Chapter Twenty One.

Lei Qiang enters his carriage without looking back and the carriage drives away.A few weeks later the temperatures start rising bit by bit and with time people welcome a new beautiful season. A limitless season. During spring is when Duan Xinyue takes the opportunity to refine different kinds of pills. In his room there's a door leading to an underground room called the Secret Chamber where he does his alchemy. Qin Lanhua and Su Jiali are the only ones who know about the existence of the room. Duan Xinyue has been spending most of the time in the Secret Chamber that he misses his lectures.

Du Bai Xin reports Duan Xinyue's absence to Lei Qiang who sends Hong Yi to find out what's going on at Qingfeng Pavilion. Even the sect is unusually quiet now that Duan Xinyue has been absent for a week. When Hong Yi arrives at Qingfeng Pavilion he informs Duan Xinyue Lei Qiang is angry and he might suspend him again.

"Right now you better go beg for my Lord's mercy otherwise he will not spare you. My Lord is very angry with you that he refused to eat,"Hong Yi exaggerates.

'When did Lei Qiang become this petty that he refuses to eat when he's angry?'Duan Xinyue questions himself. Right now he has to go to Ziran Sect and see for himself. He locks his room and leaves with Hong Yi.

When they arrive at White Pavilion,Du Bai Xin is still there. Lei Qiang asks her to leave and promises to deal with Duan Xinyue.

"Master Lei..."

Lei Qiang interrupts,"Go back and write three thousand words of self reflection."

Duan Xinyue smirks before getting out a written piece of paper,"I figured you'd want to read this." He hands the paper to Lei Qiang proudly. There are three thousand one hundred words of self reflection written on the piece of paper.

"Master Lei I wrote a hundred extra words and I even wrote on a high quality paper, using quality brush and ink,"Duan Xinyue brags still smiling proudly. Lei Qiang is left with no words to say. The next minute he finds himself moaning in pleasure as he feels Duan Xinyue's hands massaging his shoulders gently.

"Master Lei when I walked in I noticed your sitting posture isn't right. You must have been sitting on this chair for long. Were you worried I will not come back to the sect?" Duan Xinyue teases him.

Lei Qiang slaps Duan Xinyue's hands off his shoulders.Lei Qiang dislikes his servants and disciples seeing his vulnerable side so he immediately dispels Hong Yi from the room and instructs him to keep himself busy somewhere else.

"Master Lei should I keep massaging you?"

"No need."

"Why are your hands so cold even with this kind of weather.?You should wear gloves often. But do you know what's even warmer than gloves? Human warmth."

"Shameless!"

Duan Xinyue kneels beside him and takes Lei Qiang's hands and rubs his palms against his.

"What are you doing?"

"Of course I'm transferring some of my warmth to you."

Lei Qiang finally melts in Duan Xinyue's touch and lets him do what he wants.

"Lei-xiong actually I'm here to warn you about something. What seems like an illusion might be real so be careful from now on."

"How do you know about the illusions?"

Lei Qiang yanks his hands away immediately.

"There is word in Meanders City about the Illusion Lair. Furthermore General Fu has been lying low in the border. Who knows what he has been planning? It would be a shame to lose a talented handsome man like you."

"I will be careful since you said so."

"A few weeks ago Lord Du Yuan said he received an anonymous letter warning him about the Illusion Lair. I think someone told him about it and since he didn't want to reveal the person's identity so he faked a letter."

"I'm the one who told him,"Lei Qiang suddenly reveals shocking Duan Xinyue.

"How do you know he faked the letter?" Lei Qiang asks curiously.

"I'm the one who faked it,"Duan Xinyue smiles mysteriously .

"Why you?"

"A few years ago,Lord Xu Kong held a birthday banquet for his wife and Madam Xu asked those who did not have a present to write her a poem. I wrote a poem of ten lines each with a different handwriting so Lord Xu Kong happened to notice the poem apart from the rest of the beautiful poems so he knows my little talent of changing handwritings."

"Why are you telling me about this?"

"To be honest I want you to trust me like I trust you."

Lei Qiang laughs mockingly,"You trust me? You of all people? If there's one person who never lets his guard down is you. First you lied about not knowing martial arts. Now you're deliberately revealing your talent of changing handwritings. You're very scheming. You expect me to trust you?"

There is a moment of silence between them as Hong Yi reveals Wei Yi's arrival. Duan Xinyue bows to Wei Yi as he walks out.

Lei Qiang composes himself and smiles as he greets Wei Yi. Even though Lei Qiang is chatting happily with Wei Yi,Duan Xinyue's words keep ringing in his mind.

"Wei Er ,is something troubling you?"

"No I'm just thinking about the Illusion Lair."

"By the way you have to be careful about that and be careful with the people you interact with especially that Young Master Duan. I have a bad feeling about him."

"He's harmless he only knows how to bluff nonsense."

Hong Yi's eyes widen a bit in shock. He didn't expect Lei Qiang to defend Duan Xinyue.