While waiting for the noodles and buns, Wan Jun hesitated and said, "Master, you've already arrived at the village, why don't you go back and take a look?"

"Now is not the time."

Going back now could very well cause them trouble, or even endanger their lives.

"That's right, we snuck back..."

The man in black interrupted him by calling his name: "Wan Jun".

"What's wrong, Master? Do you need to use the restroom?"

"...Do you know that your voice is very loud? Even if you try to lower it, others can still hear you."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Wan Jun was a little confused, then explained, "I've been in the military camp for a long time. There are a lot of people in the camp, especially when training new recruits. If you don't shout, not many people can hear you. Over time, I've become the loud person I am now. Did I disturb the master? I will be more careful in the future."

"It's not a matter of arguing or not."

Wan Jun couldn't understand: "What kind of question is that?"

"Think about whether you should say something or not, and be careful that the walls may have ears."

Wan Jun glanced around and whispered, "Don't worry, Master, I'll be careful. There's no suspicious person following us."

The man in black: ...What should I do? His stubborn subordinate doesn't seem to understand what he means. Should I tell him that not only military matters can't be spoken openly, but also words like "going to the toilet" don't need to be asked so loudly?

Wan Jun rubbed his stomach and muttered, "Why isn't the noodles here yet? I'm starving."

The man in black gave up on teaching his naive subordinate how to speak, picked up a teacup, took a sip of tea, and said, "Wan Jun, have you thought about what kind of life you want to live in the future?"

"My mother and I were saved by you, Master. I will go wherever you go from now on. But Master, my mother is my only family left. No matter where I go with you, I must take her with me, okay?"

The man in black was speechless for a moment, then put down his teacup and said, "...No one asked you to separate from your mother."

Wan Jun poured him some tea: "Thank you, Master."

The man in black lowered his head in deep thought, wondering why he was discussing their future with this stubborn subordinate.

The man clenched his fists, recalling what Wan Jun had reported at the village entrance.

Wan Jun noticed the change in his master's aura: "Is Master worried about the young master and the others?"

"I owe them something."

"My lord, please don't say that. The situation there is almost completely under control. Once you return with your military achievements and explain things to the young master and the others, I believe they will understand your difficulties."

"I hope so." The man in black calmed himself down. "By the way, who did you ask to find out that the woman beat and abused the children?"

Wan Jun recalled the other person's appearance: "He was a man dressed in a long gown, a scholar, and spoke in a refined manner. From what he said, the woman not only disliked the young masters herself, but also prevented others from helping them. She would beat them every time she saw them, which made the villagers afraid to bring food to the young masters."

He obeyed his master's orders and did not go to inquire with meddlesome women, lest the whole village know that someone was asking about the Luo family's children before long.

He deliberately chose someone who seemed reasonable and, without others around, used the reasons his master had taught him to inquire.

It is said that at the entrance of the village, they saw two good-looking boys, about seven or eight years old, and heard them reciting poems. They wanted to buy them to be their young master's page, and were willing to sign a short-term contract.

The child walked quickly, and he couldn't catch up. He only vaguely heard someone call out something like "Luo". He wanted to find out who the child was and discuss it with their parents.

It's easy to find good-looking children in the village, but few are literate. There's only one family with the surname Luo, so the scholar directly told him the names of several children.

Upon hearing this, Wan Jun realized it was the right person. He followed the scholar's words and asked a few more questions, saying he wanted to know about the children's family situation. The scholar didn't think much of it and told him everything in detail.

Wan Jun recalled the events he had inquired about earlier, and figured there was nothing he had forgotten to mention.

Suddenly, he felt that the aura emanating from his master was getting colder and colder. Just then, a waiter brought over steamed buns and noodles, and he quickly put a pair of chopsticks in his hand to change the subject.

"Master, the noodles are here. Eat quickly, we still have to travel after you finish eating."

The man in black sat quietly for a while before reaching for the bowl of noodles and starting to eat.

Wan Jun only dared to pick up his chopsticks after seeing him start eating, taking bites of noodles and buns.

What Wan Jun didn't know was that the scholar wasn't unaware of much; in fact, his thoughts were as wicked as they could possibly be.

He believed the scholar's words, "That family's child is truly pitiful. If he could leave that wicked stepmother and become a page in your master's mansion, it wouldn't be bad. At least he would have enough to eat and wouldn't starve to death." These words showed the scholar's concern for the children.

Little did they know that the scholar's true thoughts were truly malicious.

The scholar was none other than Liu Ge.

Wan Jun was tall and strong, with a murderous aura that could only be honed on the battlefield. He didn't show it on ordinary days, but it would be revealed when he was angry.

When Liu Ge was talking about the tragic backgrounds of the Luo family children, he keenly sensed the terrifying murderous aura emanating from Wan Jun. His intuition told him that this tall man was no ordinary servant.

No servant in any household would carry such a long sword with him.

Liu Ge was a bit clever; he knew Wan Jun was lying. He wasn't anyone's servant, and he wasn't asking about the child because he wanted to buy a page for the so-called young master.

But Liu Ge misunderstood Wan Jun's identity, thinking he was the kidnapper who had been causing a stir in the city recently, yet had no leads whatsoever.

Aside from that, he couldn't figure out why this man, who looked like a bandit leader and was not to be trifled with, would inquire about the Luo family's children.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!