it possible that he is not dead yet? What on earth is going on?

The Ji family is an immigrant household in the Cangqin Kingdom. Due to the good relationship between Ji Luofei's grandfather and Ning Cheng's grandfather, they arranged a betrothal between Ning Cheng and Ji Luofei. Later, the Ji family inexplicably fell into decline, leaving only the disfigured Ji Luofei. However, Ning Cheng's grandfather, Ning Hongchang, still brought Ji Luofei to the Ning family, planning to help the two marry once Ning Cheng had gathered enough energy.

Both guards recognized who this woman was; she is one of the last two survivors of the Ning family

At this moment, Ji Luofei had already carried him into an extremely low black stone house. Although the black stone house was low, its area was not considered small; it had at least the essentials. There was even a small courtyard, which contained a deep well.

Ning Cheng watched Ji Luofei go in to boil water, and did not continue to ask questions, as he understood Ji Luofei's meaning. With his abilities, the more he knew, the quicker he would meet his demise. Even if he knew nothing at all, whether he could survive in this place was another matter.

Moreover, Ji Luofei is different from Ning Cheng; she possesses the aptitude for cultivation. Not only that, with the assistance of the Ning family, she has entered the Cangqin Second Star Academy and has already become a practitioner at the third level of Qi Gathering. In the Cangqin Kingdom, anyone who is capable of cultivation is referred to as a practitioner. Once a practitioner reaches the fourth level of Qi Gathering, their status will rise dramatically.

Ning Xiaocheng fell silent, having just organized some fragmented information. He should now call back Ning Cheng, the sole heir of the Ning family from Cangqin Kingdom. Let it be Ning Cheng, after all, that is his name.

The Ning family is no more; you are fortunate to be alive. The woman spoke in a calm tone, as if even if Ning Xiaocheng were truly dead, she would still maintain this demeanor of tranquility.

"Stop the nonsense. After all, Ji Luo Fei is a member of the Cang Qin Erxing Academy. No matter how ugly she is, it is not our place to comment on her." The short and stout jailer patted the shoulder of the speaking jailer and pulled him back through the iron gate. With another loud clang, the iron gate closed once more.

Hearing this, Ji Luo Fei quickly picked up Ning Cheng and increased her speed, soon disappearing from the prison entrance.

At long last, there came a day when Ning Cheng found himself in a predicament that even he could not bear. He had inadvertently offended Jian Sujie, the cherished jewel of the Jian family of Cangqin Kingdom. Not only was the Jian family a force that the Ning family could not contend with, but even Jian Sujie's fiancé, Qiu Yingguang, was someone the Ning family could not provoke.

As Ning Xiaocheng just thought of this, a flood of various information surged into his mind, and he realized that he had been reborn

"I’m sorry, I don’t have the strength to walk," Ning Xiaocheng said apologetically as he noticed the woman glance back at him. It did feel somewhat uncomfortable for him to have a woman carry him.

The Ning family is a medium-sized noble family in the Cangqin Kingdom, but it has few descendants. Ning Cheng's parents went to the Mango Sea region to search for spiritual objects when Ning Cheng was very young, and they never returned. Ning Cheng has been living with his grandfather, Ning Hongchang, in the capital city of Cangle in the Cangqin Kingdom.

Upon hearing the words of the short and stout prison guard, the other guard, known as Lao Hui, involuntarily shrank his head and was about to lift the lifeless man from the ground, preparing to drag him away

Ning Xiaocheng wanted to raise his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, but the woman carrying the books with him glanced back without saying much

Although Ningfu is large, it is not densely populated. Ning Cheng has undoubtedly become the foremost figure in Ningfu, while Ning Hongchang has never taken any interest in him. All the misdeeds committed by Ning Cheng in Cangle City have been borne by Ning Hongchang. Cangle City is filled with nobles and dignitaries; although Ning Hongchang is also an elder of the Cangqin Kingdom, he still falls short compared to those nobles and dignitaries.

Ning Xiaocheng detected an exceptionally pleasant fragrance. Upon opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was a pristine white neck. In the next moment, Ning Xiaocheng realized that he was being carried by a woman, and that delightful scent was emanating from her.

Indeed, this is also because Ji Luofei has little connection with the Ning family. The reason she married into the Ning family is that the Ning family and the Ji family have been family friends for generations, and she was betrothed to Ning Cheng since childhood. However, the Ji family fell into decline in the most inexplicable manner, leaving only the disfigured Ji Luofei. Even so, Ning Cheng's grandfather, Ning Hongchang, still took Ji Luofei into the residence, planning to wait until Ning Cheng truly gathered his energy before allowing the two to marry.

After Ning Cheng sorted these matters out, he sighed again, realizing that there is no reason in this world; whoever has the bigger fist is the one who holds the reason

Ning Cheng thought of this and sighed. The consequence of provoking someone he could not afford to offend was, of course, being imprisoned. His grandfather, Ning Hongchang, exhausted all his connections and family wealth to secure his release, but ultimately, he was not freed; instead, the entire Ning family was sacrificed. This news was learned from the mouth of a prison guard by his previous incarnation, and it can be said that the Ning family was destroyed because of him

Is this kid dead?" A short, stout prison guard asked, staring at the young man lying motionless on the ground.