Canglang Martial Arts Hall.
"Greetings, Master!" Jiang Ning greeted.
Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning, his brow furrowed tightly.
"I heard He Jinyun is dead. Did you know about this?"
"I did," Jiang Ning replied calmly, nodding.
Wang Jin sighed deeply, his gaze fixed on Jiang Ning.
"You're too impulsive! How could you dare to touch someone of He Jinyun's status? Aren't you afraid of bringing trouble upon yourself?"
Jiang Ning said, "Aside from you and me, no one else knows about this matter."
Wang Jin shook his head. "I believe you. But let me ask you this do you think those in power need evidence to act?"
He then stared directly into Jiang Ning's eyes. "Let me ask you one thing. Now that you've come this far when you act, do you bother with evidence before killing someone?"
Jiang Ning was momentarily stunned by the question.
Wang Jin continued, "Evidence is irrelevant!"
"The laws of Great Xia are only meant to maintain order and control the common people, to keep them from causing chaos."
"They are not meant to restrain those in power!"
"The higher you climb, the more you'll understand one brutal truth the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, has always been and will always be the way of the world!"
"The weak are born to be trampled upon!"
"When your fists are strong enough, who cares about evidence? Who cares about reason?"
"He Jinyun's death if Lord Qinghe suspects you, even without evidence, it's still a massive threat to you!"
After leaving the Canglang Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Ning's mind became clear.
His previous understanding had been stuck in his past life when he was an ordinary commoner.
Ordinary people need evidence and laws to protect themselves.
But as Wang Jin had just said, laws and rules are nothing more than shackles imposed by rulers on the common folk.
With these shackles, Great Xia remains harmonious and stable, free from chaos.
As for those in power, the rules are made by them.
The shackles of rules can never become cages that bind them.
"Perhaps… the survival of the fittest is the true essence of this world," Jiang Ning murmured to himself, recalling some of his experiences from his past life.
Lost in thought, Jiang Ning soon arrived at his doorstep.
"Someone's here?" Seeing the open gate, Jiang Ning's expression turned serious.
Normally, the gate to his residence was never left open, especially since Little Doubao was still young. Leaving it open was too dangerous, as the child could easily run out.
The fact that the gate was open now meant someone had come to visit.
At this particular moment, an unexpected visitor made Jiang Ning's heart grow heavy.
The next moment, he stepped onto the stairs.
His eyes level with the gate, he saw a man and a woman standing on either side of the entrance through the open door.
They were young and attractive, dressed in clothing he recognized bore the emblem of the Medicine King Valley.
Upon seeing Jiang Ning, the two quickly stepped forward and respectfully said, "Greetings, Commander Jiang. Our sect master has come to visit and has been waiting for you for some time!"
Sect Master?
Hearing these words, Jiang Ning's heart grew even heavier.
The sect master they referred to was undoubtedly the Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley.
In Jiang Ning's eyes, this was a true powerhouse, someone who could dominate the entire Dongling Prefecture not someone like him, who only held sway in a small county.
A prefecture was ten times larger than a county, and within such a vast territory, powerful martial artists were countless.
The Medicine King Valley was one of the top forces in Dongling Prefecture.
The status and influence of its Valley Master were beyond question.
Moreover, from what Jiang Ning knew, the Valley Master was a true peak-level expert at the fifth rank of Internal Strengthening, with an aura as solid as steel.
According to legends, such a powerhouse could cut down a thousand soldiers with a single sword strike.
They were capable of facing ten thousand enemies alone.
Recalling his previous conflicts with the Medicine King Valley how he had intercepted their caravan, killed Tian Buyi, the "Dragon of the River," secretly kept the two Leopard Fetus Body Tempering Pills for himself, and later killed Elder Liu Qingsong Jiang Ning's heart grew even more uneasy.
"This visit is anything but friendly!" Jiang Ning thought grimly.
But at this point, he knew there was no turning back.
For someone of the Valley Master's level, a distance of a hundred meters could be crossed in a single step.
With his arrival at the gate, the Valley Master would have already sensed him.
If the Valley Master wished, he could appear by Jiang Ning's side in an instant.
Moreover, his elder brother and sister-in-law were inside the house. He couldn't afford to retreat now.
He also believed that, given his official status, even if the Valley Master harbored ill intentions, he wouldn't dare to attack a Great Xia official in broad daylight.
It was a taboo for those in the martial world to openly assassinate officials in public.
The next moment, Jiang Ning spoke calmly, "Please lead the way."
"Of course," the two replied, gesturing respectfully. "Commander Jiang, please follow us."
Crossing the threshold, the two led Jiang Ning toward the east courtyard.
"Commander Jiang, our sect master arrived an hour ago to visit you. When he learned you were out, he decided to wait for you in the east courtyard," they explained as they walked.
Hearing this and observing their respectful demeanor, Jiang Ning felt slightly reassured.
If their intentions were hostile, they wouldn't have treated him with such courtesy.
A short while later, they arrived at the east courtyard.
As they approached, Jiang Ning heard faint, suppressed groans of pain coming from within.
In an instant, his eyes turned sharp.
With a swift movement, he appeared inside the east courtyard.
At the same time, a gentle, scholarly voice rang out.
"Brother Jiang Li, bear with it a little longer. The fact that you can feel pain in your right arm means the sensation is returning."
Jiang Ning entered the courtyard and saw a middle-aged man in a green robe standing in front of Jiang Li, carefully massaging his right arm.
Jiang Li's face was contorted in pain, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Are you Commander Jiang?" the middle-aged man asked, noticing the movement at the entrance.
"I am Jiang Ning."
"I am Lu Qingshan."
"So it's Valley Master Lu," Jiang Ning said, his gaze fixed on Jiang Li's right arm. "What is your intention here?"
Lu Qingshan replied, "I noticed that your elder brother, Jiang Li, still has a chance of recovering the use of his right arm, so I decided to try and see if I could fully heal it."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning was slightly surprised.
"Brother, how do you feel?" he asked, turning to Jiang Li.
"It's good!" Jiang Li forced a smile, his teeth clenched as sweat dripped from his forehead, causing his lips to twitch slightly.
It was clear he was enduring immense pain, but Jiang Ning could see genuine joy in his brother's expression.
Jiang Li continued, "My right arm had been completely numb before, but now, under Valley Master Lu's care, I can feel pain again."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning felt somewhat relieved.
Anyone familiar with paralysis knew that the real fear wasn't pain but the complete lack of sensation.
If pain could be felt, there was still hope for recovery.
If even pain couldn't be felt, it meant the nerves were completely dead, and recovery was nearly impossible.
Jiang Ning quietly approached the two, not wanting to disturb them.
If Jiang Li's right arm could be healed, it would be a tremendous blessing.
Meanwhile, after thoroughly massaging every part of Jiang Li's right arm, Lu Qingshan looked at Jiang Li's sweat-drenched face and nodded in approval.
"You're a true man! You didn't even cry out in pain!"
"Is there hope for recovery?" Jiang Li asked, his eyes filled with hope.
Lu Qingshan smiled. "Don't worry. With my skills, even if I can't restore it to 100%, I can get it to 80-90%."
He then turned to Gongsun Yu beside him. "Elder Gongsun, hold him steady."
"Yes!" Gongsun Yu nodded and quickly steadied Jiang Li's right arm.
Lu Qingshan then took out a needle case from his waist. Opening it, a row of fine golden needles came into view.
In the next moment, he began inserting the needles into Jiang Li's right arm.
As the needles went in, Jiang Li gritted his teeth, his body trembling.
"It's numb, itchy, and painful, right?" Lu Qingshan asked, glancing up at Jiang Li.
Jiang Li nodded with difficulty. "It's numb, itchy, and painful like thousands of ants are crawling inside my arm."
As he spoke, the fingers of his right arm began to twitch involuntarily.
Lu Qingshan glanced at the moving fingers and said, "That's normal. I'll now use my internal energy to assist in restoring the sensation in your arm."
Time passed slowly.
Jiang Ning stood quietly to the side.
After about an hour, Lu Qingshan clapped his hands.
With a swift motion, he removed all the golden needles from Jiang Li's arm.
He then took out a small white jade jar from his robe.
The ointment inside was worth a fortune and was the key to fully restoring Jiang Li's paralyzed arm.
Opening the jar, Lu Qingshan carefully applied the ointment to Jiang Li's arm, covering every inch of skin.
He then took out a roll of white bandages and wrapped them tightly around Jiang Li's arm.
Seeing how prepared and skilled Lu Qingshan was, Jiang Ning felt even more reassured.
It was clear that Lu Qingshan didn't possess a storage artifact like Jiang Ning's spatial ring. These items had been prepared in advance, indicating that Lu Qingshan had come to heal Jiang Li's arm.
After finishing the bandaging, Lu Qingshan took Jiang Li's hand again and closed his eyes, channeling his internal energy.
Jiang Ning and Gongsun Yu remained silent, waiting for the treatment to conclude.
Another half-hour passed.
Lu Qingshan unwrapped the bandages, and the dried ointment fell off in white flakes.
"Brother Jiang Li, try moving it now," Lu Qingshan said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Hearing this, Jiang Li clenched his fist, his fingers curling into a tight grip.
After a few attempts, a look of pure joy spread across his face.
He then tried to kneel on one knee.
"Ah!" Before he could fully kneel, he found himself unable to go any further.
Looking up, he saw Lu Qingshan smiling faintly.
"There's no need for such formalities. Healing your arm was simply my duty as a physician."
"Valley Master Lu, your kindness in healing my paralyzed arm is as weighty as a mountain," Jiang Li said, bowing respectfully.
Lu Qingshan smiled gently.
He then took out a small glass vial from his robe.
"This vial contains an oil. Apply it to your arm morning and night. It will help your arm recover fully."
Jiang Li accepted the vial with a solemn bow.
"Thank you, Valley Master Lu!"
He then turned to Jiang Ning. "Since you're here, I'll go prepare lunch. You two can talk."
After leaving the east courtyard, Jiang Li's heart was filled with complex emotions.
He knew very well that the reason Valley Master Lu had come to heal his arm was entirely because of his younger brother, Jiang Ning.
Without Jiang Ning, someone of his status would never have been able to receive the personal attention of the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley.
Sighing inwardly, he hurried off to find Liu Wanwan, eager to share the good news about his recovered arm.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning and Lu Qingshan sat facing each other in the pavilion.
"Thank you, Valley Master Lu," Jiang Ning said, bowing slightly.
By now, he understood that Lu Qingshan's visit was friendly, not hostile.
If it weren't, why would he have gone to such lengths to heal Jiang Li's arm?
Moreover, the sweat on Lu Qingshan's forehead showed that fully healing Jiang Li's arm in such a short time was no easy feat.
For a peak fifth-rank expert with an aura as solid as steel to break a sweat, the difficulty of the task was evident.
"It was nothing," Lu Qingshan said with a wave of his hand.
At that moment, Jiang Ning took out his wine flask.
The flask contained a mysterious black stone that had been soaking in the wine for a long time, imbuing it with extraordinary effects.
When Jiang Ning drank the wine, it not only enhanced his water-based skills but also improved his physical constitution and martial talent.
He usually kept it to himself, but today, in gratitude for Lu Qingshan's help, he decided to share it.
With a wave of his hand, a porcelain bowl appeared in front of Lu Qingshan.
Seeing this, Lu Qingshan's eyes narrowed.
"A spatial ring, and a natural spiritual talent!"
"Valley Master Lu is indeed knowledgeable," Jiang Ning said with a smile.
Lu Qingshan chuckled. "I've lived a few more years than most, so I've learned a thing or two."
He then looked at Jiang Ning with admiration. "No wonder you've come so far, Commander Jiang. You possess a natural spiritual talent and the ancient immortal root. If you had been born in ancient times, you might have walked the path of immortality and become a transcendent being."
Jiang Ning shook his head. "You flatter me, Valley Master Lu. In ancient times, there were countless people with spiritual roots, and cultivators were as common as carp in a river. How many of them truly achieved immortality and became beings who looked down upon the mortal world? I'm just one among the masses."
As he spoke, he poured wine into Lu Qingshan's bowl.
As the wine flowed, countless silver specks floated within it, resembling a galaxy poured into the bowl.
"This wine… is extraordinary!" Lu Qingshan exclaimed.
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