Chapter 9

The young man in the white robe was quite talkative, recounting various interesting stories and anecdotes about the city along the way to Liu Leyi. However, the young girl seemed somewhat distracted, only responding with a few casual words.

After passing through several streets, they soon arrived at the central area of Mingyuan City.

This place was rather quiet, with clean roads and no shops on either side. Large mansions lined up one after another, clearly the residences of the city's prominent families.

After walking for a while, they came to a mansion with a vermilion gate.

Unlike other buildings in the city, this mansion occupied a vast area. The two-zhang-high vermilion gate looked majestic, with two stone lions about a zhang tall standing guard. The gate was studded with shiny copper nails that sparkled in the sunlight.

On either side of the gate, two guards in bright armor stood solemnly, holding long spears, just like the guards they had seen earlier.

Everything here highlighted the owner's power and status.

Above the gate hung a large gilded plaque with the two gilded characters "Yu Mansion."

Liu Shi raised his head to look at Yu Mansion but quickly averted his gaze.

Liu Leyi looked at the mansion in surprise, feeling somewhat uneasy.

She had never seen such a large mansion before. From the appearance of the gate, it was clear that Yu Mansion held a very high status in Mingyuan City, and it was likely closely related to the court of Fengguo.

"Liu sister, what's wrong?" The young man in the white robe seemed to sense something and asked gently.

"Yu Mansion is so big, and there are so many guards. It's not an ordinary family, right?" Liu Leyi managed a smile and said.

"Liu sister is indeed clever. My father is the Chancellor of Fengguo, so there are some guards in the mansion. Otherwise, how could we afford to have a true Immortal Master reside here permanently?" Yu Qi replied nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Leyi's eyes widened.

The young man in the scholar's robe looked proud.

"Seventh Young Master, Second Young Master!" Seeing them approach, the two guards at the gate hurriedly came forward and bowed.

Yu Qi nodded slightly at the two guards and led Liu Leyi and Liu Shi into the gate.

"Seventh Brother, if you insist on bringing outsiders into the mansion, be careful that Father finds out and gets furious. Don't say I didn't warn you." Inside Yu Mansion, the young man in the scholar's robe coldly snorted and swept away.

"Pay no attention to him. Please follow me." Yu Qi smiled and led Liu Leyi and Liu Shi in another direction.

The interior of Yu Mansion was vast, with pavilions, gardens, and corridors everywhere.

The ground was paved with high-quality white and green jade, smooth as a mirror and hard as iron, showcasing the luxury of a prominent family.

Yu Qi seemed to have a lot of authority in Yu Mansion. The servants and houseboys they encountered along the way all bowed, and some even knelt on one knee.

Liu Leyi saw this and glanced at Yu Qi's back, her bright eyes twinkling, seemingly deep in thought.

She and Liu Shi, following behind Yu Qi, naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially Liu Shi's unusual appearance, which drew even more attention. However, these people seemed intimidated by Yu Qi's authority and did not dare to look too much.

After a short while, the three of them came to a long corridor, where a tall maid in a green dress walked towards them.

"Young Master, you're back." The maid in the green dress saw Yu Qi and immediately smiled, running over.

"Xiaowu, we have distinguished guests, don't be so informal." Yu Qi scolded her sternly.

The maid in the green dress stuck out her tongue but was not afraid, unlike the other servants.

Yu Qi gave the maid in the green dress a helpless look and then said, "Xiaowu, you're just in time. These two are my distinguished guests, Liu Leyi and Liu Shi. Go to the west wing and prepare a courtyard for them to rest."

Xiaowu only now noticed the two people behind Yu Qi. Liu Shi's unusual appearance surprised her, but when her eyes fell on Liu Leyi, her eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Oh, what a beautiful little sister!"

"Liu sister is my distinguished guest, don't be impolite! Both of you, Xiaowu is my personal maid. Please don't mind her abruptness." Yu Qi scolded her and then turned to Liu Leyi and Liu Shi with an apologetic smile.

"Understood." Xiaowu said, but when Yu Qi turned away, she made a face at Leyi.

Liu Leyi was amused and couldn't help but giggle, quickly covering her mouth, but her originally tense mood eased somewhat.

"By the way, I've been out these past few days, what's been happening in the mansion..." Yu Qi looked around, leaned close to Xiaowu, and whispered.

The two of them stood close together, looking intimate, and Xiaowu did not seem to mind.

Seeing this, Liu Leyi pouted, and the slight good impression she had of the young man in the white robe quickly diminished.

After a few moments of whispering, Xiaowu nodded and turned to walk away quickly.

"Please follow me." Yu Qi said and continued walking.

A short while later, the three of them arrived at a small courtyard, where Xiaowu was waiting.

Although it was called a small courtyard, it was not small. A path made of pebbles led to a green pine tree on the left and a cluster of green bamboo on the right.

A gentle breeze blew, and the pine and bamboo leaves rustled, creating a serene atmosphere.

The furnishings inside the house were simple but exquisitely crafted.

The tables and chairs were spotlessly clean, clearly just tidied up.

"You both look a bit tired. Rest here for a while. I'll set up a banquet to entertain you later." The young man in the white robe turned to Liu Leyi and smiled.

"There's no need for a banquet. I just want to know when the Immortal Master can treat my brother." Liu Leyi looked around.

"Since you don't like formalities, I'll have Xiaowu bring dinner later. As for the Immortal Master, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until tomorrow to invite him." Yu Qi paused for a moment and said.

"Alright." Liu Leyi was somewhat disappointed.

"By the way, if you need anything else, just tell Xiaowu. Rest well, I'll take my leave now." Yu Qi said, glancing at Liu Shi.

Liu Leyi nodded, her mind somewhat distracted.

...

"Seventh Young Master, who are they? From their appearance, they are just ordinary people. Why are you being so polite to them?" Outside the courtyard, Xiaowu asked curiously.

"You little thing, what do you know? Today, when the carriage my second brother and I were in was startled, Liu Shi single-handedly subdued the Qingfeng horse and stopped the carriage." Yu Qi playfully pinched Xiaowu's white chin and laughed.

"Qingfeng horse! Single-handedly! That Liu Shi... what incredible strength!" Xiaowu was surprised.

"Do you understand now? A person with such divine strength, if we can win him over, will be very useful to me in the future. Besides, when Leyi grows up, she will surely be a beauty that can captivate a nation. I wouldn't bear to let her suffer outside, so I naturally want to bring her into the mansion as well. Tell everyone to treat them well and not to neglect them." The young man in the white robe smiled and walked away, giving instructions as he went.

"Yes." Xiaowu blushed and quickly agreed.

...

Inside the courtyard, in the house.

Liu Leyi, after walking all day and experiencing a series of events, was quite tired. She pulled Liu Shi into the bedroom to rest.

Although they were of different genders, over the years, they had been living and eating together in the wild, so Liu Leyi did not feel it was inappropriate.

When it got dark, Xiaowu brought a sumptuous dinner.

Looking at the table full of fragrant dishes, Liu Leyi couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

She had never eaten such a sumptuous meal before. Although she was in the Chancellor's mansion, the unfamiliar environment made her somewhat uneasy, but she couldn't resist indulging herself.

On the contrary, Liu Shi showed no reaction to the food.

As the night deepened, a full moon slowly rose in the sky.

Liu Leyi lay in bed, tossing and turning for a long time, unable to sleep, her mind full of thoughts about the next day's treatment.

"Brother Shi, do you think the Immortal Master can cure you?" Liu Leyi moved closer to the edge of the bed and whispered.

Liu Shi did not lie down but sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed with his eyes closed.

For years, he had always sat like this every night, never lying down to sleep.

Liu Shi's face was expressionless, and he did not open his eyes, as if he hadn't heard the girl's words.

"Brother Shi, don't worry. If the Immortal Master here can't cure you, we'll go elsewhere. There must be someone who can cure you." Liu Leyi, used to this, whispered a few more words, then smiled in relief and slowly closed her eyes, falling asleep.

Liu Shi remained motionless, like a statue in the darkness.

After a long time, the tall young man suddenly opened his eyes, glanced in a certain direction in Yu Mansion, and subconsciously raised his hand to touch a dark green ornament below his neck.

...

At the same time, in a secret underground chamber in Yu Mansion.

The walls of the chamber were carved with dark red runes that converged at the center.

In the center of the chamber stood a black alchemy furnace, with a fire pit at the bottom, burning fiercely.

The alchemy furnace emitted a black glow, and the lid trembled slightly, as if it might fly off at any moment.

An old man stood beside the alchemy furnace, watching it nervously.

He wore a lotus crown and a gray-white robe, with deep-set eyes and a gaunt face. A long white beard hung from his chin, and his hair was also white, indicating he was well over seventy years old. He had a somewhat ethereal and immortal-like appearance.

At that moment, a muffled explosion came from the alchemy furnace, followed by a burnt smell.

The old man's face changed, and he waved his hand, casting a spell to extinguish the fire. Then, with a gesture, the lid of the alchemy furnace flew off.

Ignoring the heat of the alchemy furnace, he reached in directly, and his face turned extremely dark as he pulled out a handful of black powder.

A strong medicinal scent mixed with a burnt smell emanated from the powder.

Seeing this, the old man's face turned ashen, and he jumped up in anger, cursing loudly.