Chapter 210 - 128: Two Leaves
After exchanging almost all the gold, silver, and jewels taken from the secret chamber in the Sun family Manor, he kept only two treasured items, packing them together with the silver notes.
He spent fifty taels of silver to hire Cheng Tianyang to deliver the package to Liu Wenshan in Cangzhou Prefecture.
Cheng Tianyang roared with laughter, proclaiming that a promise from the Celestial Yang Escort Agency was worth its weight in gold and that he would never allow the package to be lost.
As for Ling Buyi of the Yunshan Sword Sect, he had hoped to take advantage of the lack of onlookers and fight Huang Xuan for three hundred rounds.
But his junior brother unceremoniously clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away.
As he was hauled off, he let out a muffled "MMPH MMPH MMPH" of what were surely threats, but alas, not a single word was intelligible.
The Shuiyue Sword Sect was the last to depart.
By the time Ruan Yuqing was about to leave, her nose had finally healed completely. As she departed, she didn’t forget to shoot a furtive glare at Jiang Ran.
She clearly still harbored a grudge over her severely injured nose.
They headed in a different direction from the Yunshan Sword Sect. On this journey, aside from searching for Shi Pingzhang, they also wanted to temper themselves in the martial world.
Thus, they wandered without a fixed destination.
Red Maple Manor, once bustling with activity, suddenly grew quiet and desolate with the departure of the four sects.
The disciples of the Liuyun Sword Sect, led by Ye Jingshuang, tidied up the entire manor, both inside and out.
While they couldn’t restore it to its former glory, they at least made it look less dilapidated.
After breakfast one day, Ye Jingshuang approached Jiang Ran mysteriously.
"Brother Jiang, come with me."
Jiang Ran nodded and followed Ye Jingshuang.
One walking in front of the other, the two left Red Maple Manor and headed into the mountains behind it.
A short while later, they arrived before a cluster of burial mounds.
This was where those who died at Red Maple Manor that night were buried.
The people from Qianliu Manor had been the ones to bury the dead.
As such, the graves had not been tended with much care.
Only the joint grave of Ye Konggu and his wife was well-made.
The headstone and its inscription were of the finest quality.
Arriving at the headstone, Ye Jingshuang took out the incense, candles, and offerings she had prepared and began to set them out.
Jiang Ran squatted down and began clearing the weeds from in front of the grave.
Once everything was in order, Ye Jingshuang took out a flint and lit the incense and candles.
She held the lit incense, knelt, and bowed. After placing the sticks, she poured three cups of wine before the grave.
"Father, Mother, your daughter has been unfilial. I’ve only just been able to come see you."
"Xue’Er still doesn’t know what happened to our family... I had asked Tong Wanli to deliver a notice for me, but now I suspect that letter was never sent."
Kneeling before the grave, she softly recounted the events that had transpired since that night.
Jiang Ran stood silently to one side, listening.
He, too, felt a mix of emotions.
But when Ye Jingshuang’s story reached the part about Jiang Ran, her tone lightened somewhat.
After she had finished her tale, she kowtowed three times before the grave.
"Father, Mother, your daughter owes Brother Jiang a life-saving debt. I plan to follow him from now on, to travel by his side and for us to look after one another."
"If you can hear me from the great beyond, please be at ease."
"Brother Jiang’s martial arts are peerless. In the future... I don’t think anyone will be able to bully me."
Hearing this, Jiang Ran let out a soft breath. He gathered his robes, knelt, took a few sticks of incense, lit them, and offered them up to Ye Jingshuang’s parents.
Then, he spoke.
"Shuang’Er and I have been through thick and thin together. We are very close."
"Please, you two, don’t trouble yourselves with talk of a great debt."
"From now on, we will travel the martial world as companions. I swear I will not let her suffer the slightest bit of humiliation!"
As he said this, he felt an intense gaze from his side. He turned his head and saw Ye Jingshuang staring at him, her eyes fixed upon him.
Her gaze gave Jiang Ran an indescribable feeling, as if it pierced straight into his heart.
It sent a tremor through his heart.
He watched as she reached into her robes, produced a pair of jade pendants, and handed one to him.
Jiang Ran paused.
"This is..."
"This is what Qi Cheng and his men took from Red Maple Manor."
"I saw them at Qianliu Manor that day and took them back to keep as a memento."
"Brother Jiang, the words you just spoke... you can’t just be saying them. Shuang’Er has taken them all to heart."
She spoke softly, her voice losing its usual composure and gaining a touch of maidenly vulnerability.
Jiang Ran nodded.
"I don’t make empty promises."
"Then please, take this Jade Pendant. As something to remember this by, all right?"
Ye Jingshuang said,
"Consider it a token of gratitude for your protection."
Jiang Ran gave a slight, wry smile and nodded.
"Alright. As Shuang’Er wishes."
With that, he moved to tuck the Jade Pendant into his robes.
But Ye Jingshuang stopped him.
She took the Jade Pendant from him and tied it to his belt, letting it hang freely.
The Jade Pendant was shaped like a leaf, and as it swayed gently, it truly resembled a leaf in the wind.
Ye Jingshuang, meanwhile, had already threaded her own pendant with a red cord and hung it around her neck.
They shared a smile, paid their final respects to Ye Konggu and his wife, and then turned to leave.
They had just stepped into the courtyard of Red Maple Manor
when a disciple of the Liuyun Sword Sect spotted them, saying that Huang Xuan was looking for Ye Jingshuang.
Ye Jingshuang and Jiang Ran went together to find Huang Xuan.
Halfway there, they saw Huang Xuan hurrying to meet them.
Behind him were the other disciples of the Liuyun Sword Sect, all with their bags packed as if ready to leave.
Huang Xuan handed Ye Jingshuang a letter.
"Junior Sister Ye, this message just arrived. Take a look."
Seeing the grim look on Huang Xuan’s face, Ye Jingshuang hurriedly took the letter. She scanned it quickly, her own expression turning ghastly.
"Master learned of what happened to the Ye family and to me, and in a fit of rage... he suffered a Qi deviation?"