Truthfully I found that direct translation without editing were much cuter. But editing would make it more polished and more novel-like and of course eliminating my grammatical mistakes. So thanks to Minak Amie for doing the editing. Thanks for your hard work. If you guys want to donate just push the energy b.u.t.ton. Thanks for the support! 

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To make sureFeng Ming’s guard was lowered around him, Qin Zhang had pretended to be anamiable person. However, his act also provided Feng Ming a positive reputationas someone who has Tong Kingdom’s Royal Uncle patronage.

From thetime they spent on the river till their journey to Han Ruo, he had constantlyacted as the ill.u.s.trious Royal Uncle who value the relations.h.i.+p he cementedwith Xiao Family’s Young Lord. Furthermore, afterwards, he and General ZhuangPu had been invited for a long night of drinking and chatting. In the eyes ofothers, these succession of events were proof of Qin Zhang’s trust andkindness, however, they were actually all a part of his tricks to deceive FengMing.

Even afterreaching Han Ruo, Qin Zhang had kept up his act and gave Feng Ming the respectand freedom to do as he pleased. He even ordered the city to arrange a separatemansion for Feng Ming to reside in, making sure not to raise the suspicions ofthe men who surrounded him.

Because ofhis meticulous plans, the magnificent mansion became the temporary residence ofthe Xiao Family’s Young Lord. The mansion’s guards were posted within thebuilding and around the outside perimeters in order to maximize theirprotection. Rong Hu and Luo Yun were responsible for guarding the inside whilethe outside was under the authority of Luo Ning. 

Due to theenvironment he grew up in, Luo Ning’s impression on others was that of a coldman who leaned more towards the darker sides of society. He dislikedentertaining others, even during happy occasions, so he chose to only escortFeng Ming to and from the banquet, only following the group of guards he a.s.signedpretending to be one of them instead of a leader. 

After coming backfrom the banquet, the group had chosen a room close to the main entrance hall as theirtemporary dwelling in order to react quickly to sudden intruders or issues.

Just when hehad finished bathing and was about to get ready for bed, one of Luo Ning’ssubordinates came to report. “Leader, there’s someone here who wants to see theYoung Lord.”

“Oh?” LuoNing became alert by the sudden arrival and asked, “It’s already this late. Whois it and what is the purpose for coming?”

“It’s awoman. She said she had come from afar to meet with the Young Lord. As for thereason, she is unwilling to say.”

Luo Ningsmiled disdainfully. “If a random woman says she wishes to see our XiaoFamily’s Young Lord, do you think we should just easily grant her wish?”

Even if hefelt this were an insignificant matter, as the leader of the a.s.sa.s.sin group, itis his responsibility to take care of all matters seriously. He had no doubtsthat it was his job to try to resolve things on his own before involving theYoung Lord. The woman, therefore, had to meet him first before seeing FengMing.

Withinseconds, the sound of footsteps nearing grew louder.

“Leader, thewoman is here.”

A womanwrapped in a cloak was brought forward and even her face was obscured by theblack cloth. Her ears, mouth, and nose were covered. The only things visiblewere her beautiful and sharp eyes.

With hiskeen observation, Luo Ning had already concluded a few things about the woman.Her slight build revealed the tender age she was at. And her graceful stepswere a sign of her upbringing. This woman most likely came from a family with agood background.

Entering,the strange woman was met with only the sight of Luo Ning, causing her steps tofalter slightly. Showing the displeasure in her voice, the first words shespoke were, “You are not Duke Ming!”

“I am theleader of the Xiao Family’s guards, Luo Ning.” The men of the Xiao Familyalways had an arrogant demeanour when it came to treating others. Unless theymet someone worth respecting, they would never waste their words for the sakeof courtesy. Luo Ning continued to sit on the chair with his haughty att.i.tude;he had absolutely no intentions of being courteous towards the other party.“You wish to meet with our Young Lord? Please state your name, origin, andpurpose. If I deem the matter important enough, I will consider informing theYoung Lord of your visit.”

“You…” thosebeautiful eyes immediately became fiery with emotion, but recalling the heavyresponsibility she was burdened by, she decided now was not the time to loseher temper. Gritting her teeth, she calmly said, “Leader Luo, I arrived fromTong Kingdom’s capital and have important matters to discuss with Duke Mingtoday. It is related to whether Duke Ming lives or not. If you make thingsdifficult for me now, I’m afraid that if anything were to happen to Duke Mingin the future, the fault will fall into your hands.”

When shespoke, her tone was neither haughty nor humble. Her method of speaking servedto hide a threat beneath a well-intentioned warning.

No one inthe world had ever dared to threaten him, it was always him threatening others.Even though the world was large, he only truly feared one man. That person isthe Xiao Family’s Old Master.

Because ofthat, even after listening to the woman’s words, Luo Ning remained indifferent andcoldly sneered. “I have been entrusted by the Old Master to keep the Young Lordsafe. Since you have stated that this matter is in regards to the Young Lord’slife or death, then I will have to ask you to explain further.”

“Howaudacious!”

“It’snatural that I be audacious.” Luo Ning’s eyes swept across the woman, and witha frighteningly calm tone said, “You now have two options. One. You tell me youname, origin, and the reason you wish to meet our Young Lord. Two. You mayleave immediately. If you choose the second option, you are never to come againto hara.s.s the Young Lord, unless you wish to encounter the a.s.sa.s.sins in ourmidst. Do not blame me if you die under their hands.”

His eyesfiercely pierced into the woman before him as he finished speaking.

A touch ofanger could be seen in the woman’s eyes after listening to his words.

For a while,the woman seemed to weigh her options and, considering the matter she wastasked with could not be delayed any further, decided not to lash out at LuoNing who appeared to be very serious with his threats. 

Sheabsolutely could not allow her personal feelings to affect the urgent task shehad in hand.