Chapter 365: Clear and Bright

Chapter 365 The Bright Hall

“Why did you vanish without a word after we jointly slew the wandering monk of the Great Zhaosi Temple in Chongqing Prefecture?”

When the tea-fetching servant exited the sitting room, Li Jun finally turned to Yuan Mingfei and asked.

Yuan Mingfei rolled her eyes at his question. “Looking at you asking like that, of course we fled after killing someone. Do you expect us to stay and wait for the monks from Great Zhaosi Temple to keep seeking revenge?”

“Then how did you end up in the Wojin Region?” Li Jun pressed, his teeth chattering.

“Of course to escape danger.”

Yuan Mingfei spoke plainly. “Or perhaps because you’re on your mind? I don’t like you—your whole self is a cold, hardened lump of killing intent. A man, after all, should be one who knows how to be cold and hot, you understand.”

“Did you hear? She’s talking about me. A seasoned woman, after all, she truly understands men!”

“My lord, you might have misunderstood.”

“Old Master Ma, it’s not me saying it. You don’t even have the function to do so, not even a stub of a wax bullet. You’re just standing there listening to stories from the corner. You’re wasting your time entirely.”

“Fán Wújiìo, you bastard, come die for me!”

The rustling and scurrying sounds drifted in from the window, and Li Jun’s face hardened instantly. He grabbed a chair from the table and smashed it out the door.

Boom.

Silence fell, and the drop of the needle could be heard.

Yuan Mingfei smiled faintly. “Your people are quite interesting.”

Li Jun pretended not to notice the lingering charm in the air, his face still rigid.

“Who managed to drive you to flee even from the heart of the Empire itself? To run here for refuge?”

This time, Yuan Mingfei didn’t answer. Instead, she bowed her head, manipulating the teacup before her.

Li Jun sighed. “If it were Great Zhaosi Temple, you could return to Chongqing Prefecture. Now, the manager of the Sichuan and Chuanqing gambling house is He Zha Jia, and the Jinshi Guard stationed there, Wang Xie, is also my acquaintance. They should be able to protect you.”

“So you look down on me?”

Yuan Mingfei lifted her eyes, her pupils blooming like pear blossoms in the rain, tears threatening to spill.

“Disdain? I can’t say that. We’ve killed together, but we haven’t lain together. At most, we’re comrades-in-arms. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”

Li Jun felt no ill will toward Yuan Mingfei, even a hint of admiration.

A woman dared to resist the temple she served, fled a thousand miles, yet still stood firm in Chongqing Prefecture, becoming one of the “Eight Generals” of the Sichuan and Chuanqing gambling house.

Such courage and skill were rare in any man.

As for the weight of the name “Mingfei,” Li Jun cared even less.

In this world of bastards, surviving was a blessing enough. Who could dictate whether someone sat, lay, or crouched?

“Still so cold and heartless, not at all like a warrior of the Confucian Order.”

Yuan Mingfei blinked, and the moisture in her eyes vanished. “It’s still you, after all.”

“Hold on!” Li Jun clutched his chest, cutting off her next words.

“I said these things not to drive you away, Li Jun. I’m not the kind of man who’s fickle and unfaithful.”

Li Jun spoke with solemnity: “It’s just that the times are different now. The Wojin Region is in a state of blazing oil and fire, ready to erupt at any moment. Coming here for refuge isn’t a good choice.”

“I know, you and Hong Hui are openly at war, the Confucian Order and the Wojin people secretly strangling each other, and above all, the Taoists and Buddhists stoking the flames.”

Yuan Mingfei lazily smiled. “Don’t forget what I used to be. I know all these things.”

“You still remember me?” Li Jun was surprised.

“If I don’t run, I’ll die immediately. Here, even if my luck isn’t good, at least I can live a few more days.”

Yuan Mingfei narrowed her eyes. “Better to live than to die.”

“Chongqing Prefecture,” Li Jun repeated.

“Never mind.”

Yuan Mingfei waved her hand. “He Zha Jia’s frame is too small to endure. I’d rather not cause trouble for others.”

“Is my frame not strong enough?”

Li Jun felt like the victim of a cruel joke.

“Is my frame not strong?”

“.It is.”

Though he knew it was provocation, that single “not” still wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

“You’re not strong, but you still must be. I’m now the fourth special guest guardian of the Dog Mountain Fortress Jinshi Guard, officially appointed, a documented person of some standing.”

Yuan Mingfei held up a tablet of documents in her left hand, waving it back and forth.

“The treatment isn’t that good. Your Jinshi Guard is so stingy.”

Li Jun looked bewildered. “Who signed your special appointment contract? I don’t even know about it.”

“The fellow with the white hair, that’s all.”

Yuan Mingfei propped up her chin with her hand. “That fellow named Xiao Hei is also good, just now he said he’d take me to a hot spring to wash away the dust and grime. Your subordinates are all quite good, too, and they’re friendly.”

Mutual flattery, rivalry, sibling grudges, and enmity—

A string of old, clichéd plotlines played out in Li Jun’s mind.

“I warn you, don’t mess with my people!”

“This isn’t something I initiated.”

Yuan Mingfei wore an innocent expression. “Don’t blame me.”

“By the way, what about your heart monkey?” Li Jun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Is it going to attack where it hurts? You’re not having fun otherwise.”

Yuan Mingfei’s face flushed with anger, her teeth grinding.

Li Jun wasn’t one to back down. “You’re stirring up trouble with my subordinates? That’s interesting.”

“Men and women in love, it’s natural, isn’t it?”

“You have no schemes? I can smell that hypnotic aura from you, even from this distance!”

“That’s just the aura my body naturally carries.”

Words clashed like swords, a scent of gunpowder filled the room.

Li Jun’s chest shirt fluttered, and a finger darted out from his sleeve.

Sat cross-legged on his shoulder, Li Hua smiled sweetly at Yuan Mingfei, “Niece, you’re really pretty.”

Yuan Mingfei’s eyes lit up, the ice on her face melting instantly. “This little one’s tongue is so sweet. Though, if you could call me auntie someday, I’d be even happier.”

The chamber held the weight of unspoken histories, where every glance whispered secrets beyond the surface.