NFBE Chapter 63 Tracking
Chapter 63 Tracking
Ming Shoucheng still finds it unbelievable. He had a shop in Muyun Mountain City and had dealt with the City Lord's Mansion before, but at that time, given Mingji's status, he could only associate with tax officials at most. Now, the Ning family had been exiled, and although there had been no prior indication of any impact on the Ming family, they had still lost their support in the court. Now, suddenly, they had the blessing of the Celestial Master from Xiaoxi and Ziqing, and he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.
“Uncle, Mingji is keeping a low profile in the capital. My father, brother, and I will try our best to open up trade routes in Youzhou.” Ning Xiaoxi took a sip of tea. “My brother and I just happened to be there. We have no background or support in the Celestial Master Pavilion. We are like rootless duckweed. Mingji is now the foundation of our Ning family.”
Ming Shoucheng patted his belly, feeling that there wasn't enough oil. "I can certainly provide the money, but neither your maternal family nor your ancestral family has the foundation of a Celestial Master. How can I support Xiaoxi in this regard?"
“My niece is currently under Lord Tianji’s command and is at the middle rank. My brother is also at the middle rank level three, which is not worth mentioning. With Lord Tianji here, no one should be willing to offend him in the short term. We’ll see how to proceed once we arrive in Youzhou and settle down.”
"Brother, Luoying, Ziqing, and I are still under investigation. Listening to Xiaoxi is the right thing to do; we should keep a low profile for now."
Ming Shoucheng nodded. "Of course I'll listen to you. Also, I visited a few partner shops, but none of their caravans suffered any losses. According to what my uncle has heard so far, only our caravan has been affected."
Ning Xiaoxi's eyes darkened; wasn't this hint too obvious?
"Oh, right, when I came back, I saw Lord Dijie leading his officials back to the city." Ming Shoucheng slapped his forehead, remembering something else, "They were also pulling several cages covered with black cloth."
"Back to the city?" Ning Xiaoxi's heart skipped a beat. Lord Dijie had returned to the city before dinner, so why hadn't her brother come back yet?
"Is the Ning family lady here?"
Just as everyone was talking, voices came from outside the shop.
Ming Shoucheng strode out to check, then led one person into the courtyard, saying, "Officer, please come in."
"Greetings, Miss Ning." The guard walked in with a menacing aura.
Ning Xiaoxi stood at the door. She could clearly sense a strong demonic aura emanating from this guard. Trying to remain calm, she asked, "Greetings, Guard. Is something wrong with my brother?"
"Young Master Ning was originally waiting for news at the garrison, but when the lord was surrounded in battle, Young Master Ning went with the strategist to provide support. Now, Lord Dijie and the chief secretary have both returned to the city, but there is still no news of Young Master Ning and the strategist."
"Has the demon been eliminated?" Ning Xiaoxi frowned, feeling that something was amiss.
"The demon has been vanquished. The lord has dispatched his officials and guards to search for it. I came to inform you in advance so that you might worry."
Ning Xiaoxi turned back to comfort the anxious Ming Luoying, "Mother, I'll go to the garrison to check the situation. With the officials searching outside, my brother and the strategist will definitely be alright."
Ning Shi pulled Ming Luoying aside, "Xiao Xi, you need to be careful too."
Ning Xiaoxi nodded to her uncle, then turned to the guard and said, "Guard, I'll go back to the camp with you."
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the camp, they saw Chief Secretary Fang leading his men out.
"Where is Lord Fang headed?"
"Young lady, the strategist and Young Master Ning have not yet returned. I have been ordered by the strategist to go and search for them."
“My lord, I will go with you. My brother is connected to me by blood, and I have a secret method to find him.”
"Alright, thank you, young lady." Chief Secretary Fang turned around and ordered a light cloud beast to be brought out.
Ning Xiaoxi quickly followed Chief Secretary Fang and rode out of the city.
Light Cloud Beast, agile and swift, sped north along the official road after leaving the city.
When they were about five miles away from the scene of the accident, Ning Xiaoxi smelled a strong stench of blood coming from the northwest. She grabbed the light cloud beast, and when Fang Changshi saw her stop, he also stopped and looked at her.
"Lord Fang, the aura is off; it's not over there."
“But we carried out the extermination and capture in the north!” Chief Secretary Fang frowned as he looked at Ning Xiaoxi.
"I heard from the guards that a messenger sent a message that needed support, so the strategist led my brother and his subordinates to the battlefield. I wonder if it was Lord Dijie or the Chief Secretary who sent the messenger?"
"We have just confirmed this matter. Neither the strategist nor I sent out any messengers. We only learned of the strategist's actions after returning to our camp, and the messenger has disappeared."
"So, Lord Fang didn't see the reinforcements sent by the Military Advisor?"
"Yes."
"Please forgive my overstepping, my lord, but my brother's aura is in the northwest direction. Please allow me to go and investigate."
“This…” Fang Changshi hesitated for a moment, “I trust your judgment, young lady. Please lead the way.”
Ning Xiaoxi, riding on the Light Cloud Beast, clasped her hands in thanks to Chief Secretary Fang, saying, "Thank you, sir." After saying that, she took out her spirit crystal dagger, only to find that it was already covered with three talismans, leaving no room to draw any more.
She sheathed her dagger and took out a thumb-sized, irregularly shaped spirit crystal. She slowly poured spiritual energy into it, and soon the crystal softened and transformed into the shape of a tiny person. It had some human features, but no facial features. There were several runes on its body, but no spiritual energy flickered.
Fang Changshi stared blankly as the spirit crystal transformed into a rune figure. Wasn't this the kind of spirit crystal transformation that only Lord Tiangang could possess?
Ning Xiaoxi pricked the tip of her index finger and squeezed out a drop of blood into the little figure. A red light flashed, and amidst the glowing runes, the little figure revealed its facial features and limbs, which looked remarkably like Ning Ziqing when it stretched out.
Ning Xiaoxi gently tapped the little boy's head, "Brother, where are you? Take me with you to play!"
The little figure shook its head and swayed for a while, the spiritual energy flowing between the runes. The drop of blood condensed on its chest, turning into a deep red to purple color. The little figure began to emit a faint light, and then turned to the northwest and disappeared in a streak of light.
Ning Xiaoxi urged her light cloud beast to follow the streak of light.
When Chief Secretary Fang saw that the little man could move, he was stunned.
"My lord!" The subordinate beside Ning Xiaoxi looked at her retreating figure and couldn't help but remind his master, who was still in a daze.
Fang Changshi realized what was happening, ordered one of his guards to return to the city to report the news, and then quickly followed after him.
"Thud!" The little figure crashed into some kind of transparent barrier, its limbs outstretched, making a solid impact.
Ning Xiaoxi reached out and picked up the little figure. She looked at the bump on its head and smiled helplessly. "Does it have to be this realistic?"
“This is the ancestral land of the Tushan tribe.” Chief Secretary Fang couldn’t help but glance at the little figure from time to time, and after surveying the surrounding environment, he said, “This place is nearly twenty miles away from the accident site, and there are other tribes living here. The strategist knows this place very well, so how did you end up here?”
"The bloodline has led here. I wonder how the strategist is doing, but at least my brother is here." Ning Xiaoxi stroked the little figure. "But, do places inhabited by alien races need defensive barriers?"
Fang Changshi's eyes gleamed. "Although the foreign races do not live in towns, they are still subjects of our Great Xia and are protected by our Great Xia. Setting up barriers without authorization can be considered treason and deserves to be punished!"