Chapter Forty-Five: The Armory of Legends

As for that most mysterious trump card in China, the one that has never surfaced, what name it goes by or who comprises it, Yang Jiekai knew nothing at all. Yet, the encounter tonight with that enigmatic woman, whose bearing flowed like water, was the first time since his return to China that Yang Jiekai had used his full strength in a confrontation—and in the end, not only did he fail to harm her in the slightest, he found himself at a loss.

If it came down to a direct clash, exchanging a few more moves, Yang Jiekai was at least seventy percent confident he could defeat her. But if she simply chose to dodge again and again, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Her movement was too rare and uncanny—it wasn’t the kind of vanishing swiftness that leaves no trace, but rather the ability to twist her body at impossible angles for evasions that defied belief. To the naked eye, her speed wasn’t remarkable, but she slipped past his fierce attacks as easily as water flows around rocks. Every ruthless blow he struck landed on the calm surface of flowing water, achieving nothing at all.

A woman like water.

That was the deepest impression the woman in tight black attire left on Yang Jiekai. He committed her martial technique and appearance firmly to memory.

Who was she, truly?

Leaning back in his chair, hands cradling his head, Yang Jiekai racked his brain, going through the list of martial masters he could recall, but came up empty.

"There’s no way those twin sleeve blades are on the world’s weapon ranking," he muttered to himself, thinking of the mercenary world’s internal ranking of the world’s weapons.

Because of their profession, mercenaries were always interested in information about the world’s top fighters. After analyzing all kinds of data, someone finally compiled the world’s weapon ranking. To call it a weapon ranking was misleading—it was really a list of the world’s greatest fighters.

Anyone listed on the weapon ranking was among the elite of elites; those in the top ten were the best of the best. Yang Jiekai’s mind raced as he reviewed the names he could remember:

First: Crippled Yao’s Left-Handed Blade.
Second: Big Flower Snake’s Throwing Darts.
Third: Ghost Butterfly’s Wing-Blade.
Fourth: Young Master Wu’s Wooden Sword.
Fifth: Zhuge Mu’s Head.
Sixth: Blue Sang’s Knees.
Seventh: Moska’s Sniper Rifle.
Eighth: Fujita Takeshi’s Body.
Ninth: Taitel’s Fist.
Tenth: Jin Xuanzhi’s Leg.

Eleventh…

Looking over the mercenary world’s top ten on the ranking, the first five places were firmly held by Chinese fighters. Overall, only one hot weapon—firearms—made it onto the list; the rest were cold weapons, or in some cases, the body itself was the weapon.

Of course, Yang Jiekai didn’t take this ranking as gospel. He knew most of the world’s truths were hidden, just like with the Forbes Billionaires List—did those names really represent the world’s true wealth? Moreover, the ranking was mostly based on data and subjective analysis; many on the list had never even crossed paths, let alone fought. Who would win in a real encounter was anyone’s guess.

Take Yang Jiekai himself—the name Night Owl only appeared outside the top twenty on the list, but he had personally killed someone from the top ten.

Still, one had to admit, as with the Forbes list, it might not be the most accurate, but anyone who made it onto the ranking was without question a force to be reckoned with—each one capable of shaking the world.

The list went up to thirty names. Yang Jiekai had only met a few in person, but he remembered all the names and weapons well. After reviewing it several times, he found no clue about the mysterious woman’s twin sleeve blades, so he had to give up. He took a shower, closed his eyes, and burrowed into the soft, comfortable covers for a sound sleep.

Who cared what kind of deity she was—as long as their paths didn’t cross, it didn’t matter. If they ever met again, he’d just have to teach that feisty woman a lesson!

The next day, Yang Jiekai got up early, wearing only a pair of boxers as he crossed the living room toward the bathroom. By chance, he spotted a small, exquisitely packaged box about the size of a bowl on the table. From the outer packaging, it was clear it contained some kind of food.

Aunt Wang was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Hearing the noise outside, she called out a greeting before continuing with her work.

Yang Jiekai replied offhandedly, then curiously picked up the box to examine it. The box was covered in dense English text—it was the genuine article, imported. His English was as good as his Chinese, and he quickly saw it contained a cake.

"A cake? They had to fly a cake in from abroad?" Upon realizing it was just a cake, Yang Jiekai looked disappointed; he’d hoped for something more novel.

"Aunt Wang, don’t bother preparing breakfast for me today. I’ll just have cake," he called out to Aunt Wang as he absentmindedly unwrapped the package and took a big bite of the golden, freshly baked cake.

"Alright, young master," Aunt Wang replied. Moments later, she suddenly rushed out of the kitchen, panic written all over her face as she saw Yang Jiekai biting into the cake.

"Young master, you… you ate the cake…"

Yang Jiekai was puzzled by her reaction. "Is there a problem?" he asked, taking another big bite. He had to admit, the cake was delicious—expertly baked, with a golden hue, soft and moist, and beneath the classic cake aroma was a hint of fruit. The chef had clearly put in a lot of effort; even this simple little cake must have required dozens of ingredients.

Seeing Yang Jiekai’s clueless expression, Aunt Wang sighed deeply. "Today is Xiaoning’s birthday. She specially ordered that cake from abroad days ago—it just arrived this morning…"

"Oh, a birthday cake," Yang Jiekai interrupted, puzzled. "But why is it so small? My wife has plenty of money—getting a cake dozens of layers high is no problem, right?"

Aunt Wang sighed. "Young master, there are things you don’t know. These past years, Xiaoning has always…"

"Aunt Wang!"

At that moment, Han Ning appeared at the top of the stairs, fully dressed. She had overheard Yang Jiekai and Aunt Wang’s conversation.

"Xiaoning, the young master didn’t mean to…" Aunt Wang began, but left her words unfinished, only sighing heavily.

Han Ning’s eyes reddened as she saw the cake, now missing a large chunk, in Yang Jiekai’s hands. She glared at him fiercely, forced back her tears, and quickly descended the stairs, slamming the door behind her.

Yang Jiekai stood there, baffled by her reaction. Was she really so stingy? It was just a cake—did she need to look at him like he owed her five million?

In fact, Yang Jiekai did owe her five million.

He reminded himself that a real man doesn’t argue with women. After all, he was living in her place, eating her food—he should cut her some slack. So he stepped outside and called after her, "Honey, there’s still half the cake left. Want to take it with you for the road?"

Driving along, eating the cake, Yang Jiekai felt utterly content. Life could be wonderful, he thought, especially as he glanced at the crowded buses alongside him. How lucky he was.

"Hello, good morning, ladies!" Parking his car in the underground garage, Yang Jiekai exited through the elevator, spotting a group of stylishly dressed young women. He greeted them with a playful grin.

"Good morning, handsome!" the ladies replied cheerfully. As most employees at Silk Blossom Group were in sales, they tended to be outgoing and lively. While Yang Jiekai wasn’t especially handsome, he wasn’t bad-looking either. In his smart security uniform, standing tall and straight, he was pleasant enough in their eyes.

Whatever it was—his friendly demeanor or his thick skin—Yang Jiekai had gotten along well with his colleagues in his short time at the company. He always greeted everyone with a smile, making him quite a likable fellow at Silk Blossom Group.

That is, except for his superiors. He had managed to offend every one of them: Security Captain Wu Daode, Assistant to the President Lin Sha, and Sales Director Zhang Hua. For a new hire, Yang Jiekai was certainly a rare breed.

There was still some time before work began. After a cigarette and some banter with Qin Feng and the others, he started his day. As usual, they split up and strolled around the building on patrol.

"Captain Wu, please… this really isn’t right…" As he passed the company entrance, Yang Jiekai heard a woman’s anxious voice inside. Peering in, he couldn’t hide a look of disgust.

That bastard Wu Daode was harassing Chen Shishi, the receptionist, again.

Yang Jiekai wasn’t especially close to Chen Shishi, but greeted her with a smile each day. And, being a beauty, she left a strong impression on him.

Old Man Gun had once warned Qin Feng sternly: any woman in the company was fair game, except for Chen Shishi, the receptionist.

He never explained why, but from his tone, it sounded like there was more to Chen Shishi than met the eye.

Still, Yang Jiekai hadn’t paid much attention. First, he hadn’t planned on pursuing her, and second, whatever her background, it wasn’t his concern.

"Hey, Captain Wu! You’re looking well today," Yang Jiekai called out with a forced smile as he approached the front desk. "But your brow is a little dark—looks like one of your plans is about to fall through again!"