TFWYH – Chapter 853 Ling Yue’s Awakening

The Shadow Master didn’t even spare the Prefect a glance. He merely gave a cold nod, his eyes fixed on Ling Yue…

…more precisely, on the swollen, reddened half of her face.

A flash of murderous intent flickered through his deep blue eyes before vanishing.

“Who hit you?”

“Huh?”

It took Ling Yue a moment to realize what he meant. She instinctively reached up to touch her cheek.

The moment her fingers brushed it, a sharp pain shot through her face, making her gasp.

“Don’t touch it.”

The Shadow Master frowned slightly. He took out a small jar of ointment, opened it, dipped a slender finger into it, and personally applied the medicine to her cheek.

Ling Yue’s face instantly turned crimson.

Big brother… you’re standing way too close!

Meanwhile, the Prefect of Shuntian, who was forced to watch this display of affection, fell silent.

…

For some reason, I suddenly feel very full.

Wait.

That’s not the issue here, is it?

He still had to take Ling Yue back for questioning. How could he let the Shadow Master leisurely apply medicine like this?

If the Shadow Master hadn’t intervened, he would have detained Ling Yue immediately.

After all, she appeared to have killed someone.

But now…

Watching the Shadow Master carefully tending to the young lady’s injury, the Prefect’s eyelid twitched violently, his face filled with melancholy.

How could he not be troubled?

That matron had just said they were from the Chancellor’s residence.

Chancellor Gu!

This time, he had no choice but to offend him.

There was simply no helping it.

If he didn’t offend Chancellor Gu, he’d end up offending the Shadow Master instead.

Offending Chancellor Gu might merely cost him his official position.

Offending the Shadow Master…

Well, then he’d probably lose his life.

Anyone with a brain knew which choice to make.

Ling Yue noticed the conflicted look on the Prefect’s face and turned to the Shadow Master.

“Was it you who went to fetch the government soldiers?”

“Mm.”

He answered quietly, his voice tinged with guilt.

“If I hadn’t gone… you wouldn’t have been hit.”

Because he had left for a while, Ling Yue had ended up being slapped by that vicious old woman.

He never should have listened to the Emperor.

“We’re respectable people. When something happens, report it to the authorities and follow the proper procedures. Don’t solve everything with brute force.”

Bah!

Brute force was so much better.

Simple. Quick. Efficient.

Going to fetch the authorities had wasted far too much time.

Ling Yue… isn’t angry with me, is she?

He could have personally killed every one of those people who had bullied her.

Thinking of that, the Shadow Master lowered his eyes guiltily.

“I’m sorry.”

I should have stood in front of you and protected you from the very beginning.

Ling Yue misunderstood his apology, assuming he was only apologizing for arriving late.

She smiled and shook her head.

“What are you apologizing for? You came at just the right time. You helped me tremendously.”

The Shadow Master fell silent.

Helped?

How did I help? You still got slapped…

He opened his mouth, wanting to admit his mistake, but Ling Yue continued,

“Thank you so much. But this time, I can’t back down, and I can’t cause trouble for my brother and sister-in-law anymore. The Empire has its laws, and it’s true that I killed someone.”

At that, she turned to the Prefect of Shuntian.

“My lord, you should detain me and await trial.”

“Huh?”

The Prefect froze before awkwardly glancing at the Shadow Master.

“Well… I… this…”

The way the Shadow Master treated you makes it obvious you’re extremely important to him.

How am I supposed to lock you up?

“My lord, there’s no need to hesitate. A person should take responsibility for their own actions. My conscience is clear, so I’m not afraid of an investigation. I won’t put you in a difficult position.”

Ling Yue’s expression was calm, but the light in her eyes gradually became veiled by something invisible.

The innocence and naïveté she once possessed seemed to drift farther and farther away.

Her sister-in-law had been right.

She should become a happy and kind young lady.

But her sister-in-law hadn’t been entirely right either.

Many times, kindness alone couldn’t solve problems.

It only encouraged certain people to push their luck further and further, believing she was easy to bully.

She was a grown young woman now.

She couldn’t spend the rest of her life relying solely on her elder brother and sister-in-law.