“Was it alright to let him go?”

Wu Mengqi looked into the distance where a man was speeding off as fast as he could.

“He made the right choice”

Wu Long shrugged with a light smile.

“Will he not report to them that you know the location of their training camp?”

“Contacting them at this point is just asking for death. His best chance would be to go into hiding and hope that I or someone else will crush that mercenary organization along with anyone who knew his affiliation with them”

“Hmm, true, but how can you be sure he is not stupid enough to do it?”

“He would have tried to lie if he was”

“Haha, that is still a gamble”

“One I am willing to make”

“Because you don’t care if they change locations?”

“Correct, finding them would just take some time”

“But wouldn’t that mean that sparing him was ultimately a mistake”

“I have made plenty of them, and am not afraid to make ones that do not bear significant consequences. Because in the end, whatever happens, that Bull** Training Camp is going down”

He smiled and she chuckled as he was speaking not in a menacing way or as someone trying to reassure anyone, but in a manner of stating the obvious.

The two continued on their way as they talked. They would reach the Imperial Capital by the evening, and Old Yen, who was already in the capital long before has already prepared a lodging for them.

— 𝒊𝒃𝙧𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Sui Luxiao sat in her office, as she listened to the report of her subordinate.

“Well done, you may go”

She then dismissed the subordinate as she looked down at the scroll in front of her. Her eyes first went through the document but slowly lost focus as she stared at the text, rereading the same lines over and over as the contents slipped away from her grasp.

“Haa~”

She then heavily sighed, raising her eyes to look at the piles of scrolls on the desk as a heavy feeling was dragging her body down, urging her to slouch on the desk. Instead, she slowly reclined back on the chair, taking her hands off the table and closing her eyes as she rubbed her temples with her delicate fingers.

Her figure in a stunning beige-colored dress with long slits on the sides and legs wrapped in dark semi-transparent tights peeking out of them still looking extremely alluring, yet somewhat bleak compared to a year ago.

The past year has been an increasingly busy one with the company struggling to mitigate the damage brought by the separation and an onslaught of dirty tricks by competitors that followed.

There has also been a multitude of partnership withdrawals from many sects that previously received missions to escort the long transporting of the goods or were long-term clients, as well as many failed shipments between branches or deliveries to the clients because of repeated attacks despite the caravans carrying the goods being guarded by mercenary groups.

Besieged by the setbacks and complications she was completely submerged in her work, but was not exempt from another serious problem she faced, one that exacerbated the fatigue from the work she usually enjoyed.

After her last treatment, she felt a lot better, but was not able to relieve herself since. She thought of trying to do it a few times, however, she never really got in the right mood for it. And the pure physical pleasure somehow seemed like something momentary and hollow to her. She instinctively felt that only emptiness and the feeling of coldness would follow, making her stop, and feel the futility of it. She knew something was missing, and she knew what exactly it was, or more accurately, who.

But what averted her the most was that the likely lacking nature of the physical pleasure was dismal compared to the lack of connection and emotions, the hollow feeling she would be feeling would completely invalidate the physical pleasure and turn it into arduous chore instead. In stark contrast to the feeling of bliss in her memories.

More than just the pleasure, she missed that feeling of warmth, security and contentment the presence of one man gave her, and how the world seemed more vibrant at the time.

In this period of time she was forced to confront one single truth, which was that she may have let happiness slip through her hands when she could have gotten it. She knew that she did not give her answer, and that he told her that he would be back for it, and that there was still a chance to grasp it, but somewhere in her head there was an anxiety that told her that everything was lost.

*Knock* *knock*

“You may enter”

*Slide*

The door opened and her eldest son came in with a few documents.

“Mother, the Tingren Kingdom Branch… are you okay?”

As he approached her he raised his head from the opened-up scroll he was holding and seeing her condition asked with a concerned look.

“I am fine, just a little tired. Continue”

She smiled at him and gave him a nudge with a head movement that urged him to continue as she sat upright again, collecting herself in a matter of moments.

Surprisingly, both for her and everyone around, it were her sons that came to her help during this difficult times, helping with the company and sharing her burdens.

The divorce as well as their father’s subsequent death proved to be a cathartic moment, after which they were forced to think hard about the choices they have made.

The three begged her to let them help and redeem themselves on their knees as they asked to meet almost seven months ago, and she was surprised to hear from their attendants that all three sons read the entire libraries of the mansions they were confined to. She picked texts and scrolls to place there in hopes that they would one day realize the errors of their ways and try to improve themselves but never expected them to actually do so, let alone in such a short time.

She did not allow her third son, Sui Feng to leave his confinement as that was the deal and promise she had made, but gradually let the older two sons into everyday life again, though under strict supervision and in phases of varying restrictions. And yet she was surprised to find that they were indeed diligently working, trying their best to learn the ropes and help her.

Their usual habits from the past could be occasionally seen surfacing, as there was no instant metamorphosis, but as she guided them and made sure they knew her displeasure they gradually faded away to start truly transforming into men from the ‘young masters’.

As Sui Zhang, the eldest of her children was leaving he once more advised her to get some rest to which she smiled, after which he closed the door leaving her alone in the office.

The day was close to the end and the hall outside her windows overlooking it was almost empty, only partially lit in places some clerks still worked at. Thus the humming sound of busy work that usually filled the place was replaced by the stark silence.

“Haa~”

She sighed again as she slacked to the chair once more, this time even slightly more tired as the mental strength she put into acting strong and more or less fine drained her already depleted reserves of energy and willpower.

The happy feeling of having her sons finally becoming the men she dreamed to raise them into and supporting her, though incredibly heartwarming and joyous, was still not enough to fill in the emptiness she felt. And there also appeared the need to act strong at all times.

As she closed her weary eyes again, reclining on her chair and placing one of her wrists to shield the eyelids from the light of the lantern on the desk, a figure appeared in her mind, a smile that brought comfort, the eyes that looked with understanding and care.

“Wu Long~…”

She finally said the name she was holding herself back from saying for the longest time since it brought too much emotions.

*Slide*

The sound of the door opening reached her ears and she sighed again.

“Hm? Zhang’er, how many times do I have to tell you that even if you are coming in for the second time after shortly exiting you have to kno-…”

“Hmm, I am not your son, but I did hear my name so I entered without a knock. Pardon my manners”

*knock* *knock*

As she was speaking with her wrist still covering her eyes she slowly sat upright again, when she heard an oh-so-familiar and yet nostalgic voice, one she both wanted and dreaded to hear.

She instantly sat upright as she opened her eyes to see a taller than she remembered and more mature but still youthful face of a handsome man, and a playful smile with which he knocked on the already opened door.

“…”

Her eyes widened as she seemingly lost the train of thought and was struggling to say anything, and yet he saw a myriad of thoughts and emotions flash through her beautiful brown eyes with a slight orange hue. They became visibly more vibrant with each passing moment, and the slight dullness in her whole appearance was fading, replaced by the liveliness.

“Missed me?”

He smiled as he looked at her, while closing the door behind him.