Qi Yuanliang, meanwhile, was staring in the direction Ye Liuyun had left, eyes narrowed, lost in thought.
...
"A bunch of bastards, I finally get it—the Southern Governor isn’t much of a decent guy either!"
He’d been holding back a bellyful of complaints.
As soon as they got back to Ye Liuyun’s turf, Shi Sheng couldn’t hold it in and yelled right out.
He didn’t care at all if those Embroidered Uniform Guards outside heard him.
In Shi Sheng’s eyes, let them hear if that’s what happens, what’s the worst that could come out of it—if word gets out, so what? At most, come over and try to beat me up.
"That useless guy who only knows how to hand out gifts—why on earth did he become Lord Thousand Households before our lord? Shi Xing’an, that guy isn’t worthy."
Just now, if Ye Liuyun hadn’t stopped him, Shi Sheng was really ready to throw down.
True, the other guy’s cultivation had just stepped into Postnatal, and he was still at First-class Martial Artist level, but when it came to fighting, Shi Sheng had never been one to chicken out.
"And that Southern Governor—before, I thought he was a decent person. Now it looks like he must’ve pocketed Shi Xing’an’s money."
"Keep your voice down, would you!"
Si Nan, standing to the side, looked at Shi Sheng screaming at the top of his lungs and could only stare, speechless.
It wasn’t really about being overheard by anyone else.
It was just too damn loud—I’m right beside you, and your yelling nearly made me deaf.
"Didn’t we talk about this before? The Southern Governor isn’t any good—you didn’t forget already, did you?"
"...Eh?"
Did we talk about something like that?
Si Nan’s words made Shi Sheng freeze on the spot.
Clearly, he really had forgotten all about that conversation.
Si Nan rolled his eyes at Shi Sheng, but didn’t bother keeping at it, turning to look at Ye Liuyun instead.
"My lord, what now? Want me to tail Shi Xing’an and wait for him to leave the city?"
No one gets to steal from our lord.
The last Lord Thousand Households could die; this Shi Xing’an, this new Lord Thousand Households, can just as well die too.
Having followed Ye Liuyun for so long,
by now, these sorts of things had become routine.
Block my path? I’ll kill them all.
Ye Liuyun wasn’t in a rush to reply; instead, he fell silent, thinking it over.
Seeing this, Si Nan just stood quietly by his side, saying nothing else.
This Lord Thousand Households position was a must-have; as for Purgatory, he definitely wanted to go there too.
So—
"Be careful. Don’t get found out!"
"Understood!"
Hearing Ye Liuyun say that,
Si Nan couldn’t help the smirk that instantly appeared at the corner of his lips, knowing exactly what he meant.
Without another word, he nodded in acknowledgment, about to head out straight away.
"Uh—so what should I do?"
Seeing Si Nan head out on a mission,
Shi Sheng was momentarily stunned. Then he turned to Ye Liuyun, obviously hoping he could get in on some action too.
"Don’t worry, you’ll have the chance to make your move."
Ye Liuyun didn’t pour cold water on Shi Sheng’s enthusiasm. Instead, he just patted him on the shoulder,
the look on his face saying, "You’re still a key player."
...
"My lord, I don’t understand!"
At the same time,
over at Southern Governor Qi Yuanliang’s residence, once he’d sat back down in his own study,
a voice tinged with confusion suddenly sounded as he pondered his next move.
From the shadow behind Qi Yuanliang’s bookshelf, a black-clad figure wearing a black mask emerged,
slowly stepping out.
Qi Yuanliang, despite being a Governor and having reached Innate Perfection as a Martial Artist, still had to conceal his real cultivation.
So, Qi Yuanliang couldn’t handle many things personally.
That masked man was the operative Qi Yuanliang had hidden as a secret tool.
"If you intend to recruit Ye Liuyun, why keep trying him and pushing him down?"
"Shadow, your perspective is too simplistic."
There were no outsiders here,
so Qi Yuanliang didn’t bother putting up a front anymore.
Leaning back in his chair, confidence all over his face,
"Ever heard of taming beasts?"
"?"
The man addressed as Shadow looked over, puzzled.
"Taming beasts is all about starving them for a while, making them crave, so that they know who it is that can feed them. At the same time, you have to suppress them first, that’s the only way to make them obedient."
"Taming people isn’t much different from taming beasts sometimes."
Qi Yuanliang did want to subdue Ye Liuyun, but he had no intention of just showering him with kindness.
He was going to tame him, just like an animal, make him thoroughly obedient.
Shadow only half-understood, half-did not.
He shook his head, then quietly blended right back into the shadows.
If he hadn’t stepped out just now, nobody would’ve realized someone had been standing there all along.
"..."
Qi Yuanliang’s fingers tapped rhythmically on his desk, calm and unhurried.
Really, there was something Qi Yuanliang hadn’t said out loud—he suspected he’d bitten off more than he could chew.
Ye Liuyun’s power and cultivation had truly exceeded his imagination. To break through to Innate Perfection this early—hell, the guy might even reach Grandmaster before him.
He thought he was taming a slightly unruly house cat at best,
but now he saw: this kitty was looking a lot more like a tiger.
If you’re not careful, you might get bitten badly.
After a moment of silence,
Qi Yuanliang stopped his tapping and spoke directly,
"Shadow, for these next few days, I want you shadowing Ye Liuyun. If anything unexpected happens, make sure to tell me at once."
Without a spy at Ye Liuyun’s side, Qi Yuanliang really couldn’t rest easy.
As for Shadow’s skills at staying hidden, Qi Yuanliang trusted them completely.
Stalking a Martial Artist at Innate Perfection was no trouble at all.