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The Eldest Young Lady appeared flustered when she saw the young private guard, who steadfastly stood in front of her to fend off all the danger for her previously. Although there was no part of his body that was left intact, he still never moved away.
Behind her stood a pretty woman, who was supposed to be Meng Ruâs maidservant. She looked curiously at Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong, though most of her attention was drawn to Yang Kai. Yin Zhi Yong was older and not very handsome, so there was nothing worth seeing about him.
âGreetings, Eldest Young Lady.â
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong saluted her at the same time.
Meng Ru nodded and gazed at Yang Kai with concern, âHow are you feeling? Did you use the healing medicine I told Cuiâer to send to you?â
Yang Kai lowered his head and replied, âI am well. Many thanks for your concern, Eldest Young Lady. It is thanks to your medicine that I have recovered sooner than expected.â
âThatâs good.â Meng Ru put on a smile, âI didnât know what medicine would work for you, and they didnât allow me to visit you. I wish I could have done so âŠâ
Yang Kai quickly said, âEldest Young Lady, you are a noble woman, so it is not appropriate for you to step into the outer court where the men live. Your reputation would be tarnished if word got out.â
Meng Ru sighed, âThat is what they all said.â She appeared dejected.
However, she soon put on a bright smile, âI can be at ease now since youâre fine. I was frightened when I saw you looking so horrible. I thought you would die.â
Yang Kai lifted his head and flashed a smile at her, âWell, it is not so easy to kill me.â
Seeing that he was so impudent, the maidservant, who was standing behind Meng Ru, frowned with displeasure and shot him a glare. She interrupted their conversation by saying, âSince you two have made a contribution, the Eldest Young Lady has asked the Patriarch to transfer you to this place. You must fulfil your duties and ensure the Eldest Young Ladyâs safety at all costs.â
âWe will remember,â Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong cupped their fists.
The maidservant then whispered to Meng Ru, âEldest Young Lady, itâs getting late. You must take your medicine now.â
âIsnât it still being prepared? Just wait a while longer,â Meng Ru replied.
The maidservant shook her head, âThe medicine is indeed being prepared, but you were quite frightened previously. The doctor has said that you must recuperate without being disturbed for the time being.â
A helpless Eldest Young Lady let out a sigh, âFine.â
With the help of the maidservant, she rose from the chair and spoke to Qian Qian, who had led Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong to this place, âShow them around the inner court and find a place for them to live.â
âYes,â Qian Qian saluted her in an elegant manner.
The maidservant then helped the Eldest Young Lady Meng Ru walk up the stairs while Qian Qian said to the two of them in a small voice, âPlease come with me.â
Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong thanked her before taking a stroll around the surrounding area with Qian Qian leading the way.
The place where the Eldest Young Lady lived wasnât large, but there were still some places that they had to pay attention to lest they failed to discover some ill-intentioned people who hid there when the enemies struck again.
While following the maidservant, Yang Kai looked around and memorised the terrain. Since he was now responsible for protecting Meng Ru in the inner court, he had to put in his best effort.
Furthermore, he had to find a way to win the Eldest Young Ladyâs heart in order to break the Heart Barrier that Qu Hua Shang had set up before this reincarnation.
A moment later, Qian Qian brought them to a tile-roofed house, âThis is where you will be living, as it is not far away from the Eldest Young Ladyâs room. When youâre not on duty, you can just remain here and be ready for any emergencies.â
âMany thanks, Lady Qian Qian.â Yin Zhi Yong thanked her and passed her a package as a gesture of friendliness.
Qian Qian apparently had no idea what was going on as she took the package. When she realised what was inside, she quickly passed it back to him and waved her hands, âThereâs no need for that.â
Yin Zhi Yong said with a smile, âWeâll need your advice in many areas in the future. Please donât turn me down as itâs just a small gift.â
âThereâs really no need for that.â Qian Qian was flushing, âI-I just joined the Meng Manor not long ago, so thereâs no advice I could give you.â
Yin Zhi Yong was startled, âYou just joined the Meng Manor not long ago?â
âYes.â Qian Qian nodded repeatedly as she appeared uneasy.
Yin Zhi Yongâs interest had been piqued. Supposedly, the maidservants by the Eldest Young Ladyâs side must have passed a lot of tests and proven their loyalty to the Meng Manor. The new servants didnât even have the right to enter the inner court, let alone serve the Eldest Young Lady.
âWhen did you join?â Yin Zhi Yong asked curiously.
âAbout a month agoâŠâ Qian Qian replied in a small voice.
Yin Zhi Yong was dumbfounded as he gave her a thumbs-up, âYouâre truly lucky to have the right to serve the Eldest Young Lady after only a month.â
Qian Qian hung her head low, âI donât understand either. After the previous incident, I was told to send some medicine to the Eldest Young Lady. When she saw me, she decided to make me stay.â
âI see.â Yin Zhi Yong thought that she was extremely lucky. He was a private guard while Qian Qian was a maidservant. In the past over ten years, he had always been an insignificant private guard in the outer court. If not for the contribution he had inadvertently made, he wouldnât have been transferred to the inner court. On the other hand, Qian Qian had only been working here for a month, but she could get into the inner court just because the Eldest Young Lady was fond of her. In comparison, his journey was much tougher, which made him feel a bit bitter.
With that said, Qian Qian was indeed beautiful and innocent-looking, so it was no wonder that the Eldest Young Lady was fond of her.
Upon learning that Qian Qian wasnât a long-time maidservant of the Eldest Young Lady, Yin Zhi Yong became much more at ease. At the very least, he didnât have to fawn over her.
Yang Kai, who had remained silent all along, suddenly asked, âThe woman beside the Eldest Young Lady is named Cuiâer?â
Qian Qianâs figure shook a little, as though Yang Kai had scared her by talking suddenly. With a blushing face, she replied, âYes, sheâs Big Sister Cuiâer. She has been serving the Eldest Young Lady since she was a child. They grew up together.â
Yang Kai nodded his head then fell silent.
A short while later, Qian Qian left.
Yin Zhi Yong closed the door and asked in a small voice, âLittle Brother Yang, is there anything wrong the Eldest Young Ladyâs maidservant, Cuiâer?â
He thought that Yang Kai had discovered something when the latter asked that question suddenly. He couldnât help but speculate that Cuiâer might be a mole sent to this place by those from Hidden Treasure Peak. Would they make another contribution not long after coming to the inner court?
âThereâs nothing wrong with her.â Yang Kai didnât know what was on his mind, âItâs just that the Eldest Young Lady said she had told Cuiâer to send some healing medicine to me.â
After giving it a thought, Yin Zhi Yong replied, âYes, thatâs what she said.â
âHad you ever met Cuiâer before that?â Yang Kai asked.
Yin Zhi Yong shook his head, âNoâŠâ
He suddenly realised something, âYouâve saved the Eldest Young Lady, and judging from her reaction today, thereâs no doubt that sheâs grateful to you. In that case, she would definitely send the most important maidservant to visit you; however, it was Lady Qian Qian who had been visiting you every day when you were recuperating.â
He initially thought that Qian Qian was someone important to the Eldest Young Lady, but it was apparently not the case. It had only been a month since she joined the Meng Manor, and she had only begun serving the Eldest Young Ladyâs side after the incident.
The most important maidservant to the Eldest Young Lady should be Cuiâer, who grew up with her.
âWhy was that?â Yin Zhi Yong was puzzled.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, âI suppose Lady Cuiâer received the Eldest Young Ladyâs order, but she was too lazy or frightened to visit a person who was horribly injured, so she told Lady Qian Qian to visit me instead. After Lady Qian Qian reported everything to her, she would then report to the Eldest Young Lady.â
Upon learning what had happened, Yin Zhi Yong gave Yang Kai a thumbs-up, âYouâre indeed clever since youâre able to figure out so many things from what the Eldest Young Lady had said. It was no wonder that you decisively ran after the bandits that night. To be honest, when I saw you leaving, I thought that you were escaping.â
Yang Kai put on a smile without responding to him.
Yin Zhi Yong asked curiously, âLittle Brother, how did you know that the Eldest Young Lady was kidnapped?â
Yang Kai replied, âI didnât know. I just speculated that someone was taken away from the inner court. I had no idea she was the Eldest Young Lady.â
âThatâs incredible enough.â Admiration was written all over Yin Zhi Yongâs face as he chuckled, âI am incredible as well. I followed you as soon as I saw you running after the bandits.â
In fact, he didnât have the confidence to ward off the enemies on his own after Yang Kai left the place, so he had no choice but to follow him.
With a frown though, he said, âThis incident shows us that itâs not easy to deal with Lady Cuiâer. Weâd better be cautious so that she wonât be able to find fault with us.â
Yang Kai nodded. He had a feeling that if he wanted to win the Eldest Young Ladyâs heart, Cuiâer would be an obstacle.
Certainly, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong were not the only private guards in the inner court. In fact, there were a lot of private guards, and they were significantly more powerful than the ones in the outer court.
After the previous incident, the Eldest Young Lady no longer trusted the personal bodyguards in the inner court though. It wasnât that she was willful, but she was taken away by the bandit under the watch of so many personal bodyguards, so trust had indeed been lost.
That was the reason she wanted Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong by her side. Patriarch Yin Zhi Yong doted on his eldest Daughter, so he directly agreed to this request.
Despite that, he had still told some personal bodyguards to hide around the Eldest Young Ladyâs residence. All of them had profound auras; however, the Eldest Young Lady and the maidservants were unaware of their presence as they had never cultivated before.
When Yang Kai came over from the building earlier, he detected some people who secretly examined him. Of course, he didnât react despite knowing what was going on.
When Yang Kai agreed to become the Eldest Young Ladyâs personal bodyguard, he also made a request to the Patriarch, and it seemed the Meng Family was as efficient as they were wealthy.
They entered the inner court in the morning, and by the afternoon a sword and a saber were presented to Yang Kai.
The saber was similar to the ones given to the private guards in the Meng Manor. The characters âStirring Cloudsâ were engraved on the hilt. When he pulled out the weapon, a dazzling glint flashed through the blade.
The simple-looking sword was about one metre long, but the blade was shiny and sharp. When he flicked at the blade, a sword cry rang out for quite some time. The characters âCovering Rainâ were engraved on its hilt.
Yin Zhi Yong was dumbstruck when he saw these two blades.