Taiya's Blade (3)

Tiger Girl's martial arts specialty was simple and direct, without any complex variations. Her entire cultivation life had been dedicated to perfecting this single characteristic.

According to Ye Lang, the path of martial arts began from simple to complex, then returned to simple. In the end, all techniques would be simplified, perhaps even to a single straight punch.

However, at that level, even if you knew exactly what the move was and where it would hit you, you could never dodge it unless you were also a peerless master of the same caliber.

It wasn't that Tiger Girl skipped the intermediate steps; she also went from simple to complex. It's just that her "complex" stages were much simpler than others'.

After reaching its peak, the lightning storm suddenly calmed down, shifting from extreme motion to extreme stillness. The energy surges dissipated, and the entire courtyard became peaceful.

During this process, one thing was very strange: Ye Lang's surroundings remained calm from beginning to end. Even the large pile of books on his table was unaffected by Tiger Girl's energy surges.

This wasn't because Tiger Girl was protecting Ye Lang; she wasn't capable of that yet. The only explanation was Ye Lang himself. He had somehow found a way to calm the energy surges.

This was very peculiar. If anyone saw it, they would be filled with confusion, unable to understand how the Thirteenth Young Master, who seemed to know nothing, could neutralize such energy surges!

Could it be that this Thirteenth Young Master was hiding his true strength? Or perhaps he possessed some special alchemical equipment that could pacify such energy?

Tiger Girl, however, didn't find it strange. Perhaps she hadn't noticed, or perhaps she was already accustomed to it. Ye Lang had always been sitting there like this.

Besides, Tiger Girl discovered something new about Ye Lang every day. If every single thing astonished her, she would have become overly sensitive long ago!

"Young Master, I've finished practicing the Yang Family Spear Technique completely," Tiger Girl said, with a hint of seeking praise, wanting Ye Lang to commend her. Ye Lang's words could make her very happy.

Of course, this was solely due to the bond between them, not Tiger Girl's personal preference. If it were anyone else, she would simply ignore them. As for Ye Lang, he sometimes wanted Tiger Girl to praise him, to admire him.

This was a very special kind of affection, yet also a very common one. It was just that this kind of sentiment was rare in modern society – the bond between childhood sweethearts who grew up together.

They were close friends, regardless of gender, who could grow up with you, play together, and later share your joys and sorrows, successes and failures.

"Mm, good. Now it just needs a bit of refinement, and it will only take time. Your Young Master is also very powerful. I've memorized all the notes from the lectures, and now I just need to study them. It's also a matter of time," Ye Lang replied with a smile, his gaze never leaving the book in his hands.

"Hmph! You're just giving me the runaround again. I'm going to take a bath. Don't move around while I'm gone," Tiger Girl snorted lightly, seemingly displeased. After giving her instructions, she went inside to bathe.

She still habitually treated Ye Lang as someone who needed care, that clumsy Thirteenth Young Master. However, even if Ye Lang were a normal person, no, even if he were someone who could not only take care of himself but also others, she would still treat him as someone who needed her care.

"Oh, got it," Ye Lang responded naturally, then continued reading, enjoying the moment of peace.

A long while later, a young girl rushed in from outside and immediately questioned Ye Lang, "Brother, why did you hire a mercenary group? They've already come looking for you. What exactly are you trying to do? You're not just being extravagant again, are you?"

This girl was none other than Ye Lanyu. Based on her experience, Ye Lang's actions like this were often a sign of extravagance, pure and simple.

Ye Lang stared blankly for a moment, then slowly raised his head, watching Ye Lanyu continue to stare, as if lost in thought.

At this moment, Ye Lanyu hadn't noticed Ye Lang's strange behavior. She continued, "It must be that way, otherwise, why would you need the Anna Mercenary Group? They're one of the top hundred large mercenary groups on the continent, and also one of the few all-female mercenary groups. Brother, your intentions are impure..."

"I am pure," Ye Lang replied blankly.

"..." Ye Lanyu fell silent.

"Brother, what are you up to this time? Not only did you hire them, but you want the entire group to mobilize, not a single person left out. Since you want them to escort something, what exactly are you escorting?" Ye Lanyu was a bit confused; the situation had left her bewildered.

It was understood that the Anna Mercenary Group had received Ye Lang's request two months ago but only came to him now. It wasn't because Ye Lang had insisted, nor was it entirely because they were too busy. It was because Ye Lang's request was rather unusual.

Ye Lang's requirement was for their entire mercenary group to execute this mission, all of them. The timing was not an issue; he could wait until all their personnel were assembled.

The mercenary group only knew it was an escort mission and nothing else. Normally, for such matters, a mercenary group would inquire about the situation and then decide how many people to dispatch, not necessarily sending the entire group. Even if the client wanted it, they wouldn't necessarily agree. But this time, they agreed, solely because the commission Ye Lang offered was too generous, a price that no mercenary group could refuse.

They now knew one thing clearly: this Thirteenth Young Master Ye was truly a super prodigal son, completely disregarding money!

"Are you sure this isn't a new way of being extravagant?" Ye Lanyu asked doubtfully, looking at the dazed Ye Lang.

Although Ye Lang had been much quieter for the past three months, almost refraining from extravagant spending or doing anything out of line, his past behavior had left too deep an impression. It was hard not to suspect him of playing new tricks, making people wonder if he was escorting some treasure.

Moreover, Ye Lanyu had been by Ye Lang's side since childhood. She felt he had nothing that needed escorting because he had no one to escort it to. He had been in the imperial capital his entire life, with no contact with outsiders, so how could he possibly have anything to send out?

"No!" Ye Lang seemed to snap back to reality and said in a tone tinged with faint melancholy, "This time it's not for fun; it's a serious matter..."

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