"Master, do I really have to leave the mountain?"
"Mm"
"Can I not go?"
"No, you can't!"
"Well, I'm really leaving then..."
"Get out!"
On the summit of Cloud Top Mountain, a young man in a Taoist robe slowly makes his way downhill, constantly looking back with a longing expression. On his back, he carries a rectangular wooden case, black and unremarkable. At the gates of the Taoist temple on the mountain top, an old Taoist with white hair and long beard waves his hand impatiently, brushing a wet corner of his eye with his sleeve only after the young man is out of sight.
Setting out into the world was a mandatory course for their sect.
As the only disciple of the Unparalleled Sword Sect, Ye Wu Feng was reluctant to leave his master, yet looked forward to the new life awaiting him.
With such a conflicting mindset, he took each step downhill.
One day later, Ye Wu Feng arrived in the Sheep City. As he walked on the streets, people would occasionally point at him. In a prosperous city like this, his attire was indeed conspicuous.
Ignoring the attention, Ye Wu Feng walked to the center of a square, placed his wooden box with a "thump", and then erected a banner next to it, which read:
A newcomer to this esteemed land, with passable martial arts skills, promises to protect and safeguard your household, ensuring a peaceful sleep at night.
Then, he sat down on the spot, crossed his legs, and started meditating.
The square was busy with a large crowd, and soon a group of onlookers gathered, with many voices debating and discussing around him.
"Ah, these young people nowadays, they'll come up with anything for fame,"
"Exactly, but, you can't deny that this fellow looks quite interesting in that outfit, suitable for a historical drama..."
For three consecutive days, there were many onlookers, but none came forward to ask.
A week later, a middle-aged man appeared in front of Ye Wufeng.
Li Guangye came with a try-it-out attitude. Judging by appearances, this young man was indeed unusual. Normally, if someone wanted to be famous, they would stir up controversy for a couple of days and that would be enough. But Ye Wufeng came here every day for a week. He didn't speak, just set up his banner and started meditating.
"You say your kung fu is decent, dare you take up a challenge from my old friend?" Li Guangye didn’t beat around the bush, he outrightly made the proposal.
It's like the saying - drag the mule out for a stroll and you'll know.
Upon hearing this, Ye Wufeng slowly opened his eyes, looked at the old man beside him, and said, "Sure!"
"Sir, how do you propose we compete?" Ye Wufeng stood up and asked.
The old man nodded and smiled, "Let's keep it simple, just a push hands match."
Push hands is a term from Tai Chi, different from the Tai Chi promoted outside. Real Tai Chi push hands embodies the principles of firmness and gentleness. It looks simple, but it's not easy for the common people to be proficient and free with it.
"Okay," Ye Wufeng agreed.
After they matched hands, the old man started testing Ye Wufeng intentionally by using seventy percent of his strength at the beginning. However, his force on Ye Wufeng was like a mud ox entering the ocean, not causing even a ripple.
The old man was greatly surprised, so he used his full strength, but Ye Wufeng in front of him did not move an inch, always looking at him with a smiling face.
It's uncivilized not to return what is received. Ye Wufeng slightly pushed, and the old man only felt a thousand pounds of force coming from his hand. His old face instantly turned red. Just when he was about to fall, he suddenly felt the force from Ye Wufeng's hand disappear instantly.
The old man knew that the individual on the opposite side had promptly withdrawn his strength, saving him from stumbling and embarrassing himself.
Just by the mastery of the skill to control and withhold his power, the old man felt inferior. Since the opposite party had managed to save face for him, he went along with the flow, and pulled his hand back.
"Young man, you have impressive skills!" the elder praised.
"You flatter me, sir," answered Ye Wufeng, giving a cupped fist in palm salute in return.
A look of surprise crossed Li Guangye's face. He knew Zhong Bo's skills better than anyone. What appeared as a simple push and pull between the two just now, seemingly revealed that Zhong Bo was at a disadvantage. Thus, he couldn't help but view Ye Wufeng with a newfound respect and asked:
"May I know your name, young man?"
"Ye Wufeng."
"You are quite the skilled individual, Brother Ye. Incidentally, my daughter needs a bodyguard. The job offers a monthly salary of fifty thousand, with meals and lodging provided. Might you be interested, Brother Ye…?”
"I accept!" Before he could finish, Ye Wufeng had already agreed.
Frankly, if nobody hired him, he might have to eat dirt in a few days.
You know what they say, a hero can be stumped by a single penny!
Li Guangye cracked a faint smile, saying: "Alright, let's go."
Ye Wufeng shouldered his wooden box and followed them.
The three of them arrived at a skyscraper. On seeing Li Guangye, security guards at the entrance promptly straightened up and respectfully said, "Good afternoon, Chairman!"
Li Guangye merely nodded his head, walked into the lobby, and was greeted by two receptionists at the front desk, who then curiously eyeballed Ye Wufeng, trailing behind Li Guangye.
Li Guangye asked Ye Wufeng to wait in the hall and then entered the elevator with Zhong Bo. Therefore, Ye Wufeng took a seat on the sofa in the hall.
"This guy is so weird," whispered one of the girls with careful makeup.
"Yeah, and he's carrying a piece of wood — a real oddball."
Even though they spoke softly, Ye Wufeng's current cultivation was so discerning that he heard every single word clearly. So, he walked up to the reception and said, "Talking behind people's backs is not a good habit."
Ah! When did he come over?
The girl with delicate makeup turned crimson, looking somewhat flustered.
Seeing this, Ye Wufeng gave a slight smile and said, "However, if you tell me your name, I'll let it slide."
"Huh?" The girl clearly didn't expect Ye Wufeng to say this. However, she quickly gathered her wits and said, "Nice to meet you, my name is Cheng Siying."
At this moment, the elevator opened with a 'ding', and a woman in a professional suit stepped out. She looked at Ye Wufeng at the reception desk with some surprise. However, her high professional quality quickly covered her surprise. She said, "Mr. Ye, right? I'm Chu Xiaoxiao from Longsheng Group's HR department. The chairman asked me to come down to process your paperwork. Please come with me."
"Alright." Ye Wufeng responded and walked over to her. However, he quickly turned back to Cheng Siying and said, "My name is Ye Wufeng." After saying this, he entered the elevator with Chu Xiaoxiao.
After the two of them entered the elevator, another woman at the reception then laughed and said, "Although he's a bit strange, he's quite handsome. Siying, maybe you should consider him, hee hee..."
"Stop talking nonsense." Cheng Siying blushed. "It's all your fault. You didn't even tell me when he came over."
"I had no idea, he walks like he's soundless."
...
After reaching the seventh floor with Chu Xiaoxiao and filling out multiple forms, Chu Xiaoxiao finally said, "Mr. Ye, your primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of our president. Your working hours... you need to be on call 24-hours a day. For convenience, you need to live with our president. Do you have any issues with that?"
