Fatal to Pretend With a Cheat | Chapter 37 | A Collection of Misfits | Novela.app

Having lost the bet yesterday, I was forced to face the grueling task of cleaning the Little Scrub Sword with great reluctance. Among the four guards, Ye Xiao was the most obsessed with food, so I sent him out to procure snacks. Since A-Heng and A-Shu lived further away, only Ye Lan remained hidden nearby. I called out to him a few times, hoping he would help me fetch some water. However, despite calling several times, there was no response. Was he not there? Had he slipped away? Or was he simply not awake yet? Left with no choice, I went out to find a waiter. After waiting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a bronze basin filled with warm water was delivered. The temperature was just right. I dampened a rag and began cleaning. I was halfway through when Ye Lan suddenly appeared, clinging to the window frame. "Did someone call me just now?" he asked. ...How long ago was that?! I replied, "Yes, I wanted to ask you to help fetch a basin of water earlier. I thought you weren't around." Ye Lan seemed lost in thought, his eyes unfocused, and he didn't offer a reply. Seeing he had no desire for conversation, I ignored him. The mud on the Little Scrub Sword had softened from the soaking, and I began wiping it away bit by bit with the rag. By the time I finished cleaning half of the hilt, Ye Lan suddenly said, "Oh." Then, in a flash, he vanished. I found this man rather strange. Once the hilt was clean, A-Shu arrived with the freshly brewed medicine. I instructed him to change the basin of water while I took the medicine to feed Ye Tan. The decoction was indeed a bit hot; I had to blow on every spoonful for a long time. Ye Tan leaned obediently in my arms, the lines of his brow and the bridge of his nose looking sharp and handsome. Even if I couldn't feed him a meal, I could at least manage the medicine. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Halfway through the feeding, Ye Lan suddenly kicked the door open. He entered carrying a basin of water in one hand and said dryly, "The water you requested." ...?? This man's reflex arc... seemed exceptionally long. "Uh... you, just put it down. I just asked A-Shu to fetch another basin, so I probably won't need that one..." I said. Ye Lan stood there with his head bowed, holding the basin without moving, as if he had spaced out again. I finished feeding the entire bowl of medicine and helped Ye Tan lie back down. Ye Lan was still maintaining the same posture. Only when he heard the sound of me setting the bowl down beside him did he snap back to his senses. "What did you just say? And who is A-Shu?" ... Utterly horrified, I leaned in and whispered into Ye Tan's ear, "Is there something wrong with his head?" Ye Tan pursed his lips. "...I heard that something went wrong during his Night Walk training. Since then, it has been difficult for him to remember things, and his reactions are slower than a normal person's." I was amazed. "...He can still be a shadow guard with such slow reactions?" Ye Tan said, "Don't let his dull appearance fool you; his skills are actually quite remarkable. Even Ye Xiao is no match for him." ... I thought about it for a moment. There was me—frail, clumsy, and likely to die at any moment. There was Ye Tan—his martial arts completely lost and perpetually injured. There was Ye Lan—with his massive reflex arc and post-traumatic stress. And then there was Ye Xiao—whose intellect was comparable to a simpleton's. I felt like the four of us... Were essentially an Association for the Disabled. Feeling a surge of compassion for Ye Lan as a person with a disability, I couldn't bring myself to order him around anymore. I took the basin from his hands and said soothingly, "There's nothing else for now. Go to the room next door and get a good night's sleep. You don't need to stand guard constantly." Ye Lan nodded blankly, yet he still stepped onto the window frame and leaped back into the shadows of the tree branches, continuing his duty as a guard. Ye Tan sighed. "Now, he only remembers the survival and obedience skills from the Night Walk." I asked curiously, "What did you mean when you said something went wrong during training?" Ye Tan said calmly, "The methods of Night Walk training are unimaginably brutal. Eight or nine out of ten are tortured to the point of madness. That he could come out alive is already considered extremely lucky." He spoke with such nonchalance, but just hearing it made my heart race with lingering fear. Knowing he had also endured such torments, I felt another pang of heartache for him. I helped him smooth his stray black tresses and asked, "Ah-Tan, why did you pick him?" "...It wasn't exactly my choice." Ye Tan slowly took my hand in his. "Ye Xiao insisted that I bring him along... Thinking about it, since Ye Lan can't remember things, leaving him alone in the Night Walk would indeed be dangerous." The thought of Ye Xiao made me chuckle. "I imagine when Ye Xiao saw his idol, he must have lunged forward, hugged your legs, and begged you to buy him." "...Quite the opposite," Ye Tan said. "The day I went to the shop, the Night Walk brought out several guards for selection. One of them spent the whole time clinging to the beams and doorposts, refusing to let go. He was wailing, 'I want to stay and earn a title, I'm not selling my body!' He forced the manager to get physical, and the whole shop was turned upside down... That person was Ye Xiao." "Hahaha, Ye Xiao really is a troublemaker." "I saw that his skills were good, so I was interested and tried to talk to him," Ye Tan continued. I laughed. "The moment he saw it was you, I bet he forgot all about those titles." Ye Tan smiled bashfully, showing a rare moment of shyness. "...How could I be worth that? He overpraises me." "My Ah-Tan is naturally the best. It just shows Ye Xiao has good taste." I felt happy, so I pulled him close and patted his back. "For the Night Walk to produce a personality like Ye Xiao's, he truly is a rare specimen." Ye Tan smiled faintly, as if recalling something from the past. "Perhaps every class... produces someone who knows how to joke." I asked curiously, "Does that mean your class had one too?" Ye Tan nodded. "Yes, my class also had someone who was very good at joking and very clever." "Was he your friend?" I rarely heard him speak of his past in the Night Walk, and I was quite intrigued. Ye Tan pondered for a moment. "I considered him a friend, though I don't know if he felt the same. He was very popular; he likely forgot about me long ago." I could hear a hint of loneliness in his voice and quickly said, "Do you want to see him? Do you know where he is now? I'll buy him to keep you company." "He already has a master..." The smile on Ye Tan's face faded significantly. "During the ranking that year, he took the title of 'Ye Jun.' He was taken away by the Second Young Master Zhongli that very day." ...What a small world. Why did it have to be that person? Ever since I learned that the Night Rakshasa's internal power was personally destroyed by the Second Young Master, I had lost all goodwill toward Zhongli Zixi. Any future meeting would surely be as enemies, not friends. I wished I could make him experience every bit of the suffering the Night Rakshasa had endured that day. As I was lost in thought, Ye Tan stroked the dark-gold Han sword from the First Sword Tomb and sighed softly. He suddenly asked, "Master, I do not like swords, yet my swordsmanship is my best skill. Do you know why?" I shook my head blankly. Ye Tan said, "Because the evaluation for 'Ye Jun' depends on one's sword technique." I was stunned. "The Night Rakshasa exists only to kill; they mostly study hidden weapons, poisons, and heterodox paths—the more sinister, the better. The Night Hidden focuses on concealment and tracking; their main studies are lightfoot techniques, tracking, and disguise. The Ye Jun is born to protect their master; they value loyalty above all else, requiring their techniques to be open and upright, like a true gentleman. They must use a sword." Ye Tan closed his eyes slightly, his voice growing softer. "I... I didn't like killing, nor did I like hiding or tracking. I only hoped that in this life, I could find a wise master and thereafter protect them with all my heart, without distraction. So, from the very beginning, I practiced martial arts for the title of Ye Jun. On the eve of the ranking competition, he specifically came to find me. He said, 'If you want the Ye Jun title, you must lose to me tomorrow'..." I knew the Night Rakshasa had never lost a match, and my heart stirred. "...Naturally, you didn't lose to him." Ye Tan nodded. His goal had been so clear, yet through a twist of fate, it had ultimately slipped through his fingers. Their starting points had been so close, but once the titles were decided, their destinies became as different as clouds and mud. The Ye Jun were famous for their loyalty; every generation worked themselves to the bone without exception. No matter how suspicious and paranoid the Second Young Master was, he looked upon him with favor because of the Ye Jun title, keeping him by his side for ten years and trusting him deeply to this day. The Night Rakshasa, however, bore the ancestral curse of madness and master-slaying, facing rejection everywhere. I couldn't help but feel a bit angry. "If you had known it would come to this, why didn't you just lose to him? If you had taken the Ye Jun title, you wouldn't have suffered so much injustice later..." "At the time, I said: If the title I obtain is Night Rakshasa, it must be because Night Rakshasa suits me better. I... to be honest, after everything changed, I have regretted it when looking back." Ye Tan tightened his grip on my hand and looked at me earnestly. "...Until I met you." I felt even worse. "If you hadn't experienced these misfortunes, you wouldn't have been reduced to a broken man. If you were with another powerful master, your situation would be a thousand times better than it is now... Whether you met me or not, what does it matter?" "You are wrong... Everything in the past was not a misfortune, but the greatest of fortunes." Ye Tan gently kissed the back of my hand and shook his head. "My wish has been fulfilled. And... there could never be a better situation than the one I have now." *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 夜阑 | Ye Lan | One of the four new guards; described as having a long reflex arc. 阿竖 | A-Shu | One of the four new guards. 夜君 | Ye Jun (Night Sovereign) | A title in the Night Walk organization; protectors who use swords and value loyalty. 夜隐 | Ye Yin (Night Hidden) | A title in the Night Walk organization; specialists in stealth, tracking, and disguise. 钟离子息 | Zhongli Zixi | The full name of the Second Young Master Zhongli. 残联协会 | Association for the Disabled | A humorous reference the narrator uses for his group.