"Where are they? They're late."
Two young masters, who had arrived at the northern door of the Lee family's stable about ten minutes ago, had initially spent some time discussing the day's events while waiting at the door. However, for the last couple of minutes, they had fallen into a deep silence, hoping to hear some noise from the door they were standing in front of.
Lee Zhong, with a worried look on his face, paced back and forth as if talking to himself.
"Calm down, Brother Lee Zhong. If we rush, we'll make mistakes. Let it take its time," Han Fei spoke in a calm tone, watching Lee Zhong's restless figure.
Lee Zhong, breathing heavily through his nose, snapped, "Calm down!? How can I stay calm? Do you realize we've already gone well past the time we agreed on with our fathers, Brother Han Fei?" He looked at Han Fei with a reproachful expression.
Hearing Lee Zhong's complaint and understanding from his face that he was getting angry again, Han Fei responded while rubbing his eyes and sighing, "I know, but none of that matters, does it? After all, with the carriage, we'll reach the lord's manor in the town center in less than two minutes."
Lee Zhong, standing still for a moment, had an expression that changed shape constantly. Breathing heavily through his nose, he muttered, "I don't care. Why can't they get even one thing right? All they had to do was put on their armor and come. How can that take so long?" He continued pacing back and forth in front of the door.
Meanwhile, despite his calm appearance, Han Fei couldn't help but feel something was off. 'Brother Lee Zhong's servant just left, but my servant has been gone for a long time now. And my family's house isn't that far away. Could it be—no, let's think positive and hope for the best,' he thought to himself.
As if in agreement, the two sighed deeply in turn. The silence of the moment was suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps outside.
Hearing the sounds, Lee Zhong couldn't hold back anymore. Taking two steps toward the door, he grabbed the door handle. Seeing Lee Zhong about to pull the handle toward him, Han Fei whispered, "Brother Lee Zhong, be careful. It could be an enemy. Don't let your guard down."
"Hmm!" Lee Zhong glanced at Han Fei, meeting his gaze for a brief moment. Then, with a serious expression, he gave a single nod of acknowledgment.
Lee Zhong grabbed the large wooden door—almost the size of a passageway—by its handle, pulled it toward him, and slightly cracked it open. The two young masters then heard a voice from outside say, "Young master, we're here."
Recognizing the familiar voice, the pair grew excited. Lee Zhong impatiently pulled the door open further, creating a gap wide enough for several people to pass through side by side.
Satisfied with his work, Lee Zhong straightened his posture and looked up to see Bo An, Da Bai, and a group of their men clad in armor. The sight instantly dispelled all of his anger, leaving him unable to hide his delight.
"You—" Lee Zhong started to shout toward the servants, but Han Fei placed a hand on his shoulder and interjected, "Get inside quickly and quietly, without being seen. Go straight to the carriage," he said in a low voice, directing his words at the men.
Even though there were over twenty armored figures present, every one of them heard Han Fei's words clearly and began heading inside.
Lee Zhong and Han Fei stepped aside to make way for the figures to enter. As the men passed, each of them glanced at the intricately carved wooden carriage tied to majestic horses just ten steps ahead. Though they all showed expressions of amazement and admiration, none made a sound as they moved toward it.
Bo An and Da Bai led the group and stopped beside the carriage. Meanwhile, Han Fei and Lee Zhong closed the wooden door and joined them by the carriage.
After a brief silence, Lee Zhong frowned and looked at Bo An. "Where have you been?" he asked.
Bo An, who was already convinced they were in trouble for being late, swallowed hard and looked at his young master. "Young master, both Brother Da Bai and I prioritized gathering senior servants. We didn't trust the newcomers of the families. That's why it took us longer to assemble."
Hearing Bo An mention Da Bai, Han Fei also turned to Da Bai with a questioning look on his face. "Is this true, Da Bai?" he asked.
Seeing his young master's gaze, Da Bai offered a faint smile and replied, "Yes, young master. But I also took the time to check on the second young master and the young lady. That's why it took even longer."
Hearing Da Bai's explanation, Han Fei's expression turned from surprised to satisfied. Nodding approvingly, he said, "Good... good!"
At that moment, Bo An seemed to remember something important. "Ah! Young master, the master sent this," he said, pulling a small porcelain bottle from within the layers of his clothes and extending it toward Lee Zhong.
"!?"
Both young masters wore puzzled expressions as Lee Zhong opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Han Fei. "What's this?" Han Fei asked.
Turning to Han Fei, Bo An replied, "Young master Han Fei, the master said this is the remaining portion of the poison you used earlier tonight. There isn't any more left. He instructed me to bring it to you in case you might need it."
Han Fei frowned, his expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Lee Zhong nodded and said, "Good. Let's keep it on hand as a precaution," while tucking the poison bottle into the layers of his clothes.
Seeing Han Fei lost in thought, Lee Zhong waved a hand in front of his face. "Brother Han Fei, what's wrong? You're zoning out," he said.
Snapped out of his thoughts by Lee Zhong's question and gesture, Han Fei sighed lightly and smiled faintly. "Brother Lee Zhong, I was thinking about the poison our fathers sent us. Don't you think it would be more useful to our fathers? After all, they're the ones handling the hunt. A backup plan wouldn't hurt, would it?"
"Hmm... I get what you're saying, but the enemy will already be asleep, you know. They won't need it. Most likely, they just wanted to ease their minds after my injury earlier tonight, which is why they sent it to us," Lee Zhong replied, stroking his chin and meeting Han Fei's gaze with a confident expression.
Han Fei noticed a slight tension in Lee Zhong's voice when he referred to his injury from earlier in the evening. However, he ignored it, waiting for him to finish speaking. Then, with a faint smile, Han Fei sighed and said, "Fair enough. It's better for us this way."
"Brother Han Fei, we get upset with the servants for being late, but we keep wasting time on unnecessary things ourselves. We really don't have the luxury for that anymore. We need to leave now," Lee Zhong said, taking a deep breath and locking eyes with Han Fei.
Matching Lee Zhong's gaze, Han Fei struck the ground with the bottom of his metal staff and said firmly, "Hmm! You're absolutely right. Now that everything's ready, it's time to go."