Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

After saying this, Jiang Ran didn’t hesitate for a moment.

He flicked his fingers, pressing a few more points near Chang Sheng’s wound.

Although the young master had used pressure points to stop the bleeding moments ago, the effect wasn’t great. Now, Jiang Ran was using his Great Brahman World-Saving Finger in concert with the Creation Heart Sutra.

After a few more presses, the bleeding stopped instantly.

Only then did he examine the wound carefully. After a moment, he nodded.

"It didn’t hit any vital organs. Stopping the bleeding and applying some medicine will be enough."

As he spoke, he waved a hand at Luo Qingyi.

"Bring me my pack."

Luo Qingyi immediately retrieved Jiang Ran’s pack. Jiang Ran rummaged through it and quickly found a small box.

This was the very same blood-clotting and flesh-regenerating balm he had once used on Ye Jingshuang.

He opened the box, used a small scraper to gather a thin layer of the balm, and carefully applied it to the wound.

He then took a strip of fine cloth and carefully bandaged the wound, layer by layer.

With a pale face, Chang Sheng watched Jiang Ran work. Only after he was finished did Chang Sheng cup his fist.

"Thank you..."

The young master quickly added,

"Thank you, my friend!"

"Not at all."

Jiang Ran smiled. "It was just a chance encounter. Since I have some skill in this area, I couldn’t very well let a man die right in front of me."

"Well, his wound is treated. I won’t keep you two any longer. I’ll be on my way."

"Wait!"

The young master quickly called out to stop Jiang Ran, smiling as he said,

"May I ask your name, friend?"

"Well..."

Jiang Ran chuckled.

"I am Duan Feng."

"Ah, Brother Duan."

The young master then looked at Li Tianxin and Luo Qingyi.

Jiang Ran pointed to Luo Qingyi and said,

"His name is Xiao Zhu..."

Then he pointed to Li Tianxin.

"And this is Murong Xu."

He had pulled the three names out of thin air.

The young master, entertaining no suspicion, said,

"I am Fang Li. A pleasure to meet you all."

"May I ask if you have any pressing business to attend to?"

"Not particularly."

Jiang Ran said with a smile,

"To be honest, we’re just passing through. We’ve been wandering the martial world, content to go wherever fate takes us."

"That’s wonderful."

Fang Li grinned.

"In that case, I’d like to invite you to be my guests at the Three Rivers Gang. What do you say?"

"Hmph."

Chang Sheng sneered.

"Inviting us to the Three Rivers Gang... Who knows what you’re really up to?"

"What could I possibly be up to? You were running amok in Three Rivers Gang territory, and yet you happened to save my life."

"As for what happened before, let’s call it even."

"I want to be your friend. What do you say?"

Fang Li’s words rang with sincerity; he didn’t seem to be faking it.

Chang Sheng stared at him for a moment before replying,

"Fine. I’m injured and can’t move anyway... Do with me what you will."

"...Who said anything about doing what I will with you?"

The corner of Fang Li’s mouth twitched. With a wave, he summoned two more men to help carry Chang Sheng.

He then gestured for Jiang Ran and his companions to follow.

Li Tianxin and Luo Qingyi exchanged a glance.

Although they didn’t know why Jiang Ran had suddenly put on this performance, they assumed he had a deeper purpose.

He had even gone to the trouble of giving them fake names. So, without another word, Luo Qingyi shouldered the pack, Li Tianxin held his saber, and they followed Fang Li.

Fang Li was quite talkative.

He knew Sanshui County like the back of his hand, and as they walked, he pointed out the local sights to Jiang Ran’s group, explaining what different places were used for and identifying which passersby were disciples of the Three Rivers Gang.

Jiang Ran, in turn, shared a few things about "himself."

He claimed that while he roamed the martial world, he had spent years studying only medicine and knew very little about martial arts.

Any weapons they carried were just for show, to scare people off.

His master had sent him down from the mountain to put his skills to practical use, to benefit the world with his medical knowledge.

However, worried for his safety, his master had assigned him two servants.

One of the servants had immense strength and was tasked with carrying the packs and luggage.

The other was skilled with a saber and responsible for protecting him.

Luo Qingyi took this in stride, but Li Tianxin was practically apoplectic.

Fortunately, he was good at hiding his emotions. He rarely revealed his feelings to anyone—with the sole exception of Jiang Ran.

To any observer, he just looked cold and detached.

Hearing this, Fang Li gave Li Tianxin another look and said with a smile,

"I practice the sword, but I’ve always been curious about the saber."

"If you’re free in the next couple of days, Brother Murong, why don’t we spar a few rounds? I’d like to see your skills."

It took Li Tianxin a moment to realize that "Brother Murong" was him.

’Jiang Ran is so damn random with these fake names,’ he thought. ’He just spouts whatever comes to mind... What does this name even have to do with me?’

Only then did he give a perfunctory nod in response to Fang Li.

With Fang Li mediating the conversation, the atmosphere wasn’t too awkward.

The Three Rivers Gang headquarters wasn’t in Sanshui County itself, but on a small island in the middle of Three Rivers Bay.

The group first made their way to a dock, boarded a boat, and set off toward their destination.

The boat was quite large. After Jiang Ran and his companions were shown to a spacious room, Fang Li said,

"The waters of Three Rivers Bay are vast. Please, get some rest. At this speed, the journey will take a little over an hour."

"Don’t mind us, Young Master. Please, attend to your duties."

Jiang Ran waved his hand dismissively.

Fang Li nodded and took his leave.

The moment the man’s footsteps faded, Li Tianxin began to check their surroundings.

Jiang Ran glanced at him.

"No need to check. The walls are clear."

"Can’t be too careful."

"I’ve already been careful enough."

Jiang Ran tapped his finger lightly on the table.

"They’re not after us."

"Right. Because *you’re* after *them*."

Li Tianxin shot him a sidelong glance.

"What’s going on?"

"That sword in Fang Li’s hand... didn’t it look familiar to you?"

"The sword?"

Li Tianxin and Luo Qingyi exchanged a look, and each saw the confusion in the other’s eyes.