"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Accepting the nail dart Jiang Beiran handed her, Liu Zijin was still shaken. If Senior Brother had not blocked it for her, that dart would likely have pierced straight through her chest.
Seeing Jiang Beiran suddenly appear and block the sneak attack, Gu Qingyue hurriedly clasped his hands again. "Fine skills! May I ask this brother's honored name?"
Jiang Beiran returned the salute and replied, "My surname is Wang, and my name is Fifth."
"So it is Fifth Brother. I am Gu Qingyue of the Azure Cloud Sect. We were entangled by thieves this time, and it was thanks to—"
"Save the pleasantries for later. Your companion is injured." Jiang Beiran looked toward the girl whose chest was seeping blood.
When Jiang Beiran had been observing the battle between the two groups from the side earlier, he had seen that this girl had been wounded while blocking a sword for Gu Qingyue. Even after being injured, she had remained steadfastly in front of Gu Qingyue. Jiang Beiran did not believe there was nothing between the two of them.
When the girl saw Jiang Beiran's gaze sweep over her, she waved her hand. "It is only a flesh wound. Nothing serious."
"Are you also a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, Miss?" Jiang Beiran asked with a smile.
"Yes. I am Tang Tingshuang of the Azure Cloud Sect. Greetings, benefactor."
"You flatter me. I merely lent you all a hand; I cannot be called a benefactor." After speaking, Jiang Beiran seemed to recall something and said, "I have always heard that the Azure Cloud Sect's Lanling Heart Method is exceptionally effective at healing injuries. Might Miss let this humble brother broaden his horizons?"
Tang Tingshuang was stunned at first, but quickly reacted. "My studies are insufficient. I have yet to master the Lanling Heart Method, so I will not make a fool of myself by using it."
"Oh~" Jiang Beiran suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed. "Look at this memory of mine. The Lanling Heart Method is not the Azure Cloud Sect's supreme art—it belongs to the Zhaotian Sect."
The instant those words came out, the atmosphere froze. Several Junior Sisters who had been preparing to take out medicine for the others all retreated in unison, moving behind Jiang Beiran.
Having heard this, they naturally understood everything. Who would mistake their own sect's supreme art?
Tang Tingshuang was utterly numb. How could she have known that this Great Hero, who had just saved them and looked so harmless, would set a trap for her right away?
Seeing the several benefactors looking at him with hostility, Gu Qingyue hurriedly clasped his hands. "A misunderstanding, it truly is a misunderstanding. The six of us are indeed not disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect. It is simply that when one travels abroad, sometimes..."
"Ah, there is no need to explain." Jiang Beiran waved his hand. "I understand. I merely happened to be teaching my Junior Sisters a lesson. Do not assume that just because you saved someone outside, they will tell you everything without reservation."
Jiang Beiran said it as lightly as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, but Gu Qingyue felt as though he had been slapped heavily across the face.
Indeed, hiding one's true name while traveling was something many cultivators did. But concealing it from someone who had just saved one's life was somewhat discourteous.
"I... I..." Gu Qingyue's face flushed red as he stammered "I" for ages, yet he simply could not force out the rest.
Jiang Beiran did not mind in the least. He clasped his hands toward Gu Qingyue and said, "Brother Gu, there is no need for this. We were strangers meeting by chance in the first place. Since you are all unharmed, we shall take our leave first. Farewell."
After saying that, Jiang Beiran cupped his hands and turned to leave with the five junior sisters.
"Wang, please wait!" Gu Qingyue suddenly shouted.
"Does Brother Gu have other business?" Jiang Beiran turned back and asked.
"My real name is Li Fucheng. I am a disciple of the Blood Flame Sect... no, the son of the Blood Flame Sect leader."
Good heavens!? Someone from the Demonic Sect!? And the sect leader's son at that!? I've hit the jackpot way too hard!
Jiang Beiran was stunned. He had heard his teacher mention the Blood Flame Sect before. It was a highly renowned Demonic Sect in the Huainan Region, and its Blood Flame Ghost Blade made the local people turn pale at its very mention.
However, the Profound Dragon Continent was simply too vast, and without some divine artifact like the internet that could transmit information in real time, Jiang Beiran had only heard a little about the Blood Flame Sect so far away in the Huainan Region. He had never had the chance to learn about it in depth.
When Li Fucheng suddenly revealed his true identity, the people behind him hurriedly cried out, "Young Master!"
"It is fine!" Li Fucheng waved his hand at those behind him. "brother Wang is right. They saved our lives, yet we deceived them. That is not the way of a hero."
"But..." Tang Tingshuang still wanted to stop him, but when she saw the resolute look in Li Fucheng's eyes, she ultimately said nothing.
While pandemonium broke out on Li Fucheng's side, Jiang Beiran's five junior sisters wore utterly blank expressions.
"Senior Brother, what is the Blood Flame Sect?" The Yu Family Three Sisters asked together, believing that if they did not understand, they should ask.
"I only happened to hear that name before. It should be a Demonic Sect from the Huainan side."
"A Demonic Sect!?" The five junior sisters cried out in unison. This was the first time they had ever encountered members of a Demonic Sect face-to-face.
After their shock subsided, the Yu Family Three Sisters began whispering questions one after another.
"Didn't they say people from Demonic Sects have three eyes?"
"And a mouthful of sharp fangs!"
"And tongues this long~"
Seeing Yu Guimiao struggle to spread her arms wide, Jiang Beiran could not help laughing. "Those are merely folk tales. Demonic Sect members are still people; they do not have three heads and six arms."
Once the discussions on both sides gradually died down, Li Fucheng stepped forward and once again clasped his hands toward Jiang Beiran. "brother Wang, I hope you can now understand the difficulties that prevented me from revealing my identity."
"Of course I understand completely. But why has Brother Li hidden his name and come to the Jiangbei Region? Naturally, if it is inconvenient to say, pretend I never asked."
"Alas..." Li Fucheng sighed after hearing this. "To be honest with brother Wang, I too have many unspeakable difficulties."
Perhaps because he rarely had anyone to confide in, once Li Fucheng let out that sigh, the floodgates of his words opened.
"As the son of the Blood Flame Sect leader, everyone in the sect placed great hopes upon me. Yet when I reached the age of thirteen, just as I was finally about to begin learning the sect's inner cultivation method, I was tested and found to possess a Weary Yang Body. Not only could I not cultivate the sect's supreme tome, even ordinary martial arts took me several times longer than others to learn."
"Later, Father grew increasingly disappointed in me. My two elder brothers gradually began distancing themselves from me, and my younger brothers even mocked me as a cripple before the sect members. I... alas..."
At this point, Li Fucheng let out a long sigh, his face brimming with bitterness.
Tang Tingshuang stepped forward and took Li Fucheng's hand. "No, Young Master. In Shuang'er's eyes, Young Master is the greatest. We will surely find a cultivation method suited to you on this journey."
By this point, Jiang Beiran could barely stop his mouth from falling open.
Born into a great family, only to discover he was a naturally useless good-for-nothing. His father disappointed in him, his brothers despising him, his younger brothers mocking him—yet at his side was a woman willing to risk her life to block a sword for him, accompanying and supporting him every step of the way.
This is the protagonist template, no question about it!
PS: Short and weak. (I'll say it myself!)
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