The night was as dark as ink, and the sound of pines swaying on Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua rang especially clear in the stillness.
By now, Linghu Chong had been pacing in front of a small courtyard behind the Hall of Righteousness for more than half an hour. The wine gourd in his hand had long since run dry, and he reeked of alcohol. Who knew how much he had drunk?
"..."
He looked up at the sky. Judging by the moon, it was already nearly the Hour of the Pig, yet his master and mistress still hadn't returned. He had no idea where they'd gone.
"Hey!"
A clear voice came from behind him.
"Eldest Senior Brother?"
"How much longer are you going to wait here?"
It was Yue Lingshan, Yue Buqun's daughter and Linghu Chong's junior sister. She had come out with a lantern to see what was going on.
"Why aren't you resting yet?"
Yue Lingshan's little courtyard was close to the one where Yue Buqun and his wife lived, so she knew how long Linghu Chong had been waiting there.
"Haha!"
Linghu Chong managed a strained smile, then thought for a moment before trying to persuade her.
"Junior Sister, I have something to discuss with Master and Mistress, so I need to keep waiting."
"You should go to bed first!"
"Don't worry about me!"
The events at the training ground around sunset had seemed very important to him. He felt that if he didn't report them to his master, Yue Buqun, and his mistress, Ning Zhongze, tonight, he wouldn't be able to sleep no matter what.
"What happened?"
"Can you tell me first?"
At that, Yue Lingshan perked up. She went straight over to Linghu Chong, leaned against his arm, and asked with a coquettish