Wuxia: Starting Off With 60 Years of Inner Strength

’This woman probably has nothing on her mind but her sword.’

After nearly four hours of this, the group arrived at the edge of a bamboo forest.

They scanned their surroundings, confirmed no one was watching, and then stepped inside.

The strange thing was, the bamboo forest wasn’t dense, yet they vanished from sight after walking only a few meters in.

Shi Miao started to follow, but Jiang Ran pulled her back again.

She seemed used to it by now, merely turning to look at him coldly. Jiang Ran now understood this wasn’t anger, but her way of asking why he had stopped her.

"Something’s not right... This bamboo must have been planted recently."

Jiang Ran pointed at the ground.

"The soil has clearly been turned over, and the leaves are already yellowing. It’s not even certain they’ll survive after being planted."

"What’s your point?"

Shi Miao didn’t want to follow Jiang Ran’s train of thought. It was exhausting.

Jiang Ran explained in a low voice,

"Someone deliberately planted a bamboo forest here...

"And the people who did it are connected to the six we just saw.

"Those six were invited here by the Heterodox Order. So, who do you think planted this forest?"

Following his logic, Shi Miao’s eyes widened in realization.

"We found the right place?"

"Yes."

Jiang Ran nodded.

"Only the Heterodox Manor would have the resources for something like this, to create a whole bamboo forest here in such a short time.

"They disappeared after just a few steps. I suspect this forest isn’t so simple. There’s probably some kind of Array operating within it.

"We’d best not rush in recklessly."

Shi Miao glanced at Jiang Ran and shook her head slightly. "It’s just an Array. Nothing to speak of."

Jiang Ran was taken aback.

"You’re an expert in them?"

Shi Miao shook her head gently.

"Why would I need to be an expert? I’ll just cut it all down!"

As she spoke, she reached for her sword.

Jiang Ran’s face darkened. ’I knew it,’ he thought. ’This muscle-bound, simple-minded woman couldn’t possibly be an expert in something like arrays.’

’When in doubt, swing your sword—that’s her style.’

He let out a soft sigh.

"Patience. If you act so rashly, this great advantage we have—with them in the open and us in the shadows—will be shattered, won’t it?"

"Then what should we do?"

This time, Shi Miao didn’t radiate a chill just because Jiang Ran stopped her.

It was as if she had already expected he wouldn’t let her, and her mood was quite stable.

Jiang Ran spoke softly,

"Let’s leave for now... We can’t risk being noticed."

"Fine."

Shi Miao agreed. ’After all, I know where the place is now. If there’s really a problem, I can just fight my way through.’

As Jiang Ran had said, the tables had turned. The advantage was now theirs.

There was no need to be so hasty.

However, although Jiang Ran had said they should leave, he wasn’t in a hurry to go.

Instead, he led Shi Miao on a wide circle around the forest from a distance.

In the process, they even discovered several hidden Sentry posts.

This finally confirmed it: this was indeed the gathering place for the Heterodox Manor’s people.

Once they were certain, the two of them headed back to Benma County.

Jiang Ran was silent the entire way back, lost in thought.

Shi Miao would glance at him from time to time, wanting to speak but holding herself back.

It wasn’t until they were about to enter Benma County that Jiang Ran finally spoke.

"Miss Shi, I have a favor to ask."

Shi Miao glanced back at Jiang Ran, raising an eyebrow. She said impassively,

"Go on."

"Don’t tell anyone about the Heterodox Manor just yet."

Jiang Ran smiled. "Even if Miss Ye asks, don’t say anything."

"Why?"

A cold look flashed across Shi Miao’s face.

It was a sign that she was puzzled.

"I have my reasons."

Jiang Ran smiled. "I already have a plan for this... You should also be aware that the Heterodox Manor has gathered a lot of people this time. With just the few of us, we might not be able to wipe them out completely, without letting a single person escape.

"But if you’re willing to follow my lead, we might just be able to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Shi Miao stared at Jiang Ran, a chill swirling in her eyes.

"Are you serious?"

Jiang Ran nodded slightly.

"Alright."

Shi Miao didn’t waste words. "What do you need me to do?"

"A clever woman indeed."

Jiang Ran grinned.

The chill emanating from Shi Miao deepened. For some reason, she found those four words from Jiang Ran to be particularly grating.

Then she heard Jiang Ran say,

"For now, just do as Dao Wuming said and protect Chang Nian.

"If there are no more attacks today or tomorrow, I expect they’ll come knocking on the door."

"Knocking on the door?"

Shi Miao looked up at Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran nodded.

"Their real goal isn’t to kill Chang Nian, but to capture him.

"The Heterodox Manor has strange methods. I don’t know much, but something Dao Wuming and Dugu Yu said that night left a deep impression on me.

"Dugu Yu said that Dao Wuming’s face was stolen from the Heterodox Manor.

"So, do you think it’s possible that the Heterodox Manor can easily change a person’s face?"

"Yes."

Shi Miao said calmly,

"The Heterodox Manor has always possessed world-altering abilities. Their methods are bizarre and treacherous.

"A simple face-swapping technique would be nothing for them."

"So, if they want to capture Chang Nian, it’s highly likely they want his face. Or rather, what they want is the power of the County Magistrate.

"That power would help them achieve whatever it is they’re trying to do."

Jiang Ran smiled.

"And once they realize that capturing Chang Nian isn’t easy because he has an expert protecting him, they’ll know that if things get out of hand, not only will they fail, but they might also attract unwanted attention.

"So what will they do then?"

Shi Miao silently looked at Jiang Ran, a faint chill in her clear eyes.