Under the moonlight, a shadow suddenly flashed through the window lattice, moving
swiftly like a specter. The elongated figure entered the room and knelt on one knee,
"Young master, I am late in my arrival, and the other young master has been injured.
Please punish me as you see fit."
The person lying in bed was half-hidden in the shadows, only a head of dense, dark
hair hanging in front of the chest was visible. Its glossy blackness under the dim moonlight carried a chill, yet was delicately beautiful.
That person spoke, their voice clear yet ice-cold.
"It's not your fault. It was my decision to go alone initially. As expected, the King of
Fighters' Mansion is filled with masters laying ambush from all sides. It would have
been a death sentence for any of you to follow."
The person in black felt somewhat guilty and bowed their head slightly.
The person in bed gestured for him to rise.
"Where are the things you were supposed to bring?"
The subordinate hastily set down his bundle, looking puzzled at his young master.
"Young master, why do you still need these things…"
Emerging from the shadows, a clean face with a hint of youthful innocence was
revealed under the moonlight. Such beauty, unmarred by the greenness of youth,
every bit of it refined to perfection. One could imagine, in a few years, if truly intent,
just with this God-given visage alone, he could overturn the whole world.
The young master took the bundle and opened it, pleased to see the elegant
women's clothing and some makeup inside.
A sly smile curled at the corner of his lips,
"Zuo Ying, I will need to dress like this for a while. You and You Ying are not to appear
without my command."
Zuo Ying, the man addressed, looked perplexed at his young master. The young
master had always loathed this disguise. If it hadn't been for the impenetrable defense of the Mansion, he would never have thought to infiltrate it by disguising himself as a dancing girl.
The person laughed and said, "This time, fortune truly favored me. Do you know
who I encountered while being pursued that day?"
"I received the young master's message and rushed over through the night, but I haven't yet had the chance to..."
Before he could finish, both, with their keen senses, heard some noises.
"Go down now, I'll call you if I need anything."
"Yes, young master, take care." As the voice faded, the room was left empty, with
only the echo lingering in the air.
The person on the bed tidied up his clothes and soon heard that detestable loud voice, bellowing from a distance.
"Miss Zheng, I have come to visit again."
Huai En's face was filled with disdain and annoyance.
Hearing no response, Xiao Bao was not discouraged and stood at the door, "I
wonder if Miss Zheng has had dinner. This is the best inn in Suzhou, where many royals and nobles come for the chef's dishes. If Miss Zheng hasn't tried it, you can't say you've been to Suzhou."
Still no response.
"Miss Zheng might not know, but in the few hours since we parted, it felt like years
to me. My thoughts of Miss Zheng, minute by minute, are as clear as day and night,
almost to the point of being unable to eat or drink. Miss Zheng's beauty shines as bright as the sun and the moon, and your demeanor kills without seeing blood.
Despite the torture of yearning, I find it sweet."
Seeing still no reaction inside, could she have fallen asleep? Impossible, it's only
just gotten dark.
Xiao Bao persisted, "Miss Zheng, I've come this time to invite you to a play. I don't
know if you've heard of the Joy Theater Troupe, but they've been a hit from the capital all the way to the south of the Yangtze. They're only in Suzhou for three months, and this is their last performance. It would be a pity to miss it. May I have the honor of your company?"
"Miss Zheng, I've secured the best seats. Today's audience includes high-ranking
officials, like the governor of Jiangsu, the magistrate of Yangzhou, the magistrate of
Tongling, and even the King of Fighters himself is said to attend. Our private box is in
no way inferior to these dignitaries. I've put some effort into this..."
"Who did you just say would go?" A cold voice finally emanated from the dimly lit
room.
Xiao Bao was still going on about how much influence it took for him to secure this
position when he was abruptly interrupted and took a few seconds to respond.
The person inside began to grow impatient, "I asked you who would be going."
"Um... Liu Zhou from Jiangsu, Xu Zhifu from Yangzhou, Prince Shen, Shao Zhifu from Tongling, the couple who lead the Hidden Heaven Sect, and... there seems to be more..."
Huai'en's eyes narrowed into slits. Zong Zhengli Han, that old fox, had something so
important stolen from his mansion three days ago, and he still has the mood to go
watch a play? There must be something fishy.
"I'll go with you. Prepare the carriage."
Xiao Bao was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had already braced himself to be
kicked out, but to his surprise, the beauty was actually willing to grace him with her
presence. What a huge step forward, a great leap indeed. He felt that the day he would win the beauty over was not far away, as she beckoned him with a charming smile~~ Hehehe~~ Seeing his young master's expression, Zhao Cai Jin Bao knew he
was once again lost in his sleazy fantasies and couldn't extricate himself. It was hard
to tell who was more pitiable, the young master or the girl.
Hearing the footsteps fading away from the door, Huai'en spoke in a deep voice,
"Zuo Ying."
"Your subordinate is here." A shadowy voice rose from the corner.
"Send You Ying with a few men to investigate Prince Shen's mansion for any truths and lies. You follow me with some people. If I'm not mistaken, he knows I'm here, and I don't wish to reveal my identity just yet."
"Yes."
Xiao Bao waited from left to right, his impure young heart fluttering uncontrollably,
until finally, the door gently opened.
The moment Xiao Bao saw Huai En, he was breathless, with no immunity to her
charm no matter how many times he saw her, once again stupefied by her beauty.
Huai En was still dressed in a white celestial robe, her garments fluttering, her figure slender and lean, her face cold as frost without a hint of expression, radiant
like a celestial being not of this world.
Xiao Bao chanted in his heart as if possessed, "In this life, it's her or no one; in this life, it's her or no one; in this life, it's her or no one."
Huai En caught his intense gaze and knew immediately what he was thinking. Her
disgust was undisguised, glaring at him fiercely.
Feeling the icy stare, Xiao Bao immediately came back to his senses, somewhat
ashamed, he lowered his head, yet he couldn't help but sneak glances.
"Miss Zheng truly could make fish sink and birds fall, the moon hides in shame, and
flowers bow in embarrassment."
Huai En turned his head in disgust. The person in front of her was like a piece of
pale, dead pig flesh, repulsive, constantly flattering, his mind filled with countless
filthy thoughts, daring to look at himq with such a sleazy and indecent gaze. If he
wasn't the young master of the Jin family, he would have died a thousand times over.
Xiao Bao was clearly immersed in his own fantasies, oblivious to the displeasure on
the beauty's face. In his eyes, any expression of Huai En was overwhelmingly
beautiful. Not even the man enchanted by a fox spirit in unofficial histories could
compare to his severity. And while he was intoxicated by himself, the "fox spirit"
hadn't even given him a proper look, truly a case of the wine not intoxicating but the
person intoxicating themselves.
Huai En had had enough of the love-filled and utterly chaotic gazes that disgusted
him. He picked up a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a white veil and put it on his
head, finally blocking everyone's line of sight.Xiao Bao, eager to please, attempted to support him by the arm but was brushed off with a flick of his hand. Poor Xiao Bao didn't even manage to touch the beauty's
sleeve before being propelled a full ten feet away by the internal force, fortunately
caught in time by Jinbao. Otherwise, he would have tumbled down the stairs
immediately.
After steadying himself, Xiao Bao wiped off his sweat and dared not approach carelessly again, instead awkwardly making a gesture of invitation.
Huai En didn't spare him a glance and went straight down the stairs to the carriage.
Xiao Bao, quite perceptively, rode his own horse instead of following the beauty into
the carriage, mainly because he didn't want to be thrown out like trash again. With people coming and going on the busy street, he didn't want to embarrass the Jin
family.