Chapter 149: Ning Mu: Is Mei'er Reluctant to Part with Such Pleasure

Ning Mu did not say much more, merely revealing Liuli's background.

"Eight hundred..."

Gu Qizhang and the others were instantly too shocked to speak.

As for Liuli, she raised an eyebrow and glared at Ning Mu.

This reckless fellow actually brought out her master's name to throw his weight around! If her master were to find out, she didn't know how she would be blamed...

But since it had already been said, blame was useless.

Liuli could only purse her lips, feigning the appearance of a peerless expert, and stood to one side clutching her Whisk.

After his initial shock, Gu Qizhang's expression revealed joy.

But soon, he looked at his grandfather with hesitation.

He worried that his grandfather might harbor resentment, as his grandfather had once been one of the heroes on Ningyang Mountain.

He feared that with the memories of past grievances, his grandfather would not like to go up the mountain.

"Then let us go up the mountain!"

"It just so happens that we can go back and take a look!"

Gu Laoyezi struck his cane, settling the matter, though his voice was filled with memories of the past and a sense of desolation.

Following that.

The Gu Family and the few subordinates Ning Mu had brought were all busy, packing their things without a moment's rest.

"Old Gu, you are leaving?"

At this moment, the owner of the inn next door stood at the entrance, looking over and greeting them.

"Mm, Old Liao, you all should look out for yourselves too. I am going up the mountain to enjoy a good life following the Tong Family girl, haha~"

Gu Laoyezi did not hide it either.

With so many people going up the mountain, it certainly couldn't be hidden, so it was better to be open about it.

"Leaving is good, leaving is good. In this world, sigh..." The inn Shopkeeper shook his head and returned to his shop in disappointment.

"That is Liao Dapeng, the Shopkeeper of the Qingfeng Inn next door. He is an informant planted in the town by the Qingfeng Stronghold on Feihu Mountain. He has long had the intention to retire, but his son is a minor leader in the stronghold, so he has no way to leave; he is not the master of his own fate..." Gu Laoyezi explained to Ning Mu.

Ning Mu nodded and took note of it.

After packing up.

The group set off.

Liuli went ahead to have the stronghold send people down to meet them.

In the afternoon.

At the beginning of the Shen hour.

They returned to the stronghold and began to settle in.

However.

Not long after Ning Mu and the others had returned.

The patrol captain, former Cangjian Villa Disciple Wang Dalong, came to report that they had caught a lost woman in the mountains.

"Great Stronghold Master, that woman is disheveled and has bloodstains on her clothes. At a glance, she does not look like a respectable woman, but she did not attack us and instead followed us into the mountains obediently."

Hearing Wang Dalong's report, Ning Mu was full of suspicion and followed him out of the hall.

Currently, under Liu Qingmei's implementation, the Mountain Stronghold's structure was quite complete. The heads of each small team were mostly former Cangjian Villa Disciples, while the members were strong, capable hands with good talent selected from the stronghold residents.

Exiting the hall, they stood before the railing of the small plaza outside.

They saw that at the entrance to the training grounds.

The woman was sizing up the Mountain Stronghold, and when she noticed Ning Mu and Liu Qingmei walking out of the main hall, her gaze immediately shifted toward them.

"Bring her over!" Ning Mu said to Wang Dalong.

"Yes!"

Wang Dalong immediately waved his hand, and two patrol members stood on either side, guarding against the woman.

Before long, they arrived close by.

"Who are you?"

Ning Mu stared at Wei Youqing, looked her up and down, and asked.

Wei Youqing did not reveal her identity, but instead looked at Ning Mu carefully and said, "Are you the Stronghold Master of this Ningyang Stronghold?"

"I am." Ning Mu nodded.

Wei Youqing immediately breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said with an excited expression, "It is good that it is you; I have finally found the right place!"

Ning Mu was bewildered. Who was this woman? Listening to her tone, had she come specifically to find him? He couldn't help but glance at Liu Qingmei, who also shook her head with a blank expression.

And before Ning Mu could ask.

At this time.

Wei Youqing brushed the dust off her clothes, looked at Ning Mu, and said, "Yesterday, there was Literary Qi rising on the mountain; it was to find you, right?"

As the words fell.

Ning Mu's brows immediately furrowed slightly, and Liu Qingmei's expression also revealed a hint of gravity.

Observing the expressions of the two, Wei Youqing smiled.

Then, with a serious face, she cupped her hands in a salute and said, "I am Wei Youqing, Instructor Libationer of the Jixia Academy, a Sacred Land of Great Qi, and a Disciple of the Master. This trip to your esteemed stronghold is to invite you to go to the Academy to cultivate!"

Whoa! Hearing this series of self-introductions, Liu Qingmei's eyes immediately lit up.

A Disciple of the Master.

Such a young Libationer of the Jixia Academy, although only in charge of instruction, was still an elite among the Academy!

Liu Qingmei was immediately moved and turned to look at Ning Mu.

It's just that.

Ning Mu, however, raised an eyebrow, looked at Wei Youqing, and smiled calmly: "My apologies, Miss Wei, you might have seen wrong; I don't see any Literary Qi here."

Liu Qingmei was taken aback, looking at him blankly.

But when she noticed the look Ning Mu cast her way, she immediately nodded firmly at Wei Youqing.

"That's right, I haven't sensed any Literary Qi coming over; did Miss Wei look in the wrong place?"

???

Now it was Wei Youqing's turn to be stunned.

Looked in the wrong place? That's impossible!

Pi Yalu had clearly stated that the author of the poem "One Sword Frost Cold" was a young man named Ning Mu, and he was right here in this Ningyang Mountain.

Immediately, Wei Youqing stared at Ning Mu and asked, "Is your name Ning Mu, brother?"

"My name is Ning Mu, but I don't see any Literary Qi!" Ning Mu nodded.

"Impossible!"

Wei Youqing suddenly grew a bit anxious; although she was certain, her brow was filled with uncertainty.

She had chased him the entire way in order to find the person protected by the seven-colored Literary Qi in his eyes.

But her speed was ultimately no match for that flash of Literary Qi.

She could only judge based on the location provided by Pi Yalu, combined with the general direction where the Literary Qi had last appeared.

Originally, with her strength, she could have arrived by yesterday evening if she had gone all out.

It was precisely because she lost the guidance of the Literary Qi that she got lost in the mountains.

She had accidentally stumbled into a mountain stronghold not far from here, a place called Heifeng Stronghold.

She hadn't intended to stay long, but the people in that Heifeng Stronghold acted as if they hadn't seen a woman in eight hundred years; the moment she appeared, the entire stronghold became restless.

The Great Stronghold Master even led men to surround her, making lewd remarks and even attempting to get handsy.

They even told her to stay there and be some kind of stronghold mistress.

She had already been in a great hurry.

Watching the Literary Qi disappear before her eyes while she was surrounded by a bunch of scoundrels.

In a fit of rage, she slaughtered the entire Heifeng Stronghold!

Of course, she let the small fry run away.

After replenishing her strength in Heifeng Stronghold and finding out the specific location of Ningyang Mountain, she set off again.

She spent another half-day groping through the mountains.

Only now had she finally found the right person.

But now, this very person was telling her he hadn't received the protection of Literary Qi? How could this be?

After a moment of shock, Wei Youqing suddenly remembered the method for testing Literary Qi.

Immediately, Wei Youqing's expression shifted, and she revealed a gentle and warm smile, looking at Ning Mu, and said: "Young Master Ning, I came in such a rush that I am physically exhausted. Since Young Master Ning insists it is not you, could you allow me to stay in the stronghold for a few days to recuperate? Once I have regained my strength, I will leave to search for the person upon whom the Literary Qi has descended, how about that?"

"Young Master Ning wouldn't refuse such a small request from a young lady, would you?"

Wei Youqing blinked her eyes, pretending to look pitiful.

Coupled with her clothes stained with blood and grime, and her disheveled appearance, it actually had a certain effect.

She was completely baffled in her heart.

If anyone else were able to receive the protection of a Literary Saint, and it were seven-colored Literary Qi in their eyes, they would likely be dying to announce it to the whole world so everyone would know.

How could the person before her be so avoidant!

One must know that within the borders of Great Qi, and even the surrounding borders of the Chu Kingdom and Zhou Kingdom, countless scholars and cultivators all made joining the Jixia Academy their lifelong goal!

The number of people visiting the Academy every day was countless.

They had even established a special Office of Encouraging Learning to deal with those who didn't meet the requirements but persisted in coming to seek admission, arranging for dozens of Disciples to rotate shifts just to handle those people.

Yet someone like Ning Mu, who kept the Academy at arm's length and avoided it like the plague, was likely the first of his kind in the whole world! This only made Wei Youqing more curious.

She wanted to see exactly what this youth was so afraid of, that he would rather abandon a bright future and prospect just to hide away in this remote mountain corner! Liu Qingmei immediately felt a sense of vigilance.

Ning Mu frowned slightly.

This Libationer of the Jixia Academy was determined to make him admit it and join the Academy.

"That's not impossible, but my mountain stronghold was only established a few days ago, and most of the people here are refugees who came seeking shelter. With hundreds of mouths to feed, as you know, the daily expenses are quite high..." Ning Mu raised an eyebrow, looking at Wei Youqing.

Wei Youqing was taken aback.

However, after seeing that look in Ning Mu's eyes, she immediately understood.

She was suddenly quite incensed.

Was he actually going to charge her?

She was speechless in her heart, but she followed his lead and nodded, saying: "What Young Master Ning is doing is a good deed. Since funds are tight, I, on behalf of the Academy, will donate five hundred taels as a small token of my sincerity; consider it my meal expenses while in the stronghold, how about that?"

As she spoke, she reached into her sleeve pocket and pulled out a stack of silver notes.

Ning Mu had intended to agree; things had reached this point, and since the other party insisted on staying, he had no choice. He couldn't just drive her off the mountain; that would be offending the Jixia Academy!

But when he noticed the amount of silver notes in Wei Youqing's hand, he immediately gave a light cough.

"Miss Wei might not know, but this place is high in the mountains and far from civilization; all food and supplies have to be carried and shouldered by manpower, and even then, we are barely making ends meet. Compared to down the mountain, the cost of living is dozens of times higher. It's not that I, Ning, am being heartless, it's just... *cough cough*, we are truly struggling!"

Ning Mu sighed again, feigning a pained expression. Hearing this, Wei Youqing, who was counting the silver notes, had her expression change slightly.

She had just come up from down the mountain, so she naturally knew how rugged the mountain paths were and how difficult it was to supply goods.

After a moment of contemplation, she counted out another stack and said: "Then I will donate another five hundred taels, for a total of one thousand taels!"

"Cough, Miss Wei, you don't know, but our stronghold is currently repairing the road to make it easier to go up and down the mountain. Once the road is clear, the supply of goods will be smooth, but... at the moment, due to various limitations, the progress of the road repair is lagging; the main issue is that supplies like food, drink, and clothing aren't keeping up..."

"..."

Wei Youqing was speechless to the extreme.

With her Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart, how could she not know by now that this Stronghold Master Ning was shaking her down! "Fine, fine, fine. I have a total of 1,600 taels in silver notes on me, plus a little loose silver. I'll give it all to you, just consider it my meal expenses. How about that?" Wei Youqing was helpless and too lazy to count, so she stuffed the entire stack of silver notes in her hand into Ning Mu's hand.

"How could I!"

"Then I, Ning, will not be overly modest. On behalf of the disaster victims, I thank the Academy for its generosity. It is not that I, Ning, want it, but the current situation is truly dire, as you, Young Lady Wei, have seen!"

"However... for several hundred disaster victims, this bit of money is truly a drop in the bucket, right Mei'er."

Ning Mu did not hesitate and stuffed all the loose silver and silver notes directly into his own pocket.

But as he spoke, his expression suddenly became troubled, and he even pulled Liu Qingmei into it.

"Ah..." Liu Qingmei was stunned. She felt it was a bit excessive in her heart, but she could not disobey her husband, so she nodded timidly and said awkwardly, "Yes, that is the case!"

"I really don't have any more!" Wei Youqing was speechless.

Of course, she had noticed that apart from a very small number of people in this Mountain Stronghold, most of the others looked gaunt and weak, and at a glance, they did not look like people who practiced Martial Arts.

Especially in the area behind the mountain, one could vaguely see through the forest that a large group of people was reclaiming the mountain land.

A bandit Mountain Stronghold actually reclaiming land itself—this was a first.

Hearing that they were disaster victims who had come to seek refuge, Wei Youqing finally understood.

This was also the reason why she was willing to pay money even though she knew she was being shaken down.

But she was not wealthy either.

Academy Disciples did not have much of a monthly stipend; these 1,600-plus taels were the surplus money she had saved up.

Now, in order to recruit Ning Mu into Jixia Academy, she had taken it all out.

She could not find even half a tael of silver on her entire person now.

Ning Mu did not speak, but his gaze was aimed at Wei Youqing's slender, fair fingers.

Noticing Ning Mu's gaze.

Wei Youqing looked down at the gold-inlaid jade ring she was wearing on her finger.

"This won't do!"

Immediately, she refused directly: "This is the proof of identity issued by the Academy to a Libationer. If it is lost, the Academy will hold me accountable!"

Wei Youqing's expression changed instantly, her brows knitting together.

Seeing that Ning Mu remained unmoved, she was furious in her heart, but she had no choice but to yield.

After thinking for a moment, she said: "How about this, I will write a letter to have someone send money over, and give you another 2,000 taels. That should be enough, right? I cannot take out any more than that!"

This guy was digging a hole for her.

And yet she had no way to refuse!

If she refused the 'donation'.

Who knew when she might hear rumors that a dignified Libationer of Jixia Academy was turning a deaf ear to the disaster victims.

Of course.

She could also see that this was merely a tactic Ning Mu was using to refuse her staying on the mountain.

But the more this was the case.

The more it ignited her rebellious spirit to stay and persuade Ning Mu to join Jixia Academy for cultivation!

"Alright then, in that case, many thanks to Libationer Wei for your generous contribution. Libationer, you may stay as long as you like. As for your accommodation... just pick an empty house over there on the back mountain. As for food, Libationer, you can choose to eat with the disaster victims, or you can cook your own small meals. If you cook yourself, come find me or the Third Stronghold Master for grain, and I will issue a slip."

Seeing that Wei Youqing was determined to stay, Ning Mu was temporarily out of ideas, so he had to nod and agree.

"Issue... a slip?" Wei Youqing blinked, feeling a bit confused.

"It means a written authorization. We strictly control our grain, and all expenses are registered in a ledger. Extra small meals require a slip to be able to collect from the warehouse," Liu Qingmei explained.

Supplies were scarce right now, so they had to be used sparingly.

Wei Youqing nodded in understanding.

This Mountain Stronghold seemed newly established, but the rules were quite something.

She pondered in her heart.

"Dalong, take Young Lady Wei to pick a house!"

Ning Mu shouted to Wang Dalong, who was waiting below.

Then he turned his head to look at Wei Youqing and said: "Libationer, send someone to bring the money early, ha. It is truly a difficult path, you understand!"

Ning Mu winked at Wei Youqing, putting on a very troubled expression.

The corner of Wei Youqing's eye twitched, her face full of speechlessness.

"Does my husband really not intend to go to the Academy?"

After Wei Youqing left, Liu Qingmei could not help but ask again.

Deep down, she still hoped that Ning Mu could enter the Academy to cultivate.

After all, that was the Martial Arts Sacred Land of Great Qi and a sect that protected the nation.

It was also her own ideal when she was young.

Such a giant was naturally countless times better than this barren place of Ningyang Mountain.

Not to mention anything else, just the cultivation resources alone were not something an ordinary sect could compare to.

An ordinary sect, like a great martial arts family such as Cangjian Villa, could only possess a mere ten mu of Dragon Rhyme Spirit Field.

Distributed among each Disciple, the average per person per year was likely not even one catty.

And even that was an idealized state.

After all, the bulk of the real resources were occupied by the direct line of the Ye Family, followed by the Core Disciples; by the time it reached the ordinary Disciples, they might only be able to eat a small portion during the critical period of breaking through a realm.

But Jixia Academy was different.

As the Martial Arts Sacred Land of Great Qi, it possesses true high-end combat power.

The number of Dragon Rhyme Spirit Fields under the jurisdiction of Jixia Academy is no less than a thousand acres.

This is only what has been publicly announced.

In reality, it is likely several times that amount, if not more.

It is said that those with the status of Libationer, like Wei Youqing, can receive a massive hundred catties of various cultivation resources every month.

For one person in one month, that might be the equivalent of a year's supply for some small martial arts factions.

With such a massive accumulation of cultivation resources, even a pig could possess decent Cultivation Points, not to mention that those who can enter Jixia Academy are all individuals of outstanding talent!

And with such an Academy Sacred Land, how could this small, barren Ningyang Mountain compare to it?

Therefore, Liu Qingmei is absolutely in favor of, and hopes for, Ning Mu joining Jixia Academy.

The second floor of the main hall.

"Oh, husband, it is so thick and sturdy; the more I look up to it, the higher it seems, and the more I probe it, the firmer it becomes..."

"It's almost going to pierce right through Mei'er!"

Watching the back of Wei Youqing as she walked toward the back mountain following Wang Dalong, Liu Qingmei leaned against the railing, supporting her body with both hands, and subconsciously let out a soft hum.

Afterward, her complexion became charming and bright, her eyes glistening with deep affection.

"Mei'er, in this world today, if I were to enter the Academy, there would be many entanglements, and many things would become inconvenient, or impossible to do!"

Standing behind Liu Qingmei, his hands supporting her delicate, supple waist, he explained softly in her ear while exerting slight pressure.

"Just like now, if Mei'er were in the mood, but I were at the Academy, how could you and I enjoy such pleasure?"

A wicked smile appeared on the corner of Ning Mu's mouth.

As his words fell.

With a sudden, forceful thrust.

In an instant.

"Unh!"

Liu Qingmei's body surged forward, her eyes rolled back, and her bright, pretty face looked as if it were bathed in the scorching sun.

Her vermilion lips were bitten by her snow-white jade teeth.

She was terrified of making a sound.

In this moment.

Liu Qingmei felt as if her soul had left her body.

That sudden, heart-piercing squeeze made even the tip of her heart tremble.

A pair of white mounds pressed against the railing, following the momentum of the attack.

She struggled to suppress her voice, letting out only a faint, lingering moan.

A long while passed.

"Haa..."

Liu Qingmei exhaled softly, finally recovering from the overwhelming sensation; her eyes glistening and her face incredibly charming, she hummed, "Everything, everything is up to you, husband!"

"Ah~ husband is right!"

"My husband, unh, has the bearing of a celestial being; in just a few short months, you have already reached the Inner Profound Realm, woo~ Inner Profound Realm cultivation, sss-ha, with such talent, why... why should you lower yourself to join that decaying Academy and look at people's, oh~ expressions, look at people's expressions, it is better, it is better to be this carefree in the mountains!"

Liu Qingmei tilted her neck back slightly, her eyes unfocused, speaking in broken sentences.

Looking at Liu Qingmei's charming and seductive state.

Ning Mu could not help but feel a surge of desire to conquer.

He smiled wickedly, leaned on Liu Qingmei's back, and whispered, "Does Mei'er truly feel that way, or are you just reluctant to give up this pleasure?"

Liu Qingmei's body could not stop trembling, and a sob subconsciously escaped her throat.

Those peach-blossom eyes, which seemed filled with a spring lake, rippled with clear waves and closed tightly in overwhelming shyness.

Especially.

Feeling those scorching hands suddenly grasp Ye Yin's grain bags, pressing them hard against the railing, molding them into cakes or balls.

Spilling out between his fingers.

In this open space on the second floor.

The maidservants passing by the small square outside the hall from time to time could easily discover her appearance at this very moment if they happened to look up, and an indescribable sense of panic rose in her heart.

At this moment, she felt like a wanton woman!

(End of chapter)