Chapter 12

Zhang Jian dismounted from Zaozao and lay down at the edge of the cliff. Below, he could see Zhou Yelang and a man standing in front of her, facing the cliff. They were arguing, and Zhang Jian quickly focused his inner strength to enhance his hearing.

"…So you're saying you won't cooperate?"

"No, what responsibility do I have in this at all?"

The tall man, who stood with his arms crossed, looked down at Zhou Yelang.

"The heir of the family hanged himself without leaving a proper will, all because of a mere courtesan. Even if he managed to survive, he still hasn't regained consciousness. It's only natural that the elders of the family want to know what happened."

"Why should I take responsibility for that brat hanging himself!"

Despite Zhou Yelang's outburst, the man slowly shook his head.

"There's Miss Sheng Jiying's testimony. She says you and the young master were too close. Even if her words aren't entirely true, it's clear you're involved in some way. If you're truly innocent, you should come to the family and prove your innocence."

"Are you crazy? You want me to get involved in the young master's suicide attempt and enter their family? Do you think I can come out of that alive?"

The man took a step closer to Zhou Yelang.

"If you're truly innocent, it shouldn't be a problem."

Zhou Yelang gritted her teeth, crouched down, and gripped the hilt of the sword on her back.

"…Are you going to kill me just for saying that?"

The man uncrossed his arms and replied.

"That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't tried to run."

As he uncrossed his arms, the hilt of a sword protruding from his right shoulder became visible. Surprisingly, it had been hanging there all along, but it was only noticeable when he showed his hands.

From above, Zhang Jian could tell that the man was a true expert, and likely a legitimate heir of a prestigious ancient family. These ancient families, which had produced countless palace guards and left their mark on the imperial martial arts, were not easily surpassed by wandering knights in the wilderness, even though the families that moved to the New Continent were said to have been driven out of the Central Plains. While Zhou Yelang's martial arts, as seen in the inn, were decent, it was hard to imagine her defeating this man.

Zhang Jian, who had been watching the standoff, rolled over and looked up at the sky. The white clouds in the blue sky were glowing red in the sunlight.

"…Really. Someone is talking about life and death, yet it's so peaceful. I should have been reborn as a cloud instead of a person."

As he said this, Zaozao approached him. The horse looked at Zhang Jian and the cliff below, then poked his head, as if asking if he would just stay there. Zhang Jian pushed the horse away, annoyed.

"Alright, alright."

Zhang Jian got up, dusted off his clothes, looked up at the sky once more, and sighed. Then he leaped down the cliff.

He landed between Zhou Yelang and the man, who were glaring at each other as if they were about to explode. Despite the height of about ten feet, the landing was surprisingly light.

Zhou Yelang and the man were taken aback by his sudden appearance and stared at Zhang Jian, who was crouched on the ground. The man finally spoke as he saw Zhang Jian slowly stand up.

"…Who are you?"

"Zhang Jian."

The man thought for a moment about the name "Zhang Jian" and realized it was the name of the person who had just fallen from the sky. Surprised that he had answered so directly, the man was momentarily speechless.

"You're the one I saw in the inn yesterday, right?"

Zhou Yelang recognized Zhang Jian. He was the last customer to leave the inn, so she remembered him. The man frowned and looked between Zhang Jian and the cliff.

"…So, Zhang Jian. It's quite a feat to jump from that height. But why did you land between me and this woman?"

"Because this spot is flat."

The man checked and found that it was indeed flat. However, he frowned even more.

"This isn't the time for jokes. You're interfering with the Qi family's affairs. If you don't step aside, I'll have to remove you by force."

Zhang Jian adjusted his tilted hat and said,

"Affairs? What affairs?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Zhang Jian shrugged.

"Tell me, and I'll move."

The man glared at Zhang Jian sharply. However, Zhang Jian's eyes, hidden under the hat, were calm like a still lake.

"…The escort of a criminal."

At the word "criminal," Zhou Yelang shouted.

"You bastard! Criminal? You said I just needed to be honest! Why did you brand me as a criminal before I could run?"

"If you're truly innocent, you can just state that in front of the family elders."

Zhou Yelang spat on the ground.

"After they pull out all my fingernails and toenails? Don't be ridiculous."

The man turned to Zhang Jian, ignoring Zhou Yelang's curses.

"Move now. If you interfere, your name will be added to the Qi family's hit list."

Zhang Jian didn't move. He took a step forward with his right foot and continued to look at the man calmly. After a moment, the man laughed.

"A martial artist who stands up for the oppressed in a deserted forest… I didn't expect to meet someone playing the hero here. Foolish."

The man then took a stance similar to Zhang Jian's. He moved his right foot back, brought his left foot forward, and removed his hand from his right shoulder, becoming as calm and composed as Zhang Jian.

Zhou Yelang watched the sudden standoff between the two with a puzzled look. She wanted to say something, but the intense atmosphere between the two martial artists made it impossible to intervene.

The man, facing Zhang Jian, slowly reached for the hilt of his sword with a relaxed expression. Suddenly, he felt his inner strength circulating, amplifying his senses. In the storm of inner strength and heightened senses, only Zhang Jian's figure remained. His heightened senses and intuition painted a brief picture of the near future.

Two swords being drawn, two beams of light aiming for each other's necks, and the opponent's sword splitting into two blurry afterimages, like a pair of scissors, one of which he could block, but the other he couldn't.

"Huh!"

The man took a step back, inhaling sharply. A cold sweat trickled down his face. He blinked, distinguishing between the scene he had just seen and the reality in front of him. Zhang Jian remained calm.

Seeing the man step back, Zhang Jian asked bluntly,

"What are you doing?"

The man unconsciously licked his lips.

"…Impressive skills. Which family are you from?"

Zhang Jian frowned at the man's unexpected question.

"Obviously, I'm from the Zhang family. Didn't you hear my name just now?"

"Zhang? If you're not from a prestigious family, are you from the imperial army? No, that's not it. You're too rough for the imperial army."

The man slowly stepped back as he spoke.

"Zhang Jian, it's foolish to act without the skills. But if you have the confidence, you can truly be called a hero. My name is Qi Yunsheng. I'll step back today, but that doesn't mean the Qi family is giving up. I want to see if you can truly handle the power of the Qi family."

Qi Yunsheng, who had revealed his name, stepped back and disappeared into the forest. As he left, Zhang Jian sighed and muttered,

"…The martial arts of the ancient families are indeed impressive."

Zhang Jian could guess what scene Qi Yunsheng had seen that made him flee. While Qi Yunsheng's conscious mind didn't sense the danger, his decades of martial arts training and the sharpened intuition it brought had gathered scattered information and predicted a move ahead.

In a one-on-one situation where drawing a sword meant one person would die, the ability to sense danger and retreat without losing face was a unique quality of the ancient families, setting them apart from other martial artists.

Zhang Jian also felt that his realm had advanced after defeating the three Ma brothers. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to make an ancient family's martial artist retreat just by showing his skills.

He regretted missing the opportunity to witness the martial arts of the ancient family, but he didn't want to force a fight with someone who was fleeing. As he turned around, Zhou Yelang was looking at him with a strange expression.

She said abruptly,

"You should have killed him."

"…What?"

"To buy time, you should have killed him. He will use the family's power to capture both of us."

Zhang Jian chuckled.

"If I kill him, will he not chase us?"

"I told you, to buy time. We could have gained at least a day while the Qi family assessed the situation."

Zhang Jian shook his head at her ruthless words. It was typical of a martial artist to suggest killing someone so casually. He turned his gaze to the cliff and whistled. Zaozao was coming down the cliff.

Zhou Yelang watched Zhang Jian for a moment, then placed her hands on her hips and asked,

"Hey, why did you help me?"

"Weren't you about to be captured?"

"…If you hadn't helped, I would have been. I probably would have been dragged away with a stab or two."

"Then there's something you should say first."

Zhou Yelang was momentarily speechless at Zhang Jian's words. After a moment of thought, she straightened her clothes, bowed, and made a fist salute.

"Zhou Yelang of Ganshan, thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I avoided being unjustly captured. I will repay this favor as soon as possible, if possible. Thank you very much."

Zhang Jian, who had been watching her, scratched his nose and asked,

"Is Ganshan your hometown?"

Zhou Yelang straightened up and smiled.

"Why? Do you think I'm a supporter of the emperor? Ganshan prospered early thanks to the imperial army, but that doesn't mean everyone from there loves the royal family. If I had a good life there, I wouldn't be in this situation now."

"That's true."

Zhang Jian nodded and grabbed Zaozao's reins. As he was about to mount, Zhou Yelang said anxiously,

"Wait! You're not just going to leave, are you?"

"What? Qi Yunsheng fled, so you should leave too."

Zhou Yelang stepped closer and said urgently,

"Didn't you hear what he said? He's going to chase both of us."

"Maybe. But if we split up, he'll likely chase you instead of me."

"…That's true. But why did you help me if you're going to leave?"

"Would you just stand by and watch someone get kidnapped?"

Zhou Yelang was at a loss for words, as if she hadn't heard such a straightforward answer in a long time.

Zhang Jian, ignoring her, mounted Zaozao and was about to leave.

"Wait! Help me!"

Zhang Jian turned and looked down at Zhou Yelang.

"…Are you asking me to fight one of the ancient families alone?"

"No, no. I'm not asking for that much. I have people who can help. Old acquaintances from Ganshan who will help me if they know my situation. They're not people the Qi family can handle easily, so with their help, we can resolve this."

She sighed deeply and continued,

"Actually, this whole situation is ridiculous. I just played the pipa for money, and the young master of the Qi family, who said he liked me, hanged himself when I refused him. Damn, does that justify chasing me?"

Zhang Jian watched her venting her anger and asked,

"What about the witness?"

"Witness? Sheng Jiying? Ha. She's even more ridiculous. She was the young master's fiancée, and when he said he liked me, she immediately told me to get lost. I ended up wandering here because of her. She must have spread all kinds of lies to make me look like a slut. Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened, damn bitches!"

She even punched the air, as if she would smash their faces if they were in front of her. Strangely, despite her beauty, she didn't look ridiculous.

Noticing Zhang Jian and Zaozao's blank stares, she cleared her throat and said,

"Anyway, please help me until I meet up with those people. I can't handle even one Qi Yunsheng right now."

Zhang Jian leaned against the saddle and looked down at her.

"By mouth?"

Zhou Yelang smiled and replied,

"Of course, I'll prepare financial compensation… Zhang Jian, right? Your martial arts are quite good. If you didn't have a family or sect, you must have had a tough time."

"It wasn't that tough. Why do you ask?"

Zhou Yelang's eyes sparkled.

"The people who help me can also get you imperial martial arts if you want."