Free Web NovelChapter 32: Chapter 32: Claim
Ever since he and Ye Jingshuang had arrived in Cangzhou Prefecture yesterday.
The two of them had noticed an unusually large number of Jianghu People in the prefecture.
It was just that they hadn’t had time to pay it any mind back then.
Now, looking at the situation inside the inn, Jiang Ran realized that the number of Jianghu People in Cangzhou Prefecture was far greater than he had imagined...
’What are all these people gathered here for?’
Perhaps seeing how young Jiang Ran was, these men paid him no heed.
Their gazes swept over him for a moment before they turned back to their own affairs, continuing to drink, eat, and laugh boisterously.
Jiang Ran, for his part, walked up to the counter and said to the Shopkeeper:
"A superior room."
The Shopkeeper immediately looked troubled.
"My apologies, sir, but all the rooms in our humble inn have been booked by Shopkeeper Wan. Only his esteemed guests are permitted to stay... Perhaps you could try looking elsewhere?"
Jiang Ran was taken aback. ’Who is this Shopkeeper Wan, to be so rich and powerful?’ he wondered.
Just then, a voice came from the inn’s entrance:
"He is one of Shopkeeper Wan’s esteemed guests."
Jiang Ran turned to see a man standing in the doorway.
The man was in his thirties, dressed in plain white robes. He had a square face, thick brows, large eyes, and a dignified appearance.
It was none other than Cheng Jimo, whom he had met once outside the teahouse!
"Brother Cheng?"
Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Young Master Jiang, it’s been a few days. I trust you’ve been well?"
Cheng Jimo laughed heartily and walked forward. "You’ve given me quite the search."
"Oh?"
Jiang Ran paused. He had only met Cheng Jimo once; why would he be looking for him?
But upon seeing the inn packed with Jianghu People, a flicker of understanding dawned on him.
After hearing Cheng Jimo’s words, the Shopkeeper, as expected, stopped making excuses about the lack of rooms. He quickly prepared a superior room and personally led Jiang Ran and Cheng Jimo upstairs.
His tone was utterly respectful.
Inside the room, they dismissed the Shopkeeper, and Jiang Ran and Cheng Jimo took their seats.
Jiang Ran didn’t beat around the bush and said directly:
"Brother Cheng, are you looking for me because of Feiyun Stronghold?"
Seeing Cheng Jimo and hearing him claim that Jiang Ran was a guest of Shopkeeper Wan...
How could Jiang Ran not deduce that the "master" Cheng Jimo had mentioned before was this very Shopkeeper Wan?
And since Shopkeeper Wan had booked the entire inn, the Jianghu People in the main hall today must also have been invited by him.
’As for why...’
’Outside the teahouse, men from Feiyun Stronghold tried to abduct his wife.’
’That’s the reason.’
’Shopkeeper Wan wasn’t necessarily flying into a rage over a beautiful woman.’
’It’s more likely... they tried to abduct his wife precisely because he was planning to deal with Feiyun Stronghold.’
With that, the reason for Cheng Jimo’s search for him today was crystal clear.
Cheng Jimo laughed heartily.
"Young Master Jiang, your perception is remarkable. I wouldn’t dare deceive you."
"Yesterday, my master and I heard of your magnificent display of power against the Qinghe Gang. We knew then that you had arrived in Cangzhou Prefecture."
"It was simply too late to pay you a visit."
"This morning, I went to the Tang Mansion, only to find the gates locked. I had no choice but to search the streets and alleys of Cangzhou Prefecture for you."
Jiang Ran nodded.
The Tang family had vanished overnight.
Cheng Jimo had paid a normal visit, seen the locked gate, and naturally wouldn’t have broken in. He had no idea that Jiang Ran himself had spent the entire morning in that empty mansion, searching for any trace of the family.
"I searched all day to no avail."
"I never expected to run into you here, Young Master."
As Cheng Jimo spoke, he took something from his robes, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it toward Jiang Ran.
"Young Master Jiang, to be frank, the entire purpose of this search was to deliver this invitation to you on behalf of my master."
Jiang Ran glanced down. On the invitation, written in a fluid, powerful script, were two bold words: Hero’s Invitation!
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Ran lifted the teapot and poured a cup of tea.
"Shopkeeper Wan has quite the spirit!"
"My master is indeed no ordinary man."
"Though he is but a merchant, he is a man of great vision and strategy. He is filled with a righteous spirit and simply cannot stand by and watch Feiyun Stronghold’s atrocities."
"Therefore, he has resolved to eradicate this cancer for the good of the people, even if it means spending his entire fortune."
"That is why he has issued this Hero’s Invitation, inviting heroes from all over to gather in Cangzhou Prefecture on the fifteenth of the seventh month to discuss this important matter!!"
Cheng Jimo paused here for a moment.
"Young Master Jiang, your martial arts are unparalleled, and you are a hero in your youth."
"When my master heard of your deeds, he was filled with admiration. He personally wrote this invitation and had me deliver it to you."
"He made it clear that he does not wish to pressure you with appeals to righteousness. He only hopes that, on the day of the meeting, if you are still in Cangzhou Prefecture, you might grace us with your presence."
"The fifteenth of the seventh month... in two days?"
Jiang Ran calculated the date and nodded.
"Alright! If I am still in Cangzhou Prefecture then, I will certainly attend."
Cheng Jimo was overjoyed.
"It’s a deal."
Jiang Ran nodded.
After that, the two of them made small talk.
It was clear that Cheng Jimo held a deep admiration for this Shopkeeper Wan.
His words were filled with respect.
But when the topic turned to Feiyun Stronghold, he couldn’t help but curse them.
He listed Li Feiyun’s inhuman deeds—murdering, plundering, committing every evil imaginable. He was also a ravenous lecher who slept with ten women a night, and was so cruel and murderous that not a single woman who entered his chambers ever came out alive.
And so on, and so forth.
After chatting for a while longer, Cheng Jimo used the late hour as an excuse to get up and take his leave. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Jiang Ran saw him to the inn’s entrance and watched him depart before turning back, lost in thought.
’After thinking over Cheng Jimo’s words, he felt that he should probably go if possible.’
’After all, Feiyun Stronghold had a whole mountain’s worth of Life-extending Pills. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.’
’Right now, his only worry was the old wine-drunkard.’
’As for the Tang family...’
’Although he’d been tricked by them, which left a bad taste in his mouth,’
’he hadn’t really lost anything, so he wasn’t too bothered by it.’
’Of course, if they ever met again in the Jianghu, he would have to settle that score.’ freēwebnovel.com
’But for now... as long as the old wine-drunkard was safe, Jiang Ran didn’t have much inclination to go looking for them.’
’Besides, it wasn’t as if he could find them just by looking.’
’They had acted in secret, leaving Cangzhou Prefecture without even alerting the Government Office.’
’The world outside Cangzhou Prefecture was vast. Even with all his skills, Jiang Ran wasn’t a fortune-teller. Where would he even start to look?’
With these thoughts in mind, he returned to his room.
He went to the bed, sat down cross-legged, and with a thought, two interfaces appeared before him.
After submitting the missions for Dao Zhen and Zhang Dongxuan, he still had two rewards to claim...
He had gone to the Tang family’s home yesterday afternoon, and after everything that had happened since, he was only now getting a moment of peace.
’Now’s a good time to claim them.’
He took a look and first claimed the five years of Inner Strength.
Although the Inner Energy technique the old wine-drunkard had taught him was crude, making its use of Inner Strength feel inefficient,
it was still perfectly adequate for guiding and consolidating his Inner Strength.
After completely integrating the five years of Inner Strength with his own cultivation, Jiang Ran glanced at the reward: ’Creation and Heart Rectification Sutra (Second Level)’.
"’Creation and Heart Rectification Sutra... Second Level...’"
’Why specifically mark it as the Second Level?’
He pondered for a moment before choosing to claim it.
