Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

As he spoke, he picked up the oil lamp and went out the door.

He struggled to shield the pea-sized flame from the wind and rain as he receded into the distance.

”What’s the deal with that man?”

After the old man left, Dao Wuming could finally no longer resist asking:

”I recall the Qiuci Posthouse being abandoned for a long time. Where could that man have come from?”

”You’re asking me? I wanted to ask you.”

Jiang Ran shook his head slightly. ”Your background isn’t simple. You must travel between posthouses quite often. You’ve never met him before when passing through here?”

Dao Wuming shook his head firmly:

”If I’d had the good fortune to meet such a venerable figure, how could I possibly forget?”

”What’s going on? Jiang Ran, isn’t that old man part of the posthouse staff?”

Cheng Tianyang stepped forward.

”Come to think of it, I’d also heard that the Qiuci Posthouse had been abandoned for a long time. That’s why I planned this route...

”But I never expected to arrive today and find not only all of you here, but also an old man asking what official positions we held.

”It was quite a shock, to be honest.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ran’s expression turned a little strange.

”So everyone here only knows about the Qiuci Posthouse from hearsay?”

Dao Wuming nodded.

”I’ve never been here before, so of course I’ve only heard things.”

”As escorts traveling the martial world, we rush all over the place. We have our familiar routes, but there are always places we’ve never been... To be perfectly honest, this is my first time in this region.”

Cheng Tianyang also confirmed that he’d never been here before.

Jiang Ran tapped his finger lightly on the table, then glanced at Feng Wu and Ning Jiuyuan.

”And you two?”

Feng Wu snorted.

”I’ve passed by here before, but never came inside.”

’Just talk. What’s with the snorting?’

’Is he another Li Tianxin?’

For a moment, Jiang Ran was at a loss for words.

But Ning Jiuyuan spoke up with a smile:

”You might not know this, Young Hero Jiang, but the conditions here are poor, and there have been some strange tales about it.

”So...

”Although we who travel the martial world tend to dismiss tales of ghosts and spirits, one must still guard against the unexpected.

”That’s why so few people stop here.

”If it weren’t for the bad weather tonight, we wouldn’t have come here either.”

”Strange tales?”

Tang Huayi was the perfect example of the old saying: the more timid the heart, the greater the curiosity. She was, as they say, all enthusiasm and no skill.

”What strange tales?”

”They’re all just unsubstantiated rumors.”

Ning Jiuyuan thought for a moment before speaking:

”About seven or eight years ago, several murders took place here at the Qiuci Posthouse.

”According to the story, an official from the Capital City was passing through and stayed for the night. The next day, he was found, but his head was missing. An attendant who was traveling with him had also vanished.

”The incident caused a huge uproar. The emperor was reportedly furious and immediately ordered Qiuci County to conduct a thorough investigation.

”But from that point on, the constables sent to investigate and any officials passing through would often meet with untimely ends.

”And their deaths were all gruesome.

”Most were decapitated, while others simply vanished without a trace.

”Some even swore that while staying at the Qiuci Posthouse, they saw a headless ghost floating outside, asking everyone it met, ’Have you seen my head?’

”The story grew more sinister as it spread. Some even claimed that if you answered, ’I haven’t’...

”...it would say, ’But my head is right there, on your neck,’ and then rip your head right off.

”If you answered, ’I have,’ it would demand you lead it to its head.

”In that case, you just had to lead it around in circles. Once the cock crowed at dawn, it would disappear...

”But most of that is just fanciful talk. Many who claim to have seen it are just repeating false rumors. None of it is credible.

”Nevertheless, the fact that incidents happened here so frequently still caused widespread panic.

”That’s why the Qiuci Posthouse was forced to relocate. A new one was built twenty li away.

”Since then, this place has been gradually deserted.”

Hearing this, Tang Huayi clutched the saber in her hand and said to Jiang Ran:

”If you ask me, we shouldn’t stay here long...”

Ruan Yuqing nodded again and again.

”Exactly! Brother Li is absolutely right.”

”...”

Jiang Ran was exasperated. ”That was seven or eight years ago. Even if someone was pretending to be a ghost back then, they’d be long gone by now. Besides, isn’t that old man living here just fine? Stop scaring yourselves.

”Traveling in the rain at night is far too dangerous.

”Let’s eat first. After we’re done, we’ll get a good night’s rest. Everyone stay alert tonight. Even if there really is a problem, I doubt it’s anything we can’t handle.”

Hearing Jiang Ran’s words, Tang Huayi could only let out a quiet sigh and nod, forcing herself to suppress her fear.

Feng Wu glanced at him, somewhat puzzled:

”Friend, you’re a grown man. Are you really afraid of such baseless tales?”

”I...”

Tang Huayi immediately scoffed. ”Absurd!”

Feng Wu also scoffed but didn’t press the issue, merely glancing at Jiang Ran.

The look seemed to imply that for all Jiang Ran’s skill, his companions were nothing special.

Jiang Ran ignored him and called everyone over to eat.

There wasn’t much food—enough for Jiang Ran’s party, and Dao Wuming’s group could probably manage a few bites without issue.

But with Cheng Tianyang’s men included, it was nowhere near enough.

Fortunately, Cheng Tianyang and his people had no intention of freeloading.

They were in the middle of a job and felt safer eating their own provisions. Besides, the escort business has many rules, and drinking on the road is forbidden.

So the meal passed peacefully.

They didn’t exchange many words. At most, Cheng Tianyang simply introduced the leaders of his Celestial Yang Escort Agency to Jiang Ran.