Chapter 74: Chapter 74: The White-Robed Swordsman
Jiang Ran found a spot in the tree where the rain wouldn’t easily reach him and tore a leg off the roasted chicken from his bundle.
After taking a bite, he glanced at the man below.
’Young Manor Lord?’
’Could it be the Heterodox Manor that Tie Cheng and the others mentioned earlier?’
Jiang Ran had never heard of this name before.
It was at this moment that he truly felt the martial world was unfathomably deep.
The Demon Sect was defeated but not destroyed, the Celestial Palace was hidden extremely deep, and the Heartless Ghost Mansion was a source of dread. And now, a Heterodox Manor had appeared.
It was truly one after another, an endless stream of them.
Meanwhile, someone in the clearing had already spoken up:
"Why does the Young Manor Lord ask such a question?
"The Manor Lord issued the Heterodox Order, gathering all of us heterodox practitioners here. Naturally, it’s for that great enemy of the Heterodox Manor from years ago!!"
"You are correct."
The Young Manor Lord nodded lightly upon hearing this.
"Twenty years ago, that man broke into our Heterodox Manor, murdering, plundering, and committing every sort of evil."
"My grandfather fought him and lost by a single move. To this day, he still vomits blood at the third watch every night."
"My father went into seclusion for many years of arduous training... but unexpectedly, that man vanished without a trace."
"And now, a full twenty years have passed!"
As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet.
Several dwarves beside him exchanged glances. Three of them immediately formed a human pyramid to hold an umbrella for him.
A few others, to prevent his shoes from getting soaked by the rain, rolled in front of him and lay on the ground, letting him walk across their bodies.
As the Young Manor Lord walked, he said softly:
"A few days ago, after news of this person’s appearance in Benma County spread, my father issued the Heterodox Order to gather all of you here."
"The purpose is to pool everyone’s talents, allowing you all to use your own methods to find this person’s whereabouts."
"If anyone can find him, they will be permitted to enter the Manor for three months of intensive training."
"And if anyone can bring me this person’s head... for three years, they will be given unrestricted access to the Heterodox Manor."
As soon as he said this, the crowd burst into cheers.
They had probably heard all this before, but hearing it again now still seemed to excite them.
Jiang Ran, however, didn’t quite understand.
’Just what kind of place is this Heterodox Manor? What’s the difference between three months of intensive training inside the Manor and three months of intensive training anywhere else?’
The Young Manor Lord raised a hand, gesturing for silence.
"Therefore, the purpose of today’s gathering was not for you to fight to the death, but simply to find a suitable leader for you all."
"There have been enough deaths and injuries already; there’s no need to add new souls to the count."
"In my opinion, Lady Wu and Jin Sanding are both highly skilled martial artists. They could lead this matter together. Everyone... what do you think?"
"We will follow the Young Manor Lord’s commands!!"
The crowd shouted in unison.
"Good... In that case..."
The Young Manor Lord spoke up to this point, turning to look at Lady Wu and Jin Sanding. He was just about to continue when his brow suddenly furrowed.
He looked up abruptly to see a black shadow appear out of nowhere. A flash of a saber sliced through the curtain of rain, aiming straight for him.
The Young Manor Lord’s eyes remained untroubled, but the umbrella above his head suddenly spun.
The seemingly ordinary surface of the umbrella instantly became like a spinning blade.
With a DING, the saber’s edge met the umbrella’s surface, and both trembled slightly.
The attacker’s figure faltered for a moment before retreating.
The dwarf holding the umbrella trembled, and a few drops of rain fell on the Young Manor Lord’s shoulder.
The Young Manor Lord glanced down at his shoulder. The dwarf’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Young Manor Lord, forgi—"
Before he could even finish his plea, a hand was already covering his forehead.
With a CRACK, the force of the palm shattered his skull. The dwarf’s seven orifices began to bleed as he died on the spot.
Another dwarf leaped forward, catching the umbrella just before it hit the ground, and held it steadily over the Young Manor Lord.
The Young Manor Lord took a handkerchief from his robes, wiped the hand that had just killed the dwarf, and turned to walk back to his lounge chair.
"Kill him."
The black-clothed swordsman was instantly surrounded.
Lady Wu, Jin Sanding, and all the other heterodox practitioners present attacked almost simultaneously.
This group’s methods were treacherous and varied.
Although the black-clothed swordsman’s skills were good, faced with attacks from all sides, he could only parry and had no chance to counterattack.
Jiang Ran watched this scene, feeling a bit conflicted.
For no other reason than the fact that... he knew this man in black.
Li Tianxin!
’We just parted ways in Cangzhou Prefecture not long ago. Now we meet again, and what is this kid doing causing trouble here?’
’Does he always have such an irrational assessment of his own martial skills?’
’There are so many people. I myself wouldn’t act so rashly without first sizing them up. Where did he get the guts to just charge in and start swinging?’
But despite his internal complaints, he still took a mask from his robes and put it on.
’Better save him first and talk later...’
As for killing, he was in no hurry.
From their earlier conversation, their destination was also Benma County. It was highly likely they had the same goal as that old couple.
Jiang Ran didn’t have any leads himself. If they were willing to act as the vanguard, he didn’t mind letting them do the searching first.
’After all, it would be a waste not to use this free labor.’
As these thoughts turned in his mind, he was just about to leap out and rescue Li Tianxin.
But at that very moment, a flash of Sword Qi suddenly appeared.
A pinpoint strike from mid-air caused a blossom of blood to erupt from the center of a heterodox practitioner’s forehead, killing him on the spot.
The crowd followed the path of the Sword Qi and saw a woman in flowing white robes flying through the rainy night. She held a three-foot Cyan blade, and with a flick of her sword, she charged into the crowd without any warning.
Watching this white-robed woman, Jiang Ran’s heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously thought of that dream beneath the moon.
But looking closely, this white-robed swordswoman bore no resemblance to Tang Shiqing whatsoever.
Her gaze was cold, as if her eyes held swords within them.
Her sword moved vertically and horizontally, each stroke as clear and distinct as calligraphy. Her techniques were not complex, yet they were impossible to block.
Wherever her longsword passed, chaos ensued. Those who fought her ended up with missing arms or broken legs.
Even Jiang Ran couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
’How fierce...’
Just then, with a WHOOSHING sound, Jin Sanding’s great tripod flew through the air, tumbling end over end as it smashed toward the woman.
But she just spun her longsword, and with a DING, the tip of her blade struck the great tripod.
BUZZ!
A burst of Sword Qi surged out. The great tripod let out a deep, muffled roar, and Jin Sanding, hidden inside, couldn’t help but let out a pained grunt.
Both he and the tripod were sent flying backward.
Lady Wu’s sleeves fluttered wildly as she released an unknown number of projectiles in that instant.
However, there seemed to be a field of formless Sword Qi extending three feet around the woman. Anything that entered it, be it human, bird, flower, fish, or insect, was instantly shredded by her Sword Qi.
Jiang Ran felt a pang of regret as he watched...
He didn’t feel sorry for them. He was just pained to see this group of free laborers—who were supposed to help find the old drunkard—about to be completely slaughtered by this damn woman.
’That Young Manor Lord looks pretty skilled. Doesn’t he know he should step in and do something?’
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