Chapter 86: Lending a Hand

After night fell, Dragon Tiger Mountain was no longer as lively as it had been during the day. Both the front and back slopes were shrouded in silence and coolness. Ye Yan sat at a square table, across from Wang Ye and Tang Wenlong—both could be counted as friends with whom he was fairly familiar.

As the initiator of this drinking gathering, Ye Yan naturally acted as the intermediary, introducing the two to each other.

“This is Wang Ye from Wudang Mountain, and this is Tang Wenlong from the Tang Clan. Get to know each other.”

“Hello, Wang Ye.”

“A distinguished disciple of Wudang—I've heard much about you.”

A few polite words were exchanged, and the two could be considered acquainted. Neither Wang Ye nor Tang Wenlong put on airs; both were easy to talk to.

After a few rounds, Tang Wenlong, cheeks flushed, hugged his wine cup and looked at Ye Yan with a grin. “Yezi, you're not much of a friend, are you? You've been on Dragon Tiger Mountain for so long, yet this is the first time you've come out to see me. That's not right.”

Ye Yan sighed helplessly. “I didn't have a choice. It's all because of work.”

“Work? What kind of work?” Tang Wenlong, not too familiar with Ye Yan's recent affairs, asked in puzzlement.

Wang Ye, meanwhile, leaned lazily against his chair, letting out a drunken belch. “He joined Anywhere Gate. This trip to Dragon Tiger Mountain is for a mission.”

“You joined Anywhere Gate?” Tang Wenlong was surprised. “When did that happen? Weren't you with the World Association before?”

Ye Yan set down his cup, his clean face neither flushed nor pale. “It’s been over a month. My contract with the World Association ended, so I left.”

He explained, “It’s just how things worked out.”

“Damn, and you didn't say anything? We haven't seen each other in years, but we're not strangers, are we?”

Tang Wenlong put down his cup and punched Ye Yan hard in the chest. “Forget the rest, but you owe three penalty drinks, or I’ll be mad.”

“Alright.”

Seeing his reaction, Ye Yan gave a wry smile and downed three cups in one go.

Watching him, Tang Wenlong relaxed. “You're still as forthright as ever—no different from when you were with the Tang Clan.”

Tang Wenlong’s gaze turned a bit distant, as if recalling youthful days gone by.

He and Ye Yan had met at the Tang Clan’s martial school. Back then, Ye Yan hadn’t yet become one of the top three prodigies and was far less famous. They’d met by chance and become friends. Even then, Ye Yan had been just as straightforward and easygoing, loyal to his friends and approachable.

Seeing Ye Yan punish himself as he always had, Tang Wenlong felt relieved. Ye Yan was still the same person, not someone who’d let fame go to his head and forget old friends.

Tang Wenlong stared at his wine cup, lost in thought.

Beside him, Wang Ye casually brushed aside his hair draped over his shoulders and yawned, still half-asleep.

“No one comes to the temple for nothing. You’ve been at the Grand Celestial Gathering for days, and this is the first time you’ve come to drink with us. You’re not just here out of nostalgia, are you?”

“Just say what you want to say.”

Ye Yan grinned at the remark. “See? When it comes to friends, Wang Ye’s the sharpest.”

“Get to the point,” Wang Ye retorted, rolling his eyes and ignoring Ye Yan’s flattery.

Ye Yan didn’t bother hiding it. “You’ve both advanced to the third round of the Grand Celestial Gathering, right?”

“We have,” they nodded in turn.

As a disciple of the Tang Clan and an heir to Wudang, both were exceedingly strong—perhaps not as freakishly gifted as Ye Yan, but the Grand Celestial Gathering was hardly enough to stop them. Both were, at the very least, contenders for the semifinals.

“Alright, then I’ll be direct. The main reason I’m here at the Grand Celestial Gathering is to help Zhang Chulan win.”

“Help Zhang Chulan?” Tang Wenlong looked at Ye Yan in confusion.

“Yes, to help Zhang Chulan,” Ye Yan replied earnestly. “So, as a friend, I’d like to ask for your help. If either of you faces Zhang Chulan in the competition, I hope you’ll go easy on him.”

Ye Yan knew Wang Ye and Tang Wenlong well—both were considered prodigies in their sects. If either one faced Zhang Chulan, it certainly wouldn’t be easy for Zhang Chulan to win.

“Why are you helping Zhang Chulan?” Tang Wenlong asked. From his perspective, it was strange enough that Ye Yan would participate in the Grand Celestial Gathering at all, given his status. To do it just to back someone like Zhang Chulan was even more baffling.

“You’re not after that ‘Qi Body Origin’ thing, are you?” Tang Wenlong pondered for a while before landing on the only plausible reason.

“No,” Ye Yan shook his head.

“For Xia He, then?” This time, it was Wang Ye who spoke. He had met both Ye Yan and Zhang Chulan, and clearly knew more about Ye Yan’s situation than Tang Wenlong did. His perspective was naturally deeper.

Moreover, after knowing Ye Yan for so long, Wang Ye understood that Ye Yan was a man of purpose, never one to do anything meaningless. The only plausible explanation for him to join Anywhere Gate and humble himself to attend the Grand Celestial Gathering for someone else had to be this.

“Yes…” Ye Yan didn’t deny it.

The reputation of the All-Faction was taboo for many in the world of the Gifted, but Ye Yan didn’t believe Wang Ye or Tang Wenlong were the type to care about such things. He saw no need to hide the truth.

“You bastard…” Wang Ye drained his cup, ran a hand through his bangs, and gazed at Ye Yan with a complicated expression. “Is that woman really worth all this?”

With Ye Yan’s status and fame, he would be welcomed as an honored guest by any organization. Yet he had joined Anywhere Gate. He was helping Zhang Chulan. None of this fit the kind of person Ye Yan seemed to be. But he had done it anyway, and for a single reason.

“She’s worth it,” Ye Yan answered without hesitation.

Wang Ye was at a loss. “You’re usually so rational. Why do you lose your head over this? She’s with the All-Faction. Don’t trap yourself in a cocoon of your own making.”

To Wang Ye, Ye Yan seemed like a moth drawn to the flame—hurting himself for nothing in return. Yet he was obsessed, blinded by love.

“A cocoon of my own making?” Ye Yan smiled. “Maybe to you, getting involved with Xia He is self-destructive, but to me, nothing is more important.”

“You fool…” Wang Ye looked at him, feeling he was the biggest idiot alive.

Tang Wenlong, meanwhile, didn’t mind so much. He just sighed helplessly. “Looks like Tao Tao doesn’t stand a chance now.”

“Enough—let’s not talk about anything else. Will you help me or not?”