I'm here in the martial arts world just to find love.

That night.

The moonlight was like water, its gentle glow like gauze.

Second floor of Sihai Inn, Qingxi Town.

A regular room that costs at most two taels of silver a night, with the door tightly closed.

Looking out from the corridor, the guest room, though not pitch black, was clearly dark, with the lights off. Two long, steady breaths indicated that the two martial arts practitioners inside were fast asleep.

however.

The reality inside the guest room was:

Jiang Chao sat by the window, fully clothed and leaning against the wall, holding a pot of wine in his hand. A ray of bright moonlight poured in from the half-open window, evenly bathing him.

The boy would occasionally pick up the wine jug and bring it to his lips, taking a small sip in the moonlight, looking quite content.

The female knight-errant was still wearing the bamboo hat she used to cover her face, and was sitting silently at the wooden table near the window.

Although waves of drowsiness washed over her, she did not actually fall asleep. She forced herself to stay awake, keeping the Chu family's unique hidden weapon in her sleeve ready at all times, not only to guard against any possible accidents that might occur in this haunted inn, but also to guard against the young man sitting by the window not far away, drinking and admiring the moon.

"Brother Chu, there's no need to be so nervous. All the talk of ghosts and gods in this world is just nonsense."

In an atmosphere so quiet that you could hear each other's breathing and even their heartbeats.

  

A sudden, clear sound rang in Chu Ning's ears, startling him. His wrist trembled, nearly causing him to launch the exquisite hidden weapon that was concealed in his sleeve.

After realizing who the voice came from, Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed.

Weren't we supposed to lie in wait tonight, luring the snake out of its hole? Why did you suddenly make a sound? What if you alerted them...?

Thinking of this, the girl was suddenly startled. That voice just now... had it entered her ears directly?

The legendary technique of focusing sound into a line, which is said to be only achievable by a few martial arts masters with profound internal strength.

While feeling shocked and terrified, Chu Ning was also somewhat incredulous. In their Western Shu Chu family, apart from her father and a few elders with profound internal strength, very few people could learn this seemingly simple skill.

Because this secret art of transmitting sound requires a high degree of control over one's internal energy flow, it may seem like a simple method of transmitting sound for communication in a specific environment. However, if one does not have a good grasp of one's internal energy, it could very well harm oneself or others.

She considered herself exceptionally talented from a young age, but she was always helpless and unable to master this essential skill for navigating the martial arts world.

Unexpectedly, this brat, who was about the same age as her, easily revealed himself in front of her!

This was a huge blow to Chu Ning.

This guy, who clearly looks like a rich kid deliberately dressed as a poor boy, doesn't seem like someone who diligently cultivates.

Indeed, Chu Ning had long ago realized that this "Jiang Lang" was no ordinary person from a distinguished background; otherwise, he would never have been so generous.

That chestnut horse, which runs like the wind, is probably worth a fortune!

She had met many true江湖人 (jianghu people) from humble backgrounds along her journey, and they were all petty and calculating. Even some who seemed generous were actually just putting on a show.

There are many who flaunt their wealth and power in public, but secretly live a life of hardship and despair.

She, the heroine Chu, simply didn't want to expose the other party's trick.

Just as Chu Ning's thoughts were churning, a noise suddenly came from outside the door.

The sound was so subtle that it was impossible to detect unless one listened very carefully.

Chu Ning's heart tightened suddenly.

It is said that there are many womanizers in the martial arts world who prey on women and use extremely cruel methods.

Even worse, some of them would target men who looked young and handsome, which was utterly depraved.

Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the young man sitting by the window not far away, his face turned towards her. Although the young man deliberately concealed his appearance, his rough skin made him look like he had been through a lot of wind and sun, but the innate nobility between his brows could not be hidden.

Could it be that this guy was being watched by thieves hiding in the shadows during the day?

Then...wasn't she suffering an undeserved misfortune?

Alright, alright. Since she had agreed to travel with this fellow and he had even kindly lent her his horse, she, Lady Chu, was not an ungrateful person. At worst, if the thieves showed up later, she would do her best to help them...

The girl's mind was filled with all sorts of random thoughts.

Jiang Chao, who appeared to be drinking and admiring the moon by the window but was actually highly focused, naturally heard the subtle noises coming from outside the door.

Or perhaps he had already sensed that someone was secretly spying on their room, their purpose unknown, but presumably with ill intentions.

The reason Jiang Chao had remained inactive was because he was unsure of the person outside the door's origins, or... whether they were even human!

Suppressing his excitement, Jiang Chao silently placed the wine jug at his feet, quietly stood up, and felt his surging internal energy flowing through his meridians.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Chu Ning noticed that the boy who slowly stood up in the moonlight suddenly emitted a faint golden glow.

It was as if he were not under the moonlight, but bathed in sunlight. Chu Ning subconsciously raised her arm and wiped her eyes with her slender fingers. When she looked again, the boy who had been standing by the window was nowhere to be seen.

!!!

Chu Ning was startled.

"Bang!"

next moment.

A loud, muffled thud echoed from the corridor outside the door.

Chu Ning jumped up in shock and instinctively tried to escape through the half-open window.

However, when she floated to the window, she forcibly stopped herself.

She can't escape!

In such circumstances, we cannot abandon the other party!

This goes against Chu Ning's chivalrous spirit.

Gritting her teeth, Chu Ning turned and rushed towards the door.

Before she could rush to the door, it was pushed open from the outside.

Jiang Lang, who had disappeared from somewhere, reappeared at the door.

"Brother Chu, don't chase after it. That thing fought me and has already escaped wounded."

Chu Ning noticed that the other person's voice was a little hoarse when they said this.

Looking up, I saw a smear of dark blood oozing from the other person's lips!

"You're injured?!"

Chu Ning's voice was slightly shrill, but it was also quite pleasant to the ear.

For a moment, the girl forgot about the disguise in her voice.

Jiang Chao pretended not to hear, shook his head, and walked straight into the house, saying in a relaxed tone as he went:

"It's nothing serious, just a shock to your blood and qi. You'll feel much better after spitting out some stagnant blood."

He is naturally strong and has a thick constitution, but that doesn't mean he can't get injured.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten into trouble when he was young and been beaten so badly by his father, Jiang Buwen, that his skin was torn and bleeding.

He is a human being, not a monster.

On the contrary, the thing that had just clashed with him was more like a monster.

The creature appeared to be a head taller than him, its entire body shrouded in a black robe, obscuring its face.

Jiang Chao also discovered that the other party had an indescribable aura, a smell that was a mixture of the stench of corpses and some strange fragrance, which was extremely unpleasant. More importantly, the other party's chest was particularly hard, and it did not collapse even when hit by his fist with 80% of his strength mixed with true qi.

Instead, it felt like he had been struck by a thick piece of steel that had been forged through countless hammer blows, leaving his entire arm still slightly numb.

He was also incredibly strong. The two exchanged a punch, and despite his physique, he was still slightly injured by the punch.

Although he had almost fully recovered by now thanks to his special physique.

But this still surprised Jiang Chao.

The boy secretly wondered what kind of monster was that ominous creature hidden beneath the black robe.

In short, it is absolutely impossible for it to be a living person!