Night deepened. Perhaps because of the poor weather, dark clouds obscured most of the stars in the sky.
The wind gradually rose, carrying the sense of an approaching storm.
The doors of the Enforcement Hall burst open, and the rising gusts suddenly swept inside.
Even so, the candle flames within merely flickered, showing no sign of going out.
Before long, a tall, straight-backed figure leaned against the doorframe. With a blade of grass between his lips, he slouched as though he had no bones, utterly indolent.
Watching the papers on the desk in the main hall rustle in the wind, the man seated behind it finally stopped what he was doing.
He cast an indifferent glance at the man in the doorway, then swept his hand, gathering the scattered papers blown off the desk into his Storage Bag.
Then he picked up the Jade Slip on the desk and resumed reading.
"After three years, you've only grown more terrifying in private. No wonder no one wants to keep you company while you pore over records anymore." The speaker looked thoroughly unconcerned and showed little respect for the man seated at the desk.
Because he had left the doors open, the wind outside battered them with a loud clatter.
"Come in and shut the doors. Otherwise, get out." His tone held none of its former gentleness. Perhaps this was what he was truly like.
Feng Qi shrugged, but in the end, he yielded to Xia Jue's intimidating authority, came inside, and shut the doors properly.
He walked around to the other side of the desk and casually leafed through the scrolls. "With no outsiders around, you're getting less and less inclined to keep up the act."
Xia Jue had long since grown accustomed to Feng Qi's nonsense. He merely asked, "Any