105: Before leaving

The night wind blew, and the lights within the City Lord's Manor flickered in the breeze.

Su Yunniang let go of Situ Jun and said:

"You're going to the Mine Tunnel tomorrow. Go say your goodbyes to the other sisters and spend some quality time with them."

Situ Jun felt a pang of shame and gave her a gentle kiss on her hair bun.

He left Su Yunniang's courtyard.

Situ Jun's figure flashed, vanishing into the shadows.

At the East Courtyard's Manor Soldiers' quarters.

"Zhu Changpo, are you sure you can keep the situation at the mineral vein under control?"

Situ Jun sat in the head seat and asked the burly Zhu Changpo before him.

Zhu Changpo patted his chest, his face full of confidence:

"Rest assured, my Lord. Most of those miners are poor folk; as long as we give them some benefits, they will naturally listen to us. Furthermore, I've already sent people to greet the factions around the mineral vein."

Situ Jun nodded slightly, his gaze deep:

"The mineral vein might hide rare Materials for refining a Lifebound Treasure. You must keep an eye out for me. If you find anything unusual, collect it for me."

"Yes! My Lord!"

Zhu Changpo replied respectfully... Meanwhile, inside Chen Yufei's residence in East Lin City, the atmosphere was warm and peaceful.

Chen Yufei and the Embroiderer were sitting around a table, discussing the name for their new cloth shop.

"How about 'Yuxiu Pavilion'? It's taken from both our names," Chen Yufei said with a smile, looking at the Embroiderer.

The Embroiderer's eyes were filled with surprise:

"A wonderful name! Yuxiu Pavilion—it's elegant and sounds lovely. It will surely bring prosperous business!"

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the door.

Chen Yufei frowned and got up to check at the door, only to see a group of fierce-looking men in black barging into the courtyard.

The leader was tall with a hideous scar on his face, his eyes glinting with greed and ferocity.

"Miss Chen, your father owes our Blood Fiend Gang a large sum of Spirit Stones. Since he's hiding and won't show his face, this debt can only be settled by you!"

The scarred man said with a cold sneer.

Chen Yufei was startled, but she forced herself to remain calm. "I know nothing of my father's affairs, and he never mentioned owing Spirit Stones to the Blood Fiend Gang."

"Hmph! Enough talk! Either pay up, or come with us!"

The scarred man waved his hand, and the men in black behind him began to surround Chen Yufei.

Seeing this, the Embroiderer rushed to shield Chen Yufei, shouting loudly:

"How dare you be so insolent! This is East Lin City; you are not allowed to run wild here!"

However, the men in black showed no sign of stopping.

At that critical moment, a flash of cold light swept through, and one of the men in black screamed as his arm was severed.

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw a burly figure land in the courtyard.

"Steward Tu Xiong!"

Chen Yufei cried out in pleasant surprise.

The newcomer was Tu Xiong, whom Situ Jun had specifically sent to East Lin City to protect Chen Yufei and establish a power base.

Tu Xiong scanned the crowd, his face full of Evil Qi:

"Blood Fiend Gang? What audacity, daring to cause trouble in East Lin City!"

Seeing the tide turn against him, the scarred man felt unwilling but didn't dare to easily make an enemy of Tu Xiong. He let out a cold snort:

"Miss Chen, we will settle this account sooner or later! Let's go!"

With that, he tried to lead the men in black away in a hurry.

But who was Tu Xiong? He was just worrying about having no faction to recruit, and these blind fools showing up at his door was exactly what he wanted.

He immediately gave a cold smile, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eyes:

"You want to leave? Tonight, you either surrender or leave your lives here!"

As he spoke, the pressure of his Foundation Establishment eighth-layer Cultivation surged toward the group of men in black, scaring them so much their faces turned pale, and they all knelt to beg for mercy.

Their immediate surrender before he even made a move left Tu Xiong feeling very unsatisfied, and he furiously unleashed a torrent of abuse at the leader... On the other side, after arranging the matters concerning the mineral vein, Situ Jun returned to the West Courtyard.

He went straight to Nangong Xue's courtyard, only to find Nangong Xue and Xu Lian talking anxiously.

"What's wrong, my two wives?"

Situ Jun asked quickly.

Seeing Situ Jun, a sense of relief flashed in Nangong Xue's eyes, and she said:

"It's all because of you, suddenly accompanying Sister Liu to some Xihua Sect. I thought..."

Situ Jun chuckled and said:

"Everything has been resolved. However, tomorrow I'm going to guard the mineral vein and will be away for a while. So, I came specifically to say goodbye to both of you, and also... because I missed you."

Nangong Xue cried out bashfully:

"You're truly shameless, always bullying me."

Meanwhile, Xu Lian said with a face full of worry:

"You must be careful at the mineral vein; it's full of dangers."

Situ Jun pulled Xu Lian into his embrace and said gently:

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

...As the night deepened, Situ Jun supported his waist as he left Nangong Xue's room and returned to his own quarters.

He sat on the bed, took out that Lifebound Ring, and examined it closely.

Under the dim light, the ring emitted a faint glow, and the runes seemed to flow slowly.

"System, what exactly is the secret of this ring?" Situ Jun thought to himself.

[Ding! This is an Innate Spirit Treasure ring containing immense power. It requires the collection of rare Materials for sacrificial refining to gradually form its own space and carry living beings. For now, the Host can use it as a Storage Ring.]

The System's notification sound echoed in his mind.

A glint flashed in Situ Jun's eyes; this ring was indeed not simple!

He secretly resolved to find rare Materials so that this ring could carry living beings or even people.

At this moment.

Having rested enough, Situ Jun got up and rushed to Lin Suwan's place to tell her about his departure for the Mine Tunnel.

Night stained the courtyard, and waves of floral fragrance wafted through the air. Lin Suwan was in her bedroom teaching Hong Mei embroidery.

The silver needle danced between the young girl's fingers. The begonia flower on the embroidery hoop had already taken shape, its golden-outlined stamens trembling slightly between the red petals.

"Madam, look at your servant's embroidery. How is it?"

Hong Mei asked in a crisp voice, a hint of playfulness between her delicate brows.

Lin Suwan took the embroidery hoop, examined it, and said with a smile:

"It's very beautiful. You've finally made progress."

Amidst the sound of the water clock, footsteps were heard from outside the screen.

Lin Suwan set down her teacup and said softly:

"Steward Situ is here."

Hong Mei stood up hurriedly, but her hair ornament got caught on the gauze curtain. She stood on her tiptoes to untangle it, revealing a glimpse of her lustrous ankle beneath her moon-white skirt.

"You two are still embroidering so late?"

Situ Jun stepped over the threshold, his gaze falling on Hong Mei's flushed face. He reached out to help her remove the ornament, his fingertips seemingly brushing past the young girl's ear.

Lin Suwan saw it clearly, and a stir of emotion rose in her heart. She smiled and instructed:

"Hong Mei, go get some wine and food."

After Hong Mei turned away, Situ Jun had already sat down in a chair:

"You want to drink some wine?"

There was a hint of a smile in his tone.

Lin Suwan sat down next to him and caught the faint scent of rouge on his lapels, wondering which wife it had come from.

"On such a beautiful night, wouldn't it be a pity not to drink a little?"

She pulled at his sleeve and gave a charming laugh.

Situ Jun shook his head with a smile and said:

"If I end up with a hangover later, you'll have to take care of me."

Lin Suwan gave a soft laugh and said:

"I've watched the girl Hong Mei grow up. She has some feelings for you too. Why don't we..."

Situ Jun was stunned.

The candlelight suddenly flickered, casting their shadows onto the wall.

Situ Jun remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh:

"Let nature take its course."

Before long, Hong Mei returned with the wine and food.

"Hong Mei, you sit down and have some too," Lin Suwan said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed across the young girl's pretty face.

Lin Suwan pulled her down to sit and teased:

"What are you shy about? Why weren't you shy when you were stealing glances at Steward Situ?"

Late at night, a drunken Situ Jun was helped into the bedroom.

Lin Suwan stood outside the screen, watching the two overlapping shadows upon it, a smile appearing on her face.

The night wind swept past, carrying the fragrance of jasmine and lotus, painting everything with a gentle and fitting touch.

(The previous parts were edited too heavily, and now I don't really dare to write much... Hardly anyone is reading anymore, sigh.)