Chapter 359 178: Being a Guest

Gu Xizhi had been beaten horribly.

Jiang Ran could hardly believe this was the Celestial Dragon Divine Sword.

His sword was broken, yet he still gripped it tightly in his hand.

His limbs were bloodied, his bones and tendons snapped by brutal attacks.

His chest was sunken in, several ribs shattered. The force of a palm strike had injured his internal organs.

He was now on the verge of death.

If not for his profound Inner Energy protecting his heart meridian and preserving a single breath, he would have been dead long ago.

"Dammit. Haven't seen him in over a decade. Never thought our reunion would be our last."

Xuanyuan One Slash's eyes went wide when he saw Gu Xizhi.

He glanced at Scholar Jingtan.

"You did this? After all these years, you finally got him?"

"…"

Scholar Jingtan couldn't be bothered to respond to him and said to Jiang Ran:

"As much as I hate to admit it, that old coot's martial arts are by no means inferior to mine.

"The person who could injure him to this extent is no ordinary figure.

"That old coot may be rigid and dogmatic, but… he's a good man at heart. I can't imagine who would beat him into this state."

Jiang Ran nodded thoughtfully, knowing that Scholar Jingtan still wanted him to save the man.

The two had been rivals their whole lives, never sparing each other in their verbal spars.

But theirs was ultimately a gentlemen's rivalry, not the work of petty villains who would stop at nothing. Seeing Gu Xizhi in such a state, Scholar Jingtan clearly couldn't bear it.

He pondered for a moment, then took a small vial from his robes, poured out a single pill, and placed it in Gu Xizhi's mouth.

"His injuries are severe. This pill will keep him alive for now.

"As for the rest, we'll deal with it once we reach Evergreen Prefecture."

"Alright."

Scholar Jingtan cupped his fist to Jiang Ran.

"Thank you, Young Hero Jiang."

"You're too kind."

Jiang Ran waved a hand dismissively, then glanced at Xuanyuan One Slash.

The old man seemed reckless, but he was actually sharp as a tack. He immediately nodded.

"Someone, carry this old coot away! Take good care of him, and whatever you do, don't let him die."

Disciples from the Blood Saber Hall immediately came over and carefully carried the man away.

"I knew he was tailing us. I was wondering why he didn't show up when all that commotion happened at the posthouse."

Tang Huayi averted her gaze from Gu Xizhi and said to Jiang Ran:

"Scholar Jingtan was right. He's a good old man who rarely makes enemies.

"This time, I'm afraid it must have something to do with that thing on your back."

Jiang Ran said thoughtfully:

"But if that's the case, why didn't they attack me directly?"

"Perhaps they ran into Elder Gu just as they were about to make their move?"

Ruan Yuqing added from the side:

"Elder Gu might have been critical of us, but if he really discovered someone with ill intentions, he would never have let it slide.

"That could have been what started the conflict."

Jiang Ran nodded.

"Miss Ruan makes a good point."

Tang Huayi was instantly indignant.

"So what I said didn't make sense?"

Jiang Ran froze.

"Who said what you said didn't make sense?"

"Then why didn't you say, 'Brother Li makes a good point'?"

Tang Huayi demanded righteously.

Jiang Ran thought for a moment, then asked with great sincerity:

"Are you crazy?"

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Ruan Yuqing almost burst out laughing, but seeing 'Li Tianxin' channeling her energy behind Jiang Ran's back as if to draw her blade, she ultimately managed to suppress the urge.

Finding Gu Xizhi along the way was but a minor interlude.

Afterward, the group officially arrived at Evergreen Prefecture.

Evergreen Prefecture was full of Cyan Mountains. As far as the eye could see, there were layers of verdant, overlapping peaks.

However, these mountains weren't particularly large. They were often solitary, sheer peaks, standing straight and tall, pointing to the azure sky.

Of course, there were also towering, majestic ones like Sanxian Mountain.

But some of the smaller peaks could even be seen from within the prefectural capital of Evergreen Prefecture.

There were even buildings atop the peaks.

People used ropes to get up and down, and some even climbed with their bare hands, a clear, ingrained habit.

The scenery here was completely different from Cangzhou Prefecture, and Jiang Ran found it to be quite an eye-opening experience.

After entering the city, the first to part ways with Jiang Ran's group was Cheng Tianyang.

He cupped his fists and said to Jiang Ran:

"Young Hero Jiang, we have business to attend to, so we will take our leave of you all here.

"Once our business is concluded, I will seek you out to share a drink, Young Hero Jiang."

They had only met Cheng Tianyang by chance at the posthouse, and had traveled together simply because they were heading in the same direction.

Now that he had reached his destination, he naturally had to go settle his business.

Jiang Ran smiled and said at once:

"Of course, Chief Cheng. Please, go on ahead. Our paths are bound to cross again. Until we meet again!"

"Until we meet again!"

Cheng Tianyang cupped his fist in salute, then called to the men from the Celestial Yang Escort Agency and headed off in another direction.

Jiang Ran and the others watched them go until they disappeared down the street. Only then did Ning Jiuyuan step forward.

"Young Hero Jiang, now that you've come to Evergreen Prefecture, do you have a place to stay?"

"I plan to find an inn to stay at for a couple of days and prepare for the matter on Sanxian Mountain on the eighth of the tenth month."

Jiang Ran smiled. "Speaking of which, this is the first time I've had to prepare for such an event. I'll need to carefully look into what I should bring."

Ning Jiuyuan nodded upon hearing this.

"I see. Young Hero Jiang, regarding the incident at Qiuci Posthouse, it was thanks to your help that the Golden Needle was removed from my junior brother's head.

"Evergreen Prefecture is the territory of my Qifeng Manor. Now that you are here, if we were to let you stay in an inn, word would get out, and our peers in the martial world would surely mock Qifeng Manor for its lack of hospitality.

"This Jiuyuan dares to invite you, Young Hero Jiang, to be our guest at Qifeng Manor. I wonder what your thoughts are?"