Chapter Forty-Eight: The Cancer of the Southwest—Even Dogs Shake Their Heads

Huang Boren brought in many experts from other regions to take charge temporarily. Under his leadership, the unrest in the southern border was quelled fairly quickly.

During this period, a few opportunists who tried to stir up trouble were sternly warned by him, and none dared to make any real waves. Whether there would be any reckoning later on was anyone’s guess, but such matters were of little importance to Ye Yan, an outsider. His days remained unchanged, with little variation: cooking, playing cards, his routine supervision of Tu Junfang, and accompanying Tu Junfang to meet Liao Zhong and the others—these constituted his work.

Chen Duo’s tasks were largely similar to Ye Yan’s, though she was occasionally assigned missions due to her temporary status. Tu Junfang, for his part, was well-behaved and easy to manage, as enthusiastic about eating as ever, with no inclination to run away. He assisted Liao Zhong and the others wholeheartedly, and the results were quite evident.

...

Three days after resolving the matter in Hake Village, Ye Yan, as promised, met with Huang Boren and two strangers who accompanied him.

The first was a burly man with black curly hair, a hoodie, a beard, and dead-fish eyes. The second was a girl with waist-length blonde hair, blood-red irises, hotpants, and a loose short-sleeve shirt—an adorable young lady?

“Xiao Ye, thank you for your hard work,” Huang Boren warmly grasped Ye Yan’s hand, his tone sincere. Ye Yan responded with a slight smile, “Director Huang, you’re too kind.”

“Let me introduce you, Xiao Ye. These two are colleagues I’ve transferred from other regions. They’ll be taking over your assignments for a while,” Huang Boren explained. “He’s Hei Guan’er from Central China, and the other is Wang Zhenqiu from the Southwest.”

Having introduced them, Huang Boren pointed to Ye Yan, saying, “This is Ye Yan, a prospective North China employee.”

He made introductions for each of them.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Hei Guan was the first to reach out his hand. Both seemed unsurprised by Ye Yan’s presence—they clearly knew about him beforehand.

“Hello,” Ye Yan greeted politely, shaking hands with him. It wasn’t intimate, but he responded with proper courtesy.

Wang Zhenqiu, smiling cheekily, approached Ye Yan and examined him curiously: “So you’re the legendary Night Watchman? You don’t look quite as superhuman as the stories suggest.”

“Just a name,” Ye Yan smiled. “I’m just an ordinary person. Compared to my modest reputation, the ‘Southwest Tumor’ is truly a household name.”

“You’ve heard of me?” Wang Zhenqiu was surprised; it hadn’t occurred to him that Ye Yan would know his reputation.

“I haven’t, but in my time at Tangmen Martial School, your legends are everywhere, especially the slogans on the signboards… They’re unforgettable,” Ye Yan recounted his time in Sichuan, when tales of the Southwest Tumor, Wang Zhenqiu, were rampant. Everyone at martial schools, upon hearing those three words, would grit their teeth as if their ancestral graves had been desecrated.

As for fame and standing, Wang Zhenqiu’s reputation was unquestionable. Even dogs would shake their heads upon hearing it. Anyone daring to invoke his name inside a martial school was liable to be beaten twice as hard.

But Wang Zhenqiu himself had not the slightest self-awareness. He was lively and energetic, frequently visiting Tangmen, and every time he’d be chased from the south to the north of the city, then back again, as gleeful as could be.

Before meeting Wang Zhenqiu, Ye Yan had little concept of thick-skinned individuals, but after hearing about him, even Xu Si would have to call him grandmaster. Ye Yan’s understanding of shamelessness underwent a complete transformation.

At first—
He’d seen it all (stricken out)
He’d never seen anything like this (stricken out)
...
He knew nothing of the world.

Wang Zhenqiu wasn’t offended by Ye Yan’s words; after all, everything Ye Yan said was true. Hands on his hips, he boasted gleefully, “Haha, I’m that famous? Even the Night Watchman’s heard of me!”

“Come on, let’s exchange contact info. If you ever come to Sichuan, find me—I’ll make sure you’re treated like royalty…”

Wang Zhenqiu was quick to make friends.

Ye Yan: “…”

Well, thank you very much. I have no plans to fall out with Tangmen just yet, but if that day comes, I’ll get in touch.

Joking aside, Ye Yan ultimately exchanged contact information with Wang Zhenqiu and Hei Guan’er as well, since the three of them were together.

Anyone entrusted with missions in such places was surely formidable in both skill and status.

The more friends, the more paths open. You never know who you might need in the future. In his years mingling in these circles, Ye Yan had always adhered to the principle of forging connections and making friends—otherwise, he wouldn’t have made it this far.

After a brief chat, Huang Boren interjected at the appropriate moment, not forgetting the reason he’d brought the two. The handover with Tu Junfang was still pending.

“Xiao Ye, walk them through the schedule and any important precautions. Be especially careful around Tu Junfang; pay close attention to your own emotional state when near him, particularly your reaction to desire.”

“His Three Corpses ability is best at triggering desire. Once affected, it’s hard to shake off, and the stronger the person, the deeper the influence.”

“If you have means to stabilize your mind or control your emotions, all the better. That said, this fellow doesn’t seem inclined to run—so long as meals are provided, he shouldn’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

“…”

Ye Yan withheld nothing, earnestly sharing his observations on Tu Junfang from the past few days with Hei Guan’er and Wang Zhenqiu, who listened attentively.

Hei Guan’er needed no explanation; he looked a meticulous sort, careful and precise in speech and action. Even Wang Zhenqiu, usually so flighty, listened closely—proof of Tu Junfang’s Three Corpses Demon reputation.

“These days have been hard on you, Xiao Ye—saving Old Liao, watching Tu Junfang. The company can say what it likes, but I, Huang Boren, owe you a personal favor. If you ever need anything, just ask; within my means, I won’t refuse.”

Huang Boren was straightforward, knowing that words alone meant nothing. He offered a personal favor beyond the company’s usual obligations.

A favor from a company director carried significant weight and value.

“Thank you, Director Huang,” Ye Yan nodded with a smile, not declining.

He’d always believed in earning what he worked for. If saving Liao Zhong was a favor, then watching Tu Junfang was an incident—a private request from Huang Boren.

Ye Yan accepted it with a clear conscience.