Restless

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

They opened the chests in the secret chamber. When they saw the gold, silver, and treasures inside, their eyes lit up, and they were overcome with excitement.

Lin Fei's expression darkened, and he felt a faint unease.

As the saying went, wealth stirred the heart.

Faced with so much gold, silver, and treasure, there was no guarantee that none of the guards would entertain wicked thoughts.

If they tried to kill him and seize the riches, he would be no match for so many of them.

Just then, Bai Yansong shouted.

"What are you all doing?"

At his shout, the guards all turned to look.

In the torchlight, their expressions seemed especially strange, even a little savage.

"Who told you to open the chests?"

"Have you all forgotten the rules? This residence belongs to the master, and the treasures in this secret chamber belong to him too."

"If anyone dares to tell others about this secret chamber, watch your necks. Now get out of here!"

Although Bai Yansong was advanced in years, he still had an imposing presence.

The rules he had established now showed their worth.

None of the guards dared talk back. The gold and silver had dazzled them, nearly making them forget their place.

At Bai Yansong's rebuke, the guards turned and headed outside.

Only after they had all left did Bai Yansong's expression relax a little.

"Master, should we dispose of these guards?"

Lin Fei realized that Bai Yansong, the steward, seemed more like the master than he did—and was more ruthless, too.

"You mean kill them?"

Bai Yansong lowered his head and continued, "I'm afraid they'll spread the word and let more people find out. Though they are all slaves bound by death contracts, there's no guarantee none of them will turn wicked. We can't afford to be careless!"

There had been six guards who entered the secret chamber. At first, Lin Fei had sent them down to scout ahead and protect him.

Now they had discovered the gold and silver, as well as the Millennium Cold Jade Bed, and that knowledge had become a path to their deaths.

Lin Fei could never treat human lives as worthless as grass. It wasn't that he lacked ruthlessness; he simply felt things hadn't yet gone that far.

"Let them stay for now!"

"You go out too. I'll stay here a while."

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

He had already made up his mind. Leaving all the gold and silver here really wasn't safe.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Space Gate.

"If I move all this treasure, there'll be nothing to worry about."

Lin Fei moved chest after chest of gold, silver, and treasure back to Earth, and it wore him out.

The only thing in the secret chamber he couldn't move was the Millennium Cold Jade Bed.

The bed didn't look large, but it was freezing cold and extremely heavy.

There was no way one person could move it alone.

"I'll leave the Cold Jade Bed here for now. No one can steal it anyway."

Lin Fei closed the Space Gate, then shut the door to the secret chamber and went outside.

Bai Yansong and the guards were waiting there. It was already evening.

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

"Steward Bai, have someone carry those pigs out and clean up the bodies and bloodstains. Then send people to guard this room. Without my orders, no one is allowed inside again."

"Yes, Master!"

Lin Fei glanced at the guards. They all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

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

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

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

"Brother-in-law, aren't we staying here tonight?" Xing'er asked eagerly.

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

But now her parents had been settled in the large residence, and she was going to stay by Peach Blossom's side as her maid.

Her constant "brother-in-law" suddenly seemed to carry another meaning.

In front of outsiders, was she a maid or a younger sister?

Bai Yansong probably hadn't settled Xing'er elsewhere for the same reason.

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

Lin Fei and Peach Blossom rode the carriage back to East City, and Xing'er climbed in too.

She called Peach Blossom "Sister Peach Blossom" again and again. Whenever she spotted something new outside, she pointed it out to Peach Blossom.

Peach Blossom was delighted, as if she had found someone like herself with whom she could share her happiness and troubles.

During these past few days at the East City residence, Peach Blossom had enjoyed fine clothes and food and been waited on by others, but she had never felt truly happy.

Now that she was with Xing'er, the words just poured out of her.

Their similar upbringings gave them more to talk about—a kind of understanding even Lin Fei couldn't give Peach Blossom.

Seeing Peach Blossom happy made Lin Fei happy too.

When they arrived at the East City Small Residence, Peach Blossom took Xinghua by the hand and led her inside.

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

"Sister Peach Blossom, why is this residence so small? It's nothing like the large one in South City."

"It's a little small, but it's quite nice. The large residence in South City is so enormous that I actually feel uncomfortable there."

Lin Fei coughed, interrupting them.

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

"You're right, husband. I forgot all about that."

"Sister Peach Blossom, will you stay with me? I don't know anyone here. You're the only person I know..."

Seeing that Xinghua was still clinging to Peach Blossom, Lin Fei said, "Peach Blossom, we've been busy all day, and I'm a little tired. Give my shoulders a rub."

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

Peach Blossom comforted Xinghua too, then had a maid take her to bathe.

Afterward, Lin Fei and Peach Blossom went into the room.

Peach Blossom began massaging Lin Fei's shoulders. He really was a little tired from moving so many chests of gold, silver, and treasure, but he was in a good mood.

"Peach Blossom, tell me: did Xinghua ask to stay by your side as a maid, or was it your own idea?"

"Husband, what's the difference?"

"Think it over, then answer me."

Lin Fei asked because he had noticed that Xinghua was a girl with too many little schemes.

People who were always playing clever tricks gave him the feeling that they couldn't be trusted to stay in line.

Peach Blossom thought for a while. "I think she brought it up. She said that since she was going to be a maid anyway, it didn't matter where she did it."

"She wants to stay by my side. We grew up together and are as close as sisters. If she stays with me, I'll have someone to confide in."

Lin Fei had originally planned to leave Xinghua's whole family in the South City Large Residence. That would have been much simpler, and he wouldn't have needed to give her family any special consideration.

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

"By the way, I might be going away for a while. Don't wander around on your own."

Peach Blossom pressed him, "Husband, where are you going? Can I come with you?"

Lin Fei shook his head. He wanted to return to Earth to take care of some things, so of course he couldn't bring Peach Blossom along.

"No. I'm going out of town on business, and it wouldn't be convenient to bring you."