Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

Ye Jingshuang closed her eyes. The thought of how the Ye family had suffered disaster that night, all for this one ancient zither, filled her heart with an inexpressible mix of resentment and sorrow.

But after all she had been through, she was able to keep her emotions in check.

Jiang Ran glanced at her and subconsciously reached out, wanting to pat her hand, but then felt it would be improper.

His hand was halfway there before he pulled it back.

This very action caught Ye Jingshuang’s attention. She looked up and glanced cautiously at Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran felt a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and said,

”But that being the case, there’s something strange about this whole affair.”

”What do you mean?”

Ye Jingshuang lowered her head, asking softly.

Jiang Ran looked thoughtfully at Liu Wenshan on the bed.

”I can’t say for sure right now. We’ll have to wait until your uncle-in-law wakes up.”

’But Mingyue’s words suddenly surfaced in his mind.’

’After Mingyue’s mother passed away, Liu Wenshan remarried and had children.’

’This sort of thing was actually very common in this day and age.’

’People say that in the old days, with slow horses and carriages, a person would only love one person in their lifetime.’

’But... even in times when horses and carriages were slower still, it was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines.’

’This sentiment of loving only one person for a lifetime is just an imprint from a specific, romanticized era. What does it really have to do with horses and carriages?’

’Jiang Ran wasn’t about to hold Liu Wenshan to some impossible standard, expecting him to live out his days as a lonely widower after his wife’s death.’

’Still, since what happened back then was such a huge affair...’

’...it must have been a love that was carved into his heart and bones. To remarry so easily... it made one look down on him a bit.’

’Or perhaps... there was another, unknown reason for it?’

After pondering it for a moment, Jiang Ran decided not to get hung up on the issue.

The crucial point right now lay elsewhere.

He looked at Ye Jingshuang and said with a smile,

”Go get some rest. I’ll keep watch here tonight.”

Ye Jingshuang shook her head.

”How can I trouble you again? You’ve already helped me so much.”

”To be honest, after hearing so much from you, I’ve grown rather curious about this Jiaowei zither myself,” Jiang Ran said with a smile.

”Anything could happen before Liu Wenshan wakes up. I’ll have more peace of mind if I watch over him myself.”

”Well, if you don’t want to leave, you can just make do in here for the night.”

”We can each take a chair and just meditate until dawn.”

”Alright.”

Ye Jingshuang nodded.

However, there were no chairs left in the room. Next to the table were two long benches, placed side by side, which could fit two people sitting cross-legged.

Jiang Ran didn’t stand on ceremony and sat right down beside Ye Jingshuang.

The night passed in silence. Early the next morning, Jiang Ran awoke from his cultivation.

He glanced at Liu Wenshan on the bed. Seeing not the slightest sign of him waking, he shook his head gently.

Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

He whipped his head around to look at Ye Jingshuang beside him.

He saw that her face was pale, her brows were knitted tightly, and her expression was one of agony.

Her breath came in harsh, labored gasps.

’Is this... Qi deviation?’

Jiang Ran didn’t dare to hesitate.

’There are four states of breathing when circulating one’s energy: the first is wind, the second is panting, the third is gasping, and the fourth is breath.’

’The first three are states of disharmony; only the fourth is the state of harmony.’

’The first time I gained sixty years of Inner Strength and my long cry echoed in the empty valley—that was an expression of the fourth state.’

’Right now, Ye Jingshuang is clearly in the second state.’

’If I let this continue and her energy pathways disperse, I’m afraid disaster will strike.’

Without a second thought for anything else, he reached out. His hand didn’t land on her back, but on the area between her heart and navel.

The spot was rather awkward, yet exceptionally critical. This was an emergency, and Jiang Ran had no time for trivial decorum.

He circulated the energy of the Creation and Rectification Sutra, and his Inner Strength instantly surged forth. Only then did his other hand come down, pressing against Ye Jingshuang’s back.

As Inner Strength flowed from both palms, he gained a crystal-clear perception of the situation inside her body.

He immediately began circulating his Inner Strength to calm the churning qi and blood within her.

This was by no means an easy feat, even for someone with profound Inner Strength. Guiding one’s energy through another’s body was like walking on thin ice—the slightest misstep could bring harm to both of them.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jiang Ran finally managed to guide her chaotic internal energy back onto the proper course.

Just then, Ye Jingshuang slowly opened her eyes. She looked up to see Jiang Ran right before her. She glanced down, froze for a moment, then looked at Jiang Ran’s face and finally understood.

”Young Master Jiang...”

She began to speak softly.

Jiang Ran didn’t open his eyes, simply saying in a low voice,

”You had a Qi deviation. Don’t speak.”

”I’m helping you guide your energy back to its source!”

”Thank you...”

Ye Jingshuang whispered the two words, then closed her eyes once more.

At that point, Jiang Ran withdrew the hand from between her heart and navel. With a flicker of movement, he was behind her, pressing both palms against her back.

As the immense flow of Inner Strength surged into her, Ye Jingshuang subconsciously straightened her back.

She could feel that Jiang Ran’s Inner Strength was truly as vast as an abyss, as inescapable as a prison—utterly unfathomable.

She was terrified, but she didn’t dare let her mind wander. She focused her own will, allowing Jiang Ran to guide her internal energy back into her Dantian.

With her conscious and helping to direct the flow, the process was much faster than before.

In just a few moments, all of her stray Inner Strength had been returned to the Qi Sea of her Dantian.

Only then did Jiang Ran withdraw his hands.

Ye Jingshuang wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to look at Jiang Ran.

”Young Master Jiang... you... you’ve saved my life again.”

”Too many lice and you stop itching; too much debt and you stop worrying.”

Jiang Ran said with a smile,

”Miss Ye, there’s no need for such formalities between us. And please, no more talk about great favors.”

”...Okay.”

Ye Jingshuang looked at Jiang Ran in silence, her expression somewhat dim.

”Was it because you pushed yourself cultivating all night?”

Jiang Ran gently shook his head.

”I understand your mindset, but haste makes waste.”

”It’s not that I don’t understand that principle...”

Ye Jingshuang gave a bitter smile.

”My family was destroyed, yet I was completely powerless to fight back.”

”If things go on like this, I might not even... get a chance to avenge my parents.”

She rarely showed her vulnerable side.

Now that she had started talking, the anguish in her heart began to pour out as well.

The title ”Twin Jades of the Ye Clan” was given to them by others, but she was genuinely proud of it.

She believed that no matter what happened, she had to remain calm and composed.

That was why, on the night she first met Jiang Ran, despite the grief, resentment, terror, and anxiety in her heart, she never showed the slightest hint of it before him.

’After all... we were strangers.’

’Spill my guts about my tragic fate to a complete stranger?’

’What did my resentment and pain have to do with Jiang Ran?’

’He offered me roast chicken, and I was supposed to glare at him in fury? That would be insane, wouldn’t it?’

’And to break down sobbing in front of him... that would have been even more bizarre.’

’So, I could only act as if nothing was wrong.’

All this way, she had tried her best to be strong. Except for the time she met Dao Zhen, when she nearly lost control of her emotions, she had been very restrained.

But... how could she not feel a sense of urgency in her heart?

This Qi deviation was also brought on by this inner turmoil.

Jiang Ran didn’t offer any comforting platitudes. The reality of her situation was what it was. Would a few pretty words really make her feel better?

The outcome wouldn’t change. The path still had to be walked one step at a time, and her martial arts had to be cultivated bit by bit.

These were all indisputable facts.

The only thing Jiang Ran could do was listen quietly.

And he ended up listening for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Ye Jingshuang finally realized she had been rambling for so long.

Not only that, but there were also tear stains on her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped them away.

”I... In front of you, Young Master, I’m afraid... I must look a complete mess...”

”I wouldn’t say that.”

Jiang Ran smiled. ”On the contrary, you seem much more real. There, now that you’ve let it out, you should feel a bit lighter. Let’s go down and get something to eat.”

”Okay.”

Ye Jingshuang sniffled.

”Then, Young Master... could you let me wash my face first?”

”Go ahead. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Jiang Ran stood up and walked out of the room. His gaze swept over the doorway to Li Tianxin’s room.

’Just as I thought. That kid didn’t come back last night...’