Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

But each time, her opponent dodged with deceptive clumsiness, moving with surprising agility.

”Don’t tell me this is a young couple flirting?”

Li Tianxin’s voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Jiang Ran found the comment deflating. But after watching for another moment, he shook his head.

”No. There are others around...”

Before he could finish, a sharp SNAP echoed.

It was followed by a SWOOSH as a large net sprang up from under the young woman’s feet.

It enveloped her completely. As the net tightened, she was helplessly hoisted into the air.

The turn of events was so sudden that the young woman had no time to react.

By the time she regained her senses, she was completely immobilized. The net’s mesh was too tight, leaving no room for her to swing her sword.

She could only roar in anger:

”You set a trap in advance? How despicable!!”

The young man simply chuckled.

”The means are just a process. Achieving the goal is all that matters.

”There are no despicable methods in this world, only effective ones.”

At this, he clapped his hands lightly.

Immediately, a RUSTLING sound came from all directions. It turned out there were more men lying in ambush.

The young man said,

”Even if you hadn’t been caught in the net, you still would have been surrounded.

”Miss Zhang, your beauty and status make you a fine match for our Young Master.

”So don’t struggle. Just come with us.”

”In your dreams!”

Miss Zhang gritted her teeth and struggled with all her might, but the net wouldn’t budge an inch. Panic seized her, and she couldn’t help but cry out:

”Help... Help!!”

The young man laughed at her cries.

”Go ahead and scream. No one will come to save you, even if you scream yourself hoarse.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand, about to order his men to subdue the captive.

But then, the sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

Startled by the sound, the young man snapped his head up. He saw a bladesman in black with a sallow complexion and a cold, arrogant expression leaping into view.

With a twirl of the single-edged saber in his hand and a loud RIP, he tore an opening in the net.

The young woman inside cried out as she began to fall.

But the bladesman caught her. In a flash, he was at a nearby tree trunk. He kicked off it, launching himself up again before landing gracefully on the ground.

Saber in hand, his gaze swept over everyone present, but he remained silent.

The young woman in his arms stared dazedly at Li Tianxin, not even blinking.

’I can’t believe someone actually came to save me at a time like this.’

’He’s not exactly handsome, but he’s certainly... dashing.’

Jiang Ran, however, was a little confused. He had been about to make a move himself. He had no idea what had gotten into Li Tianxin; the moment he saw Jiang Ran was about to act, he’d rushed out as if trying to steal something from him.

’He’s probably lost his mind...’

Jiang Ran grumbled to himself, but then his brow furrowed as he looked toward another direction in the distance.

Meanwhile, the young man on the ground below frowned.

”Who are you? How dare you meddle in our affairs?”

Li Tianxin glanced at him. Without a word, he spun his saber, and a flash of steel shot straight toward the young man’s face.

The young man was enraged. This stranger had not only ruined their plans, but he’d attacked without a single word.

He was showing them complete contempt.

He roared in fury:

”Kill the man. Take the woman back.”

As he spoke, his body flickered, intending to dodge the blade. But in the next instant, the bladesman in black was already upon him.

The blade carved an arc, aiming straight for his throat.

Greatly alarmed, the young man had no time to think and could only throw his arms up to block his throat.

A sharp CLANG rang out.

The blade struck his wrists but failed to cut through.

A look of surprise flashed across Li Tianxin’s face.

He glanced at the man’s wrists and realized he was wearing some kind of protection.

He immediately channeled his internal energy, and a great force sent the young man flying backward.

When he turned back, two more men had already closed in on him.

With a flick of his saber, two flashes of blade energy shot out. Before the men could even react, blood sprayed from their bodies as they were knocked away.

The remaining men were terrified.

The young man scrambled up from the ground and roared:

”His saber technique is superb! Don’t get close to him—use hidden weapons!”

Immediately, the men who hadn’t charged in yet pulled hidden weapons from their waists and unleashed a wild volley.

Li Tianxin’s expression darkened, and he instinctively moved to shield the young woman with his body.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky.

The next moment, a phantom image enveloped the three of them.

The phantom wore a Daoist robe. It had the furious glare of a guardian deity and was as immovable as a mountain!

The hidden weapons struck the phantom, PINGING off of it. Not a single one could get through.

The young man was stunned. He focused his gaze and saw another young man now standing before Li Tianxin and the girl.

He wore a saber at his waist and held a wine gourd in his hand.

Without giving them so much as a glance, he was tilting his head back to take a drink.

The antagonist’s pupils suddenly contracted.

”Jiang Ran!?”

”Didn’t you already leave Cangzhou Prefecture?”

Jiang Ran, who was in the middle of taking a long drink, paused and glanced at the man.

”And you are?”

But the young man didn’t answer. He just turned and ran.

”Retreat! Retreat!!”

He scrambled away in such a hurry, you’d think he wished his parents had given him two more legs.

When his accomplices heard the name ”Jiang Ran,” they froze for a second. But seeing their leader take off running, they came to their senses and hastily used their Lightweight Technique to follow him.