Chapter 195 - 194: Outsiders and Insiders
The Yang Residence had many new faces, and with them, a new sense of vitality.
This must be the effect of a "Warm Residence."
Yang Shen was still lying on the "Patriarch’s Throne," his eyes closed in relaxation.
"You should move in tomorrow. This place has been cleaned up. You’ll be in the West Wing—you can use the entire floor however you like. My aunt, Yang Mo, and Yang Man are downstairs. I’ve already cleared it with them."
Xu Bamboo’s face flushed again. "I’m still... a little scared."
"Scared I’ll eat you up?"
A thought popped into Xu Bamboo’s head, as if by some strange impulse.
’I’m not afraid of you eating me. I’m afraid you’ll eat me and then spit me back out.’
After her "Breaking the Cocoon and Rebirth," Yang Shen had come to occupy too large a space in her world.
He was so important that she started to worry that the closer they got, the easier it would be to grow distant.
She had looked forward to this all summer, yet she was still nervous. This was probably why it was so difficult for "best friends" to take the next step.
Xu Bamboo looked down at her long legs and offered a timid suggestion. "How about... I live in the Outer Courtyard? Everyone else is in the Outer Courtyard. It’s... weird for me to be the only one in the inner courtyard... And I’d have Meng Meng for company."
But Yang Shen just smiled. "No, you have to live in the inner courtyard. The Outer Courtyard is for outsiders."
Xu Bamboo’s cheeks began to burn...
She had completely forgotten that as a little rich girl, she could live wherever she wanted. It was as if the Yang Residence were the only habitable place on all of Cyan Blue...
Xu Bamboo could only suppress her anxiety and try to change the subject, looking up at the top floor of the ancestral hall. "By the way, that person up there... Don’t they get tired? I feel like they’re always up there... They don’t even come down to eat."
Yang Shen opened his eyes slightly. ’As expected of you, Zhuzi...’
Long Jiu was at the Middle Stage of Innate and was a master of concealment. At home, his aunt and the four little ones had all failed to notice Long Jiu’s presence.
Even at the housewarming banquet today, no one had detected her. Only Xu Bamboo had managed it. She was likely just a hair’s breadth away from the Innate realm herself.
However, she had only sensed a presence, unable to even distinguish if they were male or female.
Yang Shen hesitated for a moment, then decided the time was about right.
Xu Bamboo had met Long Jiu before; she couldn’t have forgotten the fight at Jinshui Villa... After all this time, the police had already completed their general investigation, and Ye Qingyao’s death had been blamed on the "Rebel Species."
As the saying goes, everyone benefited from Ye Qingyao’s death. Yang Shen wished he could pop a bottle of champagne over her grave and pour one out for her soul.
But... he couldn’t let Xu Bamboo get trapped in a dilemma between "worldly morality" and "her heart’s true desires."
This was one of the reasons Yang Shen had wanted to figure out Long Jiu’s origins.
With the move to the new residence and a temporary lull from the Rebel Species, it was time to settle some matters.
Today wasn’t just a housewarming; the Yang Family had also gained two "insiders."
Yang Shen stretched. "She’s a guard for the Yang Family. It’s tough work, for sure, but it’s also her duty."
Xu Bamboo’s large eyes darted around. "I understand you less and less. Now you even have guards..."
"Once you move in, you’ll find there’s even more you don’t understand. And what’s more, you know this guard."
Xu Bamboo’s eyes widened. "I know them? Who?"
Yang Shen sat up straight. "It’s a long story. Let me tell you a story."
In the inner courtyard, for a time, there was only the sound of Yang Shen’s soft voice and the sight of Xu Bamboo’s ever-widening eyes.
....
Half an hour later, Xu Bamboo was still in a state of shock.
"Are you saying... the Training Camp, the Big Pharmacy, my house.... the Rebel Species was behind all of it?"
Yang Shen nodded.
"And you’ve been fighting a battle of wits with the Rebel Species this whole time... and even went looking for trouble with them over the summer?"
Yang Shen nodded again.
Xu Bamboo frowned. "Then why didn’t you ask me to help?"
’Well, I hadn’t expected Zhuzi’s focus to be on that.’
Xu Bamboo felt a pang of disappointment, thinking she was too weak to help Yang Shen.
Yang Shen shook his head. "When I first gained control of Long Jiu, I didn’t know her backstory. Although she didn’t seem to have any self-awareness, she was still connected to the Rebel Species and what happened at Jinshui Villa. I didn’t tell you because I was being considerate of your feelings."
Yang Shen was being sincere. He didn’t want any rifts to form between him and Zhuzi, so he was laying everything bare.
Xu Bamboo felt a little touched. As shocking as it all was, it was better than being deceived.
With Long Jiu’s Middle Stage of Innate cultivation, she could obviously hear their conversation by the lotus pond.
But Yang Shen was completely open, both with Xu Bamboo and with Long Jiu, even though the latter’s mind was almost nonexistent.
Yang Shen himself found it hard to describe this frankness. In truth, it was partly due to Director Liang’s influence...
’To plot against people, to plot against events... it’s not impossible to do so openly and honorably.’
’When handling matters, be like Director Liang. When handling people, follow the example of Huo the Madman.’
Yang Shen said sincerely,
"She’s very strong and very young. After I discovered that my Family Secret Technique could control her, I naturally thought of taking her in for my own use. But I also needed to eliminate any hidden dangers, which is why I started pursuing the Rebel Species."
"Ahem, but don’t worry, I haven’t... you know... done anything to her. I’m not sure if her mind was just temporarily sealed by the Rebel Species. If she gets her wits back one day and comes looking for revenge, that would be a problem. I kept her purely for the sake of the family’s future plans."
Xu Bamboo didn’t doubt Yang Shen on this point. Or rather, in a chain of events this incredible, focusing on something like that would have been rather petty.
She wasn’t the type to be pretentious or dramatic, obsessed with what’s in a man’s pants all day long.
Xu Bamboo sighed. "How pitiful... Used as a test subject since she was a child, and her mind was even sealed. Is there a way to restore it?"
Yang Shen shook his head. "Not at the moment. The answer to that probably lies in the ’Si Realm’... In the short term, the only chance to go there is Jiangti’s ’Exotic Realm Exploration Practicum.’ But we’re freshmen, so it won’t be happening anytime soon."
"But... I feel like she has changed a little. At first, she couldn’t communicate at all, only follow commands from the Family Secret Technique. Now, she can understand what people are saying."
Xu Bamboo took a deep breath. "Then... can I meet her?"
Yang Shen smiled. "I was planning to have you two meet anyway. Besides, I have other arrangements to make."
By now, the night had deepened. In both the inner and Outer Courtyards, most people were already asleep.
Yang Shen led Xu Bamboo into the ancestral hall, lit three sticks of incense, and bowed in respect.
Xu Bamboo followed Yang Shen’s movements, staying half a step behind him and performing the ritual with solemn precision.
Yang Shen smiled. "You don’t actually have to bow."
Xu Bamboo averted her beautiful, large eyes. "I’m... living in the inner courtyard now. I should bow."
Yang Shen gave a slight smile and didn’t press the issue.
"Shenzi, the Martial Arts Clans from hundreds of years ago you wrote about in your books... are they real?"
Apparently, Xu Bamboo had read quite a bit of Yang Shen’s filler-padded books over the summer.
In fact, she had bought four copies of each one: one to read, one to collect, one as a spare, and one as a spare for the spare.
As bestsellers, the name "Jianghuai Yang Family" had already spread far and wide. The rest was up to his own efforts.
Of course, comparing them to Jiang Xin’s family... was still unrealistic.
Yang Shen spread his hands. "It’s half-true, half-false. These really are the ancestors of the Yang Family, but as for whether we count as a Martial Arts Family..."
"That’s for our generation to decide."
His words already treated Xu Bamboo as one of his own.
After offering the incense, Yang Shen headed upstairs.
On the fourth floor of the ancestral hall, Long Jiu was hidden in the darkness, silent.
After getting permission, Xu Bamboo stepped forward, took Long Jiu’s hands, and studied her carefully.
It was the girl from that night... Her eyes were indeed as vacant as a doll’s.
Zhuzi didn’t know what to say, so she just squeezed Long Jiu’s hands.
Seeing Zhuzi’s reaction, Yang Shen knew that today’s matter had been handled properly.
He then walked over to the two of them, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked down over the entire Yang Residence.
"Xu Bamboo, with this matter settled, I, in my capacity as Patriarch of the Yang Family, formally extend an invitation to you."
Xu Bamboo, still holding Long Jiu’s hand, shot him a questioning glance.
"The Yang Family is on the rise. Are you willing to become an... Honored Guest Elder of the ’Jianghuai Yang Family’?"
’Guest Elder for now, I guess, even though she’s one of us.’
’Can’t promote her right off the bat.’
Yang Shen grinned. "There are benefits, you know~"
Xu Bamboo didn’t quite understand, but then she figured she just needed to trust Yang Shen.
It didn’t matter if she didn’t understand; she was willing to accept any invitation from him.
Yang Shen said, "Think it over carefully. If you agree, then from now on, even if people from the Xu Family come, you can only be a member of the Yang Family."
Xu Bamboo said seriously, "A person can only have one home. I understand..."
To have a home... to be by Yang Shen’s side... she asked for nothing more, leaving only her dream of pursuing the Extreme Martial Arts Realm.
But what she didn’t know was that Yang Shen intended to give her a helping hand.
To guide her onto a wide, open road to success!
Just like in high school, when Xu Bamboo had tried to guide Yang Shen onto her path. Only now, the tables had turned...
A little wildcat was pulling another wildcat forward, but along the way, the latter had turned into a great tiger.
Well then, let’s be ferocious together!
Yang Shen turned around and said with a serious expression,
"From this day forward, you two are now... insiders... of the Yang Family. And I mean ’in’ as in the opposite of ’out’."
"The Family Secret Techniques are never passed to outsiders. That being the case... today, as Patriarch, I will transmit to you both... the first Chapter of the Yang Family Secret Transmission of the Ancient Skill."