Chapter 280 151: Establishing Tianxin

"You're full of it..."

Li Tianxin snorted.

Jiang Ran, however, glanced at the bed.

"This bed isn't small. Do you prefer the inside or the outside?"

"I... I'll sleep on the floor!"

"That won't do."

Jiang Ran shook his head.

"It wouldn't look good if word got out. We've been through a lot together. We might not be the closest of friends, but we've still formed a bond.

"And the result is I sleep on the bed while you sleep on the floor? If word of that gets out, what will people think of me, Jiang Ran?

"Oh, right. I also had the attendant bring up a bucket of water just now.

"You should take a bath in a bit. The weather is hot, and even with Inner Energy protecting your body, it's hard to avoid picking up a strange odor.

"We're sharing a bed tonight. You're not going to make my nose suffer, are you?"

"...You, why are you so demanding?"

As they spoke, a knock came at the door.

"Sir, your hot water is here."

"Excellent."

Jiang Ran called out in acknowledgment, rising to open the door.

"Thank you for your trouble."

"Not at all, not at all."

The attendant who had run the errand shook his head repeatedly, insisting it was nothing.

Then, several attendants filed in, poured the hot water into the wooden tub, and another brought over some writing supplies, which Jiang Ran accepted and placed on the desk.

Once the attendants had left, Li Tianxin clutched his saber.

"I ate too much tonight. I'm going to go walk it off."

With that, he moved to jump out the window and flee.

But he was only halfway out when he felt a grip tighten on the back of his neck, and Jiang Ran hauled him back inside.

Jiang Ran casually set him down.

"The moment I mention a bath, you try to run. We're both men. What exactly are you afraid of?

"Or could it be... you're actually a woman?"

"Are you blind?"

Li Tianxin shot Jiang Ran a venomous glare.

Jiang Ran just smiled.

"My eyes are fine, but your behavior is genuinely strange... It's hard not to let one's imagination run wild.

"If you claim to be a man, what is there to be afraid of?

"The tub is right here... Figure it out."

Li Tianxin looked up at Jiang Ran. Their eyes met. After a long moment, he grit his teeth fiercely.

"Fine! I'll wash!"

As he spoke, he reached for his clothes, all the while staring daggers at Jiang Ran.

It was as if he were trying to defeat him with sheer bravado.

But to his fury, he found that Jiang Ran was staring back with even wider eyes.

"Turn around! I'm not used to being watched."

"You'll get used to it."

"At least not right now!"

"Alright, alright."

Jiang Ran shook his head, walked over to the desk and sat down, then poured a little tea to grind the ink stick.

When he glanced back again, he saw Li Tianxin with his back to him, shirt already off.

Jiang Ran grinned.

"Brother Li, you've got a pretty good figure."

"None of your damn business! Keep looking and I'll gouge your eyes out."

"Don't make threats you can't keep. That said, Brother Li, your face may be sallow, but your skin... it's so fair."

"Bullshit!"

With that, he jumped into the tub with a loud SPLASH.

The water sprayed out, nearly drenching Jiang Ran.

"You didn't even take your pants off?"

"Who could, with you staring like that?"

"Suit yourself."

Jiang Ran smiled faintly, averted his gaze, and began to write and doodle on the paper.

"What are you writing?"

Li Tianxin glanced back at Jiang Ran and asked casually.

"Your name."

Jiang Ran replied just as casually, without looking up.

"...Why are you writing my name?"

But Li Tianxin's expression changed dramatically.

"It's nothing. I just find your name rather interesting... Look.

"Li Tianxin. The 'Li' can mean 'sharp' or 'formidable', and there are many other homophones.

"The 'Tian' could mean 'sky', as in the sky above, or it could mean 'day'. If we take the second meaning, 'day,' we could also think of it as the 'sun'...

"Now, if I were to take a different character that's also pronounced 'li'—one that means 'to stand'—and combine it with the character for 'sun', and then place all of that above the 'xin' from your name, which means 'heart'...

"Those three components, when put together, actually form a single, completely different character: 'Yi'.

"Isn't that interesting?"

At this, Jiang Ran turned to look at Li Tianxin in the tub and said with a smile,

"I know someone who has that very character in her name."

"...Who?"

Li Tianxin shrank down in the tub, his voice muffled as bubbles gurgled to the surface.

"My... sister-in-law, I suppose."

Jiang Ran sighed.

"A pity, really. I don't even know if the engagement is real or not...

"If you were to ever meet her, you'd probably attack on sight.

"Because she's very likely a fiend from the Demon Sect.

"And yet, the components of your name combine to form a character from hers. Wouldn't you say that's quite a fateful connection?"

"...Yes. A very fateful connection indeed."

Li Tianxin took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran looked back at him.

Their eyes met. Just as Li Tianxin was about to speak, he heard Jiang Ran say with a laugh,

"This person, you see, knows the tricks of the Demon Sect. She can make people see whatever she wants them to see.

"Seeing isn't always believing, and hearing is even less reliable.

"Sometimes you might think you've landed a blow on her, when you've really just hit thin air.

"She'll just sit quietly to the side, watching the person she's bewildered, laughing until her sides hurt, until she can't breathe.

"Toying with people's minds is the Demon Sect's specialty, isn't it?"

"Mm, you're right about that."

Li Tianxin closed his eyes and let out a soft breath.

Jiang Ran, however, gave a soft chuckle, stood up, and walked over to the tub.

"So, what I'm seeing right now... is it real, or is it fake?"

"You have the True Heart of Creation Scripture. Can't you tell the difference between truth and illusion?"

"The True Heart of Creation Scripture is just one martial art. The more I travel the world, the more I realize there's always a higher mountain to climb...

"Any martial art has its flaws and its tells.

"There's no such thing as an infallible technique in this world... Who's to say whose methods are more refined? What you think is a victory might just be the beginning of a new trap.

"Wouldn't you agree, Miss Tang?"