Chapter 337: Fighting in the Arena

Chapter 337: Fighting Arena

After Lu Hanchuan left, Ye Xiaoxiao swept the courtyard herself.

It was late September, and there were noticeably more fallen leaves.

They really ought to hire someone else for this yard.

Ye Xiaoxiao had only swept halfway when she realized she might not be cut out for this.

Lu Hanchuan’s bodyguards showed up, interrupting her sweeping.

One familiar face stood out—Cheng Peng, whom she’d met before.

Alongside him were several unfamiliar men and a badass short-haired woman.

The men all shared one thing in common—they were built like tanks.

The short-haired woman, on the other hand, had a don’t-mess-with-me vibe.

“Sister-in-law,” Cheng Peng said, “we’re here to report in. We’ll watch your back and protect you discreetly without interfering with your daily routine.”

Ye Xiaoxiao told them to make themselves at home in the courtyard.

Cheng Peng, despite his hulking frame, looked kinda awkward. “Sister-in-law, you’re sweeping? Let us help.”

Ye Xiaoxiao grinned. “Hell yeah!”

She’d been worried about getting the yard clean by herself.

She handed Cheng Peng the broom and went inside to brew a pot of chrysanthemum tea.

Teamwork got the job done fast—the yard was soon spotless.

Cheng Peng said, “Hong’s got night duty with you. We’ll handle days.”

This arrangement was to spare Ye Xiaoxiao the hassle, since she couldn’t exactly live with a bunch of guys.

Though she didn’t mind personally, they still had to mind what the neighbors thought.

“You’re here for the end-of-month seminar, right? C’mon, I’ll set you up at my master’s place.”

Cheng Peng plus five others—six total.

Song Guangjing’s courtyard was huge, and he owned the surrounding ones too. His martial uncles and apprentices were already staying there, so six more wouldn’t cramp their style.

Cheng Peng didn’t refuse. “Perfect—kills two birds. We can keep an eye on Mr. Song too.”

So Ye Xiaoxiao took them all to her master’s place.

Song Guangjing blinked, confused. “Where did these people come from? Since when do we need babysitters?”

Ye Xiaoxiao waved it off. “Lu Hanchuan sent them. They’re here to guard you—I couldn’t just turn them away.

Master, mind finding them beds? I’m heading home now.”

Song Guangjing grudgingly took them in.

Song Guoxian muttered, “Sir, these aren’t your average rent-a-cops. Looks like real pros.”

Song Guangjing: "Since when am I afraid of Wang Lei?"

Song Guoxian: "It’s always ‘better safe than sorry.’ You *are* taking Xiaoxiao with you, after all. Her safety comes first."

That shut Song Guangjing up. He didn’t say another word and silently accepted Song Guoxian’s words.

Song Guoxian hurried to get them settled.

Meanwhile, only Ye Xiaoxiao and Duan Hong remained in the courtyard house.

"Hong Jie, is the guest room okay for tonight?"

Ye Xiaoxiao showed Duan Hong to her room.

Duan Hong nodded. "Anywhere’s fine."

"Do you practice martial arts?"

Ye Xiaoxiao eyed Duan Hong’s toned arms with envy.

Duan Hong wasn’t much of a talker, but she wasn’t hard to talk to, either.

She answered whatever Ye Xiaoxiao threw at her.

"I used to be a soldier. Later, some stuff happened, and I left the army. Normally, someone like me just goes home and marries some guy. But Regiment Commander Lu hooked me up with a job, so I stuck around."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Wait, does Lu Hanchuan own a security company?"

Duan Hong shook her head, "Anyway, I'm on the Lu family's payroll. I just do whatever they tell me to do. Whether it's security or not doesn't matter."

Ye Xiaoxiao fell into deep thought.

...

Days flew by.

During her time working at Rende Pharmacy, Ye Xiaoxiao had largely figured out the backgrounds of her fellow apprentices.

Mastering traditional Chinese medicine ultimately depends on natural talent.

Although many of her senior brothers had studied medicine since childhood, with the eldest being over thirty years old, they didn't necessarily surpass her in understanding and skill when it came to acupuncture and pharmacology.

Some weren't even at Qu Miao's level.

Qu Miao, however, possessed many ancestral healing methods that were quite different from the techniques practiced at Rende Pharmacy.

While direct comparisons were difficult, Ye Xiaoxiao simply felt that Qu Miao was more skilled.

The senior brothers, who had initially been skeptical, had gradually come to respect Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Junior sister's healing skills are so impressive; we've got nothing to worry about. She's definitely better than that Zhang Wanqiu."

"But we still can't afford to be complacent. The reason Zhang Wanqiu became Master Shi Bo's disciple is because of his raw talent."

"Don't be fooled by his obedient act in front of Master Shi Bo. Privately, he's not a good person at all."

The senior brothers continued chatting.

Qu Miao overheard and chimed in, "Are you guys going to have a medical showdown?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "A medical showdown?"

Qu Miao: "It's like our Miao people's venomous insect battles. All the insects are put together to fight, and the last one standing is the Poison King. The one who controls the Poison King is the most powerful shaman."

Ye Xiaoxiao shook her head firmly.

"Yours is a fight to the death. We're just attending a professional event."

Qu Miao: "Really?"

To help Qu Miao understand better, Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "Do you want to come with us and see? It’ll give you a better understanding of Han medicinal practices."

Qu Miao thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I’ll go with you."

"Where are you going?" Zhang Kaining popped up out of nowhere.

Ye Xiaoxiao explained the medical conference.

Zhang Kaining: "From what I gather, this conference isn’t just academic—there will be opportunities for promotion and networking?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "That’s what I’ve heard."

Zhang Kaining clapped his hands. "Why didn’t you give me a heads-up? I’d have time to prepare!"

Zhang Kaining: "Is there a limit on attendees? They won’t turn people away if it gets too crowded, right?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "No."

Because Wang Lei had implied that the more people attended, the better, so the issue of a cap hadn’t been considered.

As an outsider, breaking into Beijing’s medical scene wouldn’t be easy for him.

Zhang Kaining grinned. "Then I’m definitely going—to showcase our new products."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Great. This is more your forte."

Zhang Kaining and Ye Xiaoxiao reached an agreement on the spot.

On the day of departure, Song Guangjing saw the group had ballooned in size.

"What are you all doing? This isn’t some street festival!"

Song Guangjing’s three disciples insisted on coming along, all eager to see what Wang Lei was plotting.

If not for fear of drawing too much attention, they would’ve even brought their apprentices.

Song Xiaoguang and Song Guoxian also joined in.

So did Lu Hanchuan’s men.

Their numbers alone made it look like they were there to cause trouble.

Zhang Kaining approached Mr. Song with a grin. "Don’t be upset, sir. We’re just here to see how things are done, right?"