Late at night in Ye Xinghan's courtyard, Ye Xinghan and Gyutarou sat together in the gazebo right in front of Ye Xinghan's personal room.
They were enjoying a lavish dinner of meat, luxurious vegetables, and exotic fruits.
Gyutarou ate with gusto, while Ye Xinghan only picked at his food. With his modern palate, he found the dishes lackluster, even if they were prepared by the best chefs in Glory City.
On the other hand, this was the finest meal Gyutarou had ever tasted, so it was understandable of his somewhat uncouth behavior.
"And that's all that happened at the meeting," Ye Xinghan said as he set down his chopsticks.
He recounted the entire event of the emergency meeting from start to finish. Ume had wanted to share the news with Gyutarou personally, but she was snatched away by Ye Xiao, Lu Yingmei, and Ye Qingyu for dinner.
Out of pity, Ye Xinghan decided to dine with Gyutarou, who was pretty much neglected by everyone.
Gyutarou stopped eating when Ye Xinghan finished speaking.
"It went better than I expected," Ye Xinghan said calmly. "It wouldn't be an overstatement to call her a princess now. Hahaha..."
"I always feel sorry for her because I couldn't make her happy," Gyutarou lamented, his eyes reflecting sadness.
"You've done an excellent job keeping her safe. Many would have given up and lived aimlessly if they had suffered as you did," Ye Xinghan reassured him.
"Don't dwell on it too much; those days are over. Now, you have to take on a much more significant role."
"Of course, you won't freeload off me for nothing, hahaha..." Gyutarou laughed, then continued, "So, tell me, what should I do?"
"I want you to be my shadow, to do the dirty work in my stead. My identity is too crucial. My bloodline alone acts as a moral support for the common masses. If I were exposed committing crimes, the consequences would be dire." Ye Xinghan stood from his chair and walked towards the small lake in front of the gazebo.
"You need to get strong as quickly as possible; our enemies are terrifying beyond your imagination."
"So powerful that even the Snow Wind Family couldn't do anything?" Gyutarou asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Hahahaha, even a million, a billion , a trillion such families wouldn't be enough to scratch his skin!" Ye Xinghan laughed darkly.
Gyutarou's heart rate spiked. He suddenly regretted aligning himself with Ye Xinghan. "How could you even offend such an enemy?"
"I am not worthy to offend such a figure," Ye Xinghan said calmly. "Forget it; telling you too much information won't do any good. But realize that we don't have much time, as our lives and all living beings are in danger."
"WTF? Are we going to fight against a god?" Gyutarou asked skeptically.
Ye Xinghan didn't answer directly but shifted the conversation. "Enough about this topic. We currently have a short-term objective that we must achieve at all costs."
"Sigh, okay, what is it?"
"Destroy and uproot the Sacred Family."
"Pppfffttt." Gyutarou spat his tea out of his mouth. "Are you serious?"
"I'm not in the mood for joking. Do you know that during every beast horde, the Sacred Family is the only one with no casualties?"
"Really? That's odd."
"Exactly. Anyone would fight to the death if their homeland were at risk of being exterminated. But not the Sacred Family. Moreover, after every demon beast horde, the Sacred Family's strength increases significantly. They were just a small, ordinary family forty years ago, but now they stand shoulder to shoulder with the Snow Wind Family."
"So, you're afraid that the Sacred Family will replace the Snow Wind Family as the highest authority?" Gyutarou deduced.
"I would gladly step aside for any other family more capable than ours. But we must never let it happen with the Sacred Family." Ye Xinghan's eyes glinted as he stared directly into Gyutarou's eyes. "Do you know why?" he asked in a chilling voice, not waiting for a response. "It's because the Sacred Family and the Dark Guild are in cahoots!" Ye Xinghan said through gritted teeth.
Gyutarou was petrified, as if struck by lightning. He couldn't believe that one of the strongest families was cooperating with a terrorist organization that everyone despised.
"This...this..." Gyutarou stuttered.
"This is verified information known only to me. A hundred percent fact!" Ye Xinghan asserted.
"Our time is short; we must get strong as fast as possible. We only have about seven years of peace before chaos erupts within and outside Glory City!"
Hearing this, Gyutarou shook off his earlier fear and nodded firmly. "I will do my best!"
Ye Xinghan smiled at Gyutarou's determination and pulled out a scroll from his ring, handing it to him. "This is the 'Hundred Jade Ancient Code.' It will make you more sensitive to danger and poison, enhance your reflexes and dexterity. In short, your attack speed will be much faster than before. You will practice this technique until you reach Black Gold Rank!"
Gyutarou silently looked at the scroll before accepting it. He took a deep breath and bowed once more.
"Save your gratitude and show me results instead," Ye Xinghan said. "You are dismissed."
Gyutarou nodded and walked back to his appointed room.
Ye Xinghan watched his back silently.
'Nie Li, you must return in this lifetime!'