On the journey that followed, the group encountered several more assassination attempts one after another. The assassins came from various sources. Aside from the killers of the Ten Ultimates Pavilion, there seemed to be those seeking revenge for the people who had trespassed into the Wu residence that day and died at Wu Zhen's hands.
Wu Zhen didn't think much of it and simply killed them all.
Deng Caiying had initially worried that Wu Zhen might dwell on it, but upon realizing she didn't care at all, he completely put his mind at ease. He couldn't see the expression of Jiang Zhenxue, who was wearing a veiled hat, but Jiang Zhenxue also seemed entirely unsurprised by Wu Zhen's performance, remaining perfectly calm.
Deng Caiying couldn't help but grow even more curious about Wu Zhen's background.
She was so young and fresh to the martial arts world, yet she possessed such a steadfast temperament... If not for the strange, unadulterated purity she occasionally displayed, Deng Caiying would have almost suspected her to be some senior master who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts and regained her youth.
No, perhaps it was exactly because of this pureness that she embodied such a near-perfect state.
They hurried westward, and the mountains along the way gradually became more numerous. Now, besides assassins, they also had to deal with mountain bandits. Even a first-rate expert like Deng Caiying felt a bit exhausted, yet Wu Zhen remained as radiant and energetic as ever, and Jiang Zhenxue's robes were completely spotless, as clean as new.
...So these two really were not human, were they!
Wu Zhen had no idea that Deng Caiying's worldview was gradually being reshaped and accepted along the way. She was currently sitting on a tree stump, accepting being fed by the female family members of a caravan she had rescued from the bandits.
The character portraits of female NPCs were generally more pleasing to the eye, lacking any bizarre or grotesque features. Surrounded by them, Wu Zhen accepted a pile of flower cakes, listening as they called her "little hero" one after another. Someone even took advantage of the commotion to pinch her cheek, a gesture the player tolerantly let slide. By the time she emerged holding a large bundle, a lingering, delicate fragrance clung to her.
She returned to Jiang Zhenxue's side. The young man in the veiled hat naturally turned his head, raising a hand to brush a stray petal from her hair.
The girls behind her suddenly chuckled again. Wu Zhen turned her head in confusion, only to see them sitting in the carriage, waving in their direction.
Wu Zhen waved back.
As the caravan departed, Deng Caiying returned from scouting the situation.
"There really is a bandit stronghold up on the mountain, and I even saw them kidnapping a few children. Should we make a move?"
Wu Zhen revealed a big smile.
"Of course!"
They carved a path of bloodshed all the way up, though, of course, Wu Zhen did all the killing. Afterward, Jiang Zhenxue would produce a handkerchief from who knows where and gently wipe her face and hands.
Deng Caiying often watched with his heart in his throat, for Wu Zhen's fighting style was truly reckless and death-defying. However, her physical constitution was extraordinary, and her strength was formidable. Not to mention the journey thus far, even when heavily surrounded, she rarely suffered a scratch. And even if she did get hurt, it was nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix.
In fact, the more heavily injured she was, the more ruthlessly she killed.
Coupled with the fact that they had rescued quite a few people from the stronghold, by the time they reached the central Shu region, their exploits were widely known.
Upon hearing the evaluation of "the young black-haired hero and her two useless men" yet again, Deng Caiying, as one of said useless men: "..."
He really wanted to help too, alright!
...Though whether he wanted to help was one thing; whether he dared to snatch prey from the jaws of Hero Wu was entirely another.
A certain first-rate martial arts expert peacefully accepted his lot in life.
Jiang Zhenxue, on the other hand, chuckled lightly. He slightly tilted his head and said slowly, "It is indeed so. Whatever would I do without Miss Wu?..."
"..."
The trailing end of his sentence dipped slightly, becoming somewhat muffled and ambiguous.
He had thought of something.
He could no longer smile.
The player didn't pick up on this subtle shift. She only felt that his voice sounded pleasant. His slightly drawn-out tone lacked its usual crisp coolness; instead, it was somewhat clingy, almost as if he were acting spoiled. She happily reached out to pat his head, but unfortunately, she wasn't tall enough and only managed to pat his shoulder.
The young man in the veiled hat paused his movements slightly. It seemed that a quiet gaze had settled on her, lingering for a long time without shifting away. He appeared to smile once more, although his expression hidden behind the pale white veil could not be seen clearly.
Then, he cooperatively bent down toward her, making it easier for her hand to part the veil and reach the top of his head. Inadvertently, the black-haired girl was entirely enveloped by the shadow he cast.
Off to the side, Deng Caiying hesitated to speak, but finally turned around silently and took a bite of the flatbread in his hand.
With about five days left until the Flying Star Villa opened its doors to guests, they were not far from their destination. Having plenty of time to spare, Wu Zhen planned to stay in the city for two more days to reorganize her inventory.
Along this journey, what with looting bandit strongholds and dealing with assassins, she had accumulated quite a few corpses in her bag. Each body occupied a single inventory slot, neatly arranged. Even the player felt that it was somewhat affecting her movement speed. However, the full-loot drop mechanic had nicely replenished her funds; at the very least, she should have more than enough to forge a weapon.
She had already decided on the kind of weapon she wanted to forge. This weapon would accompany her as she made a name for herself and became renowned; she had a premonition of it.
After sorting her items, Wu Zhen walked out of the inn, planning to stroll around this prefectural city first.
She hadn't taken two steps before Jiang Zhenxue slowly caught up, carrying a plain-colored oiled paper umbrella on his back.
"It rains easily in central Shu. I've come to bring you an umbrella."
He spoke gently. Those previously somewhat gloomy emotions seemed to have vanished without a trace, as if they had been an illusion.
He said he was bringing her an umbrella, but he had absolutely no intention of handing it over to her. He naturally stepped to her side and strolled along with her.
Wu Zhen glanced at him, unable to help but recall the day of the heavy rain at the Gan City arena.
...Was he addicted to holding umbrellas for people?
After all, Jiang Zhenxue himself shouldn't need a thing like an umbrella at all.
However, Wu Zhen had always been tolerant of NPC quirks, so she let him be. She proceeded with her plan to dispose of the useless items in her inventory, making sure to save a few that didn't look too cheap to give Jiang Zhenxue as gifts.
Thinking of this, she glanced at the bracelets on her wrists.
In just these ten days or so, the total number of bracelets on her wrists had already increased to three. When she moved, they would occasionally emit the crisp sound of jade pieces striking each other. Since they weren't made of heavy materials or bulky craftsmanship, stacking them actually looked quite elegant.
Wu Zhen had reason to suspect that if wearing more wouldn't look cumbersome, Jiang Zhenxue would have completely covered both of her wrists with them.
Turning to look at him again, she found the young man standing quietly by her side, lowering his eyes to meet her gaze. He smiled faintly, tilting his head slightly as if confused as to why she was suddenly looking at him.
Wu Zhen said sincerely, "You've put too many bracelets on me."
As she spoke, she brought both of her wrists together and held them up in front of Jiang Zhenxue's eyes as evidence.
The white jade bracelets rested quietly on her equally cold, pale, and slender wrists. Bathed in the sunlight, her skin looked as though it were carved from jade itself. Reflecting the light of the sky, the sight was almost so dazzling that one couldn't keep their eyes open.
"...Hmm." Jiang Zhenxue's gaze fell softly on that section of her wrist exposed to the sunlight.
A moment later, he slowly shifted his gaze away and curved his eyes into a smile: "It seems that is indeed the case."
He had absolutely no intention of admitting his mistake or repenting.
Wu Zhen: "..."
Actually, the player didn't have any objections to NPCs giving return gifts, but Jiang Zhenxue seemed a bit too obsessed with it. Of course, the most crucial point was that every time, he insisted on personally putting his return gift on her (and it just so happened that the player was completely mesmerized by his beauty every single time), and once it was put on, she could forget about ever taking it off. If only the items were removable, the player wouldn't have such a big problem with it.
Just as she was about to suggest he gift her something else, she felt a light drizzle falling on her cheek.
It was raining.
In the split second her attention was diverted, the young Daoist Lord beside her had already opened an umbrella with smooth, flowing grace.
The canopy of the umbrella shielded her head, carving out a quiet, intimate, and exclusive space.
The person holding the umbrella had stepped very close to her at some point.
Jiang Zhenxue slightly lowered his eyes.
From this angle, behind the thin veil, he could clearly see the top of the young girl's jet-black hair and the sliver of cool, pale skin on her neck peeking through the dark strands.
He unconsciously rubbed the pad of his thumb against the umbrella handle, his thoughts already drifting back to that day of heavy rain in Gan City, when she had stepped lightly under his umbrella.
She had been soaked to the bone, her jet-black hair wet and clinging to her cheeks in distinct strands. Rainwater streamed down her face, making her look as disheveled as if she had just crawled out of a river, yet her eyes had shone so brightly.
"...Jiang Zhenxue."
"—Jiang Zhenxue?"
Jiang Zhenxue snapped out of his reverie.
"...Hmm?" He blinked, habitually curving his lips into a smile as he looked toward the source of the voice.
Wu Zhen was looking up at him, leaning in closely to observe him. Her large, pitch-black eyes stared at him unblinkingly as she asked with some confusion, "What were you just thinking about?"
Jiang Zhenxue paused for two seconds before answering with a smile, "No. It's nothing."
Wu Zhen gave him another look, not believing a single word. A player didn't just forget everything. That phrase sounded far too familiar; she highly suspected that Jiang Zhenxue had brushed her off with the exact same words before. But it didn't really matter, as it wasn't anything important anyway.
She stood up straight again, withdrew her gaze, and wove her way through the crowd.
Because of the upcoming birthday banquet at the Flying Star Villa, many martial artists had gathered in the city. One or two could be spotted every now and then. They had clearly noticed her as well, and two of them even seemed to have recognized her, though they cautiously refrained from approaching.
Even though they lowered their voices, Wu Zhen could still see the nearby dialogue popping up in her event log:
"Young, wearing her black hair loose, and accompanied by a man in white wearing a veiled hat. It must be her."
"I've heard a bit about what happened these past few days. To survive being hunted and cornered like that, she is definitely no ordinary person. Perhaps she's a top disciple from some hidden sect who has just entered the martial world."
"But what is she doing here?"
—To attend the birthday banquet, of course.
The player thought as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A player would never miss out on a place where an event was so obviously bound to happen.
She took her time strolling around the city. By the time she returned to the inn, it was already dusk. Deng Caiying was sitting in the lobby waiting for them. Seeing them return, he smiled and said, "I sent a letter to that senior a few days ago, and I just received her reply. She agreed to let us observe her forging techniques."
Wu Zhen looked at him in surprise, seeing him in a whole new light. "Turns out you're actually quite useful."
Deng Caiying: "..."
He hesitated to speak, but in the end, he could only rub his nose and let out a helpless, bitter smile.
