Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

"The Thousand Silk Ghost Concubine?"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone present, except for Jiang Ran, stared at Liu Xiao’e in astonishment.

Liu Xiao’e, in turn, looked at the compulsive gambler in disbelief.

Her eyes went wide. She never expected that even with Prince Yu dead, her cover would remain intact.

But now, the compulsive gambler had exposed her in a single sentence.

As this thought crossed her mind, she flicked her hand, about to release a white powder, only to feel a fierce gust of wind blow it right back at her.

Not a single grain was wasted; it all showered down on her own head and face.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Liu Xiao’e coughed repeatedly, stumbling backward.

She reached out to take out a bottle of pills and was about to open it when a hand suddenly shot out and snatched the bottle away.

"Give it back!"

Liu Xiao’e cried out and tried to grab it back, but only managed a muffled groan.

"Save your energy. You should know the effects of your own Defeat Powder without me having to tell you, right?"

Jiang Ran chuckled.

"Calm down, miss. There’s no need to be in such a hurry to escape. If I truly wanted to harm you, I would have acted back in the casino. I certainly wouldn’t have let you go on for this long."

"You..."

Liu Xiao’e wiped her face fiercely and looked up at Jiang Ran.

"What do you mean? You saw through it long ago?"

"It wasn’t that difficult, actually."

Jiang Ran said softly,

"The clues tonight were too obvious. Never mind, let’s talk as we walk.

"Compulsive gambler, lead the way. We’re going to meet the Ghost King."

"Yes."

The compulsive gambler agreed and led the way.

Jiang Ran glanced at Liu Xiao’e and made a ’please’ gesture in her direction.

Liu Xiao’e looked at Jiang Ran, then at the others present. Finally, she took a deep breath and followed behind the compulsive gambler and the six bizarre dice-men.

Although she had been hit by the Defeat Powder and couldn’t fight, her ability to walk was unaffected.

"We’re still going?"

Li Tianxin felt annoyed; he really didn’t want to linger here.

Jiang Ran smiled and said,

"Brother Li, you’re free to leave first."

"Forget it, I’ll stick with you."

As for Ruan Yuqing and Luo Qingyi, there was no need to ask.

By now, they no longer felt any fear toward this Ghost King Palace.

Especially Luo Qingyi, who hadn’t been afraid from the very beginning.

As they walked, Jiang Ran began to explain,

"At first, it was quite frightening... The ghostly wedding procession truly didn’t seem to be made of living people.

"But once we were actually inside the Ghost King Palace, it became clear that all these so-called Evil Ghosts were just people in disguise.

"So what was the deal with those ’wedding escort ghosts’ at the beginning?

"The place we were in wasn’t particularly hidden, and what’s more, we had a brightly burning fire.

"At that time, they were looking all around. If they were truly ghosts—something we don’t understand—it’s hard to say if they could have seen us.

"But if they were human... how could they possibly have missed us?

"Yet they acted as if they didn’t see us at all. So I made a guess... that pause they took was just to attract our attention, wasn’t it?"

"I see."

Ruan Yuqing nodded lightly. "Encountering such a bizarre group on the road, one would either flee in terror or follow them to investigate. And if their target was the Jiaowei you carry, they would naturally have investigated your character.

"They’d know you wouldn’t be afraid and would definitely follow to check things out."

"And the reason I followed was, of course, because you were people, not ghosts."

Jiang Ran smiled. "After all, ghosts don’t leave such obvious footprints on the ground."

"Didn’t you say there were no footprints back then?"

Li Tianxin couldn’t help but ask.

"I was just messing with you."

Jiang Ran was a bit speechless. "So you mean to tell me you didn’t even dare to glance at the ground this whole time?"

"I... What do you mean, ’didn’t dare’?"

Li Tianxin said, craning his neck stubbornly,

"I was... trusting you! Yes, I was trusting your judgment! There was no need for me to look again!"

"You’re quite amusing when you’re being so stubborn."

Jiang Ran continued,

"The second point was when we entered Eternal Town.

"You previously created a ghostly atmosphere by using a technique like the Turtle Breath Technique to suppress your breathing and heartbeat.

"It made it so I couldn’t hear any breathing, heartbeats, let alone any pleas for help, from inside the sedan chair.

"But once you reached Eternal Town, you suddenly started crying and begging for mercy...

"That was to tell me that there was a living person in the sedan chair. As a righteous martial artist, how could I abandon a living person in need?

"So, the moment the sedan chair entered Eternal Town was when I truly became suspicious.

"However, I couldn’t be certain at that point.

"But when Miss Ruan and I emerged from the Bewildering Ghost Wall and saw you deep within the Ghost King Palace, that suspicion was completely solidified."

"What did I do at that time?"

Liu Xiao’e’s brow furrowed slightly. "Back then, I shouldn’t have done anything at all..."

Ruan Yuqing also looked at Jiang Ran.

At that moment, not only had Liu Xiao’e done nothing, but her acting had been impeccable.

She cried a river of tears, and when she got out of the sedan chair, the way her legs gave out was utterly convincing.

"But the ’ghosts’ who were carrying her sedan chair had vanished."

Jiang Ran said softly,

"While following the sedan chair, I had noticed them—the ones carrying her, beating the gongs, and playing the drums.

"They really didn’t look like living people.

"They looked strange, their movements were perfectly synchronized, and their joints were stiff.

"I thought about it over and over, and it seemed to me that they were like clockwork puppets, wound up by someone to move in a fixed pattern.

"Or perhaps a type of walking corpse being controlled by someone.

"Without a single, unifying will, how could they possibly achieve such perfect synchronization?"