Chapter 5: Side Story 1: Ning Zhuo's Early Wisdom (Apologies to readers!)

(The first time doing this monthly ticket side story, I was completely confused.)

The massive caravan of the entire Ning clan, accompanied by the footsteps of March, arrived together in the fields of the south.

Spring was in the air.

Large patches of rapeseed flowers were in full bloom, and under the blowing of the spring breeze, the golden flowers were like a layer of golden light on a green ocean, bringing infinite hope to people.

The caravan moved forward, emitting a rumbling sound.

A middle-aged man dismounted from his mount and jumped onto one of the mechanical carriages in the caravan.

He hurriedly pushed the door and entered.

"Wife, look, what is this?" The middle-aged man, as if offering a treasure, took out an elixir.

His wife was six months pregnant, her belly high and prominent, lying on the bed with her eyes closed to rest.

The carriage window was closed.

The middle-aged man input magic power from a distance, lighting a spirit lamp on the carriage roof.

Under the lamp light, his wife slowly opened her eyes and looked at the elixir, seeing that the elixir was clear throughout, like a glass bead, flickering with a faint yellow light.

The wife sniffed slightly, smelling the fresh and pleasant elixir fragrance, like the breath of a forest after rain, making one's spirit tranquil and the mind transparent.

The wife said in surprise: "This is an Early Wisdom Pill, a top-grade elixir. Where did you obtain it?"

The middle-aged man grinned and said: "Didn't I help the Strong Fist Monk? He cultivates the Buddha Dao, emphasizing cause and effect, and insisted on repaying my kindness."

"I told him that my wife is about to give birth, and I hope the Master can provide some help for my son's future cultivation."

The wife, however, turned joy into worry: "Husband, you could have completely taken this opportunity, using the Master's repayment, to treat your injuries."

"At the very least, you could have asked for a lotus seed from the Buddha Gate's Universal Salvation Lotus Platform, so that your cultivation talent could be improved."

The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed: "I'll forget it."

"Although my old injuries cause me pain when they flare up, they won't take my life; at most, I'll be uncomfortable for a few days. Even if they were treated, it wouldn't cause a qualitative change in my combat power."

"Even if I obtained a lotus seed, my cultivation aptitude would only be promoted from mid-grade to mid-to-high grade. My age is already so old; relying on mid-to-high grade immortal aptitude, I cannot break through the bottleneck."

The middle-aged man said this, squatted down, and gently stroked his beloved wife's belly: "Considering these things, it's better to leave this opportunity to our child!"

"The main ingredient of the Early Wisdom Pill is a wisdom root of a Bodhi tree."

The wife sighed faintly, nodded slightly, and recognized her husband's choice.

"Come, take the pill." The middle-aged man stood up and handed the elixir over, "I will circulate my energy to help you digest it."

The wife took the elixir, and the gentle medicinal power acted on the infant in her belly.

The Early Wisdom Pill can strengthen the spirit, clear the spirit platform, nourish the soul, moisten the heart, and make people open their wisdom early, with superior intelligence.

Having done this, the middle-aged man was overjoyed: "Great, our child has obtained this pill and will be able to open his wisdom early. Perhaps he can remember every word we say now."

"Next, let's try chanting cultivation techniques to him. Who knows, he might be able to cultivate in the womb!"

The wife laughed: "You think too beautifully."

"Even if he can remember every word and every sentence we say, he doesn't know the meaning."

"Besides, his body meridians are not yet fully grown; if he really starts cultivating, it would be a bad thing instead."

The middle-aged man grinned: "I certainly know that, I'm just joking."

He held his wife's hand: "Sigh, only after becoming parents do we know the true heart parents have toward their children."

"Our child hasn't been born yet, and I unconsciously want to consider things for him and start worrying about his future."

"I really hope he can have good cultivation aptitude, the higher the better, and not be like me."

The wife, however, shook her head: "If he has no cultivation aptitude, would I not love him?"

"No, no matter what, he is our child, our flesh and blood."

"I hope he has a certain cultivation aptitude, but not too strong."

"Haven't we seen and heard enough of those children with astonishing talent who died young?"

"I only hope he lives a safe and peaceful life."

Just as they were speaking, a warning suddenly sounded.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!" Someone shouted loudly.

The expressions of the couple both changed.

The middle-aged man instructed his wife not to move, while he himself pushed the door and went out.

The next moment, he saw the heavens and earth change drastically, ice winds howling, sharp as ten thousand blades cutting through all living beings.

"We have fallen into a grand formation!" The middle-aged man, in shock and anger, forced himself to be calm, immediately stirring his magic power and pouring it into his magic tool to protect himself. The mechanical carriage under him, under the control of his wife, also lit up with various runes, greatly increasing its defense.

"Who comes?" The Ning clan's ancestor, carrying an awe-inspiring aura, rose into the sky and shouted angrily.

The attacker remained silent, only adjusting the ice and snow formation, setting off another layer of change.

Hailstones the size of fists covered the sky and earth.

The Ning clan's caravan immediately suffered casualties.

The Ning clan's ancestor laughed angrily: "Hehe, very good! Even if you hide your heads and show your tails, do you think I can't recognize you?"

"Frost Marquis, Absolute Ice Rogue, it really was hard for you to wait until we entered the Nandou Kingdom's border to launch an ambush."

Having their identities revealed, Frost Marquis and Absolute Ice Rogue both appeared.

The former said: "Old Ning, you left my North Wind Kingdom and took your whole clan to defect to the Nandou Kingdom; you should have thought of this moment."

The Ning clan's ancestor shouted: "I had already made it clear to the Kingdom Lord and left behind magic treasures, reaching an agreement. Your North Wind Kingdom's royal family has gone back on their word; after this battle, I will definitely spread this throughout the world!"

Absolute Ice Rogue laughed sinisterly at this time: "That is why I came here. Old Ning, you can rest assured; after this battle, even if there is wind of this, it will only be me, Absolute Ice Rogue, coming to seek private revenge."

A great battle broke out.

The Ning clan's ancestor was already unable to fight four hands with two fists, and still had to look after the family, so he quickly fell into a disadvantage.

Sensing something was wrong, the Ning clan's ancestor did not hesitate to self-detonate a magic treasure, blowing a temporary passage out of the formation.

"Run quickly!!" The Ning clan's ancestor shouted.

The situation was critical, and the Ning clan leader personally led the team, trying to take as many clansmen as possible to flee along the passage.

Snow wolves condensed from ice and snow, in groups, chased after them.

The passage was shrinking, but more than half of the Ning clansmen were still staying inside the grand formation.

"Don't squeeze, don't squeeze!" People shouted, panicking into a group.

The snow wolves killed their way into the crowd, setting off a bloody storm.

In the chaos, the Ning clan's young leader and two others squeezed into the middle-aged couple's mechanical carriage.

"Brother Ning Zhong!" The young leader Ning Xiaoren saluted the middle-aged man, his face full of panic, "The passage is about to close, let us use the mechanical carriage."

The mechanical carriage, however, because it was carrying many people and had suffered ice and snow damage, had its power greatly reduced and fell to the rear.

Watching as they were about to be unable to squeeze through, everyone was about to be sealed in the formation again.

The young leader's two followers looked at the middle-aged man Ning Zhong: "Brother Ning Zhong is also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, we hope you will get off the carriage with us to defend against the enemy!"

The wife exclaimed: "Brother Zhong, don't go!"

Ning Zhong frowned, his combat experience rich, and he saw the situation clearly: "If I don't go down to block the enemy, no one will be able to leave!"

Ning Zhong turned his head sharply, his eyes flashing with sharp light, staring at the young leader.

The young leader's body trembled, and he hurriedly raised his hand to swear: "Brother Ning Zhong, don't worry, I, Ning Xiaoren, swear that if we can escape this disaster, I will definitely protect your wife and beloved child, and I am willing to fully assist your son in embarking on the path of cultivation!"

Ning Zhong looked at his wife affectionately one last time.

His wife's eyes were already red from crying.

"Take good care of our child!"

Ning Zhong gritted his teeth, turned around sharply, and with the young leader's two followers, jumped off the carriage.

The snow wolves roared, and the mechanical carriage stumbled into the passage. ===== CHAPTER 6 =====