My sleeping posture was hardly restful; since Ye Tan was injured and I didn’t want to disturb him, I spent the entire night slumped over the table. The next morning, I dragged Ye Xiao along to offer a proper apology to Yang Qingzhou. Fortunately, Yang Qingzhou possessed a mild temperament and did not take offense.
According to him, many people covet the divine weapons that shine at the annual Sword Appreciation Assembly, and ambushes or robberies are common occurrences. Luckily, most who possess such prized blades are skilled martial artists, so villains rarely succeed. Still, such turmoil is unavoidable, and there would likely be further repercussions.
He also gave me a new piece of information: Ye Tan and I had been followed even before we stepped onto the island.
I didn't quite understand. Ye Tan and I were empty-handed, without power or influence—who would bother with two "salted fish" like us?
Ye Xiao remarked, "What’s so strange about that? Every sect in the martial world has its own sphere of influence and interests. When a group with an unknown background like yours suddenly appears, I’d be suspicious too. I’d want to investigate thoroughly before I could rest easy."
Recalling how I was occasionally misled onto the wrong path or how people would "mistakenly" enter my room to test me, I suddenly had an epiphany. I had always thought of myself as an outsider to this world, but only now did I realize that this martial world was like a torrential vortex, and I was already deep within it.
A person like me, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air like a magic trick, naturally left no trail to investigate. This only made my origins seem more mysterious and sinister; likely, many people were already growing paranoid.
Thinking of Ye Tan and me—two weaklings, like fish on a chopping block, being watched step-by-step by wolves and tigers—it was practically a miracle we had survived until today.
After thanking Yang Qingzhou profusely and seeing him off, I met the four new guards Ye Tan had selected.
Ye Xiao was a total chatterbox, cheerful to an absurd degree, nearly overturning my entire perception of the Night Walkers. In contrast, another shadow guard was taciturn and appeared steady in his conduct, though he was constantly spacing out and seemed distracted. The other two were ordinary mercenaries who made a living taking guarding jobs. To be honest, aside from Ye Xiao’s overwhelming presence, I couldn't really tell the other three apart.
It was time to give out names again. I said offhandedly, "Since you also come from the Night Walkers, you shall be called Ye Lan. As for the other two... let's go with Heng and Shu."
The shadow guard didn't respond, maintaining his indifferent expression.
Standing beside him, Ye Xiao reached up and smacked the back of his head. "He's talking to you. Answer him."
Ye Lan: "Yes."
Looking at Heng and Shu, their expressions weren't exactly joyful.
I asked, "Is something wrong?"
Heng and Shu replied, "We already have names...?"
Oh, is that so?
One said, "My name is Xue Zhegui. I actually studied for a few years; my parents were hoping I'd place first in the imperial examinations."
The other said, "Fu Suiyi. This character for 'Yi' isn't common, let me write it for you... here."
I looked at them seriously and said with difficulty, "...I can't remember either of those names."
The two: "..."
After a long period of contemplation, the two painfully agreed to the change.
Originally, there was only Ye Tan in my world. Now that so many people had suddenly popped up, I was feeling quite desperate myself.
Ye Tan’s complexion still hadn't improved, but fortunately, he remained conscious. I pulled him into my arms to feed him his medicine, then called for tea and snacks for breakfast.
Then came the problem: I was still unskilled with chopsticks and couldn't feed him properly.
I tried for a moment but decided it was better not to torment the patient, so I had to let someone else take over. No sooner had I asked than Ye Xiao bounced to the head of the bed, shouting excitedly, "Me! Me! Me!"
"Don't get on the bed with your shoes on!" I snapped, dragging Ye Xiao down from the bedside.
I moved a low table to the bedside and placed the snacks on it. The usually hyperactive Ye Xiao actually sat upright with rare solemnity, carefully cradling Ye Tan in his arms with a look of reverence and excitement. However, he was a glutton; after a few bites of feeding, he started eating himself. Chewing on a shumai, he critiqued, "Ugh, this tastes bad. Let's not eat this, Boss." He tossed it aside, picked up a pan-fried bun, took a bite, and exclaimed through a mouthful of food, "Oh, this one's good! Try it, Big Brother!" He stuffed the half-eaten bun into Ye Tan’s mouth. Finally, he started poking around the plate of buns, piercing the dough to inspect the fillings while asking, "What filling do you like, Big Brother? How about shrimp? Hey, what is this... shepherd's purse? Celery? Hey, do you eat celery, Big Brother?"
"Anything is fine," Ye Tan leaned weakly against his shoulder, letting him do as he pleased.
Despite his frivolous appearance, Ye Xiao’s caretaking methods were actually very practiced. He didn't spill a drop, leaving me no opportunity to even help wipe Ye Tan's mouth.
I crouched nearby, watching the two of them acting all close, and felt an immense sense of loneliness.
I endured until Ye Tan finished breakfast and was tucked back into his blankets. Then, I urgently grabbed Ye Xiao by the collar and dragged him away.
Confused, Ye Xiao asked why I was pulling him.
I said, "I don't know why, but I suddenly really want to hit you."
Ye Xiao swallowed hard. "Since it's the Boss's order, I have no choice but to obey."
I nodded, pinned Ye Xiao to the table, and gave him a thrashing with a wooden bench.
Because I lacked strength, I couldn't land many blows, but Ye Xiao still wailed at the top of his lungs—he was probably acting.
After beating Ye Xiao, I felt a bit better, though I found my own behavior inexplicable.
Surveying the room, I remembered the missing "shabby little sword" and asked, "Tan, where is that broken sword? Was it stolen?"
Ye Tan shook his head. "Yesterday, the thieves were eyeing the sword from the First Sword Tomb. At the time, I ran out of hidden weapons, so I used it to pelt people. It was left by the lakeshore."
...It can be used like that?
I felt a pang of pity for the unloved little sword.
Leaving Heng, Shu, and Ye Lan to watch over Ye Tan, I took Ye Xiao with me to stroll back to the "crime scene."
The sugar-roasted chestnuts from that shop yesterday were actually quite good.
Ye Xiao and I each took a bag, munching as we wandered and spitting shells all over the ground, earning us a scolding from a passerby.
Ye Xiao felt provoked and jumped up to start a fight, but I slapped him back to his spot. After apologizing properly to the passerby, I crawled on the ground to pick up the chestnut shells one by one. As I was picking them up, I spotted a familiar-looking broken sword lying in the corner across the street, visible through the gaps of a roadside stall.
...Isn't that the shabby little sword?
I stood up and brushed off my robes to cross the street and retrieve it. Before I could get close, someone walking by found it in their way and kicked it far into the distance.
...How miserable, truly.
I slowly picked it up and patted off the dust. The little sword had been sitting here for a day, kicked around who knows how many times. It was covered in scratches, and the crude welding seams were filled with dirt. It looked even shabbier than before.
Ye Xiao stared at me and praised, "Boss, you actually like picking up trash. So frugal—no wonder Big Brother chose you."
Stop speaking such blunt truths; this thing is an SSR.
"It's too dirty, you hold it." I held it with just two fingers, trying not to touch the blade, and handed it to him.
"No way, it's so gross. I only have this one set of clothes," Ye Xiao declined with a look of utter disgust.
"Why, you little rebel! Is this how a guard behaves?" I wanted to hit him again.
As we were "politely" offering this world-shaking divine weapon to each other, a man rushed out from the side, drawing a blade and shouting at me, "I finally found you, you little brat!"
Ah, it was the bearded brute who had run away crying because of me.
The bearded man was clearly nursing his old grudge, roaring, "Hand over the Sacred Binding Great Sword immediately!!"
...Brother, you didn't get a single word right!!!!
I tried to guide him patiently. "It's the Holy Physics Sword of Promised Victory. Come, repeat after me: Holy. Physics. Sword. Of. Promised. Victory."
"I don't care what the hell it's called! Are you out of your mind?! Hand it over!!" he cursed, gesturing wildly.
Is it really that hard to remember? I felt wronged.
Hearing this, I obediently handed him the shabby little sword I was holding. It was covered in so much dirt that I really didn't want to hold it anyway.
"What is this piece of junk?!" The bearded man kicked the little sword away. "You dare trick your grandpa? Hand over the one made of dark gold and inlaid with pine and cypress!!"
I understood now. He meant the one from the First Sword Tomb.
I hurriedly explained, "You've got it all wrong! That one was just a free gift! It was a bonus! The one that actually cut through a hundred weapons at the assembly was this one..." I turned to look for it, but the little sword had been kicked to who-knows-where.
My heart was weary.
The bearded man was furious and swung his blade to strike, but Ye Xiao dealt with him in a few moves. He was agile and handled it with ease, tying up the still-cursing bearded man and kicking him into the lake to drift away.
I marveled, "I couldn't tell you were this good at martial arts." He clearly had a face that suggested a +10 to stupidity.
Ye Xiao said proudly, "Of course. I was originally someone who aimed for the title of Ye Cha."
Recalling the legends of the past Ye Chas, I felt a bit moved. "The title of Ye Cha is unlucky; you don't seem to mind it."
Ye Xiao said firmly, "The title Big Brother held must be the best one. I don't care what others say."
My heart warmed, and I shared half of my beloved chestnuts with him.
Ever since Ye Tan received that title, his fate had become increasingly treacherous, burdened by so much injustice and infamy.
Knowing that I wasn't the only one who cared for him now made me feel incredibly relieved.
We wandered around and bought many pastries and snacks, finally spotting the kicked-around little sword two streets over.
After half a day, the little sword was even dirtier, and I wanted to hold it even less.
Ye Xiao and I crouched beside it in agony for a long time before deciding to flip a coin. The loser would have to carry it back and clean it.
I lost.
It was painful. Dirty and broken. I didn't want to touch it.
Ye Xiao was overjoyed, slapping my shoulder and laughing wildly. "Hahaha! A bet's a bet, Boss!"
I was heartbroken. "Just you wait. Sooner or later, I'm going to fire you, you idiot."
Reluctantly, I lugged the filthy little sword back to the inn. Ye Tan, lying on his sickbed, looked up and saw me, a hint of pleasant surprise in his eyes.
"You... found it," Ye Tan said blankly. "By the looks of it... it must have taken a lot of effort."
I pressed a hand to my forehead. "Don't even mention it."
Ye Tan whispered a thank you.
In the evening, Ye Xiao excitedly wanted to feed Ye Tan dinner again. Without a second thought, I flatly refused.
I called A-Heng to feed him instead.
I watched A-Heng finish feeding Ye Tan, and for some reason, I really wanted to hit someone again. So, I pinned A-Heng to the table and gave him a thrashing too.
Both A-Heng and Ye Xiao looked bewildered, asking why I was hitting people for no reason.
I said, "I don't know either. Maybe my hands are just itchy."
But I also felt that this couldn't go on forever. Perhaps I should find a proper maidservant to look after Ye Tan.
Ye Tan’s spirits were much better today. When night fell, I climbed into his bed to sleep beside him.
"Master... please forgive your subordinate for overstepping. The guards are all new; if you are unhappy with something, please just instruct them. If you punish them without a clear reason... I fear they won't remain loyal for long," Ye Tan said.
I also felt that I had been quite moody lately.
Pressing my shoulder against his, I said something inexplicable: "I'll definitely learn how to use chopsticks soon. I won't give anyone else the chance to feed you ever again."
***
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