Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

This was no ordinary collision.

Ding Feng felt as if he’d been smashed by a mountain.

The immense force sent him flying right out of his clash with Shi Miao.

His body whizzed through the air for over a hundred feet before crashing hard onto the ground.

Before he could even get up, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He felt as if half the bones in his body were broken.

When he looked back, he saw that Shi Miao had pinned Qi Cheng to the ground with a single sword strike.

After Ding Feng was sent flying, there was nothing left to block Shi Miao’s descending sword.

The blade should have struck the earth, but Qi Cheng had moved to fill the gap.

And so the sword plunged down... its tip piercing through Qi Cheng’s chest and into the ground.

Qi Cheng coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face a mask of disbelief and resentment.

Shi Miao, however, just frowned. He leaped up, pulling his longsword from Qi Cheng’s chest as he rose.

With a strangled cry, Qi Cheng sprayed another mouthful of blood. He was barely breathing, more dead than alive.

His eyes glazed over; he was clearly not going to make it.

At the same time, Ye Jingshuang flicked her sword, shaking off the blood. Two of Qianliu Manor’s four great masters had now fallen by her hand.

She looked back, the sound of constant RUMBLING still filling her ears.

It was Luo Qingyi, still trading fists with his opponent.

The two of them seemed like they could fight endlessly.

From the looks of it, though, Luo Qingyi was completely unharmed. Full of vigor, each of his punches was fiercer and heavier than the last.

His opponent, on the other hand, was trembling all over. With every punch he took, he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Ye Jingshuang watched with a strange expression, unsure of what to say, when she heard Jiang Ran speak up.

”Stop fighting, stop! Any more of this and someone’s going to die.”

”Just kill him already.”

”?”

It took a moment for Ye Jingshuang’s mind to process this before she let out an involuntary snort of laughter.

She shot Jiang Ran a look.

”Brother Jiang... you’re terrible.”

Jiang Ran wore an innocent expression.

”What do you mean? Seeing him in such a miserable state, I just can’t bear it.”

Hearing Jiang Ran’s words, Luo Qingyi nodded. He took a sharp breath, and with a low HUM, he clenched his fist, pulling his arm back as far as it would go. The very air around them seemed to rush into his palm.

His opponent felt his body move uncontrollably, drawn toward Luo Qingyi.

With a deafening WHOOSH that tore through the air, the punch flew. His opponent instinctively threw a punch of his own to counter.

But the moment their fists met, blood spattered everywhere.

Luo Qingyi’s punch first shattered the man’s fist, sending his fingers flying. Then, it continued onward, and with a sickening SQUELCH, his entire fist pierced through the man’s chest.

A clearly visible fist-shaped imprint appeared on the back of his clothes.

Only then did Luo Qingyi flick his hand, tossing the corpse aside.

He glanced at the blood on his hand, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

Watching this scene unfold, the last glimmer of light in Qi Cheng’s eyes faded away.

Meanwhile, the disciples of Qianliu Manor had all come out of the main gate. They watched from a distance, not daring to approach.

Jiang Ran swept his gaze over them and waved a hand slightly.

”Kill everyone except for the servants and attendants.”

The words had barely left his lips when Sword Qi erupted from Shi Miao’s body.

With but a single thought, he would be ready to start the slaughter.

Luo Qingyi also stood ready to act.

And while Ye Jingshuang felt such a massacre was a bit cruel... she also understood Jiang Ran’s reasoning.

’Since we’ve made them an enemy, we must eradicate them completely.’

That was their purpose for coming here today.

She let out a soft breath and was about to strike when a voice called out from within Qianliu Manor:

”Stop!!”

The disciples of Qianliu Manor had been awaiting their execution.

Hearing this cry, they were all stunned.

They turned to see a man who bore a slight resemblance to Qi Cheng walking slowly out from the gate.

His gaze first fell upon Qi Cheng, who lay dying on the ground with blood trickling from his mouth, before he finally turned to face Jiang Ran.

He clasped his fists in a salute.

”I am Qi Gong. Greetings, Young Hero Jiang.”

Jiang Ran glanced at him and nodded.

”So you’ve finally come out?”

”...Indeed, nothing escapes Young Hero Jiang’s discerning eye.”

Qi Gong smiled faintly, but his smile was tinged with bitterness.

”Is he the son of the second wife of Qianliu Manor?”

Ye Jingshuang glanced at Jiang Ran.

”Brother Jiang, you sensed his presence long ago?”

”The son of the second wife.”

Jiang Ran chuckled.

”This son of the second wife has hidden himself far better than his older brother ever did.”

The moment he had arrived at Qianliu Manor today, Jiang Ran had already sensed a master observing them in secret.

At first, he thought Qianliu Manor must have another hidden expert.

But when Qi Cheng attacked with Ding Feng and the four great masters, he knew the manor had no more hidden cards to play.

The expert who had been watching them was clearly not part of Qi Cheng’s plans.

’If this person isn’t part of Qi Cheng’s plans, yet is within Qianliu Manor... they must either be a reclusive master hiding here from the world...’

’...or they’re a member of Qianliu Manor itself.’

Although he hadn’t guessed at the time that this person would be Qi Gong, once he announced his name, everything became clear to Jiang Ran.

As the son of the second wife, he was born of a concubine.

With the legitimate heir, the eldest son, ahead of him, he probably wouldn’t have survived to this day if he had revealed his martial skill and cunning.

That was why he hid his talents, pretending to be a profligate son who did nothing but chase women. This not only allowed him to live a carefree life but also let Qi Cheng occasionally use him as a foil to make himself look better.

A man who could hide himself like this for decades...

...how could he possibly be a simple character?

Jiang Ran looked at Qi Gong.

”So, what do you plan to do, coming out now?”

”To apologize to Lady Ye, and to hand over everything Qianliu Manor took from Red Maple Manor.