Nighttime Turmoil

Nighttime Turmoil

The sky had gone completely dark, and the carriage sped through the starlight.

Seventh Young Master wore the face of a man with nothing left to live for. Clinging to the carriage door, he asked Gao Yuan, "Where are we?"

"We should be almost there, right?" Gao Yuan answered uncertainly.

"You can even take the wrong road—what use are you?" Seventh Young Master cursed. "When I get back, you're fired!"

"I learned how to drive a carriage, not how to recognize roads!" Gao Yuan argued righteously, hurriedly passing the blame along. "Why doesn't Young Master scold Zheng Fa? He can't even recognize the road back to his own home!"

The two turned their heads together and stared at Zheng Fa, who was watching the excitement from the side as though it had nothing to do with him.

Zheng Fa: ...

This blame really was his to bear.

Once they left the city, every road looked more or less the same. Who knew which fork was the right one?

After phone navigation appeared in the modern world, plenty of people could not even read a map anymore.

All the more so here, where there were not even road signs. They had to rely entirely on an old horse knowing the way.

"Mm, this road should be right! It can't be wrong!"

Fortunately, Zheng Fa had a good memory. Recalling the scenery along the way, he finally found the right turn.

Hearing Zheng Fa's certain reply, Seventh Young Master turned back and sat on the seat. Rubbing his stomach, he frowned. "I'm so hungry! Is there anything to eat?"

They had set out after lunch. At the carriage's speed, they should have reached the manor where the Zheng Family lived before dinner.

But they had taken the wrong road and wasted most of the day. Forget dinner—

They had even missed the time for a late-night snack.

All three of them were hungry, really.

Zheng Fa keenly noticed that when Seventh Young Master said this, his eyes were fixed on the food box by Zheng Fa's feet.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the food box.

Seventh Young Master smiled, then watched helplessly as Zheng Fa hid the food box behind his back.

He would not even let me look?

"Zheng Fa!"

"Mm?" Zheng Fa looked somewhat bewildered.

"I'm hungry!"

"I'm hungry too." Zheng Fa wore an expression of deep empathy.

"I saw it. You took so many pastries from the kitchen—they're all in there!"

Seeing him play dumb, Seventh Young Master finally revealed the dagger when the map had run out.

"These are for my little sister." Zheng Fa coldly refused. "There's only this much."

"...Brother!"

Though Zheng Fa had always thought himself more knowledgeable than the people of this world, even he was shocked by Seventh Young Master's thick skin.

"She's only six..."

There was something Zheng Fa did not say: And you have the nerve?

"I'm hungry!"

Zheng Fa sighed. Given Seventh Young Master's background, he had probably never gone hungry in his life.

That was why he could not stand it at all.

He opened the food box. Inside were two plates piled with little pastries, all ones Zheng Fa had found delicious and specifically picked out.

By now, everyone in the Zhao Residence knew Zheng Fa had some standing before Seventh Young Master. If Zheng Fa went to the kitchen and said a word, someone would make these pastries for him.

"Here." He handed over a plate of pastries.

Seventh Young Master grabbed a piece of bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

After some thought, Zheng Fa lifted the carriage curtain and said to Gao Yuan, "Gao Yuan, you must be hungry after driving all this way too. Come have some."

He passed the plate out. Gao Yuan nodded and eagerly took a piece as well.

Thinking that the two of them were at the age when they could eat a lot and that one small pastry probably would not fill them up, Zheng Fa placed the food box in the carriage. "Take more after you finish."

Seventh Young Master quickly finished a piece of bean cake. Seeing Zheng Fa sit back down without taking any pastry himself, he asked in some confusion, "You're not eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

Zheng Fa smiled.

Seventh Young Master looked at his palm, which he had licked clean of even pastry crumbs, then looked at Zheng Fa. He remembered that they had eaten lunch together.

Both he and Gao Yuan were hungry.

Zheng Fa was not hungry?

He probably wanted to save more for his little sister, right?

Seventh Young Master swallowed and suddenly said, "I'm not that hungry either. I won't eat anymore."

Outside the carriage, Gao Yuan said as well, "There's no water. Eating too much makes it hard to swallow! I won't eat either."

Zheng Fa truly did not feel all that hungry. He was probably simply used to enduring hunger.

And he really had intended to save a few pieces for his little sister.

These two...

He did not urge them again. Smiling, he closed the food box and said, "We're almost there. Once we arrive, we can eat."

Just as Zheng Fa had said, in less than half an hour, they saw the dark outlines of houses beneath the starry sky.

"We're here!"

Seventh Young Master gazed at that cluster of low houses, practically wishing he could leap from the carriage.

Suddenly, a torch lit up at the foremost house.

The sound of gongs and drums rang out.

The villagers, already asleep, rose one after another and lit the candles in their homes.

The entire manor erupted into chaos, like something abruptly startled awake.

"What's going on?"

Seventh Young Master stared at the war-torn-looking farmstead in astonishment.

"They're afraid of bandits. We arrived too late, and the sentries couldn't see the carriage clearly, so they thought we meant no good."

The Xuanwei Realm was not peaceful.

Jingzhou City was all right, but the farmsteads outside the city often faced raids by bandits.

Every night, young and able-bodied men kept watch on guard.

His tone was a little desolate.

Zheng Fa's father had been the one keeping watch in the manor on the night the demonic beast came down the mountain...

At that moment, the farmstead had already fallen into complete disorder.

Mother Zheng held the drowsy Zheng Shan in her arms and looked outside through the window.

"Mother?"

Zheng Shan could feel her mother trembling.

Mother Zheng forced a smile at her daughter. Zheng Shan had been only one year old when her husband died, with no memories of it.

But Mother Zheng had never forgotten.

Back then, there had been the same sound of gongs, the same chaos.

After a while, a villager suddenly ran over and shouted, "It's all right, it's all right! A carriage from the residence has arrived!"

Zheng Shan felt her mother's arms suddenly loosen around her, and she heard a long exhale above her head.

After another moment, her mother's body suddenly went rigid.

She set Zheng Shan down and ran outside like mad.

"Mother? What happened?"

Watching her barefoot mother, Zheng Shan stumbled after her.

Mother Zheng did not answer, nor did she dare answer.

Some time ago, when Wang Gui had been beaten by the Madam and sent back—

There had also been a carriage.

It had also been nighttime.

People from the residence had suddenly arrived, carrying Wang Gui, unconscious and barely clinging to life.

At Steward Wang's home, Wang Gui had dressed and was excitedly whispering with his father.

"I told you Zheng Fa wouldn't last long! We should have dealt with the Zheng Family sooner! Dad, you always said wait, wait!"

"Shut your filthy mouth."

Wang Gui fell silent, but his face remained unconvinced.

Steward Wang knew that his son was not actually wrong.

He knew a little about Seventh Young Master's temper too.

His son being sent back was one matter—Wang Gui was indeed useless—but Seventh Young Master was truly difficult to serve.

Besides, people from the residence generally would not come here this late.

Just as Mother Zheng had, he remembered the night his son had been sent back.

"There's nothing wrong with being cautious! Besides, he's fallen out of Seventh Young Master's favor, and his whole family is in the manor. Where can they run? What are you so anxious for?"

After lecturing his son, Steward Wang headed toward the outskirts of the manor.

Wang Gui followed behind him with a smile. He knew his father would no longer stop him from now on.

A carriage was slowly approaching. Seeing the young, unfamiliar Gao Yuan driving it, Wang Gui was somewhat puzzled.

And where was Zheng Fa?

Lying inside the carriage?

He leaned forward to look into the carriage, only to see someone lift the curtain and Seventh Young Master poke his head out.

Seventh Young Master?

Wang Gui stared dumbfoundedly at Seventh Young Master's face, unable to understand why he had come here.

Could he be here to take him back?

"Young Master!" he cried excitedly, secretly swearing in his heart, Seventh Young Master actually came to fetch me himself. I will surely give him my heart and brain!

Even if the Madam broke his legs this time, he would still take him to the Mist and Rain Pavilion!

"Eh? You live here too?"

At that moment, Seventh Young Master's surprised face felt so cold and piercing to Wang Gui.

(End of Chapter)