Restless

Seeing that the secret chamber was no longer dangerous, the guards grew bold one by one.

They pried open the chests placed within the chamber, their eyes lighting up with excitement at the sight of the gold and silver treasures inside.

Lin Fei's expression darkened, a faint sense of unease stirring within him.

As the saying goes, wealth moves the heart.

Faced with such a vast amount of gold and silver, there was no guarantee that these guards wouldn't harbor malicious intent.

If they decided to kill him to seize the wealth, he would be no match for so many of them.

Just then, Bai Yansong let out a thunderous shout.

"What do you think you're doing!"

At his roar, the guards all turned to look.

Under the flickering torchlight, the expressions on their faces appeared exceptionally strange, even somewhat ferocious.

"Who gave you permission to open those chests?"

"Have you all forgotten the rules? This estate belongs to the Master, and the treasures in this chamber belong to the Master as well."

"If anyone dares to breathe a word about this secret chamber, watch your miserable lives. Now, get out, all of you!"

Though Bai Yansong was advanced in years, his presence was imposing.

The rules he had established proved their worth in that moment.

The guards dared not talk back; they had been so blinded and bedazzled by the gold and silver that they had nearly forgotten their own status.

Under Bai Yansong's scolding, the guards turned and filed out.

Only after they had all left did Bai Yansong's expression soften slightly.

"Master, shall we dispose of these guards?"

Lin Fei realized that Bai Yansong, his steward, was more like a master—and far more ruthless—than he was himself.

"Are you suggesting we kill them?"

Bai Yansong kept his head bowed and continued, "I fear these people will spread the word and let others know. Although they are servants who have signed death contracts, one can never be too careful about those harboring evil intentions. We must be on our guard!"

There were six guards who had entered the secret chamber; they had originally been sent down to scout the path and protect him.

Now, their discovery of the gold, silver, and the Millennium Cold Jade Bed had become their path to destruction.

Lin Fei could never bring himself to treat human life as mere blades of grass. It wasn't that he lacked ruthlessness, but rather that he felt things hadn't reached such a dire point yet.

"Keep them for now!"

"You go out as well. I wish to stay here for a while."

Bai Yansong turned and left, leaving Lin Fei alone in the secret chamber.

He had already made up his mind; leaving the gold and silver here was indeed unsafe.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned a spatial gate.

"Once I move all this gold and silver away, there will be nothing left to worry about."

Lin Fei moved the chests of gold and silver back to Earth, exhausting himself in the process.

The only thing in the secret chamber that could not be moved was the Millennium Cold Jade Bed.

The Millennium Cold Jade Bed did not look large, but it was incredibly cold and possessed immense weight.

It was impossible for a single person to move it by any means.

"I'll leave this jade bed here for now; no one can steal it anyway."

Lin Fei closed the spatial gate, shut the door to the secret chamber, and walked out.

Bai Yansong and the guards were waiting outside; it was already dusk.

Moving all that gold and silver had truly taken quite some time.

"Steward Bai, have someone carry those pigs out. Clean up the corpses and the bloodstains. Then, post guards to watch this room. Without my orders, no one is allowed to enter again."

"Understood, Master!"

Lin Fei swept a glance at the guards, who all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

Bai Yansong accompanied Lin Fei as he left. On the way, he informed Lin Fei that Xing'er's parents had been settled, but Xing'er herself had not.

This was because Peach Blossom had said she wanted to keep Xing'er by her side as a maidservant.

"Peach Blossom, it's getting late. Let's head back!"

"Brother-in-law, are we not staying here tonight?" Xing'er asked, cutting in.

When they first met, Lin Fei hadn't thought much of it when Xing'er called him "brother-in-law"—it was just a form of address, after all.

But now that her parents were settled in the manor and she was to remain by Peach Blossom's side as a maid, this constant "brother-in-law" carried a deeper, more suggestive meaning.

In front of outsiders, was she a maid, or was she a sister-in-law?

Bai Yansong did not settle Xing'er down, and he likely had his reasons for that.

"We don't usually live here. Steward Bai, prepare the carriage!"

Lin Fei and Peach Blossom boarded the carriage to return to East City, and Xing'er climbed in as well.

She called out "Sister Peach Blossom" with every breath, pointing out every novel sight she saw outside to Peach Blossom.

Peach Blossom was incredibly happy, as if she had found a kindred spirit with whom she could share her joys and secrets.

During these days at the East City residence, although Peach Blossom had been living in luxury and waited upon by servants, she had never truly felt happy in her heart.

Now, being with Xing'er, she finally opened up.

Their similar upbringings gave them much more common ground, something even Lin Fei could not provide for Peach Blossom.

Seeing Peach Blossom happy, Lin Fei felt happy as well.

Upon arriving at the small East City courtyard, Peach Blossom took Xinghua by the hand and walked inside.

"This will be our home from now on. I'll have someone arrange a room for you in a moment."

"Sister Peach Blossom, why is this house so small? Compared to the grand mansion in South City, it's a far cry."

"It is a bit small, but it's quite nice. That mansion in South City was too big; I actually felt uncomfortable inside it."

Lin Fei coughed, interrupting them.

"Peach Blossom, stop talking for a moment. Let Xinghua go wash up and change her clothes."

"My husband is right; I had forgotten about that."

"Sister Peach Blossom, could you stay with me? I'm not familiar with this place, and you're the only one I know..."

Seeing Xinghua still clinging to Peach Blossom, Lin Fei spoke up again: "Peach Blossom, I've been busy all day and I'm a bit tired. Come rub my shoulders."

"Xinghua, you don't need to be afraid. No one here will bully you."

Peach Blossom also comforted Xinghua before letting a maid take her away to bathe.

Afterward, Lin Fei and Peach Blossom entered their room.

Peach Blossom began to knead Lin Fei's shoulders. Having moved so many chests of gold and silver, Lin Fei was genuinely tired, but he felt wonderful inside.

"Peach Blossom, let me ask you: keeping Xinghua by your side as a maid—was that her idea, or did you want it yourself?"

"Husband, does it make a difference?"

"Think carefully, then answer me."

The reason Lin Fei asked this was that he sensed this girl Xinghua had too many little schemes.

People who are always playing at being clever tend to give off an unsettling, restless vibe.

Peach Blossom thought for a moment. "It seems she brought it up. She said that since she's a maid anyway, it doesn't matter where she serves."

"She wants to be by my side. We grew up together like sisters, and having her with me means I'll have someone to confide in."

Originally, Lin Fei had intended to leave Xinghua's family at the South City mansion; it would have been much less trouble, and he wouldn't have had to go out of his way to look after them.

"Since you want to keep her by your side, then let her stay."

"By the way, I may need to go away for a while. Don't go running around everywhere on your own."

Peach Blossom pressed him: "Husband, where are you going? Can you take me with you?"

Lin Fei shook his head. He intended to return to Earth to handle some matters, so he certainly could not bring Peach Blossom along.

"No, I'm going away on business, and it wouldn't be convenient to take you."