When Shen Fei left the side courtyard, the sunlight had grown a little brighter, and the long, slanting shadows on the ground had shortened. He followed the covered walkway out. As he passed the front courtyard, a servant was sweeping fallen leaves, the broom brushing over the bluestone paving with a steady swish, swish.
He stopped and listened for a while. The soft rustling was quiet and calm, especially compared with the usual footsteps coming and going through the estate.
He suddenly felt that a morning like this was truly rare. There was nothing urgent to deal with, nowhere he absolutely had to go. Standing beneath the walkway and enjoying the breeze for a while would not delay anything important.
Thinking about it, he realized it seemed he had not truly had a moment of leisure in a long time.
After his rebirth, every day had been a rush: rushing to gather intelligence, rushing to cultivate, rushing to maneuver between the family and the Dark Guild, rushing to weigh his choices between Nie Li and Xiao Ning'er.
Now Shen Hong was gone, the Dark Guild had been driven back for the time being, and the Sacred Family's internal affairs had largely been sorted out. He suddenly discovered that he had a stretch of free time, time that truly belonged to him.
Once that thought surfaced, he barely hesitated before heading toward the side gate.
He passed through the alley outside the side gate, rounded two corners, and walked south along the main street for a while before turning into another alley lined with holly trees. At its end lay the side courtyard of the Winged Dragon Family's estate.
The courtyard gate stood ajar, a little light from within spilling through the gap.
Shen Fei made little noise as he pushed