Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 49 The Law

Just as Jiang Xun was about to give up, a dark figure descended from the sky.

It was a woman, dressed in black, her face veiled in black, holding a slender, soft sword.

Her swordsmanship was unpredictable and lightning-fast; she forced two people back with a single strike.

He then turned and the sword sliced ​​through the wrist of the third man in black who was holding the knife.

Three moves forced the three to retreat.

The remaining men in black were filled with suspicion and retreated.

"Let's go!" The woman in black grabbed Jiang Xun and jumped out of the window.

Her lightness skill was extremely high, and she carried Jiang Xun as they ran across the rooftops as if walking on flat ground.

Jiang Xun was pulled along by her, the wind whistling in his ears, and the houses on both sides rushing past.

Shouts of killing came from behind. The woman in black turned around, glanced back, took something out of her bosom, and threw it behind her.

With a loud bang, thick smoke billowed out.

When the thick smoke cleared, they had already disappeared into the night.

After running for an unknown amount of time, the hand finally let go.

Jiang Xun leaned against the wall, panting heavily, his whole body trembling. It wasn't because he had run too fast, but because the scene at the Gu family's house kept replaying in his mind, making him feel nauseous.

"Are you done?" A voice suddenly rang out, cold and indifferent, yet somewhat familiar.

Jiang Xun looked up and saw the person who had saved him.

Under the moonlight, the person was dressed in black, with his face covered, only his eyes showing.

He had seen those eyes before—the one standing next to the old man in the dilapidated temple in Jiangzhou; the one who taught him breathing techniques on the cliff below the Chunshui Sect.

"You..." He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse like a broken gong, "Who exactly are you?"

The woman in black looked at him and suddenly removed her veil.

A young face with delicate features, but a cold expression and sharp eyes, like a drawn sword.

"Shadow Thirteen," she said calmly. "My name is Shadow Thirteen."

"Why did you save me?"

Ying Shisan didn't say anything, but simply turned around and pushed open a door next to him.

"Come in."

Jiang Xun followed him inside, still in a daze.

This is a house, not large, but it is kept clean.

After passing through the front yard, we arrived at the main house in the back yard.

The door opened, and two people were sitting inside.

One of them was someone he recognized—Old Yu.

The other one was an unfamiliar old man, around sixty years old, with gray hair. He had a thin face and a scholarly air about him, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

When Lao Yu saw Jiang Xun, he sighed, stood up, and walked over.

"child……"

Jiang Xun looked at him, then suddenly his knees buckled and he knelt down.

"Dr. Yu..." He opened his mouth, his voice trembling violently.

He wanted to say so much, to explain why he was late, to say that he rushed forward and risked his life, to say he was sorry…

But when the words reached his lips, only two sentences remained:

"I'm useless, I'm too late. Lord Gu is dead, and Miss Gu too..."

I can't bring myself to say that word.

He lowered his head, and his shoulders began to tremble.

Old Yu didn't say anything, but bent down and helped him up.

"I know."

Jiang Xun was taken aback, then looked up at him: "You know?"

Old Yu nodded, said nothing more, stepped aside, and looked at the gray-haired old man next to him.

The old man slowly stood up. He walked slowly but steadily, stopping in front of Jiang Xun and looking him up and down for a while.

"Your name is Jiang Xun?"

Jiang Xun nodded blankly, his throat so dry it felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't speak.

The old man looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "My surname is Shen, and I'm the third child in my family. Just call me Shen San."

The room was very quiet.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting swaying shadows on the wall.

Jiang Xun stood there, staring blankly at the gray-haired old man in front of him.

Blood was still seeping from his wounds, staining half of his clothes red, but he didn't feel it at all.

Shen San glanced at him, sighed, and gave Ying Shisan a wink.

Ying Shisan understood, turned and went out, and soon returned with a wooden tray containing wound medicine, a white cloth and a basin of hot water.

"Take care of the wound." Shadow Thirteen placed the wooden tray beside him, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Jiang Xun still didn't move.

Ying Shisan frowned, said nothing more, and directly began to treat his wounds.

He moved quickly, clearly not a first-timer, but he used considerable force and wasn't very gentle.

Jiang Xun let her do as she pleased. The powder was sprinkled on the wound, causing a burning pain, but compared to the pain in his heart, it was nothing.

After Ying Shisan finished treating the wound, Jiang Xun seemed to come back to his senses and looked at Shen San.

He could tell that the person in front of him was no ordinary person.

"Sit down," Shen San said, pointing to the chair opposite him.

Jiang Xun didn't sit down, but stared at him, asking slowly and deliberately, "You all knew the Gu family would be in trouble?"

Shen San shook his head and sighed, "Not much earlier than you."

Jiang Xun took a deep breath: "Then why didn't you stop them?"

"Do you think just a few of us can stop Xingxiuhai?"

"Starry Sea?" Jiang Xun's breath hitched. He had heard of the name before and knew it was a martial arts sect, but he didn't know the specifics.

"The Starry Sea is in the northwest, built on an island in the middle of a lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains," Shen San explained. "Disciples live in zones according to the constellations, and their martial arts emphasize formations and combined attacks, which can draw upon the cold air of the lake to form the 'Starry Sea Grand Formation.' Once trapped inside, even top-tier masters cannot escape."

As Jiang Xun listened, his fists slowly clenched.

"The sect leader is called Li Hai. He's highly skilled in martial arts and ruthless," Shen San continued. "You should be glad that it was his son, Li Fei, who came tonight, not him. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to escape."

"Why did they want to kill Lord Gu?" Jiang Xun's body trembled slightly. "What grudge did Lord Gu have against them?"

Shen San sneered: "Xingxiuhai has no grudge against Gu Wenxu. It's Gu Wenxu who's blocking some people's way."

"Some people?"

"People in the imperial court, people you can't afford to offend." Shen San didn't say it explicitly, but his tone was meaningful. "Xingxiuhai is just someone who helps others get rid of trouble."

Jiang Xun understood: Xingxiu Sea was the knife, and the one who wielded the knife was the real killer.

"Is it because of Lord Gu's memorial?"

"With the floods raging now, how much of the disaster relief grain allocated by the court has actually reached the victims?" Shen San asked mockingly. "Those grains, after being peeled layer by layer, are lucky if even 30% is left. Gu Wenxu's memorial is like tearing off their fig leaf."

Jiang Xun clenched his fist: "Is there no law anymore?"

Shen San laughed, his smile full of mockery: "The law? Young man, how old are you this year?"

"eighteen."

"Eighteen years old, still believing in the law?" Shen San shook his head. "The imperial court is rotten to the core."

The government only knows how to bully the common people and exploit them. They cannot tolerate an honest official like Gu Wenxu.

You expect the government to take action? They'll just put on a show, grab a few scapegoats to get by, and that'll be enough for you.

Jiang Xun remained silent.

He knew that Shen San was telling the truth.

He's been around for so many years, what kind of government hasn't he seen?

The Black Tiger Gang oppresses the people, and the government does nothing about it.

Refugees are displaced and the government does nothing.

Unscrupulous merchants hoard goods and speculate on prices, yet the government continues to do nothing.

But when it was his turn to steal the unscrupulous merchant's silver, the authorities arrived immediately.

The term "law of the king" has always been associated with the wealthy and powerful.

Jiang Xun lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

Shen San suddenly spoke up: "Are you thinking that if you hadn't drunk tonight, if you had discovered it sooner, the Gu family wouldn't have died?"

Jiang Xun's fingers trembled slightly.

Shen San looked at him, his eyes showing no blame, only a detached indifference that suggested he had seen through the world: "When I was young, I often thought the same thing—what if I had made a different choice back then, what if I had acted faster, what if I had… Later I realized that there are no 'what ifs' in this world. What's done is done, and there's no use in regretting it."

"But I really did..." Jiang Xun's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, "I promised Miss Gu that I would protect Lord Gu."

"Even if you guard it, it won't make a difference," Shen San interrupted him. "Xingxiuhai has sent more than a dozen people this time, and they are all experts. You alone can't hold them off."

Jiang Xun knew he was telling the truth, but his heart still felt like it was being ripped out.

He let Gu Yunqian down.

"So," Shen San looked at him, "what you need to do is not blame yourself, but figure out what to do next."

Jiang Xun remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I want revenge."

"Who should I look for?"

"Li Fei, Xingxiu Hai, and the people behind them." Jiang Xun's eyes blazed with fire. "I will make them pay for their crimes in blood."

Shen San looked at him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "You have guts. But Xingxiu Sea is not something you can handle alone, and the people behind it are even more formidable. Going to seek revenge now is just suicide."

"So we're just letting them get away with it? Waiting for someone else to take justice into their own hands?"

"Of course not. I've lived for over sixty years and have long seen through it all. There's no such thing as acting on behalf of Heaven in this world; it's just a world where the strong prey on the weak. If you want revenge, you have to be stronger than them."

"So what should I do?"

Shen San didn't answer directly, but only said, "Focus on healing your injuries first, I'll take care of the rest."

He glanced at Shadow Thirteen: "Take him to rest."

Ying Shisan nodded, walked to Jiang Xun's side, and said calmly, "Let's go."

Jiang Xun stood up, looked at Shen San, seemed about to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words.

He followed Ying Shisan out the door and headed towards the back room.

The door closed behind me.

Only Shen San and Lao Yu remained in the room.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered, and the shadow on the wall swayed back and forth.

Old Yu sighed.

"This child has a hard life."

Shen San didn't speak, only staring at the closed door with a deep gaze.

After a long while, he finally said softly:

"Those who suffer hardship are not necessarily short-lived."