Zhongli Zixi possessed a tattered little wooden box.
By all rights, Zhongli Zixi should not have owned such a wretched thing; in the entirety of Zhongli Court, one could not find a more dilapidated object.
The box had been cobbled together by Yesha himself using scraps of wood he had scavenged. It was crudely made, a piece of work not even worth a glance. It was originally a sword case, specifically crafted to hold the blade the Second Young Master had bestowed upon him, and it was even lined with a pathetic scrap of the finest brocade Yesha had ever received.
Yesha had arrived empty-handed and departed the same way when he was cast out. All the rewards he had earned remained behind, and even this wooden box was forgotten in this place.
Later, when clearing out the items, the Second Young Master discarded the famous sword that had been so carefully preserved inside, yet he kept this clumsy box.
Now, the box contained the reports from those sent to track and observe Yesha after his expulsion.
*Today, Yesha was purchased by a new master, Jun Xuanheng.*
*Today, the new master, Jun Xuanheng, treated Yesha’s injuries.*
*Today, Jun Xuanheng transferred the entirety of his internal cultivation to Yesha.*
*Today, Yesha is able to wield a sword again.*
*Today, Jun Xuanheng taught Yesha how to write.*
*Today, Jun Xuanheng bought Yesha new clothes.*
*Today, Jun Xuanheng selected a new sword for Yesha.*
.......
Zhongli Zixi gave a cold sneer. "This Jun Xuanheng acts strangely; he must have an ulterior motive. Keep a close eye on them."
Yeyin Wuzun replied, "To track two such useless people, there is truly no need for me to act personally. Why does the Second Young Master not replace me with an ordinary shadow guard?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his head was severed from his body.
Zhongli Zixi asked chillingly, "Is it your place to teach me? ...Ye Jun, go pass word to Ye Xing. It is time to select a new Yeyin. I have very little patience."
A voice from the void answered in the affirmative, and then vanished without a sound.
Yesha had betrayed his lord and attempted regicide; it was impossible for anyone to trust him. It was even more impossible for anyone to love him.
If Jun Xuanheng harbored ill intentions, that would be for the best.
But if Yesha truly had the good fortune to meet someone sincere... he would find a way to dig this past out of the grave, blood and flesh included, and thrust it right before this new master’s eyes.
After hearing many legends of famous blades, I decided to visit the Qiu Villa in Suyang—a sword-forging family known for high quality, large quantities, and reasonable prices.
Ye Tan drove the carriage while I dozed inside the cabin. We swayed along as we traveled southeast. After two days of travel, we arrived at a new location. I climbed out of the carriage to get some fresh air and stuffed a couple of pieces of glutinous rice cake into Ye Tan’s mouth, only to be stopped at the city gate.
The people blocking our way were not government soldiers. Dressed in plain, short-clothed martial attire and armed with sabers and swords, they looked more like people of the *jianghu*.
"Which sect? Where are you from? Where are you going?"
Not understanding the situation, I answered honestly, "We belong to no sect. We come from Jincheng and are heading to Suyang."
A swordsman wearing a bamboo hat said rudely, "What nonsense are you talking? To get from Jincheng to Suyang, how the hell did you end up here in Helan! This is the exact opposite direction."
"We went the wrong way?" I asked in surprise.
The patrons sitting in the nearby post-station tea house overheard this and pricked up their ears, looking over to enjoy the joke.
I said doubtfully, "Eh? How could that be? We asked for directions at every fork in the road, and everyone pointed us this way. It never changed."
The swordsman in the bamboo hat laughed to the people beside him, "They actually managed to go the wrong way. These two are both idiots, hahahaha!"
"Brother He, do not be careless." A young man in elegant, loose-fitting robes sat among the group. Hearing this, he walked over and looked us up and down. "To be mistaken in such a peculiar way... I suspect a ruse."
"Then let's test them to prove they aren't that brat's people." The swordsman pointed his saber hilt at us and shouted, "You two, swear an oath to the heavens: 'Zhongli Zixi is a little bastard, worse than a beast.' If you say it, I'll let you pass."
Zhongli Zixi? The Second Young Master? Could this group be enemies of Zhongli Villa?
I broke into a cold sweat. "That's all it takes to test us?"
"Naturally. We've already caught one." The swordsman pointed to the side. Sure enough, a young man was tied up on the ground, his mouth stuffed with hemp cloth, struggling and muffledly cursing.
...I was speechless.
I naturally had no problem saying it, but Ye Tan had always been a blockhead. The Second Young Master was, after all, his former master. As a pinnacle of blind loyalty and a leader of the blunt and honest, forcing him to be disrespectful to his former master would surely be harder than climbing to the heavens. I feared he wouldn't be able to wrap his head around it, and I would have to expend extra effort to ensure he didn't end up keeping that tied-up idiot company.
"Zhongli Zixi is a little bastard, worse than a beast." Ye Tan finished the sentence smoothly, without catching his breath, blushing, or his heart skipping a beat. He glanced at me, and seeing my jaw drop, he urged, "Master, it's your turn."
I: "..."
...I had overthought it.
"Kid, why aren't you speaking?" The swordsman in the bamboo hat glared at me. "Your expression looks strange. Could you really be one of that little beast's people?"
I immediately followed suit and recited the line word for word.
The young man in the green robe stared at me cautiously. "I saw your expression just now; it was off. You must have some connection to Zhongli Villa. Kneel."
Baffled, I responded with a *thud* as I dropped to my knees.
Ye Tan was shocked. "Master! How can you do this?"
Hmm? Is there something wrong?
The young man then stared at Ye Tan. "You too."
Ye Tan said firmly, "I kneel to no one but my Master."
I whispered a suggestion to him, "Then just kneel a bit behind me. If you're facing me, it counts, doesn't it?"
"Hahahaha! This attendant of yours has quite a bit of backbone; I like him. It's just a pity his master is such a spineless weakling." After laughing heartily, the swordsman in the bamboo hat patted the green-robed man's shoulder. "Brother Qi, we are members of orthodox sects. Why bully two little kids who don't know martial arts?"
The green-robed man remained noncommittal and sat back down. With a wave of his hand, the swordsman told us we could pass.
Having just knelt, I couldn't exactly jump right back up. Ye Tan hurriedly carried me back to the carriage and brushed the dust off my knees. He led the horse through the city gate, still glancing back at the post station outside from time to time.
"Master, you must never do such a thing again," Ye Tan said in a muffled voice. "Ye Tan would rather fight to the death than see Master suffer such humiliation."
I asked, puzzled, "What humiliation? What was wrong with that?"
Ye Tan gave me a complicated look. "...It's nothing."
I added, "I didn't expect you to curse the Second Young Master so fluently. Wasn't he your former master?"
"...Eh? My master is you. What do others have to do with me?" Ye Tan seemed to realize something was amiss only after I reminded him. He mused, "However... the Second Young Master did once show me the kindness of a master to a servant. I will be more mindful in the future."
"No, no, no. It's fine. Keep it up," I praised him.
I suddenly realized that he lived with such clarity, unbound by the past. It was quite a rare and precious quality.
"Oh." Ye Tan didn't understand my internal musings and obeyed obediently.
I asked again, "Why were you looking back so frequently just now?"
Ye Tan said, "I recognized the man who was tied up. I couldn't help but look a few more times."
That idiot who was tied up because he refused to curse the Second Young Master? I asked, "Who is he?"
"His name is Qin Chenyuan," Ye Tan explained. "He is the younger brother of my first master, Qin Kezou."
I was astonished. "A member of the Qin family?"
Ye Tan nodded. "Yes. Before the Seventh Young Master Qin passed away, he entrusted me to look after his kin... but since I am no longer his subordinate, the Qin family should have nothing to do with me anymore."
"No, wait. Is this the same Qin family... the one that fought you for half a month to reclaim Qin Kezou's body for the ancestral tombs, the one that hates you to the bone?" I was beyond surprised.
Ye Tan nodded again. "Yes. Qin Chenyuan and the Seventh Young Master shared a deep bond. He once fought me in a bloody battle to the death."
"That doesn't make sense!" I grabbed his shoulders. "The Qin family wants nothing more than to kill you with their own hands, yet the Second Young Master insisted on shielding and protecting you, leaving them with no way to get their revenge. How could someone from the Qin family be on good terms with the Second Young Master?" And this Qin Chenyuan was such an upright idiot.
Ye Tan was also at a loss. "I cannot figure it out either."
I rubbed my chin. "No, I have to find a chance to ask."
Ye Tan frowned, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
I tried to guide him. "A-Tan. If you don't want to speak of this, I won't ask you. But if I find out on my own, there's nothing you can do about it, right?"
Ye Tan nodded dejectedly. Seeing how pitiful he looked, I couldn't help but rub the top of his head.
Moreover, this wrong turn of ours was far too suspicious.
I feared someone was determined to make me aware of this matter.
