"Get in. No need to stand on ceremony!" Xiao Hua took the reins and said in a tone that brooked no dispute.
Wang Zhengfei's mother had no choice but to climb into the carriage. Wang Zhengfei nimbly hopped up as well, but instead of entering the covered compartment with his mother, he obediently sat at the front.
"Hehe..." Xiao Hua looked at the unusually clever child and smiled faintly. He floated up as well, sat cross-legged, flicked the reins with practiced ease, and called out, "Giddyup..."
The carriage slowly headed toward the main road not far away, and the horse was surprisingly obedient.
Once the carriage started moving, Xiao Hua did not look back. With a wave of his left hand, the steward's shrill screams rang out—one after another. By the time the carriage reached the main road, those screams had become hoarse and gradually faded away.
"Master..." Wang Zhengfei said softly, "What if, once it gets light, someone discovers the steward's corpse?"
"They won't." Xiao Hua gazed ahead and replied indifferently, "In another half-incense stick's time, not even bones will remain. He'll be completely reduced to a pool of black water."
"Hiss..." Wang Zhengfei sucked in a cold breath, and the expression on his face stiffened somewhat.
Xiao Hua glanced sidelong at Wang Zhengfei and said blandly, "What? Regretting it a little?"
"N-No, I don't regret it!" Wang Zhengfei's face immediately flushed red, and he hurriedly shook his head.
"I haven't even said what you might regret. How do you already know you don't regret it?" Xiao Hua pressed further.
"Master..." At that moment, Wang Zhengfei's mother spoke from behind them. "This morning, I heard Xiao Si describe how he took you as his master in his dream. Was everything in it real? Do you possess powers that reach