Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

Fang Yinuo was startled. Looking up, he saw that the one who had struck was not Jiang Ran, but Li Tianxin.

He had a cold, proud expression, saber in hand. Fresh blood dripped slowly from its tip.

Luo Qingyi stood beside him, silent and solemn, like an iron tower.

Meanwhile, Ruan Yuqing, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, stood up and said to Jiang Ran,

"I know where Black Water Stronghold is. I’ll go with you."

"Alright."

Jiang Ran didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Zuo Mingqiu, went directly to Li Tianxin’s side, and whispered something in his ear.

Li Tianxin leaned in to listen, his expression shifting slightly before he nodded.

"As long as I’m here, you can rest easy."

"Good. Lady Ruan, let’s go."

After saying this, Jiang Ran’s figure flickered, and he was already rushing out.

With a flick of the Shattered Gold Saber in his hand, anyone who came near was left dead on the floor before they could even realize what was happening.

Ruan Yuqing, sword in hand, was about to help, but there was no resistance at all on their way out.

Anyone who tried to block their path now lay dead on the ground.

And after bursting out of the main hall, they found that, surprisingly, there were no other enemies on the whole of Gathering Island.

Zuo Mingqiu had really dared to set foot on Gathering Island with just a few dozen men.

But as they made their way out, they discovered that nearly all the disciples of the Three Rivers Gang were lying on the ground.

In some areas, the air was thick with the smell of wine. Lights were on, but no voices could be heard from within—only thunderous snores.

Jiang Ran’s mind raced; this was not unexpected.

In moments, he and Ruan Yuqing reached the docks.

A quick scan revealed several large ships, all belonging to the Three Rivers Gang.

There was also a mid-sized vessel with no markings, likely the one Zuo Mingqiu had arrived in.

But none of these boats suited Jiang Ran’s purpose.

His eyes shifted again, this time landing on a small sampan.

His eyes lit up. Grabbing Zuo Mingqiu, he leaped aboard the boat.

He looked up at Ruan Yuqing, who was still on the shore.

"Lady Ruan, time is of the essence! Hurry!"

Ruan Yuqing hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded, leaping onto the boat.

"But I don’t know how to row."

Before she could finish her sentence, she realized the small sampan was already moving.

Ruan Yuqing froze, then understanding dawned on her.

"You’re channeling your Inner Strength into the hull to propel it through the water..."

By the time she said this, the sampan was already shooting forward like an arrow from a bow.

She didn’t dare use a rooting technique to steady herself, fearing she might be injured by Jiang Ran’s Inner Strength.

She could only sit down quickly and grab hold of the hull. She said to Jiang Ran,

"This is certainly fast... but how much Inner Strength can you afford to spend?"

"There must be something strange going on at Black Water Stronghold. Zuo Mingqiu must have had some powerful backing to dare cause trouble for the Three Rivers Gang."

"If you... by the time we arrive..."

At this point, her face grew pale. Her chest felt tight, and she was overcome with nausea.

She gagged twice but managed to suppress it.

Jiang Ran wore a strange expression.

"Lady Ruan... You’re the renowned Gentle Water Sword. Don’t tell me you get seasick?"

"...On normal boats, I don’t..."

"But this boat of yours... BLECH!!"

At that, she could no longer hold it in. With a loud retch, she threw up everything she had eaten at the banquet.

Jiang Ran winced.

’No matter how beautiful a woman is, she won’t look her best while throwing up like that.’

He casually struck Zuo Mingqiu’s pressure points, then grabbed the front of his clothes to keep him from falling out of the boat.

He glanced back toward the Three Rivers Gang’s headquarters, his brow furrowing slightly.

’In this world, if something doesn’t make sense, there’s always a reason for it.’

’Zuo Mingqiu’s actions tonight were strange in several ways.’

’For example, the Three Rivers Water Token is supposed to be won at the Three Rivers Water Assembly by proving one’s martial superiority over all rivals.’

’Even if Zuo Mingqiu had gotten his hands on the token tonight, just as Fang Yinuo said, it wouldn’t be recognized by all of the three gangs and six strongholds of this river region.’

’On what authority could he command the Green Forest folk of the waterways with it?’

’Second, judging from his fight with Fang Yinuo, his martial skill is likely superior...’

’So why not wait for the Three Rivers Water Assembly to begin before making his move?’

At this thought, he glanced at Ruan Yuqing, who had been throwing up for a while now.

"Lady Ruan... are you done vomiting yet?"

"I..."

Ruan Yuqing had just taken a deep breath and was forcefully suppressing the urge to be sick, but the moment Jiang Ran said the word "vomiting," it set her off again.

She immediately turned away and began heaving again.

She retched a few more times. Fortunately, Jiang Ran’s boat was moving so fast that whatever she brought up vanished into the night in an instant, so it wasn’t too unpleasant to see.

She couldn’t stop herself from turning to shoot Jiang Ran a venomous glare.

"Could you... just talk a little less..."

Jiang Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"I just wanted to ask if you knew the origins of the so-called ’Netherworld God Palm’."

"...I... I do."

Ruan Yuqing thought for a moment and realized she couldn’t just keep grimly holding onto the boat.

She decided to sit cross-legged and slowly circulate her energy, speaking slowly as she did.

"Years ago, in this Three Rivers region, there was a Demon..."

"He was originally a fisherman making his living on the river. One day, he was swept into the water during a great storm. An undercurrent unexpectedly pulled him into a hidden place."

"There, he received the inheritance of the Netherworld Ghost Monarch, who had once dominated the martial world."

"He mastered the Netherworld Demon Skill."

"When his training was complete, he emerged into the martial world and called himself the ’Three Waters Demon Lord.’"

"That name... sounds a bit watered-down."

Jiang Ran couldn’t help but interject.

"He was an uneducated man. It was no small feat for him to come up with a name like that for himself."

Ruan Yuqing found that circulating her energy really did make her feel much better.

"Would you please stop interrupting..."

"He ran rampant twenty years ago, dominating the three gangs and six strongholds to the point they couldn’t even raise their heads."

"He forced them to pay him tribute every year and swear fealty."

"He was cruel and bloodthirsty. The three gangs and six strongholds suffered terribly under his rule. The slightest misstep, and heads would roll."

"Later, it was Fang Yinuo who led a rebellion, uniting the others to kill the Three Waters Demon Lord and take back control of this waterway."