Ning Qing returned to her room, looked at her robes with disgust, the hem stained with a few specks of blood, and immediately took off her outer robe.

It's impossible for clothes not to be stained with blood when surrounded by so many people.

Call Huan'er to prepare the bathtub so I can have a nice, relaxing hot bath.

A moment later, Ning Qing lay lazily in the bathtub, with unknown red petals floating on the surface of the water.

Her long, slender, fair fingers deliberately or unintentionally turned the petals floating on the water's surface.

Ning Qing: Let's chat, little cat.

System: Host, I'm here, and I'm not a cat.

Ning Qing: You gave me a black sword that's not only ugly, but you also had the nerve to deduct my points.

System: Host, the value of a sword lies not in its beauty, but in its sharpness and ability to kill. A sword that can kill is a good sword; a sword that cannot kill is merely a decorative vase.

Ning Qing: Whether or not you can kill someone is determined by your fighting strength, isn't it?

System: As the saying goes, a hero deserves a fine sword. In the system's mind, the host is a great hero who stands tall and should be adorned with a black, precious sword.

Ning Qing: You know how to talk, I'll let you off this time.

System: Goodbye, sir.

The system quickly disappeared.

Ning Qing, realizing something was amiss, wondered why a hero had to be wielded with a dark, black sword.

What does a black sword have to do with a hero?

A dark, black sword? Is the system itching for a beating?

After soaking for a while, I got up, dressed, and walked out of the bathhouse.

Huan'er had already prepared the meal on the dining table.

I picked up my chopsticks and took a bite. I have to say, Huan'er's cooking skills are really good.

After finishing his meal, Ning Qing picked up a wine bottle, leaped onto the roof, plopped down on the tiles, and took a sip while looking up at the crescent moon.

The chirping of crickets in the surrounding grass was like a symphony.

In the Jingsi Courtyard on the east side of the villa, Jun Cheng had just finished washing up and was sitting in his room, where his personal servant, A Chun, was applying medicine to him.

Ah Chun felt saddened when she saw the multiple knife wounds on her master's body.

My master grew up alone in another courtyard since he was a child, and he suffered from disasters every few days.

Good heavens, please don't bring any more disaster upon my master.

Ah Chun prayed silently.

Jun Cheng looked at Ah Chun, who was applying medicine to him, and found it amusing.

This kid has been acting strangely and unsettled since he was little. What is he praying to God for?

Ah Chun was the child left behind by his wet nurse. He wasn't very smart, but he was honest and loyal, so he stayed by her side to serve her.

Moreover, he was her wet nurse, leaving behind her only bloodline.

His wet nurse played a motherly role in his life. He respected and loved her and had promised to take care of her until her death.

Unfortunately, the wet nurse passed away before she could grow old.

That happened when he was 10 years old, during an assassination attempt.

He remembered his wet nurse rushing to him and taking a fatal sword blow for him.

He was covered in blood.

From then on, the wet nurse who had given him motherly tenderness left.

As a child, he didn't understand why he kept having one big or small misfortune after another.

He now understands that his existence has blocked others' paths.

In some people's eyes, his existence is a mistake.

Jun Cheng sneered inwardly.

Some people should be held accountable for their actions.

He learned from the assassination attempt when he was 10 that he needed to have his own power to protect himself and those around him.

After that assassination attempt, he secretly began to cultivate his own strength.