Chapter 12: Martial Arts Grandmaster Xiao Ranshu

A hundred miles away.

Qiu Yue and his companions were on their journey when they encountered a carriage along the way.

The carriage was exquisite and luxurious, clearly belonging to a wealthy family. The coachman was nowhere to be seen, and only a maidservant was clumsily handling the reins.

As Qiu Yue and his group passed by, the maidservant looked panicked, her eyes filled with deliberately suppressed fear.

One of the men whispered, “Boss, this carriage seems to be alone. I bet there’s a young lady from a wealthy family inside.”

Qiu Yue frowned and said, “Escort them.”

Everyone doubted their ears.

When encountering such a situation, it would be considered lucky if they didn’t rob or harass them. Since when had their boss become so kind-hearted?

Without changing his expression, Qiu Yue said, “As martial artists, we should uphold justice. From now on, you must follow me and refrain from committing any crimes!”

During his days of recovery, he had thought it through. Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster like Xiao Ranshu had a kind heart, living in seclusion to protect the villagers. How could they, mere thugs, dare to bully the weak with their brute strength?

He wanted to be a good man!

Inside the carriage sat a woman, her guard up, her hand tightly gripping a dagger hidden in her sleeve.

Such things were common in the world—people claiming to escort while harboring ulterior motives…

But to her surprise, this group genuinely escorted her the entire way without any improper intentions. They didn’t even peek inside the carriage curtains.

When they reached the next city gate.

The woman waited for them to come forward and demand a reward, but Qiu Yue simply gave an order and turned to leave with his men.

They were really leaving!

The woman quickly lifted the carriage curtain and called out, “Hero! Please wait!”

The group turned around and saw a young woman with a married woman’s hairstyle stepping out of the carriage. Judging by her attire and accessories, she was clearly of noble origin. Even with a veil covering her face, her beauty was undeniable.

They were immediately stunned. They had seen many beauties in their years of wandering the martial world, but one with such grace was a first for them.

Only Qiu Yue remained expressionless. To him, Xiao Ranshu on that rainy mountaintop was already the pinnacle of his admiration!

While the others were still in a daze, Qiu Yue stood in place and cupped his hands toward the woman, saying, “Madam, how may I assist you?”

The woman’s favorable impression of him grew. She asked, “May I ask for the hero’s name?”

Qiu Yue replied, “My surname is Qiu, and my given name is Yue.”

After noting it down, the woman lightly raised her hand.

The maidservant, Xiao Cui, immediately stepped forward and handed Qiu Yue a brocade pouch.

The woman performed a half-curtsy and said, “Thank you, Hero Qiu, for your escort.”

Qiu Yue cupped his hands again and said, “Madam, there’s no need to thank me. I was merely inspired by a great master to do good deeds and foster good karma.”

The woman was surprised. “A great master? Could you tell me who this master is?”

In her eyes, Qiu Yue was already remarkable, and the great master behind him must be extraordinary.

Qiu Yue smiled and said, “Martial Arts Grandmaster, Xiao Ranshu.”

With that, he bid farewell and left with his companions.

After walking some distance, the men around him began whispering and discussing among themselves.

“That lady has an extraordinary demeanor. What’s her status?”

“She didn’t even leave her name. I’m so curious.”

“By the way, boss, what’s in the brocade pouch?”

“Is it silver notes or gold ingots?”

Qiu Yue took out the brocade pouch and opened it. Inside, he found not money, but a jade token.

He picked up the jade token and saw a surname engraved on its front:

Xia.

Qiu Yue’s pupils contracted. Xia was the royal surname!

He immediately turned the token over and saw two characters engraved on the back:

Yunyang.

It was actually Princess Yunyang!

Qiu Yue’s mind was in turmoil as he watched his subordinates still fooling around. He sternly said, “From now on, all of you better behave like decent people!”

Fortunately, he had been disciplined and guided by a master, which led him to reform. Otherwise, a single misstep could have led to disaster.

…

At the city gate.

Xia Yunyang watched the figures of Qiu Yue and his men fade into the distance, then slowly walked back to the carriage.

Xiao Cui let out a sigh of relief and exclaimed excitedly, “Princess, we really met some good people today!”

Xia Yunyang wiped the sweat from her palms with a handkerchief and smiled, “That man was in the Enlightenment Realm.”

“Enlightenment Realm?!” Xiao Cui was astonished, then curiously asked, “And who is Martial Arts Grandmaster Xiao Ranshu?”

Xia Yunyang murmured softly to herself, “Xiao Ranshu… Ranshu?”

Xiao Cui marveled, “To be so respected by an Enlightenment Realm master, he must be a great figure. But why have I never heard of the name Xiao Ranshu?”

Xia Yunyang composed herself and said, “Send someone to investigate. In due time, I will pay a visit to this master.”

“Understood!” Xiao Cui responded, then shifted the topic, “Princess, those assassins on the road were clearly targeting your life!”

Xia Yunyang’s eyes turned cold, “Investigate. Leave no one unpunished.”

Xiao Cui hesitated, “But… only the consort knew about our itinerary.”

A sharp glint flashed in Xia Yunyang’s eyes, “Show no mercy.”

Xiao Cui: “Yes!”

—————–

Far north of the continent.

The Ice Wall towered into the clouds, extending endlessly to the left and right, seemingly encircling the entire continent, making it impossible to escape.

On top of the Ice Wall, where no one could see, two figures were walking, one in front of the other.

“Ji Juexiu!” Chi Xian called out to the figure ahead as he walked, his expression unusually serious and concerned, “You haven’t achieved Yin-Yang Harmonization yet. Shouldn’t you be in seclusion for a while?”

Ji Juexiu walked ahead without turning back, “I have some matters to look into.”

Chi Xian frowned, “Have you thought this through? If your whereabouts are discovered, it will cause chaos.”

Ji Juexiu seemed to chuckle lightly, “Let it be chaos.”

Chi Xian suddenly had an epiphany, “Oh, I get it! You’re doing this on purpose, right? By appearing so conspicuously, they’ll be too stunned to act rashly, and you can take advantage of the chaos to do whatever you need!”

Ji Juexiu’s tone was indifferent, “You’re overthinking it. I don’t care about these things.”

Chi Xian: “Yeah, right, you don’t care. You’re the only one with the Divine Yang Soul, and you have the Divine Martial Body, so if they can’t kill you, they’ll just wait for you to kill them… Oh, by the way, what’s your current strength level?”

Ji Juexiu: “The level where I can’t die.”

Chi Xian rolled his eyes, “Fine, you’re invincible, your Nine Lifetimes Cycle is over, and you can’t die! I’m not like you, bro, I can die anytime! How about this: you go, and I won’t, okay?”

Ji Juexiu finally turned to look at him and said, “The place I’m going to is your ancestral land.”

Chi Xian was shocked, “What? You’re going to the Vermillion Bird Clan? Where exactly?”

Ji Juexiu: “The Vermillion Bird Clan Forbidden Ground, Phoenix Tree Tower.”

Chi Xian felt a twitch in his forehead and shouted, “Ji Juexiu! Last time I took you there, I almost got killed! And you want to go again?!”

Ji Juexiu: “The Vermillion Bird Clan is an ancient clan with profound heritage. The Phoenix Tree Tower houses countless rare texts. Thanks to you, I now know about the Divine Yang Soul.”

Chi Xian slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “Oh my, I give up! It was only after I used my Essence Blood to Open Celestial Eye and saw the extraordinary nature of your soul that I decided to investigate further. This time, you must give me a reason, or I won’t go.”

Ji Juexiu pondered for a moment and asked, “Have you heard of the Heavenly Yin Soul?”

Chi Xian replied bluntly, “No.”

Ji Juexiu looked directly at him and said slowly, “I remember that ancient text was divided into two volumes: the Divine Yang as the upper volume and the Heavenly Yin as the lower. It was you who pointed it out to me back then.”

Chi Xian spread his hands and said, “It’s been thousands of years, who remembers? I don’t care! Anyway, I’m not going! If it comes to it, let’s just part ways. You go to the Sparrow Clan on your own—no one would dare stop you—and I’ll take the stupid ox and hide first.”

Ignoring his ramblings, Ji Juexiu stepped forward and said, “Thousands of years have passed, and both of us are different from before. Just treat it as going back for a visit.”

Chi Xian threw his head back and shouted in frustration, “What kind of visit is this?! I don’t want to go back! Do you understand that childhood trauma leaves psychological scars?!”

Despite his words, his footsteps closely followed without missing a beat.