Chapter 1434: Chapter 1296: Losing Oneâs Own Strength? Chapter 1434: Chapter 1296: Losing Oneâs Own Strength? The serene wind in the Bamboo Forest always managed to gently soothe her emotions, which is why she liked to stay here and enjoyed the company of these simple animals.
He Cang didnât say anything more. She didnât belong to this cold Royal Palace, full of cunning and trickery. In He Cangâs eyes, she was like a pure lotus flower, blossoming alone amidst the muddy, bloodstained backdrop of the palace, exuding a fragrance that could purify the soulâan aroma only noticeable to those with a truly pure heart.
Unfortunately, in the Wupan Royal Palace where absolute strength and power were everything, how many could truly perceive it?
âŠ
Ten days later
It was still the white, cold stone path of the Royal Palace, where He Cang in a windcoat hurried along.
He Cang had been appointed as Ning Manâerâs personal Guard, so even though the Royal Palace was very safe, he spent most of his time by Ning Manâerâs side.
âAre you absolutely certain about what you just said?â He Cang asked the man beside him.
âThe lowly one wouldnât dare to joke with his own life,â another guard replied.
Entering the Immortal Palace, He Cang made a beeline for Ning Manâerâs bedroom.
The servant girls wanted to stop He Cang, but he paid them no heed and pushed the door open directly.
A white bed, upon which lay a somewhat sickly girl. She coughed faintly as if deliberately suppressing it to prevent others from hearing.
He Cang walked to the bedside, looking at her frail appearance, feeling as if his heart was about to break.
It was them again!
With compassion in his heart, He Cangâs indignation surged even more!
The Ning Zhuang lineage had caused trouble for Ning Manâer not once but multiple times!
Initially, during the World Dynasty meetings, the Ning Zhuang lineage had shown extreme indifference and rejection towards Ning Manâer, ridiculing her with words, believing that giving such a high POSITION to a wild girl like Ning Manâer was an insult to the Ning Imperial Clan.
When Ning Manâer was younger, the Ning Zhuang lineage had made incredibly stringent demands, handing over large amounts of immature Spirit Items and Xuan Objects to her, tasking her with nurturing them.
Nurturing the Spiritual Rhyme Aura required the consumption of mental energy. The endless delivery of Spirit Items and Xuan Objects to her was a mad drain on her mental energy.
The most hateful of all was the hypocritical Ning Tianyou. Ning Tianyou was Ning Manâerâs grandfather, a man of high authority who always acted extremely kind and gentle after Ning Manâer returned to the Royal Palace, treating her like a responsible grandfather.
However, having spent so many years in this palace, how could He Cang be blind to the true face of Ning Tianyou? This man was notorious for his deceit, always scheming against others, including his own family!
His special attention to Ning Manâer was solely because of her inheritance of the power of the World Monarch Tree. In the past few years, his tender behavior was nothing more than laying groundwork for his future goals.
In He Cangâs view, Ning Tianyouâs strategy was to foster a dependence on the feeling of family in the lonely Ning Manâer, to use this connection to make her willingly stay despite mistreatment and isolation, continuing to help him nurture the Xuan Objects.
What infuriated He Cang the most was that Ning Manâer chose to believe in Ning Tianyou and always kept silentâŠ
Over the recent years, Ning Manâerâs strength had increased, and the Ning Zhuang line became even more unbridled, making her spend most of her time nurturing Xuan Objects for them.
The relentless mental exhaustion was too much to bear. And whenever she needed rest, her so-called kind grandfather would first feign concern, only to say, âJust bear with it a bit longer, itâll soon be overâŠâ
He Cang didnât know how many times Ning Manâer had heard this lie, but he himself had heard it countless times.
He Cang longed to tell her how cruel and ruthless her grandfather truly was. However, he worried that revealing this truth would leave her utterly alone, stranded on an isolated island, surrounded by cold water with no end or escape in sight.
And so, year after year passed, life virtually unchanged.
But in the end, she fell ill.
It wasnât for any particular reason, simply the mental oppression had left her extremely weak, no different from an ordinary girl.
Her condition worsened, her Spiritual World empty, devoid of any âSoul Power.â
âBrother He⊠Have you come to see me?â A weak voice floated in, and a slight smile appeared on her pale cheeks.
As He Cang saw this smile, his throat tightened, and he didnât know what to say anymore.
But it was precisely because of that pitiful smile that He Cang made a decisionâhe had to get her away from this polluted Royal Palace!
He Cang glanced at the Guard beside him and communicated with him using Mental Sound.
The guard nodded and immediately turned to leave.
He Cang sat down quietly, not uttering a word.
Before long, someone entered.
By the sound of the footsteps, He Cang knew it was Ning Manâerâs high-status, powerful grandfather, Ning Tianyou.
He Cang rose from his chair, standing off to the side with detachment.
Ning Tianyou looked indifferently at He Cang before taking the seat He Cang had just vacated.
Ning Tianyou appeared to be a middle-aged man, with a thick mustache on his upper lip and dense eyebrows, giving him a heroic and upright presence.
âGrandfather,â Ning Manâer still managed a smile and sweetly called out.
âWhy so careless? Grandfather has told you, if youâre tired, you must rest,â Ning Tianyou said as he extended his hand, gently touching Ning Manâerâs forehead.
âMm, I donât know why, but I canât feel a trace of âSoul Powerâ in my body now,â Ning Manâer admitted with some guilt.
âThis is normal. Overuse of âSoul Powerâ can leave you in a state of depletion. You shouldnât use âSoul Powerâ for now, just take a good rest, and youâll recover after this period of fatigue. Grandfather has brought you a piece of Spinal Ginseng, Iâve already asked the Xuan Master to refine it, and itâll be brought to you shortly,â said Ning Tianyou.
Ning Manâer nodded her head.
âGrandfather still has many important matters to attend to. Take good care of yourself, and donât wander into the Bamboo Forest during this time. Those little creatures also invisibly absorb the Immortal Qi from your body, which isnât good for your health,â Ning Tianyou advised.
Ning Manâer wanted to say something else, hesitating as if she had more to add, but Ning Tianyou had already risen to his feet, instructing the servants to take good care of her before turning and leaving.
In fact, for the most part, Ning Manâer was accustomed to seeing the hurried departure of her grandfatherâs figure.
After Ning Tianyou left, He Cang hesitated for a long time before speaking to Ning Manâer, âAs for your grandfather, I donât want to comment too much.â
âBrother He, actually, Grandfather is not like what you imagineâŠâ said Ning Manâer.
âBrother is asking you, do you want to leave here?â He Cang asked seriously.
Ning Manâer was startled, not expecting He Cang to suddenly say such a thing.
âI want to visit the Grandfather of the âWorld Treeâ again, to see it. Its soul is in the Silent Forest, it must be very lonely,â Ning Manâer said solemnly.
âAfter leaving, do you still want to come back here?â asked He Cang.
Ning Manâer fell silent.
The truth was, if she could leave this place, she would not want to come back for anything.
But where could she go after leaving?
The Silent Forest was no longer as it used to be; all the mighty kings had left due to the withering of the âWorld Treeâ, and the forest was no longer bustling as before.
Suddenly, Ning Manâer thought of a place.
She could go there, where White One and White Ten, who always hovered around her, resided, where there was a cool âDemon Brotherâ and Sister Ye, who was exceedingly kind to her. They never forced her to do anything and never made her feel a hint of insincerity.
Ning Manâer wanted to head to New Moon Land, but she dared not.
She was no longer the simple-minded child she once was, just as Zheng Wu had forcibly taken her away and slaughtered the nightmare demons, the people of the Ning Clanâs Dynasty would have used the same method to take her back. If she appeared in New Moon Land, it would only cause more friction between Chu Mu and the people of the Ning Clanâs Dynasty.
In the end, Ning Manâer still didnât know where to go and could only stay in the Royal Palace.
âIâll send you away,â He Cang said earnestly to Ning Manâer.
âSend me away?â Ning Manâer was even more surprised.
He Cang nodded.
âBut even if I leave without permission, they will find me and bring me back,â Ning Manâer said.
âFor them, your greatest VALUE lies in the nurturing of Spiritual Rhyme. If you were to lose this powerâŠâ He Cang communicated with Ning Manâer using a Mental Sound.
Ning Manâer was startled by He Cangâs words, but seeing how earnest he was, and clearly not joking, she felt a sense of sincerity.
âManâer, my subordinates have found a type of poison. This poison wonât harm your body, but it will completely drain you of âSoul Powerâ when you are extremely weakâŠâ
âIf you lose your âSoul Powerâ, youâll be free to go wherever you want, no one, including your grandfather, will restrict your freedom anymore,â He Cang said.
Lose her own power?
Ning Manâer was stunned; this was something she had never considered.
But then, upon further thought, if she could regain the carefree life of the past, she would willingly give up her power.
Communicating with her âSoul Petsâ didnât require âSoul Powerâ; it was almost an innate gift she had from birth, the only exception being that the nurturing of Spiritual Rhyme Aura did require the support of âSoul Powerâ.
Perhaps, losing her power would allow her to stop living such a numb life.
Ning Manâer couldnât make a decision right away, but a part of her was tempted.
âThink it over these next few days,â He Cang said.
âMm, thank you, Brother He, for thinking so much about me,â Ning Manâer said.
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