Yexi’s Art of Disguise 

“That went more smoothly than I expected.”

Atop his drake, Ard stretched his back. Though he had been up all night, he was still buzzing with energy.

“So, we’re heading to that so-called lord’s city now?” Yexi asked casually from beside him. She too had been awake all night, but showed no signs of fatigue.

“Of course. Next up is swindling that paunch of a Baron. This letter of recommendation will make things much easier. And it seems Rhode and his group have stopped there as well.”

Ard had extracted a great deal of information from the Counselor. Incidentally, Ard had stabbed the man in both arms and legs. While not crippling, his condition would make it nearly impossible to climb down from the high mountain. The cave was, after all, in a place with no path. Ard had to carry the man up the cliff face himself. In his current state, the Counselor wouldn’t dare try to climb down, even if he had three times the courage. Ard had left him with enough food and water for three days. And so, the Counselor began his forced mountain seclusion.

Ard and Yexi rode their swift drakes, arriving at a village near the lord’s city, where they decided to stop. Ard had no intention of settling directly in the city. Baron Quentin’s domain was a treacherous place; he needed to gather intelligence and make some preparations before entering.

The first issue was Yexi’s appearance. To have such a conspicuous beauty following him did not fit the role he was about to play.

Yexi, however, said it was a simple matter. She took out a collection of small bottles and jars from her travel pack and began to apply their contents to her face. The entire process took about an hour.

Ard watched the whole thing, his expression shifting from initial indifference, to a stiff surprise, and finally to utter disbelief. He had witnessed, with his own eyes, a peerless beauty gradually transform into a plain, even homely, woman with a rustic, unremarkable air.

“Is this the legendary art of makeup?”

Yexi shot him a look. “This is the art of disguise, you bumpkin. Will this do?” She twirled in front of him. If not for her voice and tone, Ard wouldn’t have recognized her.

“The appearance is good, yeah. An unremarkable look like this won’t attract any attention. I can barely recognize you myself.” Ard thought for a moment. “Hmm, if you could just make your tone and attitude a bit meeker, more like a timid, humble little wife.” 

“…”

Yexi’s placid, unwavering gaze fixed on Ard, as if trying to gauge the possibility of him using this as an excuse for personal revenge.

Ard felt his scalp tingle under her stare and quickly explained, “Let me be clear, this isn’t me having some weird fantasy. My cover is that I’m a bandit who has come to surrender, and your identity is a country girl I’ve kidnapped to keep as my wife. You can’t exactly be ordering me around, can you?”

Yexi sneered. “A little wife kept by your side?”

“Ahem, it’s just an act, just an act, okay. Otherwise, I can’t explain why you’re always with me.”

“I can wait for you outside.”

“What if the negotiations break down and that fat pig loses his mind and kills me? What if you’re not there to save me?! I’d be done for!”

Yexi sized him up. He stood with his chest puffed out, speaking the most cowardly words in the most heroic tone.

She said, with a hint of sarcasm, “You certainly have a high degree of ‘self-awareness’.”

Ard said shamelessly, “You flatter me. I’m not so foolish as to risk my life over a bet.”

“Very well, my dear husband~. This humble wife will be sure to protect her useless husband~.”

Her soft, melodious, and delicate voice was like the cry of a phoenix, a gentle spring rain nourishing Ard’s heart. Ignoring the content, the tone alone was enough to move him to tears. It was too stimulating.

Though his heart was in turmoil, Ard put on the swagger of a crude bandit. “As long as you know! Protect me well, honey, and I’ll make sure you live a good life!”

“Why are you getting so into character now? Who are you performing for? Me?” Yexi’s eyes narrowed, a faint killing intent in them as her voice returned to its usual cold, indifferent tone.

Ard’s body stiffened. He said weakly, “Um, I was just rehearsing, you know, so I won’t blow my cover later.”

Yexi laughed, a sound devoid of any warmth. “I see. Understandable.”

Ard’s eyes lit up. “So…”

“But,” Yexi’s tone shifted, turning vicious, “if I find you are abusing this situation for your own personal pleasure, you can expect a knife in your heart.”

Ard stood at attention. “Yes, Lord Yexi!”

They rehearsed for a while longer. During this time, Ard was nearly melted by her soft, cooing “my dear husband,” but he had to constantly remind himself that this was a beautiful act, not a cruel reality. Otherwise, he might find his heart stabbed a thousand times before he could make that reality beautiful.

The city of chaos, Kapa, saw the arrival of a plain-looking man and woman. It was, of course, Ard and Yexi. Ard had also had Yexi give him a simple disguise to cover his reasonably handsome features, a fact for which he was thoroughly mocked.

Upon entering, Ard immediately understood why it was called the city of chaos. Shops and gambling dens were everywhere. Many shops were openly selling contraband, with only the names slightly altered. The people on the streets had a wicked, unruly air about them, not at all like the residents of a normal city.

This was just the outer city. Kapa also had an inner city, which required a hefty entrance fee. It was a place of luxury for the rich, garrisoned by all of the Baron’s guards and mercenaries, and the order within was much better. The outer city was essentially an ungoverned area, a mere storefront to attract customers.

Ard and Yexi wasted no time in the outer city and headed straight for the inner city. They paid the large fee under the strange gazes of the guards at the gate. In their eyes, a plainly dressed couple like them did not look like the wealthy residents of the inner city. But since they had paid, the guards said nothing more. Like their master, Baron Quentin, these guards only saw money.

The inner city was a world apart from the outer city. The outer city’s buildings were a chaotic jumble, with stalls and shops crammed into every available space. The inner city’s architecture was orderly and well-planned, clearly the work of a master designer. The outer city’s buildings were mostly dilapidated, with crumbling walls everywhere. The inner city’s buildings were made of fine brick and red wood, grand and imposing, clearly built at great expense.

“The difference is like night and day. The gap between the rich and the poor is especially stark here. I suppose this is to be expected of Baron Quentin’s city. His character is on full display here,” Ard muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “To let such a fatuous and incompetent lord govern a territory… tsk, tsk, the tragedy of the hereditary system.”

“You can’t put it all like that. Every system has its pros and cons. The existence of nobles like Baron Quentin is inevitable. No matter how perfect a system is, as long as there is greed, someone will find a way to exploit it. Baron Quentin is just more… blatant about it.”

The unexpected reply made Ard turn in surprise. He had been muttering to himself and hadn’t expected anyone to argue with him. The speaker was a handsome young man with a sunny disposition, long golden hair, and eyes as blue as the sea. His pure white clothes and the exquisite embroidery on them gave him an approachable, noble air. If not for his different appearance, Ard would have thought it was Isaac standing before him.

Of course, now was not the time for that. Ard said, embarrassed, “Just some foolish ramblings. Please don’t take them seriously.”

The young man gave a confident smile and walked toward them with an appreciative look. Yexi subtly shifted her position, moving half a step in front of Ard, partially blocking the young man’s path.

The young man noticed this and looked at Yexi with interest. “You need not be so modest, sir. To extrapolate from a single noble to the flaws of a system… your insight seems to far exceed your attire. And this lady,” he added, his eyes twinkling, “seems to be no ordinary person either.”

Ard naturally took Yexi’s hand. “Clothes and appearance are just external things. My good wife and I do not place much importance on them. You, on the other hand, sir, have an extraordinary air about you, clearly destined for great things. Although the inner city of Kapa is magnificent, it does not seem like a place a person of your caliber would frequent.”

“Haha, you are right. I rarely come here. It is all flash and no substance, hardly to my liking. I only came today on some business. Hearing your insights, I couldn’t help but reply. My apologies if I have offended you.”

“Not at all, not at all. Your words were very insightful. My wife and I are also here on some business. It is getting late, so we must take our leave.”

“I won’t keep you.”

“Farewell.”

The young man watched the strange couple leave with a curious expression, then shook his head lightly and also headed toward his destination.

As they walked, Ard and Yexi felt the young man’s gaze leave them, and they both let out a sigh of relief.

“That man is not simple,” Ard said. “The aura he has is not something an ordinary person can possess. And I felt his gaze could see right through to a person’s soul. To think we’d run into such a tough character the moment we arrived.”

Yexi said calmly, “That man’s strength is very high. In a direct confrontation, I’m not certain I could win.”

Ard stopped in his tracks, looking at her in disbelief. “You’re saying his strength is on par with yours?”

Yexi nodded. “In a direct fight, yes. But what kind of assassin fights head-on?”

“The kind that carries a greatsword, of course. And one of the tenets of that great man’s philosophy is that the most perfect stealth is to kill everyone who sees you.”

Ard’s quip was met with a look of utter confusion from Yexi.

“You’ve seen such an assassin?”

“I have,” Ard said with a look of reverence. “In a mobile game in my past life.”

“…” Yexi was silent for a moment, then uttered a word: “Idiot.”