Chapter 146 - 107: The Bounty List
A small river gurgled by, and the forest was alive with birdsong and the scent of flowers.
The fragrance of Wenxiang Forest drifted on the wind, refreshing and uplifting. It was truly a place that soothed the soul.
Jiang Ran sat on a stool, letting Ye Jingshuang rest her head on his shoulder.
He gazed at the river, his mind filled with confusion.
’That old man’s status is probably extraordinary, even within the Demon Sect.’
’For a man of his stature to come here in person, was it really just to deliver a token to her?’
’That’s impossible...’
But he never revealed his true purpose.
And yet, Jiang Ran had a strange feeling. ’Did he come here for me?’
The thought seemed a bit presumptuous, but the possibility existed.
’But whether the reason was the old drunkard or me... that’s hard to say.’
’And what did he mean by that last sentence?’
’"Don’t let all that bitter effort go to waste?"’
’Whose bitter effort? And what kind of suffering?’
Jiang Ran reached out a hand, then suddenly remembered there was another important question he’d forgotten to ask.
’Is the reason the Blood Cauldron Scripture is useless to me related to Tang Shiqing?’
After a moment’s thought, he shook his head.
’Even if I had asked, he probably wouldn’t have told me...’
But the biggest gain from this encounter was undoubtedly the news about the old drunkard.
The old drunkard was now in Jinyang Prefecture...
This reminded Jiang Ran of what Tong Wanli had said.
He had said that Qi Tianyue was also in Jinyang Prefecture.
The Celestial Palace and the Demon Sect did not get along.
At least, that was how things appeared right now.
Outside Cangzhou Prefecture, the Demon Sect had slaughtered the experts of the Celestial Palace’s Cloud Department.
After the people from the Celestial Palace arrived in Cangzhou Prefecture, they seemed wary of the Tang family and the Demon Sect.
So they didn’t dare to act openly.
Even though they knew Tong Wanli would be an obstacle to their plans,
they didn’t kill him directly. Instead, they took a roundabout approach and changed Tong Wanli’s position.
’Was this to avoid being discovered by the Tang family?’
Although this was all just speculation so far, it wasn’t without reason.
If these two things were true, considering the old drunkard’s innumerable ties to the Demon Sect,
his going to Jinyang Prefecture suddenly made perfect sense.
’Could it be that they’re joining forces for a fight to the death with the Celestial Palace?’
After this speculation arose in his mind, Jiang Ran let out a soft breath and thought to himself:
’It seems I have no choice but to go to Jinyang Prefecture...’
’Putting aside the old drunkard’s whereabouts, the fact that Qi Tianyue is in Jinyang Prefecture is reason enough for me to make the trip.’
’Forty thousand taels of gold!’
’If I can take him down, I might be able to live for several more years...’
Just as he was thinking this, he felt a slight movement on his shoulder. Ye Jingshuang was waking up.
Jiang Ran had checked on her a moment ago and found that she had simply fallen into a deep sleep.
She had been mentally and physically exhausted these past two days. He’d figured this was a good chance for her to get some rest, so he hadn’t used his Zhenxin Finger to force her awake.
Ye Jingshuang gently shook her head. As she came to her senses, she looked up at Jiang Ran, slightly dazed.
"Brother Jiang... what happened to me?"
Before Jiang Ran could answer, she quickly looked around.
"Where is that Demon Sect remnant?"
"He’s gone."
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed slightly. "He vanished right before my eyes in a very strange way."
Hearing this, Ye Jingshuang let out a sigh of relief.
"As long as he’s gone..."
She glanced at Jiang Ran, noticing his unpleasant expression, and comforted him softly,
"The Demon Sect’s methods have always been bizarre. It’s not your fault you couldn’t keep him here. Their abilities are just always so hard to fathom."
Jiang Ran smiled at her words.
"That’s true. Back then, the Tang family vanished overnight."
"And today, this old man seemed to sublimate into thin air right in front of me..."
"If there are no gods or immortals in this world, then there are incredible techniques and esoteric arts that are just as unfathomable."
"I can ask Li Tianxin about it later."
’I probably can’t figure it out because my own knowledge is lacking.’
Li Tianxin has a mysterious background and an extremely deep understanding of the Demon Sect. He might know something.
Ye Jingshuang nodded, then suddenly froze.
"The Tang family?"
Only then did she remember that when she and Jiang Ran had parted ways, he was on his way to the Tang family residence to save his master.
At the time, she hadn’t thought the mere Tang family would pose a problem for Jiang Ran. She figured that by the time they met again, he would have already rescued his master.
So she hadn’t asked any more about it... Now, hearing him speak, she realized there had been complications!
From the way Jiang Ran was talking, were the Tang family also remnants of the Demon Sect?
Jiang Ran didn’t hide anything and recounted his visit to the Tang family.
Aside from his Nine Deaths Severed Meridians, he told her everything in detail, including what had happened with Tang Shiqing.
Ye Jingshuang’s expression changed several times as she listened. Finally, her brows knitted together. Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she spoke in a low voice:
"That seems... illogical."
"You said Master Tang was already waiting for you outside the residence, which means he knew you were coming."
"And he said you were his son-in-law... with your master acting as the go-between."
"From that perspective, it might not have been a lie."
"In that case, wasn’t what Tang Shiqing did that night a bit superfluous?"
"With a marriage arranged by parents and settled by a matchmaker, that day would come sooner or later. Why be so hasty?"
"You’re forgetting, I wasn’t willing."
Jiang Ran gave a helpless smile. "Who would be willing to accept a marriage that comes out of nowhere?"
Hearing this, the corners of Ye Jingshuang’s lips curled up subconsciously, and she nodded.
"That’s true. If my father arranged a marriage for me without my consent, I wouldn’t be willing either."
"But, Brother Jiang... I still feel like the Tang family’s actions don’t make sense."
"Even if you were unwilling, things hadn’t turned hostile between you."