I Have A Sword

After traveling over thirty kilometers, Ye Guan, Zhu Tao, and Aunt Jiang arrived at a wide road. About a hundred meters away, they spotted a lady. Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang waved at her and quickened their pace. Ye Guan followed suit.

Soon after, the figure became clearer. Ye Guan could finally make out her features—the lady had a slender figure clad in a light green dress. She had slender eyebrows, and her beauty would surely catch anyone's eye.

She was Zhu Xingran, and there was a sheathed sword in her right hand.

Zhu Tao and his wife ran up to her, visibly excited. Aunt Jiang grabbed Zhu Xingran's hand, asking about her well-being in a gentle, almost tender voice as if she was afraid to startle the lady before her.

In stark contrast to the enthusiasm of Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang, Zhu Xingran remained calm and indifferent.

After a moment, Zhu Xingran suddenly extended her hand.@@novelbin@@

Aunt Jiang saw that and quickly handed over a bundle to her. "Little Xing, the tuition fees are here, but we're still short of twelve spiritual crystals..."

Zhu Xingran's expression turned cold.

"D-don't worry!" Aunt Jiang hurriedly said, "We'll make up for it next month. We can definitely—"

Aunt Jiang rushed to grab her hand, saying, "Little Xing, here's some food..."

"I don't need it." Zhu Xingran replied coldly. She pulled her hand away and continued walking away.

Aunt Jiang panicked at the sight.

"Little Xing!" Zhu Tao suddenly called out, "Wait…"

Seeing that Zhu Xingran had no intention of stopping, Zhu Tao quickly grabbed Ye Guan and walked up to her. He hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "Girl, this young man wants to go to Annan City. Can you… take him along?"

Zhu Xingran glanced at Ye Guan but didn't say anything.

Ye Guan smiled and said, "I'd appreciate it."

After a brief silence, Zhu Xingran nodded. "Let's go."

Without another word, she turned around and began walking away again.

Ye Guan turned to Zhu Tao and smiled. "Brother Tao, Aunt Jiang, I'll come back to visit you both in a little while."

Zhu Tao grinned while Aunt Jiang glanced at Ye Guan without speaking

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang watched as Ye Guan and Zhu Xingran disappeared at the end of the road. Reluctantly, they withdrew their gaze and turned to leave.

Zhu Tao instinctively reached into his pocket. The next moment, he froze and pulled out two spiritual crystals. He stared at the crystals in his hand, momentarily stunned. "This... what...?"

Aunt Jiang furrowed her brows, confusion written all over her face.

They had already given all their spiritual crystals to Zhu Xingran.

"Ah!" Zhu Tao suddenly slapped his thigh in realization. "It must have been that young man, Ye Guan! He's the one who put these in my pocket!"

He turned around, but Ye Guan and Zhu Xingran had already disappeared into the distance.

***

Ye Guan followed closely behind Zhu Xingran.

Zhu Xingran was silent, not speaking even a word to him.

Ye Guan looked at her and smiled. "Lady Zhu, can you tell me more about Annan City?"

Zhu Xingran didn't respond, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

Ye Guan tried again, "Lady Zhu…"

"I'll take you to Annan City," Zhu Xingran said," After that, you are on your own."

Ye Guan sighed inwardly. This girl's temper is just like her mother's…

They walked for a long time. Just before nightfall, Zhu Xingran quickened her pace.

After nearly another hour, the sky darkened completely, and Ye Guan noticed a dilapidated hall up ahead.

Just as they entered the hall, a chilling atmosphere hit Ye Guan.

The air was cold, and the wind whistled loudly through the cracks in the walls.

It was an extremely eerie place.

As a cultivator, Ye Guan was not afraid of ghosts, but the chill in the air was undeniable. He turned to look at Zhu Xingran, who remained calm, seemingly undisturbed by her surroundings at all. ŗ𝔞ɴỘ฿Εș

She casually took out a fire starter, gathered some dry wood, and lit them. Then, she sat down and crossed her legs before forming a hand seal. She closed her eyes and began cultivating.

Ye Guan observed her closely. He noticed a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy around her. It was very faint, almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.

Ye Guan remained silent.

The spiritual energy in this world was scarce, similar to the Milky Way, but Zhu Xingran's cultivation technique seemed exceptionally primitive.

In the Guanxuan Universe, basic entry-level cultivation methods would be like divine cultivation methods here. In a place like this, cultivation wasn't really that helpful.

However, Ye Guan dared not give her a cultivation manual.

After his bad experience with the girl, he felt like he had to be cautious around her. He couldn't help but feel a little bad. If one felt like one had to be careful even while doing a good deed, it meant that the world was in a sad state.

After a while, Zhu Xingran opened her eyes. She exhaled and gestured with her hands before bringing them to rest after several sets. Then, she looked at Ye Guan and asked, "What are you staring at?"

Ye Guan glanced at the sword by her side and smiled. "Are you a swordsman?"

Zhu Xingran stared deeply at him but didn't answer. She rummaged through her bag and took out a flatbread, eating it without a word.

Ye Guan had nothing to eat.

Zhu Tao and his wife could barely eat, so he didn't feel right asking them for food.

Zhu Xingran finished the flatbread and leaned against a nearby stone wall.

Ye Guan leaned against a stone wall in a corner. He was about to sleep when a flatbread was tossed in front of him.

Startled, Ye Guan looked up and saw Zhu Xingran, who was holding her sword with her arms crossed and her eyes half-closed.

"Thank you," Ye Guan said but was met with no response.

Ye Guan didn't finish the flatbread, keeping half of it. He leaned back against the stone wall, slowly closing his eyes.

"Master Pagoda, I remember grandfather made his fortune from scratch. If Grandfather were in my shoes, what would Grandfather do?"

Little Pagoda responded without hesitation, "Kill and steal. Kill anyone standing in his way. Follow that, and you won't have to worry about money in just two days."

Ye Guan's face darkened. "That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"

Little Pagoda laughed mischievously. "Just kidding. Your grandfather is ruthless, but he's fair. He treats others how they treat him. He won't kill those without murderous intent toward him."

Ye Guan nodded.

"This time, it's not just about your future, but about my future, too. You better do well."

Ye Guan nodded. "Of course, Aunt has only asked me for help this once. Even if it means sacrificing you, Master Pagoda, I'll make sure to complete the task."

Little Pagoda clicked his tongue, "Tsk!"

Ye Guan chuckled.

The night passed quietly.

The next morning, Ye Guan suddenly felt a kick. He opened his eyes to see that Zhu Xingran had kicked him awake. Before he could say anything, Zhu Xingran turned around and started walking away.

Ye Guan got up and followed her. When they left the hall, he was stunned.

The sky was still dim, just enough to make out the ground.

He looked at Zhu Xingran, who was walking ahead without a word.

"Isn't it a little early to leave?" Ye Guan asked, catching up to her.

Zhu Xingran stopped, turned to look at him, and stared at him silently for a moment.

Ye Guan hesitated, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Xingran fixed her gaze on him. "Do you know how long it will take to walk to Annan City from here? At least a month. And on the way, we have to be cautious of thieves, the acid rain, and the scorching sun. If everything goes smoothly, it will take at least a month to get there. The keyword is 'smoothly.'

"If things don't go smoothly, it will take even longer for us to get there."

Ye Guan was immediately stunned. Walk to Annan City?!

He hadn't expected that. He thought Zhu Xingran would be taking him by some form of transportation.

Zhu Xingran turned around and continued walking away.

Ye Guan stood there for a moment before following her. He realized that she had to have walked all the way from Annan City to that Refugee District.

Zhu Xingran remained silent during their journey. Day after day went by, and whenever night fell, she would always find a place to rest. They never slept out in the open. Clearly, she was familiar with the route.

Zhu Xingran said not even a word to Ye Guan as they continued their journey.

Ye Guan, however, had no choice but to initiate conversations with her, as he had no food. He hadn't expected the journey to take this long. Otherwise, he would have shamelessly asked Zhu Tao for some food to bring along.

Fortunately, Zhu Xingran would give him a flatbread every day.

A few days later, the sound of hooves reverberated in their ears while they were walking beneath the scorching sun.

Ye Guan turned around and was startled. The horse was huge—much larger than any normal horse. It was pure white, with frost-like marks on its hooves, creating a stunning sight.

The horse was pulling a luxurious carriage that looked as grand as a small palace.

The carriage stopped next to them, and a man's head popped out from the curtain. He looked at Zhu Xingran and smiled. "Xingran, what a coincidence."

Zhu Xingran glanced at the man and nodded slightly but didn't speak.

"Are you heading back to the academy? Let me give you a ride," asked the man.

Zhu Xingran shook her head. "No, I still have other matters to attend to."

"It's fine; I can take you. It's on my way." The man chuckled.

Zhu Xingran remained unmoved. "Thank you, Lin Ye, but go ahead."

Lin Ye did not pursue it any further. "Alright then."

He glanced at Ye Guan, lowered the curtain, and the carriage drove away.

Zhu Xingran continued walking in silence.

"Lady Zhu, is that your classmate?" Ye Guan asked, curious.

"Do you want to take the carriage?"

Ye Guan laughed awkwardly. "Well, a little bit."

Zhu Xingran said nothing.

"Is Lin Ye a bad person?" Ye Guan asked, after a moment of hesitation.

"He has many women. Does that make him bad?"

Zhu Xingran looked up at the carriage as it disappeared in the distance, and her voice was soft as she remarked, "Once you've ridden in a carriage, you'll never want to walk again. But do you know what you have to pay to have a carriage every time you want to go somewhere?"

"I know what you're trying to say," Ye Guan said, nodding. "But you can't blame those girls, either. Aren't they simply taking advantage of an opportunity to change their fates?"

Zhu Xingran turned away as she replied, "If a woman can't tell whether a man truly likes her or just wants to toy with her, then she's a fool. Once she's been played, she'll become cheaper in his eyes."