Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

”Today... thank you for saving my life, Hero.

”From now on, whatever you command... you only need to say the word, Hero. I... I, Old Ma, won’t hesitate for a second.”

Jiang Ran nodded.

”Good. I have a few things I need you to do.

”For now, clean up this mess. When you’re done, come find me in my room.”

”Yes, sir.”

Master Ma replied respectfully.

When he looked up again, Jiang Ran was already on the roof, dragging Tie Cheng along. In just a few steps, he crossed several courtyards and returned to where he had been speaking with Li Tianxin earlier.

Li Tianxin hadn’t left. He was still standing there with his arms crossed, looking like a cold-eyed spectator who enjoyed a good show and didn’t mind a little trouble.

He glanced at Jiang Ran and the captive in his grasp, Tie Cheng, then pursed his lips.

”You didn’t use your blade.”

”And?”

”And so, you just want to steal my prize!”

”...Are you a child?”

Jiang Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

”The way you’re talking, it’s like I stole your candied hawthorn.”

”You want to steal my cand— Nonsense! When have I ever eaten candied hawthorn?”

”I didn’t say you did. It was just an analogy.”

Jiang Ran casually tossed the blade in his hand to Li Tianxin.

”I’m heading down. You keep watch.”

With that, he leaped down into the courtyard and dragged Tie Cheng into a room.

But when he turned around, he saw Li Tianxin had followed him in.

”Why should I have to do whatever you tell me to?

”Did I sell myself into your service?”

Jiang Ran scanned the room, pointed to a broom in the corner, and said, ”Be my guest.”

Li Tianxin stared at the broom, lost in thought.

Jiang Ran ignored him and threw Tie Cheng to the floor.

”Did Dugu Yu send you?”

That one sentence jolted Tie Cheng from pure, desperate anger to stunned surprise, which then twisted into horror.

”How did you know?”

”Dugu Yu?”

Hearing this, Li Tianxin forgot all about Jiang Ran telling him to help himself to a broom.

He couldn’t help but look at Tie Cheng.

”This man... could he be the infamous Blood Butcher?”

”Hero Li has a sharp eye.”

Jiang Ran praised.

Li Tianxin, however, shot him a fierce glare.

Jiang Ran was confused.

”That was a compliment.”

”Who would believe you!”

Li Tianxin scoffed, ”But there shouldn’t be any connection between the Blood Butcher and Dugu Yu, right?”

Only then did Tie Cheng look Li Tianxin properly in the eye.

”It was you!?”

Then he looked at Jiang Ran, and realization dawned.

”That night... you were there too?”

Jiang Ran smiled faintly. ”Is it your turn to ask questions?”

Tie Cheng sneered.

”Fine... Then I won’t ask.

”Things have come to this, and look at the state I’m in. Whether I live or die, it doesn’t matter anymore.

”Do whatever you want to me. But don’t even think... you’ll get another word out of me.”

After speaking, he clamped his mouth shut and said no more.

Li Tianxin glanced at Jiang Ran.

”It’s hard to make a man like him talk. Want me to think of something?”

”You’re an expert in this sort of thing?”

Jiang Ran was a little surprised, but then a thought struck him and he understood.

”Ah, a long-term patient makes the best doctor!”

Not long ago, when he broke into Feiyun Stronghold, he was brutally tortured for a full day.

He must be quite experienced in this area. Calling him a long-term patient turned doctor wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.

Li Tianxin was nearly angered to death by Jiang Ran again. Before he could argue, Jiang Ran had already walked over to the table, picked up his small bundle, and taken out a small box.

”I prepared this for Gu Mosheng a while back, but he was a bit of a lightweight. I only used a little, and he confessed everything.”

Jiang Ran walked up to Tie Cheng.

”How about I first explain to you what this stuff does?”

Tie Cheng simply closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Jiang Ran paid him no mind. He put on a pair of deerskin gloves, then picked up a small scraper that looked like it had been used for a long time, worn smooth with a patina. He opened the box and scraped out a bit of ointment.

Then, he smeared it on Tie Cheng’s forehead.

”What is that stuff?”

Li Tianxin asked, looking curious.

The day Jiang Ran used this on Gu Mosheng, Li Tianxin had already left.

This was the first time he had seen it.

”Good stuff. I’ll let you try some later.”

Jiang Ran said with a smile.

Li Tianxin’s brow furrowed. ”Will it work?”

Tie Cheng only felt a cool sensation from the ointment, with no pain at all, and he sneered.

”What is this, are you going to use a Disguise Skill on me?”

Jiang Ran just smiled without a word, quietly waiting for the ointment to be absorbed into Tie Cheng’s forehead. Only then did he put down the small scraper, raise a finger, and flick him on the forehead.

Seeing him raise a finger, Tie Cheng was about to laugh, but the moment the finger landed between his brows...

He felt as if he had smashed his head against a mountain.

A violent vibration, accompanied by an indescribable pain, instantly shot through every corner of his body.

Even though he knew it was just the force of a single flick, and that Jiang Ran hadn’t even used any Inner Strength, he knew this pain must be something sinister.

But... pain was pain. No amount of reasoning could lessen it in the slightest.

Most importantly, at the end of the day, it was just a flick on the forehead.

And so, despite the intense agony, Tie Cheng wouldn’t be able to pass out.

”Talk or not?”

Jiang Ran asked with a smile, ”Did Dugu Yu send you? What did he want you to get from Master Ma?”

Tie Cheng’s eyes flew open, and he stared at Jiang Ran with a mixture of terror and dread.

”What... what in the world did you use on me?”

His voice carried a slight tremor, revealing that he was not nearly as calm as his expression suggested.

Jiang Ran nodded.

”Still can’t get your priorities straight, I see. In that case...”

As he spoke, he flicked Tie Cheng on the forehead again. Once wasn’t enough, so he did it again. The flicks weren’t powerful, but their strength was in their persistence.