The main courtyard of Qi Manor, third floor.
Steward Qi knelt before a heavy beaded curtain, eyes fixed on the ground as he quietly reported the matter to the family head.
After a long pause, a hoarse, gravelly voice came from behind the curtain: "What do you think?"
Steward Qi replied respectfully, "Master Qi, since those six entered the manor, every word they’ve spoken to this servant has revolved around money. In my humble opinion, they are nothing but reckless fortune-seekers, here to leech off Qi Manor’s wealth."
Master Qi responded, "In these chaotic times, with demons running rampant, only the area around Zhuoguang City remains somewhat peaceful. Their behavior is understandable."
Steward Qi cautiously probed, "Then Master’s intention is…?"
Master Qi rose from his seat. "Let them stay. Observe them for a few more days. If they truly are just greedy for money, then all the better. Otherwise…" He left the sentence hanging, chuckling meaningfully before retreating further into the room.
Steward Qi bowed low to the ground. "Understood."
---
Wen Shuangbai and the other five waited in the side hall.
Steward Qi returned shortly with Master Qi’s decision: "Everyone, the terms stand—daily pay, seven hundred sacred stones per person per day."
Wen Shuangbai’s face lit up with joy. He sprang to his feet and clasped his hands in an earnest salute, his enthusiasm palpable to all present, both inside and outside the Mystic Heaven Mirror. "Many thanks, Steward Qi! We will be utterly devoted to our duties, following every order from Master Qi and you without question! If Qi Manor commands us east, we won’t dare step west!"
[But we can go south-north!]
[...Who is this fellow? Even the words are wrong.]
[Probably using a Voice-Shifting Stone. That accent—where’s he from?]
A disciple from Qingling Mountain interjected gloomily: [Monkey Province.]
Everyone: [???]
The Qingling Mountain disciple launched into an explanation.
[Recently, Qingling Mountain has seen a spate of robberies—mostly targeting steamed buns, pastries, chicken legs, and duck tongues. But two cases were particularly egregious: two disciples had their Mystic Heaven Mirrors and Voice-Shifting Stones stolen!]
[The culprit, a certain Monkey So-and-So, has since been apprehended by Elder Qian of the Discipline Hall and confined to solitary.]
[However, though Monkey So-and-So has lost his freedom, his Mystic Heaven Mirror remains active. Truly terrifying!]
Everyone: [???]
The imprisoned Monkey King, though able to speak, was illiterate. Unfazed by the chatter, he rubbed his golden eyes and resumed watching the competition.
Back in the scene, Steward Qi was visibly startled by Wen Shuangbai’s excessive enthusiasm.
Seven hundred a day wasn’t that much to warrant such a reaction.
"If you perform well, your pay may increase," Steward Qi added. Before he could finish, Lu Jiayao lunged forward and hugged him tightly.
Lu Jiayao’s ability to charm elders surpassed even Wen Shuangbai’s. "Steward, you’re too kind! Offering us even more despite such generous pay already! I love you! I love Qi Manor! From now on, this is my home!"
Steward Qi, defenses crumbling, looked up at the sky with mixed emotions. "..."
Pushing Lu Jiayao away, he faced six pairs of shining eyes and hastily raised a hand. "Friends, calm down! Let me finish!"
"My apologies, please continue," Wen Shuangbai said, clutching his pounding heart and miming a zipped mouth before obediently stepping aside.
Seven hundred sacred stones a day—that was seven hundred thousand spirit stones!
A daily wage of seven hundred thousand—how could they not be excited?
Straightening his robes, Steward Qi turned to the most composed of the six, the healer. "However, medicinal ingredients won’t be provided. My apologies, young friend. But if you need any pills, you may request them from me. As long as it’s reasonable, Qi Manor will supply them. Fasting Pills will also be distributed daily."
Xie Ziyin felt a twinge of disappointment, but for seven hundred sacred stones, he nodded graciously. "That’s acceptable. Thank you."
Steward Qi then handed the group over to a guard. "This is Guard Wu. You’ll follow his instructions from now on."
With that, Steward Qi departed.
Guard Wu, full name Wu Ren, was a burly saber-wielding cultivator. Under the barrage of "Brother Wu!" from Wen Shuangbai, Lu Jiayao, and Shen Hefeng, he soon lost all sense of restraint.
When Lu Jiayao mentioned being from Lu Village, Wu Ren immediately treated him as a kindred spirit—and under Lu Jiayao’s questioning, spilled his entire life story.
He was a rogue cultivator from Wu Village, forced to flee to Zhuoguang City after offending someone. Qi Manor had taken him in.
Now, after two years of service, he led a small team of outer guards.
Wen Shuangbai gave a thumbs-up. "Brother Wu, you’re amazing! We’ll learn from you!"
"Nah, nah, I’m just average," Wu Ren said cheerfully, leading them to their quarters before taking them to dine.
"We only get one proper meal at night. During the day, we’re on duty—no time to eat, just Fasting Pills." He handed each of them a bottle. "When you run out, just ask me. Eat as much as you want—Qi Manor never skimps on food!"
Yin Xuan, elegantly devouring an array of fragrant spirit cuisine, smiled contentedly. "Mhm."
Wen Shuangbai swallowed a mouthful of rice, gaze settling on Xie Ziyin across the table.
Xie Ziyin uncorked his Fasting Pill bottle, took a delicate sniff, and smiled faintly. "These are excellent. I couldn’t make these myself. Truly impressive."
Wen Shuangbai’s brow arched.
If he couldn’t make them, then these pills were likely spiked.
Earlier, on their way to Qi Manor, they’d asked around.
The Qi family ran a renowned artifact-forging business in Zhuoguang City, praised for their generosity—locals spoke of their annual charity porridge distributions.
But now, it seemed there was more to the story.
How intriguing.
Wen Shuangbai twirled the pill bottle between his fingers, exchanging a brief glance with Xie Ziyin before tucking it into his storage ring. "Then we shouldn’t waste them. Feast tonight, take the pills during tomorrow’s shift!"
Wu Ren nodded. "Exactly how we do it."
"If we’re on duty during the day, what about at night?" Wen Shuangbai caught the oddity in Wu Ren’s words.
Typically, guards worked rotating shifts—day and night. But Wu Ren made it sound like they only worked days.
"Nighttime is for rest." Wu Ren’s expression turned grave. He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "You know why I’ve lasted two years at Qi Manor?"
Li Zhuohua, the fastest eater, wiped his mouth and blurted, "Because you’re good at fighting?"
"No, no." Wu Ren waved his hand. "I'm really nothing special. There are plenty more skilled than me, but well... they've all... you know."
Lu Jiayao was immediately intrigued, even forgetting to eat as he asked eagerly, "You know what?"
Shen Hefeng chimed in, "Kicked the bucket?"
"Shh, shh! You can't just say it like that!" Wu Ren glared at the irreverent little Taoist, glancing around before lowering his voice. "Who knows if they're dead or not? They just... disappeared."
Wen Shuangbai recalled the rumors about Zhuoguang City—the most notorious being the numerous rogue cultivators who had vanished within its walls.
Between mouthfuls of food, she mumbled, "Disappeared?"
"Yeah." Wu Ren nodded solemnly, his expression grave. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you want to last long working at Qi Manor, you’d better follow the rules. Do what Steward Qi tells you, no questions asked, got it? And most importantly—once night falls, stay in your room and sleep. No matter what you hear outside, don’t step out!"
The six of them exchanged glances before nodding in unison. "Don’t worry, Brother Wu! We’re just here to earn some money. We won’t meddle in anything else."
Wu Ren gave them an approving look. "Good. You’ll go far, just like me."
---
After dinner, the group returned to their rooms as darkness fell.
Whether out of sheer wealth or some ulterior motive, Qi Manor assigned each guard their own private room.
Strangely enough, the six of them were placed on different floors, spaced far apart.
At the doorway, they bid each other goodnight.
Wen Shuangbai toyed with the grass-woven goose at her waist, exchanging a meaningful glance with the others before saying, "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow."
"..."
They dispersed to their respective rooms.
From a small building nearby, a pair of eyes watched from the shadows.
...
Wen Shuangbai entered her room, lit the lamp, and began inspecting every corner, touching and examining everything.
Qi Manor was absurdly wealthy. Even a guard’s quarters were more luxurious than their rooms back at Qingling Academy in the Imperial Province.
The writing desk was stocked with high-quality brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—even a stack of spiritual silk talisman paper!
Wu Ren had said they were free to use anything in their rooms. Qi Manor was generous, after all.
Without hesitation, Wen Shuangbai stashed everything into her storage ring.
She even pocketed the decorative vases—what a waste of such fine materials just for display!
Steward Qi: "..."
Steward Qi checked the other rooms.
The scene was much the same. The Taoist, the female sword cultivator, and the one with "three earths" in his name all immediately looted the most valuable stationery.
But the most outrageous was... the physician.
After taking the writing tools and vases, the physician stood silently in the room for a long moment before sighing in resignation and proceeding to pack every movable piece of furniture into his storage ring.
The vases were understandable—their materials were indeed precious—but why take the teacups, chairs, and tables?
This young man looked refined and strikingly handsome. Could his family really be so poor they lacked even basic furniture?
Even more bizarrely, after emptying the room, he began performing exercises like push-ups on the bare floor.
Almost like a body cultivator.
A physician and body cultivator hybrid?
Steward Qi was baffled but deeply impressed. He turned his attention to the last room.
Here, all was quiet.
Only a silver-haired male sword cultivator lay peacefully asleep.
Seeing the untouched stationery still on the desk, Steward Qi felt oddly moved.
After observing for a while, the group eventually extinguished their lamps and went to bed. When no further disturbances arose, Steward Qi left subordinates to keep watch and retired for the night.
Outside, the night deepened.
Xie Ziyin lay in bed, faint noises drifting in from somewhere distant in the manor.
Then, something poked him.
His eyes snapped open to see a grass-woven goose.
A tiny hole in its rear concealed an invisibly sharp brush tip—the very thing that had just prodded him.
The little goose stood by the bed, its crude head nuzzling affectionately against his palm.
