Chapter Sixty-Two: The Crimson Cloud Guard

As Ning Zhongwu lifted the fur robe, his eyes widened in disbelief. “You… call it a chick?”

Ning Mofei answered honestly, “It’s just a bit big—bigger than the old hen at home.”

“Fourth Brother, you’re going to make me cough up blood!” Ning Zhongwu let out a wounded howl like a wolf, sending shivers down the spines of his subordinates.

From the distant forest came a vigorous, commanding male voice, “You brat, what are you howling about this time?” In the blink of an eye, a figure landed before the two brothers.

“Grandfather!” Ning Mofei was so delighted he nearly leapt three stories high.

“So my silly little one really did come! Let Grandfather have a look.”

“Oh, you’re so annoying, Grandfather, you old rascal!”

The way this grandfather and grandson greeted each other was truly peculiar—not only was Yu Youwei surprised, but the assembled soldiers wore expressions of astonishment as well.

The Grand Marshal of the Ning family had long commanded armies and possessed an imposing aura. Normally, aside from his most favored grandson, Ning Zhongwu, the other generals and even his own sons and nephews barely dared breathe in his presence. Now, another Ning Mofei had arrived, with the old patriarch to back him. This child never seemed to show any respect for his grandfather’s authority. What caught his attention, though, was that his granddaughter-in-law seemed equally unafraid. “Is this Mofei’s wife?” he asked.

“Granddaughter-in-law greets Grandfather,” Yu Youwei stepped forward and bowed properly, with Ning Mofei hurrying over to bow with her.

“Well, well, now that the silly child has married, he’s not so silly after all—he even knows to bow to his grandfather.” The Grand Marshal could not help but laugh.

“He’s even sillier. He wanted to roast that chick to eat,” Ning Zhongwu said, handing the little phoenix bundled in the fur robe to his grandfather with a look of deep grievance.

Seasoned as he was, the Grand Marshal remained calm. “Ah, a young phoenix. It would be a shame to roast it and eat it.”

“Youwei said it could be roasted,” Ning Mofei replied, full of conviction.

The Grand Marshal teased, “If your wife told you the moon in the sky was square, would you believe her?”

“Absolutely,” Ning Mofei answered firmly.

The Grand Marshal could only sigh with a smile. “I shouldn’t have asked. Once a grandson marries, he’s as good as lost.”

Everyone might call him a fool, but Ning Mofei clearly understood his grandfather’s words. His eyes reddened. “Youwei stays with me day and night. When I was dying, she saved me. She’s better than all of you.”

Yu Youwei was moved and reached out to hold Ning Mofei’s hand.

Although the family had already been informed, Ning Zhongwu and Grandfather still inquired about the full story. Yu Youwei answered selectively; for instance, she omitted the matter of the Soul Devouring Sword residing in Ning Mofei’s body. It wasn’t that she feared they’d covet the sword, but explaining how she’d suppressed the remnant soul of Lord Night Jiuyou from Nine Nether Peak would be troublesome, and her secrets could never be revealed before the Ning family.

“Fortunately, Mofei married you. The silly child is blessed by his own foolishness, and he’ll need you to look after him in the future. Grandfather doesn’t have anything too valuable for you, but take this Beast Control Token,” the Grand Marshal said, appraising his granddaughter-in-law with satisfaction and producing a Beast Control Token that even made Ning Zhongwu’s eyes burn with envy.

“I used every trick in the book to get that Beast Control Token from Grandfather, but he never relented. Now he’s giving it to his sister-in-law. I, as Second Brother, can’t be too stingy either.” With a reluctant glance at the token in Yu Youwei’s hand, Ning Zhongwu produced a storage pouch and handed it to her.

“You’re just giving her the most basic storage pouch?” Grandfather slapped Ning Zhongwu across the back of his head, drawing wails from him, while Ning Mofei looked at him with obvious disdain.

Yu Youwei opened the storage pouch with a smile, only to be nearly blinded by the dazzling light of spirit stones inside—at the very least, there were tens of thousands, many of them medium and high quality.

Ning Zhongwu gave an embarrassed laugh. “I’ve sent people to buy wood-based cultivation manuals, but they haven’t returned yet. But rest assured, no matter who else Second Brother is stingy with, I’d never be stingy with Fourth Brother’s wife.”

“Second Brother, you’re too generous. I really can’t accept so many spirit stones.” Owing favors is always difficult, and the more you accept, the more entangled you become when it’s time to leave. Yu Youwei handed the storage pouch back to Ning Zhongwu, speaking earnestly. “Second Brother, I understand you want to take care of Mofei’s feelings, but there’s no need to go this far.”

Pushing the pouch back, Ning Zhongwu said, “These aren’t ordinary spirit stones. They’re engraved with miniature formations—far more powerful than explosive talismans. If you run into a troublesome opponent, just scatter a handful of these, and even someone as skilled as Grandfather would be blasted to a crisp.”

“You brat, what kind of example are you setting?” Grandfather swung another slap, which Ning Zhongwu dodged. Taking the opportunity, Grandfather stroked Mofei’s head kindly and said, “Take what your second brother gives you.”

“Of course, I’d be a fool not to.” Ning Mofei, unashamed, grabbed the storage pouch and stuffed it into Yu Youwei’s hands. “Whatever my brothers have is mine, and what’s mine is ours. If they won’t give it, I’ll just rob them.”

His childish words brought laughter to all. Yu Youwei also laughed, finding herself genuinely fond of this atmosphere. Maybe, she thought, she could happily spend her life in the Ning family, eating and drinking without a care.

“Grandfather, do you want to ride my Crimson Flame? It’s really fast!” Ning Mofei said with pride, his eyes shining.

“Second Brother came first and never got to ride it. Is it because Grandfather gave you the Beast Control Token? A ride on Crimson Flame is no small price!” Ning Zhongwu howled.

“Of course! Grandfather always said the Beast Control Token is a family heirloom, reserved for his most beloved grandson!” Ning Mofei declared gleefully.

“You may be silly, but you remember that,” the Grand Marshal said, patting his little grandson’s head with a laugh. He stood up. “Grandfather has other matters to attend to. Next time, when the army holds its grand martial contest, you come and let me ride Crimson Flame into the arena.”

“Oh yes! That’s wonderful!” With a cheer, Ning Mofei darted to the edge of the woods, threw his arms around Crimson Flame’s neck, and said, “Flame, Grandfather’s going to ride you at the grand contest. You’ll look so magnificent, you know?”

Yu Youwei was enchanted by the boy’s radiant smile. On a whim, she gave Crimson Flame a suggestion that made the beast snort repeatedly. “Mofei, why not have Crimson Flame choose some Scarlet Cloud Deer and replace the mounts of Grandfather’s bodyguards with them? Wouldn’t that be even more impressive?”

“Aaah, no!” Ning Zhongwu suddenly shrieked, startling his subordinates. Both Grandfather and Yu Youwei turned to him in surprise, while Ning Mofei asked bluntly, “Second Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

Throwing an arm around his younger brother’s shoulders, Ning Zhongwu grinned ingratiatingly. “It’s enough for Grandfather to ride Crimson Flame. How about letting Second Brother form a Crimson Flame squad with some Scarlet Cloud Deer?”

Ning Mofei didn’t object, but Grandfather did. “No, this is Mofei’s gift to Grandfather. Absolutely not. Mofei, Grandfather’s waiting for the Crimson Flame Guard to be formed. You get to choose who joins my personal guard. You decide who’s in and who’s out.”

“Deal!” Ning Mofei and Grandfather clapped hands to seal the promise, leaving Ning Zhongwu gaping.

Seeing Ning Zhongwu’s defeat, Grandfather laughed heartily and strode away, thoroughly pleased.