The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Hua Chan certainly remembered Master Kang's last words. She also knew that if a person wanted to grow, he had to step out, leave his comfort zone, and see the scenery outside.

Late autumn, evening.

Sunset, afterglow.

A dilapidated, withered old maple tree, slowly drifting, blood-red leaves...

The autumn wind always carries a touch of melancholy…

A carriage slowly drove into the maple forest in the distance, the sound of its wheels crushing withered branches and fallen leaves like the cries of a lover, making the boundless world seem even more desolate and lonely...

But no matter how heartbroken a person is, they can't help but smile when they see this carriage.

The carriage was so narrow that it seemed it could only fit four people.

But there were eight horses tied up, each with its eyes rolled back and spittle at the corners of its mouth, pulling the cart with all its might, barely managing to keep it moving forward.

The enormous black blade pierced through the top of the carriage and stood there straight and steady, as if it were about to pierce the clouds.

So from a distance, the carriage doesn't look like it's carrying a person, but rather a giant statue holding a sword.

But the car was filled with people.

There were three people: two girls and one boy, all of whom were in their prime and had stunningly beautiful appearances.

Their behavior is somewhat strange.

Sitting on the ground was a cute girl with almond-shaped eyes and a small mouth. She was pouting her round lips, looking at the black knife in her hand with a resentful and puzzled expression.

"Calm down, don't move." The person who spoke leaned against the window, their beautiful eyes gazing intently into the distance.

Even though she hadn't peeked inside, she could clearly sense that Jiang Xiaotao's hand holding the knife was unsteady.

"I...I...I clearly didn't move!" Xiao Tao wasn't very good-tempered and wanted to get angry, but she suddenly became quiet at the last moment.

"Hahaha, that means it's not my junior sister's problem." The boy next to me was laughing as warmly as a spring breeze, but his hand had already gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Hua Chan propped her chin on her hand and said expressionlessly, "Now... we need to calm down even more."

"Give me your life!!!" Just as she finished speaking, a roar rang out from outside the car, and a gleaming broadsword slashed in.

With a gentle flick of his sword sheath, Chang'an sent the man outside the carriage flying as if he had struck a raging wave, sword and all.

Almost simultaneously, several more men wielding knives rushed in through the window.

But they didn't even let out a scream before flying back out along the same path.

The remaining bandits were too frightened to go any further, and could only shout and curse outside.

From the highest emperor to the lowest filth, down to the crotch and the excrement bag, it can be as filthy as you want, and as offensive as you want to hear.

The driver was an elderly man nearing seventy, his face etched with the marks of time, but his piercing eyes remained steadfastly fixed on the road ahead.

Killing him would be easier for these bandits than crushing an ant, yet he showed absolutely no fear.

It wasn't because he was hiding some extraordinary martial arts skills; he was someone who even found it difficult to get into bed.

He was just very puzzled, wondering why these bandits were still not giving up.

This was, after all, the fourth time he had encountered this group of bandits today, and he no longer felt the fear and panic he had when they first met.

The bandits were also puzzled. They had clearly kept their voices down as low as possible, but the other party still seemed to have been prepared and made them suffer a lot.

So they were even more puzzled: what exactly was inside the carriage? If it was a statue, how could it hurt people? If it was a person, how was it holding such a large knife?

Unfortunately, every brother who rushed in immediately went black out and was sent out of the car intact...

So the people outside were yelling and cursing like mad, hoping to force the thing inside the car out. If they succeeded, at least they would know what exactly they were dealing with.

Chang'an slowly sheathed his sword, unable to suppress a laugh, "Why didn't I see them acting violently when I came from Luocheng? How come they all suddenly appeared on the way back?"

"It seems that the officers and soldiers are still somewhat useful."

Hua Chan continued to stare blankly into the distance, murmuring, "I hope it's not like this in Luocheng."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, Luo City is a lot of fun," Chang'an said with a smile.

A hint of solemnity suddenly appeared in Hua Chan's eyes, "This trip to Luocheng is no joke..."

Chang'an hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, the reason I'm going to Luocheng is because Senior Sister is going to take the place of Prefect Hua in a sword duel."

Hua Chan slowly turned her head, looked at him, and shook her head again.

"Not because of the agreement?! Then why?"

The next second, with a "bang", the long knife cut in again, but unfortunately it was now in Hua Chan's hand. With just a flick of her wrist, the robber and the knife flew away again.

Hua Chan remained expressionless throughout, yet she was still serenely beautiful, breathtakingly so.

She answered, word by word, "I'm going to Los Angeles to sleep and eat. Playing around would be too tiring and troublesome."

Chang'an was startled, "Then...then what about the competition? Are we canceling it?"

Hua Chan said nonchalantly, "I just said it, it's too tiring and too troublesome. I'll leave it to fate. If we meet, then let's compete."

Chang'an was somewhat amused and exasperated, thinking to herself, "It seems that Senior Sister really doesn't take the opponents in this competition seriously, treating it like a game."

"But thinking about it, it makes sense. There are very few people in the world today who can surpass Senior Sister in swordsmanship. So what's the difference between this sword fight and playing around?"

Chang'an thought for a moment, "However, Senior Sister's trip is also to break through the bottleneck in her swordsmanship, so we can't rely entirely on a competition."

"The reason my senior sister took me along is not just because I had lived in Luocheng and could take her out for food and entertainment. It's because I have the opportunity to help her break through her bottleneck."

"Does Junior Sister have one?"

Thinking of this, he slowly shifted his gaze to Xiao Tao, who was gritting her teeth and filled with anger and frustration.

The outside world was filled with offensive and provocative shouts, which undoubtedly infuriated the quick-tempered and hot-tempered girl.

This hot potato shouldn't have been here, but her desire to kill Chang'an was too strong, and she insisted on coming.

Besides, how could the two of them refuse this lovely junior sister?

Fortunately, with her senior sister always there to keep things in order, Chang'an was able to sit comfortably in the carriage, watching Xiao Tao suffer from various discomforts.

Chang'an stared at Xiao Tao's tattered clothes, and slowly began to feel uncomfortable...

Whenever he stared at the bald head on Xiao Tao's clothes for too long, a pang of pain would rise in his heart.

He had always believed that after losing Lu Xiaosan, he would definitely meet someone more suitable and better than him.

But recently he realized he might have been wrong...

Yes, everyone he met afterward was kind and good to him, but no one could give him those unique and familiar feelings again...

So lately, he often misses Lu Xiaosan's annoying lectures, meaningless inquiries about his well-being, and meticulous care...

These things, which tasted bland and tasteless at the time, now burn like fire whenever he recalls them, searing his increasingly cold heart...

Only now does he understand that some people are irreplaceable; once lost, they truly only exist in memories…

Even if by some miraculous twist of fate brings them together again in the future, the changes in circumstances will make it impossible to recapture that passionate feeling from back then...

It turns out that time isn't a cure for forgetting someone, but rather an anesthetic...

No matter how much time passes, those feelings of resentment and regret can precisely and ruthlessly tear open a person's scars, leaving a lingering pain.

All of this has nothing to do with time...

Now, looking at Xiao Tao and listening to the shouting and cursing outside, he felt extremely annoyed.

“If the wicked are not eliminated, they will harm the good. We have already given them four chances today,” Chang’an said coldly.

Hua Chan propped her chin on her hand and said lazily, "This is definitely not something a good person would do."

"Then... they have no reason to stay in this world anymore." Chang'an's tone was colder and more cruel than before.

Hua Chan slowly shifted her gaze to him, neither confirming nor denying...

Chang'an looked at Xiao Tao with a mischievous smile and said softly, "Go and do whatever you want, just think of it as... for your master..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaotao was overjoyed and immediately leaped off the roof of the car, knife in hand.

Next, blood splattered all over the car body, and the air was filled with incessant screams and... Jiang Xiaotao's morbid laughter.

She had indeed suppressed her murderous intent for far too long…

However, Chang'an's bitterness did not leave with Jiang Xiaotao; instead, waves of regret arose within him.

Clearly, the massacre did not alleviate his suffering…

Now that the black knife was gone, the carriage felt lighter and sped off again, carrying them away from the massacre.

Chang'an lowered his head, not daring to meet Hua Chan's gaze.

"Oh dear, the horse has finally calmed down. I thought... my young friends had no intention of killing."

The coachman's voice was somewhat flustered. After a moment of silence, he continued, "However, without that black knife, the carriage is indeed much faster. If nothing unexpected happens, we should arrive in Yancheng first thing tomorrow morning."

At this moment, Chang'an secretly glanced at Hua Chan and found that she was still propping her face up and looking out the window. The previous blankness and confusion in her eyes were gone, replaced by a look of anticipation and determination...

Looking at her, Chang'an seemed to hear her words: "Since you think he is an evil person, then kill him. Don't regret your decision. Instead of dwelling on the past, look to the future."

Chang'an sighed and murmured, "It's time to start afresh."