You Yourself, the friend in your eyes, the enemy in your eyes, the person in their mouths…
Sometimes, these can be four entirely different people.
Strangely, Jiang Wang felt no anger in his heart.
As he listened to the tale of “Jiang Wang’s” villainous deeds, it was as though he were hearing about a matter entirely unrelated, a person utterly foreign. That person’s evil or goodness, whether others loved or hated him – none of it seemed to touch him.
Jiang Wang, in this detached manner, viewed himself from another perspective – the perspective shaped by Zhuang Gaoxian, Du Ruhui, and their ilk.
This perspective was novel, and its logic flowed smoothly.
The timeline was crystal clear, the plot points interconnected. The villain in the storyteller’s mouth was so vividly portrayed, so lifelike, that it ignited righteous indignation in listeners, a desire to spit upon his face, flay his skin, and utterly destroy him.
And Jiang Wang inexplicably thought—
Such a person truly *could* exist.
Unscrupulous, committing every wickedness imaginable. His sole purpose, becoming stronger, deceiving gods and ghosts, treating all as pawns. He would often kill for treasures, exterminate entire families at a word of disagreement, and step over the corpses of his companions to advance.
Betraying friends, slaying his master, rebelling against his country.
Born without taboo, dying without regret.
Such a person, truly without weakness.
Such a person, would be incredibly powerful, would become powerful even faster.
Jiang Wang, having eaten his fill, poured himself a cup of wine and drank it slowly.
A small country was, after all, a small country. This wine house was merely average. Though he had spent a good amount of silver, the wine that flowed down his throat still carried a hint of bitterness.
The bitter wine felt like a fire burning as it entered his throat.
He slowly drank three cups, then rose and walked towards the exit.
The patrons inside the wine house were still immersed in their fervent discussions. The fall of a world-renowned genius, after all, was a rare topic. Each person could step in and offer their two cents, showcasing their profound insights.
Perhaps they themselves were mediocre, perhaps they had achieved nothing, perhaps some among them had not even stepped into the Extraordinary realm and were still struggling for an Opening Pulse Pill… yet none of this hindered them from commenting on the most powerful prodigy of the current Inner Mansion Realm.
Trampling on others was the cheapest way to self-satisfaction, a path for the shameless.
Amidst the clamor of conversation, Jiang Wang calmly walked out of the wine house.
It was the second day since he had slain those four elites of the Evil Tide Army.
Jiang Wang had initially headed east, then feigned a move before turning south. After laying some false trails, he had, with the help of Hidden Clothes, returned to his original path, truly heading east.
He had planned to pass through the area between Guanhe Terrace and Longmen Academy, hasten to the Chang River, leap directly across, and enter the Central Domain.
Then, he would commence his current disguise.
Moving too fast would easily attract attention; too slow would give Zhao Xuanyang an opportunity.
Thus, he maintained the speed expected of a traveling Tenglong Realm cultivator. Today, he had stopped in Zhongshan Country, had a meal, and would then continue forward.
He had slightly modified his escape route. This time, he planned to cross the Chang River at the seventh town among the Nine Towns, Bi’an Bridge, reach the south bank, and then head towards Xia Country.
Naturally, he would not go to Xia Country. Their desire to strangle him would be no weaker than Zhuang Country’s.
His intention in heading that way was to consider a choice that Jiang Wang, in his own identity, would fundamentally never make.
He would stop before reaching Xia Country, then at the ninth town, Chiwen Bridge, turn back to the north bank of the Chang River, returning to the Central Domain. From there, he would directly pass through the influence range of the Suspended Temple and return to Qi Country.
Chu Country was no longer an option.
Now, in this entire world, only Qi Country had the reason and ability to protect him.
Although there was some truth in what those passersby said, Qi Country’s current support for him was likely out of consideration for national face. But precisely because it involved national interests, it was more reliable. For this very reason, Qi Country least desired the crime of his collusion with the demon race to be established.
As long as there was an environment for a fair voice, the things he had not done, the utterly baseless charges, could certainly be cleared!
False evidence, however true it appeared, was still false.
He had done his best to erase his tracks and lay false trails, but he did not believe his methods could deceive Zhao Xuanyang for long.
The reason for traversing the two banks of the Chang River through the Nine Towns was inspired by Yu Beidou’s protective talisman. According to Chong Xuan Sheng’s description, Yu Beidou had clearly divined something and thus bestowed that talisman. And that talisman had indeed blocked something in the end. This matter could be inquired about further should he encounter Yu Beidou later.
Jiang Wang’s choice to cross the river via the Nine Bridges was precisely to borrow the ancient power of the Nine Towns, to eliminate the possibility of Zhao Xuanyang’s pursuit.
If Zhao Xuanyang also possessed some form of divination, how could it calculate the Chang River Nine Bridges, calculate the people on the Chang River Nine Bridges?
These things might not work, but he was simply exhausting all possible existing conditions, doing everything he could.
It must be said, Jiang Wang, in any situation, always exerted maximum effort.
But in real life, not all effort guaranteed success. Your entire dedication did not necessarily mean a harvest.
Some gaps could not be bridged by time or external factors.
“Not to your taste?” A voice suddenly asked.
Jiang Wang’s footsteps towards the outside halted.
Not far ahead, a young man in a Yin-Yang Daoist robe, holding a wooden sword, leaned against the doorframe.
He smiled as he looked at him, his smile warm.
Zhao Xuanyang, whom he had seen once before!
He had actually caught up without him even realizing it!
How had he chased him? When had he arrived?
None of that mattered anymore.
Reason told Jiang Wang that this game of chase had ended.
His plan of traversing the Chang River Nine Towns twice had ended before it even began.
But in this moment, he merely said: “Not quite suited to my taste.”
The noisy voices inside the wine house suddenly vanished.
Those garrulous patrons, who were still spouting nonsense, one saying, “If I were to encounter that demon traitor Jiang Wang, I would do thus and so,” another saying, “I will surely show Jiang Wang my methods…”
However, as the person about to leave and the person by the door exchanged glances, they felt a pressure that solidified the very air around them, even though they were mere bystanders.
So much so that they couldn’t speak.
They didn’t know who these two people were, where they came from, or what they intended to do.
But a primal fear, born of instinct, quietly arose.
Zhao Xuanyang, half-leaning against the doorframe, looked at Jiang Wang and said, “You truly surprised me. To run in this direction, I truly did not expect.”
Jiang Wang, slowly and methodically, untied the fast knife at his waist and casually placed it on a nearby wine table.
It was something he had bought casually on the road; there was no pity in discarding it.
Then, he took out Longxiang Si from his storage ring and held it in his hand.
These actions, he performed flawlessly.
“You thought…” he asked, “I would go which way?”
“I thought it would be Yun Country. After all, that Lord Ye’s daughter has a quite extraordinary relationship with you,” Zhao Xuanyang did not conceal his misjudgment. “Longmen Academy is also possible. Lord Longmen might offer you some protection for his precious daughter.”
Speaking of this, he seemed somewhat envious: “You truly are popular with girls, aren’t you!”
“Is that so?” Jiang Wang’s tone was flat as he slowly drew Longxiang Si from its sheath.
It looked like a pool of autumn water flowing into his hand.
This sudden sharp edge made the entire wine house even quieter.
Only Zhao Xuanyang remained as usual, asking with interest: “How did you do it? I mean, this matter of being popular with girls.”
“Just be normal, don’t pretend,” Jiang Wang said lightly.
“Duly noted,” Zhao Xuanyang wasn’t offended in the slightest, only laughing as he said, “Come with me. I’ll take you to eat something that suits your taste.”
He possessed a kind of calm that seemed to control everything.
And Jiang Wang held his sword horizontally before him: “Yu Jing Mountain’s prison food, I fear I would be even less accustomed to it.”
The noisy wine guests from before could barely breathe at this moment!
By now, how could they not have understood? The two people confronting each other before them were precisely the main figures in this widely discussed matter – Jiang Wang and Zhao Xuanyang!