Chapter 132: Weakness

However, Ye Xin and Wen Rong appeared very close in public. Once they were alone, the atmosphere would grow subdued. Wen Rong would often stare into space in silence, while Ye Xin would become far less talkative, no longer as eloquent as he was before others.

Han Sanmei and Wang Fang returned to Nine Cauldron City one after the other. Just as Ye Xin had expected, Han Sanmei handed over the Marshal’s Command Token without the slightest hesitation. Once again, Ye Xin’s actions exceeded everyone’s expectations. Now that he possessed the elite troops of the city defense force, he ought to have been delighted and begun reorganizing them at once. Instead, he ignored military affairs and continued spending every day with Wen Rong.

Of course, to the important ministers at court, becoming entangled in romantic affairs was hardly a serious matter. Ye Xin was not yet nineteen, after all, and was still young. But one man was beginning to feel restless: Tie Xins heng.

Ye Xin knew Tie Xins heng was growing impatient. He was waiting—waiting for Tie Xins heng to hand him the blade.

That day, only Ye Xin and Wen Rong were drinking at the Hall of Trust and Righteousness. The attendants there knew that Ye Xin had a close relationship with Mo Yan, leader of the Righteous Alliance, so they had given Ye Xin the most elevated private room, with the broadest view and the most luxurious decorations.

The dishes he ordered were all rare delicacies from land and sea. Ye Xin seemed to have returned to his former life as a spoiled young master, spending money as though it meant nothing.

There was far too much food for two people, and Wen Rong did not seem to be in the mood to cook or eat. She took only a few bites before moving her chair to the window, opening it, and gazing at the moonlight spilling across the night.

Only Ye Xin remained, eating a bite here and there. At one point, an attendant knocked and entered, handing him a stack of confidential documents. Taking advantage of the candlelight, Ye Xin flipped through them one by one.

“Why?”

Wen Rong’s sudden question broke the silence.

What was bound to come had finally arrived. Had Wen Rong reached the limit of her endurance?

Ye Xin sighed inwardly, set down the documents, and moved his chair beside hers. With natural ease, he reached over and gathered a strand of her hair.

“I am a man without weaknesses. Even if I have any, I have hidden them well,” Ye Xin said slowly. “But that will not do. It makes it impossible for others to judge me, and impossible for them to trust me.”

“And so?” Wen Rong turned to look at him, her eyes bright and piercing.

“So I need to give myself another weakness. Whether it is fabricated or deliberately created, I must have one.” Ye Xin smiled. “Then they will suddenly understand. Ah… so that is how it is! Before this, they may have regarded me as some primordial beast that ignored all rules and acted as it pleased. Once they discover this weakness, they will relax and begin paying attention to the ways I can be useful to them. Only then will it be convenient for me to accomplish certain things.”

He hesitated, then continued, “Some people are proud by nature and regard the word ‘useful’ as an insult. I do not see it that way. To be useful is to possess value. All along, I have been trying every possible way to become someone useful to others. Usefulness creates interaction; interaction creates cause and effect; cause and effect develops into logic. And only through logic can I find energy to exploit.”

“I am your weakness?” Wen Rong smiled faintly. “Why me? Why not Ye Ling?”

“Because we are engaged. You are the most natural and perfect choice. Even the most suspicious person would not doubt it,” Ye Xin said. “Ye Ling is effective only against my enemies. But the people I am referring to are not merely enemies. They also include those watching me from the shadows, as well as those preparing to work with me.”

“If I am your weakness, then by your reasoning, I am also someone useful to you. We will interact? We will create cause and effect?” Wen Rong asked.

“Yes.” Ye Xin nodded.

“Lastly, I want to know whether this weakness of mine was created by you or fabricated by you. That matters greatly to me.” Wen Rong spoke very slowly.

“Heh… I always felt that you were different from ordinary girls. Indeed… every word strikes straight at the heart.” Ye Xin laughed. “To tell you all this today was actually a great risk. If you had begun making a scene, crying, condemning me, and accusing me, my plans would have had to change substantially. Fortunately, I did not misjudge you. You were actually able to calm down and have a serious conversation with me… Heh, heh, heh. I am a strange person. In truth, so are you.”

“Why did you assume I would not cry and make a scene? Have you seen me before?” Wen Rong asked.

Ye Xin was left speechless. Should he tell her?

Wen Rong reached out, pulled the tablecloth free, and slowly draped it over Ye Xin’s head. He was somewhat bewildered, unable to figure out what she intended to do.

She adjusted the cloth until it covered most of his face, then crouched down and looked upward at him. A smile spread across her lips.

“The Black Robe. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Ye Xin yanked off the tablecloth. He smacked his lips and sighed. “I knew Mountain Cannon was an idiot. There was no way he could keep my secret.”

Whether Wen Rong had merely been testing him or had truly recognized him, he no longer wished to deny it. After all, he owed her too much to look her in the eye and lie.

“He did not tell me anything.” Wen Rong shook her head. “But I know that Zong Yunjin once ordered him to assassinate you. When he came back, his expression was terrible, and he kept cursing Zong Yunjin. I had never seen him so afraid of anyone. Even when he mentioned High Chancellor Han or Grand Minister Wang—those Pillars of the State—he was completely unconcerned. Why was he afraid of you?”

“You suspected me even then?” Ye Xin asked.

“No. Truthfully, I was rather foolish… I was only a little puzzled. But after thinking it over, I decided it was impossible.” Wen Rong smiled bitterly. “You said so much to me just now. Since the day we met, this was the first time you had ever spoken to me so seriously. The intensity in your voice… reminded me of what happened in the Ancient Forest, so I decided to test you.”

“You win,” Ye Xin said.

“Since you have already said that I am not an ordinary person, do not try to fool me with such childish tricks.” Wen Rong said. “You still have not answered my question. Is this weakness of mine something you created, or something you fabricated?”

Ye Xin concentrated and pondered for a moment.

“You were neither created nor fabricated. You were meant to be my weakness from the beginning.”

Wen Rong remained silent for a long while before speaking again.

“I feel that you are preparing to do something momentous, yet you are filled with apprehension. You already possess the combat strength of a Pillar of the State. What is there left for you to fear?”

“My foolish girl, this world has rules. Who can stand against the entire realm by relying on his own strength alone?” Ye Xin shook his head. “Take Zong Yunjin, for example. I could kill him with a wave of my hand, but I must do it during the finals. That would be in accordance with the rules. If I were walking down the street, happened to dislike the look of him, and kicked him to death, then the entire Zong family would rise up and fight me to the bitter end. Fine—even if I were powerful enough to wipe out the Zong family, the Sovereign would never forgive me. If I continued my madness and killed the Sovereign as well, I would inevitably attract the attention of the Azure Cloud Sect. And then… suppose I encountered some great opportunity and uprooted the Azure Cloud Sect too. Do you think that would finally bring everything to an end? No! Even more powerful sects would emerge!”

Wen Rong listened quietly.

“Once you violate the rules, you have set foot upon a road of no return. Everything will remain unsettled until the rules crush you into pieces.” Ye Xin sighed. “Do you think being a Pillar of the State is truly impressive? Heh… In the eyes of genuine cultivators, a Pillar of the State is nothing! So all I can do is wait in silence.”

“Wait for what?” Wen Rong asked.

“Wait for the rules to hand me the blade.” Ye Xin said. “Then I can use the blade of the rules to destroy the rules themselves, and I will have a justification to offer.”

Wen Rong exhaled softly and raised her head to look at the night sky.

“It is getting late. I should go home.”

“I will take you,” Ye Xin said, rising to his feet.

“No need. I will walk back myself. It will give me time to think.” Wen Rong seemed worried that Ye Xin might misunderstand, so she added, “Come pick me up for school tomorrow.”

“All right.” Ye Xin nodded.

Wen Rong left the private room. A moment later, she stepped alone onto the street. Ye Xin watched her quietly from the window. Before long, seven or eight figures emerged from the Hall of Trust and Righteousness and followed behind her.

They were Mo Yan’s people, assigned to protect Wen Rong. After Ye Xin killed Zong Yunjin, he and the Zong family had become mortal enemies. But if the Zong family intended to strike at the Ye family, they would choose Ye Xin’s relatives and household guards as targets, not Wen Rong.

Besides, Ye Xin’s reputation was now at its height. Slaying Zhuang Buxiu in battle and achieving a theoretical perfect score in the academy tournament were undeniable accomplishments. With Tie Xins heng deliberately encouraging the matter, Ye Xin had already become a young hero in the eyes of the people of Great Wei.

This was probably why the Zong family had remained so quiet in recent days. To deal with Ye Xin, they would have to be prepared to tear off all pretense with Tie Xins heng and risk being expelled from Great Wei altogether.

“My lord, White Cavalier has arrived.” Mo Yan’s voice came from outside.

The door to the private room opened. Xue Baiqi, Hao Fei, and Mo Yan filed inside. Ye Xin turned to examine Xue Baiqi’s expression and asked in a low voice, “What happened?”

“Autumn Inspector Qiu has just received an imperial decree ordering him to lead the new recruits from the two great camps to the southern front tonight,” Xue Baiqi said with a frown. “Several veteran generals were transferred away the day before yesterday, and now Qiu is being sent away as well? What is Tie Xins heng trying to do? And he is leaving tonight—this is far too sudden. Besides, my lord is the commanding general. Regardless of how his subordinates are to be deployed, the order should never have bypassed him and gone directly to the military camp. Does that not make my lord a mere figurehead? Could it be that Tie Xins heng has already sensed our plans and intends to scatter and dismantle our strength piece by piece?”

“You are overthinking it.” Ye Xin smiled. “Tie Xins heng is merely testing me. He wants to know whether I am an easily manipulated child. To put his mind at ease, we will pretend not to know anything and let him do as he pleases. Tomorrow… Iron Lantern and Qiu Xiang will probably come looking for me as well, to see what I am really thinking.”

“If my lord believes there is nothing to worry about… then I will go report back to General Qiu. He is waiting for your orders,” Xue Baiqi said.

“Very well.” Ye Xin nodded.