Ning Caichen

The next morning, An Yang indeed left Lanruo Temple, bought two umbrellas in Guo Bei County, and waited by the county boundary marker for Ning Caichen's arrival.

By afternoon, a scholar in threadbare clothes with a large hole in his shoe trudged over. He looked frail and weak, yet carried a hefty bookcase on his back.

With the realm in chaos, the scholar spotted An Yang and approached cautiously, shifting sideways in several directions to try and read the words on the boundary marker.

An Yang blocked his view completely, unyielding, and said, "You there, scholar, what's your name, and what are you skulking around to see?"

Ning Caichen shrank back a little and replied, "My name is Ning Caichen. I've come to collect debts and wanted to see what's written on this boundary marker."

An Yang said, "You haven't gone wrong. Ahead lies Guo Bei County."

"Good, good." Then Ning Caichen paused. "No, wait—how did you know I was headed to Guo Bei County?"

An Yang said, "I not only know you're going to Guo Bei County, I also know it's about to rain soon. You say you're here to collect debts, so I imagine your bookcase is full of ledgers. Don't let them get soaked."

Ning Caichen looked up at the sky—sure enough, it was overcast. He fumbled out an umbrella. "No worries, I brought one..."

Before he could finish, his words died in his throat. He stared awkwardly at the tattered, broken umbrella and scratched his head in embarrassment.

An Yang glanced at him, tossed him an umbrella, and said, "Lucky for you. I happen to have two umbrellas with me, and I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you one. Collect your debts, stay the night in Guo Bei County, and head back tomorrow."

Ning Caichen caught the umbrella, looking dazed. "Oh, then thank you, kind sir. May I ask your esteemed name?"

An Yang stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes from the marker. "My name is An Yang. Remember this: Guo Bei County is overrun with bandits and murderers, and the woods outside are crawling with wolves. If you don't want to die, don't leave Guo Bei County for anything! Especially the rundown temples around here—they're havens for ruthless killers!"

Ning Caichen nodded repeatedly. "Thank you for the warning. Once I collect the debts, I'll hurry back right away."

An Yang took one last look at the clean-faced scholar, then left without looking back.

With the umbrella, he'd likely have no trouble collecting the debts. And if he collected them, he shouldn't cross paths with Lanruo Temple.

Back at Lanruo Temple, Yan Chixia was still sitting cross-legged in the main hall. At the sound of the door opening, his eyes snapped open, and the Xuanyuan Divine Sword at his back shot out, pointing at An Yang's throat—until he saw it was him and lowered the blade.

"You? Didn't I tell you to leave Lanruo Temple by dawn? Why are you back?"

An Yang let out a long, quiet breath. Aside from his Daoist arts, Yan Chixia's martial prowess was immense—he was the greatest swordsman of this era, far beyond what a mid-level Mastery of Combat could handle. In other words, his sword techniques flew through the air, transcending the bounds of mere combat.

An Yang set down his umbrella, pulled a bottle of wine from his pack, and said to Yan Chixia, "I thought Brother Yan might be lonely here all by himself, so I brought another bottle..."

Yan Chixia was touched, but he cut him off sharply. "Did you not encounter anything strange last night?"

An Yang nodded. "I met a female ghost. But I held fast to my principles and was unmoved, so she left."

Yan Chixia smiled, thinking his agreement with the Thousand-Year Tree Demon had done the trick. He clapped An Yang on the shoulder. "Haha, I knew I wasn't wrong about you, kid. You're just like me—a rare upright gentleman!"

An Yang said with righteous conviction, "That is how our kind should be."

Yan Chixia laughed heartily a few times, then his face quickly darkened, turning stern. "But you still can't stay here. This rundown temple is full of dangers. While it's still light, you'd best leave at once!"

An Yang glanced outside, hesitating. "But... but it's pouring rain out there. I'll leave tomorrow instead. Besides, those demons and monsters can't do anything to me anymore. I'm not afraid."

Yan Chixia eyed the wine in his hand, swallowed, and remembered that An Yang had brought it for him. He steeled himself and said, "Fine, fine. I'll keep you safe tonight. Honestly, I don't know why a scholar like you carries so much wine on the road."

An Yang chuckled softly and said nothing.

Today marked half a month since Yan Chixia had arrived at Lanruo Temple. According to the original course of events, the swordsman Xia Hou would chase him here tonight to challenge him, and Ning Caichen would also show up. But with his interference, Ning Caichen shouldn't be coming.

That night, Xia Hou indeed found Lanruo Temple. After a few casual words with Yan Chixia, he drew his sword.

The two erupted into battle!

An Yang stood on a distant upper floor, gently pushing open a window. In the darkness, he watched the breathtaking scene—the two men leaping across eaves and walls, their moves flashy yet fierce.

Before long, his eyes narrowed. He saw a frail scholar walk through the main gate of Lanruo Temple, carrying a bookcase, glancing around warily.

"How did this scholar get here!"

His heart sank. The original plot hadn't changed after all—Ning Caichen had still come.

An Yang quickly shut the window, hurried down the creaking, rotting stairs, and ran up to Ning Caichen, grabbing him. "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come?"

"Ah!" Ning Caichen yelped instinctively, then relaxed when he saw it was An Yang. "Oh, it's you, Brother An Yang. You really startled me."

An Yang stared at him, voice low. "I asked you a question. Didn't you collect your debts? Why come here?"

Ning Caichen looked embarrassed and stammered, "The inns in Guo Bei County were too expensive, and only a deluxe room was left. I thought I'd try my luck here—if I saw any bad people, I'd leave right away."

An Yang's eyes narrowed. He pulled Ning Caichen forward, peering past the stone statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, then yanked him back. "See? I wasn't lying. There really are murderers here. Those two fighting right now are exactly that!"

Ning Caichen was like a chick in An Yang's grip, dragged around easily. An Yang couldn't match Yan Chixia, but handling a frail scholar was simple.

Ning Caichen, kind and timid, didn't mind the rough treatment, thinking An Yang truly meant well. Deeply moved, he looked back with a face full of panic. "There really are murderers here! What do I do, Brother An Yang? If I go back now, the wolves will eat me for sure!"

An Yang paused, realizing that the scene from yesterday—when Yan Chixia had urged him to leave—was now replaying between him and this scholar. Only now, he was the one doing the urging, and the scholar's lines were the same as his own from the day before.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Alright, I'll keep you safe tonight. But you can't wander off. Stay put in the room next to mine, and don't make a sound tonight, or those two might find us."

Ning Caichen nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course. Thank you, Brother An Yang."

An Yang's face remained grim. "But if you cause me any trouble, I'll kill you! And if you hear anything tonight, pretend you heard nothing. Understand?"

Ning Caichen's heart jumped. "Absolutely, absolutely!"

An Yang withdrew his gaze, led Ning Caichen quietly upstairs, settled him in the adjacent room, then went back down to see Yan Chixia.

Bang.

Yan Chixia leaped up, smashing straight through the wooden planks of the temple's upper floor, vanishing into the attic and leaving a gaping hole behind—a sight that made one's heart race.

Xia Hou leaped up right after, but he didn't spot Yan Chixia's trace.

As he descended, Yan Chixia's figure suddenly appeared, his sword sweeping out and striking sparks against the iron armor on Xia Hou's body.

"Shiiing."

The two landed, longswords held level, tips pointing at each other—yet the victor was already decided. A bloody wound gaped on Xia Hou's shoulder, still oozing fresh blood.

An Yang's eyes flickered. If he raised Mastery of Combat to its peak, he was confident his control over his own body and power would surpass Yan Chixia's and Xia Hou's, but he could never gain the strength to leap across rooftops and scale walls or smash through pavilions.

Piling up physique attribute points might make it possible.

As for Yan Chixia's Daoist arts, that was an entirely different power system. No matter how advanced Mastery of Combat became or how high his physique points went, he could never replicate it.

Yan Chixia pointed his sword at Xia Hou and said in a low voice, "Brother Xia Hou, you and I have fought for seven years, and you've lost for seven full years. But you've got patience—wherever I hide, you chase me there!"

Xia Hou replied in a low tone, "Yan Chixia, I didn't expect that half a month at Lanruo Temple would sharpen your sword even more!"

"No. It's just that you've wasted your youth, your ambition is too great, you don't strive for improvement, you're too sharp for the empty fame of 'number one sword under heaven,' your intentions are crooked, your techniques—"

An Yang couldn't be bothered to listen to their dialogue. Even though the characters in this world looked different from the movie, the plot was the same. He already knew this line by heart.

Xia Hou left empty-handed soon after. Without Ning Caichen's interruption, Yan Chixia went into the main hall on his own and sat down cross-legged to cultivate.

Before long, An Yang heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Nie Xiaoqian, he pushed it open only to find Ning Caichen standing outside. His face darkened again.

"Brother An Yang, might you have... ah! Brother An Yang, what are you doing! I just wanted to borrow a mat... mmm..."

A flicker of ruthlessness passed through An Yang's eyes. Even in his scholar's robe, he showed no trace of scholarly air—instead, he exuded a murderous aura that only someone who had killed before possessed!

He squeezed Ning Caichen's neck hard, not letting go until the scholar was gasping for breath and rolling his eyes, then released him and said in a low voice, "Did you forget what I told you? Don't leave the room, don't make a sound—and you still dare to shout!"

He had studied Ning Caichen's personality. This scholar was timid and stubborn. If you told him to do something, he might agree on the surface, but when it came to actually acting, he wouldn't heed you at all—just like today.

If he didn't teach him a lesson, the man wouldn't learn!

For the sake of completing the mission flawlessly, he had to make this kind-hearted man suffer a bit, so he wouldn't mess things up at a critical moment.