Chapter 34: The Blade of Taiya (3)

On the other hand, Tiger Girl’s martial arts specialty lay precisely in her simplicity and directness, without any complex variations. Her entire life of cultivation had been devoted to perfecting this single trait to its utmost. According to Ye Lang, the path of martial arts begins with simplicity, grows into complexity, and then, in the end, returns to the simplest of forms—perhaps nothing more than a straight punch.

At such a level, even if you know exactly what move is coming, and where it will land, you are powerless to avoid it unless you are an unparalleled master of equal standing.

This is not to say that Tiger Girl skipped the process in between. She also progressed from simplicity to complexity, but her complexity was always much simpler than that of others.

When the thunderous storm of energy reached its peak, it suddenly calmed, shifting from violent motion to utter stillness. The force dissipated, and the entire courtyard fell silent.

What was most peculiar was that, throughout this process, Ye Lang’s surroundings remained undisturbed. Even the large stack of books on his table stayed perfectly still, unaffected by Tiger Girl’s unleashed energy.

This wasn’t due to Tiger Girl deliberately protecting Ye Lang—she wasn’t yet capable of such a feat. The only explanation lay with Ye Lang himself; somehow, he had managed to calm the energy, though the method was unclear.

It was a curious thing. Had anyone witnessed it, they would have been filled with doubt, unable to fathom how the idle Thirteenth Young Master, who supposedly knew nothing, could neutralize such force.

Was the Thirteenth Young Master hiding his true abilities? Or did he possess some special alchemical device capable of dissipating such energy?

Tiger Girl, however, didn’t find it strange. Perhaps she simply hadn’t noticed, or perhaps she had grown used to it—Ye Lang had always sat quietly by her side.

Besides, every day she discovered something new about Ye Lang. If she were to be amazed by each one, she would have long since become neurotic!

“Young Master, I have now completely mastered the Yang Family Spear Technique.” There was a hint of pride in Tiger Girl’s voice, as if seeking Ye Lang’s praise—a single word from him could make her happy.

Of course, this was due to the bond between them rather than Tiger Girl’s own nature; with anyone else, she would have been indifferent. And Ye Lang, from time to time, also sought Tiger Girl’s admiration, wishing to be idolized by her.

It was a special yet ordinary affection—the kind that, though rare in modern times, exists between childhood friends who grew up together. A friendship unbound by gender, a companion who grew up by your side, played with you, and, upon growing up, shared in both your joy and sorrow, your successes and failures.

“Well done. All you need now is experience; it’s just a matter of time. I, too, am strong—I’ve memorized all the class notes and now just need to study them further. It’s only a matter of time as well.” Ye Lang replied with a smile, his eyes never leaving the book in his hands.

“Hmph! Brushing me off again. I’m going to bathe—you stay put and don’t wander around.” Tiger Girl snorted softly, seemingly a bit displeased. After her admonition, she headed inside to bathe.

She was still accustomed to treating Ye Lang as someone who needed her care—a bumbling Thirteenth Young Master. But to her, even if Ye Lang were perfectly normal, or even someone capable of taking care of her in turn, she would still see him as someone in need of her care.

“Oh, I know.” Ye Lang replied naturally, and continued reading, savoring the peace of the moment.

After a long while, a young girl burst in from outside and, without preamble, asked, “Brother, why did you hire a mercenary group? They’ve already come looking for you! What exactly are you up to? Don’t tell me you’re wasting money on some new game again?”

The girl was, of course, Ye Lanyu. From her experience, anything Ye Lang did that was even slightly out of the ordinary was usually an act of extravagance—sheer wastefulness.

Ye Lang stared blankly for a moment, then slowly raised his head to look at Ye Lanyu, still in a daze, as if pondering something.

Ye Lanyu, not noticing his odd behavior, continued, “It must be! Otherwise, why would you want the Anna Mercenary Group? They’re one of the top one hundred in the continent, and one of the few all-female groups. Brother, your motives are not pure...”

“I’m pure,” Ye Lang replied vacantly.

Ye Lanyu fell silent.

“Brother, what are you really up to this time? You didn’t just hire them—you called for the entire group, not a single one missing. Since you want them for an escort mission, what exactly are you escorting?” Ye Lanyu was genuinely confused by the situation.

As it turned out, Anna’s Mercenary Group had received Ye Lang’s request two months prior, but only now had they shown up. The delay was not entirely due to their own busyness or Ye Lang’s timing; rather, it was because Ye Lang’s request was highly unusual.

He had demanded the entire group for this mission—every single member. He didn’t care about the timing; he was willing to wait until they were all assembled.

The mercenary group knew only that it was an escort mission; nothing more. Normally, such requests would prompt the group to ask for details and then decide how many members to send, rarely committing the whole group. Even if the client insisted, it didn’t guarantee their agreement. But this time, they accepted—because the fee Ye Lang offered was simply too generous, a price no mercenary group could refuse.

Now, they were certain of one thing: the Thirteenth Young Master of the Ye family was truly the epitome of a prodigal son, throwing money around without a care!

“Are you sure this isn’t just a new way of wasting money?” Ye Lanyu eyed the still-dazed Ye Lang with suspicion.

Although Ye Lang had been much quieter these past three months, almost never spending lavishly or causing trouble, his old reputation lingered, making it hard not to suspect that he was up to something new and extravagant—and that he wasn’t actually trying to escort some treasure.

Moreover, having grown up by Ye Lang’s side, Ye Lanyu knew he had nothing that needed escorting. He had lived in the imperial capital his whole life, with no contact outside—so what could he possibly need sent out?

“No!” Ye Lang seemed to snap out of it, and then, with a faint tone of melancholy, said, “This time, it’s not a game. I have something important to do...”