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It was difficult to imagine that the Outside's Bodyguard Association had such a rule, but they did.

Anyone who participated in large-scale battles or warfare would receive a bonus on top of their initial salary.

Ye Zichen took the rulebook Pu Jingwan offered him, then glanced at the specific clause she was pointing out. When he read it, he was overcome with shock.

What on earth is this rule there for?

Bodyguards' mission is to ensure their bosses' safety, right? Isn't it obvious that they'll get wrapped up in battles? If they don't want that, why become bodyguards in the first place?

Aren't they just trying to burn through my money!

Also, she's telling me this now, out of the blue. Isn't this trying to pull one over on me?

"Don't look at me like that. Our Bodyguard Association's rules are completely fair. If it's just a little tussle or small-scale conflict, we naturally won't charge extra. This page specifies warfare, which is a completely different matter."

"You're afraid of getting caught up in war, right? Since the casualty rate is so high."

When she saw Ye Zichen's expression, she couldn't help but puff up her chest and say proudly. "It's always difficult to find people willing to pursue bounty missions. Our lives come first. Asking for extra compensation is necessary."

"The rules also state that during your mission, the bodyguard must treat their boss with respect, and can't…" After flipping to the page on behavioral guidelines, he started to read the first aloud.

To his surprise, Pu Jingwan snatched the book out of his hands and scrunched up her nose. "When you reach the grandmaster bodyguard level, you can disregard that rule."

"Is there really a rule like that?" Ye Zichen's eyes widened.

"Of course there is. In short, hurry up and give me extra cash. If you don't, I have the right to back out of the mission without reimbursing you for what you've paid so far," she said, looking right up at him.

In the past, Ye Zichen wouldn't have hesitated. He would have just let her go.

But now, after discovering the shocking factions hidden behind Zhou Wu, he couldn't afford to just let a top expert like Pu Jingwan leave.

"No problem. When the mission is over, I'll ask Han Nan to pay you double the amount we agreed on."

"I want it now."

"You're just trying to make things difficult for me, aren't you?" Ye Zichen rolled his eyes, but just as he prepared to head towards the academy…

Pu Jingwan refused to let him. She kept pestering him for money. At that moment, they passed a tavern and…

"Brother Ye!" Jiang Rong recognized Ye Zichen at a glance, then left the tavern to greet him. Ye Zichen stopped in his tracks, and when he saw it was Jing Yong who'd called him, he smiled back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm drinking with our teammates. Brother Ye, you're…"

"I was on my way back to the Divine Martial Academy to see Xue Mo and the others."

When Ye Zichen brought up Xue Mo, an ambiguous light flashed through Jiang Yong's eyes. However, it only lasted an instant before disappearing. He put his arm around Ye Zichen's shoulder, then laughed, "Don't be in such a rush! Come on, come inside and have a drink!"

Without so much as giving Ye Zichen time to object, Jiang Yong dragged him inside.

As soon as he entered the tavern, Ye Zichen saw that the place was packed with Skyspan Academy students.

The Aspirations Society, Appearance Association, the Navigators, and even the Grizzly Bears. The only people missing were Anti-Upheaval and Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei was cold and aloof, so there was nothing strange about him skipping an event like this.

But it was strange that Anti-Upheaval wasn't here. Nevermind the others; Li Hu would never have missed something like this.

"Hey, look who's here!" Jiang Yong called from the doorway. The other students, who were happily carousing and indulging in alcohol, looked over.

When they saw him, they all called out his name. Murong Xue, who'd been sitting with Jiang Yong, and the Xu Brothers rushed over. Even Pang Zheng and Di Long came up to greet him.

"Brother Ye!"

'Brother Zichen!"

Murong Xue and the Xu Brothers' relationship with Ye Zichen was pretty good, so they smiled as they greeted him. Pang Zheng and Di Long's expressions were a bit unsightly; their relationship with Ye Zichen was as tense as could be. However, after discovering his shocking family background, they'd had no choice but to set aside their enmity for him.

They didn't dare stand against him. With Ye Zichen's background, they'd have to be brainless to even consider it.

"Brother Ye." Pang Zheng's expression shifted back and forth. Finally, he gnashed his teeth, raised his glass and said, "What happened in the past was all my fault. I opposed you for no good reason. I promise it won't happen again and hope you can find it in yourself to look past my mistakes."

He leaned back and drained his glass. Di Long followed soon. Ye Zichen frowned and looked them over, but in the end, he picked up a wine gourd and drained it.

When they saw this, Pang Zheng and Di Long's knit brows relaxed.

The Xu Brothers burst into laughter. "Alright, alright, we're all classmates. It's hard to avoid butting heads sometimes. Drink your wine, then let the past be the past. In the past, we'll have to cooperate and support each other. We should spend more time together, too."

Jiang Yong gave these words a thumbs up and laughed. "I just knew Brother Ye wasn't the petty type. He drained the whole gourd! Impressive! Alright then, don't just stand there. Let's all sit down…. Waiter! Bring two more sets of plates and cutlery!"

Jiang Yong still gave Ye Zichen no room to refuse. He pushed Ye Zichen into his seat, then sat down as well, and gestured for Pu Jingwan to join them as well.

Ye Zichen was still frowning. Pang Zheng and Di Long's "change of heart" was probably just because of Xuan Ji revealing his background. They were scared. Ye Zichen could understand that; it came as no surprise.

He had no desire to be their enemies, either. Seeing them seated with Murong Xue and the others suggested that they'd already made up with the rest of Skyspan Academy's representatives, so he had no reason to hold onto a grudge. Letting them off wouldn't hurt him.

So he'd shared a drink and set aside his grudge, no problem.

No, what really bothered him was that everyone was here except his teammates from Anti-Upheaval.

"Brother Ye, drink up!" Jiang Yong lifted his cup.

They clinked glasses, but once Ye Zichen had downed his wine, he frowned. "What's going on? All Skyspan Academy's representatives are here, it seems, so why don't I see anyone from Anti-Upheaval?"

Everyone else present stiffened, but after a bit of an awkward pause, Murong Xue giggled and explained, "Your teammates just finished a match. They really wore themselves out, so they're resting."

"Ah, so that's it." Ye Zichen nodded.

Murong Xue grabbed his cup and poured them both another glass. "Brother Zichen, let's drink!"

It seemed they wanted to drown him in alcohol. They toasted to him continuously. It wasn't just his table, either; everyone in the room took turns toasting him.

Ye Zichen didn't refuse. He poured glass after glass down his throat, but in his heart, he was hesitant.

He could understand toasting him once; Xuan Ji had revealed his background out of the blue. That was worth a toast. But why were they doing it over and over again? Even Murong Xue proposed a toast in his honor. That alone was rather strange.

He wasn't too satisfied with Murong Xue's explanation of Anti-Upheaval's absence, either.

They were tired?

Ye Zichen might have believed it of the others, but Li Hu…. He was vibrant and full of energy, especially when there was alcohol involved. Even if he were on the brink of death, he'd definitely drag himself out of bed for this.

Ye Zichen didn't understand what they were up to. He couldn't help but think to himself, They're hiding something from me!