Jiang Moran disliked trouble, so he did not stay for too long. After all, he had stayed at the Li Residence for two days, and since the person who had provoked him was dead, the grievances ended there.
Mainly, it was just too much hassle.
By the time Li Yu'er went to deliver his meal, he was nowhere to be seen. They headed toward the city gate, intending to stay at an inn near the gate for the night and meet up with Old Chen the next day.
However, just as he was about to reach the city gate, he spotted an unexpected figure by the side of the road.
Beside the street leading to the city gate, Old Chen stood motionless with a pack on his back. As if sensing something, he turned his head toward the two of them.
“Young Master!” Seeing that it was the two of them, Old Chen's eyes lit up, and he hurried over.
“How come you're waiting here so early?”
“Seeing the Patrol Bureau raising such a commotion this morning, I was worried something might happen, so I came here early to wait.”
Jiang Moran nodded slightly. Unintentionally meeting up ahead of time meant there was no need to waste time at an inn. He instructed Old Chen to buy two good horses, and before sunset, they left Linchuan City, heading all the way west...
...
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. On a deserted lake shore sat an inconspicuous small wooden cabin. Before the cabin, the leaves of the parasol tree turned green to yellow, yellow to withered, and withered to fallen, repeating in an endless cycle.
The parasol tree blocked the scorching sun, allowing the man beneath it to recline leisurely in an armchair with his legs crossed.
His gaze rested on the slender figure in the distance. The young girl who had once hidden behind him had long since blossomed, growing from a promising beauty into a true beauty with breathtaking grace.
She was striking a wooden dummy with all her strength, her every blow calm and composed as she perfectly blocked the returning wooden arms.
Her feet moved in a steady rhythm while her supple body constantly shifted, managing the spinning dummy with effortless ease.
Fragrant sweat trickled down her pale cheeks, dampening her collar, yet she remained completely oblivious, her mind entirely focused on the wooden dummy in front of her.
Until a call sounded: “Young Master, Little Qing, time for lunch!”
Old Chen walked out of the wooden cabin carrying a tray, the aroma of food instantly filling the air.
The first to move was, naturally, Jiang Moran reclining lazily in his armchair. With a quick flash of movement, he appeared beside Old Chen, picked up chopsticks from the tray, and popped a piece of braised pork belly into his mouth.
Rich savory juice exploded in his mouth, fatty yet not greasy, instantly causing Jiang Moran to nod in satisfaction.
“Old Chen, your cooking is as good as ever.”
“Haha, you flatter me, Young Master. Please sit at the stone table and enjoy it slowly.”
By then, Ning Qingzhu had wiped her sweat and walked over. The moment her eyes caught the braised pork belly, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, her eyes lit up.
“Uncle Chen, you actually made braised pork belly today! That's my favorite!”
Old Chen merely smiled and motioned for her to sit down together.
The three of them sat under the parasol tree enjoying lunch. In the sweltering heat, the shade under the tree felt delightfully cool.
As soon as she sat down, Ning Qingzhu looked at Old Chen with anticipation and urged, “Uncle Chen, tell us more about the past! I want to hear more!”
Sitting beside her, Jiang Moran flicked her forehead with a bent finger and said helplessly, “A young girl shouldn't always be thinking about fighting and killing...”
“It's called the jianghu!” Ning Qingzhu mumbled in discontent, holding her forehead in pain.
“Just go eat your braised pork belly, you jianghu tomboy,” Jiang Moran said exasperatedly, placing a piece of braised pork belly into her bowl.
Though his tone sounded dismissive, his eyes were full of doting affection. Over the two years together, the young girl had shed her past timid caution, her temperament turning lively and cheerful.
She had somehow fallen in love with the jianghu... though he didn't pay it much mind.
He simply took it as a passing interest from listening to Old Chen's stories.
Old Chen stroked his graying beard and chuckled, “Hehehe, then this time I'll tell you about an old jianghu veteran. Five or six years ago, people gave him the nickname Dead Man's Blade!”
“Dead Man's Blade... sounds really impressive.”
“He was indeed a formidable person. It is said that whenever he drew his blade, someone was bound to die. That blade had no scabbard, but was instead tightly wrapped in red cloth. Word has it that the cloth was originally white, but because too much blood splashed on it later, it turned red.”
Speaking of this, Old Chen couldn't help shaking his head, feeling a bit regretful. “Regrettably, just a year ago, for some unknown reason, he was suddenly hunted down by a group of people. That was also the last piece of news about him in the jianghu.”
Hearing that this ruthless figure had vanished a year ago, Ning Qingzhu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
For such an impressive person to disappear just like that.
As if to express her disappointment, she picked up a large piece of braised pork belly, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed vigorously.
Yet as she ate, her gaze couldn't help but land on Jiang Moran beside her, and her mind suddenly grew active...
【Come to think of it... Young Master seems pretty formidable too. The only two times he took action, he killed people. Plus, he's been living in this secluded wooden cabin all this time. Could it be... he's hiding from something?】
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. A bold guess gradually emerged in her mind!
This made her unable to sit still, and in her excitement, she stood straight up from her seat, staring at Jiang Moran with sparkling eyes.
This sudden scene stunned both Old Chen and Jiang Moran, the latter even forgetting to swallow the food in his mouth.
“Wait... I know you love braised pork belly, but there's no need to get this excited.”
However, Ning Qingzhu paid no mind to his teasing.
Instead, in a tone that suggested she had seen through everything, she said, “Young Master! You are the vanished Dead Man's Blade, aren't you?!”
This earth-shattering statement almost made Jiang Moran spit out his food. How did listening to a story end up projecting him into it, and as Dead Man's Blade, no less?
Couldn't she project him as someone with a bit more style? He was completely speechless.
“Little Qing, hurry and sit down to eat. Don't go making Young Master angry,” Old Chen said hurriedly, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
Ning Qingzhu also realized it was inappropriate and sat down with a slightly flushed face. Suddenly, she remembered something and turned to Old Chen, “Uncle Chen, aren't you going to town this afternoon? I want to go too!”
Before Old Chen could speak, Jiang Moran spoke up first, “Not until you train for two extra hours.”
Ning Qingzhu's face immediately fell into a scowl, looking somewhat droopy. Fortunately, Old Chen said he could wait for her to finish her extra training before going together, letting her breathe a sigh of relief.
After being tossed about like this, Jiang Moran also recalled memories long buried.
Dead Man's Blade—he really had seen him once...
That strangely dressed man, tightly clutching a blade wrapped in thick red cloth, had come to challenge him just like that.
At that time, he was not yet Number One in the World, but Dead Man's Blade had already begun to make a name for himself in the jianghu.
He forgot how they fought; the process was too brief, like kicking aside a stray dog on the side of the road.
Of course, he didn't actually kill him, but merely asked an important question.
【“Is the cloth wrapped around your blade always this same piece?”】
【“No.”】
【“Then why change it?”】
【“...It went sour.”】
【“...”】
Jiang Moran picked up the last piece of braised pork belly from the table, popped it into his mouth, and chewed.
【Pretentious fool.】
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