What is the Jianghu?
Some say the Jianghu is all about human relationships and worldly wisdom.
Others say that wherever there are people, there is the Jianghu.
But for the Wang Xiao of today, the Jianghu was simply a place where he could eat an authentic bowl of beef noodle soup.
The Shuangqi Inn was just such a place.
The beef noodle soup here was perfectly chewy, and he never grew tired of it, no matter how many times he ate it.
Of course, Wang Xiao didn't come to the Shuangqi Inn just for the beef noodle soup.
It was also because it was the only inn in the Desert Border Region.
Six years had passed since Wang Xiao left the Sword Sect.
He had shed his youthful immaturity, and his handsome face now held a steady, imposing air.
His eyes held the serene detachment unique to a Grandmaster.
His every move carried the confidence of someone in complete control.
In those six years, he had traveled the length and breadth of the land, seeing all its mountains and rivers.
Likewise, he had seen famished bodies stretching for a thousand li and rivers of blood that could float a shield.
The rebel armies in various regions grew ever stronger.
Warlords rose one after another, and the flames of war burned ceaselessly.
Even when Wu Shengtiang himself intervened, suppressing the uprisings with his absolute power, he still couldn't stop the surging tide of public dissent.
The Great Xuan was on the verge of collapse!
However, as the wars intensified across the land, the number of civilian deaths grew by the day.
The saying "nine out of ten homes are empty" was no exaggeration.
As Wang Xiao witnessed more and more of this, a certain energy began to stir within his chest.
This energy was his understanding of Heaven and Earth, and his comprehension of his own Martial Arts!
He condensed everything he had learned, thought, and seen into this energy.
And as his understanding of Martial Arts and Heaven and Earth deepened, this energy grew ever more concentrated!
It reached the point where Wang Xiao could barely contain it, feeling an urgent desire to draw his sword!
However, he knew now was not the time.
Because the moment he drew the sharp sword at his waist would be the moment he attained the rank of Martial Saint!
He had a premonition that he was only a single step away.
All he lacked was one final catalyst!
To suppress his desire to draw his sword,
Wang Xiao came to the Border Region, far from the chaos of war, and became a Darts Man.
The Darts Man was a unique profession within the Jianghu of the Border Region.
They could take on missions from the Government Office to earn rewards!
The most common missions, naturally, were to capture or execute various bandits.
Most of these bandits were desperate outlaws who couldn't make it in the Central Plains and had fled to the Desert Border Region.
The Government Office, currently exhausted from dealing with the various rebel armies, naturally had no energy to spare for such matters and could only entrust them to the Darts Men.
"Well now, young man, what brings you here so early today?"
A woman in a simple red dress swayed as she slowly descended from the second floor.
She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a languid expression. Her hair was tied up high, and though she wore no makeup, she exuded a natural charm.
Yan Hongqing!
The proprietress of the Shuangqi Inn.
Wang Xiao had known her for half a year, but they didn't interact much on a daily basis.
Wang Xiao only knew that she had lived in the Border Region since she was a child, had a forthright personality, and had connections on both sides of the law.
'As for her strength... Anyone who can run an inn in a place like the Desert Border Region can't be weak.'
However, Wang Xiao had never once seen Yan Hongqing make a move.
"No work to be done, and I was idle anyway. I figured I'd come for a bowl of beef noodle soup to fill my stomach," Wang Xiao said.
This was only half-true.
Coming for beef noodle soup was true, but having no work was false.
In fact, he had accepted a job.
However, the Government Office hadn't specified what the job entailed.
They only told him to come to the Shuangqi Inn for the next few days and to cooperate with anyone who arrived from the palace.
Wang Xiao didn't necessarily have to take this mission, but he was curious about what people from the palace were doing here.
He also discovered that he wasn't the only curious one.
Over the past few days, he had seen several long-famous Darts Men lingering at the Shuangqi Inn.
The proprietress said, "Then you've come at a bad time. I have to save today's beef noodle soup for guests who've traveled from afar."
A glint appeared in Wang Xiao's eyes. "Oh? Are there so many guests that you can't spare a single bowl for me?"
The proprietress gave a charming smile. "Very many. I'm afraid my inn can't even seat them all, so how could there be a portion for you? You should just leave, young man."
Wang Xiao's brow furrowed, then smoothed out. "How do you know I'm not the guest you're waiting for?"
Hearing this, the proprietress's gaze instantly sharpened. "If you are, then all I can say is, what a pity."
"A pity for what?"
"A pity that someone so young is about to die here."
Wang Xiao smiled. "It seems you're not waiting for guests, Proprietress, but for enemies."
Without even having to think, he already knew that the people she was waiting for were, in all likelihood, the ones from the palace.
He just couldn't figure out why the proprietress would want to deal with people from the palace.
'Logically, since she grew up in the Border Region, she shouldn't have any grievances with the palace.'
The proprietress's expression turned cool. "Calling them enemies is a bit much. It's like you, as a Darts Man—do you have a personal grudge against the wanted criminals you hunt? Both sides simply have different standpoints."
"That makes sense. Still, I'm curious, Proprietress. Why not just run your inn peacefully in the Border Region instead of getting involved in palace affairs? What, are you planning to rebel too?" Wang Xiao asked.
The proprietress pursed her red lips. "You know I'm waiting for people from the palace?"
"A guess. And it seems I guessed right."
"You did guess right, but you can't leave anymore. Since you want beef noodle soup, you might as well wait. You'll get to see a good show," the proprietress said, her tone laced with a threat.
Wang Xiao was unfazed. "I've seen plenty of good shows over the years. I just wonder if this one will be exciting."
The proprietress gave another charming smile. "I'm just afraid you'll have the life to watch it, but not the life to walk away."
"If the show is exciting enough, what's the harm in staking my life on it?" Wang Xiao laughed freely.
Just as his voice fell, two figures, one old and one young, slowly descended from the second floor.
The old man wore a yellow Daoist Robe. He was nearly sixty, scruffy and unkempt, and held a duster in his hand.
The young man wore a long robe. He had a burly build and a plain face, but his eyes were startlingly bright, radiating a soaring ambition.
"Master, why have you come out?"
Seeing the Daoist, the proprietress's beautiful eyes flickered slightly.
The Daoist laughed at her words. "To see an old acquaintance."
With that, he turned to Wang Xiao and said, "Young friend, it's been six years. I trust you've been well?"
"It's you. So that's how it is." Wang Xiao looked at the Daoist, a look of realization dawning in his eyes.
Years ago, this Daoist had claimed to be from the Taiping Sect and had wanted to take him as a disciple, but Wang Xiao had refused.
In the past six years, various rebel armies had risen up, seizing cities and territory, engaging in both open and secret struggles.
Among them was the Taiping Army, led by the Taiping Sect.
The Taiping Army wasn't particularly prominent among the rebel forces, occupying only the land of a single province.
However, it had a good reputation. Even after capturing cities, its soldiers didn't burn, kill, or plunder. Instead, they focused on pacifying the common people and allowing them to recuperate.
Since the proprietress was the Daoist's disciple, it made sense that she was opposing the palace.
The young man beside the Daoist clasped his fists and said to Wang Xiao,
"Young Hero, Yuan Zhu has never forgotten the kindness you showed in giving me a meal, and I dare not forget it."
Wang Xiao smiled. "It was just a small gesture. I never expected the beggar from all those years ago to become the leader of a rebel army."
He had heard the name Zhang Yuanzhu a few times over the years, but he hadn't paid it any mind.
To him, fame and status were nothing compared to his pursuit of the Martial Arts.
Zhang Yuanzhu said, "My master and I are here today, and I fear a fierce battle is about to break out. Young Hero, you should leave quickly to avoid getting caught in the crossfire."
But the Daoist waved his hand. "Yuan Zhu, since our young friend wants to watch the show, why are you trying to drive him away? Besides, even if he wanted to leave now, I'm afraid he couldn't."
As soon as he finished speaking, the neighing of horses and the thunder of hooves suddenly erupted from outside the inn, piercing through the yellow, sand-filled sky.