While Nan Xian was talking with Huo Shaoying, at the same time, on the top floor of Shixi Building, in the study reserved for the building owner—
Linghu Sheng stood behind the desk, pen in hand, deep in thought. His hand holding the pen was extremely thin and pale, a sickly white that had never seen sunlight. His cheeks were deeply sunken, and his thin lips were a pale black with very distinct peaks.
The ink-soaked brush hovered in mid-air for a moment, about to fall, when suddenly hurried footsteps came from outside the door, growing closer and closer, and a plump shadow landed on the thin gauze curtain.
The head steward of Shixi Tower, panting heavily, stopped at the door of the study and bowed, saying, "Master, I have something to report!"
Upon hearing this, Linghu Sheng did not stop. As if he had not heard it, he calmly wrote down the first character.
After a long silence from inside the room, the head steward grew increasingly anxious, yet dared not urge him aloud. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then stopped, his long, cunning, slanted eyes constantly glancing at the two beautiful female servants standing outside the study door—
He didn't have any dirty thoughts; at this moment, he wouldn't dare think about such things. He just kept gesturing with his eyes, hoping they could go inside and remind the landlord for him.
The maids stood quietly with their heads bowed, motionless, as if they hadn't seen him.
The Grand Steward had weathered many storms; he was eloquent and could speak to anyone, regardless of their background. He could handle any kind of monster or monster. Yet, he was utterly terrified of Linghu Sheng—
In his eyes, Linghu Sheng was a complete madman. He had been somewhat restrained at first, but after the third son of the former leader was beheaded in public, his temperament became even more eccentric and violent. He would often be laughing and joking with someone one second, and the next second he would pick up a knife and cut off a person's arm and chop it into mincemeat, forcing the person to open their eyes and watch.
Furthermore, he was extremely harsh on his subordinates. If a subordinate did anything that displeased him, no matter who it was, he would kill them without giving them a chance to explain. The previous Grand Steward was stabbed through the heart with a sword on the spot simply because he stepped into his room with his right foot first.
The head steward stared anxiously at the tightly closed door, beads of sweat rising from his forehead and dripping down his cheeks.
He didn't dare to wipe it, so he just stood there stiffly, not moving at all.
Finally, a faint sound came from the study—
"Enter."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two waitresses turned around and opened the door at the same time, as if they were turned on by a machine, with even the amplitude of their movements being exactly the same.
The chief steward was immediately relieved, and he quickly wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and shuffled into the study.
Incense burned in the study, its fragrance extremely strong, mixed with a metallic smell that assaulted the nostrils.
The head steward subconsciously raised his head, his gaze quickly sweeping across the room. Upon seeing something, his pupils constricted sharply—
Behind the bamboo screen, a pair of black ankle boots were visible, and bright red blood was slowly flowing out.
In the pool of blood lay half a severed hand, with a bright green ring still on the thumb.
He had seen this ring before, and earlier today he had even exchanged tasks with its owner.
Wasn't he the one you valued most, the one you took everywhere with you? How... how could you suddenly kill him?!
The head steward was so shocked that his heart skipped a beat. In an instant, he went through all the shady things he had ever done in his mind, and he panicked even more. He didn't know what to do with his legs and almost tripped over himself.
He managed to steady himself and quickly looked away, bending even lower.
The sound of papers being tidied came from the other end of the desk. Linghu Sheng didn't even look up, his thin lips parted slightly: "Speak."
The head steward nervously reported the commotion that had occurred inside the building to him.
Upon hearing this, a ripple finally appeared on Linghu Sheng's calm, still face. He gently lifted his eyelids, revealing dark eyes beneath his willow-leaf eyebrows that resembled an unyielding pool of ink.
"Qi Maojin?" he repeated, emphasizing each word.
"Yes, the woman he brought with him ran away, and his bodyguards are searching for her in the building now..."
Linghu Sheng narrowed his eyes, his aura suddenly becoming fierce, and the paper in his hand instantly turned into a pile of fragments.
The head steward shuddered in fright and quietly swallowed.
Linghu Sheng flicked his sleeve to shake off the fragments, let out a soft chuckle, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
“I hadn’t even planned to do anything to him, and he actually came to me of his own accord. Well, since he’s here, then—let him stay.”
His tone was light and casual, as if he were casually discussing how nice the weather was today, even though he was clearly saying the cruelest things.
The chief steward was taken aback. He knew that the owner and the current leader were enemies, the kind who wished they could tear the other to pieces. However, Shixi Tower was on the other's territory. If they really broke off relations, Shixi Tower would probably suffer as well.
He had only been the head steward for a few days, and he had finally waited for the auction to arrive, hoping to take the opportunity to make some extra money...
Hesitation flashed in his eyes. After much internal struggle, greed ultimately triumphed over reason. He cautiously said, "But...but what if the First Leader investigates—"
As soon as he said this, Linghu Sheng's gaze, which could almost turn into an ice spike and pierce a person's heart, suddenly fell on him. The chief steward's legs went weak instantly, and he knelt down on both knees with a thud.
He raised his hand and slapped himself several times, then slammed his head against the ground several times, and soon blood appeared on his forehead.
"I was too talkative, I misspoke, I will never do it again, please forgive me!"
He knelt there, trembling, and saw Linghu Sheng's impeccably clean leather shoes stop in front of him after walking around the table. His face turned ashen, and he closed his eyes in despair.
It's over, it's over, I'm probably going to die today...
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