Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

"But when Ruan Yuqing and I found Liu Xiao’e in the Ghost King Palace, they had all vanished.

"And as for my theory about their identities, no matter which part of it was correct...

"...it meant that someone had to be controlling them from behind the scenes.

"So why would their controller order a retreat, but leave behind the bride they had abducted?"

"Wait!"

Li Tianxin suddenly spoke up.

"Something’s not right here."

"Oh?"

Jiang Ran smiled. "You’re finally using your head. Go on, tell me what’s not right."

"You said those... things, neither human nor ghost, were all being controlled by someone.

"If that’s the case, isn’t it perfectly reasonable that they couldn’t see the firelight when they first stopped?"

Li Tianxin continued, "Doesn’t that mean your initial point of suspicion doesn’t hold up?"

"...I’m suddenly struck by the thought that if you were sitting in a living room looking out, you probably couldn’t see past the threshold."

"What do you mean?"

Li Tianxin stared blankly for a moment, then his expression darkened.

"Are you calling me short-sighted?"

"And just like that, you’re smart again."

Jiang Ran nodded nonchalantly.

"Since they were being controlled, the one who stopped to get our attention obviously wasn’t the so-called ’ghosts,’ but the person controlling them.

"The result is still the same."

Li Tianxin thought for a moment and nodded.

"That does make some sense... But besides those two possibilities, there was a third one, right?

"No one was controlling them. They were simply ghosts. After they delivered the bride to her destination, they put down the sedan chair and went their separate ways."

"Correct."

Jiang Ran glanced at Li Tianxin with a hint of surprise.

"You’re really using your brain this time. Congratulations.

"That’s why my suspicions only deepened at the time; I couldn’t be certain yet.

"After all, there were many possibilities. You can’t jump to conclusions about someone based on a few fragmented clues.

"I just took some reasonable precautions back then. For example, when I helped Liu Xiao’e out of the sedan chair, I used my scabbard.

"Just in case I accidentally fell into a trap."

"So you were truly certain something was wrong with me at the Soul Hook Gambling House?"

Liu Xiao’e looked at Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran nodded.

"That wasn’t the first time we’d heard the name ’Prince Yu.’

"When we first entered the gambling house, someone said you were a new bride captured by Prince Yu.

"But when Prince Yu himself barged into the Soul Hook Gambling House, everyone was looking at him... except you.

"You knew you were captured by him, that he wanted to take you into his household.

"Now that you were seeing the man in person, you should have wanted to sneak a peek, even if just subconsciously, to see what kind of person he was.

"But you... you kept your head down the entire time, not even risking a glance.

"You, an ordinary girl from a common family, yet your composure was greater than that of many heroes from renowned righteous sects.

"Does that seem reasonable?"

"...Then why didn’t you expose me right then and there?"

Liu Xiao’e’s brows furrowed.

Jiang Ran glanced at the Degenerate Gambler.

"Because it wasn’t really necessary. Once I knew something was off about you, I had a pretty good idea of the whole situation.

"The Degenerate Gambler later confirmed my suspicions.

"You lured me here to the Ghost King Palace for one reason and one reason only: the Jiaowei Zither.

"Your elaborate act was all to deliver me to these various Evil Ghosts so they could each try their luck at snatching the Jiaowei.

"And I, in turn, took the opportunity to get acquainted with the masters of the Ghost King Palace, while also rescuing some scattered companions along the way.

"But after I won the Degenerate Gambler over to my side, your role became negligible.

"If I had exposed you, you might have gotten agitated and tried to run, and catching you again would have been a hassle.

"Getting you to come along willingly would have meant wasting my breath.

"So, since you enjoy acting so much, I figured I’d just play along.

"I just didn’t expect that while I kept your secret, the Degenerate Gambler would expose you the moment we stepped outside."

"...I acted on my own accord. Please punish me, Master."

The Degenerate Gambler turned and knelt on the ground.

Jiang Ran waved his hand dismissively.

"It’s a small matter... Besides, now that it’s all out in the open, I’m actually a bit curious.

"What exactly are you all trying to do?

"You want the Jiaowei, and you lured me to the Ghost King Palace. Why not just swarm me, kill me, and take it? That would be the logical thing to do, right?

"Instead, you led me to a gambling house. What’s next, a restaurant...? Oh."

As he spoke, a restaurant came into view before them.

"Pinxin Restaurant?"

Jiang Ran nodded. "It doesn’t look like it’s open, though."

The Degenerate Gambler sniffed the air.

"I smell blood."

Taking a closer look, they saw it was more than just the smell.

Fresh blood was flowing out from under the tightly shut doors.

Li Tianxin quickly said:

"This is where I escaped from!"

Jiang Ran glanced at him and nodded slightly.

Luo Qingyi was about to step forward to investigate but was stopped by Jiang Ran. "Degenerate Gambler, go see what happened inside that restaurant."

"Yes."

The Degenerate Gambler acknowledged the order, leaped to the restaurant’s entrance, and pushed the doors open. The scene of carnage inside, with bodies strewn everywhere, was instantly revealed to them all.

"They’re dead... All of them are dead."

The Degenerate Gambler’s brow furrowed, and Liu Xiao’e’s expression also changed slightly.

"They... killed each other."

Ruan Yuqing understood the situation with a single glance. "This... makes no sense. The Jiaowei Zither is still with you. What could they have been fighting over? Even if they were arguing over the spoils, they’d need to have spoils to fight over in the first place."

The Degenerate Gambler, however, had already rushed into the restaurant and was searching it from top to bottom.