Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

The Ye family of Red Maple was renowned throughout the martial world for their chivalry.

When Ye Jingshuang first met Jiang Ran, she had no idea how profound his Inner Energy was. She saw him as a mere stranger, yet was still willing to protect him with her life.

Shi Miao was cold, aloof, and naive.

Yet she, too, would follow her heart’s code of chivalry, even if it meant death without regret.

Jiang Ran had heard of the Path of Chivalry, but how many in the martial world could truly live by it?

And yet, Ye Jingshuang was just such a person, and so was Shi Miao.

"What are you smiling at?"

Shi Miao’s aura grew colder, so much so that it felt as if she might draw her sword and cut Jiang Ran down at any moment.

Jiang Ran simply shook his head, glanced at the sky, and said,

"Just listen to me for now. Conceal your presence, and we’ll follow them quietly.

"Once we find their hideout, we can figure out our next move."

"..."

Shi Miao stared coldly at Jiang Ran, her face devoid of any expression.

Just as Jiang Ran thought she was going to refuse, she squeezed a single word out through clenched teeth:

"Fine."

The smile on Jiang Ran’s lips widened. ’This woman is even more interesting than I’d imagined.’

They continued to move as they spoke, never breaking their stride.

Now they picked up the pace, tailing the six individuals from a safe distance.

The group of six wasn’t moving quickly; several of them had been injured by Shi Miao.

They hurried along, crossing through a patch of woods before turning into a mountain hollow not far ahead.

As Jiang Ran and Shi Miao drew near, they overheard someone speaking.

"How did you all get so wounded?"

"Are you being followed?"

"No."

"Good. Quickly, let me tend to your wounds."

Hearing this, a flicker of killing intent flashed in Shi Miao’s eyes. However, she didn’t charge out, looking instead to Jiang Ran.

She saw that Jiang Ran’s expression was placid; he even rolled his eyes.

"What is it?"

Shi Miao used a sound transmission technique, sending her voice directly into Jiang Ran’s ear.

Jiang Ran didn’t know this secret art, so he just whispered back,

"It’s a ruse."

Shi Miao’s expression grew solemn, her aura as chilling as a blade, and her voice reached him again.

"Why must you be so cryptic? What does that mean?"

Jiang Ran said nothing, merely motioning for her to wait.

A moment later, they heard another voice.

"That woman didn’t follow. Let’s go."

With that, six figures emerged from behind the hollow and sped off in another direction.

Shi Miao’s eyes widened slightly. She glanced from the hollow to the direction the six had fled, the chill around her intensifying and the killing intent in her gaze growing stronger.

"What’s going on?"

Hearing her ask, Jiang Ran suddenly had a realization.

’It seems this girl is incapable of showing emotions like confusion, shock, or anger.’

’Whenever she feels them, the chill around her just gets colder.’

’Is that just her personality, or is it because of her martial arts?’

Jiang Ran started moving to follow them, speaking softly as he went.

"When they entered the hollow just now, it was all an act.

"They staged it themselves. The goal was to bait you out, to see if you were tailing them.

"They assumed that if you were the one following, you’d show yourself the moment you found their ’gathering spot.’ They were waiting in ambush behind the hollow. If you’d gone over, you would’ve fallen into their encirclement."

Shi Miao listened, nodding slowly as a cold light glinted in her eyes.

"Despicable."

"..."

Jiang Ran, on the other hand, found it all rather ordinary.

’They want to live, but they don’t want anyone on their tail.’

’They have to use some tricks to make sure, to rule out any followers... Otherwise, what are they going to do, just stumble along blindly? Are they worried they won’t die fast enough?’

The two continued their pursuit. Before long, they saw the six men suddenly spread out into a formation, their sharp gazes fixed on the path behind them.

"You’ve been following for a long time. You must be tired. Come on out!"

Hearing this, Shi Miao placed her hand on her sword hilt, ready to reveal herself.

Jiang Ran grabbed her wrist, stopping her from making any rash moves.

Shi Miao looked at Jiang Ran, her face expressionless.

Jiang Ran looked at Shi Miao and gave a huge eye roll.

And just as their eyes met, another shout came from the men.

"Still not coming out? Do you need a formal invitation?

"You saw through our earlier test, so you’ve got some skill. But are you just going to keep making a pointless struggle now?"

As he spoke, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out.

Shi Miao’s brow furrowed slightly. Jiang Ran, who was still holding her wrist, clearly felt her True Qi falter for an instant.

He subconsciously channeled the Inner Strength of the Fortune’s Orthodox Heart Sutra into her.

As his Inner Strength entered her body, Shi Miao felt her own previously sluggish True Qi suddenly begin to flow smoothly once more.

She couldn’t help but look up at Jiang Ran, her eyes showing genuine ’confusion’ for the first time, instead of just expressing her emotions through coldness.

Baffled by her stare, Jiang Ran could only raise a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture.

At the same time, the gongs and drums sounded again.

This time, Shi Miao was unaffected by the sound.

But the confusion in her eyes only deepened.

After about a quarter of an hour of this, the six men finally gave up.

They exchanged a glance, and one of them spoke.

"Definitely no one there. Otherwise, even if our shouting didn’t bait them out, the Shadow Gong and Demon Drum isn’t something just anyone can withstand. Let’s go. We’ll rendezvous with the others first."

"Let’s go. We shouldn’t linger here."

After a brief discussion, the men finally set off.

Jiang Ran and Shi Miao once again fell in behind them.

However, despite the apparent certainty of their discussion, they were still on edge.

Along the way, they attempted another ruse and a bluff.

Each act was more convincing than the last.

But what Jiang Ran hadn’t expected was that Shi Miao fell for it every single time.