"Who... Toma... Master, it’s you..."
Song Sheng couldn’t even bother to put on clothes, he rolled out of bed and landed on the floor with the agility of a fish, half cursing before being startled by the person inside the room.
He quickly changed his expression, shuffled over to the round table, and sheepishly presented a somewhat cooled cup of tea to Li Mo.
"Master, why, why are you back at this time?"
"It’s so hot, please have some tea to cool down."
Li Mo, with one leg propped on a stool, raised an eyebrow, took the tea bowl from Song Sheng, and downed it in one gulp before smashing it on the ground with a "crack" sound: "Why did I come back, and you, Toma, don’t know why!"
"I know, I know." A bead of sweat formed instantly on Song Sheng’s forehead. Ignoring the shards on the floor, he poured another cup of tea for Li Mo: "Master, please calm down, let’s talk things over slowly."
"What’s there to talk about slowly!" Li Mo kicked Song Sheng’s backside, sending him staggering several steps forward, landing on the bed while still holding the teacup.
The freshly poured cup of tea spilled all over the bed.
"Master, master, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. I, I was wronged. I really didn’t know Lady Li would climb the wall. I only thought of pulling that person down. How was I to know she would twist her ankle? Really, master, it was an accident, an accident..."
Song Sheng, staying on the bed, simply knelt and continued to explain.
"I don’t care if it was an accident or not."
Li Mo fetched Song Sheng’s long whip from the rack, tried its weight with a couple of swings, and without hesitation, lashed it toward Song Sheng on the bed.
"Master, spare me..."
Song Sheng was caught by the ankle with Li Mo’s whip and was swung into the air, his face narrowly grazing the ceiling beam, his body spinning 360° in the air...
Outside the house, everyone was keenly listening to the sounds within, but no one dared to push the door open to look inside.
"The General... the General wouldn’t beat the Deputy Commander to death, would he?"
"Not to death, but maybe cripple him."
"I, I heard, a few days ago when the Deputy Commander was patrolling, he mistook our General’s sister for an assassin and used a whip to drag her down from the palace wall, and the General’s sister’s leg was dislocated on the spot."
"Hiss..." someone drew a sharp breath: "It’s over then. Who doesn’t know how much the General dotes on his sister? Will the Deputy Commander’s leg... still be intact?"
Creak—
The wooden door opened.
The guards who were previously gossiping immediately pretended to be busy once again, scattering as if nothing had happened.
Li Mo stood at the door, cracked his neck, squinted up at the blazing sun, and lazily asked, "What did you all hear?"
"Nothing at all," everyone answered in unison.
"What did you all see?" Li Mo asked again.
"Saw nothing!"
"Good, the master is leaving." Li Mo took a few steps forward, and upon realizing he was still holding Song Sheng’s whip, he slightly turned to the side.
Those who had been stealing glances at him reflexively stood at attention, not daring to look any further.
Li Mo raised an eyebrow and flicked his hand, and with a "whoosh," the whip flew back into the room like a sharp sword, and with a "snap," it landed securely on the rack where Song Sheng’s clothes hung.
Having done all this, Li Mo dusted his hands and strode away.
In the shadows, Ying Yi’s mouth twitched, but he still sent out the message and then quickly followed Li Mo.
The crowd peered over cautiously until they confirmed Li Mo had gone far, then swarmed into Song Sheng’s room...