Chapter 67: The Size of Wen Manor
The group passed through the spacious front hall and entered the manor, where they saw scattered pavilions, strange mountains and rocks, winding paths, flowing water, and lush flowers and trees, creating a scenery reminiscent of Jiangnan in Qinghe, a northern region.
According to the old nanny, Old Master Wen had served as an official in Jiangnan in his early years and was very fond of Jiangnan gardens, so he specifically had his residence built in this style.
The old nanny led the way, briefly introducing the situation inside the manor.
Fu Ze and Liao Chengpeng naturally and skillfully took out their Ghost Qi Detectors, while Liu Sheng's fingertips, concealed in her sleeve, revealed a Little Tentacle, sensing her surroundings.
Hearing the old nanny say that this courtyard belonged to the Fourth Master and therefore was off-limits, and that the embroidered building belonged to the Young Miss and was inconvenient for outside men to enter, Liu Sheng raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but interrupt her.
"Please, Nanny, take us to Miss Wen's boudoir first. Surely that can be inspected?"
The Wen Manor was so vast that it would take an unknown amount of time to walk through it, and with so many places off-limits, it was better to go straight to the most likely location.
The old nanny paused slightly, then frowned, her smile somewhat forced: "This... Logically, a female's boudoir is very private, and outsiders should not enter. But since it is for the investigation of weird objects, it is understandable."
Afterward, the old nanny led everyone through several long corridors and multiple moon gates, arriving at a very secluded corner of the Wen Manor.
Ahead was a small, rather old-looking courtyard.
At the courtyard gate, Cui Cui, the maid Liu Sheng had seen before, was sitting on the stone steps, burying her head and sobbing.
Hearing the footsteps, Cui Cui, without lifting her head, spread her arms and roared, "No one is allowed to come over! Don't even think about stealing Young Miss's things while she's not here! Unless you step over my dead body!"
The old nanny's face was a bit awkward, her smile almost faltering. She quickly gave a discreet look to the maid beside her.
The maid stepped forward, supported Cui Cui's arm, and softly said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't let the guests see a joke."
The old nanny turned to Liu Sheng and the others and explained, "Don't mind her. Her master has become a weird object, so she's a bit deranged now."
Cui Cui only lifted her head when she heard the word "guests." Her small face was dirty, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts.
She immediately saw Liu Sheng standing behind the nanny and excitedly broke free from the maid's hand, rushing over.
"Sheng Sheng Jie, how is my Young Miss doing?"
Liu Sheng gently patted her hand to reassure her and nodded slightly, saying, "We are here precisely for your Young Miss. Your Young Miss might have touched something that caused her to be infected with Guai Qi. Please, Cui Cui, point out the things your Young Miss has recently come into contact with."
Cui Cui nodded obediently: "Please follow me... It's just... there's not much left..." As she spoke, her eyes reddened again.
Only when Liu Sheng and the others entered the courtyard did they realize Cui Cui was telling the truth.
The courtyard was very desolate, with only a crooked neck tree. On the ground were scattered open cosmetic boxes and chests, as well as clothes, books, and other items, clearly having been ransacked.
The interior of the room was even emptier. The furnishings were so simple they could almost be described as impoverished. The cabinets were wide open and empty, and there was only a thin quilt on the bed, which had also been thrown onto the floor.
Since there was really nothing much, they quickly finished looking around and found no trace of Guai Qi here.
Liao Chengpeng quietly asked Liu Sheng, "Liu Siku, do you think Miss Wen could really have been affected by a weird object? If a weird object had been present, even if everything was moved, there should still be some Qi remaining."
Liu Sheng pondered as she walked out the door, seeing the old nanny standing outside, peering in to see what they were doing. She said, "Nanny, this isn't Miss Wen's original residence, is it?"
The old nanny and the maid looked at Liu Sheng in surprise, not daring to respond.
However, it was also very obvious. How could Miss Wen, in her prime, live in such a remote, dilapidated courtyard?
Cui Cui also looked surprised: "Sheng Sheng Jie, you're truly amazing!"
At this point, she had no inhibitions and spoke freely, saying resentfully, "Ever since Young Miss lost her Cultivation, Young Miss's original courtyard was taken over by someone, who said it had good Feng Shui."
"I'll take you there!"
With that, Cui Cui angrily walked ahead, and Liu Sheng and the others naturally followed closely behind.
The old nanny and the maid exchanged glances, too late to stop them, and could only follow helplessly.
...
"It's right here." Cui Cui pointed to the courtyard with the three large characters "Pengshan Garden" written on the door, her eyes full of resentment. "This was originally Young Miss's courtyard."
The Feng Shui here was indeed good. Thanks to her recent successful Cultivation, Liu Sheng could sense abundant Spiritual Qi just by approaching the entrance.
The courtyard gate was open, and the faint sound of a sword ringing could be heard, as if someone was practicing swordsmanship.
"Who are you? Don't disturb the Young Master's practice." A young servant, seeing the group approach, walked out from the courtyard and reprimanded them.
"Nanny Zhao, you know the Young Master is at a critical stage recently. How can you just bring people close to the Young Master's courtyard?"
The old nanny nodded in agreement and said, "These are... the adults from the Weaving Institute... Old Master told this old servant to accompany them well..."
"It's just the Weaving Institute. I thought it was something important. The Old Master also instructed that no one is allowed to approach the Young Master's courtyard, do you remember?"
It was unclear what background this Young Master had. Even this gate-keeping servant seemed to have more authority than the old nanny. The old nanny at least tried to hide the disdain in her eyes, but this servant was clearly arrogant, openly looking down on the Weaving Institute.
Liao Chengpeng, being cautious by nature, saw that this person spoke so arrogantly and likely had a significant background, so he remained silent.
Fu Ze, however, had a slight look of displeasure on his face. Being older, he couldn't tolerate such disrespect: "May I inquire about the background of this Young Master? So that our Weaving Institute may know which esteemed figure resides here?"
Liu Sheng frowned slightly, feeling her hands itching.
But before she could act, an object was suddenly thrown from inside the courtyard, hitting the servant, who was raising his head to reply, directly on his back.
The servant grunted, falling face-down in a dog-eat-dirt manner.
A sword scabbard fell to the ground with a 'thud'.
"My apologies, everyone. This young servant of mine is young and ignorant, lacking in discipline. Please forgive him." A clear, youthful voice sounded from within the door.
Accompanying the voice was a young boy of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a blue robe, with a long sword in his hand, its cold light like water.
Though still young, he was tall and elegant, with handsome features, and his bright eyes were as clear as water, revealing the unique sunshine and innocence of youth.
He looked at the old nanny, who was very familiar to everyone, and asked, "Nanny Zhao, I was practicing my sword, and then I heard you all making a ruckus at the door. What is the matter?"
Before the old nanny could answer, Cui Cui burst out first, rushing forward and grabbing his collar, hissing, "You thief! You stole Young Miss's home, you stole Young Miss's Cultivation, and now you've even taken over Young Miss's courtyard!"
This statement contained a huge amount of information!