Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 33

“Brother Xiao, I’ll get the door.” Xiao Wu drew the gun tucked at his waist and walked straight to the door without waiting for a response from anyone else.

The wooden cabin door was bolted from the inside. Almost the instant Xiao Wu opened the door, the firearms held by the people inside were pointed directly at the entrance!

Jiang Rui, confronted by a dozen guns, smiled fearlessly: “Jinnan, that’s quite a unique way to welcome me.”

The men following Xiao Jinnan had spent the last two weeks mostly seeing fierce enemies, endless bullets, and blood, along with the beasts of the mountain. Suddenly, a pale-faced, jade-like young man appeared before them, handsome like a painting, leaving them momentarily stunned.

The teenager still wore a school bag on his shoulder. His expression was gentle, and he stood with a smile, looking like an ordinary high school student, as if the place he stood was not a deep border forest but a simple, clean campus.

Xiao Jinnan was also startled the moment he saw Jiang Rui. The place they were in was just a small border town. Even if Jiang Rui had flown over that very day, he would have had to make several transfers and absolutely could not have found the place in such a short time. Traveling by train would have been even slower, taking at least more than a day and a night.

“Xiao Wu! Hurry up and put away the guns, and the rest of you, stop acting like fools!” Xiao Jinnan immediately roared after realizing what was happening.

Although the others were puzzled by the identity of this boy, who was likely not even an adult, their unspoken understanding from weeks of facing life-and-death situations was profound. They subconsciously obeyed Xiao Jinnan’s command unconditionally, quickly putting away their guns, though the wariness in their eyes was undisguised.

Jiang Rui recalled the name Xiao Jinnan had just called out, Xiao Wu…

He scanned the dozen or so people. There were quite a few familiar faces—those he had seen by Xiao Jinnan’s side in his previous life—and some he hadn’t… Xiao Jinnan had a wolf-like instinct for people. Those who didn’t appear by his side later must have either developed treacherous intentions or died too early.

Jiang Rui had heard about Xiao Wu, the person who had just opened the door for him, from Xiao Jinnan. He died very early and quite tragically, captured and tortured to death by the Japanese. Jiang Rui didn’t know the specifics, only that this person was one of Xiao Jinnan’s “heart ailments.”

By then, Xiao Jinnan was already the undisputed leader of Yingzhang. He found all the Japanese who had tortured Xiao Wu to death. But he didn’t kill them; instead, he made them live lives worse than death. Every year on a specific day, he would visit the cemetery and kill one of the murderers in front of the tombstone, a custom that continued until Jiang Rui went to prison.

Xiao Wu was very young, looking not much older than Jiang Rui, with well-defined features. He was a person whose hands were stained with blood, yet he possessed a pair of transparent eyes.

Xiao Wu was standing closest to Jiang Rui. If Jiang Rui had any ill intent, Xiao Wu would be the first to deal with him. But he didn’t hesitate for a moment in obeying Xiao Jinnan’s order, immediately putting down his gun and grinning at Jiang Rui like a big boy.

Jiang Rui nodded in response.

Xiao Jinnan’s eyes shone with delight. He strode forward and wrapped his uninjured arm around Jiang Rui’s shoulder, bringing him into the cabin. Xiao Wu followed suit and closed the door.

“You, the second-in-command of Beijiang, never show your face, yet the moment you hear I’m in trouble, you move fast enough. Anyone who didn’t know would think you worry about me greatly,” Xiao Jinnan said, pressing Jiang Rui onto a stool.

Jiang Rui laughed: “It’s rare for you to ask for help, so of course, I have to rush over to enjoy the spectacle of your misfortune. Wouldn’t it be a loss if I came late and missed it?”

Xiao Jinnan snorted when he heard this: “I knew you wouldn’t be that kind. Only your appearance has some deceptive quality. Fooling others is fine, but when it comes to me, your little schemes are transparent. Tell me, why are you really here?”

To an outsider, their conversation sounded full of mutual antagonism. Everyone in the cabin, except for the old hunter who was already resting due felt a cold sweat run down their backs.

They never imagined that this boy, who looked sixteen or seventeen, was the never-before-seen second-in-command of Beijiang. Brother Xiao had even said that without this second-in-command, there would be no Beijiang, and all of Beijiang’s current assets were managed by him.

Jiang Rui wasn’t offended by Xiao Jinnan’s words; instead, he went along with it: “You’re right, my little bit of skill is far from enough to fool you.”

“I truly didn’t come just because of you this time.”

“The people who stole Beijiang’s batch of goods, and the people who are chasing you, are certainly not just one group. I’m here to deal with one of those groups.”

Xiao Jinnan knew that the person in front of him never did anything without certainty, but this time, he was taking too much of a risk. Coming alone to face a group of people? These weren’t street thugs; these were people with blood on their hands, men of the underworld carrying guns.

Jiang Rui saw the look in Xiao Jinnan’s eyes and knew what he meant.

He hadn’t been sure before he arrived whether this was the border battle in his previous life where Xiao Jinnan nearly died, but hearing Xiao Wu’s name instantly made him eighty percent certain.

Xiao Wu died in this battle.

Even though the time was earlier, the location and the background of Xiao Jinnan being chased by multiple parties basically matched.

If Xiao Wu didn’t die, Xiao Jinnan might not be able to escape this calamity. But if Xiao Wu died, this source of grief would plague Xiao Jinnan for the rest of his life, just like in his previous life.

Jiang Rui never intended to engage in a death match with those Japanese. Cultivators are no longer mortals and cannot wantonly take a mortal life; otherwise, they will inevitably face karmic retribution and divine lightning punishment.

However, he was determined to protect Xiao Jinnan, even if it meant getting mortal blood on his hands.

Jiang Rui could not linger in Jinlin for long; he had to return before dawn.

He brought a few protective talismans  with him this time, into which he had infused his own spiritual power. These talismans were not the ordinary paper talismans used by common Daoists, but rather jade talismans that had been refined. They only needed a cultivator to infuse their spiritual power to be activated.

From the outside, they looked like simple jade pendants carved with the Taiji Yin-Yang fish, but the magic and seals were hidden within, invisible to mortal eyes.

Xiao Jinnan looked at the jade pendant in his hand and remained silent for a while.

Jiang Rui, sounding like a charlatan, advised: “I wouldn’t hurt you, would I? Just wear it. If you don’t believe in this thing, just treat it as an ornament.”

Xiao Jinnan didn’t disbelieve him. Jiang Rui’s ability to get from Qingshi to the Jinlin border in just one day already exceeded the normal human scope.

In fact, if Jiang Rui claimed to have supernatural abilities, he would believe him. But something like a protective charm that blocks bullets—wasn’t that a bit exaggerated?

Needless to say, the others entirely regarded Jiang Rui as a charlatan.

Since starting his cultivation, Jiang Rui knew he would probably have to walk the path of a charlatan for life. Not only did Xiao Jinnan face one major calamity after another in his destiny, but there was also a malicious esoteric master hiding near Rong Jingtang.

If he didn’t demonstrate some genuine skill, he really couldn’t protect these two people.

Xiao Jinnan skeptically put the item away. Seeing this, Xiao Wu also carefully put away his jade talisman immediately. Since the boss had accepted it, the others, despite their doubts, did not dare to delay their actions.

Xiao Jinnan had a gunshot wound on his arm. Although the bullet had been removed and the old hunter’s medicinal powder had effectively stopped the bleeding, it still hampered his movements.

Jiang Rui took out a spiritual jade bottle filled with Spirit Spring water from his backpack and poured some onto the wound.

The Spirit Pond water has a gentle nature and is an excellent spiritual medicine for treating external injuries. If a cultivator uses it, they can absorb pure spiritual energy. Although mortal flesh cannot absorb spiritual energy, the effect of healing external wounds is doubled.

Everyone, including Xiao Jinnan, watched the wound, which was a bloody mess due to the lack of proper tools when extracting the bullet.

They wanted to see just how genuine Jiang Rui’s abilities were. After all, they had never even heard of such esoteric things before, let alone believed them.

Under the gaze of the dozen people, not long after the Spirit Pond water was applied, the wound began to heal at a visible speed. Within just a few breaths, the wound had closed, leaving only a scab. After that, Xiao Jinnan reached out and lightly touched the scabs, which quickly fell off, leaving only a faint pink mark.

A complete silence fell over the wooden cabin.

Everyone looked utterly incredulous.

Xiao Wu, being the most straightforward, was the first to speak: “Young Master Jiang, what is that thing? It’s simply miraculous.”

Even Xiao Jinnan couldn’t help but look at Jiang Rui and say, “I didn’t realize you had this trick! I thought all that esoteric stuff was just a scam… Is this some kind of illusion?”

Jiang Rui offered no further explanation, maintaining his slightly smiling expression. He glanced at the time: “It’s getting late. Time to get down to business.”

No one questioned his words this time.

The group dispersed the moment they left the forest, acting according to their pre-arranged plans.

Meanwhile, Jiang Rui performed a spell in the forest, making himself invisible and teleporting away without anyone noticing.

The moment the clock hand in his room pointed to 5, Jiang Rui silently appeared in his own bedroom.

In half an hour, his mother would come to wake him up.

Jiang Rui looked at the bloodstains on his clothes and decisively entered the secret realm to use the pond water to wash them, and he planned to meditate and cultivate in the Spirit Pond as well.

He hadn’t expected the several parties to unite to guard the hidden location tonight. They only had a dozen people, and although their prior movements had successfully distracted the others, they were still heavily outnumbered.

If he hadn’t been there tonight, Xiao Jinnan would never have been able to retreat safely.

This was far more dangerous than the border battle Xiao Jinnan encountered in his previous life. Jiang Rui didn’t know if this was caused by his unauthorized interference in Xiao Jinnan’s fate.

If that was the case…

He would owe Xiao Jinnan yet again.