Ye Chuqi: "Huh?"
"Because Herman can beat Akes, but every time they meet in the arena, he manages to lose to her fair and square while making it look as though she got some huge advantage out of it. All Akes can do is grit her teeth in frustration."
Herman had a talent for that, at least. Ye Chuqi refused to explain his behavior by saying he liked Akes. He had kept up such a childish stunt for years without getting beaten to death. That proved he was strong, certainly, but it also showed that Akes was kind.
If it had been Ye Chuqi, she might have been unable to kill him on humanitarian grounds, but she could still have crippled him.
Don't ask. Brutal Sword Cultivators didn't have to be reasonable.
Nora was still chattering away, eager to tell Ye Chuqi everything she knew, when an amused voice came from the doorway. "If Young Master Herman heard you describe him like that, you'd get beaten up too."
Herman might pretend to be weak and lose in front of Akes, but he had never shown anyone else mercy. Nor did he believe in not hitting girls. Or perhaps Akes was the only person he considered a girl?
Nora pressed her lips together and whispered to Ye Chuqi, "That's Elmer, Herman's lackey."
"Miss Nora, 'lackey' is rather rude."
"You can lose that label when you learn to walk on your own without Herman!" Nora didn't hold back. She might have watched her words around Herman, but Elmer didn't scare her at all.
Elmer's family was subordinate to Herman's. They had little power or standing, but Elmer had been fortunate enough to become Herman's playmate as a child and had grown up alongside him. Their friendship had helped his family develop over