Chapter 436 - 203: Brazen

"Really?"

Tang Huayi’s eyes lit up. "How much are you getting me? Last year, my dad gave me ten... no, wait, ten thousand taels!

"As my brother-in-law, you have to give me at least a little more than my dad did. Let’s just call it fifty thousand taels!"

Jiang Ran fought the urge to smack this shameless demoness from the Demon Sect with his chopsticks for making such an outrageous demand.

He pursed his lips. "Hurry up and finish eating so we can get back on the road. You can take a nap in the carriage in a bit."

"Why? I’m not tired. Besides, Hero Gu is in the carriage. I’m not going in there."

"You should still get some sleep. You can have anything you want in your dreams."

"...Stingy."

Tang Huayi mumbled as she and Jiang Ran stood up, ready to head back to their carriage.

Before the two of them could leave the tea house, the sound of galloping horses rushed toward them, accompanied by a loud CREAKING.

Jiang Ran and Tang Huayi looked up to see a carriage pulled by two horses careening toward them, driven by an old woman who was whipping them into a frenzy!

The old woman’s face was twisted with a vicious fury, as if she held some deep-seated grudge against the two horses.

She whipped their rumps relentlessly, leaving bloody welts in her wake.

In the blink of an eye, the carriage was upon them.

Jiang Ran’s brow furrowed slightly, but he had no intention of getting involved.

He just felt that something was wrong with the way the old woman was driving the horses. If she kept on like this, the carriage was bound to crash, killing everyone involved.

Just as he decided to ignore it, he heard the faint sound of something whistling through the air.

The old woman’s head lolled to the side, and her entire body tumbled from the carriage.

Her eyes were wide open, forever unable to rest in peace.

Immediately after, a figure descended from the sky, tapped a foot on the carriage roof, then flew down, grabbing the reins and shouting:

"WHOA!!!"

But the horses were already spooked. How could they be stopped so easily?

He had to let the horses run for a while before he could turn them around. Only after they had completely calmed down did the man finally let out a sigh of relief.

By now, Jiang Ran and the others could see the man’s appearance clearly.

He wore all white and had a handsome face, with sharp eyebrows that slanted toward his temples and a nose as straight as a mountain ridge. He was blessed with exceptionally good looks.

In truth, Jiang Ran was also very handsome.

Tang Huayi had always thought that Jiang Ran might be the most handsome man in the entire martial world.

It was just that he never bothered with his appearance, letting the wind and rain weather him without a care.

This young master in white, however, was different.

Not only was he naturally good-looking, but he was also impeccably dressed.

His white robes were like clouds, a jade belt was cinched at his waist, and his hair was held back with a jade circlet and pinned with a jade hairpin.

With a SNAP, he opened a folding fan in his hand.

The fan’s surface bore four words: A Blossom to Pluck.

"This..."

Tang Huayi had been enjoying the pleasant sight of the handsome man, but when she saw those four words, her eyebrow suddenly twitched.

She glanced at Jiang Ran.

"He doesn’t look like a good person..."

Jiang Ran was taken aback.

"If he doesn’t look like a good person, why were you staring so intently?"

"Huh?"

Tang Huayi froze as well, her eyes meeting Jiang Ran’s.

Just then, the young master in white stood tall and began to speak softly:

"I have long heard that the Hua family has a daughter, newly come of age..."

"Whose strength can uproot mountains and might can conquer the world?"

For some reason, upon hearing that line, Jiang Ran couldn’t help but chime in.

Tang Huayi burst out laughing on the spot.

The young master in white didn’t quite catch on. He nodded slightly and even repeated the line:

"Yes, whose strength can uproot mountains and might can conquer the world... Huh?"

He then glared at Jiang Ran. "Nonsense! How dare you be so rude in front of a beauty!"

"Ahem, ahem..."

Jiang Ran waved a hand. "Please, my friend, continue."

"Where was I?"

"Strength to uproot mountains, might to conquer the world."

"...Is that what I said?"

A cyan vein popped on the young master’s forehead. He shot Jiang Ran a cold glare before letting out a breath.

"Consider yourself lucky. If I weren’t afraid of frightening the fair lady, I’d have you flayed alive today."

"How terrifying."

Jiang Ran clicked his tongue and said to Tang Huayi, "You’re right. He definitely doesn’t seem like a good person."

"See? I told you."

Tang Huayi shot Jiang Ran a look that said, ’You finally get it’.

The young master in white couldn’t take it anymore.

"It seems to me you two are deliberately courting death!"

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, and two flying needles shot out.

The old woman from before had died from just such a needle.

Jiang Ran didn’t move. A saber flashed, and with a CLING CLING, Tang Huayi blocked the two needles with her blade.

With a surge of her Inner Strength, the needles didn’t fall but stuck to the blade. She flicked her wrist, sending them right back at the young master in white.

The young master in white reached out and caught them. His brow furrowed. ’I seem to have underestimated these two,’ he thought.

He snorted coldly, glanced at the carriage, then yanked open the curtain and dragged a young woman out from inside.

Although she had been dragged out, her face showed no sign of weakness.

Her face was just pale, as if she had been subdued by some trick.

When she raised her eyes, they were filled with a chilling killing intent.

The young master in white seemed completely oblivious to this. He looked at the young woman with a smug satisfaction and smiled.

"Miss Hua, why don’t you come with me?

"Once you and I have done the deed, the story will spread and become a celebrated tale in the martial world."

"Ptooey!"

The young woman spat fiercely in the young master’s face.

"Bai Xichao, you’d better kill me right now!

"Otherwise, if I get even the slightest chance to recover, I’ll make you wish you were dead!"

"For now, you may curse me and wish me dead."

Bai Xichao chuckled. "But I guarantee that before long, we’ll be inseparable as lovebirds, bound together for life and death. Let’s go!"

With that, he prepared to leap away.

But a figure flashed, and a saber descended from the sky.

Bai Xichao’s expression changed. Like a startled rabbit, he spun and darted away, carrying the young woman over a hundred feet away in the blink of an eye.

Tang Huayi’s brows were knitted tightly as she looked at Jiang Ran.

"I was just thinking, it’s not like we’ve retired from the martial world or anything.

"How have the blossom-pluckers these days gotten so brazen?"

But she saw that Jiang Ran was flipping through a small book. After a moment, he looked up.

"Oh, so it’s the Little Silver Dragon, Bai Xichao!"