"Cough, cough... So Junior Sister had fallen so deeply for Senior Brother because she saw the strength he had hidden away. Sigh, this one was truly blind," Wu Qingce said with a bitter smile as he lay on the grass.
Beside him, Jiang Beiran pulled needles from his body with a twisted expression while patiently teaching Wu Qingce what love was, ultimately ending with an age-old famous saying.
"Junior Brother Wu, there are plenty more fish in the sea."
"Plenty more grass at the ends of the earth... Plenty more grass at the ends of the earth? What a line!"
After laughing loudly three times, Wu Qingce forced himself to climb up and cupped his fists toward Jiang Beiran. "Qingce has witnessed Senior Brother's learning and is immensely impressed!"
Afterward, he apologized profusely for his recklessness, saying he was willing to do anything to make up for this offense.
Seeing the little lamb turn back after losing his way, Jiang Beiran felt greatly comforted. He patted Wu Qingce's shoulder and said, "It was merely a spar between senior brothers. What offense was there? But Senior Brother does have one matter to ask of you: don't spread what happened today. Let it remain a secret between us."
Having realized that the system could not always offer choices that would let him escape unscathed, Jiang Beiran understood that he needed to keep an even lower profile. Otherwise, this world's malice toward him was simply too great.
"Senior Brother's breadth of mind is indeed wider than rivers and seas. Qingce has learned his lesson."
After saying that, Wu Qingce swore an oath, promising never to tell anyone else about this matter.
"Good. Lie down quickly. I'll help you expel the poison and treat your injuries."
"Senior Brother knows medicine too!?" Wu Qingce was utterly astonished.
"Just a little, just a little." As Jiang Beiran spoke, he opened a small leather pouch and took out a golden needle.
But just as he located the acupoint and was about to insert it, Wu Qingce suddenly shouted, "Senior Brother, watch out!"
The next moment, Jiang Beiran felt himself yanked violently downward, followed by a sharp pain in his chest.
"Senior Brother? Senior Brother!? Senior Brother, hold on!"
"What petty criminals are these! If you have the guts, come out and fight me for three hundred rounds!"
That was the last sentence Jiang Beiran heard before he passed out.
When he woke again, Jiang Beiran found himself lying in a room filled with the scent of medicinal herbs, and he soon learned part of what had happened.
First, the arrow that had struck him earlier had been poisoned. If Wu Qingce had not sent him to Heart Cleansing Hall in time, he would likely have already breathed his last.
Then there was the fact that Punishment Hall had already sent people to investigate the matter and told him that the truth would soon come to light.
Yet Jiang Beiran understood perfectly well that talk of the truth soon coming to light was merely meant to comfort him. Though he had only been at the Returning Heart Sect for a year, he had heard of no fewer than dozens of cases where disciples had been Sneak Attacked in secret—and that was only what he had heard about.
It could not be helped. In an era without fingerprints, cameras, or Conan, the cost of crime was simply too low.
As Jiang Beiran analyzed for a while who had struck at him from the shadows, that Yellow Low Grade mission suddenly appeared, displaying [Wu Qingce (√)][Lin Jiuge (√)].
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Beiran understood that the check marks meant he had already eliminated those two men's hostility toward him. That left only Wang Yuyan as the culprit.
So it really was impossible to know a person's heart from their face!
It had to be said that Wang Yuyan had previously scored very highly in Jiang Beiran's impression. First, he had the appearance of a modest gentleman; moreover, his father was an official beloved by the people, so his upbringing should have been excellent. Then there was his bashful habit of blushing whenever he spoke.
All those "halos" around him made him seem especially harmless to man and beast alike.
Before seeing the system prompt, Jiang Beiran had even first considered whether Lin Jiuge had only pretended to go along with his "newspaper" plan while secretly striking at him from the shadows.
The person who looked least like the culprit was usually the culprit. How did I forget that old routine!? Jiang Beiran let out a regretful breath and sighed that he was still too young.
At the same time, he realized that while his current strength was indeed far greater than it had been in the mine, the system also set its difficulty and rewards according to his present strength. In other words, one slight mistake could still cost him his life.
After thoroughly reflecting on himself, Jiang Beiran began considering how to strike back. The situation had already reversed; he was now the one holding the overwhelming advantage.
Because of the system's prompt, Wang Yuyan's acting as a "pure-hearted virgin" had gone entirely to waste. But Wang Yuyan did not know that Jiang Beiran had already fixed his sights on him, so his guard would instead be relatively lower now. Jiang Beiran even believed that Wang Yuyan had already prepared the next act of his performance.
Next time, I might as well lure him to some deserted corner and stab him to death with one sword.
After enduring two hellish months in the mines, Jiang Beiran was no longer someone soft-hearted and merciful. When facing someone who wanted him dead, he would never hesitate to strike.
But I'm afraid his father will come looking for me...
A County Lieutenant specifically responsible for public security, if he threw all his strength into finding the murderer of his son, was on an entirely different level from ordinary Constables handling a case.
So that bastard was the greatest difficulty of the Yellow Rank Middle Grade mission...
Afterward, Jiang Beiran recuperated in bed for half a month while thinking for half a month. In his mind, he came up with a whole basketful of ways to outwit and battle Wang Yuyan once he recovered.
But just as Jiang Beiran had thought so hard that he seemed to have lost quite a bit of hair, one noon, the system prompt suddenly popped up and told him that the mission had failed.
Failed!?
Jiang Beiran, who had been pondering how to dispose of a corpse without being discovered, was utterly dumbfounded. How had he failed?
Although the previous two missions had also ended in failure, at least he had known why. But this time, he was truly confused. He had not even truly crossed swords with Wang Yuyan yet—how had he lost already!?
It was not until two days later that Jiang Beiran learned the reason from Wu Qingce, who had come to visit him.
Wang Yuyan was dead. He had died on the road home, for unknown reasons.
Dead!? How did he die!?
In an instant, Jiang Beiran's mindset completely collapsed. He had gone to great lengths to deal with Wu Qingce and Lin Jiuge, then that dog of a man had ambushed him and left him bedridden for half a month. Moreover, according to Craftsman Zou of Heart Cleansing Hall, the poison in him was extremely difficult to remove completely. For the next three months, he could neither cultivate nor engage in strenuous activity, or else he might very well be left with a lasting ailment.
After paying such a tremendous price, Jiang Beiran had been holding back a breath of determination to complete this mission and obtain that Yellow Rank Middle Grade reward. And this was the result!? This!?!?
Watching Jiang Beiran's expression—clearly sorrowful to the extreme, yet forcibly restrained from showing it—Wu Qingce could not help but sigh inwardly. Senior Brother truly was a man of deep feeling and righteousness. He had only served as their Iron Seal once, yet upon hearing of Junior Brother Wang's death, his heart ached to such an extent.
As expected of the perfect Senior Brother in my heart!
Before you continue