Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

"Since Miss Ruan has made up her mind, I can’t very well stop you. Please, do as you wish."

With things having come to this, Jiang Ran didn’t know how he could possibly refuse.

Ruan Yuqing nodded, satisfied.

She then said her goodbyes to the other disciples of the Shuiyue Sword Sect, telling them to be careful on their journey.

In truth, there wasn’t much danger.

Ruan Yuqing had specially chosen someone to lead them, and besides, the Shuiyue Sword Sect was not to be trifled with.

Even someone like Wu Zhong would likely never have made a move against people from the Shuiyue Sword Sect if it hadn’t been for the Jiaowei.

Everyone knew the Shuiyue Sword Sect was incredibly united, and its elders were fiercely protective of their own.

Provoke one of them, and a whole swarm would come after you.

As long as the group didn’t stir up any trouble on their way, they would be able to reach the Shuiyue Sword Sect without a hitch.

Furthermore, the person leading them had been hand-picked by Ruan Yuqing.

They were astute, their martial arts were strong, and thus they were entrusted with this important responsibility.

Seeing that Ruan Yuqing had finished giving her instructions, Jiang Ran gazed into the distance, toward the location of the Three Rivers Gang.

When he had left that morning, Fang Yinuo, Fang Li, and a large group of Hall Masters had all come out to see him off.

For Jiang Ran, this little gathering on the Three Rivers waterway was just an interlude on his journey.

But for Fang Yinuo and the others, there were still many matters to handle.

The Black Water Stronghold couldn’t just be ignored... but that was their own internal affair. Jiang Ran didn’t particularly care about the specifics.

After a moment’s glance, he looked away and chuckled softly.

"Well then, let’s get going."

...

...

The stars dotted the sky, a cold moon hanging high above.

Under the night sky, a fire was lit at the edge of the woods.

Luo Qingyi took two roast chickens, four pig’s trotters, three waterskins, and four flatbreads from his bundle.

With nimble movements, he arranged the items by the fire.

He then handed waterskins to Li Tianxin and Ruan Yuqing.

Ruan Yuqing thanked him. She looked at Luo Qingyi and really wanted to praise him for being so domestic... but considering he was quite a brawny man, she swallowed the words.

Li Tianxin, hugging his saber, leaned against a tree and casually opened his waterskin to take a drink.

"It’s too quiet, isn’t it?"

"It is."

Luo Qingyi nodded in agreement.

"I thought that after the Young Master spread the news of the Jiaowei, we’d be hounded by killers from every corner."

"Who would have thought that after seven days, there’s been no movement at all."

"We can’t let our guard down,"

Ruan Yuqing said softly.

"The quieter it is, the more careful we must be."

"When you were traveling before, you still ran into some mountain bandits and highwaymen. Now, even they have vanished. It’s clear there’s something else going on."

"They’re probably plotting something big in the shadows."

Jiang Ran’s voice came from up in a tree.

He was sitting on a branch, drinking from a wine gourd.

Perhaps enjoying the wine, his legs were dangling and swinging.

Ruan Yuqing glanced up at him.

"What are you doing sitting up so high?"

"Isn’t it obvious? I’m observing our surroundings."

"And have you observed anything?"

"Nope."

Jiang Ran pouted and leaped down from the tree.

"Aside from some wild animals in the woods getting restless from the smell of roasted meat, I haven’t found a thing."

"Say, do you think they’re all holding back to ambush me at Sunset Plateau?"

"Who knows..."

Ruan Yuqing said.

"You released the information too early. There are too many things they could be planning."

"It’s hard to guess under these circumstances."

"But they’ll come eventually..."

Jiang Ran stretched lazily and sniffed the air.

"Qingyi, your skill at heating up food has really improved lately."

"Thank you for the praise, Young Master."

A smile appeared on Luo Qingyi’s face.

"It’s what I ought to do."

Li Tianxin curled his lip and shot Luo Qingyi a look. "Is that really something to be happy about?"

Luo Qingyi replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"To be appreciated by the Young Master is naturally something to be happy about."

"How ambitious of you."

Jiang Ran heard this and glanced at the "more ambitious one," smiling.

"Brother Li, isn’t it about time you paid your recent food expenses?"

Li Tianxin snorted.

"So what if I have to pay? It’s not a big deal! I have plenty of money!"

As he spoke, he pulled a thick stack of silver notes from his robes.

Jiang Ran never kept the spoils for himself; he always gave them a considerable share.

This was especially true for Li Tianxin. Since the affair with the Monarchs of Sun and Moon and later the business with Shi Pingzhang, while not as obscenely wealthy as Jiang Ran, he still had several thousand silver on him.

He immediately counted out and pulled a few silver notes for Jiang Ran.

"Here, a whole year’s worth!"

Jiang Ran took them and glanced at the amount.

"This isn’t enough."

"I gave you a full three hundred silver! How could that not be enough?"

"How much does a normal family even spend in a year?"

Li Tianxin was furious. "This is enough for me to eat for several years!"

"Not enough, not enough. Brother Li, you underestimate yourself... As the saying goes, a growing boy eats his father out of house and home. And you’re right at that ’growing boy’ stage."

"So as the ’father’ here, shouldn’t I collect a little extra?"

Jiang Ran chuckled mischievously. "Also, Brother Li, I’d advise you to be a little more polite when you speak to me. You know I don’t have many quirks, but I do have this little habit of casually poisoning people... I don’t mean to kill anyone, but when my hands get itchy and there are no outsiders around, I have no choice but to practice on those closest to me."

The first part of his speech had made Li Tianxin want to curse him out.

But the second part completely choked the curses in his throat.

He shot Jiang Ran a hateful glare.

"Sooner or later, I’m settling accounts with you..."