"She's out. Why are her eyes so red? Did she just cry?"
Ling Mohan rushed forward to meet Feng Jin as soon as he saw her emerge from inside. His sharp eyes immediately noticed her reddened eyes, as if she had just been crying. He eagerly asked.
Feng Jin reached out to cover her eyes, feigning calmness. "I'm fine... Maybe there was dust inside, and it got into my eyes."
Feng Jin's reply was vague. Her gaze darted around, never meeting Ling Mohan's eyes beside her.
"How is the situation inside?"
"It should be soon. I'll have someone go in again later to find a good place for them, the mother and son. Then, we'll find a master to perform a ritual for their souls, wishing they can meet again in the next life."
Feng Jin replied indifferently, her head bowed. Her mood had hit rock bottom. At this moment, she no longer wanted to say anything more. She could now understand Liu Meng Han's feelings.
All she could do was leave the mother and son in a quiet space, allowing them a brief period to be together.
"Are you unhappy?"
Ling Mohan noticed Feng Jin's extremely low spirits. He reached out and pulled her into his embrace, asking softly.
"No, I just suddenly feel that Liu Meng Han and her son are quite pitiful. Carrying a child for ten months and giving birth, it should be the happiest of occasions. But who would have thought it would also become the death day for the mother and son. Anyone in this situation would feel immense grief."
"This is all their fate, and it has nothing to do with you. Moreover, if it weren't for you, they might not even have had the chance to see each other in life and death. You've already helped them a great deal, so don't dwell on these things. Try to be happier."
He absolutely did not want to see Feng Jin so distressed over such trivial matters. If she were to fall ill from worrying, it would truly be a loss outweighing the gain, and he would never allow such a thing to happen.
"Sigh... I won't think about it anymore. I don't want to stay here any longer. Let Lu Shi handle things here. Let's go back."
The oppressive atmosphere made her feel uncomfortable all over. At this moment, she just wanted to leave quickly. Since it was still early, she could go back and get some more sleep, which would be much better than staying in this ghastly place.
"Whatever you say, we'll go back."
Ling Mohan naturally agreed to everything Feng Jin said. It was just a pity for Lu Shi, who had been working tirelessly for days without a wink of sleep, and now he had to help with disposing of bodies and burying them.
"Young General, your subordinate is currently..."
"Lu Shi, when heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility on a person, it first frustrates their mind, strains their sinews and weakens their physique. Is this not the time for your training? It's a crucial period, you cannot slack off like this, or all your efforts over the years will be in vain."
Ling Mohan thought for a moment, his eyes darting around thoughtfully. He began to paint a rosy picture for Lu Shi. "How about this? If you perform well during this period, I'll promote you to副将 (fù jiàng -副将)?”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Shi's eyes immediately sparkled with a different kind of light. "Really?"
"Of course. As long as you work hard, I will absolutely not treat you unfairly!"
Ling Mohan reached out and patted Lu Shi's shoulder to encourage him. This instantly made Lu Shi feel like he had been injected with adrenaline, and he became excited.
"Young General, rest assured. Your subordinate will do my utmost to handle things properly and will absolutely not disappoint you!"
Lu Shi was so energized he could have jumped for joy. He was suddenly full of vigor and had no trace of sleepiness. The most important thing now was to become a 副将. Forget working for days without sleep; he would even be willing to go days without food or drink.
"Your willingness is enough. Hurry up and get busy."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Lu Shi said, and then rushed out without a moment's delay. Looking at his retreating back, he seemed rather silly.
"You are truly insidious. I'm afraid only Lu Shi, with his slow wit, would be so easily fooled and eagerly fall into your trap."
Feng Jin sighed helplessly. She had to admit that Lu Shi was indeed a bit foolish. Anyone with eyes could see that this was just a grand promise Ling Mohan was making to get Lu Shi to do his bidding obediently.
If it were anyone else, they would probably avoid it like the plague. Only the foolish Lu Shi would be drawn in and eagerly take a bite, as if he had never eaten anything good in his life.
"This can only be called Zhou Yu attacking the floating barge, one willing to hit, the other willing to be hit. These are all voluntary actions. If you were to stop Lu Shi from going now, I bet he would argue with you."
Ling Mohan crossed his arms, looking completely confident. He understood Lu Shi thoroughly. If he didn't let Lu Shi go and told him to rest, he would surely jump up in protest.
After all, Lu Shi's long-cherished dream for many years was to become a 副将. Such a grand promise, Lu Shi would surely savor it as incredibly delicious.
"I concede..." Feng Jin said helplessly. She could only say that Lu Shi was too naive, and Ling Mohan was too cunning.
She truly wondered how Lu Shi had managed to stay by Ling Mohan's side for so many years and remained utterly loyal. What was the reason behind it? It was truly unfathomable.
Ling Mohan paid no mind to Feng Jin's scornful words. Instead, his expression remained calm and unruffled. He naturally wouldn't take these matters to heart, nor would he care. He let Feng Jin say whatever she pleased.
"The sky is about to dawn. Let's go home first before discussing other matters."
Ling Mohan reached out, took Feng Jin's hand, and they began to walk forward. The most important thing was to get home as quickly as possible.
"Don't you have a carriage?" Feng Jin looked at the empty open space outside the prison. There wasn't even a shadow of a carriage. How would they get back?
"We'll ride back." Ling Mohan led a horse from behind and walked over to Feng Jin. He first mounted the horse and extended his hand to Feng Jin, intending to pull her up.
Feng Jin recognized the horse as the one that had almost thrown her off last time. Her eyes instantly dimmed, and she fixed a cold gaze on the horse.
Suddenly, she reached out and stroked the horse's neck, a sinister smile playing on her lips. "I heard horse meat tastes good. I see this horse isn't very old, so its meat must still be tender. Why don't we just slaughter it and eat the meat..."
"Do you think horse meat is tastier stewed or roasted? Even braised or steamed would be excellent. Let me see which part is suitable for braising..."
Feng Jin circled the horse, looking at it from all sides, causing the horse to shiver all over and whinny incessantly.