Chapter Seventy-Nine: Demands

When Ye Xin returned to the residence, he first had something to eat before starting his cultivation. Over the course of one to two months, he intended to accumulate as much vital energy as possible before attempting a breakthrough. At present, his greatest weakness was himself; if he could gain the strength to stand on equal footing with the likes of Tie Xinsheng and Guan Hanyu, his plans would become much easier to execute, and his chances of success would rise considerably.

He began his cultivation at dusk and continued for over three hours without pause. During that time, Xue Baiqi came by twice, but seeing Ye Xin deep in meditation, quietly withdrew both times.

When he felt it was about time to stop, Ye Xin let out a gentle breath. He planned to eat a little, then return to the Longteng Martial Academy and practice all night in the Hanwu Hall.

He stood up and walked to the table, picking up a flint to light a candle. Suddenly, a look of suspicion crossed his face; he slowly set the flint down, sat in his chair, and cocked his ear to listen for sounds outside.

A vague shadow approached the door, and then, without a sound, the door was pushed open. Tonight, the moon was absent, and darkness cloaked the world, yet both figures could make out each other's silhouette.

The figure outside darted into the room in a flash, closing the distance to Ye Xin like lightning, and barked in a low tone, "Don't move! If you so much as twitch, I'll split you in two with my axe!"

His features were indistinct, but the voice was unmistakably familiar. Ye Xin's expression turned odd; he mumbled, "Alright..."

"You're Ye Xin?" the shadow asked.

"That's me," Ye Xin replied.

"Tomorrow, have your aunt cancel the engagement—understand?" The shadow pressed the huge axe to Ye Xin's neck.

"What engagement?" Ye Xin was genuinely puzzled.

"Don't you play dumb with me!" The shadow seemed annoyed, shifting the axe in his hand. "I'm warning you—this time, I'm just giving you a heads-up. Next time, I won't bother with words. One swing of my axe, and everything will be settled!"

"But I really have no idea what engagement you're talking about. Could you explain a bit more?" Ye Xin said.

"It's the engagement with the Wen family, of course! Kid, I'll warn you one last time—don't play the fool with me! If I wanted to act dumb, I'd outdo you at your own game!" the shadow growled.

"Wen family... Wen Rong?" Ye Xin could hardly believe his ears. Was his lucky star in chaos this year? How could engagements come one after another?

"Heh... Can't keep up the act, can you?" The shadow gave a sly laugh. "Did you hear me? Tomorrow, have your aunt break off the engagement! You're a scion of a noble family—how can you be so clueless?"

"An engagement has to be set before it can be broken. No one from the Wen family has come, and I haven't seen a matchmaker. Even if I wanted to cancel it, there's no way to do so," Ye Xin said with a bitter smile. "Also, mind if I light the candle? It’s pitch dark—I’m scared!"

"Trying to get a look at me, are you? So you can take revenge later? Fine, just wait a moment." With that, the shadow seemed to be pulling something over his head. After a moment, he said, "Alright!"

Ye Xin took up the flint and lit the candle; the room gradually brightened.

"Ha ha ha, can you see me now?" the shadow laughed. His head was wrapped in a black cloth, with only a small hole for one eye. "Let me tell you once more—"

Suddenly, the atmosphere turned deathly still. Ye Xin quietly gazed at the eye behind the hole in the black cloth; that eye was watching him as well.

After about two heartbeats, the shadow let out a strange yelp, "What the—" Before he finished, he spun around and lunged for the door.

At that moment, Xue Baiqi appeared in the doorway, eyeing Ye Xin with suspicion. Under normal circumstances, Ye Xin would have already dispatched or captured the intruder—why was it taking so long this time?

The shadow brandished his huge axe and lunged at Xue Baiqi.

"Shanpao," Ye Xin called out.

The shadow froze at the door, hesitating for a long moment. Slowly, he turned around and gruffly asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Of course I mean you," Ye Xin said calmly. "I still remember your voice. Also, your battle axe is quite unique—I recognized it at a glance."

The shadow instinctively tried to hide the axe behind his back. "What are you talking about?"

"Just teasing you, trying to trick you. You fell for it—so why bother hiding it?" Ye Xin gestured to a chair nearby. "Come, have a seat. It's been a while. Sit and have some tea with me." With that, he shot a glance at Xue Baiqi.

The shadow hesitated for a while, then finally tore off the black cloth from his head. It was indeed Shanpao. He strode over, set the huge axe on the ground, and his smile grew broad with genuine pleasure. "Black Robe, it’s been so long. I’ve missed you terribly!"

"That sounds a bit forced," Ye Xin chuckled. "Who sent you to kill me?"

"No, you’ve got it wrong!" Shanpao said hastily. "I came to make you break off the engagement."

"You know what I’m really asking," Ye Xin said. "Who was it?"

"Well... that's not how things are done." Shanpao sighed. "I never thought it would be you. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come for all the money in the world. As for who it was... please don’t ask. Only the shameless betray their clients. Do you take me, Shanpao, for a man without integrity?!"

"Cut the nonsense," Ye Xin said with a frown. "Tell me who it was."

"I've been taking jobs since I was seven, and I’ve never betrayed a client," Shanpao said solemnly. "Black Robe, don’t push me. If you keep pressing, we can’t even be friends anymore."

"I’ve never been patient. Because we’re friends, I’m giving you one extra chance," Ye Xin said, his face darkening. "I’ll ask one last time—who was it?"

"Zong Yunjin," Shanpao replied instantly, without the slightest hesitation, as if the man who had sworn never to betray a client just now was someone else entirely.

"So it was him..." Ye Xin breathed a sigh of relief, his expression easing.

"Who did you think it was?" Shanpao asked.

"I thought it was your young lady. That would have been disappointing," Ye Xin said.

At that moment, Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei hurried over. When they reached the door and saw Shanpao’s face, both frowned—they had seen him before, though time was short. After a slight pause, Xue Baiqi said urgently, "Young Master, Lord Shen Wangji is here to visit. Wen Rong and Shen Miao have come too. They want to see you. Um... they’re already in the courtyard, and will be here any moment."

Ye Xin stood and said to Shanpao, "Hide yourself."

"Where am I supposed to hide?" Shanpao was frantic. He had snuck out behind Wen Rong’s back to do this, and he couldn’t let her discover such a shady business.

"Under the bed, quickly," Ye Xin said.

Shanpao immediately dashed to the bed, lifted the sheet, and crawled underneath. He forgot his huge axe, but Ye Xin nudged it with his toe and sent it sliding across the floor to the bed.

"Move in farther," Ye Xin said, kicking at Shanpao beneath the bed.

"Hey... hey, Black Robe, we may be old friends, but if you keep kicking—hey... you’re still kicking?!" Shanpao protested.

Ye Xin glanced over to ensure Shanpao was well hidden beneath the sheet, then turned to walk toward the door. As he reached the table, Wen Rong and Shen Miao appeared, with Ye Ling following behind.

Now that Ye Xin knew about the engagement, his gaze toward Wen Rong was a little odd. Wen Rong’s look was even stranger. Neither side had invited the other in, nor did either seem eager to step inside; they stood there awkwardly, eyeing one another.

"Brother, Wen Rong, what's wrong with you two?" Ye Ling asked, baffled. Lord Shen Wangji had visited the Ye family today to discuss a marriage arrangement, but Ye Ling hadn’t yet heard about it.

"Miss Wen, please come in," Ye Xin said with a smile.

Wen Rong and Shen Miao entered, both curiously surveying Ye Xin’s bedroom. He had redecorated it; most of the things the old Ye Xin liked had been taken away, and what remained was quite simple. Of course, to Wen Rong and Shen Miao, it all seemed a bit shabby.

"Ye Xin, I have something extremely important to tell you," Wen Rong said bluntly.

This was Wen Rong’s intelligence: she wouldn’t demand Ye Xin send others away, but simply stressed the importance and left it for him to decide. It was a subtlety that shaped two very different impressions—had Wen Rong made the request, Ye Xin would have felt pressured. As this was their first proper meeting, Wen Rong did not want him to feel uncomfortable.

Ye Xin hesitated, then shot a look at Xue Baiqi and Hao Fei at the door. Both turned and left.

"Miss Wen, what is it?" Ye Xin asked.

"These are all my savings for the past three years. This is all I can do to help you." Wen Rong placed a small box on the table. "Tomorrow, I’ll find some formation masters to set up an array for you at the Ye residence. From then on, except for sleeping and eating, you must devote yourself to cultivation—because we don’t have much time left."

Ye Xin’s gaze fell on the small box.

"There are seventy-three energy stones inside. If it’s a third-grade array, one stone is used every three days—enough for more than half a year," Wen Rong explained. "Also, I hadn’t planned to come tonight, but I heard Zong Yunjin has returned. He’s ruthless, overbearing, and impatient for quick gains—he may try to harm you. So from tomorrow, whatever you do, you must not leave my sight!"

Ye Xin was dumbfounded, staring fixedly at Wen Rong.

"Wen Rong, I’m getting more and more confused. Why would Zong Yunjin want to harm my brother?" Ye Ling couldn’t help but blurt out.

"Because your brother is my fiancé, and I am his fiancée," Wen Rong said calmly.

"What?" Ye Ling was stunned, then cried out in excitement, "Oh my! I should call you sister-in-law then?!"

"Keep your voice down," Shen Miao whispered.

"Ye Xin, you may think my demands are excessive, but you must understand—I’m trying to protect you," Wen Rong said gently.