Chapter 93: Chapter 89: Ghost-acting Mission Complete
Last night, Li Tianxin had used the Great Transformation Divine Saber to rescue Ghost Thirteen under the cover of chaos.
Jiang Ran didn’t understand why he had suddenly interfered.
But the little old man had escaped, and he himself had lured Tong Wanli away.
He shouldn’t be in any danger.
’Still, if his luck is truly that rotten and he runs into that little old man again, he’ll only have himself to blame for meddling.’
’As for his motives for doing so...’
’I’ll just have to ask him when he gets back.’
He leaned against the corridor railing, his gaze drifting downward.
Just then, someone entered through the inn’s doorway.
She was dressed all in white, her entire presence as cold as frost, and she carried a longsword in her hand.
’Is that the troublesome woman from the Danyang Sword Sect?’
After all, he had just seen her not long ago, so Jiang Ran recognized her at a glance.
’She really is cold...’
That night had been just a fleeting glimpse. Seeing her again now, he realized her aura was as chillingly sharp as her blade. She wasn’t like Li Tianxin, whose cold arrogance was just an act.
Her coldness wasn’t that of ice, but of a sword—sharp, with its edge laid bare.
Perhaps Jiang Ran’s gaze was a bit too intense, for the woman sensed it and looked up. Their eyes met.
For a moment, her expression flickered. She had clearly recognized Jiang Ran, but she then acted as if nothing was amiss, found an empty table, and sat down.
The waiter hurried over to take her order.
Jiang Ran paid her no further mind.
Behind him, a door creaked open. Ye Jingshuang emerged.
"Young Master, have you been waiting long?"
Jiang Ran glanced at her and smiled. "Not at all... By the way, do you know of the Danyang Sword Sect?"
"Of course I do. The Danyang Sword Sect and my Liuyun Sword Sect are both among the Five Great Golden Cicada Sword Sects. Our two sects have always been on good terms, so we know each other quite well."
Ye Jingshuang gave Jiang Ran a curious look.
"Why do you ask, Young Master?"
Jiang Ran beckoned her over and gestured for her to follow his gaze.
"Hm?"
Ye Jingshuang froze, then blurted out, "Shi Miao?!"
Her cry was louder than Jiang Ran had anticipated, and it naturally drew the attention of the woman in white, who was waiting for the waiter to serve her food.
She snapped her head up. The moment their eyes met, Jiang Ran noticed that the chilling aura surrounding the woman in white completely vanished the instant she saw Ye Jingshuang.
Her eyes widened.
"Senior Sister Ye?"
Without waiting for a reply, she bypassed the stairs completely. With a light tap of her foot, she launched herself into the air, landing directly on the second floor.
She immediately grasped Ye Jingshuang’s hands.
"Senior Sister Ye... what are you doing here?"
"It’s a long story."
Ye Jingshuang studied the woman in white for a moment, then smiled gently.
"It really has been a while. It’s been three years since the last Five Sects Sword Tournament, hasn’t it?"
"Mm."
Shi Miao nodded, her gaze gradually shifting from Ye Jingshuang to Jiang Ran.
The warmth in her eyes, radiant as a spring day just a moment before, instantly turned sharp and cold.
"Senior Sister Ye... who is he?"
Ye Jingshuang looked up at Jiang Ran and said with a smile,
"This is Young Master Jiang. He is my benefactor."
"Benefactor?"
Shi Miao paused. The iciness in her gaze receded as she looked at Jiang Ran again. After a moment of hesitation, she cupped her fist in salute.
"My greetings, Benefactor."
"..."
Jiang Ran hadn’t expected the situation to turn out like this.
’Should I lament that the martial world is too small, or that there are simply too many coincidences?’
’So this ice queen’s name is Shi Miao... It doesn’t seem to fit her personality at all.’
He glanced at Shi Miao and shook his head slightly.
"Miss Ye is exaggerating. I’m hardly a benefactor, and there’s no need for you to be so formal, miss..."
"Since you two know each other, why don’t we eat together?"
Shi Miao immediately looked to Ye Jingshuang.
When Ye Jingshuang nodded, Shi Miao’s face lit up with joy. But the moment her gaze left Ye Jingshuang, her icy mask snapped back into place.
Jiang Ran was baffled. ’Did this girl study the art of face-changing?’
’How can she switch emotions so quickly, and so seamlessly?’
"Young Master Jiang, you and Shi Miao head downstairs first."
"I’ll go get Uncle Tong and the others."
Ye Jingshuang spoke.
Jiang Ran added a word of caution:
"You should leave someone with your uncle, too."
"Mm."
Ye Jingshuang nodded to show she understood.
Jiang Ran went downstairs without waiting for the others.
He found a seat and ordered some food and drinks from the waiter.
A moment later, a figure flickered, and Shi Miao was sitting across from him, studying him with a cold expression.
Jiang Ran frowned slightly.
"What are you staring at me for?"
"Senior Sister Ye never lies. If she says you are her benefactor, then you must have done her a great service.
"But she’s a top disciple of the Liuyun Sword Sect. How could she so easily find herself in need of saving?
"What exactly happened?"
Shi Miao stared intently at Jiang Ran, demanding an explanation.
Jiang Ran met her gaze with a strange expression of his own.
"You don’t know?"
"Why... would I know?"
There was no trace of confusion on Shi Miao’s face, only an even deeper coldness.
Jiang Ran nodded thoughtfully and asked another question:
"Do you have a grudge against the Heterodox Manor?"
"No."
Shi Miao shook her head.
"They are followers of a heretical path. Meeting in secret like that, they must have been plotting something foul.
"Since I encountered them, I could not simply ignore them. We who wield the sword should strive to purge the world of all injustice."
Jiang Ran had a realization. ’I thought she was just some cold, detached woman who did whatever she pleased, but it turns out she’s a true sword-wielding heroine.’
’They were just gathered together,’ he thought, ’they hadn’t even done anything yet. Was it necessary to be so ruthless?’
But then again, he knew nothing about the Heterodox Manor, nor did he truly know Shi Miao. ’Voicing that opinion would be presumptuous,’ he decided.
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