The Gale Had Barely Passed, and a Storm Was Brewing

Kexi tiptoed to the door.

He glanced back and saw that Sanhua was fast asleep, breathing steadily, with the corner of the blanket still tucked in where he had just tucked her in.

He held his breath, opened the door a crack, squeezed out to the side, and then slowly closed the door, making no sound throughout the entire process.

Standing in the corridor, he looked up and let out a long breath.

What the hell is going on?

He had considered a million possibilities before he came, but he never imagined that he would be forced to lie on a hospital bed and die.

He raised his hand, mechanically straightened his collar, and folded the two torn buttons inward, trying to cover up the still-present red marks.

"This is fucking terrible," he muttered to himself, and turned to leave.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure leaning against the wall, silent and still, like a stone statue.

Kexi was startled and bounced to the side, almost hitting the door frame with the back of her head.

He looked closely and saw Jinhsi standing there, her back against the wall, her hands hanging at her sides, her eyes frighteningly red.

Tears still clung to her face; some had dried, while others were still sliding down.

But she didn't say a word, she just quietly looked at him.

He looked at her, and she looked at him.

The two were less than three steps apart, but Kexi felt that the distance was farther than the journey from Ragunna to Jinzhou.

"Jinhsi..." He finally managed to squeeze out two words, his voice dry and soft, as if afraid of startling her, or as if afraid of being startled by her.

Jinhsi did not respond to him.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just turned her face to the side and quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

The movement was hurried and chaotic, completely lacking the composure that the magistrate usually possessed.

Something in Kexi's heart suddenly sank.

He wanted to explain, but as soon as he opened his mouth, all he could think of was Sanhua's words, "I'm in my fertile period today."

He suddenly realized he couldn't offer any explanation. What could he say? That he was forced? That would be too inhuman. That he was just trying to help her resolve her inner conflict? Then what about all that commotion earlier?

He didn't know how long Jinhsi had been standing there listening. But judging from her expression, she probably heard everything she shouldn't have.

Kexi took half a step forward, Jinhsi took half a step back.

He stopped, and she stopped too.

The corridor was so quiet that even the sound of breathing seemed amplified several times over.

"I..." Kexi opened her mouth, feeling like a jerk, "I didn't mean for it to turn out like this."

Jinhsi smiled. The smile was faint, so faint that the corners of her mouth only curved slightly before falling back down, but her eyes were even redder.

"Kexi," she called his name, her voice a little hoarse but unusually calm, "I don't want to hear a single word you're saying right now."

Kexi wisely kept quiet.

He knew that anything he said now would only add fuel to the fire.

But he couldn't just leave like that; his feet seemed nailed to the spot, unable to move.

Jinhsi didn't look at him again.

She turned around, her back to him, and tilted her head back to take a deep breath.

She took a step forward, then stopped and uttered a sentence.

"You'd better have a plan for how to handle this by tomorrow."

After saying that, she left.

The footsteps faded into the distance in the empty corridor.

He thought that tomorrow's birthday party might really turn into his death anniversary celebration.

"Young master, your neck."

"From a mosquito bite."

When Kexi and Selina left, Kexi didn't say much the whole way, and Selina tactfully didn't ask any questions either, just quietly followed behind him.

Unbeknownst to them, in the shadows in the distance, Scar was leaning against the wall, coldly watching them walk away.

His face still wore that expression of utter frustration, as if he was about to explode.

Christopher emerged from the shadows.

He stood beside the Scar, followed his gaze into the distance, and smiled.

"I heard you and Phrolova went to see him. How come you're all alone now, and in such a disheveled state?"

Upon hearing this, Scar almost ground his teeth to powder. "Don't even mention it!"

He kicked the base of the wall hard, sending pebbles flying a long way. "Damn it, Phrolova's playing me."

"What's going on?" Christopher turned his head, his expression showing just the right amount of concern, but his eyes were full of amusement at the spectacle.

"That bitch Phrolova, she couldn't resist that pretty boy, and even attacked me with him." The Scar grew angrier as he spoke, his voice trembling. "Do you know what's most outrageous? She actually willingly wore Resonance Suppressor!"

Christopher's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Oh? That's interesting. Given Phrolova's personality, he wouldn't go that far. There's probably something fishy going on here."

"I fucking want to know too!" Scar slammed his fist on the wall. "That kid must have given these women some kind of spell, they're all fighting over him. The governor of Septimont, the imperial concubine, the gladiators, even the students and teachers from Lahai-Roi, and even the magistrate of Jinzhou."

He turned to Christopher, his tone now tinged with apprehension. "Do you even know that kid can wield the power of the Prefect of Jinzhou? We don't even know what their relationship is. How are we supposed to take him down?"

Christopher listened quietly, his smile lingering.

He was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.

"Is that so?" he asked calmly. "Well, I do have a good idea."

The Scar immediately turned his head. "What's your plan?"

Christopher raised his hand, and a thick book appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The pages turned on their own without any wind, a strange light emanating from between the pages.

Finally, a page floated out of the book and hovered in mid-air.

A human figure emerges on the paper, gradually becoming clearer as facial features, body shape, and hair color take shape.

That person looks exactly like Kexi.

The Scar froze. He stared at the face that was exactly the same as Kexi's, opened his mouth, and after a long while, finally managed to utter, "Holy crap, when did you do this?"

Christopher looked at his masterpiece, a hint of appreciation in his smile, "Sometimes, we don't necessarily need to do it ourselves. Isn't it better to let them fight amongst themselves?"

The Scar frowned. "What do you want to do?"

"Didn't you say they were fighting over the young master of the Montelli Family?" Christopher toyed with the page. "Tomorrow's ceremony should be quite a spectacle. You create chaos, and I'll take the opportunity to plant him in the fray, cause some deaths, and someone will deal with him."

He paused, his gaze falling on the distant direction of the Montelli Manor, his smile deepening. "Fenrico's been overreaching lately. It'll be good to give him some trouble. The Prefect of Jinzhou would be a perfect choice."

The Scar man's pupils contracted slightly. "You're going to attack the Prefect of Jinzhou?"

"If the magistrate of this Jinzhou dies in Ragunna," Christopher's voice was as soft as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary, "He'll probably be swamped with work for a long time."

Scar looked at him, and after two seconds, suddenly laughed, "Damn, Christopher, you really are something else. Your brain works really well."