Chapter 38 Turning Point

  Min An woke up to find it was already dusk. Wu Mei handed him a small incense ball made of lotus flowers, saying it was a gift from the doctor as a meeting present. Min An was surprised and said, "I don't deserve such a valuable thing without doing anything." Wu Mei put the incense ball in Min An's hand and pulled him out of the courtyard.

  Min An turned back to look, the mansion in the dusk was quiet as if it were a hermit who had left the world behind, standing alone at the end of the alley, still so elegant. He wanted to go back and thank the doctor in person, but Wu Mei said: "Don't worry about it for now, you'll see him again later." Min An had no choice but to follow Wu Mei away.

  As they passed through the market, Wu Mei bought a basket of cool fruit and a package of honey cakes. Min An stood by and asked: "The boss just said that making cool fruit is not easy, and it will cost you two taels of silver. You are so generous with your money, are you going to take it back to give to your daughter?"

  Wu Mei just smiled slightly and didn't respond. He had long figured out Xiao Bao's preferences, and almost every day he came to the street to buy her this exquisite hand-woven melon basket, which was worth a lot of money. He went to such great lengths to please Xiao Bao, naturally also wanting to win her heart, but because he acted quietly without making a show, Min An was kept in the dark.

  Min Anxing was a bit casual, every time he went to see Xiao Bao'er, he always came and went empty-handed. At this moment, seeing Wu Mei not answering, he didn't think much about it either. Just as he was about to head towards the inn where Xiao Bao'er lived, Wu Mei stopped him, saying that the sky had already darkened, and softly persuaded him for a while before sending him away.

  Min An's marriage proposal was delayed again. After wandering outside for a day, he eventually had to return to the inn. After bidding farewell to Wu Mei, Min An walked back with a paper lantern in hand and was stopped by a familiar figure waiting on the side of the road. He couldn't help but ask, "Why is Your Excellency here?"

  Bisra took Min'an's hand and led him to a quiet place to talk. With a bitter smile, he carefully explained the reason. It turned out that several days ago, the prisoners in Qingquan County had rebelled and escaped together towards the road outside Huangshi County, where they were killed by the prince's trusted army. Later, Li Peinan summoned Bisra to the government office, claiming that Bisra was colluding with the prisoners and presented the deaths of many prisoners in the county as evidence against Bisra. Bisra heard the threatening tone and, though afraid, kowtowed and begged for mercy. Li Peinan took advantage of the situation to demand that Bisra become a witness and expose the corruption of officials in Chu State. Bisra had no choice but to reluctantly agree and wrote out some testimony, still with reservations in his words. Considering the principle that "pressure can lead to reversal", Li Peinan let Bisra leave first. After leaving the government office, Bisra thought back and forth, feeling that the foundation of the Pengma party was too strong, and even if he borrowed the power of the prince, it would be difficult to shake the position of the party members. Therefore, he kept a watchful eye and waited for Min'an's return on the road, seeking his help.

  Min An listened and then gently persuaded Bi Si to join the Crown Prince's camp, telling him to rest at the inn first. He himself walked towards the main building of the Hangguan with a lantern. Li Qun helped him pass on the message, but the response was that he would not see him. Min An thought for a moment and said: "Please tell the Crown Prince, Li Qun, that last time I sent General Bi Si to gamble, but unfortunately, he took a few doses of anesthetic, which made him dependent on its effect. His temperament became extremely restless and prone to attacking people. He even broke my nose once. To suppress General's addiction, I was forced to send it to my master."

  Not long after, Li Peinan put down the book and walked out. He had just finished bathing and was about to rest as usual, but when he heard that General Ming was acting strangely again, he reluctantly came out to meet Min An once more. For several days, Min An had not listened to his teachings, repeatedly seeking refuge with Fei Yi, which made Li Peinan displeased. Even though he had sent Fei Yi away, Min An still managed to escape the martial arts training and went out to play for a day, how could this not make him secretly angry? However, Min An did not know what Li Peinan was thinking, seeing his cold face, he thought it was because of taking care of General Ming's mistake, and quickly knelt down on the ground saying: "I know that the young master loves General Ming very much, and I also know that this kind of white crane is priceless and hard to find. Even if you want me to pay with my life, I couldn't exchange it for one of General Ming's feathers. But now that the mistake has been made, fortunately, General Ming is not seriously injured. If the young master is going to punish me again, can he please be lenient?"

  After finishing, Min An tightly grasped the hem of his robe and looked up at Li Peinan with a faint frown, his expression extremely pitiful. Li Peinan gazed at Min An for a moment without changing his expression before speaking in a cold tone: "Since you've come to ask for punishment, I'll grant your wish." He stood up and was about to instruct the guards standing by the door when Min An hastily moved forward on his knees, grasped Li Peinan's robe hem, and urgently asked: "Young Master, how do you plan to punish me?"

  "Follow the rules."

  The rules of the Crown Prince's mansion are nothing but flogging and cutting off hands and feet. Last time, Min An had experienced the severity of ten military whips, and he had also witnessed with his own eyes the servant who took care of the general, because he lost his duty, cut off his left hand. He has been remembering these severe punishments in his heart. Now, when he heard Li Peinan's cold response, he was already scared to death, turned pale, looked up and said: "Master, spare my life! My back injury hasn't healed yet, I can't bear another round of flogging, why don't you let me wear the crime and make amends?"

  Min An had always addressed Li Peinan as "Young Master", but now he called out "Master" in a trembling voice, hoping that Li Peinan would show some warmth and not treat him like a lowly servant. Seeing Li Peinan's face still cold, Min An couldn't guess what he was thinking, so he just grabbed the hem of his robe and begged pitifully.

  Li Peinan's mouth twitched slightly, and his smile had not yet appeared when it immediately disappeared. He remained silent, and Min An became even more anxious, later simply hugging his thigh, rubbing his temples against the smooth brocade clothes, saying in a dry voice: "Can't I make up for my crime by doing meritorious deeds? Master wants to accuse Bi Daxian of corruption, I'll go help Master thoroughly persuade Bi Daxian, guarantee he won't have any second thoughts. If Master is still not happy, I'll cut off my own flesh and give it to Master, send Master a monkey that understands human nature, can amuse Master, has a good temperament, guaranteed Master will like."

  Min An knelt down, begging with his head bowed and holding onto Li Peinan's leg, refusing to let go. This was the third time Li Peinan had encountered such treatment, and he had become more familiar with how to handle it. Since Min An had him pinned down, Li Peinan sat down, pushing gently at Min An's forehead: "Get up and talk."

  "I don't dare get up unless you agree with me." Min An even arched his waist and knelt on Li Peinan's knees, turning his head to the other side, not caring whether the young master of the host family could see his desperate look.

  Li Peinan's voice turned cold: "If you want me to spare your life this once, then kneel down and speak properly."

  Min An secretly bit his lower lip, thinking that since soft words and pleading were ineffective, did he need to show some backbone in front of the young master? Last time he was punished, he had indeed shown backbone, but as a result, his back still hurt until now, and he even lost a tooth... Thinking of this, Min An reluctantly shifted his knees, took a step back, and respectfully bowed his head to Li Peinan, saying in a low voice: "I was wrong, sir. Please don't be angry."

  Li Peinan said calmly: "I'm not angry, I've already seen through your tricks."

  Min An heard the voice stop abruptly, couldn't make out what was being said, and involuntarily looked up at Li Peinan.

  Li Peinan on Shang Minan's eyes: "First admit your mistake, then grab my clothes, and finally hug my thigh. If that doesn't work, he'll use his glib tongue to persuade me, find something that interests me, promise to get it for me, and when he really gets it, the effect will be discounted by half."

  A few faint words directly made Mo Yan's face sweat. He guessed that the reason why the young master was not angry was because of these, it seemed that he had seen through him, then how should he respond now?

  Min An couldn't respond, and in his panic, he fell to his knees again, grabbing the hem of Li Peinan's brocade robe. The golden thread embroidery was pinched in his hand, and a few wrinkles inevitably appeared. Li Peinan looked down, his eyebrows twitching slightly, making his voice cold: "Do you want to go through this again?" As he spoke, he pressed his hand on Min An's slender shoulder, increasing the pressure.

  Min An felt a sharp pain and quickly withdrew his hand, only to feel that his left shoulder had been run over by an iron wheel, burning with pain. He endured the pain and didn't dare to be presumptuous again, thoroughly believing that the young master had seen through him. From now on, if he stretched out his hand to grab clothes or beg for mercy, the young master would definitely crush his shoulder blade.

  Min An couldn't help but admit that the young master's method was very effective, and it had achieved a remarkable effect. On the other hand, he himself had spoken for half an hour without any result, and was even forced to use the humiliating method of begging with a sad face. In the end, Min An hung his head, sighed, and said: "Forget it, after all, I was wrong, and I should be punished. Young master, how do you want to punish me?"

  Li Peinan saw Min An's dejected appearance and asked: "Not resisting anymore?"

  Min An shook his head: "In front of the young master, struggling to death is useless, it's better to accept it calmly." But in his heart, he thought that since his face had already been lost, he didn't care about whether the punishment was light or severe.

  Li Peinan didn't respond, he just looked at Min An's face.

  Min Anxin knew that according to the rules, he had to undergo flogging, but as a scholar from a literary background who had been influenced by Confucianism and Mencius' teachings, he still retained some dignity of a literati. He didn't want Li Peinan to look down on him, especially couldn't let Li Peinan personally come to flog him, so this time he also said in advance: "Young master, call someone in to carry out the flogging."

  Li Peinan retorted, "This flogging will be remembered for now." He paused and looked at Min An's reaction, but saw that Min An was still kneeling upright, his face devoid of any surprise or delight.

  Min An knelt for a while, didn't hear the verdict, and asked: "If not flogged, what's the punishment?" He had gone from being tense and pleading to now being resigned, his heart like a stormy sea with huge waves. Li Peinan could only see his expression, unaware of his subtle thoughts, and for some reason, seeing him so dejected, Li Peinan also lost the desire to continue manipulating him, and directly said: "Kneel overnight."

  Min An didn't say anything, lowered his eyes and knelt upright.

  Li Peinan left directly. After returning to his residence, he took off his outer garment and prepared to rest. Li Qun knocked on the door outside and said in a low voice: "The young master's headache and back injury have not recovered yet, and he can't hold out for one night. Master, please spare him this time."

  Li Peinan coldly replied: "You're pleading for him?"

  Li Qun heard Leng Di's voice coming from outside the door, and suddenly realized that the young master was not asking him, but making a decision: who dared to plead for Min An? He didn't dare to linger outside the door for a moment, bowed his head towards the lamp shadow in the bedroom, and went downstairs without saying a word.

  The moon is faint, the stars are sparse, and all sounds are hushed.

  Li Peinan lay flat on the big bed, unable to sleep. This was a situation he had never experienced before. He got up and lit an incense ball, closing his eyes in the light, distant fragrance. After sleeping for a moment, he still sat up, calmed down, and walked towards the study without even putting on his outer gown.

  Min An was still struggling in the study. He had been kneeling for more than half a watch, his knee bones were sore and his head was dizzy, but he was very clear-headed. After taking a nap at the dentist's place in the afternoon, it was hard to pass the time at night.

  The palace lantern beside the curtain shed a soft glow, and a hazy moonlight seeped in through the carved window. Except for this, the whole floor was cool. Min An frowned, lowering his head to find his own shadow, slightly turning his face, allowing Li Peinan outside the door to see his bitten lips.

  He looked somewhat wronged.

  Li Peinan stopped in front of the door and said to the guards standing on both sides, "Withdraw." The guards bowed quietly and retreated. Li Peinan turned around and looked at the moonlight outside the railing, gradually calming his disturbed mood. He never looked back again, and walked away with his hands behind him.

  Min Anwu bowed his head to find the shadow and pass the time, without noticing the movement outside the door. He knelt for a while with nothing to do, his knees hurt, and he felt a few points of resentment in his heart. The silk clothes and snow cloak of the Shizi Mansion were still on him, indicating his official identity, at least he should be called "Little Master" like before when following those three masters. But now, he was punished by the young master many times, with a status no different from that of a slave, from being forced to kneel, raise domestic fowl, walk the leopard he feared most, to going out on official business and coming back to receive corporal punishment, various forms of punishment had been taught him one by one, but still couldn't get the young master's favor and approval.

  "He's too harsh, and he doesn't treat me well..." Min An muttered to himself, "But I chose this path, so I shouldn't regret it. After all, he is my master now. Forget it, if I want to avoid punishment in the future, I should just stay away from him... He tilted his head, thinking that his previous masters had never been so strict with him. Even when he lost control of his temper and made a scene, they would only scold him verbally, but still treat him with respect and ask for his opinion on matters, addressing him politely as "Young Master".

  It seems that the old days were more comfortable, this current master is simply a big bad guy...

  After indulging in such wild thoughts for a long time, Min An turned his head to look outside the door and didn't see anyone's shadow. It was only then that he realized the guards had withdrawn. Fortunately, seeing that there were no more eyes on him, Min An couldn't help but sit down on the ground, rubbing his knees. The study room was quiet, with only some cold light accompanying him through the long night. He took out the small lotus incense ball given by the dentist, and gently poked at the petals with his fingertips, bringing out a faint scent of green plum. He leaned in to smell it, feeling carefree and joyful, and couldn't help but put the incense ball on the chair in front of him, then lay down on the other side, turning his head to gaze at it intently.

  The sky had just cracked dawn when Li Peinan walked into the study and saw Min An leaning his head asleep in a chair, with his body kneeling sideways on the ground.

  He didn't know that the nine-petaled lotus incense ball made by Ding Huan accompanied Min'an for a night; he also didn't know that on a lonely and sleepless night, Min'an had carefully compared his four masters and finally came to the conclusion that the young master was the most strict and difficult to get along with, making Min'an think that he himself had no status in front of Li Peinan, not even able to say a word.

  Li Peinan looked at Min An's back and said to Li Qun without turning his head, "Wake him up and assign the task." After finishing speaking, he left again to ask if the sentry had any news about Bi Si.

  After finishing his grooming, Min An left the inn with Li Peinan's mission to persuade Bi Xi and obtain his powerful testimony. Min An went to Bi Xi's usual residence outside the city, but didn't see anyone, so he sent a message back to Li Peinan. Li Peinan then ordered: "You're more familiar with Bi Xi's preferences, go find him in those places."

  Min An's eyes still had a faint blue mark, but his spirit was quite sufficient. He hesitated for a moment and replied stiffly: "Master Bi often stays at the White Banner Building - do I have to go there too?"

  Bai E Lou is actually Nan Feng Guan, where a group of beautiful and elegant young maids gather. To avoid drawing attention, only a blank sign hangs in front of the building where they live. Li Pei Nan has heard about this unwritten rule before. He looks at Min An's humble and obedient appearance, which doesn't reveal his thoughts easily, and immediately says: "You're not allowed to go, stay away from Hua Jie Liu Xiang, if I find out you've taken one step further, I'll break both your legs."

  Min An was taken aback and looked up saying: "What about Bi's whereabouts..."

  "I will send someone to search for it."

  Min An bowed his head and was about to leave the study, when the guard waiting at the door saw that he had finished his business and said in a low voice: "Young Master, Miss Xiao has sent another letter." He handed over a bundle of fragrant white paper.

  Min An was overjoyed, holding the letter and standing outside the door to read it. Li Peinan walked out of the study with his hands behind his back, and the guards hurriedly saluted him. Min An, who had his back to him, didn't notice. Li Peinan's path was blocked, and he unintentionally glanced at Min An, seeing a smile on his face and an extremely happy expression. A thought occurred to him, and he said, "Is Xiao Bao'er inviting you out again?"

  According to Li Peinan's discerning eye, it was clear that Su Zhan's poem with the fragrance of flowers was written by a certain person.

  Min woke up and put the silk handkerchief into her bosom, whispering: "May I take my leave, young master?"

  Li Peinan did not answer and instead asked: "What is the reason for taking leave?"

  "I want to go back to Xiao Jia Zhuang in Yellowstone County and propose to Old Master Xiao, marry Bao'er as my wife."

  The sound at the door suddenly stopped, and Min An thought with his head down, had he made another mistake? He secretly raised his eyes to take a look, but saw Li Peinan looking sideways at him towards the corridor outside, his lips pursed tightly, making half of his face's contours cold and stern.

  Min An was secretly surprised, not seeing a response, and could only lower his head to stand aside again, looking down at the threshold. He thought that no matter whether the young master heard this news with pleasure or not, in any case he would not go near him from now on.

  Li Peinan, standing with his hands behind his back, slowly opened the palm of his hand that was clenched in his sleeve and said in a deep voice: "At this critical moment, how can you have any personal feelings? You quickly go find Bi Si, and from now on, do not mention anything about marriage!" After finishing speaking, he went downstairs, wrote a secret letter, and handed it to his trusted attendant, letting him make a trip to deliver it to Old Master Xiao.

  Xiao Lao Ye read the letter and immediately sent an express message to Xiao Bao Er, urging her to continue on her journey and arrive at Changping Fu earlier to visit her sister. Xiao Bao Er had also been eager to hurry along, but upon seeing the urgent message from her father, she didn't suspect anything and happily ran to the entrance of the inn, asking the guard to inform Min An so that she could bid him farewell.

  Of course, she also remembered to personally hug Min'an to verify whether he was indeed a man. However, her wish never came true because at the gate of the mansion, the guard said "The young master has given orders that idle people are not allowed to enter", and with one sentence, he blocked her outside, making it impossible for her to rush into Min'an's arms and frolic as usual.

  Xiao Bao'er bit her fingernail, hesitated for a moment, then called the servant to bring over a ladder. She climbed up onto the wall of the sedan chair and shouted: "Min An! Come out and die!"

  It was already after noon, and Min An had just received a message from Li Qun that the White Banner Building had also failed to find Bi Si, and he was knocking his head in distress. Hearing Xiao Bao'er's call, he immediately walked into the main courtyard, looked up at her with a smile and said: "What's wrong?"

  Xiao Bao'er stood on the ladder, leaning against the wall and gave him a sweet smile. Before she could say two words of explanation, she took out a piece of watermelon and started eating it, mumbling: "I want to ask you, are you really a man?"

  Min An had always followed Xiao Bao's wishes, so he didn't think it was strange when he saw her leaning against the wall. He felt around in his sleeve and didn't find anything valuable, so he tossed the embroidered sachet that Li Peinan had casually given him as a reward over the wall, saying: "This is a token of affection from your brother, be sure to take good care of it. It's said to have been made by a master perfumer, with a fragrance that can repel mosquitoes and ants, and keep out all poisons."

  The purple sachet flew in an arc and landed steadily in Xiao Bao's hand. Xiao Bao picked up the sachet and sniffed it, then exclaimed: "It seems that Second Master also has one..."

  Min An dispelled Xiao Bao's doubts: "This was bestowed upon me by the crown prince, so it naturally became mine. Now I'm giving it to you, and you've become mine too."

  Xiao Bao'er raised her head and smiled sweetly, not saying anything, continuing to gnaw on the dried watermelon seeds. Min An asked her why she didn't come in, and only then did she remember the reason, chattering away in a flurry of words. Just as she was finishing explaining what had happened before and after, she suddenly saw Li Peinan walking out of the wooden door at the bottom floor wearing black clothes, hastily spat out her tongue, and slid down the ladder like smoke, running away from the mansion on horseback.

  Min An turned his head to look, also wanting to find a place to hide, and had just slipped towards the marble shadow wall when he heard Li Peinan ask from afar: "What did I say?"

  Min An understood the implicit meaning, and without waiting for Li Peinan's order, he went forward with a humble expression, saying in a low voice: "I must have committed another offense, I only ask that you punish me lightly."

  Li Peinan neither confirmed nor denied: "Follow me."

  Min An carefully kept a few feet away from Li Peinan's dark clothes, so that when he lifted his foot to walk, the dust wouldn't be stirred up and get on the hem of his brocade robe, provoking the young master's displeasure. After walking just a few steps, he caught sight of the stone house at the corner, and with a woeful face said: "Young Master, spare me, the leopard is really too ferocious, I don't dare take it out for a walk again."

  Li Peinan stood still in front of the stone house, puckered his lips and blew a whistle. The flower-patterned leopard burst out from behind the open iron gate, let out a low growl and pounced over. Min An darted two steps to stand behind Li Peinan, his right hand initially wanting to grab onto Li Peinan's brocade belt, but remembering last night's lesson, hastily put his hand down instead. He stuck out half of his head to ask: "Is it full? Is the chain on its neck secure?"

  Li Peinan patted the leopard's ears, and it immediately crouched down, its eyes gleaming with ferocity as it stared at Min An. Min An hastily hid his face behind Li Peinan's back and plucked up the courage to poke Li Peinan's waist: "Young master, young master, say something, will you."

  Li Peinan didn't respond for a moment, but Min An was curious and poked his head out from behind Li Peinan's shoulder to take a look. Fortunately, the young master's expression was gentle, not as cold as usual. Since the leopard was right in front of him, glaring at him with hatred, Min An wouldn't dare leave Li Peinan's side easily. Li Peinan also intentionally wanted to keep Min An for a moment longer before finally saying, "In the future, if you do something wrong, I won't hit you, but I'll throw you directly into the stone house. Did you understand?"

  "Understood, understood." Min An hastily nodded and stretched out one hand to wave at the crouching leopard, signaling it to hurry away.

  Li Peinan, with his back to him, smiled silently and summoned the leopard to come over, handing the iron chain to Min An, saying lightly: "When going out to investigate, it's inconvenient to have Bisuo with you, take this with you, I'm sure it can protect you fully, and when night falls, it can also give you courage."

  Min An struggled desperately to shake off his hand, but his wrist was held firmly by Li Peinan, like an iron shackle, making it impossible for him to break free. He tried in vain for a moment before giving up the struggle and looked up to say: "Can't I go back earlier? Why do you have to bring this ferocious beast out, what if we're caught by hunters and treated as freaks on the street?"

  "What's next?" Li Peinan suddenly asked, releasing Min An's wrist.

  Min An racked her brains thinking about what "also" meant, and after quickly turning over a few ideas in her mind, she tried saying: "In addition to returning early, should I also pay my respects to the young master?"

  Li Peinan slipped a section of iron chain, and the leopard got some relaxation, turned its head and pounced on Min'an's feet with its claws. Min'an shouted in a low voice, retreated several steps and said: "That is to obey all orders from the young master!"

  "For example?"

  Min An grabbed his hair and shouted wildly: "Let's honor General Zun as our great ancestor, and worship the leopard as our ancestral spirit! Let's burn a high incense stick morning and night, wishing them to eat well, sleep well, and live to be a hundred years old!"

  Li Peinan turned around, his face much colder. Min An immediately knew he had misspoken and waved his hand, "I remember now, it was the sentence you scolded me with this afternoon, 'Don't discuss personal matters between men and women!'"

  Li Peinan released the iron chain and stood with his hands behind his back. The leopard pounced on Min An, but Li Peinan slightly lifted his foot and stepped on the end of the chain, preventing the leopard from reaching Min An, who could only furiously dig at the ground in front of him.

  Min An stared intently at the hem of Li Peinan's long, floor-sweeping brocade robe, planning to turn around and flee as soon as it showed even a slight movement. Fortunately, Li Peinan stood very steadily, his feet not slipping in the least, merely gazing calmly at him, seemingly waiting for what he would say next.

  Min An only regretted that he couldn't grow another head to think clearly about what the young master wanted him to do, or rather, what he wanted him to express... He wiped away the sweat on his forehead and said tightly: "Is there anything else I've missed, please remind me, sir?"

  "Return the dowry and take back your daughter." Li Peinan's words were brief and to the point.

  Min An lowered his head and muttered: "But I really like Bao'er, I think she would make a good wife for me, it should be a beautiful thing."

  Li Peinan said coldly: "I see you also like the little maid in this building, do you want to take her back with you too?"

  "There's not that much dowry money." Min An sighed and raised his head, looking at Li Peinan with cold eyes, "Young master is right, it's this stubborn brain of mine that doesn't understand, didn't think through the big picture, can't speak half a word about personal matters between men and women."

  "Do you know what to do next?"

  Min An lowered his head under the oppressive gaze: "Cannot propose marriage, cannot have personal desires."

  "Wrong."

  Min An still hung her head: "Was I wrong? Whatever Young Master says is what it is."

  "He cannot take a wife."

  Min An's mind was in a mess, he couldn't figure out how this conclusion came about, and it seemed to contradict the lesson that Shizi Ye had taught him that morning. He muttered to himself: "As long as Bao'er regrets marrying me, I won't marry her, anyway I can't hurt her heart first."

  Li Peinan pointed with a tolerant tone: "Return your 'token of love' to her, she will naturally be heartbroken and won't agree to marry you."

  Min An lowered his head and hesitated, not answering. In his heart, he secretly thought that it was absolutely impossible to bring her back now. Failing to marry Bao'er was a small matter, but if he hurt her feelings, he would never be able to escape the consequences.

  Li Peinan saw Min An standing there like a wooden stake, not speaking or responding. He simply lifted his foot and loosened the chain that was holding him down. The leopard suddenly broke free from the restraint, let out a low growl, and pounced forward with a loud thud. As soon as Min An heard the growling sound, he immediately came to his senses, turned around and ran towards the back, his feet moving so fast it was like they were greased. He ran for a long time, realizing that he couldn't outrun the leopard's pounce, so he led it in a circle around the tree, then suddenly turned and charged towards Li Peinan.

  Li Peinan stood still.

  Min An recklessly threw himself into Li Peinan's arms, abandoning the determination he had made that night when he was punished not to get close to the young master. He grabbed his robes and said, "I'd rather die with you than be stopped."

  Li Peinan may have foreseen many things and made preparations in advance, cutting off all possible leads. At this time, he indeed did not stop Meng Anxi from doing what she wanted, still with his hands clasped behind his back, allowing her to rush into his arms and tremble without saying a word.

  The leopard circled around Li Peinan's feet and then walked back to the stone house to sleep. Li Peinan said in a low voice, "Remember what was said today." Seeing Min An not reacting, he stretched out his hand to press against his forehead and suddenly pushed him away.

  Min An slowly regained his composure, but he couldn't recall what he had said earlier that day or which sentence had stuck with Li Peinan. He looked up to see Li Peinan already far away, then sat down under the tree, his legs still trembling uncontrollably.

  "He's really a big bad guy, always scaring me..." Min An thought resentfully for a while, picked up a branch, and drew Li Peinan's face on the ground. He looked around to make sure no one was there, then stabbed at the face with the sharpened branch several times, finally venting all his pent-up resentment.

  Li Peinan is not here, but the dignity of his accumulated power still exists. Min Anyi finished drawing on the ground and then pulled out a handful of grass to wipe away the marks.