I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

Lying in bed, covered by a warm blanket, with a sweet lullaby playing in my ears.

Ah, that feels so good.

"Sir, would you like another blanket?"

"..."

There was no response during the day, and when he looked up, Xi was already asleep.

See you tomorrow, sir.

■

"..."

When I wake up from a nap, I always feel awkward, as if some kind of ritual is missing.

What is lost?

Xi opened her mouth, feeling a little thirsty.

There's some tea on the table, let's go take a look.

Oh, right!

She came drinking yesterday, and it seems... she drank a bit too much.

Then she seemed to talk to the kid a lot, a lot... what did she say again?

Moreover, the room is so quiet.

Kid...

Where's the kid?!

Xi thought about what was missing.

The little devil didn't come to wake her up today.

That shouldn't be the case!

Did I wake up at the wrong time? Did the little devil go out to buy something?

Xi raised her head and scanned the room, then exhaled and lowered her raised tail again.

A piece of paper, folded into a triangle, was placed on the table, making it very conspicuous.

Xi picked up the paper and unfolded it; inside were Bai Zhou's handwriting.

"Sir, the assassin who dared to kill the prefect has been caught. I'll go check on him and be right back. Warm water is ready for you; make sure you wash up properly tomorrow so you'll feel refreshed. I've left your breakfast bag on the table; it contains meat buns and meat porridge from Aunt Ye's shop downstairs, along with some side dishes. You drank a bit too much last night, so you might feel unwell this morning. Make sure you drink some porridge to soothe your stomach."

Hmph~.

That brat dared to leave without asking her; that's incredibly presumptuous.

When he gets back, I'll definitely give him a good talking-to.

Knowing where the daylight had gone, the vexation that had been weighing on Xi's heart dissipated like the wind.

Xi glanced at the tightly sealed paper bag on the table and the warm water by the bedside, then picked up a towel and began to wash herself according to the guidelines on the paper.

###

"Brother Lu, it's already past 3:45 AM."

During the day, he sat on a chair eating a meat bun.

When he arrived, Lu Boyun had just sent someone to buy some steamed buns, and since he hadn't eaten yet, he casually ate some.

However, we've been waiting for over twenty minutes, and the "surprise" that Lu Boyun mentioned yesterday still hasn't arrived.

"Don't rush, Brother Bai, we'll be there soon. It takes quite a while to get here from the west of the city. Hey! Old Meng, put that bun down for me! That's mine!"

Because he was distracted by answering Bai Zhou's question, Meng Li snatched the scallop bun that Lu Boyun was eyeing, which angered him so much that he grabbed his chopsticks and tried to take it from Meng Li's bowl.

"Haha, first come, first served, don't blame me, Your Excellency. Mmm, so fragrant, so tender."

When Meng Li saw him trying to snatch it, she picked up the bowl, poured the bun into her mouth, and started making comments.

"You wretch! I'm going to give you eighty lashes!"

"Haha, you can't catch me, I'm just an old man in my twenties with a sore back!"

"Two children..."

Du Heng leisurely enjoyed her food, speechless and helpless at the bickering between the two.

"Report—!"

A soldier arrived quickly, bringing the farce to an end.

"My lord, the mountain lord has arrived!"

No sooner had the soldier finished speaking than Bai Zhou felt a gust of wind blow in, and then saw a dark, lumpy thing being thrown in.

"Lord Bai Yi!"

Lu Boyun ignored the steamed buns, swallowed the food in his mouth, straightened his clothes, and went to greet the person who came.

“Bo Yun, I’ve brought you the murderer you wanted.”

Its voice is like thunder, and its body is like a mountain peak.

He moves with the speed of the wind, and commands respect without anger.

Accompanied by wind and clouds, the mountain lord of the forest.

Bai Yi makes his entrance.

"Huh? A giant tiger."

Bai Zhou blinked and ate half a steamed bun in two bites.

The person who came was the kind person I bumped into when I went to buy wine during the day a couple of days ago.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Bai Yi."

Lu Boyun looked at the dark-skinned guy lying on the ground with a broad smile, while repeatedly thanking Bai Yi.

"This matter is of great importance; you must interrogate this thief immediately."

Bai Yi raised his eyebrows and swept his gaze over everyone in the room.

"Those involved, stay here. All other irrelevant personnel, please leave immediately."

"Here!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately packed up their belongings and left the house to guard the outside.

"Chou Hu, my dear uncle, I've been thinking of you day and night. I wish I could bring you to justice right now!"

Lu Boyun bent down and stared at Qiu Hu, who was beaten beyond recognition, and vented the anger and grief he had been holding back for the past few days.

"Heh... I underestimated you, Boyun. However, I lost to the military governor, not to you."

Although he had been arrested, Qiu Hu was a man who had seen a lot, and he showed no fear in his words.

I know what you want to know.

Just as he finished speaking, Qiu Hu suddenly coughed violently and vomited a mouthful of black blood.

"Damn it, couldn't you have gone a little easier...cough—!"

Qiu Hu took a deep breath, tilted his head to the side, and fell silent.

"Ah, this..."

The onlookers were stunned.

"This, this is... limbs broken, tendons and veins completely destroyed, internal organs all damaged... it's outrageous that he can still be alive."

Du Heng went over to check on Qiu Hu's condition and reluctantly announced Qiu Hu's condition.

Having just finished venting his frustrations and still feeling unsatisfied, Lu Boyun looked up at Bai Yi. The others followed suit, looking at Bai Yi as well.

“╯□╰”

"I just hit him a little too hard, who knew he'd be so fragile..."

Bai Yi moved his head, and the large tail behind him swayed unnaturally.

"So what do we do now?"

Meng Li looked at Lu Boyun.

"The only thing we can do is wake him up."

The suspect fainted without saying a word, and the government had to pay for and send people to treat him. What kind of logic is that!

Lu Boyun gritted his teeth in anger.

But there's nothing we can do. The only breakthrough now is Qiu Hu. Now that he's dead, it will be difficult to find the organization hidden behind him.

"Someone! Find a doctor!"

"trouble."

Watching the soldiers carry away the unconscious Qiu Hu, Lu Boyun sighed and looked at Bai Zhou with a look of shame.

"Brother Bai, I'm sorry to have wasted your time and made you come all this way for nothing."

"It's alright, Brother Lu. Although we didn't get to know the real culprit's identity, we did get to witness Lord Shanjun's power. It was definitely worth it."

Bai Zhou glanced at the clock in the room and decided to resign from his post to Lu Boyun.

"Well then, I'll be going now, Brother Lu. My wife has probably woken up, and I need to go take care of her."

"Alright."

Lu Boyun said:

"Brother Bai, Qiu Hu will be better this afternoon. If you don't mind, you can come back this afternoon."

He finally managed to put on a show in front of his people; if he didn't do it well and establish his authority, how could he be the prefect?

After hearing Lu Boyun's words, Bai Yi wanted to say something, but then thought better of it and swallowed her words.

"Okay! I will definitely come, Brother Lu, I'll be going now."