"Who is it?" Shi Lan looked warily at the person who had come.
The man leaned to one side, casually lit a torch, and the bright orange flame clearly illuminated his broad-browed and handsome face.
Shi Lan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Why is it you?"
Yi chuckled and said, "It's my turn to be on night duty today, so I came to check since there was someone here. But what are you doing wandering around here in the middle of the night?"
Shi Lan pursed her lips and muttered, "Coming here is naturally to relax my muscles and bones."
Yi glanced up and saw that she looked displeased. He rolled his eyes and thought about the rumors he had heard during the shift change. He guessed that she had been upset by her master and had come here to vent her frustration.
He chuckled and rubbed his nose, saying, "It's getting late. You should stretch for a bit and then go back. I'm going to continue my patrol."
Shi Lan nodded, watched him leave, then extinguished the torch again and continued the body-refining technique she had just finished.
The sky gradually changed from dark blue to light blue, and wisps of white smoke rose in the distance. Guards on duty passed by the training ground in twos and threes. Shi Lan estimated the time and turned to leave the training ground.
Just as she turned past the wall of the martial arts arena, she heard someone calling her from afar. Shi Lan turned her head, saw who it was, and quickly went forward.
"Abi, what brings you here?"
Bi Chaoshi Lan rolled her eyes and said irritably, "You still have something to say? The young master told you to reflect on your actions in the courtyard, but instead you ran here. The young master got angry, and the whole courtyard came out looking for you."
Hearing that Xun Shiba was angry, Shi Lan was not flustered. Instead, she looked at Abi's fair face and teased, "You recovered quite quickly. You're a beautiful woman again in just one night."
Bi pulled Shi Lan along, saying, "Who cares about this? The young master is waiting to ask questions. Aren't you coming with me?"
Shi Lan stumbled as Bi pulled her along. Although she didn't think much of Xun Shiba, Bi meant well, and Shi Lan didn't want to let her down.
Following her footsteps, the two walked towards the Qingyuan Academy.
In the Qingyuan courtyard, Xun Shiba, who hadn't slept all night, rubbed his forehead, his eyes bruised.
The maidservant who was waiting for news at the courtyard gate came in to report that Lan was on her way back.
Xun Shiba waited for most of the night and was angry for most of the night. Now that he learned that Shi Lan had returned, he could no longer hold back. He suddenly got up and rushed out.
Why did you come back?
Xun Shiba saw the two people slowly approaching and angrily shouted, "A maid like you who doesn't know the difference between master and servant and has no respect for hierarchy should be beaten to death by the steward."
Shi Lan's foot, which was about to step forward, suddenly stopped. Although she had expected Xun Shiba to be angry, the fact that he so casually killed the loyal maid who had protected her countless times still made Shi Lan furious, and she became as cold as a drawn sword.
"I don't know what I did wrong that you would want to beat me to death in public."
Shi Lan's voice was originally soft and clear. In the past, she was just unwilling to cause trouble and always kept her distance. Now that Shi Lan was deliberately making a big fuss, her voice was naturally exceptionally clear.
Hearing her disrespectful attitude, Bi panicked and turned pale. She quickly grabbed her and tried to kneel down to beg for forgiveness.
Shi Lan shook off her hand and pushed her aside to prevent Xun Shiba from getting involved if he disliked her later.
Bi staggered to the side and tried to come over, but was stopped by Shi Lan's gaze and could only look at her with concern.
Xun Shiba had never seen Shi Lan be so disrespectful before, so he strode over and struck at Shi Lan.
Shi Lan glanced at him indifferently, then solemnly raised both hands to greet him with the etiquette of a swordsman, saying, "Please teach me, sir."
Xun Shiba originally intended to slap him flat, but Shi Lan bowed and just barely dodged it.
Xun Shiba's attack missed, and he staggered, his fair face immediately turning bright red.
Shi Lan straightened up and looked up at him, seemingly unaware of his earlier actions.
Xun Shiba's chest heaved violently twice, and his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings.
It was time for the change of shifts, and the clan's guards were changing shifts. The maids and servants in each courtyard also got up and started moving around. In just a short while, dozens of pairs of eyes were fixed on them.
That is to say, his embarrassing situation just now had been seen by others. Xun Shiba's mind suddenly went blank, but he managed to remain rational and forced himself to calm down. He said in a low voice, "Come with me," and then took the lead into the Qingyuan.
Shi Lan pursed her lips slightly, calmly swept her gaze over the prying eyes, gave Bi a reassuring smile, and then entered Qingyuan.
As soon as they entered, the gates of Qingyuan slammed shut. Xun Shiba stood in the center of the courtyard and roared, "Kneel down!"
Shi Lan stood ramrod straight, her thin body as upright as an unyielding bamboo. "I wonder what wrong this servant has committed?"
Xun Shiba pursed his lips. He had made many mistakes, but some of them could not be mentioned. After thinking it over, there was only one he could talk about.
"You failed in your duty of guarding the position, and when I asked you to reflect on your actions, you disobeyed orders. Isn't that a mistake?"
Shi Lan curled her lips in a mocking smile and said, "May I ask, sir, if I had truly failed in my duty of protection, why would you have rebuked me so vehemently?"
Xun Shiba was speechless for a moment, then said, "My unharmed state is thanks to the other guards, but Hongyuan's injury is your fault."
Shi Lan gave a cold laugh, "May I ask you, sir, whose maid am I?"
Xun Shiba shouted, "You ungrateful fool, how dare you eat and drink at someone else's house!"
Shi Lan ignored his shouting and yelling, and said in a deep voice, "I had not forgotten, which is why I asked you, sir. Since you have reprimanded me, you must know that I am a maid of the Xun family. If that is the case, why are you questioning your own maid because of the noble lady of the Xiang family?"
Xun Shiba was speechless. A deep voice from outside the door said, "Well said."
The door was then forcefully pushed open from the outside, and Xun Wu walked in slowly.
Upon seeing him, Xun Shiba's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. "What are you doing here?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
