CH 13

Ze Que said that he had already handed over everything he brought back, so I didn’t know if my booklet was with the Eldest Young Master or the Second Young Master. It seemed that I wouldn’t be able to get it back soon. I sighed in dejection.

After speaking, Ze Que then began struggling to return to the residence to continue being tortured, and was also very angry that I interrupted his atonement for his sins. I very much could not understand the logic behind the actions of Zhongli Court, so I helped him find someone to send back a letter.

Upon returning to Changluo, I went back to the teahouse to sit for a cup of tea, inquiring about Yaksha along the way. The information I got was not much different from what Ze Que had said; he had indeed violently slaughtered his first master, only missing the part about “running rampant in Zhongli Court.” According to the words of the teahouse guests, ever since Yaksha swore allegiance to the Second Young Master, he had vanished without a trace.

Every day I had to completely refresh my three outlooks.

This God of Creation felt more and more that this world was so complicated.

I was full of doubts as I returned to the Ren family’s medicinal hall.

There I saw Ye Tan holding a needle and thread, working on some embroidery.

My mind was still replaying the bloody scene of a violent devil cruelly slaughtering his master, and seeing this situation made me very startled.

Ye Tan, seeing my return, hurriedly got up and greeted me.

I shivered as I said, “You, you are…”

“Although the owner of the medicinal hall is willing to give us material help, this servant felt guilty eating free meals every day. I asked the owner if there was anything I could do to help… the lady of the house gave this to me.”

There was a pile of stitched up clothes on the table, half of which was yet to be mended.

“You… you even know how to do this.”

“I haven’t done this in a long time, so my hands are indeed not quite used to it.” Ye Tan put down the work in his hands and rummaged through the neatly folded clothes. “Because my former master was rich, there was no opportunity for anything to need mending… Ah, found it.” He pulled out a simple garment made of cotton linen. “Master’s previous clothes were slightly damaged, so this servant mended them. Would you like to take a bath and change your clothes now?”

I looked at the clothes on my body, which were indeed stained with quite a lot of filth, and agreed to change out of them. Upon seeing this, Ye Tan came over to help.

Just after untying my belt, I heard a “plop” as an object fell from my inner garments.

When I saw it clearly, my head was filled with even more doubts and suspicions.

It was a black and gold purse, embroidered with a cloud pattern.

Shockingly, it was the same one that I stole from the rich young master yesterday.

What was his name… Ye Wuyou? Or something like that.

I picked it up and looked at it over and over again for quite a while, but remained perplexed even after much thought. I had definitely personally stuffed it back onto him… and compared to yesterday, this purse had an extra piece of white jade, along with a small piece of cloth tied to it.

This cloth was also quite familiar, which was even more startling: I was missing a strip of cloth at the edge of my clothes, and I didn’t know when it was torn off.

Opening it and taking a cursory look, I then found that there was even more money in it than yesterday.

I immediately felt a chill in my bones and my hair stood on end.

Ye Tan saw that my expression wasn’t quite right, and quietly asked me what was wrong.

“Ah Tan, you don’t have to do this needlework anymore.” I weighed the purse in my hand, “Someone gave me money.”

“…But this servant already agreed with Madam Ren…” Ye Tan hesitated.

“Ah Tan, aren’t you angry?” I suddenly asked. “You used to be able to reach great heights with your martial skills, living a life of luxury, but nowadays you don’t even have the strength to truss a chicken and suffer from hunger and cold. You have to do all these trivial tasks that are shameful to a martial warrior…”

Ye Tan earnestly thought about it for a while, but said, “This servant is a Shadow Guard, so such words may be inappropriate, but… after losing all my cultivation, my luck instead became very good.”

“Ah?”

Ye Tan looked at me with a pair of starry eyes, but did not speak any more.

I thought about it and felt that I shouldn’t keep anything from Ye Tan, then spoke again. “I’ve heard a lot of rumors about ‘Yaksha’ in the past few days, and no matter whether they are true or false… I think that if I was you, I would feel a lot of resentment now.”

“You… heard those words.” Ye Tan’s voice suddenly became very small.

I nodded. “I heard a few different statements, but I’m not sure which is true.”

Ye Tan seemed to struggle painfully for a bit, then said: “I… this servant cannot say. If I say it, I would be unfaithful. But because Master asked, if this servant evades the question and keeps this from you, I would also be unfaithful… I…”

Ye Tan was crumpled into a ball again.

I hurriedly tried to calm him down. “It’s okay, it’s okay, if you can’t say it, then don’t say it.”

“How can that be…” Ye Tan instead tried to disagree.

“Then you can talk about something else that I don’t know about.” I was really exerting my utmost effort.

Ye Tan was quiet for a while, then mindlessly said, “Nightrunner’s teachings were that the winner is king. My teacher said that the strong can protect anyone who they want to protect for a lifetime, so I used all my effort to practice martial arts. When someone came to steal the title of Yaksha, I used all my strength to beat them down. I was the Blood Devil, but still no one cared about me, and I didn’t dare to think about how if I lost this title, it would be even more certain that no one would want me… But later… when I finally ascended the peak that no one in the martial world could reach, I instead felt more and more that… in this life and in this world, no matter how skilled I am in martial arts… I still cannot save anyone.”

He lowered his head and weakly squeezed his hands into fists, saying softly, “I think that now, being a useless person… is truly much easier…”

I didn’t know what I was feeling in my heart.

I just thought that even if someone stabbed me right now, I wouldn’t be able to feel the pain anymore.

“Ah Tan, what do you fear most?”

Ye Tan blankly said, “Everything I fear most… has already happened. No matter what happens next, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I am most afraid of seeing beauties past their prime and heroes at the end of their time; even more afraid of lovers being separated, close friends meeting calamity, kind hearts suffering over and over again, steadfast bones returning to dust.” I knelt by his side and held his hand tightly, speaking each word slowly. “Ah Tan, you didn’t do anything wrong, you shouldn’t be the one to carry such consequences. Don’t worry, I will definitely find a way to cure you.”

Ye Tan was stunned. “Master, you have already heard those rumors; why are you still…”

“The Eldest Young Master of Zhongli Court is licentious to no limit, but you only lightly said that he has a ‘prodigal temperament.’ Ze Que kept on saying that the Second Young Master is kind-hearted and generous, but he was punished to the point of his flesh splitting open for just a small mistake. Comparing both sides, I would be crazy if I believed him.” I humphed and pulled Ye Tan up. “Come, go with me to meet a friend.”

After just a moment, I was able to inquire as to the whereabouts of the Ye residence outside the city. Unexpectedly, it was a rather quiet and elegant little courtyard.

The rich young master wearing gold and jade was gracelessly lying on a swing at the entrance, jumping up happily upon seeing me. “This young master has already waited here for several hours, and this beautiful little brother has finally arrived.”

“After all, someone treated me to tea, so I came to thank them for the sake of courtesy.” I tugged at the dumbfounded Ye Tan, motioning for him to act more relaxed and natural.

“What nonsense is this beauty talking about? You stole it with your own ability, so naturally it is yours. Why would you need to pay it back?” Ye Wuyou rubbed his hands together like a fly, trying to curry favor.

I sighed. “Exactly what is the meaning behind this? Is it a lesson, or just to show off?”

“Is it not obvious? How can we attach our feelings but with beautiful jade tied with ribbon?”* The rich young master was full of smiles as he said, “When this young master likes someone, I want to spend money on them. Is there anything wrong with that?”

*A line from the love poem 定情诗 by Po Qin

I touched my forehead: “So straightforward, you truly deserve the title of Eldest Young Master Zhongli Zixu, who has slept with everyone in the whole city.”

Zixu Wuyou,* I have never seen such a thoughtless fake name.

*the 虚(xu) in Zixu and 无有(wuyou) both mean “nothing”