Chapter 113: Do You Regret It?

Once February passed, the counties of Jiangzhou began to thaw.

Ice and snow melted away, and the weather gradually warmed with each passing day.

In Yujie County, located at the southernmost part of Jiangzhou, the warming weather brought an increase in traveling merchants along the roads.

Yujie County was mountainous and situated in a hilly region.

Amidst the mountain ranges, an official road ran through the entire county.

Heading north, it led directly to Jiangzhou City; heading south, it reached the neighboring Tangzhou.

This official road was said to have been constructed by the Eternal Life Immortal Dynasty thousands of years ago.

It served as the transportation line connecting the cities within Yujie County.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Several muffled claps of spring thunder echoed in the sky.

A few riders on the official road, seeing that rain was imminent, prepared to seek shelter at a nearby inn.

Someone complained, "Isn’t this Yujie County a bit too desolate? Nothing but mountains everywhere. When will we finally reach Yujie City?"

"Good thing there’s an inn here."

"Everyone be cautious. An inn built in such a desolate place might not be so simple."

"Could that little thief have fled to this place after catching wind of the news?"

As they spoke, they had already arrived in front of the inn.

A shop assistant came out to greet them, helping with the reins and wearing a beaming smile as he asked, "Esteemed guests, are you stopping for a meal or looking to stay the night?"

Among the group, the one in the lead was a young man in brocade robes, with an extraordinary bearing. He said, "Prepare five upper rooms; we’re staying the night."

The shop assistant apologized, "So sorry, there are only two upper rooms left."

The young man in brocade glanced inside the inn and saw that it was already fairly occupied.

Unwilling to stir up trouble, he said, "Alright, then two it is."

Their group consisted of five people—three men and two women—so two rooms would suffice.

The young man then instructed, "Our horses must be fed the finest fodder," and handed over a piece of silver.

The shop assistant, delighted by the tip, instantly beamed with joy and nodded repeatedly.

……

Just as the group stepped into the inn, heavy rain began to fall outside.

The young man in brocade swept his gaze across the room and saw several groups of people seated. Most striking among them were a few young, beautiful women carrying longswords, clearly disciples of a sect.

A group of escorts had taken up the northeastern corner of the inn.

The remaining patrons sat scattered.

He glanced at his sister beside him, asking silently with his eyes: Had she spotted the person?

The girl in red scanned every face in the inn and shook her head, indicating no.

At that moment, one of the women from the group walked over and politely asked, "Young Master, are you the Third Young Master from the Cheng Family of Dai Prefecture?"

The young man in brocade was taken aback, feeling the woman before him looked familiar.

A sudden flash of realization crossed his mind as he said with joy, "So it's Junior Sister Lu from the Xiaoshui Sect! I didn’t expect to meet you here. Truly, it’s a small world."

Junior Sister Lu smiled and said, "Young Master Cheng is not an outsider. Please, come join us."

"Gladly."

The young man in brocade led his companions over to sit with the disciples from the Xiaoshui Sect.

His name was Cheng Ruiwu. His grandmother had come from the Xiaoshui Sect, and his family had close ties with them, so there was no need for formality.

After exchanging greetings, they introduced themselves.

Cheng Ruiwu's companions included his younger sister and three fellow disciples.

Looking at one quiet and gentle girl, he said, "This Junior Sister seems unfamiliar."

Junior Sister Lu responded, "She’s a disciple that our Sect Leader took in two years ago—Huo Qianqian."

Huo Qianqian stood up and gave a salute. "Greetings, Senior Brother Cheng."

……

While they chatted, a few people in the inn were discussing recent gossip. "…Speaking of this 'Mad Saber', his reputation has been soaring lately. With just one saber, he’s battled across several counties and already defeated dozens of Sixth Grade experts—never once losing. Moreover, he’s incredibly arrogant, always using the most ordinary saber techniques. He hasn’t even used any real martial arts. He’s truly formidable."

Someone couldn’t take it and retorted, "Hmph, 'Mad Saber'? Just a show-off who only dares challenge mediocre opponents."

The merchant who spoke earlier wasn’t pleased and countered sarcastically, "Calling Sixth Grade Martial Artists mediocre—may I ask what grade you are?"

That person’s face turned red. "So what if they’re Sixth Grade? Against those aristocratic youths and sect disciples, they’re nothing but chickens and dogs…"

"Might I ask if you hail from an aristocratic family or a renowned sect?"

"……"

……

Cheng Ruiwu and his companions all had their attention drawn over. Seeing the quarrel, he spoke up, "This friend seems to know quite a bit about Mad Saber?"

The merchant had just humiliated the other man into silence and was feeling pleased with himself when he heard Cheng Ruiwu’s words. He replied, "I wouldn’t say I know him. It’s just hearsay."

He then asked, "Do you know which sect this Mad Saber hails from?"

Seeing that everyone in the inn had turned their gaze his way, the merchant became even more proud and said loudly, "This Mad Saber’s origins are a mystery. No one knows his background—he seemed to have just appeared out of nowhere. It’s said he’s around thirty years old, wears a bamboo hat, and dresses in coarse hemp robes. He only uses an ordinary steel saber. He’s truly a unique individual who loves meddling in others’ business. If he sees someone bullying the weak, he’ll definitely step in and make those bullies suffer…"

"Shut up!"

Cheng Ruiwu’s younger sister Cheng Shiyi suddenly let out a sharp scream, as if severely provoked. She drew her sword and pointed it at the merchant, shouting angrily, "Shut your mouth!"

The merchant was startled and didn’t dare utter another word.

These people were clearly from the martial world—he couldn’t afford to offend them.

Cheng Ruiwu grabbed his sister’s hand. "Third Sister!"

Cheng Shiyi finally came to her senses. Seeing everyone looking at her strangely, she lowered her head, sheathed her sword, and sat back down.

Cheng Ruiwu apologized, "My younger sister has recently experienced some trauma and is not in a good mental state. We came to Yujie City to seek a renowned physician for her treatment."

Junior Sister Lu, hearing this, looked at Cheng Shiyi with sympathy. "So that’s how it is."

Cheng Ruiwu changed the subject. "Are you ladies here in Yujie County for some task?"

Junior Sister Lu replied, "Second Senior Sister is set to marry the Eldest Young Master of the Zhou Family in Yujie City next month. We came to accompany her for the wedding."

"That’s a joyous event. Why don’t I see Junior Sister Zhu?"

"She’s in the room, with Master and Senior Sister."

Cheng Ruiwu said with surprise, "Junior Sister Xiao came too?"

Such a reaction naturally drew teasing and laughter from the female disciples of the Xiaoshui Sect.

Cheng Ruiwu then realized and quickly said, "So Senior Aunt Wang is here too. I haven’t paid my respects yet. How discourteous of me."

Junior Sister Lu said, "It’s fine. Master doesn’t care for formalities."

Rumble rumble rumble!

Suddenly, thunder exploded outside, shaking the ground slightly.

The rain poured even harder.

……

Behind the inn were the guest rooms.

In the innermost upper room, a beautiful middle-aged woman was staring sternly at a black-clad young woman kneeling on the floor.

The young woman was around twenty, with a cinnabar mark between her brows and enchanting beauty. She was the second disciple of this generation of the Xiaoshui Sect—Zhu Xixi.

The middle-aged woman was her master, Wang Yumei. She scolded harshly, "The marriage has already been arranged. How can you say you won’t marry just because you don’t want to?"

Zhu Xixi lowered her head and pleaded, "Master, this disciple already has someone in her heart. Please grant your approval."

Wang Yumei’s face darkened. "You rebellious disciple! You dare bring this up again? Of all the people you could fall for, you choose… it’s absolutely impossible. Forget about it."

Zhu Xixi’s face was full of despair. "If Master continues to force me, then I will…"

Slap!

Wang Yumei slapped her across the face, trembling with rage. "You dare threaten me? I raised you for twenty years, and this is how you repay me?"

At this point, Xiao Zhuyun, who had been standing to the side, saw the situation escalating and quickly stepped forward to support Wang Yumei. "Senior Aunt, don’t make yourself ill. Let this disciple speak with her."

Wang Yumei was so angry she couldn’t speak. She waved her hand dismissively.

Xiao Zhuyun helped her to a chair in the outer room, then returned and lifted the unmoving Zhu Xixi off the ground. She sighed, "Junior Sister, why do this to yourself?"

Zhu Xixi kept her head lowered and said nothing.

Xiao Zhuyun sighed again. "Senior Aunt is doing this for your own good. If it were any other man, she wouldn’t force you to marry someone else. But that man is no longer accepted in the world. Do you truly wish to flee with him and live a life where each day is uncertain?"

Zhu Xixi finally responded, raising her pale face and asking, "Senior Sister, you’ve had many men around you over the years, weighing pros and cons. Among them, was there ever one you truly desired?"

Before Xiao Zhuyun could answer, she continued, "I could see it—you had feelings for that Chen Ming. But in the end, you decided he wasn’t good enough and gave up on him. Who would have thought that soon after, news would come that he had broken through to Sixth Grade."

"Have you ever regretted it? Back then, if you had been just a bit more resolute, you wouldn’t have missed your favored man."

She stared into Xiao Zhuyun’s eyes as she spoke.

Seeing her usually composed Senior Sister's face stiffen, she knew she had struck a nerve and couldn’t help but smile.

"This is what they call being too clever for your own good. As Chen Ming achieves greater and greater success, one day you’ll realize that the man you so carefully selected has been left far behind by him. The thorn in your heart will only drive deeper."

"I’m different from you. Since I’ve chosen him, even if I have to flee with him, live a precarious life—I won’t regret it. This is my choice. This is my fate!"

"Rebellious disciple!"

From the outer room, Wang Yumei could no longer endure.

Furious to the point of collapse, she stormed in to kill her disciple and spare the sect the shame.

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