I Just Won't Play by the Book - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Bro, You Are Following the Template to Becoming a Protagonist
“Thank you, Brother.”

After taking the nail dart that Jiang Beiran handed to her, Liu Zijin still felt some remaining fear. She thought about how if it wasn’t for Brother blocking the dart for her, it would probably have pierced through her chest.

Next to her, Gu Qingyue saw Jiang Beiran, who had suddenly appeared and blocked the sneak attack. Gu Qingyue hurriedly joined his hands together in a salute again and said, “Good skill! I haven’t asked you your name yet, Brother.”

Jiang Beiran returned the salute and responded, “My last name is Wang, and my name is Laowu.”

“So you are Brother Laowu. My name is Gu Qingyue of the Sect of Skies and Clouds. I was attacked by thieves this time and could only escape thanks to…”

“Polite words can be saved for later. Your companion is injured,” Jiang Beiran said as he looked at the girl whose chest was oozing blood.

Just now, Jiang Beiran had watched from the side as the groups fought. He saw that this girl was only wounded because she was helping Gu Qingyue block the sword, and even after being wounded, she still stood steadfastly in front of him. Jiang Beiran did not believe that there wasn’t anything between the two.

The girl saw Jiang Beiran’s gaze and waved her hand. She said, “It’s only a superficial wound. It’s not a problem.”

“Miss, are you also a disciple of the Sect of Skies and Clouds?” Jiang Beiran asked with a smile.

“Yes. I am Tang Tingshuang of the Sect of Skies and Clouds. It’s an honor to meet you, my savior,” she replied.

“No, I’m just lending you all a helping hand. You shouldn’t call me a savior.” After saying this, Jiang Beiran continued as if he had suddenly remembered something, saying, “I have always heard that the Sect of Skies and Clouds’ Lanling Internal Cultivation Method has a first-class effect when curing injuries. I wonder if you can let me witness it, Miss?”

Tang Tingshuang was momentarily stunned, but quickly replied, “I am not proficient in the craft and have not mastered the Lanling Internal Cultivation Method to perfection, so I would rather not embarrass myself.”

“Oh!” Jiang Beiran suddenly slapped his head and laughed, saying, “Look at my poor memory. Lanling Internal Cultivation Method is not a signature of Sect of Skies and Clouds, but of the Sect of Light and Sky.”

Once the words had left his mouth, the atmosphere was suddenly frozen. The sisters, who had been planning to take out healing medicine to bring to the other party, took a step backward and gathered behind Jiang Beiran.

Hearing this, they naturally all understood what was going on. Who would remember their sect’s signature technique wrong?

Tang Tingshuang even felt herself going numb. How would she have known that this harmless-looking hero who had just saved them would set up a trap for her?

Seeing several of their saviors begin to look at them with hostile eyes, Gu Qingyue hurriedly joined his hands in a salute and said, “Misunderstanding. It’s really a misunderstanding. The six of us are indeed not disciples of the Sect of Skies and Clouds. It’s just that when we are outside, sometimes…”

“Hey, no need to explain to me.” Jiang Beiran waved his hand and said, “I can understand it all. I just want to teach my sisters a lesson. Don’t assume that when you save someone outside, they will tell you everything without reservation.”

Jiang Beiran’s words were calm and light, but Gu Qingyue felt a heavy slap to his face.

It was true that hiding one’s real name when traveling outside was something that many cultivators did, but hiding it from the people who had just saved their lives was rather rude.

“I… I…” With a red face, Gu Qingyue stuttered for quite some time, but somehow, he just couldn’t speak out the second half of the sentence.

But Jiang Beiran did not care at all. He joined his hands in a salute toward Gu Qingyue and said, “Brother Gu, you need not do so. We are just casual acquaintances. Seeing that you are not seriously hurt, we will leave first. Goodbye.”

Jiang Beiran gave another salute after he finished speaking and turned to leave with his five sisters.

“Wait, Brother Wang!” Gu Qingyue suddenly shouted at that moment.

“Is there anything else, Brother Gu?” Jiang Beiran asked as he turned back around.

“My real name is Li Fucheng. I am a disciple of the Church of Blood Inferno… No, I’m the son of the leader of the Church of Blood Inferno,” he replied.

“Oh boy!? A person from a demonic cult! Even more, the son of the cult leader!? What are the chances!”

Jiang Beiran was shocked. He had heard his teacher mention the name of the Church of Blood Inferno before. It was a rather famous demonic cult in the Huainan region, and the Ghost Knife of Blood Flame they practiced could be said to alarm the locals at the very mention of it.

But the Land of the Black Dragon was really too big, and there was no magical artifact to allow real-time transmission of information. Because of this, Jiang Beiran had only heard of the Church of Blood Inferno far away in the Huainan region once or twice, and he had not had the opportunity to find out about them in-depth.

Hearing Li Fucheng suddenly shouted out his true identity, several people behind him hurriedly said, “Sir!”

“It’s fine!” Li Fucheng waved his hand at the few people behind him and said, “Brother Wang is right. They have saved our lives, yet we still deceived them. This is not the way of chivalry.”

“But…” Tang Tingshuang still wanted to stop him, but after seeing the determined look in Li Fucheng’s eyes, she did not say anything.

While those on Li Fucheng’s side had erupted, Jiang Beiran’s five sisters were confused.

“Brother, what is the Church of Blood Inferno?” the three sisters of the Yu family, who would ask about whatever they did not understand, asked together.

“I’ve also just overheard the name before. It should be a demonic cult over in Huainan,” Jiang Beiran explained.

“Demonic cult!?” the five sisters exclaimed in unison. This was the first time they had come face to face with people from a demonic cult.

After the shock, the three sisters of the Yu family one by one asked again in a small voice.

“Didn’t they say that people in demonic cults have three eyes?”

“And a mouthful of sharp teeth!”

“And with such a long tongue!”

Looking at Yu Guimiao trying to stretch her arms out, Jiang Beiran could not help but laugh. “That’s just folklore. People in the demonic cults are also human. They don’t have three heads and six arms.”

As the discussions on both sides slowly died down, Li Fucheng stepped forward toward Jiang Beiran once again, joining his hands together in a salute and said, “Brother Wang, I hope you can now understand why I find it difficult to announce my background.”

“Naturally I understand, but I wonder why you have come to the Rivernorth region under an alias, Brother Li? Of course, if it’s not convenient for you to say, just pretend I didn’t ask.”

“Alas…” Li Fucheng sighed after hearing this, then said, “To be honest, Brother Wang, I also face a lot of difficulties.”

It seemed that there were very few people for him to talk to. After his sigh, Li Fucheng became very talkative.

“As the son of the leader of the Church of Blood Inferno, everyone from the top to the bottom of the church has high hopes for me. But when I was 13 and finally about to start learning the Internal Cultivation Methods of the sect, I was found to have a body of weak Yang. Not only was I unable to practice techniques in the supreme book of the church, but also even for ordinary martial arts techniques, I require several times the amount of time others spend on practicing to learn.

“After that, Father became more and more disappointed in me, and my two elder brothers also began to gradually alienate me. Several younger brothers even ridiculed me for being a useless idiot in front of the church congregation. I… Alas…”

At this point, Li Fucheng sighed long and hard, his face full of heartache.

At this time, Tang Tingshuang stepped forward to hold Li Fucheng’s hand and said, “No, sir. You are already the most capable in Tingshuang’s eyes. This journey, we will definitely be able to find suitable cultivation methods for you, sir.”

Jiang Beiran heard this and almost could not help but open his mouth wide.

He had been born into a large family but found himself a natural idiot. He was a disappointment to his father, disliked by his elder brothers, and mocked by his younger brothers. However, he had a woman by his side that was willing to sacrifice herself to block a sword for him and who was providing mutual support.

“It is really the template to become a protagonist!”