"However—"
Steward Qi paused, his kind and honest face revealing a hint of deeper meaning as he looked at the group before him. "There’s a significant difference between inner guards and outer guards."
"The family head has said that inner guards of Qi Manor are no different from members of the Qi family—they share in its glory and its downfall. The Qi family will never mistreat its own, and its own must pledge unwavering loyalty to the family. This means that once you become inner guards of Qi Manor, you can no longer leave to seek opportunities elsewhere. You will live as Qi family, die as Qi family. Knowing this, do you still wish to proceed?"
Wen Shuangbai listened while mulling it over.
So this promotion was essentially a lifetime iron rice bowl?
And judging by Steward Qi’s words, Wen Shuangbai grew even more curious—just what shady dealings was the Qi family involved in five hundred years ago?
Because it was something unspeakable, subordinates who witnessed it couldn’t be allowed to leave.
So, becoming an inner guard not only came with a pay raise but also granted access to Qi Manor’s biggest secret?
What was this called?
This was called being handed a pillow the moment you felt sleepy!
Amitabha.
Thanks to the female lead and the second male lead—without them, their promotion and competition journey wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
Eyes brimming with amusement, Wen Shuangbai exchanged glances with her teammates before answering eagerly, "We’re willing! The world outside is chaotic these days—it’s hard enough just to scrape by. Being able to work in Qi Manor under a steward as caring as you is a blessing!"
Li Zhuohua, recalling Elder Qianlai from their sect, nodded in agreement. "The steward we dealt with before was a stingy miser."
Far away on Qingling Mountain, Elder Qianlai happened to read this: "???"
So these brats, about to earn 140,000 spirit stones a day in the Sacred Tower competition, had already forgotten the 60,000 spirit stones he specially approved for them earlier?
"Steward Qi," Xie Ziyin said, "my alchemy furnace was destroyed in the fire. If Qi Manor can provide me with a new one, I’m willing."
Steward Qi waved dismissively—an alchemy furnace was nothing. "Go ask the Old Medical Cultivator for one. He has so many furnaces he uses them to plant scallions."
Xie Ziyin: "…………"
Hearing this, Wen Shuangbai immediately piped up, "Can I have a few too?"
Xie Ziyin shot her a sidelong glance, only to be met with a fierce glare in return.
"……" Steward Qi’s lips twitched. "As long as you can convince him, I don’t care."
Wen Shuangbai sighed, sensing this would be an uphill battle.
Since waking up today, she’d crossed paths with the Old Medical Cultivator a few times. Based on her judgment, the old man had likely been poor in his youth. Even now, with Qi Manor’s wealth, he wasn’t the generous type—the kind who’d rather plant scallions than give away extras.
Meanwhile, Shen Hefeng, eager to join the fray, fiddled with his tortoise shell, hoping to swap it for a new one.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave!" Steward Qi, seeing the situation, quickly made to exit before things escalated.
Lu Jiayao hastily split the peeled orange in his hands, giving half to Yin Xuan. Under Yin Xuan’s slightly reluctant gaze, he offered the other half to Steward Qi with earnest eyes. "Steward Qi, we’ll be counting on your guidance and care from now on! This orange is fresh and sweet—please take it and enjoy. Don’t stand on ceremony!"
Steward Qi: "……No need. Keep it for yourselves."
As Steward Qi left the medical quarters to report to the family head, he passed through a grove—only to freeze mid-step, realizing something was off. He whipped his head to the side.
The once-lush orange grove, brimming with fruit just days ago, was now half-bare.
Every ripe, golden orange was gone, leaving only unripe green ones behind.
Steward Qi’s face darkened instantly: "……"
No wonder—he’d never sent them any oranges. So where had theirs come from?!
---
"So sweet!" Wen Shuangbai took a bite of the orange and praised.
Li Zhuohua nodded. "These are really good."
Yin Xuan: "~~~"
Shen Hefeng turned to Lu Jiayao, who was diligently peeling oranges for everyone. "Where’d you get these?"
Lu Jiayao, happily placing a peeled orange into a clean medicine bowl, pointed toward the grove. "I picked them! It’s not far from the medical quarters. We can go back for more when the rest ripen."
Yin Xuan immediately chimed in, "I’ll go with you next time."
Just as he reached for the orange in the bowl, someone snatched the entire bowl away.
"……" Yin Xuan looked up to see Xie Ziyin, who had just returned with his new alchemy furnace.
In good spirits after finding a satisfactory furnace, Xie Ziyin casually took the bowl and sat by the bed.
The moment he did, a hand swiped the orange right from it.
Xie Ziyin glanced at Wen Shuangbai and chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re really getting the best of this."
Seeing everyone present, Wen Shuangbai pulled out the stack of letters she’d found in Qi Yaoling’s room. Pressing a finger to her lips in a silent "shh," she passed them around.
Understanding, the group kept up idle chatter about how delicious the oranges were, how generous Qi Manor was, and how kind Steward Qi had been—all while secretly reading the letters.
Each one was a personal letter from Ye Qingrong, senior Tian Sang’s senior sister, to Qi Yaoling.
"Yaoling, my condolences. Grandmother would surely want you to be well.
Regarding your insights on our new cultivation method, I find them excellent. However, I currently lack the energy to focus on it—I hope you understand.
Since your return, unrest has grown across the provinces. Tian Sang and I believe these entities are neither ghosts nor demons. We’re still investigating.
Also, is Zhuoguang City safe?"
"If Zhuoguang City is safe, that’s good. Tian Sang and I aren’t what you think—we’re just kindred spirits who share a resonance in the path of cultivation. Don’t overthink it!
On the other hand, Li Hanshan of the Green Mountain Sect often asks about you. You should write to reassure him—he’d be overjoyed."
"Yaoling, we’ve confirmed it! These things are neither demons nor ordinary spirits. For now, we’re calling them ‘phantoms.’"
"Yaoling, they’re appearing too fast. We’re under constant attack.
The Divination Sect Leader performed a divination—the omen was dire. He said the calamity has begun, and the heavens will fall. After the divination, he collapsed, unconscious and in critical condition."
"Things are worsening by the day. Our sect leader has fallen, and my master… is gone too…
Every sect has suffered heavy losses. Teachers and fellow disciples alive yesterday are gone today.
In these times, life is as cheap as grass.
Yaoling, I can’t sleep at night. Where do we go from here?"
"Yaoling, our Ling Mountain Sect can barely hold on… I now believe that to defeat the phantoms, we must first understand their origin and cause. Don’t rush. If Zhuoguang City is still safe, stay there. The outside is too dangerous—wait for me. I’ll come to you, and we’ll find a way together."
If arranged in chronological order, this would be the last letter between the two.
After reading through the letters, Wen Shuangbai fell silent for a moment before carefully tucking the stack into a hidden compartment in her storage ring. Then, she took out brush, ink, and paper to begin writing notes.
Not speaking, only communicating through writing—then destroying the notes afterward—was undoubtedly the safest method of communication within Qi Manor.
The straw-woven goose had also woken up, standing energetically by her side and pressing down on a corner of the paper with its foot, craning its neck to watch Wen Shuangbai write: [Write, what are your thoughts after reading everything?]
Wen Shuangbai passed the note to Xie Ziyin first.
The straw goose followed, dutifully holding the paper in place for him.
Xie Ziyin wrote: [The entire Xuantian realm is in chaos, so why is Zhuoguang City the only place still untouched?]
This defied logic. Even major sects were frequently under attack, yet a single city remained completely unharmed?
Seeing this, Wen Shuangbai didn’t bother passing the writing tools back and forth. Instead, she leaned over, picked up the brush, and swiftly wrote: [I suspect Senior Ye Qingrong had the same doubts back then, which is why she said she was coming to Zhuoguang City to find Qi Yaoling.]
Xie Ziyin glanced at the woman wrapped in white bandages like a mummy, now sitting close to him, but didn’t move away. He simply nodded in acknowledgment.
As Wen Shuangbai set the brush down, Li Zhuohua snatched the paper and ink before Lu Jiayao could, writing with bold, sword-like strokes: [Li Hanshan of Qingshan Sect! One of the Seven Saints of Xuantian from five hundred years ago, the founding sect leader of our Qingling Mountain, and the patriarch of our lineage! My mother and I even took his surname!]
Lu Jiayao followed up: [Heavens! Our sect’s patriarch was secretly in love with the Third Miss of Qi Manor five hundred years ago? I had no idea! The legends say he was a man of few words, indifferent to romance, devoted only to his sword and the world!!!]
The Seven Saints of Xuantian were the ones who ended the great calamity five centuries ago.
Even as a transmigrator, Wen Shuangbai knew this.
Back then, the Sacred Tower emerged, drawing in all the malevolent spirits of the world. But such a grand feat came at the cost of the Seven Saints sacrificing themselves to the tower.
The power of the Sacred Tower could be considered a new consciousness, reborn from the fusion of the Seven Saints’ souls and the tower itself.
The Sacred Tower’s trials likely carried traces of their intentions as well.
If Patriarch Li Hanshan had connections with Ye Qingrong, Tian Sang, and Qi Yaoling five hundred years ago, then the current trial in Zhuoguang City must be closely tied to Qi Yaoling.
After finishing the letters, Wen Shuangbai retrieved the paper and asked Xie Ziyin and the senior brother: [What did you see that night?]
Xie Ziyin picked up the brush and wrote: [Someone was controlling the spirits, leading them back to their nest.]
Late that night, he and Yin Xuan hadn’t been able to see the nest clearly, but the area was swarming with guards and spirits, with experts lurking in the shadows.
Not daring to get too close, Xie Ziyin and Yin Xuan retreated when they saw flames erupting in the manor and heard shouts for patrols to assemble.
With the Old Medical Cultivator due to arrive soon to change their bandages, the group decided to end the discussion there. They destroyed the notes, each took a handful of oranges from Lu Jiayao, and returned to their rooms.
The Old Medical Cultivator of Qi Manor was certainly skilled.
But then again, with such high pay, it was no surprise that talented individuals flocked to work here.
Three days later, Wen Shuangbai and the others had fully recovered. Before the appointed time, they all gathered in the guest hall of the medical quarters, waiting for dinner.
Patient meals—specially tailored for them—were delicious, nutritious, and free!
While waiting, Wen Shuangbai idly used the senior brother’s narrow sword as a mirror, admiring her freshly healed, fair skin and humming cheerfully.
The results were no different from scoring a free session at a beauty clinic! What a steal.
Xie Ziyin sat beside her, flipping through medical texts from the quarters, occasionally glancing at the reflection in Yin Xuan’s sword.
The Old Medical Cultivator and his servants soon arrived with their specially prepared meals. "Steward Qi says you’re all to report to the inner courtyard for duty first thing tomorrow," he grumbled, clearly annoyed by their presence.
These people were nothing but trouble—Xie Ziyin reading his treasured medical books, the artificer eyeing his alchemy cauldron used for growing scallions, the fortune-teller trying to catch the turtle in his pond.
Just yesterday, he’d turned his back for a moment, and the three country bumpkins had led the two swordsmen in digging up his carefully cultivated sweet potatoes to roast them! And then they had the audacity to offer him one as if it were a gift!
Stealing his potatoes to feed him his own potatoes—were these people even human?
The Old Medical Cultivator dropped the food and stormed off.
Unfazed, the group cheerfully greeted him before digging in.
Xie Ziyin took a slow, deliberate bite of his meal. Only after confirming the others had started eating did he place a pre-written note in the center of the table.
Wen Shuangbai looked up from her bowl.
The note read: [How have you been enjoying the parasitic insects in your meals these past few days?]
The five of them: "…………"
Each froze mid-bite, food stuck in their throats—unable to swallow, yet unable to spit it out.
They had always waited for Xie Ziyin to eat first, assuming the food was safe if he took a bite.
But now…
The Life-Restoring Pill from Steward Qi had neutralized the poison in the earlier fasting pills.
They’d thought Qi Manor had fully trusted them, but the manor remained cautious—switching to parasitic insects for easier control.
After enjoying their horrified expressions, Xie Ziyin produced another note with dosage instructions and five small bottles of pills.
The bottles were identical to Qi Manor’s fasting pills, but the contents had naturally been swapped.
Over the past few days, more than just sweet potatoes had gone missing from the Old Medical Cultivator’s herb-filled domain.
Relieved, the five swallowed their food, each taking a bottle of "fasting pills" before happily continuing their parasite-laden meal.
Honestly, it was pretty tasty.
