Chapter 20: The Golden Title! Someone from the Palace?

An extremely Yin body? It was the exact opposite of his own extremely Yang body.

Moreover, the innate martial cultivation of this warrior was exactly as Ye Liuyun had expected.

“Is that you?”

Shi Sheng was quite stunned; he had thought he was about to be thrown flying. But the next moment, he felt the collar of his coat being grabbed and lifted into the air.

Turning his head, he saw Ye Liuyun.

“Otherwise, who else in the Embroidered Uniform Guard do you think would help you?”

Shi Sheng was speechless. He knew well enough how little support he had within the Guard; if trouble came, everyone would just watch for their own entertainment—no one would come to his aid.

He hadn’t expected Ye Liuyun to help him either.

But now, in this situation, Shi Sheng felt a warmth welling up inside him, almost instinctively.

“Alright, since you’re awake now, stand up yourself. It’s tiring for me to keep holding you.”

Only then did Shi Sheng realize that Ye Liuyun was holding him as one might a little dog, and he hastily got back on his feet.

“Wait, your strength?”

Shi Sheng wasn’t truly foolish. That female guard who had struck him away must be far stronger than him. And for Ye Liuyun to catch him meant he too had impressive strength.

But this didn’t add up—wasn’t Ye Liuyun only a third-rate martial artist before?

“Just because you improve doesn’t mean I can’t. If I’m not stronger than you, how can I be your leader?”

“Tsk!”

That excuse left Shi Sheng speechless.

Ignoring Shi Sheng’s grumbling, Ye Liuyun turned his gaze to Lü Lan, the one who had struck.

“To attack a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard within the Imperial City—are you trying to incite rebellion?”

“…”

Accusing someone of rebellion right away—she hadn’t noticed anything else, but her skill at throwing labels was impressive.

But Lü Lan was from the Imperial City originally; she wasn’t easily intimidated by such words.

“Hmph! My young master is of noble lineage. How dare you touch him!”

“Young master?”

An innate martial artist serving as a bodyguard? That was no lowly position.

Ye Liuyun looked toward the figure Lü Lan was shielding behind her—the ‘young master’ watching Ye Liuyun with keen interest.

Though dressed in men’s clothing, the phrase "recognizing a woman by her scent" came to mind, and Ye Liuyun easily discerned the delicate fragrance unique to women.

A woman disguised as a man?

---

Target: Yan Shuzhu.

Cultivation: None!

Innate Talents: Noble Constitution (Gold), Congenital Vein Blockage (Purple), Strategic Planning (Purple), Talent Spotting (Purple).

Noble Constitution (Gold): Born extraordinary, destined to hold a high position.

Congenital Vein Blockage (Purple): All the meridians are blocked, unable to cultivate.

Strategic Planning (Purple): Skilled in scheming and unparalleled in wisdom.

Talent Spotting (Purple): Adept at discovering talents and maximizing their potential.

Oh! I thought those purple and blue talents were impressive, but here was someone even more formidable.

Gold-grade talents had appeared too?

But what was this Congenital Vein Blockage? That could be purple quality?

As Ye Liuyun observed Yan Shuzhu, Yan Shuzhu was observing him as well—a handsome young lad indeed.

Yet what concerned Yan Shuzhu most was Ye Liuyun’s actions since his arrival.

“*Ahem*.”

Clearing her throat, Lü Lan, hearing the commotion, obediently stepped aside to give space.

“I am Yan Shu. May I know your name?”

Probably trying to conceal her real name. If it weren’t for being able to see others’ information, Ye Liuyun wouldn’t have known she was Yan Shuzhu.

But he didn’t expose her.

“I am Ye Liufeng, a Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

Either way, they were both using aliases.

“What happened just now was indeed our fault. My bodyguard acted out of loyalty; I hope Captain Ye will not hold it against us.”

“You said that yourself. How could I blame you then?”

Ye Liuyun smiled indifferently.

“In that case, shall we call it a day?”

Yan Shuzhu knew she couldn’t leave the palace for long; much time had already been wasted today.

Before Ye Liuyun could reply, Shi Sheng spoke up.

“Why should things end just because you say so? You ate without paying—am I not allowed to arrest you?”

“Impudent!”

Lü Lan could no longer contain herself and scolded Shi Sheng.

“Don’t you see my token? How dare you arrest someone without permission!”

She then brandished her token. It was usually quite effective, but it seemed useless against Shi Sheng.

---

“Having a token doesn’t mean you can’t be arrested.”

“You!”

It was clear now—Shi Sheng was just a thick-headed fool.

Lü Lan didn’t bother arguing further and turned to Ye Liuyun.

“He’s your subordinate, right? What do you say?”

If appealing to him was useless, then she would go straight to his superior.

“I think what my subordinate said isn’t wrong.”

Meeting Lü Lan’s gaze, Ye Liuyun suddenly smiled.

“What?” Lü Lan’s expression stiffened; she had expected a sensible person but found the opposite.

Even Shi Sheng was taken aback.

To be honest, although Ye Liuyun had helped him initially, Shi Sheng never expected him to side with him now.

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard is responsible for the safety of the people within the Imperial City. If we have to check whether someone carries a token before arresting them, does that mean we don’t have to do any work? That we can just collect our salaries and loaf around?

Or do you think the late emperor was wrong to establish the Embroidered Uniform Guard? That it shouldn’t exist at all?”

“You!”

Lü Lan had never met someone so sharp-tongued and eloquent. Every accusation he made hit like a chain of traps.

Speaking ill of the late emperor was a grave offense.

Lü Lan lost patience with Ye Liuyun and hurriedly turned to Yan Shuzhu.

“My lord, I absolutely did not mean that! I—”

She scrambled to explain, but was cut off by Yan Shuzhu’s wave and smile.

“Enough. Do you think I would not trust you?”

If she didn’t trust Lü Lan, she wouldn’t have brought her alone outside the palace.

Meanwhile, Yan Shuzhu’s gaze remained fixed on Ye Liuyun, as if appraising a talent.

Having seen many opportunists, she had assumed everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard was corrupt—yet here was someone good.

In truth, Ye Liuyun had planned this.

The Yan surname was the imperial family name in the Great Qian Dynasty. Coupled with the gold-grade Noble Constitution talent, this woman’s status was undoubtedly exceptional—at the very least, a princess.

He had seen many palace intrigue dramas before crossing over.

People like her despised flatterers and sycophants as if they were contemptible. The more someone resisted bending, refusing to show face, the more they were admired.

…