Chapter 167 - 114: Hard to Dismount
The Shattered Gold Saber?
Jiang Ran once again revealed his own ignorance.
After hearing those three words, he gave Ye Jingshuang a somewhat confused look.
He then noticed Ye Jingshuang’s brow was tightly furrowed:
"That thing has been missing for years... Why would it be sent to Red Maple Manor?"
Luo Qingyi considered it for a moment before speaking:
"This saber was obtained by ’Sword of No Life,’ Jian Wusheng."
"He is a sword fanatic. Though the Shattered Gold Saber is a treasured weapon, he has no fondness for it."
"So he entrusted it to the Celestial Yang Escort Agency—part of the Golden Cicada First Escort Agency—to deliver the saber to the Ye family of Red Maple and give it to Manor Lord Ye Konggu."
"He said he’s too careless and would probably lose the treasured saber if he kept it around."
"The century-old Ye family is renowned for its chivalry. The Shattered Gold is a great treasure, and Manor Lord Ye could choose a worthy new owner for it."
"This happened two months ago."
"At the time, the Ye family of Red Maple hadn’t yet been annihilated, so the Celestial Yang Escort Agency accepted the job."
"At first, they kept it under tight wraps, and no one knew about it."
"But unexpectedly, a few days ago, news of what happened to the Ye family of Red Maple suddenly spread throughout the martial world."
"That’s when word of the Celestial Yang Escort Agency’s delivery got out."
"In the past few days, many people have already gone to Red Maple Manor, waiting for the Shattered Gold Saber to be delivered."
After hearing all this, Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Even though Senior Ye met with an accident, they still insist on delivering it to Red Maple Manor?"
Luo Qingyi nodded.
"At this point, the Celestial Yang Escort Agency is in a bind."
"Indeed."
Ye Jingshuang added:
"As things stand, news that they have the Shattered Gold Saber is already out."
"No matter what, they have to make the trip to Red Maple Mountain."
"For one, they can use the opportunity to see if anyone from my Ye family is still alive and able to receive the delivery."
"For another... even if they ’lose’ the Shattered Gold Saber at Red Maple Manor, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for them."
As soon as she said this, Jiang Ran understood what Ye Jingshuang meant.
Because Ye Konggu had been killed, the chances of completing this delivery were already infinitesimally slim.
If the Celestial Yang Escort Agency insisted on keeping the Shattered Gold Saber, they would surely invite disaster upon themselves.
Since Red Maple Manor was now a gathering point for all sorts of powerful figures,
If an heir to the Ye family still existed, they might show up. The Celestial Yang Escort Agency could then hand the item over to this heir, bringing the matter to a successful close.
Failing that, they could let the saber fall into the hands of the crowd gathered at Red Maple Manor, thus washing their hands of the trouble.
Afterward, all they would need to do is find Sword of No Life and apologize.
Presumably, once Sword of No Life understood the situation, he could only sigh in resignation.
After all, no one could have predicted that Ye Konggu would die...
Of course, there was a third option.
They could take the Shattered Gold Saber back and return it to Sword of No Life.
However, the risk of doing so was simply too great.
The journey here took nearly two months. How could they possibly guarantee a safe trip back?
Thinking of this, Jiang Ran suddenly curled his lip.
"It feels like this escort agency business isn’t so great after all."
"Licking blood off a blade’s edge is never an easy trade."
Ye Jingshuang nodded lightly, then looked at Mo Tingzhi.
"So, your young master is one of those coveting the Shattered Gold Saber?"
"Plotting for the Shattered Gold Saber on one hand, while trying to get the daughter of the Cangzhou Prefect on the other..."
"Has Qianliu Manor gotten restless?"
Mo Tingzhi looked at Ye Jingshuang. He’d thought she looked familiar before, but now it suddenly clicked:
"You’re Ye Jingshuang, one of the Twin Beauties of the Ye family?"
"So you have some discernment after all."
Ye Jingshuang said softly,
"Qianliu Manor... I remember visiting as a guest with my father once."
"The young master you speak of... could he be Qi Kai?"
"..."
Hearing this, Mo Tingzhi’s eyes darted back and forth. After a moment, he said:
"Miss Ye, you’ve misunderstood."
"Our young master didn’t go to Red Maple Manor for some Shattered Gold Saber..."
"He went for the sake of the Ye family!"
"The century-old Ye family can’t just vanish from the martial world without a proper explanation."
"When our young master heard the news, he was filled with grief and indignation. That’s why he went to the Ye residence to investigate the truth."
"Then what about that ’immense fortune’ you mentioned?"
Jiang Ran wore a strange expression. "Where did that come from?"
"I..."
For a moment, Mo Tingzhi wished he could just slap himself twice across the face.
’Why did I have to say that out loud?’
’Fine, I said it, but did Jiang Ran and Ye Jingshuang have to overhear...?’
’It’s easy to change my story now, but whether they’ll believe me is another matter entirely.’
"Sigh... Speaking of which, Qianliu Manor is considered to be on the Path of Chivalry."
Ye Jingshuang began to speak, her voice low and haunting:
"But who would have thought that after my Ye family met with disaster, Qianliu Manor would resort to abducting people and forcing marriages? How is that befitting of someone on the Path of Chivalry?"
"Before, when your Ye family was powerful, the surrounding factions naturally looked to you for leadership."
"Now that the Ye family has fallen, they’re no longer held in check, and their true colors are showing."
Jiang Ran gently patted Ye Jingshuang’s shoulder.
"In this world, who can really say if these so-called chivalrous heroes are the real deal or just fakes."
Ye Jingshuang nodded, then asked Mo Tingzhi again:
"Besides Qi Kai, is there anyone else at Red Maple Manor?"
"Did Manor Lord Qi go?"
"I... I don’t know."
At this, Mo Tingzhi glanced at Jiang Ran again, as if he wanted to say something more but swallowed his words.
He knew that at this point, nothing he said would do any good.
Ye Jingshuang nodded and said to Jiang Ran,
"We probably won’t get much more information out of him."
"Mm."
Jiang Ran nodded and said to Luo Qingyi,
"Tonight, if you don’t mind the trouble, let’s keep him in your room."