C28 Possessing a Master
In Sky Sun City, at the City Gate Inn.
"Young Master... why must you do this, for my sake?" Qiao Wei's voice trembled, her heart aching as she gazed at Jiang Yuan, who had been silent throughout their journey.
Jiang Yuan shook his head, offering Qiao Wei a faint smile. "Wei'er, I'm no longer any 'Young Master.' I'm just Jiang Yuan, not the Eldest Young Master of the Jiang Family. And you... you're free now."
"Eldest Young Master, are you... are you telling me to leave?" Qiao Wei's voice was tinged with disbelief. The thought of leaving Jiang Yuan's side, no longer serving him as a maidservant, had never crossed her mind.
Gently cradling Qiao Wei's delicate cheeks in his hands, Jiang Yuan brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead. Looking deeply into her eyes, he said, "Silly girl, how could I bear to let you go? If you don't wish to leave, then of course I want you to stay with me."
"Young Master..." Overwhelmed by Jiang Yuan's intense gaze, Qiao Wei's body quivered, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson. Gone was her formidable presence from the martial ring where she had stood toe-to-toe with the Great Elder. Now, she seemed like a docile kitten, her body melting into Jiang Yuan's embrace.
"Young Master... I want to be by your side forever." Qiao Wei's eyes sparkled with youthful devotion. Her heart belonged to him, and even if his future accomplishments soared beyond her reach, she would content herself with watching over him from the shadows.
Jiang Yuan was momentarily lost in thought as he held her. The girl he had once watched from afar during his training, the one who had timidly wiped the sweat from his brow after a long day, had grown into someone captivating.
"Young Master, please don't look at me like that..." Qiao Wei stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. Under his steady gaze, she seemed to lose the ability to breathe, her breaths coming in short gasps. Finally breaking free from his hold, she hurried back to her room.
Watching her retreat, Jiang Yuan's smile was tinged with warmth. A mysterious sense of contentment filled his heart—this must be what happiness feels like.
As night enveloped the city, Jiang Yuan donned his black robe once more and slipped quietly out the window.
"How's everything going?"
Jiang Yuan's voice was deep and steady as he regarded the man with the knife scar seated upon the tiger-head chair.
"Sir, your insight is nothing short of prophetic. The eldest son of the Ma Family has indeed acted against type today!"
The scarred man rose quickly at the sight of Jiang Yuan. A patron who nonchalantly tossed twenty thousand gold coins was a rare find indeed.
Unperturbed, Jiang Yuan prompted, "Go on."
"Today, I shadowed the Ma Family's young master myself. And let me tell you, he's incredibly alert. I've never encountered someone so tough to crack, but fortunately, I..."
"Stick to the point."
Jiang Yuan's snort was icy, his displeasure evident.
"Don't fret, Master, I'll get straight to it. The young master had a clandestine meeting with a minor clan leader under the Jiang Family's influence!"
The man with the knife scar hesitated briefly.
"Take this!"
Jiang Yuan, catching the man's drift, casually tossed another 5,000 gold coins his way.
Grinning as he caught the Universe Bag, the scarred man continued, "Master, your generosity knows no bounds. The man is none other than the head of the Wang Family, Wang Ye!"
Jiang Yuan remained expressionless and acknowledged with a simple, "Hmm."
The man leaned in, his voice a whisper, "Sir, is that all for today? Shall I continue my inquiries tomorrow?"
"No need for now. I'll seek you out if there's more," Jiang Yuan replied.
With those words, he vanished into the shadows once more.
"Boss, why the deference? That guy's just a Martial Master at best. With all of us here, what's there to fear?"
"Spit it out! You only see the money? Didn't you notice what he's carrying? Casually tossing around a Universe Bag! Do you have any idea what kind of person that makes him? Someone we can't afford to provoke, that's who!"
