Chapter 435: Brazen (Part 2)

“…Are you even being reasonable?”

“I am, I just don’t feel like being reasonable with *you*!”

“…”

Jiang Ran took a deep breath, fighting the urge to strangle her. He stood up and said,

“There’s something not right about how this was done…”

“Mm.”

Tang Huayi also nodded.

“If someone from the orthodox path did this, they wouldn’t have killed the old, the young, and the women.

“I took a quick look just now and found the bodies of several children.”

The children in the stronghold might have followed in their fathers’ footsteps and become the next generation of bandits.

But if it were people from the orthodox path, they usually wouldn’t go so far as to wipe everyone out.

Instead, they would have taken the children out, found a suitable place for them, and had them properly raised.

“But if someone from a heterodox path did this, they would have been even less likely to simply kill these children…

“Take Heterodox Manor, for example. If it were them, they would have taken all the children back with them.

“The ones with good potential would become new blood for Heterodox Manor. As for those with poor potential…”

Tang Huayi paused here for a moment before continuing,

“They would be refined into ‘Heartless Children’—those dwarves you saw before.”

“You’ve never mentioned that to me before.”

Only then did Jiang Ran realize that the dwarves following the Young Manor Lord had a name: Heartless Children.

And they weren’t born that way.

They were *refined* by Heterodox Manor?

‘How could someone be refined?’

“You never asked before.”

Tang Huayi’s brow was tightly furrowed.

“Still, it’s difficult to guess the identity of the person who did this.

“It could be someone who had a grudge against this stronghold and came for revenge… or it could be a passing heretic who was offended by them and, in a fit of rage, killed everyone and set the place on fire.

“I doubt we’ll find any clues from these ruins.”

Jiang Ran sighed.

“This person better hope I don’t find them. Otherwise, I’ll make them regret it.

“What did they burn? People? Bandits? No! That was money!!”

Most importantly, that was his life on the line!

And someone just put it all to the torch.

Now, forget about using portraits; even with photographs, no one would be able to tell who was who in this mess.

“…You money-grubber. You’re a bit like Yan Wushuang.

“Be honest, do you have a crush on her?”

Tang Huayi suddenly shot Jiang Ran a sidelong glance. “If you ask me, Yan Wushuang is quite a bit older than you. She must be almost thirty this year, right? Let me tell you, a woman her age, even if she’s unmarried, is bound to have a lover.

“Don’t be a fool and end up as just another one of her bedfellows…

“Well, then again, if you’re just looking for a one-night fling and not a lifelong romance, I doubt my sister would mind you having a little fun on the side.”

This time, Jiang Ran couldn’t hold back. He reached out and gave Tang Huayi a good, hard rap on the head.

It brought tears to Tang Huayi’s eyes. “I hit a nerve, so now you’re lashing out in shame!!”

“One more word out of you and I’ll cut you down.”

Jiang Ran was truly speechless. No matter what they talked about, she always managed to steer the conversation to some bizarre place.

Shaking his head, he took one last turn around the stronghold, and then the two of them returned to the carriage.

The carriage, at least, was safe and sound.

But when they told Scholar Jingtan what had happened, he too was baffled.

“Was this some passing master of the martial world, delivering heaven’s justice?”

He was just speaking offhandedly, and no one dwelled on it.

However, after traveling for another two days, they started to feel that something was genuinely wrong.

During that time, they found another bandit stronghold.

Inside, it was the same scene: charred bodies scattered everywhere, the entire fortress put to the torch.

The method was identical to the last one.

This couldn’t help but make Jiang Ran and the others suspicious.

But even with their suspicions, the best they could guess was that there was a group of people out there who despised evil and were going around the world looking for trouble with bandits.

Since they weren’t killing ordinary people, the group only discussed it briefly before moving on.

As time moved into the tenth month, the weather grew colder by the day.

At some point, fine, dense snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

“It was still raining just a while ago, and now it’s already snowing.”

Tang Huayi reached out a hand to catch a flake, then suddenly looked at Jiang Ran.

“In a little over two months, it’ll be the New Year.”

Her words held a hint of hidden excitement.

Jiang Ran was taken aback.

“The New Year, huh…”

To Jiang Ran, it felt like a distant story.

He had celebrated it before he transmigrated, but it had always felt bland.

It was nothing more than eating a big meal, watching a gala, and waking up to find the holiday was over.

After he crossed over, the old drunkard had no concept of it whatsoever.

However, he had seen others from afar, celebrating the New Year in joyous family reunions.

He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“You’re actually looking forward to it?”

By the current hour, it wasn’t yet noon.

The group was eating at a roadside tea stall.

Tang Huayi lifted her tea bowl, took a sip, and gently exhaled a puff of white air.

“Of course I am…”

She glanced around and saw that Li Tianyu and Scholar Jingtan had already finished eating and were resting in the carriage.

Then she whispered to Jiang Ran:

“Every year, during the New Year, Mom and Dad would get me new clothes.

“At night, we’d make dumplings and hide Copper Coins inside. Whoever got one would have good luck for the whole year.

“Oh, oh, and lucky money! I got some last year!”

“…”

‘The little demoness from the Demon Sect cares about things like this?’

Jiang Ran grinned. “Alright then. If you like it that much, I’ll get you some lucky money this year, too.”