T/N: Thank you so much to DashingRavens for the generous donation! Here’s a regular chapter and a bonus chapter!

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Du Dongfeng didn’t expect to wake up again. He touched his neck, which was already very painful, and truly felt that those people were crazy. They knocked him out three times in one night but didn’t kill him. What in the world did they intend to do?

Thinking of this, Du Dongfeng immediately groped for the jade pendant on his body and found that it was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief and then took out a piece of paper.

‘Like-minded person, we tested you many times and offended you.’

Du Dongfeng couldn’t help but frown. He was puzzled and could only go home in embarrassment, unaware that there was someone behind him.

At an ordinary house in an alley, Du Dongfeng looked around carefully and found nobody following him, so he went inside. In fact, there was no need to be cautious. The government knew where his house was.

When he entered, he saw that the lamps were still on, and there was a low coughing sound coming from inside.

Huo Fenglie observed for a long time on the roof and determined that Du Dongfeng’s father was indeed chronically ill. There were also a mother and younger siblings at home, truly an ordinary family. Just based on the calculation of his age, Du Dongfeng should be the oldest of his siblings, otherwise the age of his parents would be inconsistent. 

Not long after Du Dongfeng returned home, everyone also went to sleep. Only Du Dongfeng sat in the courtyard, holding the jade pendant in a daze, which made Huo Fenglie very unhappy.

Huo Fenglie kept watch all night without finding anything, full of displeasure. When he went back, he saw Liu Zhenqing sleeping peacefully with a pillow in his arms.

Since this person was nearby, he could only digest his anger silently.

The person on the bed suddenly turned over, and the quilt slipped off again. Huo Fenglie was about to step forward and cover him up, but when he glanced at him, his breath suddenly froze.

He saw that Liu Zhenqing had moved so much that his robes were all messed up. The top and bottom of his clothes were open, with only the middle belt barely holding them together.

A large area of fair skin was exposed. Delicate collarbones, a smooth chest, and a dot of red were accidentally revealed. That flat belly and belly button rose and fell slightly with his breathing.

Huo Fenglie felt his throat instantly tighten. Thinking of his brief suffering the previous night, his entire body felt bad. He quickly walked back to the table and took a sip of cold tea to extinguish the fire in his heart.

Likely because the teacup made too much noise, Liu Zhenqing woke up in a daze. When he saw Huo Fenglie sitting there, he got up with difficulty and took a deep breath, asking: “How did it go?”

Huo Fenglie briefly explained the situation.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes gradually became clearer. “So cautious? He didn’t go find the people he follows?”

Huo Fenglie said with discomfort: “In short, apart from taking care of his parents and sleeping normally, he just stared at your jade pendant. Now, he has returned to the government office for his duties.”

Liu Zhenqing coughed at once, looking embarrassed.

It was true that he had been admired by men before, but wasn’t the age gap a bit high? Could it be that he was able to charm people from eight to eighty years old, with no scruples between men and women?

After thinking about it, he felt inexplicably proud. Liu Zhenqing touched his chin and said with a smile: “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

Huo Fenglie was speechless.

Liu Zhenqing noticed that Huo Fenglie’s expression wasn’t good and thought he was tired, so he said: “Then you should rest quickly. He’s on duty during the day and can’t run around, so I can still observe him. You can keep an eye on him at night.”

Huo Fenglie said: “I’ll rest for a while and continue to watch him. You don’t need to look at him.”

Liu Zhenqing opened his mouth, feeling that there was no need to make Er-gou work so hard. But seeing that Huo Fenglie had really taken off his outer layers and went to rest on the other side, he didn’t speak further. When he got up and went out, he happened to meet Bai Su, who had also just gotten up.

Bai Su’s mood seemed to have improved a lot after a night’s rest, and he had returned to his handsome appearance with a leisurely smile. They said good morning to each other and planned to go to the kitchen together to find food.

“Did Brother Qin and the others come back last night?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“No, they didn’t come back all night. Although the investigation is important, how can they do this without rest? But I don’t know what the physique of someone who practices martial arts is like. Perhaps they really don’t get tired easily,” Bai Su said.

Liu Zhenqing nodded along. Just as they were talking, they heard a commotion when they passed by the gate of the government office and some officials went to open the door.

When Liu Zhenqing saw that Du Dongfeng was there, he couldn’t help but shift his attention. Bai Su was also curious, so he followed him to see what was going on outside.

As soon as they opened the door, they saw a group of people blocking the door angrily and making an uproar. They were chased back by the government office guards, but they could only push them to the bottom of the steps.

These were the family members of imprisoned scholars and officials. It seemed that what Du Dongfeng said before about people coming to make trouble every day was true.

There was no point in arguing with them. Liu Zhenqing and Bai Su didn’t want to cause trouble, and were about to retreat.

At this moment, they saw a sedan chair approaching. It seemed that some people recognized Cheng Xi’s sedan chair, and they immediately surrounded it. Cheng Xi always traveled simply and did not bring a lot of guards. He was not originally the person in charge here, and had only come to handle the case and then return to his residence at night, so he could only rely on the government officials here to come forward and save him.

Seeing that Cheng Xi was in danger, Bai Su stopped and Liu Zhenqing could only watch along. Bai Su breathed a sigh of relief when the government officials escorted him over.

Cheng Xi was a local official, after all. After standing firmly on his feet, he faced the questions and immediately replied in a loud voice: “Where do you think this is? How can you be allowed to make a disturbance in front of the government office? Those who are not guilty should go home, and those who are guilty should face the law. The laws of Great Zhou will not bring injustice to good people, nor will they indulge evil people. You cannot change this just by making some noise. If you don’t go back, you can only be thrown into prison according to the law.”

A person with a clear conscience would naturally go home obediently after hearing such upright words, but these people all had evil intentions in their hearts. Not only did they disobey, but they also made worse trouble and picked things up to throw at people in an ignorant and unreasonable manner. They also specifically focused on the three people who were not wearing official uniforms, perhaps thinking that they were officials like Cheng Xi.

The government officials instinctively protected Cheng Xi and disregarded Liu Zhenqing and Bai Su.

Bai Su was standing next to Cheng Xi, and when Cheng Xi saw him get hit, he stepped over and used his slightly taller body to shield this person completely behind him.

Liu Zhenqing watched rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs flying toward him. He tried to dodge, but was not that agile, and was about to lament the suffering of his clothing when a figure blocked him.

“Be careful, my lord, and retreat inside.”

Liu Zhenqing took a closer look and saw that it was Du Dongfeng.

The matter came to an end with a few leaders being arrested, and everyone returned to the main hall.

“Hurry, the medicine kit,” Bai Su called out.

“Should we invite a doctor?” An official asked nervously.

Cheng Xi covered the bleeding wound on his forehead and said: “No need to bother. It’s only a scratch. Just use the medicine kit to treat it.”

The medicine kit was soon delivered, and Bai Su took charge of it himself.

“Don’t trouble yourself…..” Cheng Xi raised his hand to block Bai Su’s wrist, attempting to stop him.

Bai Su said in an unusually firm tone: “If Cheng-daren hadn’t protected me just now, I would have been injured. Let me do it. I can handle it.”

Cheng Xi looked at the extremely familiar gentleness revealed in that firm expression, and did not refuse. Instead, he stared blankly at Bai Su and let him deal with the wound on his forehead.

The wound was indeed not serious, but it left a mark. Bai Su felt increasingly guilty as he looked at it. He should have known better than to watch the fun.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and rubbed away the wrinkles on his brow.

Bai Su was startled, then lowered his head to see Cheng Xi staring at him intently. The affection in those eyes made Bai Su’s heart tremble.

“Don’t frown, you look good when you smile.” As he spoke, Cheng Xi held Bai Su’s face in his hands.

Suddenly, in a flash, Bai Su saw a clear look of aggressive encroachment in Cheng Xi’s eyes and couldn’t help but step back, his heart beating wildly.

And Cheng Xi seemed to sober up in an instant. He quickly apologized, “Young Master Bai, I’m truly sorry. I was distracted for a moment and thought you were…..Wangshu. You brothers look so much alike.”

Bai Su raised his head to look again. The way Cheng Xi looked at him was completely different, as if he was looking at a favored younger brother.

Cheng Xi looked at Bai Su almost lovingly and said: “You are Wangshu’s younger brother, so it is right for me to protect you. Don’t take it to heart. If his little brother got hurt on my territory, he would be angry with me.”

Bai Su had countless thoughts in his heart at this moment, as if there was something lodged in his chest. In fact, he was aware of his brother’s affection for Cheng Xi. During his tenure here, at least half of every letter he sent home praised Cheng Xi, speaking of Cheng Xi’s kindness and the things they did together. Bai Su had known from a young age that there was such an outstanding person who was very well-liked by his brother. He didn’t understand it before, but when he read them after he grew up, he clearly understood their friendship and his brother’s unrequited love. Because his brother knew that the other party was engaged and liked women, he could only be a confidant and not cause offense. But at this moment, Bai Su really wanted to ask Cheng Xi what kind of friendship toward his older brother he had seen in his eyes.

He distinctly felt that they were more than confidants.

At the same time, Liu Zhenqing also quickly told Du Dongfeng to take a break and go down to change clothes. His robes were just like jianbing pancakes, containing everything. He was the most miserable among the government servants.

“My lord is not injured.” Du Dongfeng actually cared for him honestly. Although he was responsible for his duties and didn’t dare let a distinguished guest be hurt, it still made Liu Zhenqing a little embarrassed. After some thought, he told Du Dongfeng to change his clothes and come to his place. Then he turned around and rushed back to the courtyard.

Entering the room, he looked for the money bag next to Huo Fenglie’s clothes.

Huo Fenglie naturally woke up when Liu Zhenqing came in. He turned around and was about to speak, when he saw Liu Zhenqing running out in a hurry.

Du Dongfeng came over after a while and Liu Zhenqing directly gave him ten taels of silver. He had heard before that Du Dongfeng’s family was generally poor, and he wouldn’t sell his jade pendant, but now he tried to protect him from disaster. Liu Zhenqing didn’t have anything to give him, so he wanted to give him some more money as thanks. 

“My lord, this is unnecessary.” Du Dongfeng quickly refused. “I did what I should have done.”

“I’m not an official of the investigation team, so I’m not under your protection. You helped me, so you deserve it. Don’t think about it too much. Just take it and treat this as making a friend,” Liu Zhenqing said firmly.

Du Dongfeng still tried to refuse, but Liu Zhenqing forced it into his hands.

While the two of them were holding hands, Huo Fenglie had gotten dressed and was going out. Upon seeing this scene, he immediately froze.

Du Dongfeng finally accepted it with some embarrassment. He hesitated, then asked Liu Zhenqing’s surname.

“My surname is Liu,” Liu Zhenqing said frankly.

Du Dongfeng was stunned, and his expression softened for an instant. “What a coincidence. Young Master Liu is a kind-hearted person, very similar to someone I knew. You are both good people.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Really? Thank you very much for the compliment.”

Du Dongfeng nodded firmly and looked at Liu Zhenqing for a moment. His cheeks suddenly turned red and he gave a quick salute, turning around to run away.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes became inquisitive as he touched his chin. When he turned his head, he was startled.

He saw a demon standing in front of the door with a gloomy face that dripped with ink.

“Eh, did I wake you up? Do you have a bad temper right after waking up?” Liu Zhenqing looked in confusion at Huo Fenglie’s novel terrifying expression.

Huo Fenglie’s piercing gaze turned from Liu Zhenqing’s face to his hands.

Liu Zhenqing thought he was looking at the money bag, so he explained the situation in front of the government office doors.

Hearing what had happened to Liu Zhenqing, self-blame flashed across Huo Fenglie’s face, but it was immediately replaced by displeasure.

“You and him were so close. Did you have an ulterior motive?”

Huo Fenglie still knew Liu Zhenqing, and there must be an explanation for his extraneous behavior. The most likely reason was that he felt compassion for a person who admired him.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, and then chuckled. He walked to Huo Fenglie on his own initiative and said softly: “Actually, there was a point, but not a major one.”

His originally fluctuating heart calmed down somewhat, and Huo Fenglie listened carefully. Judging by Liu Zhenqing’s tone, he must have something to say.

“Du Dongfeng is very sharp. When he was protecting me just now, I could just see his face. It was normal at first, but at a certain moment, his expression froze and he secretly observed me. I wondered if there was some scent on my body that reminded him of his captors, such as the ink he brought last night or the incense on my clothes. In fact, I didn’t smell anything, and only suspected it, so I took advantage of the situation to send a gift in order to get closer. Judging from his reaction just now, he shouldn’t be suspicious.”

Liu Zhenqing was not a naturally emotional person, and he was extremely sober when faced with such a petty quarrel.

After Liu Zhenqing explained, he wanted to say that Er-gou looked down on him.

As a result, his arm was pulled by someone in the next second, and he suddenly hit a solid chest. By the time he reacted, Er-gou had already lowered his head and moved closer, almost nose to nose. Liu Zhenqing was so alarmed that he couldn’t help but hold his breath as he stared blankly at the aggressive Huo Fenglie before him.

“Er…..gou?”

“Did you get this close? That’s why you saw him so clearly, and why he could have smelled something?”

Huo Fenglie’s deep voice and peculiar questioning tone made Liu Zhenqing inexplicably ill at ease, as if he was being invisibly suppressed. He instinctively reached out his hand to push this person. “It wasn’t this close.”

“Really?” Huo Fenglie’s eyes darkened, and he suddenly buried his head in Liu Zhenqing’s neck, taking a deep breath. Liu Zhenqing felt Huo Fenglie touch his neck, and didn’t know if it was his nose or lips that touched it.

He could feel the cool breath being passed across his skin and then inhaled away.

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, and before he could react, Huo Fenglie had already stood up straight, saying seriously: “There is a faint scent of ink, but he would have to be as close as I was to smell it, so he probably didn’t. No matter how good his nose is, his suspicion would be very shallow.”

Liu Zhenqing lifted his hand and put it on his neck in astonishment. It seemed that he had teased Er-gou not long ago, but now it was the other way around. Somehow, he felt like Er-gou was flirting with him.

But he was Er-gou, ah, how could that be possible?

The strange feeling flashed through his heart, and under Huo Fenglie’s calm gaze, Liu Zhenqing automatically answered: “In any case, it’s better to be careful. Do I really smell like ink? Should I take a bath?”

“No need, it’s very light. Just don’t let people get so close.”

“If someone else got as close as you did, I would have reflexively used my killing move.”

“Is…..that so?”

“Of course. I’ve been taking care of you since you were a child, so I instinctively have no defenses against you.”

“Oh.”

Just as he was speaking, Huo Fenglie looked up and seemed to catch sight of someone. Liu Zhenqing turned around and saw Bai Su returning in a dazed manner.

Liu Zhenqing asked: “Brother Bai, is Prefect Cheng still okay?”

Bai Su was taken aback, and said with an unnatural expression: “Oh, he suffered a cut on his forehead. It has been treated now and he’s back to work.”

“Aren’t you going to lend a hand?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

“I…..I’ll go later, I haven’t had breakfast yet.” 

Liu Zhenqing thought for a moment and said: “Then I’ll accompany you later?”

Bai Su didn’t think too much of it, and nodded in agreement.

Liu Zhenqing turned his head and glanced at Huo Fenglie, who gave a nod. He wanted to go watch Du Dongfeng, so Liu Zhenqing naturally had to check on the situation with those officials who were involved in the embezzlement of tax money.

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Chapter Forty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Eight