The man, however, simply stared at her without a word, his dark, unsettling gaze raking over her.
Song Lianhe felt a pang of guilt and chuckled sheepishly. "It’s fine if I don’t go back... Staying in Sui Ning City is pretty good too. I just promised Brother Kui Lang I’d help him open a dical Clinic in Wu Qi Country... you know, my career ambitions are flaring up a bit..."
She lowered her head, not daring to look at him again.
Seeing how terrified she was of him, it was as if he had actually done sothing to warrant such fear.
In reality...
The dark deeds he had committed... if she heard of even one or two, she would likely be scared to death.
"Xuan i."
Zhou Cangyan called out suddenly.
"Yes."
The voice that seed to materialize out of thin air behind her startled Song Lianhe so badly she nearly scread.
"Sister i?!"
Xuan i didn’t even lift her gaze. Before Zhou Cangyan, her obedience was absolute.
"Take her back to the mansion."
"Yes."
Without another word, Xuan i stepped forward, grabbed the delicate beauty, and began to walk away.
"Sister i!!"
Song Lianhe was overjoyed to see her. She had finally seen a familiar face from ho, and her confidence surged in an instant!
"Sister i, when did you arrive in Sui Ning City? Did you co with the Prince? Or did you get here earlier? Ah, why didn’t you co see ?"
She was truly very enthusiastic toward Xuan i.
She paid no mind to the cold, dark gaze from behind her.
’She’s certainly friendly with Xuan i, isn’t she?’
Song Lianhe didn’t notice the stare from behind, but Xuan i felt it like a needle in her back.
Steeling herself, Xuan i replied, "I returned with the Master."
"Sister i! Sister i! We haven’t seen each other in so long, can’t we hug first? You’re so calm and collected, I’ll start to think you didn’t miss , and that will break my heart!"
"...You are overthinking, Young Madam."
"You called Young Madam? You called *Young Madam*? You’ve never been so formal with before!"
"..."
Sweat beaded on Xuan i’s forehead. Not daring to respond, she stiffly pulled her arm from Song Lianhe’s grasp.
But Song Lianhe had just managed to relax, and seeing a friendly face made her overjoyed. She hooked her arm through Xuan i’s again, hugging it close. "Sister i, I’m telling you, there are so many fun places in Sui Ning City. Let show you around, okay?"
"..."
Behind them, the man’s gaze grew dark and somber.
"Heh, Master, there’s no need to be jealous of Xuan i. The Young Madam doesn’t have any friends here and is all alone, poor thing. It’s only natural she’d be a bit overly friendly now that she’s seen Xuan i."
Zhou Cangyan glanced to the side and smiled faintly. "This prince... is jealous?"
"This subordinate misspoke! Please punish , Master!"
Zhou Cangyan lowered his gaze and asked nonchalantly, "And Prince Ling?"
The Shadow Guard imdiately grew serious. "His n have made contact and are now heading toward Li Zong Pass."
"Dispatch a team to protect him covertly. Ensure he enters Ling’an City safely."
"Yes, sir!"
—
「Prince Si Mansion, Punishnt Room.」
Inside the gloomy cell, a sliver of light shone through a basin-sized hole in the roof.
Zhong Shimin was bare-chested, kneeling on the icy floor.
Behind him stood two jailers, administering the punishnt.
Opposite them, Zhou Cangyan sat in the shadows, holding a teacup.
He used the lid to push aside the floating tea leaves before bringing the cup to his lips for a sip.
Thirty lashes, not one less.
The whips had been soaked in brine, and each lash burned like fire. As the salt seeped into the open wounds, it created a pain that even the most strapping man would struggle to endure.
Yet Zhong Shimin remained kneeling steadily, his hands resting casually at his sides. His back was ramrod straight, and behind a black mask, his eyes were closed.
Only when the punishnt was complete did Zhou Cangyan raise his eyes, his tone laced with a raw chill.
"Why did you help her?"
Zhong Shimin rose slowly. A subordinate handed him an inner tunic, which he draped casually over his shoulders, ignoring the lash marks on his back. "The Young Master ordered to ensure her safety."
Though his words were respectful, his attitude was flippant.
"Including killing Zhou Junlin?"
"The Young Madam said he was a threat to her life," he replied calmly. "And if soone is a threat to her life, then naturally, they must be killed."
A low, almost inaudible chuckle sounded. The man slowly stepped out of the shadows, revealing a face of unparalleled, radiant beauty.
"You certainly listen to her, don’t you."
Zhong Shimin shot him a sidelong glance. "Hah. You masters are impossible to please. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t."
Zhou Cangyan snorted and tossed a small porcelain vial over to him.
Zhong Shimin caught it and, without even asking what it was, handed it to one of Tiger Beak’s subordinates, gesturing for the man to apply the dicine to his back.
As the dicine was being applied, he gave Zhou Cangyan a brief report.
Kong Yu had backed out at the last minute, trying to use Zhou Junlin’s n to make a run for it, but he had been captured and brought back.
Whether Zhou Junlin would grow suspicious of Song Lianhe—or even the "mastermind" behind her—remained to be seen.
"Zhou Junlin isn’t that easy to fool. Once he gets back, it won’t take him long to figure this out."
Zhong Shimin looked at him. "What about you? Leaving such a huge ss for the National Guardian General... Aren’t you afraid he’ll complain about you to the Holy Emperor?"
Zhou Cangyan was unconcerned. "It’s not like this is the first or second ti I’ve been on the Holy Emperor’s bad side."
As the two of them exited the Punishnt Room, they found Luo Fubang standing outside, hands on his hips. The mont he saw Zhou Cangyan, he let him have it. "What are you hitting him for? If you want to bla soone, bla that hell-raising wife of yours! What’s it got to do with him?"
Zhong Shimin automatically took a step back, yielding the pri position for the scolding.
Zhou Cangyan glanced at his grandfather and sneered. "True. But she needs soone to go along with her antics! Her plan was riddled with holes, yet soone was still happy to play along with her charade! You tell , Grandfather, if I don’t punish Ah Zhong, who should I punish? You?"
Luo Fubang imdiately put his hands on his hips again and spun around. "Well now, look how fast these sweet potatoes are growing! It’s only been a few days, and they’ve already shot up so high!"
The old steward of the Prince Si Mansion followed with a grin. "They certainly are. Why don’t you go have a look, Old Master?"
"Go have a look?"
"Have a look."
"Alright, let’s have a look!"
Zhou Cangyan paid no mind to his grandfather’s antics and followed along.
The vegetable garden was lush, its growth encouraging. The farrs were all working with great vigor, conducting research and holding discussions as they toiled.
"Excellent! Very good, very good!"
Even though they hadn’t produced any tubers yet, Luo Fubang had already given all the credit to Song Lianhe.
Listening to his grandfather’s praise for her, Zhou Cangyan rely lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.
Just then, a gatekeeper ca to report that an attendant from the Drunken Immortal nad Fu Wu had co looking for the Young Madam.
"He’s here for ! For !"
Hearing this from a distance, Song Lianhe hiked up her skirts and ran toward the gate.
"Slow down! Goodness... This child is always so reckless..."
The words had barely left Luo Fubang’s lips when he saw Song Lianhe trip over a wooden stake and pitch forward—
"Oh! What did I just say? Slow down—"
Thankfully, Xuan i was there to catch her by the waist, and Song Lianhe tumbled right into her arms.
She rubbed her nose, then looked up at Xuan i and said sothing with a laugh. Xuan i, for once, gave a slight, tight-lipped smile and nodded.
In the morning light, the scene was so beautiful it seed to have no room for any male presence.
Zhou Cangyan’s face was a cold, stern mask, but as he watched this scene unfold, a strange, dark emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.
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