Ling Mohan's words indeed touched Feng Jin, and a hint of guilt unexpectedly arose in her heart.
Had she been a bit too harsh with Ling Mohan? All in all, apart from his sometimes overbearing actions, Ling Mohan was indeed impeccable in other aspects.
Ultimately, it stemmed from his concern for her, and it was forgivable. It was just that she had been too serious and gotten stuck in a rut.
After much deliberation, Feng Jin decided to humble herself. She put on a very aggrieved expression, took Ling Mohan's well-defined hand, and said in the softest tone she could muster, "But it was an emergency, and in my haste, I forgot to send word, making you worry. It's all my fault. I promise it won't happen again."
Feng Jin's concession was very welcome to Ling Mohan, and his expression immediately softened.
Although his gaze towards Feng Jin carried a hint of reproach, it was more filled with helplessness and reluctance. Ling Mohan leaned down to meet Feng Jin's gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Only this once. You are absolutely forbidden from going out alone and not returning home at night. Understand?"
Feng Jin nodded solemnly, as if she were pecking at garlic, and raised two fingers to guarantee, "There will never be a next time. Don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"
Her soft, boneless voice tickled the man's heart like a kitten's purr, and Ling Mohan's gaze towards Feng Jin gradually changed.
The man waved his large hand, directly pulling Feng Jin into his arms, and then his lips pressed down.
Feng Jin was startled by the sudden kiss and stood frozen, forgetting even how to breathe for a moment.
The man's breath lingered around her nose, and Feng Jin's body instantly felt weak, leaning against Ling Mohan for support.
After the kiss, with the chance to breathe, Feng Jin greedily took large gulps of fresh air.
Ling Mohan held Feng Jin tightly in his embrace and said in a low voice from above her head, "From now on, remember to inform me when you go out."
"Understood," Feng Jin murmured softly.
Upon arriving at the Ling Manor, Feng Jin promptly tumbled onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Ling Mohan had been handling affairs at the military camp all night and had not slept. He decided to accompany Feng Jin and catch up on sleep.
As the two were sleeping soundly, a thunderous sound suddenly erupted from the east wing's side room, piercing the heavens.
Startled, Feng Jin abruptly sat up in bed and asked groggily, "What's going on?"
Ling Mohan was also awakened and shook his head in confusion.
Feng Jin casually put on an outer garment and slipped on her shoes before heading out. When she saw the scene before her, her jaw nearly dropped.
Tables, chairs, and benches were all dismembered and shattered on the ground. The doors and windows were missing limbs, with only a small part hanging on. The room was also emitting wisps of black smoke. The scene could only be described as慘不忍睹 (miserable to behold).
Feng Jin grabbed a stunned young servant nearby and asked, "What happened? Is Gu Beichen dead?"
The servant, already terrified and having lost three souls, shook his head blankly.
Feng Jin, uninterested, let go of the servant. Just as she was about to step forward to investigate, an indistinct figure, covered in dirt, with exploded hair and emitting smoke, emerged from the room.
"Who are you? What kind of demon or monster are you?" Feng Jin angrily questioned, her silver needles already prepared.
"You're the demon and monster! I'm this young lord."
A familiar and annoyingly arrogant voice rang out, and Feng Jin immediately recognized the person as Gu Beichen.
"Gu Beichen?" Feng Jin asked, raising her voice, "Why do you look like this... ghost?"
"And what's with my room? Did you do this?"
Gu Beichen coughed lightly and said, "This young lord was conducting research, and by accident, the room exploded."
His flippant tone immediately infuriated Feng Jin.
"You damn brat, I don't mind you blowing up my room, but I won't hesitate to blow you up again!"
Feng Jin gritted her teeth, feeling her blood pressure surge, and even had the urge to kill.
"This young lord already stated it was an accident. Why must you be so calculative?"
Even in this situation, Gu Beichen didn't forget to maintain his composure, but in Feng Jin's eyes, it was utterly detestable.
"Then you must have worked hard, Your Lordship, to still have time for research."
As soon as the words fell, Feng Jin's hand flashed with silver, and Gu Beichen collapsed straight onto the ground, unable to move.
"Guards, wash this Young Lord clean and throw him out."
Feng Jin rubbed her temples, suppressing her urge to go berserk.
When Ling Mohan arrived, he didn't see a single person. He only saw a mess. After some inquiries, he rushed to bring people back to pick up Gu Beichen, who had been thrown out at the main entrance.
He then grovelled and pleaded with Feng Jin for a long time before her seals on Gu Beichen's acupoints were finally released.
After the acupoints were unblocked, Gu Beichen hurried to move his stiff limbs. The prolonged stiffness and poor blood circulation caused him to feel numb all over as soon as he was freed, and he instantly went limp.
Gu Beichen's legs trembled incessantly, and the numbness spread throughout his body. He lacked the strength to even stand and collapsed onto the ground.
It lasted for a full quarter of an hour before the numbness began to subside slightly.
Gu Beichen managed to support himself to stand, picked up a teacup, and gulped down several large mouthfuls of water, which finally eased his parched throat.
"Speak. What exactly were you doing in the room?"
Feng Jin asked with a grim expression. As soon as she arrived, she smelled a strong scent of gunpowder, and she had also found traces of gunpowder in the room.
She was quite curious about what Gu Beichen had been researching in the room.
Such a massive explosion could only be caused by gunpowder, and highly concentrated gunpowder at that.
"This young lord... this young lord was just bored and looking for some fun. What's wrong with that..."
Gu Beichen's words were evasive, and he dodged Feng Jin's questions without getting to the point.
"Bang!" Feng Jin threw a large, unidentifiable object onto the table.
"This was found in your room, Young Lord Gu. Explain. What are these things?"
"Perhaps they're just tables and chairs burnt to charcoal."
Feng Jin's patience was rapidly wearing thin. She directly slammed her palm on the table: "Do you really think I'm an ignorant woman who can't tell what these are and that you can fob me off with nonsensical talk?"
"These are clearly the casings for gunpowder. How could I not smell such a strong gunpowder scent? And the niter and sulfur on the floor tiles in your room are all raw materials for making gunpowder. Don't tell me, Young Lord Gu, that you obtained them for refining elixirs for eternal life!"
Gu Beichen was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond.
"What did you make gunpowder for?"
Ling Mohan, who had been silent for a long time, asked.
Under the pressure of the two, Gu Beichen finally said after a long while, "I heard from others that niter and sulfur mixed together can make gunpowder, so I just wanted to try it."