"Chu Feng, you just can't shake that soft-hearted habit of yours."
"You knew perfectly well that old man was nothing more than an array formation person, and not even the people here care whether he lives or dies, yet you still risked yourself to intervene."
"If your presence here gets exposed, I'm afraid they'll execute you on the spot."
On the way back, the Queen couldn't help but grumble.
She wasn't complaining about Chu Feng's good deed.
Though the Queen herself would never go out of her way to save a stranger, she wouldn't stop Chu Feng from doing so either.
She understood this clearly — Chu Feng was different from her.
But Chu Feng's current situation was genuinely dangerous, and she didn't want him taking risks at a time like this.
"To be honest, I hesitated just now too."
"But I just couldn't get past that hurdle in my heart. Even if he's just an array formation person, I can't just stand by and watch someone die."
Chu Feng sighed. Sometimes he disliked this about himself, because when danger arose, it wasn't just him who would suffer — Egg would be dragged into it as well.
Yet every single time, Chu Feng simply couldn't stand by and do nothing.
He knew that people died in this world practically every moment, and he also knew he couldn't save everyone.
That was precisely why he had never made saving all living beings his goal.
He cultivated and grew stronger simply so he would have the ability to protect the ones he cared about.
But even so, when something like this happened right before his eyes, Chu Feng's compassion always stirred.
Chu Feng wasn't stupid — he weighed the pros and cons like anyone else.
But almost every time, even when he knew the risk, he still went to help.
"Egg, I'm sorry. Every time, I drag you along to risk your life for strangers." Chu Feng's voice was full of guilt.
Because this wasn't the first time, and he knew full well it wouldn't be the last.
But… he just couldn't change.
"What are you talking about? That's not what I meant at all."
"Oh, you know, anyway…"
"Just…"
"Really, I was only worried about you. I'm not blaming you."
"Just follow your heart. If you go against it, that might actually become an obstacle on your path of martial cultivation."
Seeing Chu Feng apologize, the Queen — who had been somewhat upset — immediately shifted to comforting him instead.
Chu Feng said nothing more, but the corners of his lips curved upward into a warm smile — the kind that only appears when someone has been touched by kindness.
The Queen's love for him, he understood it clearly.
…
Before long, Chu Feng returned to his residence.
Seeing Chu Feng come back, Three-Nine-Nine hurried over to serve him tea and pour water, just as he always did.
But Chu Feng merely glanced at him once and immediately sensed something was off.
"You're injured?" Chu Feng asked.
"N-No, I'm not." Three-Nine-Nine shook his head quickly.
"I can see it. Your concealment technique doesn't work on me," Chu Feng said.
"My lord, I didn't mean to hide it from you." Realizing that Chu Feng had seen through him, Three-Nine-Nine immediately dropped to his knees to confess his fault.
But before he could fully kneel, Chu Feng had already pulled him back up.
"I'm not blaming you. But you need to tell me — who did this to you?"
Chu Feng could tell at a glance that Three-Nine-Nine's injuries had been inflicted by someone.
Three-Nine-Nine didn't answer. He hesitated, as though he was afraid of something.
"If you won't tell me, then you're treating me as an outsider," Chu Feng said.
"My lord, I wouldn't dare! I absolutely did not mean that."
"Although we've only known each other a short time, my lord has been incredibly kind to me. In my entire life, you're the first person who has ever treated me this well." Three-Nine-Nine explained in a rush.
But Chu Feng had already seen the truth — Three-Nine-Nine's fear wasn't directed at whoever had hurt him. He was actually worried about Chu Feng.
He was afraid that if Chu Feng found out, it would cause trouble for him. That was why he hadn't dared to tell Chu Feng, and had even set up a concealment array to hide his injuries.