Chapter 388: The Seventh Day

But now, under Jiang Ran’s guidance, he had made another breakthrough in his saber techniques—something Xuanyuan One Slash himself had never expected.

In this way, Jiang Ran spent a few truly leisurely days playing chess and drinking tea with Ruan Yuqing, studying saber techniques with Xuanyuan One Slash, and bickering with Tang Huayi.

However, as the eighth day of the tenth month drew near, Jiang Ran could no longer afford to be idle.

Although he’d left all the arrangements to Yan Wushuang,

He still had to make certain selections himself. He had to make a couple of trips to Sunset Plateau, and decide how the tables should be arranged, how the Jiaowei zither would be displayed, and where his own seat would be.

These were all matters no one else could decide for him.

Amidst these various tasks, time quietly slipped by until it was the seventh day of the tenth month.

…

…

「That night.」

Inside Qifeng Manor, Jiang Ran sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, toying with a wine gourd as he gazed up at the crescent moon.

He gently shook the gourd, uncorking it every now and then to take a sip.

“The autumn wind is chilly tonight. Instead of resting in your room and waiting for tomorrow’s big event, why are you out here drinking?”

Tang Huayi’s voice came from the side.

Jiang Ran didn’t turn his head, simply pointing to the bench beside him.

“Join me for a drink?”

“I don’t drink just any ordinary wine.”

Tang Huayi casually placed her saber on the table as she sat down.

“What’s wrong? You seem to have something on your mind. Don’t tell me you’re nervous?

“You’re the one who orchestrated this whole affair. Tomorrow, all those Jianghu People from far and wide will be here to watch your performance. If you’re too nervous to get on stage, it’ll be a massive joke.”

Jiang Ran just smiled and poured her a cup of wine.

Tang Huayi took the cup and sniffed it, her eyes lighting up.

“Gao Ge?”

“‘To sing with wild abandon.’ This truly is a fine wine.”

Jiang Ran sighed softly. “Right now, the place in all the Jianghu that interests me most is Qianyun Manor. I wonder what kind of place it is.”

“Qianyun Manor…”

Tang Huayi lifted her cup and took a delicate sip, as if reluctant to drink it too quickly, a far cry from the way she had chugged it down in the carriage that day.

After a moment of thought, she said, “I’m not sure what Qianyun Manor is like. But I do know their family’s ancestral Wine God Skill is an incredible Inner Energy technique. I’ve heard that to cultivate it, you have to drink. The more you drink, the deeper your Inner Strength becomes.”

“Oh?”

Jiang Ran’s eyes lit up. “There’s a martial art like that in the world? Why haven’t I heard of it before…”

“You’ve always been rather clueless about these things, haven’t you?”

Tang Huayi grinned.

Jiang Ran shot her a look and toyed with the Jade Pendant hanging from his waist.

He often toyed with the Jade Pendant, and the constant handling had made it increasingly lustrous. But sometimes, looking at it would stir up old memories, reminding him of a disheveled Ye Jingshuang when they first met.

Tang Huayi glanced at the Jade Pendant in his hand, snorted, and said,

“But as powerful as the Wine God Skill is, mastering it is not so easy.

“Because to increase your Inner Energy with this technique, you have to be able to drink without getting drunk.

“Everyone’s tolerance for alcohol is different. The stronger the vintage, the greater the boost to one’s Inner Strength from the Wine God Skill. But some people get drowsy after a single sip of such strong liquor, so how could they possibly cultivate?

“So, to build their disciples’ tolerance, the people of Qianyun Manor have them soak in vats of wine from a young age.

“Drinking all day long to build up a tolerance… It’s a rather difficult path.

“I suppose if I had been born into Qianyun Manor, I’d probably be the least favored disciple in the family.”

As she spoke, a faint blush colored her cheeks, and she gave Jiang Ran a hazy look from her mesmerizing eyes.

Jiang Ran almost gagged.

A beautiful, charming girl looking at a man with hazy, captivating eyes would naturally make his heart flutter.

But for a sallow-faced man to look at another man like that…

It was more than Jiang Ran could take.

He bluntly turned his head away.

“You’ve had too much.”

“Not even a full cup.”

Tang Huayi pouted. “What are you really thinking about? Are you nervous, or just uneasy? What’s going to happen tomorrow? You’ve been rushing around these last two days, but it doesn’t seem like it’s all just for the event at Sunset Plateau… I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me.”

Jiang Ran chuckled. “Then why don’t you guess what I’m hiding from you?”

“How would I know…”

Tang Huayi pouted. “I actually thought you’d be a simpler person. Your master may have been a scoundrel who indulged in every vice imaginable—swindling, cheating, womanizing, gambling—but you’ve had little contact with truly malicious people since you were young.

“Even if you’re a bit shrewd, you shouldn’t be this inscrutable.

“But I don’t know what’s gotten into you. You’re like some ancient monster, never letting your joy or anger show on your face… It’s impossible to figure you out.”

“Even people who live together day in and day out might not understand each other completely.

“Besides, what you know of me, you heard from my master…

“That’s such a secondhand account. How could you possibly know me as well as you think you do?”

Jiang Ran shook his head gently.

“I don’t really have anything on my mind. I’m just feeling a bit emotional.

“The storms of the Jianghu all arise from the pursuit of profit. The feuds and killing… they aren’t all for the sake of chivalry, as one might imagine.”

“That word is destined to have nothing to do with you.”

As Tang Huayi said this, she came to stand before Jiang Ran.

Her tolerance for alcohol was indeed low, but it seemed she was also using it as an excuse to act boldly. She leaned in, about to fall right into Jiang Ran’s arms.

With a flick of his sleeve and a blur of motion, Jiang Ran was already inside his room with the door shut.

He looked down, expecting to see something that would sear his eyes, only to find that the person in his arms now had Tang Huayi’s exquisite face.

Her face was as lovely as a peach blossom, and she spoke with a hazy look in her eyes:

“This Gao Ge seems even stronger than Zongyi… How am I… actually a little drunk?”

“Why did you say chivalry has nothing to do with me?”

But Jiang Ran was still thinking about what Tang Huayi had said outside.

At his question, Tang Huayi suddenly lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were still unfocused, but she tried to meet his gaze, then reached out and cupped his face in her hands.

Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed. Just as he was about to speak, he felt Tang Huayi’s hands begin to vigorously squish his face.

…

She squished Jiang Ran’s face into all sorts of shapes.

Tang Huayi let out a triumphant laugh, her legs swinging uncontrollably.

Jiang Ran’s face turned Black as iron. Just as he was about to speak, Tang Huayi’s finger slid from his cheek, slowly tracing a path down to his heart.

“Are you a good person or a bad person?”

“Hm?”

Jiang Ran was taken aback. He wouldn’t call himself a good person, much less a gentleman, but calling him a bad person seemed like a stretch.

Just as he was wondering how to answer, he heard Tang Huayi say,

“You have to ask your heart…

“Who you really are… you have to ask your own heart…

“But… it doesn’t matter. If you want to be a hero, be a hero. If you want to be a villain, be a villain.

“As long as you’re you, nothing else matters.

“If you want to become a great hero who rights wrongs wherever he finds them, then… then I’ll be your sword and cut down all the evil in the world.

“And if… if you become a villain who murders and burns and stops at no evil… then… then I’ll be your partner in crime and kill all the heroes in the world!”

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow.

“Why would you go to such lengths for me?”

It was unclear if Tang Huayi even heard him. She just nuzzled against his chest and mumbled,

“Whatever you want to do… it’s fine… it’s fine… I’ll be with you. Always and forever. Until the day I die…”