Chapter 202: Chapter 202 Paying Out of Own Pocket
Ten Elite Imperial Guards, like ten ferocious tigers choosing their prey.
They stormed into the Heavenly Master Mansion.
Dragging everyone inside to the front courtyard, they awaited Wang Chen’s disposition!
In Great Qian, representing the Cloud Sun Sect, the Guarding Heavenly Master Mansion wielded power equivalent to that of a prince; the residence had five sections, front to back, and was the largest in Nan Shao City both in size and scale.
Even the Prefect Mansion could not compare.
Consequently, the Heavenly Master Mansion was staffed with a considerable number of servants and managers, and the Imperial Guards captured three to four dozen of them.
One of the men, dressed in a brocade robe, still had the audacity to shout arrogantly after being seized, “Who are you people? Do you know where this is?”
“I am the chief manager of the Heavenly Master Mansion; even the king’s law cannot touch me!”
However, what met him were eyes filled with cold mockery.
This self-proclaimed chief manager in his brocade robe was no fool; it was just that he was so accustomed to bullying others that he did not react in time.
When he realized that something was amiss, he immediately shut his mouth.
“Immortal Master.”
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An Imperial Guard saluted Wang Chen with a fist and said, “Everyone is here!”
Immortal Master?
The man in the brocade robe felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, chilled from head to toe!
He never imagined that the Cloud Sun Sect would send a new Guarding Heavenly Master.
And none of the people in the Heavenly Master Mansion had received any prior notification of this.
The brocade-robed man couldn’t help but curse his luck in silence.
It was then he noticed the doorman lying on the ground, almost beyond recognition.
Because the doorman, related to the brocade-robed man, had his head swollen up like a pig’s; blood oozed from his nose and mouth, and his eyes were squinted to slits, looking as miserable as could be.
He immediately knelt down and kowtowed frantically to Wang Chen, “Immortal Master above, this lowly one…”
Wang Chen raised a hand.
A “Binding Skill” rendered the other speechless!
The Binding Skill, a high-tier Qi Cultivation spell, could restrain and control beings and was incredibly practical.
Although Wang Chen had just begun to master the Binding Skill, he did not need to expend much mana to subdue a mortal.
“I’ll leave these people to you,” he said to Wan, who stood by his side, “Find out what they have been up to for the past three years.”
The position of Guarding Heavenly Master for Nan Shao had been vacant for three years.
This meant that for three years, the Heavenly Master Mansion had been without a master!
And the behavior of these housekeepers clearly showed they made themselves at home, usurping the place as if it was their own.
They even used the name of the Guarding Heavenly Master to bully others!
How could Wang Chen tolerate this?
But with Wang Chen’s current status, interrogating these managers and servants would give them too much face.
Luckily, Yu Feihong had assigned Wan to serve by his side and had called in a squad of Elite Imperial Guards for assistance.
They had truly saved Wang Chen a lot of trouble.
Wan gave a graceful salute and said, “Yes.”
Her gaze turned towards the shivering managers and servants, a fierce glint flashing in her otherwise delicate and charming eyes.
After delegating the interrogation to Wan, Wang Chen no longer concerned himself with it.
He made his way to the Star Observation Pavilion, located at the very center of the Heavenly Master Mansion.
The Star Observation Pavilion, a pagoda-shaped tower of nine floors, was built primarily out of bluestone and red sandalwood. The roof was covered with glazed tiles, boasting an intricate and imposing structure, serving as the cultivation dwelling for the Guarding Heavenly Master.
Standing before the locked doors, Wang Chen felt the presence of protective forces.
Certainly, the Defensive Array set up within this tower was still operational.
Its power, however, was already very weak.
Wang Chen displayed his Identity Plaque and infused mana into the doors.
With a flash from the plaque, the tightly closed doors burst open!
The Star Observation Pavilion had been uninhabited for three years and due to the Array, outsiders couldn’t intrude.
Therefore, the air inside was not fresh, and it was covered with dust.
Wang Chen ascended the steps, inspecting the mansion one level at a time.
Upon reaching each level, he would open the windows and then cast the Cleansing Technique, thoroughly removing all the accumulated dust inside.
Although this task could have been delegated to the servants,
Wang Chen wasn’t so particular. If something made him uncomfortable, he took care of it himself.
After all, he was going to live and practice here for the next three years.
He continued up to the top floor.
The highest level of the Star Observation Pavilion was completely empty, void of any objects.
But cleaning it was simple for Wang Chen.
He took a walk around the interior, then approached the window ledge to take in the view of Nan Shao City.
Without a doubt, the Star Observation Pavilion was the tallest structure in Nan Shao City, overlooking the surroundings and capturing the view of half the city.
In truth, there wasn’t much to see, especially when compared to Cloud Mountain City, as this mortal city fell far short.
Wang Chen glanced once and withdrew his gaze, then returned to the ground floor.
He easily found the secret chamber located beneath the Star Observation Pavilion.
The chamber was divided into a living room, a bedroom, a study, a meditation room, and a storage room, complete with all necessary household furnishings.
This was also where the control center for the Defensive Array of the Star Observation Pavilion was located!
A total of seventy-two bronze lamps hung on the walls of the chamber, each lamp embedded with three Spirit Stones, amounting to two hundred sixteen Low Spirits as the energy source powering the Array.
However, most of the Spirit Stones had exhausted their Spiritual Power, and the rest were dim and devoid of light.
It had reached the edge of lamp oil exhaustion!
If Wang Chen had arrived any later, the Defensive Array would have probably lost its effectiveness completely.
He had no choice but to dig into his own pocket and replace all the drained Spirit Stones.
This expenditure on Spirit Stones was necessary.
Not only would the Array of the Star Observation Pavilion ensure his safety without fear of sudden attacks from external enemies, but most importantly, it would enhance the local Spiritual Energy environment, beneficial for daily cultivation practices.
As soon as Wang Chen replaced the old Spirit Stones with new ones, allowing the Array to resume normal operations,
he felt much more comfortable immediately.
It was like suddenly returning from an oxygen-deprived highland to a forest in the plains, his breath becoming much easier and freer.
No wonder nobody wished to descend to the mortal world.
Wang Chen shook his head.
Having grown accustomed to the environment of the Immortal Cultivation realm, descending to a mortal realm with not a trace of Spiritual Energy was truly tormenting!
To cultivate normally, one had to spend a substantial amount of Spirit Stones.
He was in a position to do so, after all, with resources available from the Cloud Sun sect.
If those struggling Loose Cultivators came here, a fall in their cultivation level would just be a matter of time!
So they preferred the bitter struggle in the Outer Domain rather than falling into the mortal dust.
Wang Chen couldn’t help but think of Old Sun.
He wondered how his former neighbor, who had resolutely run away, was now faring in Great Qian with his wife and child!
He wandered into the other rooms and discovered three large chests.
Wang Chen opened them to see.
One chest was filled with Snowflake Silver, another with large yellow croakers, and the last with jewels alongside Pills and Talismans!
This was undoubtedly beyond Wang Chen’s expectations.
He had not anticipated that the former Heavenly Master would actually leave something behind for him.
Although ordinary gold, silver, and jewels were of little use to Cultivators, they were still necessary in the mortal world, particularly for the daily expenses of the Guarding Heavenly Master’s residence.
This fellow sect member also showed thoughtful consideration.
As for the Pills and Talismans, although not highly valuable, they were very well suited to practical needs.
For example, the Essence Blood Talisman that mortals could use,
and the Innate Pill!
———-
The first update is here.
