In the Drunken Moon Pavilion, within a room of the lowest "Man" tier.
Inside the room.
"Brother, you shouldn't have agreed to those terms. It's nothing for me to endure a little hardship."
As Ning Yu'an spoke, she suddenly burst into tears of frustration, blaming herself endlessly. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered such humiliation. Does it hurt? If it does, just let it out. You don't have to hold back in front of me."
She held Ning Jiang's crippled left arm, her eyes filled with heartache.
Seeing the beautiful, tear-streaked face before him, even someone as composed as Ning Jiang felt his heart begin to stir.
Memories belonging to the body's original owner continuously flooded his mind.
He had been found by Ning Changfeng on a riverbank. Because of this fateful connection to the river, he was named Ning Jiang.
Although he wasn't their biological son, Ning Changfeng and his wife had treated him as their own, never once wronging him in more than ten years.
Ning Changfeng was a member of the Ning Family, a third-class family in Baiquan Town. In contrast, his wife, Li Qingyun, had a much nobler background, coming from the first-class Li Family of Golden Cauldron City.
One hailed from a minor family in a small town, the other from a powerful clan in a major city.
Their families were not of equal standing, so naturally, the Li Family would never have approved of their union.
In the end, Li Qingyun broke ties with the Li Family, and they had no contact for more than ten years.
That was until over two months ago, when Ning Jiang was afflicted with the Black Jade Fire Poison Curse. With nowhere else to turn, the couple was forced to go to the Li Family in Golden Cauldron City for help.
As for Ning Yu'an, she was the couple's biological daughter, three years Ning Jiang's senior.
After Ning Jiang was cursed, everyone else in the Ning Family gave him the cold shoulder, indifferent to whether he lived or died. Even some of his closest friends grew distant after visiting him once or twice and eventually stopped coming.
Only Ning Yu'an remained by his side to care for him, as inseparable as a shadow.
Every time the fire poison flared up, leaving Ning Jiang in such agony that he wished for death, Ning Yu'an would always hold him, comforting and encouraging him, never once abandoning him.
The original Ning Jiang had even secretly overheard Ning Yu'an praying to the heavens several times, wishing that all of Ning Jiang's pain could be transferred to her so he would no longer suffer.
One could say Ning Yu'an was the person who treated him the best in the world.
Originally, he and Ning Yu'an were staying at the Ning Family estate in Baiquan Town. But after Ning Changfeng and his wife went to the Li Family, all news of them ceased. Seeing Ning Jiang's condition worsen by the day and with no other options, Ning Yu'an had no choice but to bring him to Luoyang City.
As he processed all the memories of Ning Yu'an, Ning Jiang's expression softened.
"Ever since we were children, you've always protected me. Every time I made a mistake and was about to be punished, you would defend me, always standing by my side to shelter me from the storm."
"After I was cursed, I truly learned how fickle people can be. Everyone gave me the cold shoulder. Far from offering help in my time of need, most of them just kicked me while I was down. Only you never abandoned me and continued to care for me."
"Every time the fire poison flared and the pain made me wish for death, you were the one whose heart ached the most. A few times, when I couldn't bear it anymore, I begged you to kill me, and you could never hold back your tears. In truth, the pain in your heart was worse than the pain in my body."
"To buy me Ice Spirit Grass, you've spent every last one of your Primordial Stones these past two months. You've pawned all your jewelry, not sparing even a single hairpin."
Ning Jiang spoke in a slow, measured tone. He closed his eyes. One or two of these acts would have been touching enough, but seeing them all together was simply staggering.
A thousand words wouldn't be enough to describe Ning Yu'an's kindness to him.
His heart surged with emotion as a strange, warm feeling spread through his body.
'So, this is what the love of a family feels like?'
In the past, he was a Venerable who roamed freely across heaven and earth. But as an orphan, he had never experienced the warmth of family. For this reason, he had single-mindedly pursued the Martial Dao, born for combat. With a pure heart, he became the youngest Venerable in less than a thousand years, a figure of peerless talent and grace.
Yet, by that same token, he was also a man who valued sentiment and loyalty.
For the sake of one person, he had once flown into a rage, pointed his sword at a Great Emperor, and challenged them to battle, fighting across realms from his position in the Venerable Realm.
That was his most grueling battle. It lasted a full ten years, and he exhausted every trick up his sleeve, fighting until the world was turned upside down, the sun and moon fell from the sky, the void itself crumbled, and the four seas capsized.
The battle ended without a clear victor.
Even a being as mighty as a Great Emperor could do nothing to him. From that day forward, his fame shook the world. He was hailed as a living myth, a legend—the number one expert beneath the Great Emperors!
Later, he perished while searching for "the Blank Ten Thousand Years" but was unexpectedly reborn.
As the memories of two lifetimes fused, Ning Jiang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze now firm and resolute.
"Sister An."
Ning Jiang called out her name. That single address signified not only his acceptance of his current identity but also his acceptance of Ning Yu'an.
His sister!
He was Ning Jiang. He was both the peerless Legendary Venerable and the younger brother Ning Yu'an cared for most in the world!
"Brother?"
Ning Yu'an stemmed her tears and looked at Ning Jiang in surprise. He was the same person, yet she felt that something about him had changed—both his aura and the look in his eyes.
"Sister An, crippling one arm is nothing. You don't need to feel sad for me; it doesn't hurt at all. The real disgrace is my inability to protect you. The fact that you have to suffer and be burdened because of me—that is the greatest shame of all." Ning Jiang's voice suddenly wavered with emotion.
Ning Yu'an's gaze swept over him, and she discovered that Ning Jiang's whole body was trembling slightly, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
The fire poison was flaring up!
She understood at once. It was now midday, when the Yang energy between heaven and earth was at its peak. In the past, whenever the fire poison flared up, Ning Jiang would be in so much pain he wished for death, but this time, he hadn't made a single sound.
"Brother...?"
"Sister An, I'm fine."
Ning Jiang grinned. 'With my past life's experience as a Venerable, what kind of pain haven't I endured? The agony of a mere fire poison is nothing at all.'
However, while his willpower could withstand it, his body still reacted to the intense pain, breaking out in a cold sweat.
'It's like getting slapped—your face will hurt regardless. It's just a physical, instinctive reaction.'
A thought flashed through Ning Jiang's mind: 'This body is too weak, unable to even withstand this level of pain. It looks like I'll need to properly strengthen it.'
"Brother, you seem to have changed," Ning Yu'an said worriedly.
"I have. I've become stronger." Ning Jiang blinked. "Sister An, don't worry. I had an encounter with a profound expert who enlightened me, and I've come to understand many things."
He obviously couldn't tell her about the memories of two lifetimes merging, so he could only attribute the change to some fictitious expert.
"Remember when we were little? I said I'd protect you when I grew up, Sister An. But not only did I fail to keep my promise, I've ended up making you worry about me constantly."
Ning Jiang gazed at Ning Yu'an's face. From taking care of him all this time, she had grown noticeably more haggard, and her figure had become much thinner.
A pang of pain shot through his heart.
"Sister An, from now on, we don't need to bow our heads to anyone. No one will ever be able to bully us again."
"You don't need to be sad about Wu Wen. She is not worthy of being your friend. I will make her regret what she did today."
"As for Zhao Feng making me cripple my arm, you have even less reason to blame yourself. To me, as long as you are safe and sound, even losing all my limbs would be nothing."
"And another thing. I will personally take Zhao Feng's life—not because he humiliated me, but because he has designs on you. For that, he deserves to die!"
The final four words left Ning Jiang's lips, seething with killing intent, as if tens of thousands of baleful weapons were hanging in the air, striking terror into the heart.
Ning Yu'an was momentarily stunned.
'This version of Ning Jiang had an aura that could swallow the heavens!'
Ning Jiang walked to the window and opened it. A chill blast of air struck his face. Outside, snow was falling from the sky, and wintersweet plums were in defiant full bloom.
'From now on, I am you.'
'I will take your revenge for you.'
'Everything you cared for, I will protect in your stead. I swear to you that in all of heaven and earth, no one will be able to harm them!'
Ning Jiang murmured to himself. At that moment, the memories of his two lives fused completely, becoming one.
"Is Young Master Ning present?" Someone knocked on the door, and a clear, pleasant voice drifted in from outside.