Chapter 9. Reading People's Minds.

East of Luoyang, Yanshi.

Walong Manor.

The next day, just after dusk, the warriors of the White Tiger Corps discovered that Yan Jieha had escaped by breaking down a side gate. A warrior, carrying a food basket as usual, found the broken side gate.

"What! Jieha broke the gate and ran away?"

Lian Mudu, the chief manager of Walong Manor, sprang up from his seat.

Bai Zhengji, the leader of the White Tiger Corps, bowed his head.

"Since the side gate was intact until last night, it seems he escaped sometime after that."

"Does that mean a whole day has passed?"

"Yes."

"How could that young boy escape when the White Tiger Corps was guarding him!"

"I apologize. After ten years without any incidents, we had become a bit lax."

Indeed, Yan Jieha had never attempted to escape in the past ten years, which had led to a relaxation of the security around the warehouse.

Lian Mudu was curious about how Bai Meizhu, who dominated Walong Manor, would react.

"What did Lady Bai say?"

The corners of Bai Zhengji's mouth twitched slightly.

Unlike the Lian family, no one in the White Tiger Corps was unaware of the relationship between Lian Mudu and Bai Meizhu.

"She said to search up to four days' distance from Yanshi."

"Hmm! Four days…"

"It might be a bit excessive. Since the boy is far from being a martial artist, he couldn't have left Yanshi."

"That's true, but…"

Lian Mudu looked uneasy.

With the secrets of Walong Manor and his own shortcomings at risk of being exposed, his unease was understandable.

"What did she say to do if you can't find him?"

In fact, as the chief manager and uncle, he shouldn't have been asking the leader of the White Tiger Corps. It showed how much control Bai Meizhu and the White Tiger Corps had over Walong Manor.

"She said to treat it as a runaway case."

Lian Mudu nodded as if he understood.

"Then I'll take my leave."

Bai Zhengji stood up, bowed, and left.

After standing there for a while, Lian Mudu slumped back into his seat.

"Surely, it can't be that Wu Bai and the Nan Gong family's guests are coming… Did they do something beforehand?"

Ten years ago, Lian Wubai went to the Nan Gong family and is now returning after a long period of training.

If only Lian Wubai were coming, it wouldn't be a problem.

The issue was that the young masters of the Nan Gong family were coming with Lian Wubai.

If they found out that Jieha had been imprisoned for ten years, Walong Manor's reputation would be ruined. Given Bai Meizhu's character, she would find it hard to tolerate such a situation.

'Did she take care of Jieha before they arrived?'

"Hmm!"

A sound escaped Lian Mudu's lips.

If he knew Bai Meizhu, she would have done more than just that.

The members of the White Tiger Corps would do anything, even pretend to die, if ordered by Bai Meizhu.

Saying that Jieha broke the side gate and escaped wasn't a big deal, right?

But thinking that Jieha was dead made him feel guilty.

"Ah! Brother, Sister-in-law. I'm sorry. When I get to the afterlife, I'll kneel and apologize."

Lian Mudu briefly apologized to the deceased and then shook off his thoughts about Yan Jieha.

The dead are dead, and the living must live. Since Bai Meizhu had taken full control, his influence had shrunk to that of a steward.

Naturally, Chief Manager Lian Mudu didn't put much effort into finding his runaway nephew. He considered it a mere show for others.

Three days passed.

The warriors of the White Tiger Corps and Walong Manor, who had scoured the area, returned empty-handed.

Bai Meizhu, furious that they couldn't find a mere child, eventually calmed down.

In truth, Bai Meizhu thought that even if Jieha were alive, his life would be miserable. A child who had been locked in a warehouse for ten years since the age of six couldn't do much.

***

Seven days after Yan Jieha's escape.

The tightly closed gates of Walong Manor finally opened wide.

Bai Meizhu bustled about, just as she had when welcoming the Nan Gong family's guests ten years ago.

Around noon.

A carriage stopped in front of Walong Manor.

The man and woman who got out of the carriage didn't immediately enter but looked around.

Nanguan Tian, the Qingyun Sword, stretched and said,

"Ugh! My limbs are sore. Brother Lian, why are you just standing there? We should go in and greet them."

Lian Wubai, now a grown man, stroked his stubbly chin and muttered,

"Senior Brother, I thought Walong Manor was huge, but I'm surprised by how small it is."

"Stop being surprised. With your return, we'll become the largest martial family in Luoyang."

Lian Wubai laughed heartily.

"Ha ha! Luoyang? No, my goal is to be the largest martial family in Henan Province."

"Provincial dominance isn't achieved by one person alone. Do you think martial families are so easily established? Isn't that right, Nanguan?"

Nanguan Lian didn't respond to Nanguan Tian's question.

She only swept her melancholic gaze over the low walls of Walong Manor.

The gatekeeper, spotting the man and woman, rushed inside.

A moment later, led by Bai Meizhu, the Lian family poured out of the main house.

Bai Meizhu's eyes widened when she saw Lian Wubai from a distance.

The young Lian Wubai exuded the aura of a young martial expert at first glance.

Having grown up in a martial family, Bai Meizhu immediately recognized that her eldest son had returned as a high-level martial artist.

"Wubai!"

At Bai Meizhu's call, Lian Wubai hurried over and bowed.

"Mother, I have returned after completing ten years of study."

Lian Wubai's face, as he straightened up, was filled with pride.

Having trained for ten years at the Nan Gong family, one of the top martial families, it was understandable.

"Well done, my son. The esteemed guests from the Nan Gong family are with you, aren't they?"

Bai Meizhu's eyes quickly swept over Nanguan Tian and Nanguan Lian.

She recognized them as Nanguan Bi's son and daughter from their faces, which still bore traces of their appearance from ten years ago.

Nanguan Tian, at twenty-eight, looked like a peerless martial expert, much like the young Lian Wulong. Indeed, there was no one in the martial world who didn't know the name Qingyun Sword.

The beautiful young lady standing beside him was Nanguan Lian, eighteen years old. Her well-defined figure was enviable even to other women.

Nanguan Tian bowed formally and greeted,

"Aunt, it's me, Tian."

"..."

Nanguan Lian only bowed but didn't speak.

Bai Meizhu, who had been admiring Nanguan Lian's beauty, suddenly remembered her eccentric personality and chuckled. She hadn't changed since ten years ago.

Lian Shengbai and Lian Shuzhu, standing behind Bai Meizhu, hesitantly stepped forward.

"Brother."

"Brother."

Lian Wubai smiled and nodded.

"Long time no see. It's good to see you all healthy. Shengbai, how is your progress with the Guchien Sword Technique?"

"It's going well. How about you, Brother?"

"Thanks to Uncle, I've achieved the sixth level. Uncle says I'll reach the tenth level within ten years, but I'm not sure."

At the mention of the sixth level, Lian Shengbai's mouth dropped open.

"Sixth level? Wow!"

He had heard that his father, Lian Wulong, was at the ninth level when he entered the martial world. At twenty-four, Lian Wubai had achieved a similar level to his father, who was considered a prodigy. The revival of Walong Manor, which his mother had longed for, was now within reach.

Bai Meizhu, watching the brothers' conversation with a proud smile, exclaimed,

"Oh, my. Let's go inside. Nephews, come in as well."

Bai Meizhu, intimidated by the name of the Nan Gong family, treated her nephews like honored guests.

Nanguan Tian looked awkwardly at Nanguan Lian.

However, to his surprise, Nanguan Lian's expression remained unchanged, as if it was perfectly normal.

'Why is she so bothered by people bowing to her?'

As Nanguan Tian tilted his head in confusion and was about to take a step, Nanguan Lian grabbed his collar.

Nanguan Tian, startled, turned to look at her.

Nanguan Lian's gaze swept over Lian Wubai, Lian Shengbai, and Lian Shuzhu before returning to Nanguan Tian.

Only then did Nanguan Tian understand his sister's meaning.

"Aunt, I don't see the youngest brother?"

Nanguan Tian couldn't remember the name of the fourth brother.

A sigh escaped Bai Meizhu's lips.

"Ah! He ran away a few days ago. Maybe he was inspired by the news of his eldest brother's success... He had been locked in his room, doing nothing for a long time."

"Ran away?"

Nanguan Tian didn't find it strange.

He himself had once run away from home.

But at that moment, a chill ran down his spine.

To his surprise, Nanguan Lian was emitting a killing aura!

Nanguan Tian quickly patted his sister's shoulder.

"Ha ha! Lian, don't be so surprised. I've run away before, too."

"Hmph!"

Nanguan Lian's sneer made Lian Wubai shudder.

"Sister, why are you like this?"

Lian Wubai felt his heart sink.

Nanguan Lian, four years younger than him, was far superior in martial arts. He was no match for her.

Only his senior brother, Nanguan Tian, could handle her.

But Nanguan Tian would do anything for his sister, even pretend to die. If Nanguan Lian got angry, no one could stop her.

'Why is she acting like this? Once she gets upset, it can last for years...'

Honestly, the person Lian Wubai found most difficult to deal with, besides Nanguan Bi, was Nanguan Lian.

In Nanzhili Province, her nickname was Huayongdushen, meaning "a beautiful face that reads people's minds."

Some mocked her for being as silent as a flower, but they all nodded at her ability to read people's minds.

However, Nanguan Lian didn't even glance at Lian Wubai.

Bai Meizhu, taken aback by Nanguan Lian's sudden sneer, had to stop in her tracks.

'What's wrong with that girl?'

She remembered that even as a child, Nanguan Lian had been as eccentric as she was now.

Bai Meizhu forced a smile and asked,

"Niece, is there something you don't like? If so, please tell me."

Nanguan Tian stepped in on behalf of Nanguan Lian.

"Ha ha, she's just surprised to hear that the youngest brother ran away. Don't worry about it. Our Lian sometimes acts like this at home too."

But his explanation didn't help much.

'Crunch. How dare she treat us like this! How could she think our Walong Manor is so insignificant that she can act like she's at home?'

Grinding her teeth, Bai Meizhu forced herself to remain calm.

"It's understandable. I was also shocked when Jieha ran away. Teenagers are unpredictable... Of course, it's partly my fault for not being his biological mother."

After a moment, Bai Meizhu continued with a sad expression.

"For several days, we searched the Yanshi area thoroughly, but..."

Before she could finish, Nanguan Lian brushed past her and walked into the manor.

Startled, Nanguan Tian hurried after her.

Bai Meizhu and the Lian family followed them into the manor.

Bai Meizhu glared at Nanguan Lian's back with a venomous look.

Even ten years ago, that girl had been hostile towards her. How could they be so incompatible?

It would be difficult to even get along with her, let alone consider her as a daughter-in-law.