Chapter 279 Ji Ning

Sword-making shop, main hall.

A blacksmith who looked to be in his fifties and had a simple and honest look walked in. The moment he saw Ning Daoran, he trembled all over.

This person is exactly like the immortal painting hanging in the main hall of his house!

The man immediately knelt down: "But...but Senior Ning?"

"Who are you?"

Ning Daoran felt that the man looked somewhat familiar.

"My name is Sang Cheng, and I'm now the owner of a sword-making shop. When my father Sang Ping'an was alive, he often mentioned things about me. I never thought that I would really come back!" he said excitedly.

Ning Daoran nodded slightly: "Sang Cheng, get up."

"yes!"

Sang Cheng quickly stood up and said, "Senior Ning, I have already ordered people to clean the house. Since you are back, you must stay in the sword-making shop for a few more days."

He whispered, "Daddy said that if you come back, I must keep you here and learn some skills from you... Otherwise, with my ability, it will be difficult to support this sword-making shop..."

"snort……"

Ning Daoran smiled indifferently and said, "You are so good, Sang Cheng. Can you say such words directly?"

Compared with his father, this kid is far inferior in terms of social skills, but he has been able to run the sword-making shop for more than 20 years. It is enough to show that he is not good at dealing with people. So Sang Cheng must be quite good at sword-making.

evening.

After the sun sets, the backyard of the sword-making shop begins to get busy.

Sang Cheng invited two chefs from the north and south, set up two large pots in the backyard, and a group of apprentices brought charcoal and other things, and started cooking in the courtyard to entertain the guests.

Amid the smoke and fire, Ning Daoran squinted his eyes from afar, enjoying this mortal worldly atmosphere.

“Ahhh~~”

At the side, the big stupid deer called out, indicating whether he needed to show off his cooking skills.

"No need, let them be busy, we are just waiting to eat today."

Ning Daoran smiled and shook his head: "After you are done with your work, you will have the chance to show off your skills."

In the evening, a banquet was held in the backyard of the sword-making shop to entertain guests. Sang Cheng gathered all sixteen managers in the shop to accompany "Senior Ning" in drinking. Among them were naturally some of the smartest people at the table, who toasted him one cup after another. Ning Daoran didn't care. As a dignified Jindan ancestor, he could even drink unlimited spiritual wine, let alone this kind of ordinary rice wine.

Late at night, after having eaten and drunk their fill, everyone left one after another.

"Sang Cheng, come here."

In the main hall, Ning Daoran sat upright and asked, "Is the paper figurine I gave to Sang Ping'an still there?"

"Here I am……"

Sang Cheng held out an extremely exquisite brocade box, inside of which was a yellowed, second-grade paper figurine.

This paper figure is already forty years old, and the magic power that Ning Daoran injected into it back then has long since dissipated. However, there are traces of burns and a broken arm on the paper figure, so it is no surprise that it has experienced a battle of magic.

"Senior Ning..."

Sang Cheng said cautiously, "Back then, when I was only in my twenties, a group of thugs came to the shop and tried to seize it. It was this paper man who drove the thugs away and saved the sword-making shop. But later, this paper man turned into a paper man and never turned back..."

"Well, the mana has been exhausted."

Ning Daoran nodded, and with a light flick, the paper figure shattered into pieces.

Sang Cheng's eyes were filled with pity and heartache.

Sang Ping'an and he have always worshipped this paper man as their ancestor.

However, now that Ning Daoran is sitting in the hall and the senior is here, these are just trivial matters.

"Come."

Ning Daoran took out two second-class paper figures from his bosom and handed them to Sang Cheng, saying, "It's still the old rules. Keep these two paper figures well and never use them unless it's absolutely necessary. Also, remember, release the two paper figures at the same time in twenty years. Keep them well after they complete a task. As long as they don't cause any trouble for the Golden Core, these two paper figures should be able to keep the sword-making shop peaceful for sixty years."

An ordinary second-grade paper figurine, without experiencing any fighting, will completely exhaust the magic power injected into it in about forty years.

So, Ning Daoran thought of another way.

If two Grade B paper figures are kept at the same time for twenty years, only half of their magic power will be left. If one of the paper figures transfers its magic power to the other paper figure, the second paper figure will have full magic power and can last another forty years. In this way, the two paper figures can exist for up to sixty years!

Ning Daoran called this method "Paper Man Relay Method"! When he came up with this method, he was secretly delighted for several days, thinking that he was really smart.

"Thank you, Senior Ning!"

Sang Cheng took the paper figure carefully with trembling hands and put it back into the brocade box.

"Sang Cheng."

Ning Daoran asked, "Have you been promoted to a master craftsman? How is your Wind and Thunder Hammer technique going in the sword forging shop?"

“I’m really ashamed…”

Sang Cheng said with great shame: "I am a dull young man. Although I have practiced the Wind and Thunder Hammer Technique for nearly fifty years, I have only achieved great success and not perfection, so I cannot be ranked among the masters of the art."

"I see."

Ning Daoran nodded and said, "Old Deer, we will be staying in the sword-making shop these days. Please teach Sang Cheng how to use the hammer. I don't think anyone is more qualified than you."

“Ahhh~~~”

The big stupid deer raised his head and agreed.

Sang Cheng was overjoyed. He had heard from his father a long time ago that the white deer, the spiritual beast beside Senior Ning, had the qualities of a master craftsman. Now, after many years, the white deer should have been promoted to a master craftsman long ago. If he could have the guidance of such a master craftsman in hammering, it would be an opportunity that he would never be able to obtain even if he knelt down to pieces.

So, late at night in the sword-making shop, the owner Sang Cheng was swinging the hammer, while Bai Lu was standing beside him pointing and criticizing with a look of disappointment on his face.

Ning Daoran lived a leisurely life again, drinking tea under the jujube tree every day, but there was no one to play chess with anymore.

…

A few days later, news came from Fu Ping Fang that Chen Ping'er had lived to the end of her life and passed away in her own small courtyard.

Ning Daoran and Dabenlu went to pay their respects together.

Small courtyard, main hall.

"Senior Ning..."

Ji Ning changed into a white dress, her eyes slightly reddened, and she bowed and said softly, "Master is gone, but there is a letter for me to give to the senior..."

"good."

Ning Daoran accepted the envelope, which had "Ning Jun's personal letter" written on it. The handwriting was extremely elegant, which made Ning Daoran suddenly feel as if he was in another world. Back then in Huanglongfang Market, Chen Ping'er had also left many calligraphy works, but this was the last time.

On the letter paper, lines of small words were written.

Chen Ping'er didn't say much when she said goodbye. She was mainly lamenting that her life of cultivating immortals had too many ups and downs, she had experienced too much, and she had to weigh too many things in her mind, so she didn't grasp many things that she should have grasped, leaving behind unforgettable regrets in her life.

She stated that Fu Ping Fang had been passed on to Ji Ning, but Ji Ning was extremely talented and should not be confined to this small Fu Ping Fang.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

Therefore, if Ning Daoran is interested, he can take Ji Ning with him and travel around the world with her, so that he can have someone who can serve him.

She had already told Ji Ning about this matter. Ji Ning was a kind-hearted girl and she agreed to both arrangements proposed by Chen Ping'er.

So everything depends on Ning Daoran's wishes. If he is willing to take Ji Ning with him, then he can take her with him. If not, Ji Ning will continue to stay and take charge of Fu Ping Fang, seeking an opportunity to form a pill between the immortals and the mortals.

Until this moment, Ning Daoran suddenly understood something.

Why did Chen Ping'er dote on Ji Ning so much and passed on everything she had to Ji Ning? Firstly, Ji Ning was indeed very talented, and secondly, Ji Ning's appearance was too similar to Chen Ping'er's.

In fact, Chen Ping'er wanted to use Ji Ning to make up for her regrets. If Ning Daoran nodded, Ji Ning could follow him around, or become Ning Daoran's Taoist partner, or at least a concubine.

Ning Daoran frowned. Chen Ping'er really had good intentions.

But, are her feelings for me really that deep?

At this moment, he was a little dazed. After years of cultivating immortals, Ning Daoran has always adhered to the principle that "immortals do not fall in love". What immortals seek is a life as long as the heaven and the earth. How many immortals above the Golden Elixir stage have you seen falling in love to the point of risking their lives like in modern fairy tales? This in itself is unreasonable.

However, the foreshadowing left by Ji Ning... I can only say that Chen Ping'er is really amazing.

At this moment, regardless of whether Ning Daoran wanted Ji Ning or not, he had to take extra care of this junior.

"senior……"

Ji Ning stood gracefully in front of Ning Daoran, biting her red lips, her pretty face slightly flushed. If Ning Daoran nodded at this moment, she would be the woman of this great cultivator in the middle stage of the Golden Core. Apart from anything else, the chance of forming a golden core should be quite high.

When Chen Ping'er was alive, her evaluation of Ning Daoran was extremely high, far better than that of ordinary golden elixirs! "Ji Ning."

Ning Daoran frowned slightly: "I know Ping'er is well-intentioned, but I cannot do this. If I do, I will be sorry for Ping'er's love for me for a hundred years. You are Ping'er's last disciple, so I will naturally take care of you. Don't worry about this."

"Senior, Ning'er didn't mean that..."

Ji Ning bit her red lips, looking a little anxious.

"It doesn't matter."

Ning Daoran waved his hand and said, "Ping'er is my good friend for many years. Although we haven't been able to sleep together, I still have a good impression of Ping'er. So if you are her disciple, you are also half a disciple of me, Ning Daoran."

"Yes, Senior..."

Ji Ning was a little uneasy.

"You are now in the early stages of foundation building. You need to focus more on cultivation and leave the mundane affairs of Fu Ping Fang to someone you trust. This is one of the important factors that prevented Ping Er from successfully forming a pill. You must take this as a warning."

"yes!"

Ji Ning nodded vigorously: "Ning'er understands."

Ning Daoran slapped his storage bag, and several jade bottles flew out one by one. They were all prepared by him in advance.

"You can take one of these pills to keep your youth."

"yes!"

Ji Ning showed a delighted expression.

"I have left you two hundred Guiyuan Pills, which are used to improve your mana during the foundation-building period. If you practice diligently, you should be able to make it to the day of forming a pill. In addition, I have left you a few Xueji Grass and Xuechan Pills, which are needed for the foundation-building period. As for Luochen Pills, which are the holy medicine for forming a pill, you have to obtain them by yourself in the future."

"yes!"

Ji Ning pursed her red lips and nodded slightly.

Ning Daoran took out two top-grade spiritual weapons again and gave them to Ji Ning. In fact, they were all treasures in the storage bag of the ancestor of the Xu family. He just happened to be using them as a gift. He even had the Luochen Pill, but it was a defective product and there was no need to take it out. Some things still needed to be done by Ji Ning herself. If her master could put together a Luochen Pill, then naturally she should be able to do it too.

Afterwards, Ning Daoran took out a set of formation flags and formation plates and handed them to the other party, saying: "The Heavenly Thunder Formation is a second-level superior killing formation. You can use it to kill the enemy when necessary, but as a cultivator who opened a market, you should value peace. Don't use this thing if you can avoid it."

"Thank you, senior..."

Ji Ning's heart was filled with turmoil.

…

The next morning.

In the drizzle, a man and a deer left Fanshu City.

When Ji Ning's escape light was sent very far away and she could no longer see Ning Daoran's figure through the drizzle, she suddenly felt lonely in her heart. At this moment, she finally understood why her master had been thinking about this man all the time.

…

A few days later, in Huanglong Mountains, Chaos Sect.

The entire sect's mountains were shrouded in a continuous spring rain. Ning Daoran walked on the clouds, looking down at the peaks that he once was so familiar with. He felt extremely complicated and suddenly he was a little afraid to step into this familiar homeland.

(End of this chapter)