Murong Jingyue

Qin Shuang knew Cheng Lingsu had endured too much pressure during this period and needed an opportunity to let it out, so naturally, he did not interrupt her.

Qin Chao silently patted Cheng Lingsu's back, wordlessly expressing his support for her.

After a long while, Cheng Lingsu finally stopped crying and raised her head. Her face was still streaked with tears, making her look all the more pitiful and endearing.

Qin Shuang gently wiped away Cheng Lingsu's tears, his eyes filled with tenderness.

Coming back to her senses, Cheng Lingsu flushed crimson and hurriedly took two steps back.

"Ling Su, shall I take you away?" Qin Shuang's voice was as soft as silk, yet the emotion within it was rich and profound.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Lingsu shook her head and refused resolutely. "I'm sorry, Brother Shuang. My master had no children, and he treated me like his own daughter. I have to stay here and observe mourning for him for a year!"

"All right. I respect your decision." Qin Shuang had expected this, so he was not surprised. He turned to Mu Nianci and said, "Nianci, things are unclear these days. Sorry for the trouble, but please stay here and accompany Ling Su."

Just as Cheng Lingsu understood him, Qin Shuang understood Cheng Lingsu very well. He knew even better how deep her feelings were for her master, Wuchen, the Military Sima.

"All right!" Mu Nianci agreed readily.

"Brother Shuang, what are you going to do?" Cheng Lingsu had always been intelligent and resourceful. Combining that with her understanding of Qin Shuang's temperament, she keenly sensed from his few words that he was about to make a major move. Unable to hold back her worry, she asked him.

"Nothing much. I just hope you can remain safe and have no more worries holding you back." Qin Shuang smiled calmly.

Seeing how casually he said it, Cheng Lingsu grew even more worried. "Brother Shuang, you absolutely must not underestimate my senior brother and senior sister. They are experts in poisons, and their skill with using and refining poison is deeply rooted in our sect's teachings. What's more, they are sinister and crafty, and stop at nothing to achieve their goals. As the saying goes, open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. You don't need to provoke them."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing!" Qin Shuang patted Cheng Lingsu on the shoulder and reassured her.

Suddenly, an untimely voice drifted from far outside the courtyard. "Let me see who dares disturb my master's rest!"

A cold glint flashed through Qin Shuang's eyes. He turned and swept to the small courtyard's entrance, blocking the newcomers.

"Garrison General Murong, I've long admired your reputation!"

The group consisted of twelve people in the black brocade uniforms and martial gear of the Dragon Guard.

The leader wore brocade embroidered with blue patterns. His eyes were deep and cold, like an abyss in the darkness without the slightest trace of light, making one's scalp tingle.

He was none other than Murong Jingyue, Garrison General of the Moon Division of the Cosmos Unit, and Cheng Lingsu's senior brother!

"Hmph. Who are you? Why did you barge into my master's mourning hall? Do you want him to be unable to rest even in death?" Murong Jingyue's expression was dark and cunning, radiating danger.

"I am Qin Shuang, Garrison General of the Divine Division of the Yu Unit. I currently serve alongside Ling Su. After learning that her master, Wuchen, the Military Sima, had unfortunately been murdered, I came especially to pay my respects!" Qin Shuang answered neither servilely nor arrogantly.

His reason was upright and aboveboard, leaving no flaw for anyone to pick at.

"Which of you injured someone from my Moon Division?" Murong Jingyue continued to find fault, questioning him as if demanding an explanation. "Are you challenging the Dragon Guard's authority?"

"Garrison General Murong, don't try to pin a charge on me. I was the one who injured him. The Dragon Guard has strict discipline. As a Garrison General, it was perfectly reasonable for me to teach someone who doesn't understand rank and respect a lesson, wasn't it?" Qin Shuang's tone was calm, yet carried a distinct edge of confrontation.

"Hmph. If someone from my Cosmos Unit causes trouble, naturally the people of my Cosmos Unit will handle it. Since when was it your Yu Unit's place to meddle?" Murong Jingyue continued pressing him aggressively.

"Heh, I meddled. What are you going to do about it?" Qin Shuang gave a soft laugh and looked at Murong Jingyue provocatively, not avoiding his vicious gaze in the slightest.

"You..." Murong Jingyue had not expected that Qin Shuang, young as he was, would speak and act so sharply, leaving no room for compromise.

Overawed by Qin Shuang's presence, Murong Jingyue did not know how to respond for a moment and was rendered speechless on the spot.

However, the eleven people behind him were bristling with hostility. They half-surrounded Qin Shuang and the other three, looking as though they would attack and kill them the moment Murong Jingyue gave the order.

Qin Shuang, by contrast, remained composed, waiting for Murong Jingyue's reaction.

If Murong Jingyue lost his temper and could not resist attacking him first, Qin Shuang was very confident he could kill him on the spot.

Just as the tension reached the breaking point, another group came surging over. They were also dressed in the Dragon Guard's brocade uniforms and martial gear. The leader wore black brocade with red patterns—none other than Yang Yuncong, Military Sima of the Divine Division of the Yu Unit!

"Outrageous! What do you think you're doing?"

Yang Yuncong casually shoved aside a Cosmos Unit Dragon Guard blocking his path, then glared furiously at Qin Shuang and Murong Jingyue. "Attacking your fellow officers inside the yamen—who gave you the nerve? Have you completely forgotten the rules the City Lord established for us? Or have you stopped caring about him altogether?"

Yang Yuncong's words were extremely stern, and neither Qin Shuang nor Murong Jingyue dared answer.

"Garrison General Qin! After returning from completing your mission, you didn't report to me first. Instead, you ran to the Cosmos Unit to cause trouble. What is this? Do I need to personally come and invite you before you'll agree to return?" Yang Yuncong glared fiercely at Qin Shuang, but there was another meaning hidden in his eyes.

Qin Shuang raised his brows and immediately understood. He also knew that it was impossible to cause Murong Jingyue any more trouble today, and he could not help sighing inwardly at the missed opportunity.

He turned back and gave Cheng Lingsu and Mu Nianci a few instructions, then prepared to follow Yang Yuncong back to the Divine Division's yamen in the Yu Unit.

Suddenly, Qin Shuang seemed to think of something. He sent his inner force through his hand, and with a clang, his State Stabilizer saber shot out like a streak of firefly light and plunged directly into the stone bricks before the steps at the entrance to Cheng Lingsu's courtyard.

"This saber marks the boundary. From today onward, if anyone crosses it without Cheng Lingsu's permission and takes even one step into the courtyard, I will regard it as a declaration of war against me. I will answer that challenge—and it will be a fight to the death!"

After delivering his final warning, Qin Shuang walked away without looking back.

He believed that his words would reach the ears of everyone with ulterior motives without missing a single word.

That was precisely the result he wanted: to make his position crystal clear and tell everyone that anyone who wanted to harm Cheng Lingsu would have to get past him first!

***

Dragon Guard Yamen, Divine Division Hall of the Yu Unit.

Qin Shuang ate pastries with a relaxed, carefree expression, while Yang Yuncong had long since lost his earlier fury.

Qin Shuang recounted the events of his trip to Chuanzhou in a calm, unhurried manner. Yang Yuncong listened with alternating shock and wonder, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"I never thought that a strange beast like the Fire Qilin truly existed in this world!"

"The Black Stone organization has always cared about money, not people. They actually dared to attack you this time. They've become more and more lawless!"