Free Web NovelChapter 24: Chapter 24: Something’s Not Right
For a moment, the entire Qinghe Gang headquarters fell deathly silent.
Blood flowed underfoot, forming small rivers. The young blademaster stood, saber in one hand, at the center of the encirclement, yet no one dared to take another step forward.
That single slash was enough to startle gods and make ghosts weep.
It hadn’t just cut down the men in his path; it had also severed the courage of the Qinghe Gang disciples.
Those who knew the situation understood that Jiang Ran was being besieged by the Qinghe Gang. Those who didn’t would have thought he was besieging the entire Qinghe Gang by himself...
Jiang Ran’s gaze swept across the crowd, one man at a time.
Every Qinghe Gang disciple his eyes fell upon couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
He took a step forward, and the Qinghe Gang disciples scrambled to part for him.
No one dared to block his path again, allowing him to march straight in, completely unopposed.
It wasn’t until Jiang Ran’s figure disappeared from sight that the surviving Qinghe Gang disciples felt their limbs grow weak, barely able to stand.
CLANG! CLANG! Weapons fell to the ground, and the men themselves swayed on the verge of collapse.
But just then, they heard the sound of footsteps again.
They looked up to see that murderous fiend returning, saber in hand.
"Run!!!"
It was unclear which idiot had shouted it.
The Qinghe Gang disciples, who had been about to collapse onto the ground, suddenly shot up as if they’d been pumped full of adrenaline and prepared to flee.
Jiang Ran was quick. Employing the Celestial Nine Steps, he appeared before them in a single stride and grabbed a Qinghe Gang disciple by the collar.
The man began to tremble like a leaf, his face deathly pale.
"You... you said that if we didn’t stop you... you... you wouldn’t kill us!"
"Who said anything about killing you..."
Jiang Ran’s expression was as dark as iron.
"This courtyard is too big. I don’t know my way around."
"Take me to your Young Master."
"Huh?"
The Qinghe Gang disciple snapped out of his daze and nodded frantically.
In that instant, who cared about the Young Master, Fan Jiwu, or the Gang Leader, Fan Yumou? They were all bullshit.
No one wanted to experience another one of Jiang Ran’s slashes.
That slash had been a vertical one, so the casualties hadn’t been too high.
If he were to follow it up with a horizontal slash... the Qinghe Gang headquarters would become a veritable slaughterhouse today.
The man immediately started walking, leading the way inside at a brisk pace.
The people deeper inside weren’t completely oblivious to what had happened outside.
The power of Jiang Ran’s slash had been so immense that its edge had reached from the outer courtyard all the way into the inner courtyard, a terrifying display of sharpness that chilled one to the bone.
As a result, as Jiang Ran marched straight in, almost no one inside dared to stand in his way.
The few who had a death wish were naturally no match for Jiang Ran and were cut down with ease.
Soon, led by the Qinghe Gang disciple, Jiang Ran arrived before a courtyard.
The disciple pointed at the door and said:
"This is the Young Master’s residence... Young Hero, please spare my life."
Jiang Ran nodded but didn’t release him right away.
He kicked the door open to see a young man in his twenties standing in the middle of the room.
He looked panicked, his face drained of all color.
He was clutching a sword, its blade pressed against a young woman’s neck.
He stared at Jiang Ran and barked out a sharp command:
"Stay back!!"
Jiang Ran didn’t look at him. Instead, his gaze fell on the young woman with the sword at her neck.
"Tang Huayi?"
"Yes."
The young woman nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Ran asked again:
"Did he mistreat you?"
"He wouldn’t dare."
Tang Huayi’s voice was clear and crisp.
Jiang Ran smiled and walked straight forward.
Fan Jiwu’s arm trembled slightly. He wanted to steel his heart and slit Tang Huayi’s throat.
But after mustering his courage for what felt like an eternity, he didn’t dare to do it.
Inside the gang headquarters, he had already heard what was happening outside.
The Qinghe Gang disciples around him were all saying that the Young Master had caused a huge disaster. An unknown young expert had arrived, cut down Hu Man in a single move, and was beating the gang’s disciples so badly they were powerless to fight back. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
’It would be too difficult to defeat someone like that with my own skills.’
’Today, I’m on the brink of death. My only hope is to use this Tang Huayi’s life as leverage to find a way out of this alive.’
’But... the man before me is paying no heed to my words at all.’
’Could I really kill Tang Huayi with one slash?’
’If I do that, I’ll truly be signing my own death warrant.’
Fan Jiwu had never been an idiot. He was a dandy who acted unscrupulously, relying on the power of the Qinghe Gang.
But who said dandies couldn’t have brains?
Perhaps it was precisely because he had a brain that he knew fear. He knew not everyone would show deference to Fan Yumou and simply bury the hatchet with him.
And so, at this moment, he was even more terrified.
Fan Jiwu didn’t dare to make a move, not even as Jiang Ran reached out, moved his sword away from Tang Huayi’s neck, and pulled her away from his side.
Instead, his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground with a THUD.
"Sp-spare me... I... I’ll never..."
Before he could finish, he heard the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.
Looking up, he saw that Jiang Ran was already leading Tang Huayi out.
In that instant, Fan Jiwu felt both the relief of having escaped death and an indescribable rage.
From beginning to end, that blademaster hadn’t given him a single glance.
It was as if he didn’t even exist!
"Bastard... Bastard!!"
A low voice escaped his lips. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly reached into his robes and pulled out a small booklet.
On the cover were written three large words: Blood Cauldron Scripture.
As he looked up, a faint bloody light flickered in his eyes.
...
...
Jiang Ran led Tang Huayi out of the Qinghe Gang headquarters.
He hadn’t killed Fan Jiwu, but not because he was soft-hearted.
It was because this matter was a dispute between the Qinghe Gang and Master Tang.
Jiang Ran had stormed their gates on his behalf, seizing the moral high ground.
Fan Jiwu had abducted a common woman, and he had fought his way into the Qinghe Gang to get her back. From any perspective, he was completely in the right.
No matter how powerful Fan Yumou was, he had no justification in this matter.
With this as a foundation, it wouldn’t be difficult for Master Tang to use his reputation and wealth in Cangzhou Prefecture to resolve the matter cleanly, leaving no loose ends.
That was why Jiang Ran had held back tonight.
Otherwise, if he had truly gone on a killing spree, he couldn’t guarantee he could have slain everyone in the Qinghe Gang.
But given their skill level, most of them, including Fan Jiwu, would not have been able to escape.
However, that would have made Master Tang and the Qinghe Gang mortal enemies. The reasoning would no longer matter, and with his son dead, Fan Yumou would be able to act without restraint.
Then things would become truly troublesome.
Jiang Ran had come to the Qinghe Gang to cause this scene in order to repay a favor and rescue his master.
He wasn’t here to bring the calamity of annihilation upon Master Tang’s family.
By not killing Fan Jiwu, he was giving Master Tang room to negotiate and handle the aftermath.
’But... that man has a wicked heart. He’s also the Young Master of the Qinghe Gang. Making an enemy of him and not killing him will likely lead to trouble later on.’
’So, I’ll just have to sneak into the Qinghe Gang headquarters in a couple of days, act as one of Fan Yumou’s ’enemies,’ and kill the man to eliminate the future threat.’
’I’ll even leave a note, something like, ’Fan Yumou, you’re next.’’
’They’ll never be able to figure out who the real killer was.’
It was precisely because he had this plan in mind that he never gave Fan Jiwu a second glance.
The more indifferent he appeared, the less likely anyone would be to suspect him.
’After all, if I didn’t kill him when I had a legitimate reason, why would I bother to strike from the shadows later?’
As he was plotting this in his mind, he felt the young woman beside him staring at him.
Jiang Ran turned to meet her gaze.
He hadn’t paid close attention before, but looking at her now, he realized she was quite a beauty.
She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with finely-drawn brows and cheeks like fresh peaches. Despite her youth, her eyes held an indescribable allure.
Her large eyes blinked as she looked at Jiang Ran.
"Brother-in-law, I had no idea your martial arts were so good."
Jiang Ran was amused. He was just about to say that he wasn’t her brother-in-law.
But the words caught in his throat, and his gaze froze...
’Something isn’t right about this!’
