Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

Jiang Ran silently listened to Tie Cheng’s account. Once he finished, Jiang Ran glanced at Li Tianxin.

”You’ve always been worldly and knowledgeable. Have you ever heard of this old monster?”

”I’ve heard of him.”

Li Tianxin nodded.

”It’s just that there’s not much information on him. When he fought his way across the Five Kingdoms back in the day, he came and went without a trace.

”Few were ever able to find any sign of him.

”But I heard that killing those top masters of the era was no trouble for him at all.

”He’d take their heads in just two or three moves.

”As for his saber style, however, the rumors are all over the place. The Nine Shocking God Sabers is just one theory among many.

”But no one has ever been able to confirm it.”

Jiang Ran let out a soft sigh.

The Grand Master had once told him that the Nine Shocking God Sabers had been missing from the martial world for a full hundred years.

’The Old Drunkard had once used this saber art to battle across the land, assassinating masters, but he came and went without a trace. Even if there were witnesses, it would have been hard to identify his saber style from the few moves he used.’

’Everything was just speculation.’

’In that case, what the Grand Master said wasn’t wrong, then.’

’He just held something back...’

Jiang Ran suspected that the Grand Master had sought him out at the inn in Cangzhou Prefecture for this very reason.

After all, this involved a major figure who once roamed unchallenged. For Ink Pavilion, it would be difficult to simply give up.

At this thought, Jiang Ran turned his gaze back to Tie Cheng.

”And then?”

”After leaving Heterodox Manor, he went to places like Poison God Valley, Illusory Sea Tower, and Yao family Manor. Each time, he went to get a certain item.

”Some of these items were priceless heirlooms of their respective sects; others were practically worthless.

”Obtaining the former inevitably led to major fights.

”The latter, however, were easier. Once they knew who he was, they would hand the items over, and he would turn and leave.

”During that period, everyone in the martial world was on edge, terrified he would come knocking on their door.

”But the man’s movements were clandestine. Even Ink Pavilion, with its keen senses, couldn’t pick up his trail. By the time any news got back, he was already long gone to another place.

”This went on for another three months, and then he vanished completely.

”He didn’t show up again until just recently, here in Benma County.”

Tie Cheng spoke softly.

”Over the past twenty years, some said he must have died. After all, with his arrogant and erratic personality, he’d kill at the slightest disagreement.

”If he ran into a master he couldn’t beat, it would only be natural for him to be killed quietly, his corpse left for the wild wolves to devour.

”Others said he grew tired of the endless fighting in the martial world and simply retired to the mountains.

”But no matter which it was, this man left an incredibly deep mark on the martial world...

”So, even after twenty years, as soon as news of his reappearance in the martial world spread, people immediately came looking for him.

”Right now, it’s Heterodox Manor. Illusory Sea Tower vanished without a trace many years ago, but who knows if they’ll catch wind of this and show up too.

”A place like Yao family Manor probably won’t get a chance to trouble him again... Ever since his visit, Yao family Manor has been in a decline from which it never recovered.

”They gradually faded from the martial world about five or six years ago.”

”To turn the martial world upside down all by himself, and yet people still know so little about him they don’t even know what skills he practices.”

Li Tianxin listened with a look of fascination.

”What kind of power is that? If I had even a fraction of his martial skill, I wouldn’t be here taking this crap from you.”

”Are you talking to me?”

Jiang Ran glanced at him.

Li Tianxin ignored him, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing.

”Fine. Then tell me, who did this old monster meet in Benma Town?”

”I don’t know.”

After blurting this out, Tie Cheng quickly added:

”If we knew, we wouldn’t be going to all this trouble.

”We only know that they met at Fuyuan Building that day. Afterward, the person he met with vanished without a trace.

”Because so much time has passed, it’s extremely difficult for our group to investigate... which is why we turned our attention to the Government Office and the local powers.

”Everything I’ve said is the truth. Please, Great Hero, raise your hand high and spare my life.”

”Raise my hand high?”

Jiang Ran looked at his own palm.

Tie Cheng’s face turned pale.

”I... I didn’t mean it like that.”

Jiang Ran smiled but didn’t strike him dead.

”Keep talking. What else do you know? They met at Fuyuan Building; how long were they there?

”During that time, what wine did they order? What food did they eat?

”You must have already questioned the Shopkeeper at Fuyuan Building. What did he say?

”The person he met with—what were they wearing?

”After leaving Fuyuan Building, which direction did they each go?

”Since the old monster chose to meet him in Benma County, could this person be a local?

”Of all the questions I’ve asked, just answer however many you can.”

A cold sweat broke out on Tie Cheng’s forehead as he listened. He mumbled vaguely, and in the end, could only answer a single question.

The person the old monster met was a slender, frail-looking man.

But his face couldn’t be seen clearly. He wore a large conical hat that concealed half of his face.

The only reason they could be sure he was a man was his deep, aged voice—clearly not a woman’s—and the white beard visible beneath his hat.