Martial Peak
chapter-4817

After examining the banknotes in the package, Lin Xiao Shan frowned, “It’s too little. The Managers want 100,000 silver coins, and there’s a lack of women on the mountain.”

The Captain of the private guards shook his head, “This is what Meng Manor can offer. We won’t give you any more or any less.”

Lin Xiao Shan stored the package, “Got it. I’ll bring this back to the Managers. However, as for what decision they’ll make, I have no right to interfere.”

Upon finishing his words, he leaped onto the roof and stepped on the tiles in light steps. He soon left the place.

The personal bodyguards of Meng Manor didn’t intend to stop him as they watched him leave.

In fact, Meng Manor had offered them a lot of money; nevertheless, if those from Hidden Treasure Peak were not satisfied with it, the conflict would still be irresolvable. Therefore, they didn’t dare to fire any more personal bodyguards.

After half a month of training, new private guards that included Yang Kai were given some tasks.

Yang Kai hoped to be stationed inside the inner court. In that case, it would be easier for him to gather information in the inner court and look for Qu Hua Shang.

With that said, he knew that it was an unrealistic idea. Regardless of anything else, they were new private guards whose loyalty was not time-tested. They would be given some tasks, but they would not be stationed in important places.

As expected, Yang Kai was told to watch over some courtyards in the outer court, and he had a veteran private guard named Yin Zhi Yong as his partner. Another four people were going to work with them. There were three shifts in a day, and two of them would respectively guard the place for eight hours.

The task was neither difficult nor simple.

They familiarised themselves with each other and came up with a passcode for changing shifts, after which Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong hid in a corner and monitored their surroundings to prevent any ill-intentioned people from barging in.

It would be peaceful for the next three days.

When they were not on duty, Yang Kai would buy some wine and food to share with Yin Zhi Yong. Certainly, Yin Zhi Yong was pleased with Yang Kai’s tactfulness, so he became more amiable to him.

Therefore, barely three days later, Yang Kai and Yin Zhi Yong became good friends.

One day, Yang Kai brought back some wine and food again. They were seated across from each other while drinking and chatting.

Thinking that it was about time, Yang Kai pretended to be drunk as he said, “Brother Yin, I know nothing about the Meng Manor since I’m new. You’ve been a private guard here for more than ten years. Do you have any advice for me?”

Yin Zhi Yong stuffed some peanuts into his mouth and looked smilingly at him, “Of course I have a lot of advice for you, but it’s not like I can say it all at once. Just stay here for a few more years, and you’ll get the hang of it. The Meng Manor is a good place. There’s practically no risk we have to face as private guards, and the salaries are attractive. Countless people scramble to get in here every year.”

Yang Kai filled the cup with wine for him, “Just tell me anything, Brother Yin. I’m all ears. It’s just between you and me.”

Over the past few days, Yang Kai had bought him a lot of delicious food and wine, so it was hard for Yin Zhi Yong to turn him down. After giving it a thought, Yin Zhi Yong decided to tell him some basic information.

According to him, the Meng Family started out as salt sellers, and they gradually branched out into different businesses. Their properties were all over the world, and their revenue was counted in the millions of silver coins every year.

Presently, the Meng Family Patriarch, Meng De Ye, was fifty years old. He had more than ten Wives, four Sons, and three Daughters. The family businesses were practically managed by the Sons while two out of three Daughters were married to men who were equal matches in terms of their statuses.

“Only the Eldest Young Lady has been giving the Patriarch a headache.” Yin Zhi Yong frowned at the mention of the Eldest Young Lady.

A sensitive Yang Kai asked, “What’s going on with the Eldest Young Lady?”

All of a sudden, Yin Zhi Yong looked around. Still feeling worried, he rose from the chair and opened the door. Upon making sure that no one else was around, he took a seat and said to Yang Kai in a small voice, “In the Meng Manor, the Eldest Young Lady’s affairs are a taboo. You must not mention it as you please.”

With a solemn expression, Yang Kai nodded, “Don’t worry, Brother Yin. I won’t.”

Yin Zhi Yong took a sip of the wine and said, “In the Meng Manor, the Fourth Young Lady and the Fifth Young Lady are married, but the Eldest Young Lady is still single. Don’t you think it’s weird?”

Appearing to be shocked, Yang Kai asked, “The Eldest Young Lady is still single? How old is she now?”

Yin Zhi Yong shook his head, “I’m not sure, but I suppose she’s twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.”

[Twenty-six or twenty-seven years old?] A thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind.

He asked in a hushed voice, “Is no one interested in the Eldest Young Lady because she’s… ugly?”

A flabbergasted Yin Zhi Yong quickly placed a finger on his own lips and anxiously looked around, “Are you sick of living? How dare you slander the Eldest Young Lady? Don’t drag me into this!”

Yang Kai hurriedly patted his own mouth.

After pulling himself together, Yin Zhi Yong went on to say, “I’m telling you, the Eldest Young Lady is not ugly. Rather, she’s incredibly beautiful.”

A curious Yang Kai asked, “How do you know, Brother Yin?”

Yin Zhi Yong replied with a smile, “I’ve been a private guard in the Meng Manor for more than ten years, after all. When I was still a rookie here, the Eldest Young Lady was just a teenager, and she was already beautiful at that time. There’s no way she’d be ugly after maturing fully. Since many years ago, the Eldest Young Lady has rarely stepped out of the inner court. Even when she does, she’d be wearing a veil and a hat. However, three years ago… Yes, it was exactly three years ago when I caught a glimpse of the Eldest Young Lady’s face. She was truly stunning. This Yin can be considered an experienced person and I once spent a lot of money to bed the most beautiful woman in a famous brothel in this city. She could be considered alluring, but she was in no way comparable to the Eldest Young Lady.”

Yang Kai didn’t seem to believe him, “Are you serious, Brother Yin? It sounds unbelievable.”

Yin Zhi Yong seemed to be thinking back to that time with fondness when he heard what Yang Kai said. He impatiently waved his hand and snapped, “It’s fine even if you don’t believe me. It’s the truth regardless.” He wasn’t willing to keep talking about the Eldest Young Lady’s beauty, as though it would be blasphemy to do so.

Yang Kai thus took the initiative by asking, “Since the Eldest Young Lady is so beautiful, why is she still single? Could it be that she had extremely high standards when it comes to men?”

Yin Zhi Yong shook his head, “Who knows? Maybe. In any case, the Meng Manor is wealthy, so even if she really was ugly, many men would still propose to her. Moreover, the Patriarch has been looking for suitable men for her since she came of age. Over the years, he has found a lot of talented young men who are from wealthy families as well, but the Eldest Young Lady wasn’t interested in any of them.”

Yang Kai nodded, “She must be demanding when it comes to men, then.”

Yin Zhi Yong chuckled, “Rumour has it that the Eldest Young Lady once told a maidservant the reason she’s not married up until now isn’t that she thinks those talented young men are not good enough; instead, she’s been waiting for a man who is destined to be with her. Pfft, destiny, what nonsense.”

Since he was tipsy, Yin Zhi Yong began spouting nonsense. He lamented that life was unfair to him. Despite being powerful, he wasn’t given any important tasks. He had been loyal to the Meng Manor for more than ten years, but he was still a mere guard.

On the other hand, Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.

It was very likely that the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor was Qu Hua Shang.

In this Samsara World, the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor was already twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. The Patriarch had been looking for potential partners for her since she came of age, which was about ten years ago. Qu Hua Shang had entered the Samsara Pavilion at around the same time.

Furthermore, she had been waiting for a man who was destined to be with her.

After entering the Samsara Pavilion, Qu Hua Shang set up a Heart Barrier and reincarnated into this Samsara World. Although she had lost her memory, the Heart Barrier was real. Under the influence of the Heart Barrier, she would do things that were true to her heart.

Yang Kai reckoned that he had to go to the inner court and see the Eldest Young Lady of the Meng Manor. Only by doing so could he be certain whether she was the real Qu Hua Shang.

While he was lost in his thoughts, a flustered voice was heard shouting from somewhere in the Meng Manor, “Fire! There’s a fire!”

Yang Kai looked out the window and indeed saw a tinge of redness.

A shocked Yang Kai quickly got up and opened the door before leaping onto the roof. As he looked around intently, he saw that a particular place in the Meng Manor was on fire while everyone was flustered and in a panic. A lot of servants rushed over with buckets of water in an attempt to put out the blaze.

A tipsy Yin Zhi Yong appeared beside him and frowned as he had a bad feeling.

“Brother Yin…” Yang Kai turned to look at him.

“Don’t make any rash moves without orders.” Although Yin Zhi Yong was slightly drunk, he was still clear-headed. As a person who had worked for the Meng Manor for a long time, he knew that it was a taboo to be absent from one’s duties without permission during a crisis. The best way to deal with the situation was to stay where they were supposed to be.

Just when Yang Kai was about to nod his head though, he suddenly felt his chest tightening. When he turned his head, he saw that over ten people had appeared on a higher roof with bows in their hands.

Under the night sky, cold glints flashed off the arrows from the fire in the distance.

“Enemy attack!” Yang Kai growled and tackled Yin Zhi Yong down from the roof.

The next moment, several arrows struck the place where they were standing just now. The violent force directly broke the roof.

Yin Zhi Yong instantly sobered up as he got to his feet and nodded at Yang Kai as a form of gratitude.

Nevertheless, before they could compose themselves, they felt gusts of wind coming from both left and right sides.

Instinctually, Yang Kai unsheathed his sword with his left hand and slashed it across the person behind him.

A short shriek was heard as the attacker behind him was killed. Another sword brushed past his chest and cut his clothes open.

An agile Yang Kai stepped forward and wielded his sword as shrieks were continuously heard.

When he finally stopped, six people had already collapsed to the ground behind him. All of them were respectively killed with a single stroke. Blood could be seen dripping from the sword and dyeing the ground crimson.

A dumbfounded Yin Zhi Yong gazed at Yang Kai. Just now, by the time he unsheathed his sword, the enemies had all fallen to the ground. A moment later, he praised the young man by saying, “Little Brother, you’re incredible!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Kai came right at him with the sword as murderous intent was written all over his face.

Yin Zhi Yong felt his legs trembling as he instinctively raised his sword. Yang Kai dodged it and pressed his hand against the older man’s shoulder. Upon impact, Yin Zhi Yong was forced to whirl around. It just so happened that he dodged an arrow that was coming from behind as a result.