That afternoon, the sun was shining brightly as the two girls returned from their outing.
After returning to the residence, Mu Wanqing went back to her room to change out of her dust-covered outer robe. Zhong Ling, however, was still brimming with energy. She plopped down beside Lin Xuan, grabbed some pastries from the table, and stuffed them into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a greedy little squirrel.
Lin Xuan set down his book and poured her a cup of tea, saying with amusement, "Slow down. No one's going to fight you for it. Where did you run off to today? Why do you look more exhausted than after a full day of training?"
"Mmph..." Zhong Ling swallowed the pastry in her mouth with difficulty, gulped down a large mouthful of tea, and finally let out a long breath. Somewhat disgruntled, she said, "Don't even mention it. It was unbearably noisy outside today. Sister Mu and I originally wanted to watch some street performers in the western market, but the streets were full of soldiers. There were also so many martial artists running around everywhere with portraits in their hands. The crowds were so packed they were infuriating."
As she spoke, she casually brushed the crumbs from her hands. Clearly, she had no interest whatsoever in all that commotion; she only felt that it had spoiled her fun.
"Oh? Soldiers?" Lin Xuan raised a brow and asked casually, "What happened?"
"Ah, I heard that the heir apparent of Prince Zhennan's Manor has gone missing."
Zhong Ling said offhandedly, "Everyone outside is talking about it. They say that heir apparent hasn't returned home for several days. The manor has put up loads of notices offering a huge reward for anyone who finds him. The common folk are all flocking