This was an era steeped in the atmosphere of the jianghu, a world every child dreamed of venturing into.
Years ago, a name echoed through the jianghu that was known to all: Jiang Moran.
“He’s been dead for three years now!”
“Isn’t that the truth... Time really flies.”
“No matter how strong a person is, they ultimately turn into a handful of dust...”
Inside the largest teahouse in Fengcheng, patrons were drinking tea and chatting, their conversations without exception revolving around the passionate vendettas of the martial world.
At a table in the farthest corner of the second floor, three men were sighing with regret. Thinking back to when they were around twenty-eight years old, the name they heard most often every day was Jiang Moran.
He was their idol! Now three years had passed, and new waves were rising in the jianghu...
Not far from them, at a window table, sat a man in a black robe. He happened to overhear their conversation, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly...
“Can’t you wish something better for me?” Jiang Moran muttered in his heart, helplessly turning his head to look at the night view outside the window.
In truth, he knew there was no such thing as retirement in the jianghu. You were either alive or dead. He had already faded from public view for five years, so it was only natural for others to assume he was dead.
It was just a pity that he was still alive.
Shifting his gaze from the window, he tossed down a few pieces of silver and left the teahouse...
The security in Fengcheng was excellent. As the premier capital city at the foot of the Emperor's throne, there was never a curfew. Tonight happened to be a lantern festival, so the night streets were bustling with activity.
Walking alone on the street, Jiang Moran seemed somewhat lonely compared to the surrounding crowds of pedestrians.
A young girl in ragged clothes passed by him. Jiang Moran did not turn his head, but the girl suddenly stumbled.
She turned her head in terror, only to find her wrist held by Jiang Moran, rendering her completely unable to move.
And in her hand, she was clutching a money pouch...
Fear instantly seized the girl’s heart. Color drained from her face, and her whole body trembled slightly. She had once seen a thief beaten to death...
But she was so hungry...
Jiang Moran looked at her with amusement. Messy hair covered half her face, and her body was gaunt from long-term hunger. The wrist he held was so thin it was nothing but skin and bone.
His gaze landed on her hand, where five pale fingers tightly gripped his money pouch.
“Stealing money at such a young age is one thing, but your skill is far too lacking.”
The girl did not speak, merely keeping her head bowed in silence. However, the fingers gripping the money pouch loosened. She turned her head slightly with her eyes tightly shut, her lips pressed tight, feeling her hand suddenly become empty.
Ten seconds...
Half a minute...
One minute...
The expected pain did not arrive. The girl opened her eyes in confusion, but Jiang Moran was nowhere to be seen in front of her.
He... didn’t hit me.
The dark clouds overhead were blown away by the wind, and moonlight poured down, illuminating the scattered glimmers on the ground before her...
The lantern festival did not pause for this minor incident. People continued to admire the lanterns, and the river in the distance carried the prayers of many—wishes that might never come true, but brought peace of mind nonetheless.
Jiang Moran did not release a river lantern. Instead, he stood silently to the side, watching the bustling life of the mundane world.
The peaceful atmosphere was broken by a sharp, desperate plea...
“Don’t... Please, let me go!”
The voice carried a crying tone, full of despair. Hearing the sound, Jiang Moran looked over and saw an obese man grabbing a woman with a lecherous smile. The woman was good-looking, but her face was covered in tears.
This scene was witnessed by the surrounding crowd. Among them were plenty of righteous individuals, yet no one dared to step forward. The fine fabric worn by the man made it clear to anyone with eyes that he was either rich or noble.
No one could afford the price of intervening.
“Hmph, just be a good girl and submit to me, young lady~” the obese man sneered, his eyes unable to stop scanning the woman’s voluptuous figure as he subtly licked his lips.
He could wait no longer!
At a signal from his eyes, the servants beside him immediately understood and stepped forward to drag the woman away.
Jiang Moran looked away and turned to leave. Things like this happened too often; it was already nothing strange.
A fallen leaf landed on his shoulder, which he casually brushed away.
The woman was surrounded by the servants, who giggled as they reached their hands toward her body. Looking at the surrounding onlookers, despair crept into the woman’s eyes.
Suddenly, the movements of the men froze abruptly. This abnormal scene caught everyone’s attention. Under the watch of countless eyes, the necks of the men were slit open, and blood spurted out in torrents.
This scene came so suddenly that everyone was stunned, until a sharp scream echoed through the crowd...
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of two patrol constables. The two pushed through the crowd and walked over, but when they saw the bodies lying on the ground, their faces paled drastically, their eyes filled with horror.
“This is... the young lord of the Prince's Residence!”
In less than fifteen minutes, a man dressed in dark armor stood before the bodies, his face dark as iron, anger showing between his brows.
The newcomer was none other than the head of the Patrol Bureau in the capital, the Nine Gates Commander!
With such a major incident occurring, he naturally could not shirk responsibility. The young lord of the Prince's Residence being killed on his turf was an utter humiliation!
“Report,” a voice suppressing anger sounded, scaring the constables standing straight beside him into trembling violently.
“Yes! The two of us saw a commotion here and rushed over to check, only to find that the young lord had already been murdered...”
After listening to the constable’s report, Commander Lin turned his gaze to the woman kneeling on the ground. She was frightened pale, not daring to look anyone in the eye, weeping continuously with her head lowered.
“Who did this?” Commander Lin asked coldly, looking at her with a sharp gaze while an invisible pressure enveloped her.
“I don’t know... I don’t know anything! Please let me go...” The woman’s nerves were stretched to the limit, her eyes dull, looking like a total madwoman.
Seeing this, Commander Lin grew increasingly irritated. With so many people at the scene, was there really not a single witness?!
Seeing Commander Lin’s demeanor—looking as if anyone who provoked him would suffer—the two constables exchanged glances and silently stood even straighter...
“My son! Oh, my son!” Suddenly, a wail approached as a dignified and richly dressed lady rushed over, tightly embracing the dead young lord.
Commander Lin frowned deeply. This action ruined the traces at the scene, giving him a headache, but there was nothing he could do.
Because the woman before him was the Second Lady of the Prince's Residence.
Grief over losing her son had her tears flowing endlessly. He had been fine just this morning, so how could...
“It’s you! It must be you, you bitch... You killed my son!” The Second Lady suddenly looked at the woman kneeling on the ground, shouting with a hideous expression.
Before anyone could react, the Second Lady suddenly snatched a blade from a constable beside her and lunged, stabbing the woman!
Pfft!
The blade sank into the woman’s chest. She fell weakly, no pain in her eyes, only endless relief...
Commander Lin watched this without the slightest emotion. He could actually have stopped it, but using a single peasant woman’s life to appease her anger was a very fair trade.
At that moment, Commander Lin’s gaze suddenly narrowed. Following the Second Lady’s movement earlier, an inconspicuous leaf drifted out.
He stepped forward and picked it up, lightly running his finger across the leaf's edge. A faint streak of blood stained his fingertip, making his pupils shrink sharply.
This was... a technique of someone from the jianghu.
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