Chapter 198 - 124: A Monstrous Lie?
"Junior Sister Yuqing, examine yourself. How are you feeling?"
Ruan Yuqing shot Jiang Ran a glare, then closed her eyes. She circulated her internal breath, felt her mind clear, and found that not a trace of killing intent remained.
She opened her eyes and nodded.
"I’m fine now..."
She glanced back at Jiang Ran. Although she still had her reservations, she nodded and said:
"This young hero is truly skilled. I am in your debt."
"Not at all."
Jiang Ran waved his hand. "I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ll take my leave now."
After saying this, he turned and left.
Pushing open the door, he saw two Shuiyue Sword Sect disciples craning their necks, trying to peek inside. After all, Jiang Ran suddenly shutting the door was enough to make anyone’s imagination run wild.
Jiang Ran’s sudden appearance startled them.
One immediately looked up at the sky, the other looked down at the ground. Jiang Ran gave them a baffled look, then walked over to the other Shuiyue Sword Sect disciples whose killing intent had not yet fully dissipated, using his Mind Rectifying Finger on them one by one.
After saving them all, he strode away.
Ye Jingshuang and Luo Qingyi quickly followed after Jiang Ran.
As they walked back, Jiang Ran still felt a bit awkward.
Ye Jingshuang noticed his mood was off and asked him about it.
Jiang Ran didn’t hide anything and recounted what had happened in the room.
After listening, Ye Jingshuang couldn’t help but smile.
"Brother Jiang, you shouldn’t blame Junior Martial Uncle Ruan."
"The Shuiyue Sword Sect is different from our other four sects..."
"Why?"
Jiang Ran was a little surprised.
"Because the Shuiyue Sword Sect consists only of women. There are no men."
Ye Jingshuang said:
"A group of women trying to make their way in the martial world, and on top of that, building such a formidable reputation... A lot of people can’t stand to see it."
"They’re all women?"
Jiang Ran nodded. He’d come across sects like that before when reading novels.
Back when online games were popular, there were even guilds made up entirely of female players...
It was a fairly common sight, all things considered.
He just didn’t understand one thing:
"Why can’t people stand it? Just because they’re all women?"
"Precisely."
Ye Jingshuang sighed.
"These people who look down on them also happen to be no match for the Shuiyue Sword Sect. So, they often resort to spreading vicious rumors and slander."
"Some of the things they say are too vile to repeat."
"Words have no blade, yet they can kill."
Jiang Ran frowned slightly. "Those who spread such slander deserve to die."
Ye Jingshuang nodded in agreement.
"But the law doesn’t punish the masses. Even if you could find one or two and kill them, how could you kill everyone?"
"Because of this, the Shuiyue Sword Sect is even stricter in their conduct."
"They’re terrified of giving anyone an excuse to ruin their reputation."
"Life has never been easy for women in this world. For a sect founded entirely by women, it’s even harder."
"When it comes to minor details, it’s not that they want to be petty; they have to be meticulous down to the last detail. In truth, they’re just trying to protect themselves."
Jiang Ran nodded.
He understood what Ye Jingshuang meant. He no longer felt the people of the Shuiyue Sword Sect were making a mountain out of a molehill.
Because this was indeed something that could damage their very foundation.
But thinking of this, he shook his head again.
"Ultimately, one’s conduct is for oneself, not for others to see."
"Living day and night according to what others say must be exhausting."
"That’s easy to say, but how many people can actually do it?"
"That’s true."
Hearing this, Jiang Ran shook his head gently, the displeasure in his heart dissipating.
He had Ye Jingshuang find a place to lock up the Soulless Sword, Ding Feng.
Then he found a place to stay. As soon as he sat down, Jiang Ran said to Ye Jingshuang:
"In a bit, I’ll need you to run an errand for me."
Ye Jingshuang nodded.
"Of course. What is it?"
"Now that the five great sword sects are gathered at Red Maple Manor, there’s something I want to discuss with them."
"It has to do with Shi Pingzhang... I need to ask them what they think."
Ye Jingshuang nodded.
"When?"
"Before nightfall."
Jiang Ran glanced at the sky outside.
The matter with Shi Pingzhang could be delayed no longer.
Of course, it wasn’t that Jiang Ran had wanted to delay it before.
On one hand, the time hadn’t been right, and he was still somewhat uncertain about what Shi Pingzhang was planning to do.
On the other hand, the matter of Qianliu Manor had to be resolved.
He couldn’t just ignore it.
And in terms of timing, the best opportunity was right now.
Besides, after this incident with Ruan Yuqing, Jiang Ran had basically figured out her way of thinking.
The next step was to verify it.
But as he glanced around, Jiang Ran suddenly blinked.
"Where’s Li Tianxin?"
He hadn’t seen him since they got back.
His reminder made Ye Jingshuang realize that Li Tianxin was indeed still at Red Maple Manor.
She and Jiang Ran exchanged a look, just as the sound of footsteps came from outside the door.
Li Tianxin and Zhang Zhihua were walking into the courtyard.
Seeing a door open, Li Tianxin, cradling his saber, slowly strolled over to the doorway with Zhang Zhihua.
He glanced at Jiang Ran inside the room.
"Done playing around?"
Jiang Ran swept his gaze over Li Tianxin, then looked at Zhang Zhihua beside him.
’Something seems off about these two.’
Li Tianxin had a hint of smugness on his face.
Zhang Zhihua, on the other hand, seemed distracted and out of sorts.
Jiang Ran didn’t answer Li Tianxin, asking instead:
"Did you bully her?"
"No."
Zhang Zhihua immediately shook her head. She looked up at Jiang Ran, her expression complex.
"He didn’t bully me...
"He just told me some things."
"What things?"
Jiang Ran asked subconsciously.
Zhang Zhihua looked at Jiang Ran with an even more complicated expression and gently bit her lower lip.
"It’s nothing... It’s not your fault."
"?"
Jiang Ran blinked. ’Something about that sentence feels... off.’