Chapter 423: Opening (2)

Corpses now littered Sunset Plateau.

Some belonged to the Righteous Path of the Martial World, others to Heterodox Manor.

There were also many heavily wounded and captured heretics, as well as so-called righteous warriors who had attempted to defect mid-battle, betraying the very meaning of chivalry and righteousness.

Dao Wuming led a group of mysterious masters, their origins unknown, as they tallied the dead.

Xuanyuan One Slash, on the other hand, was quite busy.

Not only did he have to lead the disciples of the Blood Saber Hall in clearing the battlefield and treating the wounded, but he also had the grim task of collecting the bodies of his own fallen men.

But after this battle, the Blood Saber Hall’s prestige was certain to rise once more.

And after the battle on Sunset Plateau, the rankings of the Thirteen Gangs were bound to be completely overturned.

First and foremost, the Thunderbolt Hall was almost certainly headed for decline after this conflict.

Its First Hall Master Gu Renlong, Second Hall Master Dong Huai Sect, and Third Hall Master Chi Lin.

All had been killed by Jiang Ran in succession.

Although the Thunderbolt Hall had other masters to act as its pillars, they paled in comparison to those three.

Even if a large number of their disciples remained, they would no longer be able to make any significant waves.

With their power so diminished, they were no longer qualified to be counted among the Thirteen Gangs.

A seat would inevitably open up.

Second, the Flower and Rain Alliance had tried to play it smart, but their leader, Jiang Han, had ended up caught in the net himself.

He was now surrounded by Blood Saber Hall disciples, several blades pressed to his chest and back. His acupoints had been sealed over and over again, leaving him absolutely no chance to act.

All he could do was sit to the side, sighing in helpless frustration.

As for what would become of the Flower and Rain Alliance after this incident, that would depend entirely on how Jiang Ran decided to deal with him.

But all that could be set aside for the moment.

When Jiang Ran returned with Tang Huayi, Ruan Yuqing, Gu Shengyan, and the others were gathered around a large, golden tripod cauldron, tapping and knocking on its surface.

“Is the person inside still alive?”

There was no response from within.

The group exchanged a look. Each person grabbed one of the cauldron’s legs, leaped into the air, and pulled in unison, yanking the massive vessel out of the ground.

With a great RUMBLE, a cloud of dust billowed into the air.

Inside, the short and stocky Jin Sanding was barely breathing, his face already turning purple…

Any later, and he likely would have suffocated.

He had spent his entire life with his cauldrons. This golden tripod was not just his weapon and his treasured armor, but also his home for eating, sleeping, and living.

He never would have dreamed that it would almost become his coffin.

Yet when he opened his eyes, his first instinct was to scan his surroundings.

“Lady Wu…”

At his words, Jiang Ran also found himself scanning the area.

“Where’s Lady Wu?”

Jiang Ran had a rather vivid memory of the woman.

After all, the first time they met, she had used centipedes to kill someone. The image of the creatures burrowing out of the victim’s body was quite a shock.

Ruan Yuqing glanced at Jiang Ran and said:

“That woman… I did notice her.

“It looked like… she was abducted.”

“Abducted?”

Jiang Ran froze. “By who?”

“By a young man.”

Gu Shengyan quickly chimed in, “I saw it! It seemed like the young man took a fancy to Lady Wu. After he subdued her, he just slung her over his shoulder and took off without a backward glance.”

“Without even a backward glance!”

Jiang Ran, startled, asked the others if anyone had gotten a good look at the young man’s face or recognized him.

The answer was always the same: they weren’t sure, they didn’t know him, they’d never seen him before.

One thing, however, was certain.

His martial arts had to be impressive. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hold his own on Sunset Plateau today.

Furthermore, the man was likely also an expert in the poison arts.

Otherwise, when faced with someone like Lady Wu, most people would be too busy trying to get away, let alone be able to just carry her off.

Finally, Jiang Ran summoned Xuanyuan One Slash. After a brief inquiry, he learned that some Blood Saber Hall disciples had indeed seen the pair.

At first, they had mistaken him for a fiend from Heterodox Manor and tried to stop him.

But the young man used some unknown method that left the Blood Saber Hall disciples completely immobilized.

He then made his escape.

He had been gone for some time now; pursuit was likely futile.

Jiang Ran had the disciples brought over for a brief examination and found lingering traces of some drug in their systems.

This confirmed it: the man was indeed an expert in the poison arts.

Since pursuit was impossible, the man wasn’t aligned with Heterodox Manor, and he was a complete unknown, Jiang Ran decided not to investigate the matter any further.

‘As for why he took Lady Wu, it probably wasn’t out of lust… Lady Wu is attractive, but likely not so stunning as to incite desire at first sight.’

Jiang Ran mused, ‘Since the man is an expert in poisons, he probably coveted Lady Wu’s ability to command venomous insects.’

Of course, he didn’t know the specific reason; for now, it was all just guesswork.

He then announced to the assembled crowd that Man Shengming had not been found.

Heterodox Manor must have other plans… Man Shengming’s fate was uncertain, and they would all need to work together to search the surrounding area for him.

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately agreed it was their duty to help!

Some were motivated purely by honor and righteousness. Others were simply following orders. And a third group was secretly scheming.

‘If they were the first to find Man Shengming, and he happened to be gravely wounded…’

‘…couldn’t they kill him, take the Jiaowei Zither, and hide it away? Then, once everything had blown over, they could come back and retrieve it… Wouldn’t that be a perfect plan?’

In truth, the so-called Path of Chivalry was not always trodden by chivalrous people.

Sometimes, one is judged by their intentions and not their deeds; other times, one is judged by their deeds and not their intentions.