Checking the silver tickets in the package, Lin Xiaoshan frowned and said, “It’s too little, Master wants a hundred thousand taels, and… the mountain is short of women!”
The guard leader shook his head, “This is the Meng Mansion's sincerity, it won’t be too much or too little.”
Lin Xiaoshan put away the package and said, “I understand, I will bring these things to the leader. As for what kind of decision will be made, it is not something I can interfere with.”
Saying so, he leapt up, flipped over the roof of the house, and quickly left, stepping on the rubble like a swallow.
The Meng Mansion guards didn’t try to stop him and simply allowed him to leave.
The Meng Mansion's sincerity wasn’t small, but if they couldn’t satisfy the Treasure Field Peak, they wouldn’t be able to resolve this disaster, so the Meng Mansion's guards didn’t dare weaken their forces. [Hoogsway: LOL, it's obvious it's not enough.]
After half a month of training, Yang Kai and the newly recruited group of guards had been assigned various tasks.
Yang Kai was looking forward to receiving the task of guarding the Inner Court. This way, he could openly inquire about the Inner Court and find traces of Qu Huachang.
However, he also knew that this idea was unrealistic. No matter what, this group of people was newly recruited and their loyalty had not been tested. They could offer some tasks, but they would never be placed in important positions.
Sure enough, the task Yang Kai received was to guard the courtyard of the outer courtyard. An old guard named Yin Zhiyong was his partner and were assigned to guard the courtyard while four others worked together. Each day, they would be divided into three groups and each of them would secretly guard the courtyard for hours.
The task was neither light nor heavy.
After getting to know each other and familiarizing themselves with each other’s secret signals, Yang Kai and Yin Zhiyong each hid themselves in a secluded corner, keeping an eye on their surroundings to guard against any potential enemies.
Three days passed peacefully.
When he wasn’t on duty, Yang Kai would also buy some fine wine to eat and drink with Yin Zhiyong. Since he was so tactful, Yin Zhiyong naturally admired him and treated him more kindly.
So after just three days, Yang Kai became friends with Yin Zhiyong.
On this day, Yang Kai bought some wine and meat, and the two sat down at the table, chatting and drinking.
Feeling that the time was right, Yang Kai pretended to be drunk and said, “Brother Yin, this little brother has just arrived here and honestly, I don’t know much about the Meng Mansion. You’ve been a guard here for more than ten years, do you have any advice?”
Yin Zhiyong threw a piece of peanuts into his mouth and glanced at him with a smile, “Naturally, there are many things I need to remind you about, but it’s difficult to explain in a short time. You’ll understand after staying here for a few more years. Meng Mansion is a good place, there’s no danger here, and the rewards are also high. Every year, countless people would fight to get in.”
Yang Kai poured a glass of wine for him and said, “Brother Yin is just casually talking. Us two brothers can talk and listen, no one outside this room can hear.”
Yin Zhiyong was a man of few words, and Yang Kai had indeed given him a lot of good things these past few days, so after thinking about it for a while, he decided not to act rashly and instead picked up some simple information to share with Yang Kai.
According to him, the Meng Mansion has started off as a salt merchant and later moved to other industries. The Meng Mansion's businesses were spread throughout the Three Rivers and Five Lakes, and each year they could collect hundreds of millions of money.
The current Patriarch of the Meng Family, Meng Deye, was fifty years old and had more than ten wives and concubines. He has four sons and three daughters, and the family business was basically managed by his four sons. Of his three daughters, two of them marry into a good home, and the families they married were of equal status.
“Only our Eldest Young Lady has given the Patriarch such a headache,” Yin Zhiyong frowned as he spoke of the Eldest Young Lady.
Yang Kai asked sharply, “What happened to Eldest Young Lady?”
Yin Zhiyong suddenly looked around but was still worried. He stood up and opened the door to make sure that there was no ears next to the wall, then walked back and sat down, whispering to Yang Kai, “In the Meng Mansion, the matter of Eldest Young Lady is a taboo, you must remember not to mention it casually.”
Yang Kai nodded seriously, “Brother Yin, don’t worry, I understand.”
Yin Zhiyong took another sip of wine before saying, “Our Meng Mansion’s Fourth and Fifth Young Lady, has long been married, yet Eldest Young Lady has always remained in her room. Don’t you think it’s strange?”
Yang Kai looked surprised, “The Young Lady is still in her room? Then how old is she?”
Yin Zhiyong shook his head, “It’s hard to say, but it should be around twenty-six or twenty-seven.”
26-27… Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat.
In a low voice, he asked, “Could it be… Eldest Young Lady’s appearance is so disgusting that no one wants her?”
Yin Zhiyong was startled and raised a finger to his mouth, nervously glancing around, “You don’t want to live anymore? How dare you talk about the Eldest Young Lady like that! If you don’t want to live, don’t drag me down with you.”
Yang Kai quickly slapped his mouth.
Yin Zhiyong calmed his nerves and continued in a low voice, “Let me tell you, Eldest Young Lady doesn’t have an ugly face, instead she’s as beautiful as a fairy.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “How did Brother Yin know?”
Yin Zhiyong smiled and said, “No matter what, I’ve been a guard for the Meng Mansion for more than a decade. When I first came to the Meng Mansion, Eldest Young Lady was only a ten year old girl. At that time, she was already a beauty, so how could she be bad when she grew up? Although Eldest Young Lady has been living in seclusion in the Inner Court for many years now, she occasionally went out wearing a veil and a bamboo hat, but three years ago… yes, three years ago, I accidentally caught a glimpse of Eldest Young Lady’s appearance. Good, she’s really beautiful! This Yin is quite knowledgeable, and I’ve also spent a great deal of money to taste the top girl in the No-Return Building. She’s indeed a beauty, but compared to Eldest Young Lady, she’s not even worthy of carrying her shoes.”
Yang Kai wore a look of disbelief, “Is Brother Yin telling the truth? Why does it sound so mysterious?”
Yin Zhiyong wore a look of reminiscence as he waved his hand impatiently, “If you don’t believe me, then forget it, but it’s the truth!” It was as if he didn’t want to say anything more about the Eldest Young Lady’s appearance, as if saying anything more was blasphemy.
Yang Kai could only take the initiative to find a topic to talk about, “Logically speaking, since the Eldest Young Lady is so beautiful, why is she still staying in her room? Could it be that her standards are too high?”
Yin Zhiyong shook his head and said, “Who knows, perhaps. But speaking of which, the Meng Mansion is so rich, even if the Eldest Young Lady’s face is really ugly, there are still many people who have come to propose marriage in groups. Moreover, when the Eldest Young Lady came of age, the Patriarch had already chosen a suitable candidate for her. Over the years, he had found many young talents who could be considered a match for her, but unfortunately, the Eldest Young Lady didn’t take a fancy to any of them.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That’s because Eldest Young Lady’s standards are too high.”
Yin Zhiyong chuckled, “According to the rumors, Eldest Young Lady once told her maidservant that the reason she hasn’t married for so many years isn’t because she doesn’t like those young talents, but because she’s waiting for her fated one! Heh, what bullshit fate, what kind of fate is that?”
After drinking a little too much, Yin Zhiyong began to blabber nonsense, lamenting the unfairness of the world. He had a lot of good skills, but none of them had been taken seriously. After being loyal to the Meng Mansion for more than ten years, he was still just a guard.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
The Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Mansion… is most likely Qu Huachang!
In the Samsara World, this Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Mansion was already twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. When she was young, the Patriarch had been looking for a suitable candidate for her. It had been almost ten years, which is equivalent to the time when Senior Sister Qu entered Samsara Pavilion.
She still had to wait for a destined person!
Senior Sister Qu entered the Samsara Pavilion and reincarnated into this Samsara World, setting up a barrier in her heart. Perhaps she had already lost her memories, but this heart barrier was real. Under the influence of this heart barrier, she would naturally act according to her heart.
He had to go to the Inner Court and meet this Eldest Young Lady of the Meng mansion so he could confirm whether she was really Senior Sister Qu.
Just as Yang Kai was lost in thought, a panicked shout suddenly rang out from somewhere in the Meng Mansion, “Water! Water!”
There seemed to be a flame flickering outside the window.
Yang Kai was startled and quickly got up, opened the door, and jumped onto the roof of the house. Looking around, he saw that a fire was raging in a certain part of the Meng Mansion. The entire Meng Mansion was in chaos as a large number of servants rushed towards the source of the fire, carrying buckets of water to extinguish it.
Yin Zhiyong, wrapped in the scent of alcohol, also came to his side, his brow furrowing as he felt a faint sense of unease.
“Brother Yin…” Yang Kai turned to look at him.
“If you don’t have any orders, don’t act rashly. Do your own work!” Although Yin Zhiyong was still a bit drunk, his mind was still quite clear. In a great family like the Meng Mansion, the greatest taboo was to overstep one’s position in a moment of panic, so it was best to act separately.
Just as Yang Kai was about to nod, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Turning his head, he saw that a dozen or so heads had appeared on the higher roof of the house, each of them holding a bow in their hands.
Even at night, under the light of the fire, the arrowhead reflected a cold light.
“Enemy attack!” Yang Kai roared as he dragged Yin Zhiyong off the roof.
In the next instant, several arrows pierced through the roof where they had just stood.
Yin Zhiyong immediately sobered up and stood up, nodding towards Yang Kai to express his gratitude.
However, before the two of them could recover from their shock, a strong gust of wind blew towards them.
Yang Kai hurriedly drew his saber with his left hand and slashed behind him.
A short and hurried scream rang out as the assailant behind him suddenly died. Another sharp sword brushed past his chest and cut his clothes.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered as he stepped forward, the blade in his hand flashing as he screamed.
By the time Yang Kai came to a stop, five or six people had already fallen behind him. Each of them had been killed with a single strike, and blood dripped from his saber, dying the ground red.
Yin Zhiyong stared blankly at Yang Kai, the long sword at his waist had just been unsheathed, but his enemies were already lying on the ground. After holding back for a long time, Yin Zhiyong finally praised, “Brother’s skills are superb!”
As soon as his voice fell, Yang Kai rushed towards him with a murderous look on his face.
Yin Zhiyong’s legs trembled as he instinctively thrust his sword forward. Yang Kai dodged to the side and used his hand to press down on Yin Zhiyong’s shoulder. Yin Zhiyong’s body spun in a circle, just in time to avoid a sharp arrow from behind.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Martial Peak