"I"m a wanted criminal but they can"t catch me. I"ll be in disguise anyway, no one will know who I am. Hehe, they won"t know who I am, it"ll be so fun," said Ye Lang, growing excited. He couldn"t wait to pretend to be someone else in front of everyone. 

"In disguise? Master, no offence but even the best disguises can be seen through…" Tigress asked another honest question. 

"That"s because you know who I am! Right now, no one knows I"m returning to Soaring Sky. Even if my disguise is seen through, they wouldn"t make the connection and think it"s me. That is why it won"t be a problem. Also, I must go because I"m the only one who can open my underground lab," he said with determination. 

Ye Lang was going to retrieve the set of Tianji armour he made. The Li clan"s armour would be too difficult to retrieve. That was their family heirloom and someone"s always wearing it. 

"But…" Tigress was still concerned. 

"Little tiger girl, no buts. Let him go, we have a team who coincidentally needs to go to Soaring Sky anyway. Master can follow them so he has protection too," interrupted Athena. She thought Tigress was overprotective of Ye Lang because there shouldn"t be a huge problem. 

The Ye family had left Soaring Sky for many years and even the authorities thought Ye Lang was somewhere at the other end of the world. They wouldn"t imagine him coming back after all these years. 

"You don"t have to cover for me. In the event my ident.i.ty is revealed, you all would be in trouble too," he shook his head rejecting Athena"s suggestion.

"...If that happens, then our protection would be even more important!" 

"You don"t have too, it"s easier to run alone. It would be difficult to escape with the whole group, you all would just be a burden to me," he said very honestly. 

"..." Tigress was silent. She agreed with him. Ye Lang had a talent in running and slipping away. He would be able to escape even if he was captured. 

This had been proven since he was young.

"What about this- we"ll protect you along the way, then separate once we arrive at the Imperial City. With a group so huge, no one would notice if you"re gone," said Athena. 

"Yeah, that is a must. Master, do not refuse this because you might not even be able to find the city if you go alone," Tigress interjected before Ye Lang spoke. 

"Uh, alright… Athena, why is the team going to the Imperial City anyway?" he asked after forcing himself to agree. 

"We often transport goods to sell to humans, the Imperial City is one of the places we deliver to. However, this time, the queen of Soaring Sky wants to meet us. That"s why we"re sending a team over. I"ve made the decision to visit myself too, to learn how humans communicate," smiled Athena. 

You"re only going because Master"s going. You"re just going to annoy him! You"re such a fox! Hey, why am I using this expression now? thought Tigress. 

Although Tigress saw through her intentions, she didn"t stop Athena because it was still a good idea for one more person to watch over him. Although they were both previously opponents, Tigress trusted in Athena"s capabilities. 

"Zhao Yarou is a smart empress to know to improve ties between the empire and your tribe. Getting you on their side is more powerful than meeting other kingdoms," Ye Lang mused. 

Once you forged ties with the beastmen, they would never betray you unless you have done something inexcusable. The loyalty in them was way more valuable than any other relationship you can have with other human kingdoms. 

Also, the beastmen had precious treasures to offer too that they were not currently trading with other kingdoms. If the empire could pave a way for efficient trade, it would benefit Soaring Sky immensely. 

"Master, what about my father?" Tigress looked at the block of crystal on the ground. 

"Leave him be. This crystal should last at least a year. You don"t have to do anything for it to last a year. Well, we don"t need one year either. I"ll be gone at most a few months to get the Tianji armour from Soaring Sky. We can even meet when I return before you leave for the City of Beast G.o.ds," said Ye Lang as if it was all simple. 

"I understand. Let"s go home then, bring my father home too…" Tigress nodded. 

"Alright," he said then instructed Little Xin to pick up the crystal as they headed back to Tigress" home. 

The crowd was stunned to see Little Xin pick the chief up so easily. They didn"t expect such a delicate-looking human girl to be so strong! 

"Master, I need to make some arrangements. I"ll meet you tomorrow," shouted Athena from the back. She didn"t plan to follow Ye Lang. 

From Ye Lang"s tone, they would be leaving within a few days. This meant they had to arrange for the team to prepare in advance and leave before the planned date. 

This team consisted mostly of members of the fox tribe. Tigers were only there for protection since this job of forging external ties required the foxes" wisdom. 

Everyone left to do their jobs. For the chief, they had to work extra hard. 

The next morning, Athena was already with Ye Lang to report her team"s progress and tell him they could leave anytime. 

The chief"s life was at stake here, of course they had to be quick. 

"Master, yesterday you mentioned that the number one a.s.sa.s.sin was your subordinate. Is that true?" Athena asked curiously. 

"That is a secret." Ye Lang used the same reason to stop her from asking more questions. 

"I know you must"ve been lying. How could you have such a person under your command…"

"I never lie, I am an honest person." 

"..." Yeah, right. 

What Athena didn"t know was that the number one a.s.sa.s.sin could be counted as Ye Lang"s subordinate. You must"ve guessed by now that the number one a.s.sa.s.sin was Coldblood Five! 

Coldblood Five had always been happy to help Ye Lang. Although they argued sometimes, she still obeyed his instructions. And the Vermillion Bird Empire once sort of put the Coldblood Group under Ye Lang"s command so technically she was indeed his subordinate. 

If Athena knew, her jaw would drop! And if she met Coldblood Five, she definitely wouldn"t believe that the obedient, quiet girl was actually the world"s top a.s.sa.s.sin. 
 

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