Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

Jinyang Prefecture was located in the western part of the Golden Cicada Dynasty.

Starting from Red Maple Manor, one had to travel west and cross the entire Golden Cicada territory to reach Jinyang Prefecture at its westernmost edge.

It was a long journey.

Jiang Ran made a trip to Qianliu Manor, instructing Qi Skill to send people to Red Maple Manor to manage daily affairs, then set out on his way.

Traveling with him were Li Tianxin and, additionally, Luo Qingyi.

According to Luo Qingyi, he was tagging along mainly because he had nothing better to do.

Before Jiang Ran had slain Li Feiyun, his sole purpose in life had been to seek revenge.

But once Li Feiyun was dead and his great vengeance was achieved, his only pillar of support vanished, leaving him feeling lost.

So, after wandering around Cangzhou Prefecture for many days, he came to Red Maple Manor to see what was going on.

Upon meeting Jiang Ran, he decided to travel with him. It didn’t matter where they went or what they did; at least he wouldn’t be alone anymore.

Jiang Ran, however, was somewhat wary of Luo Qingyi.

He didn’t quite trust him.

First, the fact that he was able to infiltrate Feiyun Stronghold was a bit strange in itself.

Second, a man like Guo Chong might seem open and straightforward, but he was incredibly sharp. During the Cangzhou Heroic Assembly, although Guo Chong had trusted Jiang Ran to handle the situation...

’...how could he possibly not have placed someone there as a backup?’

Finally... when Jiang Ran went to Guo Chong to collect the bounty for Li Feiyun and his men, there had been someone hiding behind a screen.

That person’s breathing technique was identical to Luo Qingyi’s.

’If that person was indeed Luo Qingyi, then the first two points would have a reasonable explanation.’

’Guo Chong must have arranged for Luo Qingyi to infiltrate Feiyun Stronghold.’

’The person Guo Chong had arranged to be there on the day of the Heroic Assembly was none other than Luo Qingyi.’

However, Jiang Ran didn’t plan to dig any deeper into the matter.

As things stood, Luo Qingyi’s performance was quite good.

He worked hard without a single complaint.

’And taking a step back, even if Luo Qingyi really was planted by my side by Guo Chong, there must be a reason for it.’

Besides, there was no real conflict between Jiang Ran and Guo Chong.

Jiang Ran mulled it over and concluded that the most likely reason was the matter of the Tang family.

After all, the Tang family had hidden in Cangzhou Prefecture for so many years, only to move their entire clan the day after he arrived.

’Even if I were in Guo Chong’s shoes, I’d probably have my doubts too.’

’Having someone follow me is most likely related to this matter.’

’If it’s really as I suspect, then having Luo Qingyi travel with me openly poses no threat at all.’

’And if something comes up that he shouldn’t know about, it’ll be even easier to mislead him.’

So, he let him tag along.

The group of three, with Ding Feng in tow, left Red Maple Manor and soon arrived at the nearest county town, where they exchanged Ding Feng for silver notes.

The reward was nothing special—it was neither Ding Feng’s Inner Energy technique nor his Swordsmanship.

It was a fist-fighting style.

It was probably something Ding Feng had learned in his early years. After a quick look, Jiang Ran chose not to claim it, instead adding a buff to himself.

As for the *Chaotic Mind Funeral Elegy*, Jiang Ran had already claimed it long ago.

However, what he received wasn’t just the musical score, but also a wealth of knowledge on music theory.

The only problem was that all this knowledge was related to the zither.

And he couldn’t just rashly use the Jiaowei he carried on his back.

So, for now, without a solution for how to play the Jiaowei, the *Chaotic Mind Funeral Elegy* was of little use.

Unless he bought another zither...

’But that would be a hassle.’ He already had plenty of miscellaneous things on him.

He couldn’t just toss the Jiaowei aside.

’Carrying another zither... that would be a huge burden just to look at.’

He decided to leave things as they were for the time being.

The three of them traveled at a leisurely pace, taking time to admire the beautiful mountains and rivers they encountered.

Whenever they heard of a place with fine wine and delicious food, they would naturally stop for a hearty feast.

Unfortunately for his companion, Jiang Ran had an enormous tolerance for alcohol. He could drink Luo Qingyi under the table without feeling the slightest bit tipsy himself.

As for Li Tianxin... he never drank.

Along the way, they inevitably ran into some wandering martial artists or mountain bandits and highwaymen looking to rob travelers.

Running into Jiang Ran could only be described as their misfortune.

Not only did they fail to make a fortune off him, but they ended up making him a fortune instead.

The only issue was that the rewards were nothing to write home about.

You couldn’t expect a bandit with some half-baked skills to yield any incredible Qi Skill or secret technique, even if they had a bounty on their head.

The rewards were mostly just for Inner Strength, with very few actual techniques. The occasional one that did appear was abandoned by Jiang Ran in exchange for a chance to improve his next reward.

Before he knew it, Jiang Ran had accumulated four of these reward-enhancing buffs.

Time trickled by.

「In the blink of an eye, it was September.」

By then, the hottest days were over. From here on, each day would be cooler than the last.

Although it wasn’t yet the time for crisp autumn air, it was much better than the August they had just endured.

On this day, the group of three happened to be passing through a county town.

The place was called Sanshui County.

It was named for the three rivers that converged near the county.

The region was rich in aquatic products, especially a fish from the Three Rivers Bend called ’Silver Shuttle,’ a local favorite.

And this fish happened to be at its most succulent during September and October.

Tempted by their appetites, the three of them made their way to a restaurant in the county called the Golden Goblet Tower, ready to sample the local delicacy.

The restaurant was bustling with activity.

After finding a table, they called over a waiter and ordered "Joyful Reunion," the Golden Goblet Tower’s signature dish.

The dish was named for the way it was prepared.

Freshly caught Silver Shuttles from the Three Rivers Bend were cleaned, then pan-fried in oil, letting out a loud SIZZLE.