Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Injured?
’Dugu Yu actually knows Dao Wuming?’
Jiang Ran placed the clean-picked chicken bones back into his satchel.
He was somewhat surprised by the scene unfolding before him.
Dugu Yu was an old man, at least seventy or eighty years of age.
Yet Dao Wuming looked like a young scholar of only twenty-some years.
’From the way they’re talking, are they old acquaintances?’
Just then, Dugu Yu’s incredulous voice rang out:
"You and I... it’s been at least thirty years since we last met, hasn’t it?"
"That face of yours... don’t tell me you stole it from the Heterodox Manor?"
"Brother Dugu, you’re mistaken."
Dao Wuming said with a smile and a shake of his head.
"My face is, naturally, my own."
"Your own..."
Dugu Yu’s old face instantly stiffened.
"Did you really master the [Silent Dao Qi]?"
"You could say it was a matter of serendipity."
Dao Wuming smiled.
"I came here tonight because I heard the Young Manor Lord had arrived near Cangzhou Prefecture, planning something big."
"As I happened to be nearby, I took out a Heterodox Order to join the fun. I never expected to be reunited with an old friend."
"HAHAHAHA."
The Young Manor Lord’s loud laughter echoed.
"Senior, you jest. There’s nothing big going on. It’s just a task from my father, sending us to find a certain person."
"If you’re interested, Senior, why not join us?"
Dao Wuming glanced at him and shook his head.
"You and I are not of the same path. It’s best we don’t get too close."
His gaze shifted again, scanning the surroundings.
"Speaking of which... the Yang Monarch and Moon Monarch are a deeply devoted couple, always inseparable."
"So why is it I only see the Yang Monarch today, and not the Moon Monarch?"
"Could she be hiding somewhere, planning to ambush me?"
"Even the ’Nameless Scholar’ can feel fear?"
A cold sneer touched the corners of Dugu Yu’s lips.
Dao Wuming, however, sighed.
"The older one gets, the softer the heart becomes. Now that I’ve reached the ripe old age of seventy, I no longer wish to see bloodshed."
"The martial arts of the Yang and Moon Monarchs are superb. Twenty years ago, if I saw you two, I would turn and flee without a moment’s hesitation."
"But now..."
Hearing this, Dugu Yu’s expression darkened even further.
Just then, a grim and ghastly voice drifted from the surroundings:
"Are you trying to say that because we’ve each lost an arm..."
"...even if we were to join forces, we would no longer be a match for your [Silent Dao Qi]?"
"I wouldn’t dare."
Dao Wuming said with a smile, shaking his head.
"But if you two were truly that confident, I doubt the Moon Monarch would have been in such a hurry to speak up and refute me."
The scene instantly fell silent.
The Young Manor Lord tilted his head, observing the scene with a faint smile, his thoughts unreadable.
In the end, it was Dao Wuming who spoke again.
"Today’s events are not what I expected. Since you are all merely looking for someone... you are free to continue your search."
"I’ll be taking these two young ones with me."
"Does anyone have any objections?"
"Hmph."
Dugu Yu shot Dao Wuming a cold glare.
"This old man has important matters to attend to today. Otherwise, I would have liked to see just what’s so incredible about your perfected [Silent Dao Qi]."
"There will come a day for that."
Dao Wuming gave a carefree smile and glanced back at the woman in white and Li Tianxin.
"Keep up."
With that said, he flicked his sleeve and soared into the air.
The woman in white hesitated, seemingly unwilling to leave, but she knew she was no match for Dugu Yu alone, let alone with the deeply hidden Moon Monarch behind him.
If she insisted on staying, death would be almost certain.
So, she had no choice but to leap away as well.
The last to leave was Li Tianxin.
He glanced at the Young Manor Lord without a word. He didn’t use a Lightweight Technique, but simply walked away with a swagger, cradling his blade.
Intimidated by Dao Wuming’s earlier display of martial arts and Dugu Yu’s imposing presence, no one present dared to stop him.
Jiang Ran’s gaze swept over the group one by one before finally settling on the direction Dao Wuming and the others had gone. After a moment’s hesitation, he followed them.
The group traveled at varying speeds for about twenty li, and in this area, the rain had conveniently stopped.
The sky above was pitch-black. The mountain wind was cool and a bit damp, but quite comfortable.
Under a tree, Dao Wuming had started a fire at some point and was now sitting before it, staring blankly into the flames.
The woman in white stood to one side, cupping her fist in her hand.
"Thank you for saving my life, Senior."
Li Tianxin stood cradling his blade, gazing into the distant darkness without a word.
Dao Wuming didn’t respond to the woman’s words, merely continuing to stare, lost in thought, at the fire.
After a long moment, he finally looked up toward the darkness nearby.
"You’re here?"
The woman in white and Li Tianxin turned around at the same time.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. He carried a satchel on his back and a blade at his waist, one hand resting on the hilt.
"You were looking for me?"
"Jiang Ran!?"
Li Tianxin’s eyes widened. "What are you doing here?"
The woman in white looked at Li Tianxin, then at Dao Wuming, and finally her gaze fell upon Jiang Ran, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Jiang Ran shot a glance at Li Tianxin.
"It’s only been a few days. Since when is it your place to meddle in my affairs?"
"..."
Li Tianxin couldn’t help but glare at him angrily.
But Jiang Ran ignored him, walking directly to the campfire and sitting down.
"When did you know I was there?"
Dao Wuming glanced at Li Tianxin.
"The moment you were about to move to save him."
Li Tianxin froze, instinctively glancing at Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed slightly. ’If Dao Wuming could discover me, then what about the Yang Monarch, Dugu Yu?’
’In the ruined temple, did they really not notice me, or did they discover me and just pretend they hadn’t?’
Seeing Jiang Ran’s silence, Dao Wuming chuckled.
"Don’t worry. Although your breath-concealing technique is nothing special, your Inner Energy is profound. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to detect you."
"My Silent Dao Qi is unusual, which is why I was able to sense you."
Jiang Ran nodded slightly, feeling a little relieved, but he also gave himself a mental reminder.
’This martial world is too vast. There’s an endless stream of capable people and strange masters with all sorts of unpredictable methods. I can’t get complacent just because I have the system’s rewards and can keep improving. I must never underestimate the heroes of this world.’
Dao Wuming then spoke again.
"It wasn’t appropriate for you to make a move in that situation today."
"Why?"
Jiang Ran glanced at him.
But Dao Wuming didn’t answer. Instead, he said:
"I’d like to ask you to do something for me."
"I wouldn’t dare presume."
Jiang Ran smiled.
"Brother Dao, your martial arts are superb. What could you possibly need my help with..."
Before he could finish, Dao Wuming’s face went pale, and he opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood.
"You’re injured?"
Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow. During the confrontation earlier, Dao Wuming hadn’t seemed to be at a disadvantage in the slightest.
"The Fiery Sun Divine Skill is no small matter... My Silent Dao Qi may be good, but it doesn’t excel in combat."
"That old bastard has spent all these years improving his martial arts to avenge what happened back then. His progress has been anything but minor."
"In this exchange, I ended up suffering a hidden injury after all."
Jiang Ran glanced at the woman in white, then back at Dao Wuming.
"You’re injured, but she’s fine?"
Comments