Zhang Wuji

A token of the Martial Alliance? Fengqingzi was taken aback. He quickly realized that the person lying on the bed was actually from the Martial Alliance.

Seeing Fengqingzi’s reaction, Jiang Moran knew he had recognized it as well.

“The Martial Alliance is like a local tyrant in Jinling City, which is a melting pot where all sorts of characters from all walks of life gather.”

Jiang Moran deliberately paused here and glanced at the person on the bed. “If we have someone from the Martial Alliance to lead the way, many things will be much more convenient.”

Fengqingzi nodded. There was no denying that Jiang Moran was right, but that wasn't the main issue right now.

“How do you plan to wake him up?” Fengqingzi asked.

In the face of his question, Jiang Moran didn't answer. He simply cleared his throat mysteriously.

“Ahem, this is an exclusive secret remedy. Bystanders, please excuse yourselves.”

Keep acting, Fengqingzi's lip twitched. This didn't seem reliable at all.

“There's really a way? That's wonderful!”

A pleasantly surprised voice rang out. As it turned out, the two had been so engrossed in their conversation that they had forgotten Auntie Zhang was still standing right beside them.

Fortunately, she rarely ever left the village, so their conversation fell on her ears like: “blah blah blah secret remedy.”

“Yes, yes, yes. This is my ancestral secret remedy, but it cannot be demonstrated before outsiders,” Jiang Moran said with a serious look, his eyes even filling with a deep compassion for all living beings.

This instantly filled Auntie Zhang with deep respect. She quickly turned around, exited the room, and even pulled the door shut behind her.

Fengqingzi: “...”

“Hey, why are you still standing here?” Jiang Moran grumbled in dissatisfaction. Why did this guy have so little situational awareness?

Didn't he know what an exclusive secret remedy meant?

“...Senior... do I need to go out as well?”

“Scram.”

“Fine.”

Fengqingzi opened the door and walked out in a huff. However, the very instant the door was closing, a crisp slapping sound echoed from the crack.

??

Fengqingzi's eyes widened. What kind of sound was that?

Before the door could fully shut, it was pushed open again. Jiang Moran walked out while dusting off his hands. Peering past his silhouette, the person who had been lying on the bed was indeed sitting up.

Wait, he actually cured him?

Fengqingzi was dumbfounded. Senior really did have some exclusive secret technique! He blinked his eyes, confirming that the person lying on the bed had indeed sat up.

Except for the fact that the man looked a little dazed at the moment, looking as if he was about to drool.

But his face was quite flushed and healthy-looking, unlike his previous pale, sickly state. It had to be said that the senior's treatment had actually worked quite well.

Just as Fengqingzi was feeling admiration in his heart, the man on the bed turned his head.

...Wait.

Why was the other side of his face still so pale?

...

...

“So, your name is Zhang Wuji?”

“Yes,” Zhang Wuji nodded. The dazed look on his face had already vanished, replaced by his usual expressionless, dead-fish eyes.

His refined face still remained half-red and half-pale.

“You're from the Martial Alliance, right? How did you end up in such a miserable state?” Jiang Moran tossed the token back to him.

Zhang Wuji caught the token. He didn't answer the question immediately, falling silent for a moment, but in the end, he spoke up.

He could feel Fengqingzi's eyes sizing him up. That gaze was as sharp as a blade, and the man was carrying a long sword, clearly making him an expert swordsman.

Concealing anything was completely pointless.

“My wounds were inflicted by the Dead Man's Blade. While I was pursuing a fugitive with two others, we ran into the Dead Man's Blade, who was living in seclusion at an inn.”

“Hold on,” Jiang Moran interrupted. “Why the hell would he slash you for no reason?”

Uh... Zhang Wuji was temporarily at a loss for words. Of course, under the intense pressure of their gazes, he ultimately confessed.

“At the time, I sensed that he wasn't an ordinary inn shopkeeper, so I struck to test him.”

“Who knew... I'd end up pulling a hidden Boss.”

Hearing this, Jiang Moran shot him a contemptuous look. Wasn't he just asking for a beating? In the jianghu, who could tolerate someone suddenly trying to slash them?

However, what surprised him was that they had actually run into the Dead Man's Blade.

Even he hadn't heard of the Dead Man's Blade's name for several years and had thought the man had crawled off to die somewhere. As it turned out, the man had simply retired from the world just like him.

“Where is that inn you mentioned?” Jiang Moran asked. He suddenly wanted to go check it out.

Zhang Wuji opened his mouth to speak.

“Oh, that inn has already closed down. It seems it happened just a couple of days ago.”

At this moment, Auntie Zhang came in holding a bowl of restorative herbal soup and chimed in.

“That's what a hunter who often gathers game on the mountain said. He always likes to go to that inn for a couple of drinks after coming down the mountain. A few days ago, when he went down intending to grab a drink, he found that the inn had closed its doors.”

Closed down? Jiang Moran nodded slightly. Well, the man had probably been disturbed and decided to find another place to retire.

“Here, young man. Drink this medicinal soup to nourish your body.”

“Thank you,” Zhang Wuji took the medicinal soup and gulped it down. The bitter taste spread in his mouth, but compared to the pain in his body, it was nothing.

“I feel much better. Since I have urgent matters to attend to, I will take my leave now.” With that, Zhang Wuji got off the bed, preparing to depart.

“Oh, wait a moment, young man! Won't you stay for a meal?” Auntie Zhang quickly tried to persuade him to stay.

Meanwhile, Jiang Moran stepped forward and gently pressed a hand on his shoulder. The force wasn't heavy, yet it forced him back onto the bed.

“No need to rush. We'll set off together after we finish this meal,” Jiang Moran said with a grin.

Fengqingzi: “...”

Zhang Wuji: “...”

Why did those words sound so ominous?

“Are you guys going to Jinling City too?”

“Yes,” Fengqingzi nodded. “We have some matters to attend to in the city, and we'll need to ask you about them.”

“Alright,” Zhang Wuji agreed with a nod.

The three of them sat in the courtyard and chatted for a while. Before they knew it, evening was drawing near.

The village market was located not far from the entrance of the village. The three of them went out together to buy some ingredients for tonight's dinner and pick up some dry rations for the road while they were at it.

Jiang Moran's opinion on this particular point was exceptionally strong.

He vehemently rejected dry rations, choosing instead to buy more food like meat pies, and even kicked Fengqingzi when the latter raised an objection.

Ultimately, the three of them passed the decision with one vote in favor and zero votes against.

“Hmm, why are there so many people up ahead?” Jiang Moran asked in confusion. A crowd of people had gathered right near the village entrance.

A quick glance revealed that the expressions on those dozen or so villagers were quite grim, yet they also seemed somewhat helpless.

The three of them walked closer to get a better look. Standing at the village entrance were two men dressed in black martial attire, looking like typical jianghu martial artists.

However, their faces bore a look of sheer arrogance that made everyone uncomfortable.

An elder in the crowd said helplessly, “Two young heroes, food is already scarce in our village, and the nearest town is dozens of li away.”

“There really is no wine for sale in the village...”

Before the elder could even finish speaking, the two men across from him impatiently interrupted.

“I don't give a damn about any of that! I've been walking for so long and finally managed to come across a village, and you actually have the nerve to tell me there's no wine?!”

“Village Chief! There's no need to waste words with them! Let's work together and kick them out!” a burly man from the village shouted.

The elder let out a sigh. Having lived for so long, he knew all too well that these martial artists wandering the jianghu were not people they could afford to offend.

The two men seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world and burst into hysterical laughter. “Did you hear that? They want to kick us out! Hahahahaha!”

“If you ask me, even if a remote little village like this were slaughtered, nobody would probably ever know,” the other man added, a hint of murderous intent slipping into his tone.

Hearing this, Fengqingzi's expression instantly turned cold as his right hand instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword.

Killing people like this would not be considered excessive in the least.

Then, a hand pressed down on the back of his hand, pushing the slightly unsheathed long sword back into its scabbard.

“This isn't our concern. It should be handled by him,” Jiang Moran said indifferently, gesturing to his side.

Fengqingzi looked in that direction, only to see that Zhang Wuji's expression had turned as dark as water. His already delicate face now carried a trace of sinister coldness.

His eyes were locked straight onto the waists of those two men, where tokens identical to his own hung.