Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

Night Song emerged from the mental space.

Jiang Xiaoming was still squatting in the corner, drawing circles with a twig, looking gloomy.

"Xiao Ye, it seems you've really messed up Xiao Mingzi." Xia Xiyao playfully stuck out her tongue.

Ye Ge made a gesture, meaning to hand it over to me.

"Boy, what do you want to do?" Zhu Yan asked telepathically.

Night Song ignored it.

He came up behind Jiang Xiaoming and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Jiang Xiaoming pushed Ye Ge's hand away, looking like he was already at his wit's end, and said expressionlessly, "Let me have some peace and quiet."

Seeing this, Ye Ge sighed softly, "Alright, Jiang Xiaoming, get up quickly. He's someone I acknowledge as an opponent, and you're already so dejected after such a small setback. How embarrassing."

"..." Jiang Xiaoming didn't respond for a moment, but his ears immediately perked up.

"What...what did you just say?" He looked at Ye Ge tentatively.

"That's shameful."

"The sentence before that!"

"They've already become so discouraged after such a small setback."

"Ahead!"

Ye Ge tilted her head: "He's at least an opponent I acknowledge?"

"..." Jiang Xiaoming's eyes gleamed with excitement, a look of pure satisfaction on his face. But he quickly suppressed his smile and straightened his expression: "Tch, didn't you keep saying you couldn't remember my name? Are you trying to find another way to humiliate me?"

"How could that be?" Ye Ge said seriously, "Actually, I've always admired you, you just didn't know it."

Jiang Xiaoming was stunned.

"You admire me?... Really, really?"

Zhu Yan: "..."

"Of course, absolutely, Ding Zhen."

Ye Ge gently placed a hand on Jiang Xiaoming's shoulder: "Look, you don't have extraordinary talent, a particularly powerful family background, or any extraordinary advantages. You spent eight years in the outer sect class of the War Academy without giving up, and you advanced to the inner sect entirely through your own efforts and passion. What remarkable perseverance that is!"

Then Ye Ge turned to the others and asked, "Aren't you all right?"

Gao Shenxue and Xia Xiyao nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes."

"Uh... right?" Nangong Qiuyue scratched her face and echoed.

Jiang Xiaoming stared blankly at Ye Ge: "My affairs...you...you knew about them all along?"

"Of course." Ye Ge smiled. "I told you, I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time. I was just teasing you before by pretending not to remember you."

"Of course, it wasn't just a joke. Do you know why?"

Jiang Xiaoming: "Why...why?"

Ye Ge turned around, put his hands behind his back, and let out a long sigh: "Before everyone succeeds, there will be a period of loneliness and obscurity. You may suffer from the cold looks and ridicule of others, and you may be regarded as trash by the most important person in your heart."

As she spoke, Ye Ge patted his shoulder forcefully again: "But it is precisely because of this loneliness, despair, humiliation, and resentment that you have become brave and fearless, and that this has become the driving force for your hard work and diligence. This is the true meaning of youth!"

Jiang Xiaoming: (⊙?0?6⊙)

Jiang Xiaoming slowly clenched his fist: "So, you did all this to motivate me?"

Night Song: "Of course."

Zhu Yan: "..."

"I see... I see..." Jiang Xiaoming gasped for breath, his fists clenched even tighter.

Then a somewhat somber expression appeared on his face: "Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try, it's difficult to keep up with you geniuses..."

“But wouldn’t it prove you’re an amazing person even more if you defeated the talent monster through your own efforts?” Ye Ge said.

"..."

Jiang Xiaoming's eyes lit up: "You're right!"

"Moreover," Ye Ge said, "you may not even be aware of your own talent."

Jiang Xiaoming asked in confusion, "My talent?"

“That’s right, it’s your Ghost Tamer talent,” Ye Ge said earnestly.

"My Ghost Tamer skill points are only rated A... which isn't particularly outstanding in the War Academy..."

"But how many Ghost Masters can survive being possessed by the eleventh-tier Ghost God Zhu Yan when they are in the Hundred Souls Realm?"

Jiang Xiaoming was stunned.

"This shows that you have an exceptionally strong capacity to bear souls," Ye Ge said. "At the same time, you are very compatible with the power of the Zhu Yan, making you a perfect vessel for the spirits and deities of the dead. As long as you undergo some specialized training, you will definitely be able to control the power of the Zhu Yan very well."

"Really?" Jiang Xiaoming looked at his hands, still somewhat incredulous.

“You will eventually become my eternal rival.” Ye Ge continued earnestly, “From now on, you will no longer be a supporting character; you are destined to have a profound impact on the lives of many, many people.”

Jiang Xiaoming's breathing became increasingly heavy.

His gaze gradually hardened.

"But the prerequisite is that you must believe in yourself."

"Then...of course!!"

Jiang Xiaoming spoke with an extremely serious expression, stammering.

Ye Ge smiled: "How about you follow me from now on?"

"Follow you?" Jiang Xiaoming was taken aback for a moment, then hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "You want me to be your subordinate? Like Arthur and Li Shuying?"

“No,” Ye Ge said, “I mean, I can teach you how to use the power of the Zhu Yan spirit.”

Jiang Xiaoming was stunned: "You're going to teach me?"

"Hey! Kid, don't you dare get fooled by him! Can't you see he's trying to scam you?!" Zhu Yan cursed in his mind. "How do you use the power of Zhu Yan's ghosts and gods? You need him to teach you?! I am Zhu Yan himself! Even if I teach you personally, wouldn't it be better than what he taught you?! Are you stupid...?"

"Shut up, you're so noisy!" Jiang Xiaoming directly suppressed Zhu Yan's consciousness.

Zhu Yan: "..."

“But…” Jiang Xiaoming glanced at Ye Ge, hesitatingly saying, “Wouldn’t that make me your apprentice? I was planning to become your rival…”

Ye Ge smiled and said, "Who says that someone who is both a master and disciple can't also be a rival?"

Jiang Xiaoming paused again, scratching his head: "That seems to be true..."

“If you want others to treat you as a worthy opponent, you need to prove your strength, right?” Ye Ge patted his shoulder again: “But you must never give up before you succeed, just like when you were a child. Even if you challenged me and lost to me 308 times, you never got discouraged.”

"Yes!" Jiang Xiaoming was extremely excited, his eyes filled with emotion: "So you remembered all of this..."

"Let me set you a small goal first, like beating me once in any field. As long as you follow me, you'll have plenty of opportunities to challenge me in the future," Ye Ge laughed. "So, do you dare to prove to me that you have the ability?"

"Haha, of course I dare!" Jiang Xiaoming, his blood boiling, clenched his fists: "Alright! From now on, I'll follow you! I'll prove to you that I'm absolutely qualified to be your opponent!"

"Very good, very good." Ye Ge patted his shoulder with satisfaction.

"Hey Hey......"

Jiang Xiaoming touched his head and grinned foolishly.

That expression was exactly like someone who was shy about showing their adorable side in front of someone they liked.

"..."

Xia Xiyao leaned close to Gao Shenxue's ear and whispered, covering her mouth with her hand, "Xue'er, I'm a little confused. When he was little, did he really have a crush on you or on Xiao Ye?"

When he was young, Jiang Xiaoming often challenged Ye Ge. Originally, he only wanted to prove himself to the girl he liked, so he challenged Ye Ge to a duel.

As he continued to lose, night songs became his obsession...

Xia Xiyao even suspected that his duel with Xiaoye for Xue'er might be a pretense, a way for him to get closer to Xiaoye!

Gao Shenxue tilted her head slightly: "Hmm..."

Nangong Qiuyue sighed and shook her head: "Poor Xiaoming, he's being played like a puppet by Ye Ge..."