Chapter 116 - 97: Liu Wenshan
"Just clues?"
Chang Nian frowned slightly.
"That’s right."
Lady Wu said with a smile,
"We’re not trying to force you to give us a full account, my lord. This incident happened twenty years ago. Just being able to uncover any clues at all would be a remarkable feat.
"If the matter proves to be beyond Your Lordship’s capabilities, we can’t very well force you, can we?
"We can’t expect you to investigate Cangzhou Prefecture, let alone Jinyang Prefecture.
"That would be asking for the impossible."
"Fine!"
Chang Nian nodded.
"I will agree to your terms... but you must agree to mine.
"Once you find what you’re looking for, you will leave Benma County. You are not to harm a single one of my people!"
"Your Lordship loves his people like his own children. We may not walk the righteous path, but we can’t help but admire that."
Jin Sanding roared with laughter.
"I’ll take it upon myself to agree to that. Now, get some rest, my lord. We will take our leave and await your good news."
With that, he waved his hand, and the surrounding men in black scattered in all directions.
Lady Wu and Jin Sanding shot a final glance at Shi Miao from afar.
Lady Wu said with a smile,
"I look forward to experiencing your brilliant techniques again next time, Miss Shi."
"Would you dare?"
Shi Miao remained expressionless, but her sword hummed with a sharp, metallic ring.
Lady Wu’s voice caught. With a snort, she turned and left.
Jin Sanding looked from one to the other, and upon realizing he was the only one left behind, he hastily called out,
"Wait for me."
With a whistling sound, he and his cauldron shot off in pursuit of Lady Wu.
Only after the group had completely departed did Shi Miao retract her Sword Intent.
Chang Nian, his brow deeply furrowed, turned and went back inside the house.
An oil lamp flared to life, its flickering light illuminating half of Jiang Ran’s face.
"Young Hero Jiang, it has all been done as you instructed."
Chang Nian approached Jiang Ran.
"But I must ask, what exactly is your plan, Young Hero?"
Jiang Ran looked up at him and said with a smile,
"Lord Chang, if I may be so bold as to ask you a question."
"Please, Young Hero Jiang, speak freely."
Chang Nian sat down in front of Jiang Ran.
"With the men you can currently muster, Lord Chang, do you stand a chance against Heterodox Manor?"
Jiang Ran asked softly.
Chang Nian considered this for a moment before replying,
"I don’t know the full extent of your and Miss Shi’s abilities, Young Master Jiang. How would you fare if you went all out?"
"It wouldn’t be difficult to kill everyone who came here tonight."
Chang Nian was taken aback, momentarily speechless.
"Then why would you ask such a thing, Young Master Jiang? Unless... you two are unwilling to fight?"
Jiang Ran sighed.
"Lord Chang, I said it wouldn’t be difficult to kill everyone who came *tonight*. As for those who *didn’t* come tonight... that’s another story."
"They have more men?"
"Yes."
Jiang Ran nodded. "Besides the ones who came tonight, there’s also an old couple who made a name for themselves in the martial world many years ago.
"Miss Shi fought them previously. Although her blade managed to injure the old man, if a master hadn’t intervened to save her, I’m afraid she would have met a bitter end right then and there."
"Hmph."
Shi Miao’s voice came coldly from outside the window.
Jiang Ran smiled.
"Was I wrong?"
"No."
Shi Miao’s voice was icy. "But if we were to fight again, his injuries would be far worse."
Jiang Ran nodded.
"I see your Sword Qi is even stronger today than it was a couple of days ago.
"To have progressed so much in just two or three days is truly admirable."
Outside the window, Shi Miao fell silent.
Lord Chang, on the other hand, frowned deeply.
"So there’s a pair like that as well."
"It’s not just them."
Jiang Ran shook his head slightly.
"Heterodox Manor is deep and mysterious. I don’t know much about them, but their Young Manor Lord is leading this expedition himself.
"It’s still difficult to say how skilled he is.
"However, even the lowliest of his subordinates are not to be underestimated.
"And what’s more, we still don’t know if there are other hidden masters mixed in with them.
"The stakes of this affair are high, so it’s likely that those who have come are far from ordinary.
"Miss Shi and I may be capable, but to expect us to be completely foolproof against so many opponents...
"I’m afraid it won’t be easy."
"Your considerations are spot on, Young Hero Jiang."
Chang Nian nodded again and again.
"Then what should we do?"
Jiang Ran smiled faintly.
"I’m wondering if I might be able to find you some unexpected reinforcements, Lord Chang."
"Unexpected reinforcements?"
Chang Nian glanced at Jiang Ran. "And where would these reinforcements come from?"
"Perhaps... they’re already here in Benma County."
...
...
He emerged from the room an hour later.
Standing on the rooftop, Jiang Ran gazed at the stars and spoke softly,
"Thank you."
Shi Miao frowned slightly.
"Why are you thanking me?"
"Thank you for not cutting me down the moment you saw me."
Jiang Ran looked back at her.
Shi Miao’s frown deepened.
She knew what Jiang Ran was talking about.
Starting today, a rumor had begun to spread through the streets and markets of Benma County.
The story went that Lady Ye Jingshuang of the Red Maple Ye family had befriended a scoundrel, mistaking him for her savior. But that man, it was said, feigned drunkenness and violated her. Fortunately, the Tong family came to her aid, and she was saved from a terrible fate.
What the original version of the story was, no one could say for sure anymore.
The version now making the rounds was, in fact, full of holes. After all, if she had been violated, how could she have been "saved from a terrible fate"?
But of all the people gossiping about it, who really cared which parts were true and which were false?
To outsiders, the identity of that so-called savior was likely still a mystery.
But Shi Miao knew that this person was Jiang Ran.
Yet when she saw Jiang Ran tonight, she hadn’t upheld her duty to right the world’s injustices by getting rid of him then and there.
Now, she glanced at Jiang Ran.
"For one, I can’t kill you.