"If you want revenge, then go ahead. Letting such a person live one more day is a sin."
Ning Beichen said.
Zhang Xin nodded, took out a knife, and walked to Chen Qiao, her eyes filled with ferocity.
"Senior... Senior Sister, don't kill me. I'm your junior brother. I know I was wrong. Please spare me."
Chen Qiao grovelled before Zhang Xin like a lapdog, begging for mercy.
He was the foremost person beneath a Grandmaster, with a boundless future and a bright life ahead. He did not want to die.
"I don't have a heartless junior brother like you. Go down and confess your sins to my father yourself."
Zhang Xin said, then raised the knife in her hand.
"Senior Sister, Senior Sister, I truly know my mistake. Please spare me just this once. I will repay you by working like an ox or a horse in the future."
Chen Qiao cried and shouted, ceaselessly begging Zhang Xin for forgiveness.
"Be a good person in your next life!"
Zhang Xin's knife swung down, a flash of blood, and a head was severed.
Zhang Xin's knees buckled, and she directly knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollically.
While avenging her father's death brought her joy, it was also a deeply sorrowful event. After all, both the deceased were connected to her – one was her father, and the other, her fellow disciple.
"Ah!!!"
Zhang Xin wailed on the ground, her cries heart-wrenching.
After an unknown amount of time, Ning Beichen took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Miss Zhang Xin, those who have left are gone. Those who are alive must continue to move forward. Please accept my condolences."
"Thank you."
Zhang Xin took the tissues and wiped away her tears. Though her expression was weary, she was no longer in distress.
The greatest pain for a person was the inability to vent their inner suffering. After the cathartic wailing, Zhang Xin felt much better.
"Mr. Ning, thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would have avenged my hatred."
Zhang Xin's emotions had stabilized, and she sincerely thanked Ning Beichen.
"You're welcome."
Ning Beichen replied.
"Mr. Ning, please follow me."
Zhang Xin rose and walked towards the ancestral home.
She walked to an old tree in the courtyard of the ancestral home and stopped. She then picked up a shovel from beside the tree and began to dig at the base of the old tree.
Before long, she heard a "ding," and saw Zhang Xin unearth a metal box from beneath the roots of the old tree.
Zhang Xin reverently brought the metal box up, wiped it clean with a towel, and opened the lid. Inside lay the complete version of the Daoyuan Heart Method.
"This is something my father spent his entire life researching, yet it couldn't overcome human hearts. For this, even his most trusted disciple betrayed him. How tragic!"
"Do you know? My father had actually decided to pass the Daoyuan Heart Method to him back then. But he never imagined that his disciple would harbour murderous intent towards him."
Zhang Xin spoke with sadness.
Ning Beichen also sighed and patted her shoulder. He didn't know what to say about such matters.
Zhang Xin: "This is what I promised you. However, you cannot take the original copy. I can only let you make a copy."
Ning Beichen: "This is already enough."
After that, Ning Beichen stayed to study the Daoyuan Heart Method.
It had to be said that the Daoyuan Heart Method was indeed profound. Cultivating it could indeed lead directly to the Grandmaster realm, but only if the cultivator also possessed a certain level of comprehension. It was not something anyone could successfully cultivate.
Furthermore, the Daoyuan Heart Method provided Ning Beichen with much inspiration, deepening his understanding of the Grandmaster realm. Thus, Zhang Tiandao was indeed a genius, earning Ning Beichen's admiration.
If he hadn't been killed by his own disciple, it was hard to say how far Zhang Tiandao could have gone.
Zhang Tiandao, who could research a technique leading directly to Grandmaster cultivation, might have even been able to research a technique leading to the unity of man and nature if he hadn't died.
It was a pity that fate was cruel to genius. He did not die at the hands of enemies, but rather by the hands of someone he held dearest.
This also served as a warning to Ning Beichen, reminding him not to tread the same path as Master Zhang.
Human nature is selfish, and the human heart cannot withstand tests.
"Mr. Ning, you should go first. Chen Qiao is dead, and no one should harm me now. I want to stay here a while longer and move my father's grave here."
Zhang Xin said to Ning Beichen.
"Very well. Miss Zhang, take care."
Ning Beichen nodded and descended the mountain alone. He had another place to go.
As he was leaving, Zhang Xin informed him of the whereabouts of another volume of the Jiugong Ce. However, she could not guarantee the information was 100% accurate, only that it offered Ning Beichen a glimmer of hope.
"The Roman Holy See."
Ning Beichen looked at the information Zhang Xin had given him and unhesitatingly booked a flight to Rome.
At this point, Ning Beichen could not give up on the Jiugong Ce. If it were before, he might have hesitated, but now, with only two volumes left to collect, he did not want to abandon it.
The path of a martial artist had largely withered in this modern, civilized society. No matter how strong one's martial arts, it was difficult to withstand the power of technology, and the glory of the past could no longer be replicated.
And the Grandmaster realm represented the strongest force in this world, the pinnacle of martial power. However, in the face of firearms, Grandmasters were still powerless and akin to ants.
Therefore, Ning Beichen did not want to stop here. It was not just him; all those who had reached the pinnacle of martial power in this world felt the same.
Thus, stepping into the unity of man and nature would be their only way out. For once one achieved this, they could transcend the mundane and possess extraordinary power. It was a pity that, apart from those of ancient times, no one in the present could achieve it.
However, Ning Beichen still wanted to try, and his hope lay with the Jiugong Ce.
A few days later, Ning Beichen appeared on the streets of Rome.
According to the intelligence provided by Zhang Xin, the Jiugong Ce was stored in the treasury of the Holy See. It would be very difficult for Ning Beichen to obtain it, but difficulty did not mean impossibility.
The best approach was to purchase it. However, this avenue had failed. Ning Beichen had hired an antique dealer to negotiate with the Holy See, but they were unwilling to sell the mysterious ancient book from the East. Therefore, Ning Beichen had to find other ways.
"Steal!"
This was the second method Ning Beichen devised.
However, this method had a drawback: it was only effective if he could get close to the Holy See's treasury.
But Ning Beichen had pondered for a long time. Firstly, he had no way to approach the Holy See's treasury stealthily, which meant it was impossible for him to steal the Jiugong Ce without being detected.
Secondly, even if he did manage to get close to the Holy See's treasury, opening the vault door would be a significant problem.
When it came to fighting, Ning Beichen was confident and had never shied away from a challenge. But when it came to stealing, that was not his forte.
In the style of Ning the King of Hell, his usual method was violent acquisition. Stealing was simply out of the question.