Because my dinner had been snatched away, I grew increasingly hungry as night fell. Unable to sleep, I eventually climbed out of bed to forage for food in the kitchen.
Holding an oil lamp, I rummaged through the cupboards and managed to find a few flatbreads and some cucumbers. I gave them a quick rub against my chest to clean them, but before I could take more than a few bites, someone burst through the door. In the dim lamplight, the figure looked vaguely familiar.
"Yo! Beautiful! It’s you again. What a coincidence."
The moment he spoke, I recognized him. He was the culprit who had stolen my dinner earlier that day, still clad in his tight-fitting black stealth suit. However, this time he had a person tucked under his arm. The captive was bound hand and foot, with a cloth stuffed in his mouth to keep him silent. Upon seeing me, the man began to struggle violently.
Wasn't that Yang Qingzhou?
"Oh, I didn't actually know what the person I was looking for looked like, so I just grabbed someone who did. He wasn't very willing, though, so I had to use a bit of force," the youth in black explained candidly.
I said, "That’s my friend. Could you let him go?"
"You know each other?" He looked surprised, then added, "Then tell him not to start screaming."
I nodded and pulled the gag from Yang Qingzhou’s mouth.
Yang Qingzhou stared at the man in disbelief. "He’s the one you were looking for? Don't you two know each other? Are you messing with me?"
I didn't quite follow, but the youth in black was struck with shock. He fell to his knees at my feet with a heavy *thud*. "Boss! Heavens! Boss, is it really you? I’ve been searching for you so hard!"
I was utterly bewildered.
"Big Brother Ye Tan sent me to find you!" he explained further.
"...Since when does A-Tan have subordinates?"
"He just bought us today. Big Brother went to the Night Walk guild and recruited two shadow guards—I’m one of them—and hired two regular guards as well. By the time we got back to find you, you’d already been abducted. The others are still out searching for you elsewhere," he said earnestly.
I remarked, "So you’re from the Night Walk guild too."
"That’s right, and I don't have a name yet," he said happily. "Boss, please, give me a name!"
"Night Walk, huh..." I looked at the flatbread and cucumber in my hands. An inspiration struck me. "Then you shall be called Ye Xiao."
He paused. "...Isn't that a bit too casual?"
"How about... Midnight Little Fatty Tune?"
"What on earth is that supposed to be?"
"Ye Xiao it is, then. It’s close enough."
He patted the bundle that was Yang Qingzhou and continued, "None of us knew what you looked like, Boss, and Big Brother is currently unconscious. So, I grabbed someone who’d seen you to help me find you..."
I hurriedly interrupted him. "Wait? What did you say? What happened to A-Tan?"
"While we were searching in different directions today, some people came to seize his sword. Big Brother got into a fight with them," he said nonchalantly. Seeing my panicked expression, he tried to reassure me. "Don't worry, Boss! The sword is safe! They didn't get it!"
I snapped in frustration, "Who cares about some piece of junk sword? Why would that idiot protect it so desperately... Lead the way, I need to see him."
Ye Xiao tucked me under one arm and Yang Qingzhou under the other as if we weighed nothing at all, and then he vanished like a wisp of smoke.
He brought me to an inn, using the weeping willows in the courtyard to glide up and into a room on the third floor. Another person was on guard inside, likely one of the new hires. The moment I was set down, my heart hammered against my ribs as I rushed to the bedside to check on Ye Tan.
Ye Tan’s face was deathly pale, his brow furrowed in pain. He was covered in bandages, and the pungent scent of medicinal herbs filled the air. Though his consciousness was hazy, his right hand still gripped the hilt of a sword tightly—it was the black Han sword gifted by the Sword Mound. The small practice sword was nowhere to be seen.
Why would he protect such a thing? Why would he fight until he was covered in wounds for it? I was both angry and anxious. I tried to pry the sword from his hand to throw it aside, but the moment I applied pressure, Ye Tan suddenly jolted awake and sprang up.
"Mas... Master..." Once he saw it was me, his body went limp, and he slid back down.
My heart skipped a beat as I supported him, carefully tucking him back under the covers. "It’s just a broken sword," I scolded. "Was it really worth such concern?"
Ye Tan leaned against me and coughed for a long while. Once he caught his breath, he whispered, "Because it was a gift from you... naturally... I could never allow anyone else to touch it."
My heart suddenly softened.
"...Sigh. A-Tan, why can't you be more flexible? I can always get you a better one next time. In the future, you must never let yourself be harmed for the sake of such worldly possessions. If someone wants it, let them have it." I patted his back as I lectured him.
Ye Tan didn't answer. He struggled to squeeze my hand. "It is enough... that you returned safely."
I thought of the foolish Ye Xiao, who had seen me several times without realizing who I was, and I shot him a glance.
That glance, however, revealed that Ye Xiao’s eyes were bloodshot. He was kneeling by Ye Tan’s bed, looking as though he were on the verge of tears. "Big Brother, are you alright?"
Ye Tan’s voice was as thin as a thread. "I am fine."
"Those bastards, taking advantage of Big Brother while his internal power hasn't recovered," Ye Xiao said, wiping his tears with his sleeve, his voice full of resentment. "Now that Boss is back, I’m going to get revenge for you tomorrow. I’ll break their legs."
Ye Tan frowned. "You must not. You are Master’s guard. Do not act on your own."
Ye Xiao immediately turned to me for instructions. "Boss, please give me permission to avenge Big Brother tomorrow and break those dogs' legs."
Naturally, I said, "They deserve a beating. Count me in."
Ye Xiao wailed with emotion. "Boss, you really are a good person!"
Ye Tan looked physically and mentally exhausted.
I helped him finish a bowl of medicine, fed him a few candied fruits, and carefully tucked him back into bed.
Ye Xiao crouched silently nearby, watching us, his tears falling drop by drop. I was startled and hurriedly tried to wipe them away for him.
Ye Xiao sobbed, "The Night Rakshasa Blood Demon was once such a magnificent figure. To think that after a few years, he would be tormented like this."
I asked curiously, "You knew him before?"
Ye Xiao nodded. "Ten years ago, during the Night Walk rankings, I was in the audience. I watched with my own eyes as Big Brother swept the field and claimed the title of Night Rakshasa. I was thirteen then, only four years younger than him. He was already a Night Rakshasa, while I didn't even have the right to step onto the stage." He carefully pulled a small handkerchief from his robes; inside lay a silver needle. "This was left on the stage by Big Brother during a match. I secretly snatched it and have kept it as a lucky charm ever since, hoping for the day I might see him again... I never imagined that my god of war would not fall to an enemy, but have his martial arts destroyed by his own people..."
At this point, Ye Xiao was too choked with tears to speak. I, too, thought of how the loyal Night Rakshasa had been cruelly sacrificed by two successive masters. Grief welled up in me as well. I gripped Ye Xiao’s hands, and the two of us began to cry together.
"Big Brother is so pitiful! Waaaaah!"
"A-Tan is so pitiful! Uwaaaaah!"
"Avenge Big Brother! Waaaah!"
"Make them all pay! Waaaah!"
"...I’m not dead yet," Ye Tan’s muffled, exasperated voice drifted over.
I hugged him, wiping my nose on his blanket. "Don't worry, A-Tan, you’ll definitely recover. When the time comes, we’ll go and poke two holes right through that Second Young Master."
Ye Xiao sniffled and stood up. "Rest well, Big Brother. I’m going to go inform the others."
He glanced out the window, then added, "Big Brother, let me ask you something. Exactly how many guards did you hire in total?"
Ye Tan replied, "Just the four of you."
Ye Xiao’s expression soured. "In that case... the people outside... aren't our comrades?"
Ye Tan’s voice sank. "We’re being followed?"
Ye Xiao nodded. "When you first went to the Night Walk guild to recruit me, someone was already following you. I thought they were your old guards."
"How many?"
"There were thirteen then. There are seventeen now. Earlier this evening, there were fewer—only nine." Ye Xiao stared out the window, deep in thought. "Of course, those are only the ones I could detect. If there’s a 'Night Hidden' level expert, I certainly wouldn't notice... Fortunately, there can be at most one Night Hidden."
Ye Tan’s expression grew even worse. I quickly covered his eyes. "A-Tan, don't overthink it. Just focus on recovering. We’ll handle this."
Ye Xiao added, "It’s strange, though. They must have been following us for a long time, but whether Big Brother was in a good or bad situation, they never made a move. They probably aren't here to take your lives."
"I have long suspected as much, but unfortunately, my current cultivation is too shallow to verify it," Ye Tan sighed. He added, "I am no longer able to protect myself. I entrust Master to you all."
Just as Ye Xiao was about to respond, I interjected, "If something really happens, your priority must be to protect Ye Tan."
Both Ye Xiao and the other guard were stunned. They asked blankly, "But... isn't he a guard too?"
Ye Tan was speechless. "How can that be? Who ever heard of abandoning the master to protect a guard..."
I glared at him indignantly. "Are you the boss or am I? Do we listen to you or to me?"
The guards looked at each other, not daring to speak.
After sending the two of them away and settling Ye Tan, I leaned against the nearby table to catch some sleep.
Thinking back, it was indeed a bit strange. Ye Tan was a guard just like Ye Xiao, yet I felt he deserved far more priority than the others.
I felt that Ye Tan’s life was more important than my own.
Why was that?
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 夜宵 | Ye Xiao | The name given to the new guard; literally means "midnight snack" or "supper." |
| 夜行 | Night Walk | The name of the guild/organization where shadow guards are hired. |
| 夜刹 | Night Rakshasa | A high-ranking title or grade within the Night Walk guild. |
| 夜隐 | Night Hidden | A top-tier rank of shadow guard, higher than Ye Xiao's level. |
| 夜刹血魔 | Night Rakshasa Blood Demon | Ye Tan's former title/reputation in the martial world. |
| 影卫 | Shadow Guard | A specialized type of bodyguard, often trained in stealth and assassination. |
| 汉剑 | Han Sword | A type of straight, double-edged Chinese sword originating from the Han Dynasty. |
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