Ye Jun never agreed with the version of loyalty demanded by those in power—one that required absolute silence and obedience.
He was fundamentally different from the likes of Ye Sha, whose blind loyalty consisted only of following orders. Orders could be flawed, and objectives could be contradictory. He always had to think one step ahead of the one giving the command, yet he could never let that person find out.
Take his current master’s situation, for example. No amount of mountain-moving oaths or promises would be enough to win his trust; it was better to give him a tangible, authoritative contract. Furthermore, since his master was currently nearly crippled, what he needed wasn't a subordinate who handled everything with perfect, respectful efficiency—which would only highlight the gap between their success and failure—but rather someone who also suffered a few setbacks to balance things out. Ideally, someone even more pathetic than himself.
Without much hesitation, Ye Jun prepared to head back to Night Walk to reclaim his title.
Of course, there was also the secondary, more wicked intention of reminding his master: *“Only when I’m gone will you realize how miserable life is, so you’d better treat me a little better.”* This only contained an extremely specific, very small amount of selfishness—Ye Jun swore this to the heavens with his hand on his heart.
The martial artists who participated in the title evaluations at Night Walk were almost all new graduates. After all, shadow guards were hidden trump cards that were best kept secret; no one wanted them exposed to the public. Ye Jun familiarized himself with the registration process and completed the formalities, but he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance beneath the arena.
Jun Xuanheng, who was still wrapped up tightly despite the warming spring temperatures, had just been carried off a carriage by Ye Tan and was following a Night Walk manager up to the pavilion. Ye Tan saw him from a distance but gave no sign of recognition; however, Jun Xuanheng spotted him by chance and waved frantically.
At the invitation, Ye Jun followed the flow and went up to sit at the same table. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Surely Ye Sha isn't here to fight for a title?"
"Of course not. That title is nothing but a magnet for trouble; A-Tan was glad to be rid of it," Jun Xuanheng said, waving a hand. He pointed to the "monkey" jumping up and down with excitement behind him. "It’s Ye Xiao. He said that when he was a kid, he saw the match where A-Tan won his title and has yearned for the name 'Ye Sha' ever since. He insisted on coming to try for it, so we brought him along for fun."
Ye Tan settled his master into a comfortable position, untied his cloak, and naturally took a seat by his side. Jun Xuanheng immediately leaned against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Ye Xiao unrolled a large bundle on the table, revealing fruit plates and snacks that instantly filled the surface, his excitement impossible to hide.
Night Walk was a gloomy place that most people avoided if they could. Ordinary guests would, at most, have a cup of plain tea. People like them, who brought enough snacks and pastries to make it look like a spring outing, were truly a rare sight.
Ye Jun watched silently, deeply feeling that this entire family had a very... unique vibe.
Ye Jun had not expected that he would actually face Ye Xiao on the stage.
He knew Ye Xiao’s skills; in Night Walk, they were above average but certainly not top-tier. When they met in the side room earlier, he noticed the boy had improved a bit, but it wasn't a drastic change.
Yet, the moment Ye Xiao stepped onto the arena, Ye Jun suddenly discovered that the boy’s cultivation, speed, and power had all multiplied several times over. He was almost a perfect match for Ye Jun, perhaps even slightly superior.
Ye Jun traded hundreds of blows with him, feeling bewildered. Meanwhile, he carefully maneuvered his chest toward the tip of Ye Xiao’s blade, avoiding vital spots. He let the blade sink in a few inches before quickly dodging away.
The next moment, Ye Xiao saw Ye Jun fly backward, rolling across the ground as if he had been blasted away.
Ye Xiao thought blankly: *I haven't even used my full strength yet, why did you fall?*
Ye Xiao jumped off the stage, waving his arms and spinning in circles with excitement. "Wow! I'm so strong! Boss, did you see that? The moment I got on stage, I felt myself become incredibly powerful! I feel like I could take on ten Ye Lans!"
Jun Xuanheng replied perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, right, right. You're strong, you're very strong."
Since Ye Xiao might face danger on the stage, and fearing that Ye Lan might interfere and cause trouble, Ye Xiao had drawn a circle on the ground before leaving and stuffed Ye Lan inside it. He made Ye Lan promise not to leave the circle. When he returned, he saw Ye Lan squatting on the ground, staring at him longingly, looking extremely anxious to step out.
Ye Xiao then lowered his head and sighed dejectedly. "But now that I'm off the stage, I feel like I'm weak again. How mysterious."
Jun Xuanheng said, "Hurry up and erase that circle for Ye Lan. He looks pitiful. Ye Lan listens to you so well, why do you always bully him?"
Ye Xiao gave a miserable smile. "Boss, you have no idea what he's like at night... Sigh, I'm the one being wronged."
At the same time, sitting in the opposite booth, Jun Wuwang coldly closed the interface of his modifier and expressed his disdain for the osmanthus cake Ye Fengjun offered him.
Jun Xuanheng was concerned about Ye Jun being injured by Ye Xiao and sent Ye Tan to take him for treatment. Since the title determination hadn't come down yet, Ye Jun obediently followed. Ye Tan had a stock of various precious medicines, but Ye Jun rejected them all.
He was preparing to perform a "ruse of self-injury" to move the Second Young Master. If he went back with such excellent golden pills and miraculous medicines, he would have no way to explain himself.
Ye Jun returned to the booth and couldn't help but scrutinize Ye Xiao again. He still felt the boy's cultivation was mediocre, showing none of the extraordinary strength he had displayed on stage. He was secretly alarmed: *To think there is someone even I cannot see through!*
For a moment, he felt a surge of profound respect for Ye Xiao.
Before long, the results were announced. Ye Xiao had actually been awarded the title of "Ye Sha," and Ye Jun was once again crowned "Ye Jun."
As soon as he got the results, he was in a hurry to leave. After all, leaving the Second Young Master alone in the deep mountains was a cause for concern even for him. Before he left, Jun Xuanheng asked for his current address and stuffed several bags of pine nut kernels and sunflower seeds into his hands. "A-Tan recently discovered a shop; these are especially delicious. Try some."
Ye Jun accepted them all, thinking that these things were indeed perfect for snacking on while watching a drama.
Ye Jun returned to Three Lifetimes Creek early. After confirming that the Second Young Master hadn't met with any accidents and was still surviving, he began a life of hiding in the trees, fishing in troubled waters and secretly observing.
The Second Young Master had not moved into the spacious and comfortable large log house. Instead, he had returned to the first small thatched hut where Ye Jun had lived. Ye Jun couldn't say he wasn't surprised.
In Ye Jun’s script, the Second Young Master should have been gnashing his teeth in hatred toward him for breaking his word and slipping away. It wouldn't have been surprising if he had burned that broken house down. But not only did the Second Young Master not vent his anger, he had actually moved in secretly.
Ye Jun watched the Second Young Master limping around the yard planting green onions. Cracking sunflower seeds, he thought: *The Master is even cuter than I expected.*
Ye Jun crouched stealthily on a tree branch for half a month. Calculating that the time was about right, he pulled out his small dagger and precisely calculated the positions to stab himself multiple times in the chest. He didn't hold back at all; the play had to be convincing. If he didn't invest some blood, how could it work?
After finishing the stabbing, he crouched for a few more days, spending most of that time soaked in cold rain. He was the very definition of "miserable."
By the time the Second Young Master slipped from the roof and was saved by him, what Zixi saw was, naturally, a severely weakened Ye Jun suffering from blood loss.
The wounds were faked, but the sentiment was real. Every word Ye Jun said to the Second Young Master came from the bottom of his heart, without a hint of deception. He barely managed to finish his explanation before finally losing consciousness.
When Ye Jun woke up again, he was still in the same place where he had fainted. A fine drizzle fell over the mountains. The Second Young Master sat on the steps holding a paper umbrella, while Ye Jun’s head rested on his lap. The umbrella could only cover half of their bodies; Ye Jun's lower half was soaked in mud and rainwater, chilled to the bone.
Zhongli Zixi had tried to help Ye Jun into the house, but with the weight of a grown man, he couldn't move him an inch. He could only watch helplessly as the heavily injured Ye Jun lay in the rain. The only thing he could do was shield him from a small portion of the wind and rain—a truly meager effort.
Seeing him wake up, Zhongli Zixi asked urgently, "Ye Jun, can you move? I can't carry you... See if you have any strength."
Ye Jun tried, but his limbs felt as heavy as lead. He couldn't move his body at all, so he could only shake his head. "Not for now. The rain is so heavy, Master, you should go inside first."
Zhongli Zixi’s brow furrowed. If either of them developed a fever now, it would be a death sentence. They couldn't afford to spend another moment in the cold rain.
He leaned forward, kneeling over Ye Jun, and said, "Hold me tight."
Hearing this, Ye Jun reached up and wrapped his arms around Zixi's shoulders.
Zixi's feet were useless, but fortunately, his knees still worked. He could no longer walk, but at least he could crawl. Zhongli Zixi knelt on the ground, dragging Ye Jun upward as he crawled on his knees. Every step was an immense struggle; he often had to try several times just to climb one level. Yet, despite the difficulty and slowness, he showed no sign of retreating.
When they finally reached the shelter of the eaves, Ye Jun hurriedly said, "The rain can hardly reach us here. Master, this is enough... You don't need to go any further."
Zhongli Zixi grit his teeth, unable to spare the energy to argue. It took him half an hour to drag Ye Jun, step by step, from the rain into the room.
He was utterly exhausted. He lay on the floor panting for a while, then immediately forced himself to crawl back up. "Your clothes are wet. I'll help you change."
Ye Jun hurriedly said it wasn't necessary, but Zhongli Zixi ignored him. Kneeling by his side, he stripped off the soaked clothes, revealing the crisscrossing wounds beneath. The injuries had barely been treated; there was no trace of medicine, only a few crude bandages, with most of the wounds left exposed. Zhongli Zixi frowned. "Why didn't you apply medicine and rest properly? Was there such a rush?"
Ye Jun said guiltily, "...I wanted to come back to see you a moment sooner."
Zhongli Zixi’s chest felt tight with a sour ache. He felt deeply that he was a piece of trash for ever having doubted Ye Jun. He said in a low voice, "I'll go to the town tomorrow and find a way to get some herbs. Don't worry."
Ye Jun was moved. "Master... it's not necessary. Just let me lie here for a few days and I'll be fine."
*Why go this far? I only needed you to feel a little bit of guilt so that you would look at me differently in the future. That would have been enough. Why do this for me?*
Zhongli Zixi shook his head. He truly didn't have the strength to hoist Ye Jun onto the bed, so he pulled the bedding down and spread it on the floor. He wrapped the quilts around Ye Jun’s cold body, then used the wall to pull himself up. "You rest first. I'll go boil some hot water."
Ye Jun felt that this development was both unexpected and yet perfectly in character.
In truth, his master had always been like this. Ye Jun knew better than anyone how many things Zixi had done in secret for the Eldest Young Master back then. For the people he loved, he always gave everything, throwing himself into danger without ever saying a word about it.
But compared to a fellow like himself, who insisted that for every one part of kindness he gave, the other person must feel ten parts of it, his master was simply far too honest.
Ye Jun touched the scars on his chest and thought: *In his heart, it seems... I have finally reached that position as well.*
***
