This was just a training session spar, using at most 80% of their martial arts, otherwise Ji Yuan was certain that the force of the blows that he heard would have been much stronger.

However, the muffled sound of the fists and feet impacting and the vibrations of the surrounding air proved that this was by no means merely a show of force.

The guests of the inn and the workers nearby were happy to watch, but if someone else tried to fight them, they would likely end up not being able to get out of bed for half a month, or entirely bedridden if their vitals were injured.

This also gave Ji Yuan some thoughts. After all, he was still quite weak¹ now, and their martial arts seemed very powerful.

Everyone was in high spirits. While Lu Chengfeng and Wang Ke adjusted their breathing, two more warriors prepared to spar under the cheering and heckling of the crowd.

Of course, the wounded people were in a bad state, but they were content enough to watch from the side. Of the nine people, only Du Heng, whose right arm had been completely crippled, seemed a little depressed sitting there, watching his companions compete without saying a word.

Ji Yuan not only had excellent hearing, but was also very skilled in recognizing sounds. He could hear the voices of eight of the warriors, but Du Heng didn’t say a word.

‘You are a good young man, but unfortunately I cannot help you. ’

Some of the guests and inn servants were shouting and cheering, and most of the people outside were also in high spirits. Ji Yuan didn’t want to be too conspicuous, so he mingled with the crowd as just another spectator. They would stop fighting eventually.

However, at this point, the five warriors decided to end their spars, as the injured people gesticulated on the side. After a couple rounds of spars, several warriors sat under the willow tree, discussing their moves, how to adapt them, and where their responses had been too slow.

After waiting at the back door for some time, Ji Yuan didn’t hear anything particularly interesting. He was becoming a little impatient, but still didn’t have the nerve to go over to ask them to eat; he still needed to keep his elegant demeanor.

‘Forget it. They should be the ones to come over and invite me to eat dinner together, I’ll just go back to my room and wait! ’

With these thoughts, Ji Yuan didn’t stay any longer, and returned to the room to continue experimenting with the unknown cultivation effect of the chess piece.

Indeed, although he still didn’t understand what it was or how it could be used for the time being, Ji Yuan comforted himself by labeling the state he had previously experienced as a kind of cultivation practice.

. . .

After returning to his room, Ji Yuan once again recalled his previous feeling and attempted to summon the chess piece. Perhaps he was being too deliberate, or perhaps something was missing. Even if he could attract faint wisps of spiritual Qi, he could no longer enter the state where he contemplated heaven and earth from within his body.

The breeze in the room gradually calmed, and Ji Yuan’s hair stopped floating.

When the chess piece vanished from his fingertips, another wave of green spirit energy turned into a cool sensation that flowed into the body along his fingertips, disappearing without a trace.

Ji Yuan rubbed his chin and frowned.

‘This shouldn’t be right. Is it possible that there are some time requirements? By the way, where did all that time go just now, how long has it been? It’s really inconvenient not to have a watch or a mobile phone!

‘If I meet a real practitioner in the future, could I ask them? It would be great if I could join a sect like in the novels, I could have a powerful teacher who would watch over and protect me! ’

Ji Yuan was deep in thought when suddenly his heart lurched and he heard nine sets of footsteps approaching, along with some whispers.

“Chengfeng, do you think Mr. Ji’s practice is over now?”

“It’s been so long, it should be over…”

“No matter what, we have to say something!”

“Yeah!”

Their quiet voices made Ji Yuan a little confused. He didn’t know what it was that they wanted to tell him.

After a while, there was a knock on the door.

“Dong, dong, dong…”

“Mr. Ji, is now a convenient time for you?”

Ji Yuan rubbed his face with both hands, waking himself up before answering.

“Come in!”

The wooden hinge of the inn door made a unique creaking noise as Lu Chengfeng, Yan, Fei, and the others in the group filed in.

“Mr. Ji, we are here to bid you farewell!”

Yan Fei said goodbye as soon as he opened his mouth.

“What? Are you all leaving?”

Even though he had already vaguely guessed that this would happen, Ji Yuan’s emotions were still a little inexplicable. He was barely acquainted with these people, but they were all leaving at once, which made him feel a little lonely.

“Well, Ning’an County is a small place after all, and some of our injuries can only be treated once we go back to our respective divisions. We originally wanted to stay for a bit longer, but just now the third master of the Luo family in Desheng County came to find Junior Sister Luo. We… we have to go together…”

After having heard Ji Yuan’s words, Lu Chengfeng really wanted to stay, particularly to see how Mr. Ji dealt with the haunted house, but he could only bite the bullet and give this answer. The third master of the Luo² was still waiting on the first floor of the inn.

Luo Ningshuang glared at Lu Chengfeng sternly, and, though it was rare to see her adopt the polite demeanor of a daughter, she faced Ji Yuan with an apology.

“Mr. Ji, it was nothing serious at first, but Third Uncle found out that several of us were seriously injured, so he strictly ordered us to go back…”

Suddenly Luo Ningshuang seemed to think of something.

“Maybe, Sir, you can go back with us!”

Everyone else’s eyes lit up. The nine of them had more or less tested whether Ji Yuan had any intention of imparting any of his mysterious magical skills. Even now, they had not yet given up, especially since Lu Chengfeng had spoken to them about how Mr. Ji’s ability caused the breeze to swirl around the room.

But Ji Yuan had never considered traveling back with these people, otherwise these people might see through his bluffs and betray him sooner or later. It wasn’t that Ji Yuan couldn’t afford to loose these relationships, but sometimes it wasn’t just as simple as enduring humiliation.

Although Ji Yuan had at least gained some confidence from the mysterious chess pieces, this confidence was with respect to his potential in the future, not the present.

“No, I still prefer the quiet. We will meet again if we are destined to!”

At his words, several people in the group were disappointed. But Mr. Ji, this strange man, would always do whatever he wished, and his actions were not things that they were capable of speculating on.

But Ji Yuan’s thoughts were on other things at this moment.

‘Hey, it’s a pity, but it seems that there is no chance of learning their martial arts for the time being! ’

……

After bidding farewell to Ji Yuan, the nine of them returned together to the inn lobby. There, they found a middle-aged man with a slightly longer beard drinking tea. He wore a long robe with wide sleeves, and his hair was down, without any bun or crown. He looked more like a scholar than a martial artist.

Seeing the group of people coming down the stairs, the man set down the tea cup.

“Are you done saying goodbye?”

“Well, Third Uncle, we…”

“Then let’s go. I hired three carriages, they are waiting outside the inn.”

After speaking, the man stood up, rolled his sleeves, put down 5 coins on the tray as a tip for the tea,³ and walked out of the inn. Luo Ningshuang bit her lip, but had no choice but to follow. The other eight people followed suit, cowed by this third master Luo.

Right as he stepped out of the inn, the third master of the Luo family seemed to feel something. He turned his head looked up to the third floor, where a thin young man with eyes half-open smiled and nodded at him.

The third master Luo also nodded in greeting, then stepped out of the inn. The nine people following him also subconsciously looked at the third floor, and saw Ji Yuan and nodding to them as well.

They complied by their arrangement with Ji Yuan, and had not mentioned anything beyond their agreed-upon story to anyone outside of their group, so the third master of the Luo family simply thought that Ji Yuan was an unlucky mountaineer that the group had had met and helped on their journey.

Outside the inn, three carriages were lined up. The third master Luo got into the front one, and let the nine people divide themselves between the back two.

As the coachman cracked his whip to spur the horses forwards, the carriages gradually made their way towards the outskirts of Ning’an County.

“Young man, the world is more vast and complex than it appears.⁴ Just a trip to the mountains to hunt a tiger, and you had to pay such a heavy price. Oh, what a pity for the young man of the Du family…”

Luo Feng, the third young master of the Luo family, leaned to the side in the slightly swaying carriage, shaking his head and thinking.

At the same time, Ji Yuan was still looking off in a trance in the direction of the inn door. Although his vision was blurred, he seemed to be able to discern something like his “temperament,”⁵ which made Luo Feng’s image in Ji Yuan’s mind much clearer.

Often, when he came across something special, Ji Yuan found that his poor eyesight would play an unexpected role. From this, Ji Yuan somehow understood that this third master Luo was highly skilled in martial arts, but not a monster or anything supernatural.

Thinking back to the time when he saw the ghost of Wang Dong, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but wonder: did he have yin-yang eyes, or something of even higher quality?

Of course, this thought was soon replaced by another.

Damn, that third master looked so elegant in his outfit, it has a really great cut. I have to get something similar!

1. Lit: “a weak chicken” 😀 ↩︎
2. Lit: “owner of the third Luo villa,” translated to “third master Luo” ↩︎
3. T/n: knowing now that 3 coins is a meal, this man is RICH. Which means Luo Ningshuang is rich, too, come to think of it. I guess you don’t choose to become a hero searching for fame and glory unless you’re at least a little well off, and can afford the travel expenses and gear. ↩︎
4. Lit: “the rivers and lakes run deep” ↩︎
5. 气质 (qìzhì): personality, temperament, disposition/aura, a ~vibe~ ↩︎

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read