Chapter 391: The Assembly 3

Qifeng Manor was exceptionally safe, so naturally, she couldn’t just casually sleep in the same bed as Jiang Ran.

So of course, a little questioning was in order.

Jiang Ran shook his head.

“I didn’t do anything strange. You, on the other hand… Passing out after one cup is one thing, but you didn’t let me get a moment’s peace all night.”

“I… What did I do to you?”

Tang Huayi was taken aback. ‘Did I use my drunkenness as an excuse to go wild and take advantage of Jiang Ran?’

‘What a shame. Last night is just a blur; I can’t remember a thing. How am I supposed to savor the memory later?’

“You… Farting, grinding your teeth, snoring—you did it all. Isn’t that strange?”

Jiang Ran said with a smile, “You fart really loudly, you know that?”

“You! You’re tarnishing my reputation with your bare-faced lies!”

This time, Tang Huayi was genuinely angry.

He could blame her for anything else, but how could he accuse her of farting loudly?

Besides, it wasn’t as if she could control it in her sleep.

“That’s it, I’m going to fight you!”

“Alright, alright.”

Jiang Ran waved his hand. “Easy now, calm down… Oh, I see Miss Ruan.”

As he spoke, he pointed. Ruan Yuqing had appeared on the Sunset Plateau.

The reputation of the Gentle Water Sword far surpassed Jiang Ran’s at present.

Her appearance instantly drew everyone’s gaze.

Many of the men’s eyes lit up, but they were afraid Ruan Yuqing would notice and gouge their eyes out. So, after their eyes flashed with interest, they quickly reined themselves in. The constant flickering on and off looked quite strange.

Ruan Yuqing, however, exuded a coldness, her entire being radiating an aura that warned everyone to keep their distance.

She walked slowly into the area, but there were no seats left.

A man’s voice suddenly rang out.

“I have long heard of the Gentle Water Sword’s fame. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation.”

“I am Mo Liu. Might I invite Female Knight Ruan to sit with me?”

Ruan Yuqing glanced at the man, her eyes seeming to gather Sword Intent as they flickered.

Their brief eye contact made the man feel as if daggers were being pressed into his back.

“You want to sit with me?”

Ruan Yuqing spoke softly, but her voice was so clear that everyone present could hear her perfectly.

This immediately caused people to look their way.

Mo Liu’s heart tightened. ‘This woman’s Inner Strength is terrifyingly profound!’

He gave a dry laugh.

“Th-that’s right!”

He decided to screw up his courage and take the gamble.

Ruan Yuqing nodded. In a flash, she was in front of him, striking out with her palm.

Mo Liu was stunned, but he wasn’t about to just sit there and take it. He immediately countered with a palm strike of his own.

But Ruan Yuqing’s palm was an elusive shadow, not something just anyone could block. Mo Liu only saw a flash before his eyes. When he looked down, a slender, fair hand was already pressed against his chest.

A surge of Inner Strength followed, and he was sent flying uncontrollably.

He was knocked a good ten or fifteen feet away.

Someone sitting and calmly drinking tea over there had to quickly catch him, nearly knocking over a pot of good tea in the process.

“You!”

After landing, Mo Liu glared at Ruan Yuqing, shocked and furious.

Ruan Yuqing spoke coolly.

“My apologies. I am not accustomed to sitting with men. Please forgive me.”

“Hmph!”

Mo Liu’s face darkened. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and stalked away.

He couldn’t even take one of her palm strikes. What face did he have left to remain here?

Ruan Yuqing didn’t even spare him a glance. She eyed the tea set and cup before her, deliberated for a moment, then swept the cup aside and emptied the teapot.

She brewed a fresh pot, took out a new cup, and only then took a sip, nodding slightly.

“That Miss Ruan… she really is an ice queen.”

Seeing this, Tang Huayi couldn’t help but smile. “A pity she only acts like this in front of strangers. She’s not like that with you.”

“Tell me, if you were in Mo Liu’s shoes today, would she have treated you the same way?”

“…That’s different. Miss Ruan and we are comrades who’ve been through life and death together.”

“Her rules for others naturally don’t apply to us.”

Tang Huayi pouted. “Isn’t it time for you to make an appearance? The situation has more or less stabilized. Now, it’s your time to perform. I’ll keep watch here. If any problems arise, it’ll be easier for me to provide support.”

With a soft “Mm,” Jiang Ran nodded.

His gaze, however, shifted to another person in the crowd: Man Shengming, who had followed them all the way to Evergreen Mansion.

Tang Huayi followed his gaze, her eyebrows raising slightly.

“The poison in his body has been flaring up more severely lately. He couldn’t even get out of bed for a while.”

“And now he’s dragged his ailing body here to join the fray. I wonder what he really wants with the Jiaowei.”

Jiang Ran smiled faintly. Without answering, he reached back and took out the zither case on his back.

With a flick of his wrist, he threw it out.

The next moment, he leaped up, his foot tapping lightly on the zither case in mid-air.

Man and case whistled through the air, heading for a large boulder near the center of the Sunset Plateau.

There was also a seat here, currently occupied by someone drinking tea.

Hearing the whistling sound, the man quickly looked up and was startled.

At this moment, everyone else in the crowd also looked up.

They saw a long case cutting through the air, followed by a young man in cyan robes with a leaf-shaped Jade Pendant at his waist. One hand rested on his saber, the other clasped behind his back. He drifted in on the wind, his hair flying, arriving before the great boulder in an instant.

At that moment, he flicked his foot, sending the zither case flying high into the air.

He himself had already landed on the boulder.

The man sitting there now knew exactly who this was. Without a second thought, he leaped up to snatch the zither case.

But he felt his waist tighten. Looking down, he saw his belt had been grabbed. An immense force followed, lifting him off his feet and slamming him face down onto the tea table.

He struggled with all his might but couldn’t move an inch.

Then, Jiang Ran raised a hand. The case of the Jiaowei zither landed in his palm, and he placed it on the man’s back.

He chuckled softly.

“Apologies for the long wait, everyone. I am Jiang Ran. My respects to all the esteemed seniors of the martial world present today!”

As his voice fell, many people immediately shot to their feet.

If this man was Jiang Ran, then wasn’t the object on the back of the man pinned to the table the Jiaowei zither itself?