Chapter 5: The Dual Blue Talent

"Is there anyone else who knows about this?"

"Rest assured, my lord. I have handled it with the utmost discretion; absolutely no one else will find out."

"That is good."

Placing a hand on Si Nan's shoulder, Ye Liuyun spoke in a low, measured tone. "If anyone else discovers this, you know the consequences."

"I would never dare, my lord!"

Si Nan knelt down immediately. For some reason, he felt that Ye Liuyun seemed unusually imposing today.

"Get up."

A little intimidation was enough. After all, he needed someone capable within the Imperial Guard. He then smoothly pulled a hundred-tael banknote from a stack of bills and handed it over.

"My lord, this is...?"

"Work for me with peace of mind, and there will be no shortage of rewards for you."

Strike with a stick, offer a carrot, and paint a grand vision of the future—all in one go. Having endured this exact routine from his boss back in his corporate days before crossing over, he had learned the trick of the trade.

The former Ye Liuyun had given his subordinates rewards, but always in small, measly amounts. To see him hand out a hundred taels all at once was truly a first. After a brief moment of stunned silence, Si Nan hurriedly accepted the money.

"Rest assured, my lord. I will serve you with all my heart, even unto death."

Such empty platitudes were just noise to him. Ye Liuyun didn't take them to heart and waved his hand, signaling the man to leave.

"That's enough. You may go now. If anything comes up, report to me."

"Yes, my lord!"

After tucking the banknote away, Si Nan bowed and backed out of the room, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him. Patting the spot where the money was stashed, Si Nan still felt as if it were a dream.

"I really feel like my lord is a bit different today."

But for the moment, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed. One thing was certain, though: those hundred taels were genuine.

...

Since it was only his first day, Ye Liuyun didn't run around like a greenhorn trying to map out the layout of the Imperial Guard barracks. Wouldn't that be tantamount to telling everyone that he was a fake and knew nothing about this place?

Taking advantage of the time, Ye Liuyun began browsing the files on the bookshelf. The Imperial Guard held immense power; virtually every case within the Imperial City fell under their jurisdiction.

He hadn't noticed at first, but after a while, Ye Liuyun realized the files were categorized—not by the severity of the crimes, but by something else entirely.

"Scions of nobility smashing up a tavern?"

"A general's son refusing to pay for his meal?"

"The son of the Minister of Personnel breaking a scholar's leg during a dispute at a brothel?"

After reading through this stack, Ye Liuyun understood the classification system: who you could afford to offend and who you couldn't. There was no need to check the rest; he could guess that most of the people involved had powerful backgrounds—either the children of royalty or the offspring of high-ranking court officials. The files on the other side were for ordinary cases, further divided by whether the parties involved were wealthy or destitute.

"My older brother certainly had the art of officialdom down to a science."

Setting down the file, Ye Liuyun couldn't help but chuckle. In the past, his brother had acted so sanctimonious in front of him, as if he were a man of high moral character, yet in the shadows, he was neck-deep in such sordid affairs.

However, this served as a reminder to Ye Liuyun. In a place where everyone was corrupt, behaving too normally would only make him stick out.

The morning passed by in a flash. The Imperial Guard started early, but they also finished early; by midday, one was free to leave.

"My lord, are you heading out to patrol the streets?" Si Nan asked as soon as Ye Liuyun stepped out.

Normally, the afternoon was spent either patrolling or arresting lawbreakers. However, Ye Liuyun had no interest in either.

"Perhaps another time. I'm a bit tired today, so I'm heading back."

Si Nan looked momentarily stunned, seemingly not having expected Ye Liuyun to choose to return home so early. Still, he didn't question it and simply followed behind. "Then let me see you off, my lord!"

"Very well."

Just as they were about to leave, a group of men approached from the opposite direction. Leading them was a sturdy, broad-shouldered man with a stern, righteous face. Upon seeing Ye Liuyun, the man let out a heavy, audible grunt.

"Hmph!"

It was clear there was bad blood. The man practically wore his disdain on his face as he led his subordinates right past Ye Liuyun.

"Target: Shi Sheng!"
"Realm: Second-rate martial artist!"
"Talent Traits: Thick-skinned (Blue), Valorous (Blue)."
"Thick-skinned (Blue): Naturally tough-skinned; possesses a unique advantage when practicing body-tempering techniques."
"Valorous (Blue): Once engaged in a life-or-death struggle, can consume sanity to significantly boost physical strength."

A double-blue talent, no less. Both traits were combat-oriented, which explained why the man looked like he could pack a punch. But why that look in his eyes? Did he have a grudge against his brother?

"My lord, please don't take it to heart," Si Nan said, noticing Ye Liuyun's gaze lingering on Shi Sheng's retreating back. "Although Shi Sheng is a commander, he is far too rigid and lacks flexibility. He has no connections within the Imperial Guard. If not for his strength as a second-rate martial artist and his accumulated merits, he wouldn't even be a commander."

Si Nan's tone was filled with disdain. Men like Shi Sheng, who only knew how to blindly make arrests, were destined to never get ahead. He might have reached the position of commander through merit, but any further promotion—say, to the rank of centurion—would be an impossibility.

"Is that so? Then why did he look at me as if he wanted to kill me?"

"Er..." This made Si Nan offer a somewhat awkward laugh. "My lord might have forgotten that not long ago, Commander Shi Sheng arrested some men from the Ministry of Personnel, and it was you, my lord, who intervened to release them."

*So that’s it,* Ye Liuyun thought. That explained everything. Given Ye Liuyun’s previous personality, knowing the arrested men had backers, he would have certainly intervened to make a favorable impression. And since the old Ye Liuyun likely looked down on someone as inflexible and rule-bound as Shi Sheng, a feud was inevitable.

Understanding this, Ye Liuyun laughed nonchalantly. "Oh, is that all it was? I’d almost forgotten. Shi Sheng is truly petty to still be holding a grudge after all this time."

"Er! Yes, indeed!" Si Nan chimed in with a forced smile.

Internally, however, he felt a bit exasperated. It hadn't even been that long—only a few days, in fact. And everyone in the Imperial Guard knew that Shi Sheng was notoriously intolerant of evil; it would be a miracle if he *did* forget.