Chapter 197: Chapter 0197: The Nobility (Fourth Update)_1
 

The first to enter was a young man of about twenty-four, quite handsome, but not in the delicate pretty-boy way. His facial features were sharp and distinct, and he had an inscrutable aura about him.

Following the young man were three strikingly beautiful women, each with her own style.

Even Lu Rou, who could easily be considered a campus belle, felt outshone in the presence of these three women.

Those who came in were naturally Ye Xiong, Yang Xinyi, Tang Ning, and Ye Yangyang.

“Master Fang Liu, you’re here too?” Ye Xiong’s gaze fell on Fang Liu as he asked indifferently.

When others saw Fang Liu, they would respectfully call him Master Fang Liu, but Ye Xiong did not. He always called others directly by their names. He was not accustomed to calling anyone ‘master’, and to put it bluntly, he didn’t feel the other party deserved it.

“Mr. Ye, you’ve also arrived.” Far from being angry, Fang Liu’s voice even carried a hint of respect.

“Hmm!” Ye Xiong walked over and asked, “Are you Xiao Jiu?”

Xiao Jiu nodded, his eyes fixedly on Ye Xiong, scrutinizing him intently.

On the surface, he didn’t seem any different from the average man! His gaze wasn’t sharp, his presence wasn’t overwhelming, and he didn’t exude a sense of superiority. If Xiao Jiu hadn’t witnessed his prowess the night before, he might have thought Ye Xiong was just an ordinary person.

But it was this man who had brazenly entered the Cloud Guild’s dividend meeting and defeated Fourth Zhao, Master Fang Liu’s personal bodyguard, with a single move. This man was countless times more formidable than Fourth Zhao.

It seemed that Ye Xiong had reached the rumored realm of casually suppressing his aura, a step higher than Fourth Zhao’s realm of outwardly emitting killing intent.

Ye Xiong pulled out a bank card from his pocket and handed it over, saying, “There’s two million in the card, as I promised. It’s yours now. Thank you for saving my cousin.”

“Two million?”

Qiao Le, who had been silent until now, blurted out in disbelief.

Even Lu Rou almost exclaimed in astonishment.

They could never have imagined that he would give such a large sum of money to Xiao Jiu. Didn’t that mean Xiao Jiu had struck it rich?

Xiao Jiu shook his head, not reaching out to take it.

“What, not enough?”

“I don’t want the money,” Xiao Jiu stated.

“You don’t want money, so what do you want?” Ye Xiong asked with a smile.

“I want to join you,” Xiao Jiu said earnestly.

Ye Xiong was taken aback, completely not expecting this request. After a moment, he said, “What use would you have following me? I’m not involved in the underworld, nor do I do business. I’m just an idle man. Even if you follow me, I’ve got nothing to teach you.”

“I want to learn martial arts from you,” Xiao Jiu insisted.

“No,” Ye Xiong shook his head, “It’s too late for you to start learning martial arts, you won’t get far. Besides, I don’t have the time or the leisure to teach you.”

Ye Xiong stuffed the card into his hand, saying, “Money is the most reliable thing. With this sum, you can do many things.”

“I don’t want the money, I just want to learn martial arts from you,” Xiao Jiu persisted.

“I’ll say it again, I’m not taking on disciples. You should just focus on healing up and find a business to do. We have to leave soon. Rest well, and thank you again for saving my cousin,” Ye Xiong said, preparing to leave with the three women.

“Cousin-in-law, wait outside for a moment,” Tang Ning suddenly spoke up.

“What are you doing?” Ye Xiong asked, puzzled.

“I want to give Xiao Jiu a gift. After all, he saved my life,” Tang Ning replied.

“If you’re giving a gift, can’t you do it in front of us?”

“Enough, just go, quit nagging,” Tang Ning retorted.

After pushing Ye Xiong out of the ward, Tang Ning walked over to Xiao Jiu and said disdainfully, “What’s with men these days, getting all dejected at the slightest setback. He refuses you once and you just give up. Didn’t it occur to you to ask a second time, a third…?”

Xiao Jiu looked up and for the first time noticed how pretty the girl in front of him was. Last night he was too focused on saving someone to pay much attention.

“Do I still have a chance?”

“Of course, what’s your phone number?” Tang Ning asked.

Xiao Jiu gave her his number, and after Tang Ning wrote it down, she said, “Heal properly. When you’re done, come to Jiangnan City to find us. Remember to call me before you come, and I’ll tell you what to do.”

With that, Tang Ning turned and left the ward.

Xiao Jiu stared blankly at her retreating figure, the emotions that had cooled down now stirred up again.

He silently resolved to himself that he must succeed in becoming an apprentice.

When Lu Rou saw the way Xiao Jiu was gazing infatuatedly at the girl, a sudden pain flared up in her heart.

After leaving the hospital, Ye Xiong hailed a taxi on the roadside and went straight back to Jiangnan.

“Cousin-in-law, why didn’t you take Xiao Jiu as a disciple? I think he’s a good guy,” Tang Ning asked after getting into the car.

“It’s simple; he’s too mediocre.”

“Can’t you train him into a master, and by turning him into a master, wouldn’t you have another strong arm?”

“You think training a master is like raising pigs, or do you think it’s like playing a mobile game with you, where you just swipe and level up?” Ye Xiong said irritably.

“After all, he showed sincerity, and besides, he saved me. Can’t you make an exception just this once?” Tang Ning said unhappily.

“I’m struggling to protect myself right now, how can I have the time to pay attention to him.”

“What do you mean you’re struggling to protect yourself?” Yang Xinyi asked in shock.

“Just talking.”

The car drove towards Jiangnan City, and the closer they got to Jiangnan, the more uneasy Ye Xiong felt.

Ever since he found out the true identity of Ruan Jingyang, Sister Hua’s husband, his unease had grown.

Subconsciously, he felt there was a significant conspiracy at play here.

It was very possible that Ruan Jingyang was a sudden breach in this conspiracy.

Had he really died?

Where was he?

Did he know the true details of the Demon Hunting operation, whether the Dragon Group or the Intelligence Department was the traitor, or who had betrayed the Reaper Squad?

Without resolving these issues, let alone taking on disciples, he couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to do anything.

In the afternoon, the four of them finally returned to Yang Xinyi’s home.

“Yangyang, from now on this is your home. Play here for a holiday, and when school starts, you can go back,” Yang Xinyi told Ye Yangyang.

“Mm!” Ye Yangyang nodded.

“Yangyang, let me show you to your room.” Tang Ning took Ye Yangyang upstairs.

Downstairs, only Ye Xiong and Yang Xinyi remained.

“Hurry up and move in, don’t let Tang Ning find out you moved out,” Yang Xinyi said.

Turning around, had it come full circle? Did he really have to move back here?

“What’s wrong, unwilling to move back in?” Yang Xinyi asked.

“I’ll drive out this afternoon and move my things back here,” Ye Xiong said.

“Where are your things now?”

“I rented a place and dumped them there, but most of the time, I’ve been staying in hotels.”

“Then you better move back quickly, while Tang Ning is not paying attention, don’t let them find out,” Yang Xinyi cautioned.

In the afternoon, Ye Xiong drove out and, as he passed the hospital, suddenly remembered that Luo Weiwei had been injured and was treated here last time.

Thinking there was still plenty of time, he decided to visit her to see if she had been discharged yet.

“Sister Daxiong, where are you?” Ye Xiong asked directly after making the call.

“Just about to be discharged, what’s up?” Luo Weiwei asked.

“I happen to be driving by, I’ll give you a lift,” Ye Xiong said, surprised by the coincidence.

“Wait for me at the entrance of the hospital.”

After about fifteen minutes, Luo Weiwei walked out, dressed in casual clothes.