Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

”Jiang Ran...”

Ye Jingshuang glanced at Jiang Ran, a little surprised.

Mingyue’s eyes widened, and her gaze upon Jiang Ran was filled with little stars.

Liu Wenshan, however, had a look of sudden realization and wasn’t surprised at all.

Only Li Tianxin snorted and muttered under his breath,

’Is he really doing this for chivalry? He’s doing it for the reward money...’

Fortunately, no one heard him.

Jiang Ran, on the other hand, gave the man across from him a thoughtful look.

He said with a smile,

”Brother, how did you come to know of this matter? Could it be you were also at the Cangzhou Heroic Assembly?”

”No.”

The man shook his head.

”I had intended to go, but unfortunately, I was held up by a last-minute issue. I deeply regret it now, having missed the chance to meet such a heroic figure.”

”The reason I know about all this is because the Great Sir’s Chapter on the ’Cangzhou Heroic Assembly’ from the *World-Hero Record* has been officially released.”

”Storytellers in all the various teahouses are now recounting it.”

”I imagine that within a few days, Young Hero Jiang’s heroic deeds will be known far and wide.”

After hearing this, Mingyue shot to her feet and was about to head out.

Ye Jingshuang quickly stopped her.

”Where are you going?”

”To the teahouse, of course.”

Mingyue said.

”I want to go listen to the story of the Cangzhou Heroic Assembly.”

Everyone present didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Ye Jingshuang said with a laugh,

”Don’t you see what time it is? Who would be drinking tea at this hour?”

”The storyteller won’t start until tomorrow, and besides, it’s not a tale that can be finished in a single day...”

Jiang Ran nodded. ’Ye Jingshuang really is the reliable one when it counts,’ he thought.

Besides, the Great Sir had probably embellished things so much that the story would be a far cry from reality. ’Listening to it would be pointless,’ he mused.

But then he heard Ye Jingshuang say,

”We’ll go tomorrow. We can spend a few days and listen to the whole thing from start to finish!”

Mingyue immediately nodded vigorously. ”Cousin, you’re brilliant!”

Jiang Ran was speechless.

Liu Wenshan couldn’t help but smile. He raised his cup in a toast, and everyone resumed eating and drinking. The meal ended on a merry note, and they all retired to their rooms.

The next morning, Ye Jingshuang came looking for Jiang Ran shortly after he woke up.

She told him that Liu Wenshan had decided to settle down in Cangzhou Prefecture.

Since that was the case, Jiang Ran didn’t hesitate. He immediately arranged for carriages and horses. Those who rode in carriages got in, and those who rode horses mounted up. The group packed their belongings and set out to return to Cangzhou Prefecture first.

Ye Jingshuang and Mingyue, however, were full of regret, feeling quite resentful that they couldn’t listen to the tale of the Cangzhou Heroic Assembly.

Jiang Ran felt helpless. ’Wouldn’t my own account be more accurate than some storyteller’s?’ he wondered.

But since no one asked, he could only click his tongue and keep it to himself.

He urged the horses and carriages onward, hurrying toward Cangzhou Prefecture.

As they traveled, Jiang Ran glanced at Li Tianxin, who was shadowing his every move, and was momentarily at a loss for words.

”Speaking of which, isn’t it about time for you to leave?”

”Go where?”

Li Tianxin asked.

”...How should I know?”

Jiang Ran said, perplexed.

”We just met by chance on the road. How did I end up stuck with you?”

”Who’s stuck with you?”

Li Tianxin shook his head.

”I just have a feeling you’re a magnet for trouble. You’re always provoking the Demon Sect, the Celestial Palace, or the Heartless Ghost Mansion. Sooner or a later, you’re going to cause a major incident.”

”If I follow you, I might just run into those remnants of the Demon Sect.”

”Wouldn’t that save me a lot of effort from having to search for them everywhere?”

Jiang Ran heard his reasoning and was about to argue.

But just as the words were about to leave his lips, he realized that Li Tianxin might have a point.

Putting everything else aside, just his System alone seemed designed to stir up trouble. ’It would be a disservice to it not to,’ he thought.

He sighed.

”Do as you please.”

The journey to Cangzhou Prefecture wasn’t long, and for a while, they encountered no trouble along the way.

Unexpectedly, however, an incident occurred just as they were approaching the outskirts of Cangzhou Prefecture.

They were still about half a day’s journey from Cangzhou Prefecture. The sun was blazing high in the sky, and both men and horses were weary. They were just about to find a shady spot by the road to rest for a while.

Just then, they heard a cry of alarm come from the woods.

The voice didn’t belong to a woman, but to a young man, and it was filled with panic.

The moment Jiang Ran heard it, his ears perked up.

He said to Ye Jingshuang,

”Shuang’er, you stay here and protect them.”

With a push of his feet, his figure blurred into a series of afterimages as he dashed toward the source of the sound.

’Always sticking his nose in other people’s business...’

Li Tianxin’s brow furrowed slightly, and he immediately leaped up to follow behind Jiang Ran.

Ye Jingshuang dutifully remained by Liu Wenshan and Mingyue’s side, guarding the carriage in case of any other dangers.

At the same time, she took out a signal flare.

This was part of an agreement she had made with Jiang Ran earlier: if they encountered any trouble on the road and he wasn’t with them, she was to immediately fire the flare, and he would return at once, no matter what he was doing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ran plunged into the woods. He didn’t have to go far before he saw the young man who had been crying out in panic.

He was being pursued, but his pursuer was, surprisingly, a young woman of about sixteen.

The girl was dressed in moon-white robes and had a valiant, heroic air about her. She wielded a short sword, each of her strikes aimed at his vital points.

Jiang Ran was taken aback at the sight.

His judgment was far sharper than it used to be. After clashing with so many experts, he could now get a good measure of someone’s martial skill—roughly seventy or eighty percent—the moment they made a move.

The young man appeared to be completely cornered by the girl, with nowhere to run, yet he always managed to dodge the fatal blows by a hair’s breadth.

If it had happened once or twice, it could be explained away.

However, the girl was extremely fast. In the short time Jiang Ran had been watching, she had already unleashed more than ten moves, at least seven or eight of which had been aimed at vital points.