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Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
“The Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword are real treasures. They’re said to have been left behind by a powerful cultivator several hundred years ago. They last appeared thirty years ago when they were obtained by a rogue cultivator. I didn’t expect that they were in the Meng Manor!” With a fervent expression, Yin Zhi Yong fiddled with the sabre and sword. He was also a cultivator, so he loved treasures like these.
The average cultivator would see his power increase by 30% by wielding these exquisite weapons, not to mention that Yang Kai was a very powerful cultivator.
Moreover, given Yin Zhi Yong’s eyesight, he was certain that the Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword before his eyes were genuine, not counterfeits one could easily find on the streets.
He reluctantly put the weapons back into their sheaths and said with envy, “Little Brother Yang, the Patriarch must regard you highly if he gave you such treasures. I suppose only someone like you deserves such an incredible sword and sabre though.”
In the battle to protect the Eldest Young Lady Meng Ru, Yang Kai did not only prove his loyalty but also his incredible strength and skill. In fact, Meng De Ye had sent his trusted aide to examine the battlefield, and the conclusion was that there were fewer than ten people in the world who could fight against 100 bandits on their own and cause such casualties.
Since Yang Kai was both loyal and powerful, it was expected that Meng De Ye regarded him highly. Yang Kai’s power would increase significantly as he now possessed the Stirring Clouds Saber and Covering Rain Sword.
It was not tiring to work in the inner court because Meng Ru stayed in her residence most of the time. She would rarely step out of the building.
It wasn’t certain whether it was because she loved staying indoors or she was still frightened following the previous incident.
Therefore, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong just had to remain hidden when they were on duty and paid close attention to her to prevent any accidents from happening.
With that said, rarely would any accidents happen in the inner court. Other than the two of them, there were a lot of personal bodyguards hiding in different places. Those who were untrustworthy would never be allowed to enter the inner court.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai now faced a conundrum as he was unable to get into any close contact with the Eldest Young Lady. This was giving him a headache.
There was no doubt that he had left a lasting impression on her, and he was now lucky enough to become her personal bodyguard in the inner court; however, if he was unable to strike while the iron was hot, his efforts might all go to waste.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai was just a personal bodyguard in the inner court while Meng Ru was the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor. There was a huge difference between their statuses. If he crossed the line, he would only invite trouble to himself.
Yang Kai reckoned that he had to come up with a plan to get closer to the Eldest Young Lady.
One day, Meng Ru was in a good mood as she led her two maidservants to take a stroll around the garden.
Although it had only been a short time since Qian Qian entered the inner court, she had gained the Eldest Young Lady’s favour for some reason. Only one month had passed, but she was now one of her trusted maidservants.
Despite the fact that she was on an equal footing with Cui’er, she wasn’t as close to the Eldest Young Lady as the latter; after all, Cui’er and the Eldest Young Lady grew up together.
Having said that, many of the maidservants in the inner court were envious of Qian Qian’s luck. No one knew why the Eldest Young Lady was fond of this new maidservant.
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong followed them without revealing themselves. The Eldest Young Lady and the maidservants had no idea where they were.
However, Meng Ru knew that Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong were not far away from her in order to prevent any accidents from happening. That was because she had given it a try before. Regardless of where she was, she just had to call out to Yang Kai, and he would appear from a random corner and stand in front of her, as though he was her shadow.
For a few days, she never got tired of this little game. As soon as she found a reason, she would call out to Yang Kai.
As a result, Cui’er’s displeasure with Yang Kai increasingly intensified whenever she saw him.
On this day, the Eldest Young Lady was in a jovial mood; in fact, she had been cheerful recently as she was no longer traumatised by the kidnapping incident. She would always keep an alluring smile on her face.
Nevertheless, she was just a young woman who rarely stepped out of her residence, so after about two hours, she started panting and declared, “I’m tired.”
Cui’er said, “In that case, we should go back and get some rest. It’s pretty windy here, so you might catch a cold if you stay here any longer.”
The Eldest Young Lady tilted her head and fell into her thoughts. Suddenly thinking of something, she giggled and called out, “Guard Yang!”
The next moment, footsteps could be heard approaching from behind. Yang Kai appeared like a phantom and stopped in his tracks in a spot that was ten paces away from Meng Ru before cupping his fist, “Eldest Young Lady!”
“Oh, you’re here.” Meng Ru turned around and pouted with disappointment, “I thought you would appear from over there. I didn’t expect that you were behind me.”
When Cui’er saw that the Eldest Young Lady was acting so happily, she asked gently, “Eldest Young Lady, why did you call out to Guard Yang again? He has to stay hidden to protect you.”
She then glowered at Yang Kai, “You may go now.”
The Eldest Young Lady, however, interjected, “There’s not really any danger in the inner court. Moreover, Guard Yang is strong. Even if there’s any danger, he can protect me regardless of whether he is hidden or not. Am I right, Guard Yang?”
Yang Kai hung his head low, “It’s my duty to protect you, Eldest Young Lady.”
“Alright, the Eldest Young Lady knows that you’re loyal. You may go,” Cui’er waved her hand.
Instead of leaving though, Yang Kai asked, “Do you have anything to tell me, Eldest Young Lady?”
“Yes.” Meng Ru nodded happily, “I want to learn martial arts. Why don’t you teach me?”
Cui’er was astounded and asked, “You want to learn martial arts, Eldest Young Lady? You’ve never been interested in them since you were a child.”
Meng Ru replied with a smile, “That was in the past. Preferences can change over time.”
Cui’er dissuaded her by saying, “I’m worried that it’s too late for you to start learning martial arts. You won’t become a powerful cultivator. Furthermore…”
Meng Ru cut her off by saying, “It’s not like I want to become a powerful cultivator. I just want to strengthen my body. Isn’t that one of the benefits of learning martial arts? I feel tired after just walking for a short time, which must be because I’m weak. Moreover, I found it difficult to hold a sword previously as I almost couldn’t lift it. If I had learned martial arts, that wouldn’t have happened. Even if I come across any danger again, I’ll have the strength to protect myself.”
Seeing that the Eldest Young Lady was insistent, Cui’er wouldn’t dare to refute her. After giving it a thought, she offered a suggestion, “If you want to learn martial arts, you can ask a martial arts instructor in the manor to teach you. Guard Yang has his own duties, so it might not be convenient for him.”
Meng Ru snorted, “The martial arts instructors in the manor are not as strong as Guard Yang. You have no idea how bold he was. At that time, he easily killed those bandits with the sword and sabre in his hands. The blood formed into a puddle and dyed my shoes red.”
Cui’er had never heard of anything so ruthless before, so she turned pale in an instant and wouldn’t dare to say anything.
Meng Ru then turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Will you teach me, Guard Yang?”
Certainly, Yang Kai was more than willing to do that as he would have a chance to come into close contact with the Eldest Young Lady repeatedly, so after pretending to ponder for a moment, he nodded, “I am your subordinate, so I will definitely obey your orders.”
Meng Ru clapped her hands with joy, “Let’s start now, then.”
“Here?” Yang Kai asked.
“Oh, en, let’s go back first,” Meng Ru came to her senses and shuffled forward.
Yang Kai followed her closely.
Cui’er snapped back to reality and frowned. After telling Qian Qian something, she pulled up her dress and dashed out of the inner court.
The Eldest Young Lady wanted to learn martial arts, and she insisted that Yang Kai had to teach her. This matter had to be reported to the Patriarch. Since Cui’er was powerless to stop her, she reckoned that she would ask the Patriarch to intervene.
Upon leaving the inner court, Cui’er arrived at the Grand Hall where the Patriarch dealt with his daily business. After waiting for a bit, she was allowed to see him.
Cui’er quickly told him what was going on. With his back leaning against his chair, Meng De Ye placed his hands on his belly and gave it a thought, “If Ru’er wants to learn martial arts, just let her be. I suppose she just wants to learn it for fun. She won’t persevere for long. Tell Yang Kai that he must not let Ru’er get injured. If she loses a strand of hair, I’ll not spare him.”
Cui’er had never expected that the Patriarch would agree to it. Although it was obvious to everyone that he had been doting on the Eldest Young Lady over the years, she thought he would stop her this time.
She had the urge to say that after the previous incident, there was something wrong with the way the Eldest Young Lady looked at Yang Kai. She had been by her side for many years, but she had never seen Meng Ru looking at a man with such a gaze before.
That was a gaze with a sense of longing.
However, she wouldn’t dare to say such a thing out loud. First of all, she was worried that she was mistaken. Secondly, it might ruin the Eldest Young Lady’s reputation.
“You may leave now,” Meng De Ye waved his hand.
Left with no choice, Cui’er left the hall.
Upon returning to the inner court, she realised that the Eldest Young Lady had changed into some tight-fitting clothes. There was a wooden sword in her hand as she wielded it following Yang Kai’s instructions.
The move was monotonous, but the Eldest Young Lady seemed joyful and serious as she kept asking Yang Kai whether she was doing it right. Yang Kai was just standing in a spot not far away from her as he gave her instructions from time to time.
Meanwhile, Qian Qian was standing silently to the side. Cui’er walked up to her and complained, “Why didn’t you stop her?”
A flustered Qian Qian lowered her head and remained silent.
Cui’er snapped, “You’re so useless! I’ll chase you out of here sooner or later!”
Qian Qian hung her head even lower.
Just a quarter-hour later, the Eldest Young Lady was drenched in sweat.
A well-prepared Cui’er walked up to her with a wet towel and helped her wipe herself off.
With a hopeful gaze, Meng Ru asked, “How was I doing, Guard Yang?”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “As a beginner, you are doing very well. You have the talent to learn martial arts.”
That was to be expected; after all, she was Qu Hua Shang’s reincarnation. Although she had lost her memory, her instincts were ingrained in the deepest part of her Soul. It wasn’t surprising that she had shown exceptional aptitude in learning martial arts.
Meng Ru was elated, “Really? You’d better not lie to me. If you do, I’ll…” As she spoke, she balled up her fist and shook it as though she was going to punch him.
However, she soon realised that she was acting rather coquettishly, so she quickly retracted her hand and wiped her face to conceal her embarrassment.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai replied, “I would never dare to lie to you. It’s the truth.”
Upon hearing that, Meng Ru put on a bright smile.
Cui’er pressed her lips together, “You’d better be cautious, Eldest Young Lady. Men’s words cannot be trusted.”
“What are you talking about? It’s not like you’ve had a man before,” Meng Ru pinched the other woman’s nose.
A blushing Cui’er stomped her foot on the ground, “How could you even say such a thing? I have to tell the Patriarch about it.”
“No, don’t do that! I’ll keep my mouth shut, Cui’er,” Meng Ru quickly pleaded with her.
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.