Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Proxy Mission
When Dugu Yu and Dao Wuming fought, Dao Wuming had transferred his Inner Strength into the white-clothed woman’s body, lending her a hand to force Dugu Yu’s retreat.
But the problem was, if Dugu Yu could truly injure Dao Wuming...
...then his Fiery Sun Divine Skill must have passed through the white-clothed woman’s body.
If he could injure Dao Wuming to such a degree, how could the white-clothed woman be standing aside completely unscathed?
It wasn’t some kind of indirect attack that could bypass her entirely...
Jiang Ran looked at Dao Wuming with a strange expression.
Dao Wuming thought for a moment, then wiped the fresh blood from his mouth with his sleeve.
"Let this humble scholar think of another reason."
"..."
Jiang Ran sighed.
"We hardly know each other. We only met once at the Heroic Assembly."
"You sent me a mental message. If it was just to amuse yourself at my expense, then this is the first and last time. Farewell."
After speaking, he turned to leave.
Dao Wuming quickly called out:
"Brother Jiang, please wait!"
Jiang Ran’s face darkened.
"I wouldn’t dare... You are of ancient years, and I am barely a man grown. By no measure can we call each other brothers."
"Fine, fine, fine."
Dao Wuming said hurriedly:
"Whatever you say is right. I was in the wrong just now... This humble scholar apologizes."
Jiang Ran glanced back at him.
"What is it you really want?"
"Well..."
Dao Wuming thought for a moment and said:
"This humble scholar would like to ask you to take action and protect someone."
"Who?"
"Chang Nian."
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed. Just as he was about to ask who that was, something he never could have expected suddenly happened.
[Assassin Mission Triggered!]
[Assassin Mission: Protect Chang Nian!]
[Accept?]
"..."
Jiang Ran fell silent for a moment, briefly recalling the few missions he had accepted before.
They were all arrest missions.
This was the first time an Assassin Mission had appeared.
And this Assassin Mission... was actually related to protection?
’What’s the trigger for this?’
He stared at the word "Assassin" from the mission title and pondered briefly.
The so-called Assassins, in the very beginning, were not these people in the martial world who lived off of wanted criminals.
The earliest meaning of the term was to "hold the knife" to write for another.
The "knife" in "holding the knife" was a small blade used for carving and correcting characters on bamboo slips.
The one "holding the knife" was originally someone who wrote for others.
Later, it evolved to mean someone who did things for others.
When the term spread to the martial world, it came to mean someone who caught criminals for the Government Office.
And that is the common understanding of "Assassin" in the martial world today.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ran suddenly understood the trigger mechanism for the Assassin Missions.
’So... if someone asks me to do something for them, it can trigger an Assassin Mission?’
Jiang Ran pondered this internally.
But a great deal of doubt also arose in his mind.
’The Assassin Missions must have been available from the very beginning.’
’It’s just that I activated the system by taking a wanted poster, so my first impression was fixated on that method.’
’Also, no one had ever asked me to do anything for them.’
’Saving the Old Drunkard was my own initiative, not a request from someone else.’
’I was the one who offered to protect Ye Jingshuang on her way to Cangzhou Prefecture, not her.’
’Helping Master Tang rescue Tang Huayi from the Qinghe Gang was also my idea. I wanted to use it as a favor, to convince Master Tang to be lenient about the Old Drunkard’s matter.’
’Dealing with Feiyun Stronghold was also something I wanted to do, because there were arrest missions available. Therefore... an Assassin Mission never appeared.’
’This is the first time someone has explicitly asked me for help.’
’And that’s why this type of mission has finally shown up.’
’So what’s the difference between an Assassin Mission and an arrest mission?’
’Are the rewards different?’
’Or is it just the way the mission is issued, with the rewards being more or less the same?’
Thinking of this, he actually became quite interested in this Assassin Mission.
However, after glancing at Dao Wuming, who was staring at him with dark circles under his eyes, Jiang Ran did not accept the mission.
This Dao Wuming fellow’s words couldn’t be fully trusted.
His identity and origins were deeply hidden.
The reason Jiang Ran had come here tonight was because Dao Wuming had sent him a mental message as he left.
Out of consideration for their brief meeting at the Heroic Assembly, and the fact that Dao Wuming knew he was here tonight but didn’t expose him, Jiang Ran had followed.
But to agree to help him, he naturally had some reservations.
However, he didn’t refuse outright. Instead, he gave Dao Wuming a thoughtful look.
"Do you know who it was that severed the arms of the Sun and Moon Lords all those years ago?"
"I do not."
Dao Wuming shook his head.
"When this incident occurred, this humble scholar was in seclusion, cultivating the Unheard Dao Qi."
"My cultivation was at a critical juncture, so I truly couldn’t pay attention to the outside world."
"Only after I came out of seclusion did I hear they had been struck down by a saber master."
"The man used only a single strike to sever both of their arms."
"And the saber technique he used?"
Jiang Ran asked again.
"...This humble scholar has only heard rumors about this matter. The legends don’t go into detail about the man’s saber technique."
"I’m afraid I don’t know the specifics."
Dao Wuming gave a bitter smile.
"Your question... has truly put me on the spot."
Jiang Ran fell silent for a moment, his thoughts turning to the Grand Master’s words.
The Grand Master once said that the Nine Shocking God Sabers had been lost for a hundred years.
’If the person who injured the Sun and Moon Lords twenty years ago really was the Old Drunkard... unless he didn’t use the Nine Shocking God Sabers, it’s unlikely it would have escaped the notice of the Ink Pavilion.’
’Or... perhaps the Grand Master wasn’t telling me the whole truth that day?’
At this thought, a sense of helplessness washed over him.
After the incident with the Tang family, he felt like he was getting paranoid.
’I’m not some hugely important figure. Why would everyone go out of their way to deceive me?’
But the possibility still existed, so he kept it buried in his heart.
Looking at Dao Wuming again, Jiang Ran asked:
"You still haven’t answered my earlier question. Why was it not suitable for me to act tonight?"
"...Because of the Heterodox Manor."
Dao Wuming said:
"The Young Master of the Heterodox Manor is no simple character. Your saber skills are superb, and your Inner Energy is unfathomable."
"If you were to act, you would inevitably attract the Heterodox Manor’s attention."
"The person this humble scholar is asking you to protect is in Benma County."
"Moreover, if the Heterodox Manor investigates in Benma County, they absolutely cannot avoid this person."
"If you act tonight, and they then see you in Benma County... I’m afraid it will stir up trouble."
At this point, he didn’t wait for Jiang Ran to ask, but hurriedly explained:
"As for why this humble scholar faked his injury, it’s truly because I’m tied up with a matter right now and can’t get away."
"I was thinking of Chang Nian and worried something might happen to him."
"I wanted to ask you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t agree, which is why I resorted to this poor tactic."
"This humble scholar should treat others with sincerity, yet today I have deceived you with lies. I am truly ashamed. Please, Brother Jiang, do not blame me."
As he said this, he stood up and gave a very formal bow.
Seeing this, Jiang Ran nodded slightly.
"On account of these answers, I will let the previous matter go."
"But as for protecting Chang Nian... please forgive me, but I am unable to help. Farewell!"
...
...
PS: Another plug for a friend’s book...
Title: In Konoha, Overthrowing the Ninja World Starting from the Anbu!
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