Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 19.5 - Side Story

< Chapter 19.5: Side Story >

Ning Zhuo, with early wisdom (apologies to all the dear readers!)

Author’s Note: (He was the first to set up this monthly ticket side story, and it confused everyone.)

(It was previously posted in related works, and many people did not receive update notifications, so now it's being posted directly after the main text.)

(I just found out that many authors have been tricked before; I am currently sweating profusely!)

The massive caravan of the Ning family migrated, accompanying the steps of March, and arrived together in the southern fields.

Spring was in the air.

Vast fields of rapeseed flowers bloomed, and under the caress of the spring breeze, the golden flowers were like a layer of golden light atop a green ocean, bringing endless hope.

The caravan moved forward, making a rumbling sound.

A middle-aged man dismounted his steed and jumped onto one of the mechanical carriages in the caravan.

He hurriedly pushed open the door.

"Madam, look what this is?" the middle-aged man said, presenting a pill like a treasure.

His wife, pregnant and with a prominent belly, was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, resting.

The carriage window was closed.

The middle-aged man remotely infused his magical power to light a Spirit Lamp on the roof of the carriage.

Under the lamp light, his wife slowly opened her eyes and looked at the pill, which was transparent throughout, resembling a glass bead and shimmering with a faint yellow light.

The wife sniffed slightly through her nostrils, smelled the fresh and pleasant fragrance of the pill, like the scent of a forest after rain, which calmed the spirit and cleared the mind.

The wife, surprised, said, "This is an Early Wisdom Pill, a top-quality medicinal pill. Where did you get it?"

The middle-aged man grinned and said, "Didn't I help the Strong Fist Monk?

He practices Buddhism and values karma, so he had to repay my kindness."

"I told him that my wife was about to give birth soon, and I hoped that the master could provide some help for my son's future cultivation," the man explained.

However, his wife's joy turned into worry: "Husband, you could have used this opportunity to ask the master to heal your injury."

"Or at least, you could have requested the lotus seeds from the Buddha's Universal Salvation Lotus Platform to enhance your cultivation talent," she added.

The middle-aged man shook his head, sighing. "It's okay for me."

"My chronic injury hurts when it acts up, but it won't kill me; at most, it just makes me uncomfortable for a few days. Even if it were healed, it wouldn't significantly enhance my combat abilities."

"Even obtaining a lotus seed would only improve my cultivation aptitude from medium to slightly above medium. Given my age, with only a slightly above-medium cultivation aptitude, I cannot break through the bottleneck."

The middle-aged man then crouched down and gently caressed his wife's belly. "Considering all this, it's better to leave this opportunity for our child!"

"The main ingredient of the Early Wisdom Pill is indeed a wisdom root from the Bodhi tree," he explained.

His wife sighed softly, nodding in agreement with her husband's decision.

"Come, take the pill," the middle-aged man stood up and handed over the medicine. "I'll help you circulate energy to aid in its digestion."

After his wife took the pill, the gentle power of the medicine worked on the baby in her womb.

The Early Wisdom Pill could strengthen the spirit, open the spiritual platform, nourish the soul, and moisturize the heart, allowing one to develop intelligence early and possess exceptional intellect.

Having done this, joy appeared on the middle-aged man's face. "This is wonderful, our child will gain wisdom early with this pill. Maybe, he can even remember everything we're saying right now."

Next, the couple considered imparting cultivation techniques through chanting to their unborn child. "Who knows, maybe he can cultivate while still in the womb!" the man suggested playfully.

His wife chuckled dismissively. "You wish," she remarked.

"Even if he could remember every word, every sentence, he wouldn't understand their meaning," the man added thoughtfully.

"Besides, his physical meridians are not fully developed yet. Starting cultivation now could actually be harmful," his wife pointed out.

The middle-aged man grinned, "I know that; I was just joking."

He took his wife's hand gently. "Ah, only after becoming parents do we truly understand the sincere love a parent has for their child."

"Our child isn't even born yet, and I already find myself worrying about his future," he confessed.

"I just hope he has a good aptitude for cultivation—the higher, the better. I don't want him to be like me," he sighed.

His wife, however, shook her head. "If he doesn't have the aptitude for cultivation, does that mean I won't love him?"

"No, no matter what, he is our child, our own flesh and blood," he reassured her.

"I do hope he has some aptitude for cultivation, but not too strong," the wife reflected. "Haven't we seen and heard enough about the talented children who die young?"

"I just want him to live a safe and peaceful life."

Just then, alarms blared suddenly.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!" someone shouted loudly.

The expressions of both husband and wife changed drastically.

The middle-aged man instructed his wife to stay put and calm, as he rushed out the door.

The next moment, he witnessed a dramatic change in the sky and the earth; an icy wind howled as if thousands of blades were slicing through all life.

"We're trapped in a grand formation!" The middle-aged man exclaimed in a mix of shock and anger, forcibly calming himself down as he channeled his magic power into the magical instrument to protect himself. Below him, the mechanical vehicle, operated by his wife, lit up with various runes, greatly enhancing its defenses.

"Who goes there?" The Ning family patriarch, radiating an imposing aura, rose into the sky and bellowed in rage.

The attacker remained silent, merely manipulating the ice and snow formation to bring about another change.

Hailstones the size of fists blanketed the sky, causing immediate casualties among the Ning family convoy.

The Ning family patriarch laughed angrily, "Ha! Very well! Even though you hide and only show parts of yourselves, did you think I wouldn't recognize you?"

"Han Shuang Hou, Jue Bing San Ren, you've waited until we entered the Southern Dou country to launch your ambush," he identified them aloud.

With their identities exposed, Han Shuang Hou and Jue Bing San Ren appeared.

The former said, "Elder Ning, when you left our North Wind country and your whole clan sought refuge with Southern Dou, you should have anticipated this moment."

The Ning family patriarch retorted, "I had already clarified things with the ruler and left a magical treasure as part of our agreement. You, the North Wind royal family, have gone back on your word. After this battle, I will make sure the whole world knows!"

At this, Jue Bing San Ren sneered, "That’s exactly why I am here. Elder Ning, rest assured, after this battle, even if word spreads, it will only be known that Jue Bing San Ren came here for personal vengeance."

A fierce battle then erupted.

Already at a disadvantage fighting two against one and needing to protect his family, the Ning family patriarch quickly found himself on the losing side.

Sensing the dire situation, the Ning family patriarch detonated one of his magical treasures in desperation, blasting open a temporary passage in the formation.

"Quickly, escape!" he shouted.

The situation was dire; the Ning family's patriarch personally led the team, trying to help as many family members as possible escape through the corridor. Packs of wolves, formed from ice and snow, pursued them relentlessly. The corridor was narrowing, yet most of the Ning family members were still inside the large formation.

"People, don't push, don't push!" everyone shouted in panic.

The snow wolves broke into the crowd, causing a gory chaos.

In the turmoil, Ning Xiaoren, the young patriarch of the Ning family, along with two others, squeezed into a middle-aged couple's mechanical car.

"Ning Zhong, big brother!" Ning Xiaoren saluted the middle-aged man with a face full of panic, "The passage is about to close, may we borrow your mechanical car for a moment?"

However, the mechanical car, burdened with extra people and damaged by the ice and snow, slowed down significantly and fell to the back.

Seeing they were about to be trapped again, the crowd risked being sealed within the formation.

The young patriarch's two followers looked at the middle-aged man, Ning Zhong: "Brother Ning Zhong, you are also at the Foundation Establishment stage, we hope you can get off the car with us to fend off the enemy!"

His wife cried out in alarm, "Zhong, don't go!"

Ning Zhong furrowed his brow; his battle experience made him keenly aware of the situation: "If I don't go down to hold them off, none of us will be able to escape!"

With a fierce twist of his head and a glare that radiated determination, Ning Zhong stared at the young patriarch.

Ning Xiaoren shuddered and quickly raised his hand to swear, "Big brother Ning Zhong, rest assured, I, Ning Xiaoren, swear that if we manage to escape alive this time, I will definitely protect your wife and beloved son, and will wholeheartedly assist your son on his cultivation journey!"

Ning Zhong gave his wife one last look full of deep affection.

Her eyes were already red from crying.

"Take good care of our child!"

With gritted teeth, Ning Zhong turned around abruptly, taking the young patriarch's two followers with him as he jumped off the carriage.

The snow wolves howled, and the mechanical car staggered into the passage.