Es gibt einen Xiao Chan im Jianghu

Kapitel 31

☆、49 Latest Chapter

As Yun Ran descended to the foot of the mountain, remembering that Qi Mo had said he would be waiting nearby, she couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the black gold ring around her neck through her clothes before turning her gaze to look around.

It was still early, and the forest below the mountain was deserted. Yun Ran felt a slight sense of loss, then chuckled to herself: What's wrong with me? He doesn't know I left the mountain today, so why is he waiting here so early? She shook her head, intending to head to Youzhou City to try and contact Qi Mo again, when she suddenly saw a glimpse of clothing behind a large tree ahead. She immediately asked, "Who is it?"

Seeing that no one answered, Yun Ran became wary and reached for her sword hilt. A woman's figure silently emerged from behind the tree. With fair skin and a black dress, she was beautiful and it was none other than A Luo.

Her face was haggard, and she seemed much thinner than when they last met. She approached slowly with her eyelashes lowered and said in a low voice, "The chief has to leave for a few days and specifically ordered me to wait here for you to come down the mountain." As she spoke, she looked up at Yun Ran, a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

Yun Ran was slightly taken aback. A Luo then said, "You should come back to Youzhou with me and wait for him." Without waiting for Yun Ran's reply, she turned and walked ahead. Yun Ran followed half a step behind her, heading towards Youzhou together.

Watching A'luo's slender figure disappear into the distance, she recalled the intoxicating events of that night and carefully considered A'luo's usual expressions towards Qi Mo, her suspicions growing stronger. A'luo suddenly stopped, her back to her, and asked softly, "Could you please not go see him?"

Yun Ran frowned slightly, and A Luo shook her head, sighing softly, "The chief is exceptionally talented, and now he's fallen in love with you. How can you not go see him?" She gave a self-deprecating smile and slowly turned around.

Yun Ran suddenly felt a strange fragrance wafting towards her on the wind. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly held her breath and leaped back, still managing to inhale a little of the fragrance, which immediately made her feel nauseous. But then a flash of cold light appeared before her eyes, and a dagger was already slashing towards her throat. She turned her head to the left and dodged, her right hand already drawing the Broken Scale Sword. She swiftly swept it across her face, severing the dagger in half.

A Luo's attack missed, and her figure slid backward several feet like a ghost, while several Soul-Destroying Pearls shot towards her in quick succession.

Yun Ran deflected the attacks one by one with her sword, but felt a tightness and suffocation in her chest.

A Luo's gaze was cold, and she waved her hands repeatedly, throwing out several more Soul-Destroying Pearls.

Yun Ran was about to parry the sword when she felt her breath catch up to three-tenths of an inch below her ribs, and her strength vanished. The Broken Scale Sword clashed with one of the Soul-Destroying Pearls, instantly slicing it in two, but the force of the projectile knocked it from her grasp. In an instant, the remaining Soul-Destroying Pearls flew towards her. Yun Ran dodged left and right, then suddenly groaned, clutching her abdomen as blood seeped out, and collapsed to her knees.

A'Luo knew that the Soul-Destroying Pearl was covered in sharp spikes, and once it entered the body, it would take root, causing excruciating pain to those hit, leaving them with no power to resist. She immediately flew closer and saw that Yun Ran's face was as pale as paper, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.

She stared at Yun Ran for a moment, her gaze no longer haughty as usual, but instead revealing a hint of despair. She murmured, "The chief and I were doing well. Why did you suddenly appear and make him fall for you?" As she spoke, her eyes turned cold, and with a flick of her wrist, her long sword was drawn and thrust towards Yun Ran's heart.

Just as the sword was about to pierce Yun Ran's chest, A Luo suddenly felt a tightness in her hand, as if the long sword was clamped by an iron clamp, unable to advance even an inch. Startled, she saw that Yun Ran was holding the sword tip between two fingers, and then she felt a pain in her lower abdomen, having been struck by the Soul-Destroying Pearl.

Yun Ran stood up, reversed the sword tip, and stabbed A Luo in the shoulder twice, sealing her acupoints. Then she pointed the sword at A Luo's throat and said coldly, "Where's the antidote?"

Seeing that her hand was hanging limply at her side, still bleeding profusely, but there was no wound on her abdomen, A'Luo realized that Yun Ran had dodged and caught a Soul-Destroying Pearl, using her strength to feign an attack. A'Luo thought Yun Ran was injured in the abdomen, but what she actually saw was the Soul-Destroying Pearl piercing her palm and causing the blood to flow. She gritted her teeth and said hatefully, "Just kill me, I don't want to live anymore anyway!"

Yun Ran had just used all her strength to subdue A Luo, but now the poison had spread to half of her body, and she felt extremely agitated. She snorted, "You think I wouldn't dare to kill you?" As she spoke, she cut open A Luo's pouch with her sword and saw five or six small bottles fall out. She didn't know which bottle contained the antidote.

She frowned and looked coldly at A Luo, pondering how to interrogate her, when she suddenly heard a soft cough behind her. She immediately drew her sword and turned around.

Wen Huaifeng stood quietly a few feet away with a gentle expression. When she turned around, he called out softly, "Ran'er."

Yun Ran was caught off guard by Wen Huaifeng's sudden appearance and was secretly startled. She looked up and saw him slowly walking towards her. She quickly pointed her sword at his chest and shouted, "Don't come any closer!"

Wen Huaifeng stopped in his tracks, glanced down at the sword tip before him, smiled slightly, and said, "You are currently poisoned. If I wanted to harm you, it would be as easy as turning my hand." With that, he flicked his finger, deflecting the sword, took two steps forward, grabbed her pulse point, and pulled her close. Startled and angry, Yun Ran felt a cool sensation in her mouth; a pill had appeared. Seeing her open her mouth to vomit, Wen Huaifeng shook his head slightly, gently pinched the acupoint on her jaw, forcing her to swallow the pill, then wrapped his arm around Yun Ran's waist, picked her up, and flew through the forest.

Not long after Yun Ran took the pill, she felt much better, and heard the sound of flowing water ahead. Wen Huaifeng had already led her to a stream and put her down on the ground.

Wen Huaifeng fetched some stream water to wash the blood off Yun Ran's palms, then sat cross-legged on the ground, placed Yun Ran on his lap, and took out some wound medicine to apply to the wound on her palms.

Yun Ran sat in his lap, watching him intently tear off pieces of his clothing and gently wrap them around the wound on his palm. A flood of thoughts rushed through her mind, and she gazed at his profile, unable to look away for a long time.

Wen Huaifeng turned to meet her gaze and whispered with a smile, "Do you remember many years ago, I also bandaged your wound like this?"

Yun Ran lowered her eyes. How could she forget the first time they met?

Eight years ago, she accompanied her older brother Yunzheng to visit a friend in Wuzhou. At that time, she was mischievous and active, even wilder than the average boy. She would often sneak out of the house to play with the children in the neighborhood when her older brother and his friend went out.

One day, the children went to touch a bird's nest. The tree was extremely tall, and no one dared to climb it. Yunran, relying on her agility, managed to climb the tree in one go, but on the way, she scratched her arm with a branch. When the children saw her injured and bleeding, they scattered in fright. Yunran was left alone on the tree, her arm aching and her heart filled with fear. Looking down, she saw a young man standing below the tree, staring at her indifferently.

The man watched her for a while, then suddenly asked, "Why aren't you crying?"

Although Yun Ran was young, she thought the man was handsome, even more so than her two older brothers. She was a little stunned, but fear prevailed. She said to him, "Can you find someone to come and rescue me from the tree? I will reward you handsomely if you succeed."

She imitated her father's tone and begged the man for help, unsure if it would work. Afraid that the man would abandon her, she threatened, "If you leave me alone, I will definitely not let you go when I get down from the tree!"

The man finally smiled and said calmly, "You're quite an interesting little girl."

Later, instead of searching for someone, the man leaped lightly to her, picked her up, and jumped down from the tree. He even bandaged her wounds. Knowing that this man possessed extraordinary skills, she tugged at his sleeve and begged him to teach her martial arts. To her surprise, the man readily agreed, without even asking her name or background, simply instructing her to wait for him under the tree every day at noon.

One was young and naive, unaware of the dangers of the martial world; the other was disheartened and indifferent to everything. They spent several months together, and the man taught Yun Ran martial arts, yet neither of them knew the other's background. Until Yun Ran had to return to Yun Family Fort with her brother, she asked him for a jade pendant as a token, told him her name was Ran'er, and then hurriedly parted ways with him.

Yun Ran recalled the past and remained silent, lost in thought.

Wen Huaifeng looked down at her and said softly, "When you recognized me that day, why didn't you take out the jade pendant to acknowledge me? If I had known it was you, I would never have handed you over to Qin Luo."

Yun Ran was shocked. At this moment, the poison in her body had been neutralized and her strength was gradually recovering. She then tried to use her strength to break free from Wen Huaifeng's embrace.

Seeing the sudden change in her expression, Wen Huaifeng was already on guard and preemptively pressed his palm against her chest acupoints, laughing, "You've only just recovered some of your strength, and you're still being disobedient."

Yun Ran felt his fingers touch her chest, and her face immediately turned red. She scolded, "You... let go!"

Wen Huaifeng had no other intention when he made his move, but when he felt the soft mass he touched and saw Yun Ran's shy expression, his heart stirred, and he smiled faintly, "So my Ran'er has grown into a young lady." He then released her and stood up.

Yun Ran, now free, saw Wen Huaifeng standing beside her with his hands behind his back, quietly gazing at the stream in front of him, seemingly lost in thought. She was puzzled and uncertain about his intentions when she suddenly heard Wen Huaifeng sigh softly, "I used to practice swordsmanship here with my senior brother. Many years have passed, but this place hasn't changed much."

He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Back then, I accidentally killed my senior brother and betrayed my sect. There was no place for me in the martial world anymore. Later, I turned to the imperial court, but found a new place for myself. You, like everyone else, think I am an unforgivable villain?"

Yun Ran said coldly, "All I know is that Lord Wen is the enemy who killed my father and brothers."

Wen Huaifeng said calmly, "The imperial court has long been wary of your Yun Family Fortress. I am paid by the emperor, so I must be loyal to him. Even if I don't take action, do you think they can still escape with their lives?"

He walked up to Yun Ran, looked at her gently, and said, "I have not yet taken a wife. If you are willing to come back with me, I will definitely treat you well in the future and make up for all the grievances you have suffered."

Yun Ran shook her head coldly, her eyes wary, and took a few steps back to distance herself from him.

Wen Huaifeng sighed and said gently, "I won't force you, but Sima Liuyun and Qi Mo are both wanted criminals of the court. Don't get too close to them in the future."

Seeing Yun Ran's expression, he knew she didn't take his words seriously. He gently shook his head, stepped forward, and placed something in Yun Ran's hand, saying, "Don't lose it again." With that, he leaped across the stream and floated away.

Yun Ran looked down at the object in her hand. It was warm and smooth, the koi jade pendant. She remembered that Wen Huaifeng had always been ruthless and vicious, but this time he had helped her detoxify, seemingly without any malice. She stood by the stream, lost in thought for a while.

Not long after, she remembered that the Broken Scale Sword was still beside A Luo, so she stopped and turned to walk back the way she came. But she heard someone call out urgently, "Ranran?" Then a gray figure rushed towards her from the front.

☆, 50 Latest Chapters

Qi Mo, holding the Broken Scale Sword in one hand, hurriedly asked before even getting close, "Are you alright?"

Yun Ran asked at the same time, "How did you get here?"

Qi Mo was overjoyed to see that she was unharmed. He instantly leaped to her side and replied, "I rushed back to Youzhou, intending to come to Zhiqing Mountain to find you, but I happened to find A Luo being attacked and injured..." He reached out to pull Yun Ran, but then noticed the bandage wrapped around her hand and hurriedly asked, "You were also injured? Did you encounter enemies?"

Yun Ran's expression darkened slightly as she asked, "What did A Luo tell you?"

Qi Mo said, "She lost too much blood and couldn't speak. I saw the Broken Scale Sword lying beside her and was so worried that I came to find you first..." Seeing Yun Ran's unhappy expression, he thought she was still unsettled after suddenly encountering a powerful enemy. He gently took her hand and asked softly, "Who exactly hurt you?"

Yun Ran shook off his hand and said indifferently, "Go ask A Luo yourself later." After saying that, she ignored Qi Mo and leaped towards the place where she had just fought with A Luo.

The two rushed to the open space, only to find bloodstains still on the ground, but A'Luo was nowhere to be seen.

Qi Mo frowned and said, "Where is she? A'Luo's injuries are quite serious. If she encounters another powerful enemy, I'm afraid..."

Hearing the worry in his tone, Yun Ran became even more annoyed and said coldly, "She must have run away on her own."

Seeing her angry expression, Qi Mo had a sudden thought and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Yun Ran recounted how A Luo ambushed her with poisonous incense and how the two fought fiercely. When she got to the part about how she pretended to be seriously injured to lure A Luo into submission, she hesitated for a moment and then stopped talking. In the end, she didn't mention that Wen Huaifeng had appeared to save her.

Qi Mo became increasingly alarmed as he listened, and said, "Could it be that you've been poisoned by 'Soul-Severing Incense'? This drug is extremely toxic. How are you feeling now?" He hurriedly reached into his robes to take out an antidote pill for her to take.

Yun Ran silently circulated her inner energy within her body and felt no abnormalities. She shook her head and said, "The poison should have been neutralized."

Qi Mo was taken aback. He knew that A Luo didn't have the habit of carrying the antidote with her, so he asked, "Where did you get the antidote?"

Yun Ran blushed slightly as she recalled Wen Huaifeng's gentle words and actions to her by the stream, and said with lowered eyelashes, "It was found on A Luo."

Qi Mo looked at her expression, hummed in agreement, and did not ask any further questions. He simply said, "Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation regarding A Luo's matter."

He frowned in thought, then pondered, "She's always been reliable and dependable, so why would she dare to target you?"

Yun Ran snorted and said coldly, "That's something that Chief Qi should ask himself."

Qi Mo was still pondering when he casually asked, "What have I done..."

He glanced up and saw Yun Ran's annoyed expression. He paused for a moment, then suddenly understood. Looking at her, he smiled deeply and reached out to put his arm around her waist. Yun Ran turned to the side with a cold face, but Qi Mo had already anticipated her movement. He darted forward and caught her in his arms, lowering his head and asking with a smile, "Are you jealous?"

Yun Ran spat and tried to struggle, but felt Qi Mo tighten his arms around her. As she struggled, their bodies rubbed against each other, creating an extremely ambiguous situation. Her face flushed, and she suddenly stopped moving, angrily saying, "You, you... shameless!"

Qi Mo's voice was a little hoarse as he chuckled, "Otherwise, why would you listen to my explanation so obediently?" He hadn't seen Yun Ran for many days and had been tossing and turning, missing her terribly. Now that she was in his arms, he couldn't bear to let her go. Seeing the look of embarrassment and annoyance in Yun Ran's eyes, he was afraid of truly angering her, so he loosened his arms slightly, still holding her in his embrace, and whispered, "A'Luo has been with me since she was very young. She's the youngest and a girl, so I inevitably spoil her a bit, which made her think the wrong way. But there is absolutely no connection between us."

Yun Ran bit her lip and remained silent for a long while before saying, "You also gave Ye Mili to her."

Qi Mo then understood why Yun Ran had returned the box of Night's Delight that day, and chuckled, "So my little Ranran was already jealous. After we sneaked into the Marquis's mansion at night, I gave the Night's Delight that you left behind to A Luo. I did have a selfish reason, wanting to be able to smell your fragrance often."

Yun Ran glared at him and said, "So you've had ill intentions since then." Qi Mo smiled and said, "I've had feelings for you since then... And you, when did you start liking me?"

Yun Ran blushed slightly and spat, "Who likes you?" She was momentarily confused. Since they met, she had been wary and suspicious of Qi Mo, and sometimes fearful and resentful. But she couldn't figure out when she had developed feelings for him.

Seeing her dazed expression and a blush slowly spreading across her fair face, Qi Mo felt a surge of affection. He leaned down and gently kissed her cheek, softly asking, "Did you wear the things I gave you later?" Yun Ran gave a soft hum. Qi Mo's eyes gleamed with mischief as he chuckled softly, "Let me check if you really wore them." Before Yun Ran could react, he reached out and gently pulled open her collar, revealing a section of her snow-white neck.

Qi Mo saw the black gold ring hanging neatly in front of her chest and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He leaned close to Yun Ran's ear and whispered, "Since you've accepted what I gave you, you have to agree to be my wife. You're not allowed to think about anyone else from now on."

After a moment of stunned silence, Yun Ran felt his burning lips press against hers, gently licking and kissing her from her ear down her back. Her face flushed instantly, and she tried to push him away, but Qi Mo remained unmoved. He pulled her close, lowered his head, and captured her lips in his mouth. She struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free, and her strength gradually waned. Qi Mo slowly kissed her neck down to her chest, while simultaneously unbuttoning her clothes.

Yun Ran blushed deeply, reached out to block him, and whispered, "No." Something fell to the ground from her loose clothes. Qi Mo said hoarsely, "I miss you so much." He was about to lower his head and continue when Yun Ran swiftly pointed her finger at his elbow's Quchi acupoint.

Startled, Qi Mo released Yun Ran, took two steps back, glanced at the ground unintentionally, then frowned slightly, bent down and picked up what Yun Ran had dropped from the ground, holding it in his hand.

Yun Ran lowered her head and straightened her clothes. When she looked up, she saw Qi Mo with a gloomy look in his eyes, holding the koi jade pendant given to him by Wen Huaifeng and examining it carefully.

She paused slightly, then said, "This jade pendant is mine."

Qi Mo handed the jade pendant back to her and asked casually, "Why have I never seen you take it out before? Who gave it to you?"

Yun Ran lowered her gaze, remaining silent as she put the jade pendant back into her bosom. She asked, "You sent men with Sima Liuyun to rescue Wanwan. In the past month, surely news of them has returned?"

Hearing her mention Sima Liuyun at this juncture, Qi Mo felt even more annoyed. He hummed in response but didn't reply.

Seeing his sullen expression, Yun Ran whispered, "I wonder if he has successfully rescued Wanwan. I had a six-month agreement with Brother Sima, and now that I have..." She glanced at Qi Mo, blushed, and continued, "This matter cannot be delayed any longer. I must explain it to him in person, otherwise I will feel sorry for him."

Qi Mo's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Are you going to tell him about announcing the engagement?"

Seeing Yun Ran nod, he was overjoyed, his expression softening as he said, "I came up the mountain today to find you about Wanwan. Su Rang's martial arts are lacking, but he's extremely shrewd. Sima Liuyun tried to rescue Wanwan several times, but Su Rang tricked him and escaped all the way back to Kongtong with her. I received a message from my disciples saying that Su Rang has invited many skilled fighters to help him, and Kongtong Sect is heavily guarded, so they can't find out where Wanwan is hiding. A few days ago, Su Rang sent an invitation to Sima Liuyun, inviting him to a banquet at Kongtong Sect before the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. I wonder what trick he's up to now."

Yun Ran pondered for a moment, then said, "Sima Liuyun will definitely go to the Kongtong Sect for a banquet to save Wanwan. Su Rang is a treacherous and despicable person, so there must be some wicked scheme on the day of the banquet. Now there are only a few days left until the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, so we must set off immediately and rush to Kongtong to help Sima Liuyun."

Qi Mo nodded and said, "That's right. Sima Liuyun is honest, kind and chivalrous, a true gentleman. Without our help, he might have suffered a loss at the hands of that brat Su Rang."

Seeing Yun Ran staring at him with a strange expression, he said, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Yun Ran said in a low voice, "You've always disliked Sima Liuyun, so why are you suddenly saying nice things about him?"