Cultivation Starting from Full Talent-Chapter 280 - 278 Ji Ning
Chapter 280: Chapter 278 Ji Ning
Chapter 280 -278 Ji Ning
Sword Casting Shop, Main Hall.
A blacksmith in his fifties, with a naïve and honest face, walked in. When he laid eyes on Ning Daoran, his body trembled instantly.
This man looked exactly like the Immortal Painting hanging in the main room of his family’s home!
“Thump!!”
The blacksmith immediately kneeled, “Could it be… could it be Senior Ning?”
“Who are you?”
Ning Daoran found the man somewhat familiar.
“My name is Sang Cheng, now the shopkeeper of the Sword Casting Shop. While still alive, my father Sang Ping’an often told me about Senior. I never expected Senior to truly return!” he said excitedly.
Ning Daoran nodded slightly, “Get up, Sang Cheng.”
“Yes!”
Sang Cheng quickly got to his feet and said, “Senior Ning, I have ordered the rooms to be cleaned. Now that Senior has returned, you must stay in the Sword Casting Shop for several days.”
He spoke in a low voice, “Father said that if Senior returned, we must keep you here, even if it means being shamelessly persistent in learning some skills from you… with my own abilities, it is indeed difficult to uphold this Sword Casting Shop…”
“Hmph…”
Ning Daoran lightly smiled to himself. Sang Cheng, can you really say such things directly?
This lad, compared to his father, was far less adept at dealing with people, yet he had managed to maintain the Sword Casting Shop for more than twenty years, which clearly showcased his remarkable prowess in sword casting.
Evening.
After sunset, the backyard of the Sword Casting Shop bustled with activity.
Sang Cheng invited two chefs from north and south to set up two large pots in the backyard, where a group of apprentices brought wood charcoal and began to stir-fry meals in the courtyard to entertain the distinguished guests.
Amidst the smoke and flames, Ning Daoran watched from a distance, squinting his eyes and enjoying the mortal world’s atmosphere.
“Awoo~~”
Big Stupid Deer called out, signaling whether it was needed to show off its unique skill in stir-frying.
“No need, let them be busy, we’ll just wait to eat today.”
Ning Daoran shook his head with a smile, “After they’re finished, there will be a chance for you to show your skill.”
At night, the Sword Casting Shop’s backyard hosted a banquet for distinguished guests. Sang Cheng gathered all sixteen managers from the shop to accompany “Senior Ning” for drinks. Among them were naturally some shrewd drinkers, who kept toasting one cup after another. Ning Daoran didn’t mind; as a Golden Core Ancestor, he could drink limitless spiritual wine, let alone this common rice wine.
Deep into the night, when the meal was over and the drink was plentiful, everyone dispersed one after another.
“Sang Cheng, come here.”
Inside the main hall, sitting upright, Ning Daoran said, “The paperfolk I bestowed upon Sang Ping’an back then, is it still around?”
“It is…”
Sang Cheng brought out an extremely delicate brocade box with a yellowed second-class paperfolk inside.
The paperfolk was already about forty years old. The mana Ning Daoran had imbued it with had long since dissipated, but the paperfolk bore scorch marks and a damaged arm, hinting it had gone through a magical combat.
“Senior Ning…”
Sang Cheng said carefully, “Back when I was only in my twenties, a group of toughs once came to the shop, attempting to take over. It was this paperfolk senior who drove them away and saved the Sword Casting Shop. But afterwards, the paperfolk senior turned back into a paperfolk and never came back to life…”
“Mm, its mana has been exhausted.”
Ning Daoran nodded and with a light flick, shattered the paperfolk.
A look of reluctance and distress flashed through Sang Cheng’s eyes.
This paperfolk had been venerated by him and Sang Ping’an as their patriarch.
However, now that Ning Daoran was seated before him, all these matters became trivial with the presence of the Senior above.
“Come.”
Ning Daoran took out two second-class paperfolk from the storage bag and handed them to Sang Cheng, “It’s the same old rule; keep these two paperfolk safe. Don’t summon them unless absolutely necessary. Also remember, after twenty years, release both paperfolk at the same time. After they complete a task, continue to keep them safe. As long as they don’t provoke a Golden Core, these two paperfolk should be able to maintain peace in the Sword Casting Shop for a generation.”
A regular second-class paperfolk, without experiencing any magical combat, would completely exhaust the infused mana in about forty years.
Thus, Ning Daoran came up with another method.
If two second-class paperfolks were preserved together for twenty years, their mana would only be half depleted. If at that time one paperfolk transferred its mana to the other, then the recipient would be fully restored and could last another forty years. In this way, two paperfolks could last for up to sixty years at most!
Ning Daoran called this method the “Paperfolk Relay Technique”!
When he thought of this method, he secretly rejoiced for many days, thinking himself very clever indeed.
“Thank you, Senior Ning!!”
Sang Cheng’s hands shook as he carefully accepted the paperfolk, placing them back into the brocade box.
“Sang Cheng.”
Ning Daoran spoke, “Have you risen to a Divine Craftsman, and how is your Wind and Thunder Hammer Technique coming along?”
“I’m really ashamed…”
Sang Cheng spoke with deep embarrassment, “With my limited talent, even though I have practiced the Wind and Thunder Hammer Technique for nearly fifty years, I have only achieved Great Success and haven’t reached Perfection. Therefore, I have not been able to join the ranks of Divine Craftsmen.”
“I see.”
Ning Daoran nodded, “Old Lu, we will stay in the Sword Casting Shop these next few days. You guide Sang Cheng with his hammering technique. I think there’s no one more qualified than you for this task.”
“Awoo~~~”
Big Stupid Deer raised its head in agreement.
Sang Cheng was overjoyed; he had already heard from his father about Senior Ning’s Spiritual Beast White Deer having the qualifications of a Divine Craftsman. Years have passed, and this White Deer must have already advanced to a Divine Craftsman. If such a being could guide his hammering technique, it was an opportunity one couldn’t get even by begging on bended knees.
And so, in the deep of night at the sword casting shop, the shopkeeper Sang Cheng swung his hammer while the White Deer stood by, pointing things out and looking every bit the part of a mentor dissatisfied with the progress of his pupil.
Ning Daoran once again found himself with leisure time, spending his days drinking tea under the jujube tree, but he was never to have a chess opponent again.
…
A few days later, news came from the Floating Duckweed Workshop, Chen Ping’er had run out of life span, and she had died in meditation within her own small courtyard.
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Ning Daoran and Big Stupid Deer went to express their condolences.
The small courtyard, main hall.
“Senior Ning…”
Ji Ning, dressed in a white gown, her eyes slightly red, softly spoke after performing a respectful salute: “My master has passed away, but she left a letter for me to give to senior…”
“Alright.”
Ning Daoran accepted the envelope, on which was written “To General Ning” in an extremely graceful handwriting, which suddenly gave him the feeling that it was from another lifetime. Back then, in the Yellow Dragon Square, Chen Ping’er had left behind many calligraphy treasures, and now this would be the last.
The letter was covered in rows of delicate writing.
Chen Ping’er’s farewell words were few; mainly she expressed how her life in cultivation was fraught with too many ups and downs, having experienced far too much, weighted too much in her heart, consequently failing to grasp many things that should have been grasped, leaving behind unforgettable regrets in this life.
She made it clear that she had passed the Floating Duckweed Workshop to Ji Ning, but with Ji Ning’s exceptional talent, she should not be confined to the small Floating Duckweed Workshop.
Therefore, if Ning Daoran was interested, he could take Ji Ning with him, travel the world together, and have someone to attend to his needs.
This matter had already been discussed with Ji Ning; this young lady, with her gentle and kind nature, had agreed to both of Chen Ping’er’s arrangements.
So everything depended on Ning Daoran’s wishes. If he was willing to take Ji Ning with him, then he should; if not, Ji Ning would stay and continue to run the Floating Duckweed Workshop and seek the opportunity of Core Formation between the worlds of immortals and mortals.
Only at this moment did Ning Daoran suddenly understand something.
Why Chen Ping’er was so indulgent with Ji Ning, passing on everything to her, one reason was indeed Ji Ning’s decent talent, the second reason was that Ji Ning’s appearance was remarkably similar to that of Chen Ping’er.
The truth was that Chen Ping’er wanted to use Ji Ning to fill her own regrets. If Ning Daoran agreed, Ji Ning could follow him and possibly become his Daoist partner, or at the very least a concubine.
Ning Daoran furrowed his brow slightly, Chen Ping’er truly had a deep, heartfelt desire.
But did she really harbor such deep feelings for him?
At this moment, he also felt a bit perplexed. After many years of cultivation, Ning Daoran had always adhered to the principle “An immortal does not fall in love”, as cultivators seek to share the same lifespan as heaven and earth. How many immortals with a Golden Core level and above are seen to die for love in modern cultivation dramas like in the tales? It’s simply unreasonable.
However, the foreshadowing left by Ji Ning… it could only be said that Chen Ping’er was indeed a bit formidable.
Now, whether he planned to take Ji Ning with him or not, Ning Daoran had to go the extra mile to look after this junior.
“Senior…”
Ji Ning stood elegantly before Ning Daoran, biting her red lips, her pretty face flushed slightly. At this moment, should Ning Daoran simply nod, she would belong to the mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator. Without saying anything else, the likelihood of her forming her Core was certainly quite high.
Chen Ping’er, while she lived, held Ning Daoran in very high regard, far surpassing ordinary Golden Core cultivators!
“Ji Ning.”
Ning Daoran lightly furrowed his brow: “I know Ping’er had the best intentions, but I utterly cannot do this thing you ask. If I did, it would be a betrayal of Ping’er’s fondness of a hundred years. As Ping’er’s closest disciple, I will naturally look after you in her place, so rest assured.”
“Senior, that’s not what Ning’er means…”
Ji Ning bit her red lips with an anxious expression.
“It’s alright.”
Ning Daoran waved his hand, saying: “Ping’er was a dear friend of many years. Although we never arrived at the point of sharing a bed, I still hold a favorable opinion of her. So as her disciple, you’re like half a disciple to me, Ning Daoran.”
“Yes, senior…”
Ji Ning was somewhat nervous and uneasy.
“You are currently in the early stage of Foundation Establishment; you still need to concentrate more on cultivation. Delegate the secular affairs of the Floating Duckweed Workshop to a trustworthy person. This was also one of the pivotal reasons why Ping’er failed to achieve Core Formation; 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; these were all prepared by him in advance.
“Take one Solid Color Pill; it can preserve youth.”
“Yes!”
Ji Ning showed a delighted expression.
“Guiyuan Pills for advancing the mana of the Foundation Establishment Stage. I’ve left you two hundred. If you diligently cultivate, you should be able to rely on them until the day you form your Core. In addition, I’ve left a few Snow Clearing Grass and Snow Toad Pills that are necessary for breakthrough during Foundation Establishment. As for the Jiedan Elixir Dust-falling Pill, you’ll have to seek that on your own.”
“Yes!”
Ji Ning pursed her red lips and nodded lightly.
Ning Daoran then took out two Top-grade spiritual tools to give to Ji Ning, which were in fact treasures from the storage bag of Ancestor Xu, thus he was offering a gift with something borrowed. Even the Dust-falling Pill was actually available, but it was a lower quality and wasn’t necessary to bring out. Some things Ji Ning would have to tackle herself. If her master could gather a Dust-falling Pill, naturally, it was only proper for her to do so as well.
Afterwards, Ning Daoran handed over a set of Array Flags and an Array Plate to her, saying: “All Heavens Hidden Thunder Array, a Second Order Top Grade Killing Array. You can use it to eliminate enemies when necessary, but as a cultivator who runs a workshop, you should value peace above all. Don’t use it unless you must.”
“Thank you, senior…”
Ji Ning was overwhelmed inside.
…
The next morning, in a light drizzle.
A figure with a deer left Fanshu City.
Ji Ning sent them off with her Tunneling light, and when she could no longer see Ning Daoran’s figure through the light rain, she suddenly felt lonely in her heart. At this moment, she finally understood why her master had never stopped thinking about this man.
…
A few days later, at the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range, Chaotic Sect.
The entire sect was shrouded in a continuous spring rain. Ning Daoran rode on a cloud, gazing down at the familiar peaks below, his emotions extremely mixed, suddenly finding himself a bit scared to step into the familiar land again.
