It's not easy being a Master

48

The monstrous-looking black cloud exuded an ominous aura as it floated in mid-air. Suddenly, it sank down, as if sucked in by something, and completely disappeared.

The sky returned to its usual clarity, as if nothing had happened. But, Shen Zhxian’s heart sank and a sense of uneasiness surfaced, which caused him to stare out in surprise for a brief moment.

With the bamboo grove blocking his view, Shen Zhixian couldn’t see what was over there. He could only discern that it was within the boundary of the manor.

He beckoned Yan Jin over. Yan Jin arrived with a coat, which he placed on Shen Zhixian. “What’s wrong?”

“I think there's something wrong there.” Shen Zhixian frowned slightly, still feeling uneasy. He hadn't felt like this for a long time, and the strange cloud made him anxious. That strange black cloud gave him an indescribable sense of foreboding.

Shen Zhixian couldn’t say where that weird black cloud went, but he instinctively felt that it wasn’t anything good. He pulled away from Yan Jin and stepped back a little. Stretching his hand toward the window’s edge, he easily flipped over to the other side. “Let’s go take a look?”

Even as he spoke this question, he’d already take two steps away. Yan Jin leaped out the window without saying a word and followed closely behind him.

After passing through the bamboo grove, they arrived at a small, abandoned garden. The garden looked like it’d been deserted for a long time, such that dead leaves and weeds covered the entire area.

They walked with vigilance and discovered that there was no one about--It was so late that the patrolling guards would not come to this remote place.

The further they walked, the more uneasy Shen Zhixian felt. The night was heavy, and the air seemed to be cloaked in an oppressive silence. The pale moonlight fell across dust-covered rocky hills on either side of them.

They walked quietly and stealthily. Until suddenly, the sounds of dead leaves being stepped on rang out in the silence. They stopped immediately and, after listening, realized that the sound seemed to come from the corner. It was seemed as if someone was about to turn the corner

From the corner of Shen Zhixian’s eyes, he saw a depression in the tall rocky hill beside him and immediately pulled Yan Jin over to hide within its shadow.

The small depression was shallow but it happened to face away from the moon’s light. Unless someone was looking carefully, it would be difficult to see them.

Their hiding place was also very narrow so they had to stand pressed against each other. Yan Jin was on the outside, boxing Shen Zhixian in. Fearing that there wouldn’t be enough space for Yan Jin to hide, Shen Zhixian caught him by the waist and pulled him in closer.

Because they were so close together, the difference in height and body shape became quite obvious, making it seem as if Shen Zhixian was actively and enthusiastically embracing Yan Jin.

However, Shen Zhixian didn’t realize this. He only found that Yan Jin was too tall and was blocking his sight. As a result, he pulled Yan Jin sideways and rose on his toes to look over his shoulders.

He saw the person who’d just turned the corner.

—Madam Meng who invited them to the house.

The owner of this manor was the young master who liked to linger in pleasure boats. He was surnamed Meng, with a single character Yun as his first name. He was also a wealthy businessman.

His parents were killed by mountain bandits several years ago. Meng Yun was in the middle of making funeral arrangements when he met a woman. After several exchanges, the two fell in love and became a pair of husband and wife--that woman was the current Madam Meng.