"Do you know fear now? What were you doing before?" Xiao Man teased, "Charging in, hitting people without asking any questions, you’re quite something."
"I was too worried about you," Yue Ran took a big bite of his bun and chewed vigorously. "What if I was a moment later and wouldn't see you anymore. How about this, Second Brother, you accompany me to challenge the Purgatory Tower? My father wouldn't dare to look for me in there."
"Purgatory Tower?"
"Yes, Purgatory Tower. It has twenty floors. So far, I've only reached the fifth floor, but that was three years ago. I haven't been there in a long time."
"What's inside the Purgatory Tower?"
"You'll know when we get there," Yue Ran kept it a secret. "I can't climb many floors alone, but it's different with Second Brother. If we team up, maybe we can reach the tenth floor!"
"What's the reward at the top floor?"
"I haven't been there, so I don't know. It's boring anyway, why don't we give it a try?"
"Alright, but we need to make some preparations before we go in."
When Jing Shu arrived with four beautiful maids, Yang Wei and Liu Han were guarding the entrance.
"Is Young Master Xiao Qin here?" Jing Shu asked with a smile. Before, Xiao Qin was just a kitchen helper, so she could call him by his name. But after Yue Ran had injured her because of Xiao Man, she understood that even if Xiao Man was just a helper, being favored by the Young Sect Master meant she wasn't someone she could bully casually.
"Greetings, Aunt Jing Shu," Yang Wei quickly bowed. "The Young Sect Master and Junior Brother Xiao are in seclusion. They instructed us to guard the courtyard and not allow any unauthorized personnel in. Please forgive us, Aunt Jing Shu."
"In seclusion?" Jing Shu looked surprised. "If the Young Sect Master is in seclusion, why not in the training room?"
"Aunt Jing Shu, please forgive us. We servants dare not inquire about the master's affairs."
"Alright, since the Young Sect Master is in seclusion, I won't disturb him. Madam knows that the Young Sect Master usually has no one to attend to him. Now that Young Master Xiao Qin is staying here, Madam is worried he might not be used to it, so she sent me with four maids to serve him. Please make arrangements for them."
Liu Han looked troubled and glanced at Yang Wei.
Yang Wei was cunning. He had to swallow his pride to let the Young Sect Master stay. If he failed to carry out the Young Sect Master's instructions, he feared he would be kicked out.
"Aunt Jing Shu, you must have misunderstood. Junior Brother Xiao Qin is here to serve the Young Sect Master. Why would someone who serves others need to be served?" Yang Wei saw clearly that Jing Shu called Xiao Man 'Young Master' but her eyes were full of disdain. He then belittled Xiao Man in front of Jing Shu and continued, "Besides, we would never dare to let anyone into the Young Sect Master's courtyard without his permission."
"These people are not for the Young Sect Master..."
"Aunt Jing Shu, I understand," Yang Wei interrupted. "If it were other young masters, they would happily accept the maids sent by Madam. But our Young Sect Master is different. He only cares about cultivation and detests disturbances. If I let them in and the Young Sect Master emerges from seclusion and drives them away, that would be the best outcome. What if the Young Sect Master, in his anger, kills them? Wouldn't that damage the mother-son relationship between Madam and the Young Sect Master?"
Jing Shu was taken aback. She hadn't expected a gatekeeper so eloquent. However, she had seen worse.
"You don't need to worry. Madam said these four are for Young Master Xiao Qin..."
"Aunt Jing Shu, the Young Sect Master has forbidden anyone from approaching Junior Brother Xiao Qin's room, not even us," Yang Wei used his trump card. "The Young Sect Master also instructed that if we dare to put a foot into Junior Brother Xiao Qin's room, our feet will be chopped off; if we put a hand in, our hands will be chopped off. If we let these people in, our lives would be forfeit, but it would be a pity for these beautiful young ladies."
Jing Shu's face darkened, but she didn't want to return empty-handed. "They are just some maids to serve..."
"Aunt Jing Shu, please don't make things difficult for us. You watched the Young Sect Master grow up, don't you understand his temper?" Yang Wei said with a troubled expression. "The Young Sect Master always keeps his word. How dare we, as servants, disobey him?"
"So afraid of the Young Sect Master, do you not fear Madam?" Jing Shu reprimanded.
Upon hearing this, Yang Wei sighed helplessly and moved aside. "If Aunt Jing Shu insists on sending them in, I wouldn't dare to stop you. After all, Madam is the Young Sect Master's mother. If the Young Sect Master gets angry, he certainly won't blame Madam. But who can guarantee he won't blame us or you, Aunt Jing Shu? Don't you think so?"
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes. Was this boy threatening her?
"What's your name?"
"Reporting to Aunt Jing Shu, I am Yang Wei. I was recently transferred to the Young Sect Master's side. I am a newly arrived handyman in the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Jing Shu frowned. A handyman? What was going on? Why were the people around the Young Sect Master all handymen?
"You truly won't keep them?"
"Please forgive me, Aunt Jing Shu. We truly cannot keep them," Yang Wei shook his head firmly. He had made up his mind. He would resolutely follow the Young Sect Master. Whatever the Young Sect Master said, he would do. When the Young Sect Master was in conflict with Junior Brother Xiao, he would definitely listen to Junior Brother Xiao, because the Young Sect Master doted on him!
"If, I insist on them staying..."
With a loud rumble, the earth shook. Jing Shu almost fell, and Liu Han sat down on the ground with a thud.
"What happened?" Jing Shu pushed Yang Wei aside, pushed open the door, and saw the messy courtyard. Yue Ran and Xiao Man had fallen in a heap, with Yue Ran pinned underneath Xiao Man.
"Young Sect Master, are you alright?" Jing Shu rushed over, pulled Xiao Man away, and helped Yue Ran up. "Young Sect Master, are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Yue Ran spat out some debris and looked at Xiao Man. "Second Brother, are you alright?"
Xiao Man sat on the ground, wiping medicinal residue from his hair and face. The more he wiped, the messier he became, looking like a painted cat. Yue Ran chuckled when he saw him. "Second Brother, your face..."
"What about my face?" Xiao Man wiped it again, making it even dirtier.
Yue Ran crawled over and used his own sleeve to wipe Xiao Man's face. "Stop wiping with your hands, you're just making it worse. You look like a big painted cat that stole some snacks."
"You're lecturing me, but you're no different," Xiao Man wiped Yue Ran's face with his hand. To his surprise, it became even more smudged. He couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.
Jing Shu watched them acting as if no one else was around and felt a strange sensation. Especially Yue Ran's attitude towards Xiao Man, which she found unbelievable.