Chapter 2: Dragon Mountain Daoist
Under the night curtain.
Flames soared to the sky, surging tongues of fire devouring Snow Plum Villa and the pavilions together.
One by one, black-clothed men coldly watched the increasingly terrifying sea of fire before them, ruthless and cruel. Occasionally, one or two fish that slipped through the net couldn’t endure the high temperature and ran out from the sea of fire, only to be immediately beheaded with a sword.
Lord Feng’s mouth slowly curved into a smile.
He wanted to personally watch Snow Plum Villa turn into a pile of ashes.
The fire blazed even more fiercely.
In the distance, a black-clothed man panicked and ran over.
“Lord Feng, Dragon Mountain Daoist of True Martial Sect is already on his way here. Should we withdraw now?”
Lord Feng frowned, his eyes flashing with intense fear.
“Wasn’t that ox nose Dragon Mountain supposed to come tomorrow? Why is he here early?”
“This subordinate does not know.”
“Useless!”
Lord Feng snorted coldly and finally ordered:
“Withdraw!”
Dragon Mountain Daoist was a heaven-sent genius who was said to have obtained the True Martial Inheritance. He burst onto the scene in the Great Yan Dynasty and made a great name for himself, then rebuilt True Martial Sect, earning a reputation among the world’s Daoist Sects.
It was said that he was about to step into the Heavenly Human Realm. Even with him and his subordinates bullying with numbers, there was no guarantee of victory.
He took a deep look at the villa turned into a sea of fire.
Under such a blaze, ordinary martial artists could not possibly survive, let alone a newborn infant. He was probably already completely unconscious, turning to charred remains in his sleep.
With a cold laugh, the group of black-clothed men departed with a gust of wind.
…
In the hidden compartment.
Ning Qi felt the gradually rising temperature around him, both shocked and angry.
He hadn’t expected these people to be so vicious, massacring everyone in the villa and then intending to burn the place completely to ashes.
A cold chill rose in his eyes.
But now was not the time to think about that; the priority was how to survive.
The Innate Fetal Breathing Technique continuously operated, slowing the encroaching high temperature considerably. However, as the fire surged and devoured this hidden compartment, Ning Qi would have only a dead end!
He had just been born, with no mobility, not even having eaten yet. If not for the Innate Fetal Breathing Technique he created, he would probably be dead by now.
But even so.
The current situation seemed to be a dead end as well.
“What to do?”
Ning Qi’s mind raced. Amid the roaring flames, he vaguely heard that the group of black-clothed men had already left.
“Dragon Mountain Daoist? True Martial Sect? Is this daoist a friend of my parents, or some other righteous man?”
One thought after another emerged in Ning Qi’s mind.
He knew that his hope of survival might rest on this Dragon Mountain Daoist.
He curled up as much as possible in the swaddling clothes. The material of the swaddling was extremely special, making him feel a bit more comfortable. He needed to hold on until Dragon Mountain Daoist arrived and needed Dragon Mountain Daoist to discover his existence.
“Sound!”
“I must have a loud enough sound to not be drowned out by the sound of the flames burning.”
Although that Dragon Mountain Daoist was a top-tier master and would likely detect his presence as soon as he exited the fetal breathing state, Ning Qi still needed to strive for himself.
“How to make the sound louder?”
“Blend with the aura, let the sound expel along with the aura… An infant’s cry is already sharp enough; if the frequency of the vocal cord vibration could be more optimal…”
“…”
One spiritual insight after another rose in Ning Qi’s mind.
He tried opening and closing his mouth, mobilizing the innate qi in his body. He had a strong premonition that once he made a sound, it would definitely be loud enough.
This was a vocal technique; Ning Qi felt it could be called the Sound Wave Vibration Method.
A gleam flashed in Ning Qi’s eyes.
If not for his current lack of martial arts knowledge, he could even directly create a sound wave martial art, like the Buddhist Sect’s Lion’s Roar from his previous life’s wuxia novels!
This was the power of max level comprehension.
Everything was ready.
He began to anticipate.
“Dragon Mountain Daoist, you must come quickly!”
If Dragon Mountain Daoist arrived late, he would probably already be a charred corpse.
He could now feel the increasingly surging heat; the sounds of buildings collapsing in the flames rang out from time to time. If not for the special material of this hidden compartment, he would have been smashed to death already.
…
The night grew deeper.
But this area of Snow Plum Villa was bright red, like daylight, the sea of fire dyeing half the sky.
When Dragon Mountain Daoist arrived here and saw this scene, surging anger rose in his eyes.
“You vile thieves!”
He had come by invitation, but unexpectedly witnessed such a clan-extermination tragedy. The culprits’ methods were so cruel it was outrageous.
Dragon Mountain Daoist roared in fury. Gang qi continuously surged from his palms like fine rain, suppressing down toward the sea of fire.
One patch of flames after another extinguished, but immediately more vigorous flames rose.
This made his face even more grim.
If the fire had just started, he would have been confident in extinguishing it, but now it was a foregone conclusion. Even if he exerted all his strength, he could probably only save a pile of ruins.
With gang qi protecting his body, he walked unscathed through the flames, continuously shouting loudly:
“Villa Master Ning!”
“Heroine Jiang!”
“Old Daoist Dragon Mountain has arrived!”
He knew that Ning Ye and his wife were probably already dead, but he still held a fluke hope and fantasy in his heart.
He kept calling.
But there was no response for a long time.
Dragon Mountain Daoist was extremely annoyed in his heart. If he had come half a day earlier, perhaps he could have prevented this tragedy.
Suddenly.
His steps paused, as if he heard the cry of an infant.
He subconsciously thought he had misheard; how could there be an infant in such a sea of fire?
But immediately, his expression changed.
Because that crying sound grew even louder, piercing through the flames—it was definitely not an illusion.
“There’s a survivor!”
Dragon Mountain Daoist grew excited.
His figure leaped into the air with borrowed force, shooting toward the corner from which the sound came. Then, gang qi condensed in his palm, and the flames in that spot were instantly suppressed.
He slowly approached, astonishment rising in his eyes.
The infant’s crying clearly came from the hidden compartment before him.
Gang qi like a knife in his palm slowly cut open the hidden compartment before him. Then, a figure wrapped in swaddling clothes immediately appeared before him.
Looking at the infant before him.
The astonishment in Dragon Mountain Daoist’s eyes grew even more, because after he opened this hidden compartment, the infant stopped crying and just quietly looked at him, as if that crying was specifically to attract him over.
Not only that.
He had just sensed the temperature inside the hidden compartment. Though better than outside, for a newborn infant to hold on until now was absolutely a miracle!
Even so, the infant’s face and skin had started to turn red.
“This child really has a great fate!”
Dragon Mountain Daoist slowly picked up Ning Qi and discovered a jade pendant inscribed with the character ‘Qi’ and a copy of the Night Plum Sword Technique in the swaddling clothes.
“The Night Plum Sword Technique is the peak work created together by Villa Master Ning and Heroine Jiang. It seems you are the child they left behind.”
Dragon Mountain Daoist sighed.
“This is perhaps Heaven’s Will, or perhaps his parents blessing you from the unseen, allowing you to miraculously survive the massacre.”
“From now on, you will be called Ning Qi.”
As the words fell.
Dragon Mountain Daoist was surprised to discover that the infant before him seemed to smile happily.
“You little fellow, with extraordinary spiritual nature, innately able to discern good from evil. In the future, you will surely be extraordinary.”
Ning Qi was also sizing up the middle-aged daoist before him: gray cloth daoist robe, goatee, gentle features that easily inspired goodwill at first sight.
After hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist’s calls earlier, he had decisively used the sound wave vibration method to cry out. Now he had finally escaped danger.
His mind relaxed at once.
Having just transmigrated and encountering such a situation, not to mention Ning Qi was only a newborn infant. At this moment, hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist say his name was still Ning Qi, he smiled slightly and finally couldn’t resist falling into a coma.
Dragon Mountain Daoist was startled.
He hurriedly checked Ning Qi’s pulse and, knowing it was only exhaustion needing energy replenishment, breathed a sigh of relief. But immediately, surprise rose in his eyes.
Because in his perception, this child’s innate qi aura was quite dense.
“No wonder he could hold on in the sea of fire. Thinking carefully now, that earlier crying seemed to contain some kind of technique?”
“Could there really be one born knowing?”
Dragon Mountain Daoist’s gaze toward Ning Qi grew even more astonished.
Undoubtedly, this was a raw gem.
With profound innate foundation, extraordinary spiritual nature, and extreme intelligence.
“Villa Master Ning, you and your wife left behind such an intelligent child; you can rest in peace. Rest assured, I will take him as my disciple, raise him, teach him well. As for the murderers who killed you, I will investigate to the end!”
Looking at Snow Plum Villa swallowed by the sea of fire, Dragon Mountain Daoist silently resolved in his heart.
…
The next day.
Dragon Mountain Daoist held Ning Qi, standing before a tomb with ceremonial clothes.
This was the tomb he had set up for Ning Qi’s parents. Last night’s fire was too fierce; the entire villa had no survivors except Ning Qi, not even bones could be found.
Ning Qi had eaten food borrowed by Dragon Mountain Daoist and was now awake.
He looked at the tomb before him, his gaze complex.
Having just transmigrated, he had become an orphan, but his birth mother Jiang Xuemei’s loving intent from yesterday still frequently surfaced in his mind. They had sacrificed themselves to protect Ning Qi; this kindness could not be forgotten.
“One day, I will surely avenge you.”
Ning Qi vowed silently in his heart.
He recalled that “Lord Feng” from yesterday and those murderers, cold killing intent surging in his heart.
This person had not only killed his birth parents but nearly caused him to perish in the sea of fire.
This enmity must be repaid!
With max level comprehension, as long as he had a stable growth environment, he could grow rapidly. Avenging in the future would absolutely not be difficult, and that day would not be far off.
And now.
He already had a stable growth environment.
Dragon Mountain Daoist sighed, countless thoughts rising in his mind, ultimately turning into a loving smile. He lowered his head to look at Ning Qi:
“Little fellow, from now on, you are my Dragon Mountain Daoist’s ninth disciple!”
“Come with me back to the mountain!”
Now was not the time to pursue the murderers with Ning Qi in tow. Only after settling Ning Qi could he investigate slowly later. The force that could exterminate Snow Plum Villa overnight was definitely no weakling; after all, Ning Ye and his wife were not weaklings either.
Seeing the smile on Ning Qi’s lips, Dragon Mountain Daoist’s mood improved somewhat.
Holding Ning Qi, his figure drifted away into the distance.
