Chapter 10: Ye Tian’s True Face

"Young Master, please wake up!"
Li Jian San was roused from his hazy slumber by a gentle voice.
Annoyed at being disturbed, he snapped, "Can't you see I'm sleeping?"
"Young Master, why are you so fierce? Wasn't it you who said you'd watch me practice this morning?"
Opening his eyes, Li Jian San saw before him a charming young lady, her figure alluring and captivating.
At that moment, she was clinging to his arm, shaking it excitedly, her soft, smooth chest brushing against him, sending waves of comfort through him.
This instantly reminded Li Jian San of the girl running in the sunset that day—his first love...
Suddenly, her identity came back to him—Liu Yan'er, the little girl his father had picked up by the roadside fifteen years ago, now his personal maid.
Remembering who she was, Li Jian San teased her:
"Yan'er, why are you up so early training? Look at you—so beautiful you put eighty percent of our sect’s female disciples to shame. You’re so diligent too. How are the others supposed to live up to that?"
At the compliment, Liu Yan'er blushed. "Young Master, you’re always making fun of me. I’m not talking to you anymore."
You big fool,
I’ve served you for over ten years and you still don’t see my feelings for you. How can you keep joking with me every day? How could things ever progress if you go on like this?
Do you expect me to confess first?
But... how could a girl say such a thing out loud...
As she thought this, her ears flushed crimson.
Li Jian San asked curiously, "Yan’er, why are your ears so red?"
"I am not!" she said, covering her face and running out.
As for Liu Yan’er’s feelings, whether the old Li Jian San understood or not, the current Li Jian San was completely oblivious, all his attention focused on Chu Xi’er.
Not long after Liu Yan’er left, Li Jian San made his way to Elder Liu Nan’s residence.
"Young Master, what brings you here so early?" Elder Liu Nan, spotting him from afar, hurried out to greet him.
"Did you take care of what I asked yesterday?"
"Rest assured, Young Master, everything is arranged."
Elder Liu Nan grinned slyly. "I sent a few men as you ordered. Before they even started, he was already begging for mercy. He even said, as long as we let him go, he’d let his maid serve each of them however they pleased."
Damn, that bastard really is no good. To save himself, he’d offer up his own woman for such things—someone like him can’t be left alive.
Li Jian San made up his mind—once he secured Chu Xi’er, Ye Tian must die.
"Where is that little bastard now? Take me to see him."
"He was beaten all night. He probably won’t be out of bed for half a month. He’s in his room."
Li Jian San waved his hand. "Lead the way."
Elder Liu Nan took him to Ye Tian’s room.
As soon as he entered, even before seeing Ye Tian, Li Jian San could tell the beating had been severe. The room was a complete mess, the table broken in two, bloodstained handprints on the door.
Heh, serves him right. Daring to compete with me for a woman, does he even know his own weight?
Li Jian San strode in and saw Ye Tian writhing in pain on the bed, barely alive.
At first, Li Jian San was quite pleased with the pitiful sight. But in the next instant, his satisfaction faded.
Chu Xi’er was sitting at Ye Tian’s bedside, tending to his wounds with tender care.
When she saw Li Jian San, she greeted him with a smile. "Greetings, Young Master."
He forced a generous smile. "No need for formalities. See to your young master first."
Li Jian San’s face was all smiles, but inside, he cursed: Why is this bastard getting such gentle care from the lady? Damn him, I really need to kill him!
As Chu Xi’er carefully wiped Ye Tian’s wounds, she said, distressed, "How could they be so cruel, beating you like this?"
"It’s alright, Xiao Xi, don’t blame them. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t made a mistake, they wouldn’t have punished me."
"Young Master, only you could still be so kind-hearted."
Li Jian San could clearly sense Chu Xi’er’s affection for Ye Tian deepening.
Damn, this bastard can really act.
Li Jian San ground his teeth, fuming at the side.
"It’s fine now, Xiao Xi. If not for the Young Master’s intervention, I’d probably have been expelled from the sect."
Noticing Li Jian San’s expression, Ye Tian added, "Thank you, Young Master, for your help. I, Ye Tian, will surely repay this debt one day!"
Li Jian San, having survived the harshness of society for years, was no fool. Ye Tian’s act was flawless,
but Li Jian San could see through to his real thoughts: He had no intention of showing gratitude—he’d probably bite him to death if he could.
Had he already seen through the act?
Li Jian San gritted his teeth. Damn, worthy of a protagonist after all. I can’t treat him like some mindless lackey.
Still, Li Jian San kept his expression unchanged and smiled. "You two talk. Junior Sister, I’ll wait for you outside."
Since he’d been exposed, there was no reason for Ye Tian to linger.
After Li Jian San left, Ye Tian held Chu Xi’er’s hand. "Xiao Xi, while I wasn’t with you, did they bully you?"
"Come here, let me check if you’re hurt."
But rather than being touched by Ye Tian’s concern, Chu Xi’er grew a little angry.
"Young Master, I heard you say with my own ears that you’d give me to Elder Liu Nan. Was that true?"
"Xiao Xi, can’t you see? They were framing me that day. If I hadn’t said that, they wouldn’t have let me off.
Listen to me, Xiao Xi, none of it was true. I was just deceiving them. Don’t you know how I feel about you?"
Ye Tian gripped her hand, feigning sincerity as he tried to placate her.
In truth, Chu Xi’er meant little to Ye Tian. If he hadn’t noticed Li Jian San’s interest in her, he’d have gotten rid of her long ago.
Once I become strong, what kind of woman couldn’t I have? By then, how could a mere maid ever be worthy of me?
That’s what Ye Tian was really thinking.
Hearing his words, Chu Xi’er’s heart turned cold. Her young master had once been a man of his word, never speaking falsehoods. How had he changed so much since coming here?
Ye Tian had no idea what she was thinking. He pulled her close, inwardly triumphant:
Li Jian San, do you really think I’m blind to everything you’ve done to me?
You may toy with me like a dog for now, but the woman you desire is already under my control.
Treat me as a dog, and I’ll not only endure it, but play along as if nothing’s amiss.
But once you grow tired of me and let your guard down, I’ll begin my cultivation at Shengjing Sect. When I grow strong,
the whole Shengjing Sect will be mine. And everything you’ve done to me, Li Jian San, I’ll make you pay back a hundredfold!