The sudden noise startled Chu Huaixu, and the vase in his hand almost fell to the ground.
Turning around, I saw that the person had turned over and was fast asleep.
That sound just now was clearly a murmur from a dream.
Chu Huaixu breathed a sigh of relief and continued his search.
Apart from the bed where Song Ting was lying, he searched almost every part of the room, leaving no stone unturned, not even the walls or the corners of the tables.
To his disappointment, he found nothing.
Because he was constantly worried that Song Ting would suddenly wake up, his palms were already soaked with sweat.
—Never mind, I'll find another opportunity another day.
Chu Huaixu took one last look at the person on the bed and left the room with great reluctance.
The moment he stepped out of the room, Song Ting suddenly sat up, looking at the already closed door with a complicated expression.
The hand that had been lingering on Chu Huaixu just minutes before was now pounding on his own chest.
Here—that man had just held his longsword against this spot, almost piercing a hole in it.
In the end, however, he did not take action.
Whatever the reason, it made Song Ting happy.
But... his gaze returned to the doorway, but what exactly was Huai Xu looking for?
Although Song Ting wasn't actually drunk, he had to pretend to be, so he didn't appear in the hall until the next morning.
Because of a hangover, he did not attend the morning court session today and got up two hours later than usual.
It was already high in the sky.
There were already people in the hall—it was Huaixu having breakfast.
Song Ting glanced at the time outside, his face darkening.
Chu Huaixu had actually noticed the commotion behind him long ago, but he deliberately ignored it until Song Ting sat down beside him, at which point he spared a glance at her.
"My lord has a poor alcohol tolerance and a bad drinking manner. If you are in a bad mood, don't take it out on me."
This was a sarcastic remark, attributing Song Ting's bad complexion to yesterday's hangover.
Song Ting didn't explain, only saying, "Why are we having breakfast at this hour?"
"I didn't sleep well last night and couldn't get out of bed."
Before Huai Xu was a bowl of white porridge, served in a green bowl, with a spoon of the same color held in his pale hand, a sight that stirred the heart.
Song Ting couldn't resist gently squeezing his fingers, but Huai Xu quickly turned to the side, and those fingers slipped from Song Ting's hand.
Commander Song, who had just grabbed nothing, rubbed his fingers together a few times, feeling a tingling sensation in his heart.
"Why didn't you sleep well?" Her voice was still lingering on the memory of the touch.
“I had a nightmare in which my deceased relatives demanded that I pay for their lives.”
When he said this, Huai Xu's tone was very indifferent, and no emotion could be detected. He even had the leisure to stir the porridge in the bowl, as if he was just calmly discussing the saltiness of a bowl of porridge with Song Ting.
But when those words reached the latter's ears, they were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.
The romantic atmosphere from just moments ago vanished completely. Song Ting clenched her fists, her chest heaving violently.
"I'm full, please make yourself at home, sir."
Seeing that he was about to stand up, Song Ting reached out and grabbed his sleeve, pleadingly saying, "Don't go, have some more to eat with me."
·
On the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, the Empress Dowager's entourage departed from Chang'an for the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, escorted by Song Ting, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Also accompanying him was Grand Secretary Zhang Bingzhi.
As expected, Chu Huaixu was taken along by Song Ting. Because of his special status, there were bound to be people in the entourage who recognized him, so Song Ting put the silver mask on his face again.
The Song family's carriage was at the back of the procession. The carriage was spacious and bright, and there were black and white impermanence guards under Song Ting's command on both sides.
Black and White Impermanence are Xiao Wu and Qi Zhou. Song Ting is known as the Living Yama. As his two most capable subordinates, they naturally received the same title.
"...So you see, following Song Ting only earns you this kind of bad reputation. When you die and go to hell to meet the real Black and White Impermanence, you might even be hated by the two great ghost gods."
"At that time, things like having your tongues pulled out, being boiled in oil, or being rolled in nails will be too lenient. It would be better to suppress you in the eighteenth level of hell for eternity."
The procession was large and noisy, and Chu Huaixu overheard the title. He lifted the beaded curtain of the carriage with his pale arm, and mocked the two with a smile, while also trying to poach the commander's woman.
Qi Zhou really resembled the Black Impermanence; no matter how Chu Huaixu teased him, he always maintained a respectful and expressionless demeanor.
Enraged, Chu Huaixu finished eating a sour apricot and spat the pit onto the other person.
Even so, he still didn't react. Chu Huaixu felt like he had punched cotton, and was even more furious.
"Hmph, you've really inherited your master's skills; a silent dog bites the hardest."
They were currently traveling along a mountain road, and the journey was bumpy. Chu Huaixu had most of his body sticking out of the road in order to spit out the pit, and Qi Zhou reached out to help him up.
Chu Huaixu, however, used this action to cut off the other person's arm and stick it to his own face:
"I can't win over your family, so how about you consider coming with me, hmm?"
Qi Zhou's expression changed slightly, and a rare hint of helplessness appeared on his usually expressionless face:
"Please show some respect, sir. I am utterly loyal to you and have no other intentions."
"Hahahaha..." Chu Huaixu held his palm and suddenly burst into laughter.
"You're telling someone from the red-light district to have some self-respect? Why don't you just tell your master to lay down his butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot..."
Even though he had gotten used to the malice that Young Master Huaiyue constantly exuded towards his master, Qi Zhou still found that mouth a headache.
"Um...Young Master Huaiyue, I think you don't want us to follow you, you want us to die, right?"
Xiao Wu overheard their conversation. He turned around from the other side of the carriage and walked alongside Qi Zhou, his eyes filled with sympathy as he looked at the man.
"If the adults see this, Qi Zhou will probably lose his arm."
Chu Huaixu smiled again, this time without saying anything, let go of his hand, and sat back in the carriage.
The moment the beaded curtain was lowered, Song Ting, who was standing far away beside the Empress Dowager's carriage, happened to look over here and only managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of emerald green.
That was his jade thumb ring.
Since that day, Huaixu has worn it on his hand and has never taken it off.
He felt inexplicably comforted.
But the thought of Huaixu's attitude towards him caused that comfort to turn into a lingering sourness that filled his chest.
"Your Excellency? Lord Song?" The Empress Dowager reached out and pulled Song Ting.
Song Ting withdrew her gaze and subtly pulled her arm away from the Empress Dowager's grasp: "Your Majesty, please speak."
"Your Excellency looks rather pale. Are you tired?"
Song Ting coldly replied, "It's alright."
"Why don't we take a break? We've been traveling for two days straight, and the weather is really hot today. Even the horses seem to be struggling to keep up."
Song Tingchao looked ahead for a while, and there was a valley not far ahead.
"Alright, let's rest in the valley ahead."
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