"Then why did you let him go? He's just some idle marquis—surely us Embroidered Uniform Guards have nothing to fear from such men?"
Shi Sheng's anger hadn't abated, and he continued to press for answers.
But when Ye Liuyun heard this, his gaze turned curious, and he scrutinized Shi Sheng from head to toe.
He stared at Shi Sheng until the latter began to feel uneasy.
"Wh—why are you looking at me like that?"
"I thought you were the sort who'd get hotheaded and charge in without a second thought. Didn't expect you actually know exactly who you're arresting."
This made Shi Sheng roll his eyes at Ye Liuyun in annoyance. He might look rough, but he wasn't stupid—of course he knew who he was arresting.
"You'd best explain yourself properly, or else I'll make you regret it."
As he spoke, Shi Sheng raised his fist and shook it at Ye Liuyun, trying to look threatening.
Since they were both second-class martial artists, Ye Liuyun naturally wasn't intimidated by Shi Sheng.
Still, Ye Liuyun just chuckled lightly and said,
"What's there to explain? Marquis Wanshun isn't anything special, but think—for so long, has anyone except you ever tried to arrest him?"
"Of course! That's because the Embroidered Uniform Guard is full of vain, status-chasing types like you."
Shi Sheng's face was full of contempt.
Clearly, he was a genuinely pure-hearted person—but people like that, if they're too rigid, end up as the easiest targets.
"Not everyone is as simple-minded as you."
Ye Liuyun shook his head with a smile.
"It's because everyone knows—even if you arrest them it's pointless. Sooner or later, they'll be let go. Whether I'm the one releasing him or someone else does it, it won't make much difference."
"What do you mean by that?"
Shi Sheng furrowed his brow at these words.
But his emotions gradually cooled down.
"Marquis Wanshun may be useless, but a marquis is still a marquis. Everyone understands the saying: when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold. If we can arrest Marquis Wanshun's son today, whose sons might we arrest tomorrow—the other marquises? Even the princes?"
"So to prevent that from happening, and to protect their own interests, if the Embroidered Uniform Guard really punishes Marquis Wanshun's son, the other nobles and princes absolutely won't sit still."
You can arrest people, but beyond that, there's nothing else you're allowed to do.
Those nobles wouldn't be helping Marquis Wanshun out of righteousness, just protecting their own positions, that's all.
"This—"
Shi Sheng might be rash, but he wasn't actually stupid.
With Ye Liuyun putting it so bluntly, Shi Sheng clearly understood—and for a moment, he found it hard to accept.
"Are you telling me, that from now on, whenever this happens, I just do nothing?"
Letting those arrogant brats run wild, bullying men and women, just standing by and watching? Shi Sheng couldn't imagine doing it.
"You still have to interfere, but you can go about it differently. Like today—I never stopped you from arresting him, did I?"
At this, Shi Sheng gradually mellowed out.
As long as he could arrest people, that was enough.
At least it was better than standing helplessly by, unable to do anything.
Thinking this, Shi Sheng lifted his head and looked at Ye Liuyun, studying him with a strange expression. Most of his anger had already subsided.
"What is it?" Ye Liuyun, being stared at like that, felt a little curious.
"You just seem... off. Did you get replaced or something?"
Straightforward as always, Shi Sheng voiced his thoughts without hesitation.
Yet as soon as he finished, he realized how ridiculous it sounded—he must've been too worked up just now, or how else could he have said that?
"I'm off."
With that, Shi Sheng simply turned around to leave.
"Fix the door before tomorrow!"
"Yeah, yeah." Shi Sheng grumbled begrudgingly.
So basically, he'd come all this way, done nothing, and now had to fix someone else's door—what the hell was he even here for?
"A guy who looks reckless but is actually unexpectedly naive, huh."
Ye Liuyun gazed at Shi Sheng's departing back for a moment, then let out an inexplicable laugh.
Maybe Shi Sheng didn't realize that with just one careless comment, he'd actually guessed the truth—but unfortunately, the current Ye Liuyun wasn't the slightest bit anxious or unsettled by that.
Once Shi Sheng was gone, Si Nan darted in.
"Are you all right, sir?"
Seeing Ye Liuyun unscathed, Si Nan let out a sigh of relief.
"Inside the Embroidered Uniform Guard, what could possibly happen?"
Ye Liuyun waved a hand indifferently. Forget being a second-class martial artist now—even if Shi Sheng was wilder, he wouldn't dare lay hands on someone here in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Ah! As expected of you, sir!"
Seeing Ye Liuyun so calm, Si Nan couldn't help but admire him.
After all, Si Nan had actually seen Shi Sheng, in a fit of rage, beat people up right here in the Guard's headquarters, in front of a crowd—several people tried to hold him back and still couldn't manage it.
Of course, Ye Liuyun knew nothing about Si Nan's secret worries.
He just waved his hand and said,
"It's about time. I'll head home first. You can leave when you want."
"Yes, sir!"
Si Nan hurried to pull himself together and respectfully saw Ye Liuyun out.
,,,
"That's the life!"
Night had fallen.
Ye Liuyun lay in his bath, looking utterly content.
Outside the tub, Xing'Er was massaging his arms for him.
So his willpower had finally weakened. He didn't really want this, but seeing how insistent Xing'Er was, Ye Liuyun didn't bother refusing again.
His arms were sore from training anyway, and Xing'Er's pressure was just right—not too hard, not too soft.
"You've got good hands. Did you train for this?"
Watching Xing'Er dutifully working, Ye Liuyun couldn't help but ask.
He'd assumed girls like her would be too fragile, but apparently not.
"I've been with the madam since I was little, sir. I've learned quite a lot. If you need, I can give you massages every day."
"No need."
He waved her off, unconcerned.
"You're already serving me and your madam busy all day, you should rest more if you have the time. Once in a while is enough."
"Besides, if you keep at it, your hands get rough. A young girl's hands should stay soft."
Ye Liuyun had no wish to weaken his own martial willpower.
Yet as he spoke, Xing'Er's hands suddenly stilled.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Snapping back to herself, Xing'Er shook her head at once.
"It's just... you've changed a lot, sir."
"Have I?"
Have I changed? No, rather, it should be called 'replaced.'
Reclining at the edge of the tub, staring toward the beams above, Ye Liuyun sighed and muttered,
"In a world like this, everyone changes."
The higher your standing, the more you see, the more you feel the distance between people in this era.
They say the gap between some people is greater than that between man and dog—and in this era, some people really are treated like dogs, to be beaten or killed at will.
Having truly stepped onto the path of martial arts, Ye Liuyun finally had some confidence.
At least he wasn't living in constant dread like before, so afraid he'd give himself away just by talking.
"That's enough, you can go rest now."
,,,,,,