Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

”I’m not finished yet!”

Tang Huayi pointed at Jiang Ran and said,

”Mingyue stayed in Cangzhou Prefecture, and Ye Jingshuang went back to the Liuyun Sword Sect because of matters involving her master.

”I was just breathing a sigh of relief, thinking you could finally rein it in.

”But then you turned right around and ran into Ruan Yuqing!”

”What... what does Ruan Yuqing have to do with this?”

”How is she not involved? I wasn’t the one getting all tangled up with her, was I?

”I’ve heard that for all the years she’s roamed the martial world, she keeps such a distance from men it’s as if she wishes they were on the other side of a chasm. But you? You waltzed right into her room the very first time you met.

”Exchanging flirty looks all day long... I can’t even be bothered with you anymore!

”It’s exhausting... My sister wanted me to stay by your side and keep you safe.

”But as it turns out, your martial arts are so powerful.

’I figured, if you don’t need my protection, then I’ll just help my sister by keeping an eye on you instead.’

”But... this is so much harder than protecting you.

”Can you just stop being a lecher and seducing decent women everywhere you go?”

”Spout any more of that bullshit and see if I don’t cut you down!”

Jiang Ran exploded in anger. He formed his hand into a blade, his face a mask of menace.

”Go ahead, cut me down! The worst that can happen is I die right here in this tub!”

Tang Huayi seemed to have thrown all caution to the wind.

”Let me tell you something. The moment I die, the effects of the Heavenly Mechanism Star Shifting Great Transformation Skill will vanish, and I’ll completely revert to my female form.

”Then everyone can come and see: a beautiful, disheveled young woman dead in your room, in your bathtub. A woman as lovely as a flower, as pretty as a fairy from the heavens.

”Just see how you’ll explain yourself then!”

”...”

Jiang Ran was so angry he almost laughed. ”Do you have any shame at all?”

”You’re the one shamelessly flirting around, so why should I be the one to have any shame?”

Tang Huayi huffed angrily,

”Just think about your own actions! The night before we reached Red Maple Manor, you were alone in a room with Ye Jingshuang... The absolute nerve!

”My sister didn’t even have the heart to devour you whole that night. Can’t you have a little self-respect?”

”Your sister... she didn’t do anything to me that night?”

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow.

”What did you think she would do?”

Tang Huayi sneered. ”My sister has been waiting to marry you for ten years. How could she give herself to you under such ambiguous circumstances? Afterward, you’d not only be completely unaware, as if it were all just a dream, you might even come to resent and hate her for it.

”She’s not that reckless.

”Even if she did do something, it was definitely not what you’re thinking... Hmph. In your dreams.”

”...So, she did do something that night?”

Jiang Ran felt the conversation was getting back on track.

”I’m not telling you that.”

”Do you think you’re in any position to bargain?”

Jiang Ran’s expression turned grim. ”You know what I’m capable of.”

”I know. King Yan’s Wrath, right?”

Tang Huayi said nonchalantly,

”You can torture me, make me wish I were dead.

”But there are some things, some convictions, that I believe I can endure for.

”My sister paid an unimaginable price to save your life.

”It will only be meaningful if she’s the one to tell you about all she has sacrificed.”

”...A price?”

Jiang Ran looked at Tang Huayi. ”What price? Saving my life... So this marriage really was about my Nine Deaths Meridian?”

”Like I said, wait for her to tell you these things in person.”

Tang Huayi rested her head on the edge of the bathtub and looked up at the ceiling.

”Do whatever you want to me. I won’t talk.

”If you don’t believe me, feel free to use that King Yan’s Wrath of yours on me.”

”...”

Jiang Ran slowly exhaled.

”Then... tell me this. Why did everyone from the Tang family leave that night?

”If the plan was for me and Tang Shiqing to get married...

”Why the sudden, baffling departure?”

”It was all because your Nine Deaths Meridian suddenly changed.

”Somehow, you managed to cure the affliction yourself.

”All of our original preparations were suddenly useless.

”Besides, we had our own business to attend to. Since you were going to live, there was no longer a need for you to get entangled with us.

”We are the Demon Sect, after all. For a newcomer to the martial world like you, getting mixed up with us would be a brutal way to start.

”So we decided to just cut ties and leave to handle our own business.”

Jiang Ran mused for a moment.

”Alright, let me get this straight.

”So, my master arranged with you to trick me into coming to Cangzhou Prefecture for a wedding.

”Using the marriage as a pretext... to actually save my life.

”But then you discovered my Nine Deaths Meridian had changed and that I had a way to resolve it myself... so you abandoned the original plan and left abruptly.

”And judging from what you’ve said, Tang Shiqing did a lot to try and save me.

”At that point, all her efforts were on the verge of being wasted.

”So, that night, she still did something to me that I’m unaware of, it’s just that the outcome deviated drastically from what you had all originally envisioned.”

”...That’s right.”

Tang Huayi nodded. ”And what happened was only to your benefit. There was no downside.”

”What kind of benefit?”

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

”Did you really think the Righteous Heart of Creation Scripture alone was enough to counteract the Blood Cauldron Scripture?”

Tang Huayi looked at Jiang Ran, a hint of indignation in her eyes.

Jiang Ran nodded at her words. That answered one of the questions that had been nagging him.

After a moment’s thought, he suddenly poured a cup of tea and offered it to her.

”...Brother-in-law, there’s no need for this, is there?”

Tang Huayi gave a hollow laugh. Seeing Jiang Ran’s determined expression, she sighed and muttered, ”Repaying kindness with cruelty...” as she took the cup and drained it in one gulp.

”I think it’s quite necessary.

”Since you’re not willing to tell me, I’ll grant your wish and let your sister tell me instead.

”Starting today, you’re my hostage.

”If you want to live, find a way for me to meet your sister.”

Jiang Ran suddenly reached out and pinched Tang Huayi’s nose.

He used a bit too much force, making Tang Huayi’s nose turn bright red. ”Otherwise, you’d better consider the consequences. This time, I’m not playing around.”