Chapter 207 - 127: Sword-Bearer (2)
"However, capturing Shi Pingzhang was not my work alone."
"Of course."
The man in the sedan laughed.
"I have long heard of the prestige of the Five Great Sword Sects.
"Your joint effort to capture Shi Pingzhang is a great service to the martial world, a deed that rids it of evil and benefits the common people.
"The Court will certainly not cause trouble for you...
"Mm, since you are not Assassins, it would be improper to reward you with Silver Coin.
"Let’s do this. I can make you a promise.
"If you are willing to hand him over to me, I guarantee this man will never threaten the Five Great Sword Sects in the slightest, nor will he ever harm the people of our Golden Cicada Dynasty.
"Furthermore, he will never again appear within the borders of our Golden Cicada Dynasty.
"What do you all think?"
The members of the Five Great Sword Sects exchanged glances, and finally, Su Wanyi took a step forward.
"May I ask, who exactly are you?"
"I’m afraid I cannot tell you that directly."
The man in the sedan chuckled.
"My identity is... special. If I were to reveal it, I’m afraid I wouldn’t live much longer.
"But... if you cannot trust me, I wonder if you can trust... this..."
As he spoke, another Token flew out from the sedan.
Jiang Ran watched, clicking his tongue in amazement. ’Don’t tell me this guy is in the Token wholesale business?’ he thought. ’He whips out a Token whenever he feels like it. Does he have a small box in that sedan, filled with all sorts of Tokens? Does he just hand them out to everyone he meets?’
This Token, however, flew with far less force than the Sword Holding Department Token he had thrown at Jiang Ran earlier.
The force was controlled perfectly, and it landed right in front of Su Wanyi.
She caught it with her scabbard.
Leaning in for a look, she was stunned. She then showed it to Huang Xuan and the others.
Ling Buyi was heard clicking his tongue.
"The ’Yidao Token’ of the Dao Yi Sect. This isn’t something an ordinary person can obtain.
"If you aren’t a disciple of the Dao Yi Sect, then your identity must be extraordinary."
"Precisely."
The man in the sedan laughed.
"That’s why I can’t speak of it carelessly."
"Since you have the Yidao Token from the Dao Yi Sect, then you should be trustworthy."
As Su Wanyi said this, she glanced at Jiang Ran and gave a slight nod.
Jiang Ran, however, shot a look at Shi Pingzhang, then turned back to the sedan.
"Do you realize that Shi Pingzhang’s martial skill is unparalleled? If there’s even the slightest slip-up in fulfilling your promise, more than half of us here today could end up dead or wounded.
"You hold the Sword Holding Department Token and the Yidao Token. You must not go back on your word.
"If anyone here today comes to any harm at Shi Pingzhang’s hands...
"Even if I have to tear down the entire Dao Yi Sect, I will find you and demand justice."
Jiang Ran’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was decisive and left no room for argument.
Every sound was like a sword, every word like a blade, as if they were being carved into the other man’s very heart.
"Good."
The reply was just as crisp.
"I swear on my life. If anyone here today is harmed by this Shi Pingzhang, there will be no need for Young Hero Jiang to act. I will personally deliver my own head to you!"
Jiang Ran let out a breath.
"In that case... there is one last thing."
As he spoke, he looked to the side at Shi Miao, who was striking a pose as if none of this concerned her.
"Miss Shi, come here a moment."
Shi Miao, her expression cold and severe, walked over to Jiang Ran.
"The technique you used on her—remove it yourself."
Jiang Ran looked at Shi Pingzhang.
Shi Pingzhang’s brow furrowed slightly.
"Technique? Didn’t you already dispel it?"
Although he said this, he had already reached out and grabbed Shi Miao’s wrist.
A moment later, his brow furrowed. "Stop toying with me! There’s nothing wrong with this girl!"
’Nothing wrong...?’
Jiang Ran glanced at Shi Miao. What happened in front of Qianliu Manor couldn’t possibly have been fake.
But Shi Pingzhang didn’t seem to be lying, either.
’Does that mean Shi Pingzhang really doesn’t know how it happened?’
At this thought, he grabbed Shi Pingzhang’s shoulder.
"Catch!"
And threw him.
While Shi Pingzhang was still in mid-air, he was caught by the palm force of the two sedan bearers.
At the same time, Jiang Ran placed a hand on his saber.
He was ready to strike at any moment.
He had already accepted the system mission concerning Shi Pingzhang.
If he handed him over and the system didn’t register a change, it would mean this group’s identity wasn’t genuine.
Then he would have no choice but to act.
Conversely, if the mission was completed, it would prove they were truly from the Sword Holding Department.
And this matter could finally come to a close.
Just then, a complaining voice came from the sedan:
"Easy there, Young Hero Jiang. He’s a rare commodity. If you break him, I’ll be the one paying for his treatment."
As he said this, the sedan’s curtain opened, and with a SWISH SWISH SWISH, something shot through the air toward Jiang Ran.
This time, Jiang Ran saw clearly and reached out, catching everything in his hands.
It was a stack of silver notes.
At the same time, a system notification appeared.
[Mission Complete!]
[Reward Gained: Chaotic Mind Burial Chapter (37 Years)]
[Claim Reward?]
Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed. ’This reward... is a bit disappointing.’
Shi Pingzhang’s martial arts all stemmed from the[Book of Inhumanity].
The Chaotic Mind Burial Chapter most likely came from it as well.
But he didn’t get a trace of the Book of Inhumanity, only this one Chaotic Mind Burial Chapter.
He had been hoping to gather the Inner Energy techniques of the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian paths to advance his Fortune and True Heart Sutra to the ninth level.
It seemed that wasn’t going to happen after all.
Thinking of this, he sighed, full of disappointment.
The voice from the sedan immediately spoke up:
"Is the amount wrong?"
"Huh?"
Jiang Ran looked up, and after a moment of realization, shook his head.
"No, the amount is correct..."
"Then why did Young Hero Jiang sigh?"
The man in the sedan sounded slightly puzzled.
"It has nothing to do with you."
Jiang Ran waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, you have your man, you can go... Oh, right, do you want Ding Feng? He’s locked up at Red Maple Manor. You might as well take him with you."