Chapter 0002 – Difficult Prospects
“The water is ready; I will help you take a bath.” Ning Cheng had almost finished sorting out the things he was thinking, when Ji Luo Fei once more walked out and said.
Although Ning Cheng was in love Tian Mu Wan for a couple of years, but at most, they were limited to holding hands. Other than that, he did not take any further action. Now that Ji Luo Fei proposed to help him take a bath, Ning Cheng felt this was unnatural. He was certain that he did not let himself be bathed by Ji Luo Feng, not because of his ideas, but because of her disfigured face.
“I can do it myself ……” Ning Cheng said hastily.
Aware of Ji Luo Fei’s puzzled look, Ning Cheng quickly got up from the bed, barely managing to hold himself steady, as he held the bed he said. “You see; I can move around on my own now.”
Although he suffered heavy torture in the prison for some time, but after coming back and drinking the water offered by Ji Luo Fei, Ning Cheng was able to barely move.
Seeing Ning Cheng walk towards the bathroom in a rickety manner, Ji Luo Fei was getting increasingly puzzled. In her memories, Ning Cheng absolutely did not deny others serving him, to Ning Cheng, those who did not serve him properly only received a good beating, moreover he would never say such kinds of words, nor would he do such kind of thing. Now that Ning Cheng knew that his clan was exterminated, did he mature and start to understand many affairs when compared to before?
However, Ji Luo Fei put these doubts to one side, she no longer went to help Ning Cheng with his bath, instead she started making some rice porridge. Ning Cheng had tried cultivating for many years but was unable to cultivate Qi, this was no doubt not only because he was not willing to endure the hardships, but even his temperament in that area was very poor. Now that the Ning Clan was destroyed, but Ning Cheng did not die in the prison, Ji Luo Fei could expect the kind of miserable life that awaited him.
Although she was the fiancée of Ning Cheng in name, they never did get married, but at the same time, she already was at the Qi Gathering 3rd Level, and once she advanced to the Qi Gathering 4th Level, the Academy would put great emphasis on her cultivation. Even if she did not give up Ning Cheng, the Academy would not permit her to stay with Ning Cheng in the same place. As a cultivator at the Qi Gathering 4th Level, if she continued to live with Ning Cheng in the same place, with Ning Cheng’s present condition, it would definitely not help Ning Cheng, but rather would make Ning Cheng die quicker.
To live with Ning Cheng in the same place, Ji Luo Fei did not have any qualms. Although Ning Cheng was bad to her, he did not hit her but only scolded. The reason why she not only came back to rescue Ning Cheng, and also looked after Ning Cheng with all her heart, was because she owed the Ning Clan.
In the eyes of Ji Luo Fei, Ning Cheng was someone who was unable to cultivate, so he went down in the world, if she did not rescue Ning Cheng, then Ning Cheng could only wait for his death. She was aware that she could not marry Ning Cheng, but also made up her mind that she would not remarry others. The reason why she proposed to help Ning Cheng take a bath, was because she was his fiancée, and the only one who was willing to and could help Ning Cheng. But since Ning Cheng claimed to be able to move by himself, she certainly would not help.
The only thing that she could do before she advanced to the Qi Gathering 4th Level, was to help establish comfortable living conditions for Ning Cheng. As her cultivation progressed, even if her face was disfigured, in the future, she would have to leave the Cang Qin Province, Ning Cheng would just end up becoming a passer-by in her life.
……
After Ning Cheng took his bath, although he felt some pain, but he definitely felt a bit better than before. When he came out, Ji Luo Fei served the rice porridge that she had cooked. After eating the rice porridge, Ning Cheng finally had some colour and strength return to his face.
“These are for you; I must go back to the Academy. You can move now, so you can make what you want to eat.” Ji Luo Fei said after she saw that Ning Cheng had eaten something. Besides him looking weak, there seemed to be no other difficulties. Taking out a package of silver coins, she handed it to Ning Cheng.
Ning Cheng did not take the package of silver coins that Ji Luo Fei gave, he knew Ji Luo Fei’s meaning. Ji Luo Fei was a student of the Cang Qin 2 Star Academy, and moreover was a good student. However, he remembered that he was also a student of this Academy, and immediately said, “Since you are going to the Academy, of course I would also go.”
Ji Luo Fei was immediately surprised and stared at Ning Cheng, she knew that before Ning Cheng only went to the Academy because of his grandfather’s oppression. Now that the Ning Clan was almost finished, he also did not have any more restraint, not only that, but now he was also thinking about going to the Academy? Besides, with his intelligence and aptitude, even if he went to the Academy, what would he be able to accomplish?
Ning Cheng, looking at Ji Luo Fei’s expression, immediately knew that he spoke his words hastily. He just thought, in this place, if not for one’s strength, he estimated that he could not live much longer. Thus, when Ji Luo Fei said that she was going back to the Academy, he also immediately wanted to go there together. But he forgot that he did not always go to the Academy, moreover he did not have the intelligence or the aptitude to cultivate, going to the Academy would not have much significance to him.
“Er…. I was afraid of my grandfather’s scolding, now thinking that grandfather is gone ….” Ning Cheng felt sad, but it was mainly because he was reminded of his great love towards Tian Mu Wan, that kind of sadness was not something that could be faked, and it came out naturally.
When Ji Luo Fei heard Ning Cheng saying ‘grandfather’, her eyes were red, if not for Ning Cheng’s grandfather, he would not have Ji Luo Fei. Now that Ning Cheng mentioned his grandfather again, even Ji Luo Fei was affected. She filled Ning Cheng’s hands with the silver coins and said, “You need to rest your body for now, I will try to find the time to come back and see you again, wait till your body is better, if you still want to go to the Academy, I will take you there”
After saying that, Ji Luo Fei turned and went out of the house, and soon disappeared.
Ning Cheng looked at his hands that did not have a lot of silver coins in them, and then looked at the small black stone house, he already understood that Ji Luo Fei’s financial condition was not good.
In the future if he wanted to live this place, he absolutely cannot rely solely on Ji Luo Fei. At this time, Ning Cheng was not rattled, he could feel that to survive here he would have to suffer many hardships, this world followed the law of the jungle. If you did not have enough strength to survive on your own, then you could only live under other’s foot, even if the Ning Clan possessed decent strength, they were also destroyed completely in just one night.
He was very clear that once his fiancée advanced to the Qi Gathering 4th Level, they would take her away from him. Not to say about the two people that were not married, it would be true even if they were married. A cultivator at Qi Gathering 4th Level, for the Cang Qin Province, would be the focus of cultivation, and would definitely not allow a disabled person to follow by their side.
Although he did try to cultivate in his clan, but he did not have the aptitude, even after trying to cultivate for so many years he could not gather Qi, not to speak of advancing to the Qi Gathering 4th Level.
Cannot cultivate, but also wanting to find a way to survive, Ning Cheng had secretly made up his mind, but sighed. It was unfortunate that he could not cultivate, if he was able to cultivate, on the face of this planet, someday he might be able to cultivate until he arrived at the Essence Building Realm, and then think of a way to return back to the Earth.
Ning Cheng could not cultivate, but that didn’t mean he that he didn’t know about the different realms of the cultivation practice. He knows that the practice of cultivation had 9 realms, with 81 levels. However, he understood that the highest realm that was obtainable here, was the Essence Building Realm, from his memory, he found that in Cang Qin Province’s history there was only one person who was a cultivator in the Essence Building Realm.
The realms that Ning Cheng could understand were only the first three – the Qi Gathering Realm, the True Condensation Realm and the Essence Building Realm. Qi Gathering Realm consists of accumulation of Qi in the Meridians of the body, according to the amount of accumulation of Qi, this realm was divided into 9 levels. Ji Luo Fei was currently at the Qi Gathering 3rd Level, between the Qi Gathering 3rd Level and the Qi Gathering 4th Level there existed a watershed. Although Cang Qin 2 Star Academy had a lot of students who were at the Qi Gathering 3rd Level, but the number of students at the Qi Gathering 4th level was extremely few.
When the cultivators reach a certain level, they will be qualified to enter the True Condensation Realm, at this time the Qi starts to truly transform into ‘True Essence’. Similar to the Qi Gathering Realm, the True Condensation Realm also has 9 levels, not only is the True Essence much more vigorous, it is even more sophisticated and exquisite, but the Essence Building Realm surpasses it. Even the Dean and Vice-Dean of the Cang Qin 2 Star Academy were only cultivators of the True Condensation Realm, and were some of the most powerful men in the Cang Qin Province.
As for the Essence Building Realm, Cang Qin Province does not have anyone.
Ning Cheng came from Earth, and also had heard a variety of cultivation legends. Moreover, on Earth there were some people who were able to cultivate, especially in the mainland from where he came from, as such Ning Cheng was not surprised. Of course, as for why he had not learned to cultivate back there, it was simply because it was beyond the scope of his imagination.
Ning Cheng knew that his own aptitude was very bad, and could not cultivate. In addition, with his body, even if he could recall some of the cultivation techniques of the Ning Clan, he would not be able to practice. To survive here, the first essential factor at the moment was to heal and recuperate his body.
After Ji Luo Fei returned to the Academy, there was no further news of her. Ning Cheng also never got out, besides resting in the stone house, he only exercised his body in the front yard.
A few days later, Ning Cheng, although looked somewhat emaciated, but had actually slowly recovered. At least, he did not have any feeling of weakness. Ning Cheng felt that he could now go out and have a look. At least he wanted to look at the Cang Qin Province’s Capital City’s environment, he had to survive here, what else could he do?