Chapter 195 - 123: Closing the Door (Part 2)
"But I have to take these manuals with me."
Jiang Ran, meanwhile, had Qi Gong bring over handful after handful of silver notes.
While it wasn’t an exaggerated sum like a million taels, it was still a massive amount of several tens of thousands of taels. This was everything Qianliu Manor could currently muster.
Jiang Ran handed these silver notes to Ye Jingshuang:
"Use this for now. If it’s not enough, come back for more."
Qi Gong nodded repeatedly:
"If the Young Mistress runs out of money, you can always come to Qianliu Manor for more."
Ye Jingshuang just smiled, not continuing the conversation. Instead, she said to Jiang Ran:
"Let’s go."
"Go."
Everything that needed to be done at Qianliu Manor was done.
The ones who needed killing were killed.
There was truly no reason to stay any longer.
Walking out of Qianliu Manor’s main gate, he glanced back at the estate. It could have been burned to the ground.
But Qi Gong’s appearance had ultimately changed things.
Jiang Ran didn’t want to be utterly ruthless either, as that wouldn’t necessarily have been a good thing for Ye Jingshuang.
The current situation was, all in all, acceptable.
The group immediately started back towards Red Maple Manor. Luo Qingyi was once again tasked with carrying things, except what she carried was always a person...
Before, it was Mo Tingzhi; this time, it was Ding Feng, along with a large bundle of martial arts manuals.
As they traveled back, crossing mountains and ridges, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but glance at Shi Miao a couple of times.
He noticed the blood-red color in her eyes was gone.
She looked no different than usual.
Recalling her battle with Ding Feng just now, Jiang Ran felt a little uncertain.
Jiang Ran had taken a moment earlier to ask Ye Jingshuang about Ding Feng’s background.
He learned that this man had been active in the jianghu for over twenty years.
Relying on his Soul-Devouring Life-taking Sword, he had built a fearsome reputation and was considered an extremely notorious figure of the Demon Path.
His Soul-Devouring Life-taking Sword was unique, and his Inner Energy technique was likely extraordinary as well.
Once he struck, he was unstoppable and possessed the ability to kill in a single blow.
At least, from the rumors Ye Jingshuang had heard, it seemed that until now, no one besides Shi Miao had ever been able to face his Soulless Sword head-on.
And yet, today, Shi Miao had not only faced it but had done so with ease. In their exchange of Inner Strength and Sword Qi, she hadn’t been at the slightest disadvantage.
This wasn’t just because Shi Miao’s own martial skill was extremely high.
The key factor was perhaps that touch of blood-red.
And that blood-red hue, in turn, was connected to Shi Pingzhang.
This made Jiang Ran a little worried about Shi Miao’s current condition.
"What are you looking at?"
Shi Miao finally grew impatient from Jiang Ran’s staring.
Her expression was cold and stern, her eyes sharp and imposing.
"Looking at you... How are you feeling?"
Jiang Ran asked.
"Everything is fine."
Shi Miao’s voice was cold:
"I should be fine."
Her words expressed uncertainty, yet her tone was resolute.
For a moment, Jiang Ran couldn’t tell if she was speaking from the heart or just brushing him off.
Ye Jingshuang interjected:
"You can’t be careless... Shi Pingzhang is known as the Heart Demon. Your martial arts are of only the mind and only the sword; your mental state is especially crucial. I fear he may have taken advantage of it."
"Senior Sister Ye, then what should I do?"
When Shi Miao looked at Ye Jingshuang, her expression finally changed.
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Jingshuang suddenly looked at Jiang Ran:
"Speaking of which, Brother Jiang, you and Shi Miao... couldn’t you be considered to be from the same school?"
"Huh?"
Jiang Ran was taken aback.
Shi Miao was also a bit baffled, and the chill emanating from her grew even colder.
A war had likely broken out in her head, clashing cymbals and crossing blades. The battle was fierce, yet no victor could be decided, and it looked like smoke was about to come out of her ears.
"Think about it... You cultivate the Scripture of the Righteous Heart of Creation.
"The Scripture of the Righteous Heart of Creation was the ultimate technique of the former Righteous Heart Sect.
"And the Righteous Heart Sect broke apart, its teachings scattering across the world. The Danyang Sword Sect is one of its successor branches.
"Of course, the Dao Yi Sect is another.
"They were originally branches of the same tree...
"Even if you and Shi Miao aren’t from the same sect, you should still have an extremely deep connection.
"Because the root of both your inherited teachings lies in the Righteous Heart Sect."
Jiang Ran really couldn’t refute that point.
The battle in Shi Miao’s mind finally had a victor.
She looked at Jiang Ran:
"You practice the Scripture of the Righteous Heart of Creation?"
As she spoke, the chill emanating from her was cold enough to freeze someone to death.
It was clear just how shocked she was.
It wasn’t just her; Luo Qingyi and Ding Feng also stared at Jiang Ran in horror.
As if they were looking at a monster.
’How could there still be someone in this world who cultivates the Scripture of the Righteous Heart of Creation?’
’And... from the looks of it, he actually succeeded?’
Jiang Ran nodded:
"I do."
There was nothing to hide. It wasn’t some evil Cultivation Technique, and no one had ever said that others couldn’t practice this martial art—that only those with the Righteous Heart Sect’s lineage could cultivate it.
After all, judging by the current situation, the sects that prided themselves on being the orthodox successors of the Righteous Heart Sect wished for nothing more than to erase the Scripture of the Righteous Heart of Creation from the sect’s legacy.
"In that case, Brother Jiang, once we get back to Red Maple Manor, you should circulate your energy to help check her condition thoroughly."
Ye Jingshuang continued:
"Your inherited teachings are connected. Moreover, the Scripture of the Righteous Heart of Creation is named for its ’righteous heart,’ and possesses an extraordinary power in that regard.
"Shi Miao’s sword-heart has been tainted by killing intent. For now, this might not be a bad thing; on the contrary, it has greatly increased the power of her Swordsmanship.
"But I’m worried that if this continues long-term, it will only lead to disaster in the future."
Luo Qingyi also nodded:
"Miss Ye’s words make sense, especially since the killing intent came from Shi Pingzhang.
"Before this person became the Heart Demon, he was the Mad Confucian Scholar.
"Neither ’Heart Demon’ nor ’Mad Confucian Scholar’ are good terms when it comes to one’s state of mind.
"Other things might be manageable, but I’m afraid that if Miss Shi is influenced by this for too long, she will fall into the Demon Path..."