The masked men who had stirred up Yue Man Lou didn’t seem to have any particularly determined plans. After searching unsuccessfully, they didn’t linger and chose to leave. Once Bai Jinshu confirmed this, he remembered that his junior sister Lin Ling was still waiting for him. With Ye Lihen, who indeed needed a quiet and comfortable place to recover, he returned to the Lin residence.
By the time they arrived, dusk had fallen. Lin Ling was anxiously waiting at the gate.
“Senior, you’re finally back! I was worried you might have run into danger again.” She rushed over to Bai Jinshu, then noticed Ye Lihen, who was sharing the horse with him. “Isn’t that Young Hero Ye? What happened to him?”
Since falling asleep at Yue Man Lou, Ye Lihen hadn’t woken up. Bai Jinshu had been a little concerned, but after checking Ye Lihen’s internal energy, he felt reassured. Ye Lihen’s martial arts were quite unusual; even in sleep, his energy continued to circulate. With the internal injuries he had sustained, Ye Lihen seemed to be healing himself through sleep, which was likely why he hadn’t woken up yet.
Carrying the unconscious Ye Lihen off the horse, Bai Jinshu explained to his junior sister, “He was attacked and injured.” He had the Lin family’s servants take care of the horses, and he walked into the Lin residence with Lin Ling. “Ling’er, could you arrange a room for Young Hero Ye and call for a doctor?”
“I’ll take care of it right away.” Lin Ling, always quick and efficient, turned to leave. But after a few steps, she suddenly came back. “Oh, I almost forgot. Senior, guess who came by today?” She looked quite excited, clearly indicating it was an important guest.
Bai Jinshu thought to himself that the situation had its priorities, and right now, they needed a doctor more urgently. However, not wanting to dampen his sister’s enthusiasm, he played along. “Who was it?”
Lin Ling revealed the answer. “It was our Third Martial Uncle (Third Martial Uncle)! I mentioned that you were here too, and Martial Uncle wants to see you.”
Bai Jinshu’s Third Martial Uncle was named Jiang Cheng. Although he was the third junior brother of the current leader of the Renwang Sect, due to his martial prowess and character, he had been chosen as the leader of the martial world ten years ago. Since then, he had commanded great respect. Bai Jinshu held deep respect for his Martial Uncle, and meeting him now would indeed be a joyous occasion. However, at this moment, he was more concerned about getting a doctor to treat Ye Lihen’s sword wound. “Ling’er, it’s too late now, and I don’t want to disturb Martial Uncle’s rest. I’ll visit him tomorrow. For now, could you please get that doctor?”
“Oh, right! I’ll take care of it now.” With that, Lin Ling hurried off again.
Watching her retreating figure, Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but chuckle. She had already “almost forgotten” twice in such a short time—he wasn’t too confident in her efficiency. After a moment of thought, he decided to take Ye Lihen to the guest room where he had stayed the previous night.
Fortunately, the doctor that Lin Ling arranged for didn’t take too long to arrive, and Ye Lihen’s external injuries weren’t too serious. After treating the wound and leaving some medicine, the doctor departed. As for the room arrangements, Lin Ling didn’t “almost forget” this time—she simply “completely forgot” Bai Jinshu, who wasn’t surprised, didn’t mind. Having grown accustomed to the hardships of the martial world, he pushed two chairs together and made do for the night.
In the middle of the night, a faint sound woke Bai Jinshu. He immediately opened his eyes to see Ye Lihen sitting up in bed.
This person, who hadn’t woken up no matter how much he was moved around earlier, had chosen to get up in the dead of night while Bai Jinshu was conveniently in the middle of a dream.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Jinshu asked patiently, seeing Ye Lihen stand up. He quickly walked over to support him.
Ye Lihen vaguely replied, “It’s nothing. I’m just going out for a bit.”
“Where are you going in the middle of the night?”
Bai Jinshu hadn’t thought much of it. Ye Lihen was always secretive and never liked to say things clearly, so Bai Jinshu had grown used to teasing him with repeated questions. He didn’t expect this particular question to stump Ye Lihen, who paused for a long moment before finally glaring at him. “The latrine.”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but laugh. “If you’re going to the latrine, just say so! What’s there to be embarrassed about? Even the greatest martial arts master still has to deal with eating, drinking, and nature’s calls.” With that, he helped Ye Lihen out the door.
Despite being weak and exhausted, Ye Lihen didn’t appreciate the assistance. He turned to Bai Jinshu and asked, “Why are you following me?”
Unfazed by Ye Lihen’s attitude, Bai Jinshu smiled good-naturedly. “I’m showing you the way. Otherwise, how would you know where the latrine is? Don’t worry, I won’t peek!”
Once outside, Ye Lihen glanced around. Ignoring Bai Jinshu’s teasing, he changed the subject with his usual calm expression. “This place is quite large. Is this your junior sister’s home?”
“Yeah, my junior sister’s family is one of the top martial clans in the martial world.”
“In that case, shouldn’t her family be associated with well-known martial figures? So why are they hosting someone like you?”
Ye Lihen’s tone was serious, with no hint of sarcasm, yet he still managed to make Bai Jinshu laugh out loud. “Alright, to be honest, I’m not here as a guest—I’m just staying over for the night. Today’s real guest at the Lin residence is Biluojian Jiang Cheng.”
“Is Biluojian Jiang Cheng an important figure?”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but be impressed by Ye Lihen’s lack of knowledge. “My Martial Uncle Jiang is the current leader of the martial world.”
Ye Lihen finally showed a hint of surprise as he glanced at Bai Jinshu. “You’re the nephew of the leader of the martial world?”
Bai Jinshu pretended to puff up with pride. “Now you’re looking at me with newfound respect, aren’t you?”
Ye Lihen didn’t respond to that and simply mused to himself, “Are you going to see your Martial Uncle tomorrow?”
“Why? Do you want to meet my Martial Uncle too?”
“I just want to see what the leader of the martial world is like.”
Ye Lihen didn’t seem like the type to be so curious, so Bai Jinshu was more than willing to oblige his rare request. “I can introduce you to him tomorrow.”
That suggestion didn’t sit well with Ye Lihen, who replied with mild irritation, “I don’t need you to introduce me. I just want to see for myself.”
Hearing this, Bai Jinshu chuckled and pointed to the nearby pond. “You can look at the fish in that pond all you want, but my Martial Uncle isn’t a goldfish.”
As they spoke, they arrived at the latrine.
“Here we are.” Bai Jinshu said, stopping.
Ye Lihen hesitated for a moment before going forward. Bai Jinshu deliberately teased, “What, are you really afraid I’ll peek? Or could it be that you’re actually a girl disguised as a boy?”
Though Ye Lihen was good-looking, he had the distinct air of a young man, not a girl. Besides, Bai Jinshu had seen him without his shirt while treating his wounds, so his words were just a playful jab.
Unfortunately, Ye Lihen was always difficult to tease. He shook his head indifferently. “I’m not afraid of you peeking. Just wait here.” His usual commanding tone left Bai Jinshu with no choice but to comply. Watching Ye Lihen head to relieve himself, Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but laugh as he responded, “Yes, sir, young master.”
—
Once nature’s call was taken care of, Bai Jinshu didn’t take Ye Lihen back to the room right away. Instead, he detoured to the Lin family’s kitchen.
“What are we doing here?” Ye Lihen asked, his rare curiosity piqued.
“Taking care of another bodily need.” Bai Jinshu replied as he skillfully rummaged through the kitchen cabinets. He wasn’t hungry himself, but Ye Lihen had been hiding for a day and a night while injured. Even if he had eaten something, he hadn’t had anything since the afternoon, and disturbing the Lin family servants at this hour wasn’t exactly considerate. So, he decided to “help himself” “Trust me, I’ve had plenty of experience sneaking food. Cooks usually stash something tasty in the kitchen.”
Ye Lihen stood by with his usual cool demeanor, watching Bai Jinshu closely. “You really are a thief, not a guest.”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “You ungrateful little brat. Have you forgotten who I’m stealing food for?”
Ye Lihen thought for a moment before finally responding quietly, “Then I’ll keep watch for you.”
There was a hint of soft warmth in his voice, something so rare that Bai Jinshu paused for a moment in surprise. Whenever he successfully cheered up his nephew, he always felt a sense of satisfaction, but this slight emotional ripple felt completely different from that usual feeling of accomplishment. Before he could dwell on it, Bai Jinshu discovered some braised meat and pastries hidden behind a cabinet door. “Found our midnight snack!” he declared as he sat down on the floor.
Ye Lihen looked down at him thoughtfully for a moment before asking, “Why not sit at the table?”
“That would ruin the thrill of sneaking food.” Bai Jinshu replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Still, he could imagine that the pampered young master wouldn’t want to sit on the floor. Just as he was about to suggest moving to a different spot, Ye Lihen carefully sat down beside him on the floor.
Bai Jinshu chuckled. “Let’s eat.”
Ye Lihen reached for a piece of osmanthus cake, biting into it delicately, almost like a girl. But before Bai Jinshu could make a remark, Ye Lihen changed the subject.
“Do you like your junior sister?”
The sudden question caught Bai Jinshu off guard. After a brief moment of surprise, he laughed. “Of course, I like my junior sister, but not in the way you’re thinking.” As he spoke, he tried to guess the reason behind Ye Lihen’s question. To be honest, his little junior sister was smart, lively, and adorable—naturally, she was likable. But if it were Ye Lihen, given his status, he should have higher standards. Then again, if Ye Lihen truly liked Lin Ling, Bai Jinshu couldn’t find any reason to oppose it. After a pause, he added, “So don’t worry, I’m not your love rival. In fact, I might even be kind enough to help you.”
Bai Jinshu’s words made Ye Lihen frown. “I don’t like your junior sister.” he said, then added, “In fact, I find her suspicious.”
This time, it was Bai Jinshu’s turn to frown. “What’s suspicious about my junior sister?”
“Why did she just happen to find you while you were being attacked by assassins? And her appearance allowed the assassins to escape. Now she wants to go with you to the martial arts conference. It feels off to me.”
Ye Lihen’s sharp mind and deep scheming were something Bai Jinshu had grown used to, but his extreme suspicion still made Bai Jinshu uncomfortable, and his tone grew a bit stern. “I’ve known my junior sister for nine years—I’ve practically watched her grow up. I know exactly what kind of person she is. You don’t have to trust her, but I will never doubt Ling’er.”
Bai Jinshu was indeed a little angry as he said this. He had never liked seeing his friends being suspected or wrongfully accused. But then, on second thought, Ye Lihen’s personality was just like that—he was probably overthinking things rather than trying to sow discord. He was simply trying to be cautious, and compared to that, Bai Jinshu’s reaction had been a bit too harsh. Reflecting on this, Bai Jinshu hesitated, wanting to say something to smooth things over, but before he could, Ye Lihen calmly nodded. “I was wrong to say that. Don’t hold it against me.”
“I shouldn’t have overreacted either, so let’s not hold anything against each other.” Bai Jinshu quickly replied, taking the opportunity.
Ye Lihen thought for a moment before asking, “Is your Martial Uncle married?”
Bai Jinshu was dumbfounded by the sudden shift in topic. “Why are we suddenly talking about my Martial Uncle?”
“I thought the mood was a bit awkward, so I changed the subject.”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but be impressed by Ye Lihen’s logic. He laughed in disbelief and gave him a sideways glance. “Why are you so interested in my Martial Uncle’s marital status all of a sudden?”
Ye Lihen’s expression darkened. “What, do you think we have many other suitable topics to talk about?”
This wasn’t just an act. Ye Lihen rarely showed his emotions, but when he didn’t bother hiding his displeasure, it was easy to feel it. Faced with someone clearly using this as an excuse to vent, Bai Jinshu had no choice but to laugh apologetically. “Didn’t we agree not to hold grudges?”
“I never agreed.”
Being so petty wasn’t fitting for a man, but Ye Lihen’s pettiness only made Bai Jinshu chuckle. “Alright, then let me apologize again.”
Ye Lihen didn’t respond, simply focusing on his food. Bai Jinshu didn’t mind and decided to keep talking to get Ye Lihen to speak again. “My Martial Uncle isn’t married. My Master is married, though. Want to guess if my Shiniang is married? My third junior brother’s senior disciple is married, too. I have seven junior brothers and two junior sisters. If you want to hear about all their marriages, we could talk until morning—see? We have plenty of topics to discuss.” He continued with his pointless chatter, clearly enjoying himself.
Finally, Ye Lihen turned to look at Bai Jinshu. “And what about you?”
It took Bai Jinshu a moment to realize what Ye Lihen was asking.
“I’m not married yet.”
“Do you have someone you care about?”
Ye Lihen asked, his gaze fixed on Bai Jinshu’s eyes. For a moment, Bai Jinshu felt as though a flash of light had passed through his mind. In Ye Lihen’s eyes, he saw himself, filled with confusion and uncertainty. He let those strange emotions pass, and in the end, he smiled casually. “The girl I’m going to marry hasn’t appeared yet. She’s probably still waiting for me.”
Be my Patron~
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
