Chapter 2 Douluo Continent
He, Ning Fengping, was born into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the second largest sect in the world, whose wealth was comparable to that of a country.
Although his talent is mediocre, he may never break through to the Soul King realm in his lifetime.
But with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the number one auxiliary weapon spirit in the world, he could have lived a peaceful life under the protection of the sect.
But then he met Jiang Ning, a woman with an ordinary martial soul and weak soul power, yet she captivated him at first sight.
According to the sect's rules, they must find a powerful Soul Master as their spouse.
Therefore, the sect elders strongly opposed it, but this did not extinguish the flame in his heart. Instead, it aroused the tiny bit of rebellion in his bones.
For the freedom and love he longed for, he chose to leave the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and take Jiang Ning to a distant land.
They eventually settled down in a remote village in the southern border of the Tiandou Empire.
Life was simple, but peaceful and happy.
Soon after, Jiang Ning became pregnant, bringing boundless anticipation to the little family.
He named his child "Bai," meaning purity and a new beginning, hoping that he could stay away from sectarian conflicts and live an ordinary and authentic life.
However, this hard-won peace was shattered just a few days ago.
A group of roaming wolf bandits had their eyes on their village.
Ning Fengping is the only Soul Master in the village, with a cultivation level of three rings. If he were a Battle Soul Master, he might be able to organize an effective resistance.
But the tragedy is that his martial soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, making him a pure support-type soul master!
Even if he desperately tried to increase the speed and strength of the villagers, he could not make up for the gap in absolute martial prowess.
Although Jiang Ning is a first-ring Soul Master, she is weak after childbirth and her combat power is almost negligible.
After witnessing his neighbors and friends being brutally torn apart, Ning Fengping knew that the village could not be saved.
He could only drag his weak wife and hold his infant son as they rushed out of the village amidst the chaos, hoping to seize a sliver of hope for survival.
However, the wolf bandits had an extremely strong sense of smell and tracking ability, especially their desire for living beings, which drove them to bite Ning Fengping and his companions tightly.
In a flash, Ning Fengping knew he couldn't continue like this.
The wife was exhausted, and the wolf bandits arrived in an instant.
At that time, none of the three members of their family will be spared.
He suddenly stopped and forcefully pushed Jiang Ning forward.
"Ning'er, you take Xiaobai and go first! I'll hold them off!"
Ning Fengping's voice was hoarse, but it carried an undeniable determination.
"Aping…"
Jiang Ning staggered a step, turned around and looked back, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
She understood perfectly well that her husband was willing to sacrifice his own life to buy them, mother and child, that slim chance of survival.
Ning Fengping looked at his wife deeply, as if trying to etch her face into the depths of his soul.
Then, he quickly slipped an antique ring off his finger.
He placed the ring into Jiang Ning's hand and at the same time took out a fine steel longsword from his soul tool.
"Run!"
Ning Fengping growled.
He stopped looking at his wife, resolutely turned around, and faced the ever-approaching shadow of death.
He took a deep breath, circulated his soul power, and a crystal-clear pagoda shimmering with seven-colored light appeared in his left palm.
"Seven treasures transform into crystal!"
Ning Fengping gave a low shout, and three spirit rings on his body lit up one after another.
"The seven treasures have names, the first of which is: Strength!"
"The seven treasures have names, the second of which is: Speed!"
"The Seven Treasures have names, the third being: Soul!"
Three colorful streams of light shot out from the pagoda and enveloped him.
A powerful amplification effect instantly filled my entire body.
This was the only thing he, as a support-type Soul Master, could do—to use all the amplification on himself, and with this body that was not good at fighting, to put up a final resistance.
He gripped his longsword tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on the wolf bandits charging at the front, and let out the wildest roar of his life as he charged forward!
"Aping—!"
Jiang Ning let out a heart-wrenching cry, tears blurring her vision.
But she knew that her husband had made up his mind, and she couldn't let him sacrifice in vain.
She bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled, and with all her might she hugged the child in her arms. Turning around, she dragged her leaden legs and continued her desperate escape into the unknown.
Behind him came the crisp sound of weapons clashing, the frenzied howls of the wolf bandits, and Ning Fengping's suppressed groans of pain and his desperate roar.
Each sound felt like a dull knife stabbing into Jiang Ning's heart.
She dared not look back, running desperately, letting the cold wind cut like knives on her face, letting her tears freeze on her cheeks.
...
I don't know how long I ran, maybe an hour, maybe several hours.
The sounds of fighting behind me were long gone; only the wind whistled in my ears.
As darkness fell, the pitch-black night enveloped the entire plain, and the temperature plummeted.
The cold night wind began to seep into her already exhausted body.
Jiang Bai, nestled in her arms, seemed to sense her mother's despair and the harshness of the environment, letting out a weak cry, but it quickly subsided due to her weakness.
The faint cry struck Jiang Ningxin like an alarm bell.
We can't fall... We absolutely can't fall... For Xiaobai...
Her consciousness was beginning to fade, sustained only by a single will.
Her eyes searched laboriously in the darkness, and finally, in the distance, she saw a faint but dazzling light, like a star.
That was a village!
Hope, like the last embers, reignited in her almost extinguished heart.
She seemed to find renewed strength, and though her steps were unsteady, she moved with unwavering determination toward the light.
Closer, even closer.
She could vaguely make out the outline of the village, and see the lights shining from a separate courtyard at the village entrance.
Finally, she stumbled and fell to the simple wooden door of the courtyard. Her body could no longer support her, and she leaned limply against the door.
With her last ounce of strength, she raised her arm, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and knocked on the door knocker.
"Thump...thump thump..."
The sound was faint, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
Who is it?
A slightly aged, questioning female voice rang out from inside the house, followed by the muttering of an old woman.
"It's so late..."
The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached.
"Squeak—"
The wooden door was pulled open from the inside.
Without the support of the door, Jiang Ning, who was already exhausted, immediately lost her balance and slumped softly into the doorway.
"Oh dear! What happened?"
The old woman who opened the door was startled by the figure that suddenly fell in and cried out in surprise.
With the help of the dim light coming from inside the house, the old woman could see that the person lying on the ground was a young woman, who was holding a baby tightly in her arms.
The woman's face was deathly pale, her eyes were closed, her breath was weak, her clothes were torn and covered with dust and dried blood, and she looked extremely miserable.
"Girl? Girl?"
The old woman squatted down and anxiously patted Jiang Ning's cheeks gently, trying to wake her up.
Jiang Ning showed no reaction; only the slight rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still alive.
The old woman's gaze fell on the baby in her arms, who was wrapped up tightly. The baby's face was blue from the cold, and his breathing was weak.
"Hiss... and she's carrying a child?"
The old woman gasped, her face instantly filled with pity and anxiety.
(End of chapter)