Dong Cang, The Capital.
Spotless and unruffled after his recent mischief, Ning Xuan reappeared with the two girls nearly a month later. At his request, they weren't even wearing their cloaks. They want the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, don't they? Then let anyone unafraid of death come and get it.
"Ning... Ning Xuan?"
"Holy shit, it really is Ning Xuan! He's not dead!"
"The girl next to him must be the one with the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Heart, right?!"
"He's got some nerve, daring to stride into The Capital so brazenly!"
After Ning Xuan had walked some distance, the crowd behind him erupted into a heated discussion. When they saw where he was headed, they all snapped back to their senses with a sharp intake of breath.
That direction was unmistakably toward the Royal Palace!
"What does this guy intend to do?" someone in the crowd whispered. "Has he gone mad?!"
"He wasn't even gone that long! What happened to him? How did he get even bolder?!"
