Different Year, Same Thing (Part 8)

Cha Hao took Jiu Shaozhang's son with him, while Hangzhou's Seven Heroes went their own way. Ming Feizhen dismissed everyone, staying on the couch with just Ming Suwen, who relished time alone with him. In saying that, she wanted him to be present in both body

and

mind.

Ming Suwen boldly rested her hands on Ming Feizhen's chest and swivelled her legs around, mounting his waist. Unsurprisingly, that was all it took to snap him out of whatever thought he was engrossed in.

"It must've been tough to supress your bloodlust, huh?"

Ming Feizhen gratefully lifted the corner of his lips: "Was it that obvious?"

"You leaned back the entire time, refusing to spare them a look to resist the urge to kill them all on impulse."

"I still don't believe my anger isn't justified."

"You have my vote. Even so… Night Fortress is essentially a fortress of secrets. Therefore, you need to stay off the imperial court's radar. I don't think your decision to entrust the case to the imperial court is wrong. What I want to know is what you are thinking… Knowing you, you wouldn't just leave it at that. What are you planning?"

"What are you asking for?"

"Because you're forcing yourself to do things you don't want to," answered Ming Suwen, pinning her eyes into Ming Feizhen's. "Whenever you force yourself to do things, you will adopt silence. Instead of putting yourself through that, how about… leaving it to me?"

"Hmm?"

Ming Suwen treated Ming Feizhen to a friendly smile and questioned, "Your woes are my woes. Moreover, if I don't teach him a lesson, I'll be doing myself a disservice, won't I?"

Thankful, Ming Feizhen warmed up and argued, "I don't want any harm to befall you."

"None will." Ming Suwen affectionately caressed Ming Suwen's face and, like a wife instructing her husband, stated, "Be a good boy, and wait for my return, okay?"

***

"Five kilometres up ahead from here is a Qilin Guard office. Please leave them to us. We shall bid farewell here," expressed Xie Duzhe, leading his group of twenty-plus Qilin Guards. "I believe nobody will impose on us at our office. Moreover, we have our brothers here to watch over them. You can trust them to us."

After bidding farewell to Mount Night Net, Xie Duzhe quickly regrouped with other Qilin Guards in search of him based on the trails he deliberately left behind. Xie Duzhe was burning to implement a plan to shirk off responsibility on both sides without offending Night Fortress or Ling Qingshu. Hong Jiu, perplexed, suddenly halted, resulting in the six young masters behind him crashing into him and flooring themselves.

"Qilin Guard office? Why not the county magistrate's office but your slipshod kennel?"

All of the Qilin Guards wrestled hard with themselves to not jump Hong Jiu for his choice of words.

"The county magistrate, Wu Daode, who looks after them was present during the incident, yet they still managed to go through with their crimes. If we take them to the county magistrate, you will not hear