Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

"Everyone, I have returned to the Three Rivers.

"You... will either kneel and submit to me now, and henceforth become my loyal dogs!

"Glory and riches will be yours!

"Otherwise, those who do not kneel have chosen to be my enemy.

"And you should know full well what fate awaits my enemies!"

Zhuo Fei, though held in the Three-Waters Demon Lord’s palm, roared with laughter upon hearing this:

"The men of the Black Water Stronghold would never associate with the likes of you!"

The Three-Waters Demon Lord just smiled.

"Wouldn’t they? When Zuo Mingqiu was kneeling on the ground, begging me to take him as my disciple, he was the Great Chieftain of your Black Water Stronghold."

"Zuo Mingqiu colluded with demons and heretics! He acted perversely, ignoring the Jianghu Dao and the rules of the waterways. He was never worthy of being the Great Chieftain of our Black Water Stronghold!"

Zhuo Fei roared in anger, "But aside from him, the Black Water Stronghold..."

Before he could finish, there was a THUMP.

Someone had already kneeled and was shouting loudly:

"I am willing to be the Demon Lord’s loyal dog! I will follow your every command and obey your every order!"

Zhuo Fei was stunned. He recognized the voice and couldn’t stop himself from slowly turning his head. Staring at the kneeling man, he could hardly believe his eyes.

"Hou Ming! You..."

Again, before he could finish, a series of THUMPS echoed one after another.

One by one, familiar friends fell to their knees, kowtowing and groveling before the Three-Waters Demon Lord.

Zhuo Fei was utterly dumbstruck.

"Tan Rong, Zheng Bainian... Have you all gone mad?

"Do you know who this man is?

"This is the Three-Waters Demon Lord... Don’t kneel! Get up!!

"Where has your pride gone?"

"Pride?"

Zheng Bainian gave a bitter laugh.

"Actually, the Chieftain was right. These past twenty years have been good, but we’ve just been wasting away.

"If we don’t take this gamble, the Black Water Stronghold might be stuck like this forever.

"We’ll never have a chance to rise again.

"Rather than waste our years away, it’s better to fight for a chance at a real future!"

"What a load of nonsense!"

Zhuo Fei threw his head back and laughed wildly.

"What kind of future do you want? Is a life where no one bullies your family, friends, and loved ones so unbearable?

"Do you need a reckless master above you, forcing you to bow and scrape, to live without a shred of dignity, just to feel satisfied?

"Do you really think this is what you’re meant to do?

"It’s... utterly preposterous!"

"At this point, more words are useless."

Zheng Bainian shook his head and waved his hand lightly.

"Anyone who disobeys the Demon Lord’s command... is to be killed without mercy!!"

SHIIING! As he spoke, the disciples of the Black Water Stronghold drew their weapons.

In an instant, a clear line was drawn between them.

The entire Black Water Stronghold, besides Zuo Mingqiu, had five other leaders.

Zhuo Fei was captured. Of the remaining leaders, a man named Song Hui refused to submit to the Three-Waters Demon Lord. Hearing Zheng Bainian’s order, he immediately roared:

"Brothers, to your positions! Form up to meet the enemy!!"

The men shouted their assent, ready to fight to the death against those who had been their friends just a moment ago but were now their enemies.

Just as the two groups were about to clash...

Suddenly, a flash of blade light swept between them.

The moment was brief, but as the light passed, everyone who witnessed it felt a chill crawl down their spine.

Looking at the path of the blade light, they saw a scar carved straight ahead. Anything in its way had been split in two.

It vanished into a building, its final destination unseen.

But it felt as if that single flash had sliced the entire Black Water Stronghold in half.

Then, they heard a man chuckle.

"Have you all forgotten about me?"

The crowd followed the voice and saw Jiang Ran carefully setting Fang Li aside, propping him up against a wall.

He then glanced at Ruan Yuqing.

"Miss Ruan, please look after him for me."

"Okay."

Ruan Yuqing nodded.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord looked at Jiang Ran calmly.

"So young, yet your martial arts are impressive. What’s your name?"

"Jiang Ran."

Jiang Ran stated his name casually.

"I hear there was a bounty on your head twenty years ago. I don’t know the exact amount.

"But it’s fine. I’m not picky..."

"You insolent brat, you don’t know the immensity of heaven and ear—"

The final word never left his lips as a sense of dread suddenly flooded his heart.

He whipped his head around to see that Jiang Ran, who had been standing in front of the dungeon a moment ago, had somehow appeared right beside him.

A gilded light illuminated the air as a slash descended from above, threatening to cut both him and the Zhuo Fei in his hand in half.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord’s expression changed. The higher one’s martial skill, the more terrifying Jiang Ran’s strike felt!

A thought flashed through his mind. With a casual palm strike to Zhuo Fei’s back, he shoved him directly at Jiang Ran.

Zhuo Fei felt his body completely restrained, unable to move a muscle. He could only shut his eyes and wait for death.

But unexpectedly, when the blade was three inches from his forehead, its edge suddenly turned, redirecting the strike to the side.

As the blade fell, a figure floated backward.

Then, Jiang Ran shot out a palm, not at the retreating figure, but at Zhuo Fei!

A gentle force pushed Zhuo Fei away as Jiang Ran spoke:

"Open your mouth."

Zhuo Fei froze, then subconsciously opened his mouth.

A small, dark object flew straight in.

GULP. He swallowed it. With a flick of his sleeve, Jiang Ran tossed him downstairs.

"Don’t touch him if you want to live! He’s been poisoned!"

He turned back to face the Three-Waters Demon Lord, who was standing not far away.

"The Netherworld Demon Skill... it’s just a poison technique, isn’t it?

"But to think you’d dare play with poison in front of me... you’re still too green for that, old man!"