Maidservant

"That's how it looks for now." Xu Yuan spoke with a sigh of melancholy. "Faced with a choice between the two, anyone with half a brain would pick the sects. After all, with the sects, there's no risk of usurping Great Yan." "..." Hearing this, Zhou Chen looked as though he had swallowed a fly. He did not reply, nor did he dare to. Was usurping the dynasty something one could just blurt out so casually? Especially when the Chancellor's Manor genuinely possessed the power to do so. Seeing his reaction, Xu Yuan didn't dwell on it. He merely sighed. "Still, I imagine that deep down, as a member of the imperial clan, Li Zhaoyuan isn't willing to compromise with the sects either." The world was not a simple binary. Though they hadn't spent much time together, Xu Yuan could tell that Li Zhaoyuan was doing everything in his power, in his own way, to fight for his position. Whether braving the dangers of coming to a frontier city or previously setting a snare to win over Xu Mengxi, everything showed that he was striving to gain the backing of those who were neutral, striving to close the gap between himself and the Crown Prince. Li Zhaoyuan likely saw the true nature of the sects clearly. The sects were slowly, irreversibly eroding the very foundations of Great Yan. By the time his imperial father, Li Yaoxuan, ascended the throne, many sects had already reached their hands into local finances. Moreover, the locals governed their own territories, and many key posts in local government offices had sect backgrounds behind them. Had Great Yan not produced Li Yaoxuan and Xu Yinhe in this era, then in as few as two or three sixty-year cycles, or five or six at most, the Emperor of Great Yan would have ended up like the figurehead King of Zhou from Xu Yuan's previous life. Zhou Chen still did not answer—this time because he simply couldn't. He had always maintained a clear understanding of his own position: he was merely a high-level enforcer kept by the Chancellor's Manor. The more one knew, the faster one died. Thus, when it came to the intricate machinations among the highest echelons of power, he had always deliberately kept his distance. Xu Yuan waved a hand, exhaling a plume of white vapor into the blizzard-swept night. "All right, everything tonight is just our speculation. None of it can be taken as fact. Whether the mastermind really is the Second Prince remains an open question." With that, Xu Yuan looked up toward the storehouses where the flames had already died down, a hint of curiosity creeping into his tone. "Still, I am rather curious as to what methods the culprit used tonight." Zhou Chen pondered for a moment. "Inside help, perhaps? Bribery, coercion, or enticement, paired with high-rank cultivators infiltrating in secret." Xu Yuan was somewhat at a loss for words. Zhou Chen's guess was pretty much right on the mark, as the methods Xu Yuan had arranged for the Black Scale Guards to destroy the sectarian depots were essentially variations of those. There weren't many other tricks one could pull. The problem, however, was that the sects had far too many storehouses in Beifeng City. Even if the Black Scale Guards were willing to risk exposure, they could cover at most about half of them, and even then risked being intercepted. Yet tonight, the sects' storehouses across Beifeng City had been wiped out in one fell swoop, leaving practically none behind. Judging by the standards of the Black Scale Guards under the Chancellor's Manor, their storehouses were always heavily guarded priorities. Defensive formations were kept extremely strict and active around the clock. Even when high-rank cultivators were scarce in the city, a fourth-rank Body Integration expert would be stationed there day and night, using the Sky-Peering Grand Array to monitor the surroundings. If anyone tried to force their way inside, the formation could kill a third-rank cultivator, halt a second-rank cultivator, and detect a first-rank powerhouse. Thinking this over, a thoughtful look appeared in Xu Yuan's eyes. Under such tight defenses, detonating the storehouses across the entire city all at once... was an unnervingly massive feat. As they spoke, the two of them braved the wind and snow to enter Li Qingyan's detached courtyard in the rear hall. Seeing where they were, Xu Yuan refrained from speaking further on the matter. Looking at Zhou Chen, he asked in a low voice, "In such heavy snow, do you really intend to stand guard at my door, Mr. Zhou?" Hearing this, Zhou Chen perked up. Cupping his hands, he said in an earnest and sincere tone, "The Third Young Master's kindness to me is as weighty as a mountain. Driving your carriage and guarding your door is merely my duty." Xu Yuan did not refuse. Having a third-rank Grandmaster as a carriage driver and watchman was indeed quite ostentatious. Cupping his hands in return, Xu Yuan smiled. "Then I shall trouble you, Mr. Zhou—" "Third Young Master." Before Xu Yuan could finish, Zhou Chen suddenly frowned and asked, "If I recall correctly, Her Highness Wuyuan never uses maidservants?" Having grown up in the army, Li Qingyan lacked the delicate ways of sheltered ladies from aristocratic families. Donning armor, washing up, and dressing her hair were all things she handled herself. Xu Yuan's eyes widened with surprise. Following Zhou Chen's gaze into the courtyard, he asked, "Yes, why do you ask?" Zhou Chen hesitated slightly. "Then it must be a maidservant Her Highness Wuyuan arranged for you, Third Young Master." "..." The corner of Xu Yuan's eye twitched. *What kind of maidservant?* *Li Qingyan arranging a maidservant for him late at night—is she that determined to cuckold herself?* With that thought, Xu Yuan sent out his intent-soul to probe the courtyard. As an Innate Dao Body, after entering the fifth-rank Soul Condensation realm and cultivating secret techniques, his intent-soul could now cover a radius of fifty zhang. Yet when his intent-soul probed the courtyard, he found it completely empty. Seeing this, Xu Yuan's brows knit together. Zhou Chen could sense her, but he couldn't. In other words, this supposed "maidservant" inside had to be at least a fourth-rank Body Integration expert, if not higher. If it wasn't Li Qingyan, then could it be someone sent by the Second Prince or Lou Ji? Yet if it were either of them, they surely would have informed him in advance. Noticing Xu Yuan's expression, Zhou Chen's face grew solemn, and he reached behind him to grip the hilt of his sword. Xu Yuan raised a hand to signal him not to act rashly, then pushed the courtyard gate open. The courtyard was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of bright-pattern lamps beneath the snow-covered lawn. Looking along the stone-paved path toward the wing, one could faintly make out a slender silhouette through the window lattice, bustling about Li Qingyan's room. Was she making the bed? On a snowy night like this, the scene was rather eerie. He had only been gone for a quarter of an hour—the bed was probably still warm—and yet someone had slipped into his room to make it? Xu Yuan's brow furrowed. He took a subtle step back and gestured with his chin toward Zhou Chen. The message was simple: *You go check it out. If everything's clear, I'll come over.* Zhou Chen's lips twitched at the sight, but he nonetheless whispered, "Rest assured, Third Young Master. If a fight breaks out within the magistrate's office, the grand array will activate immediately." As he spoke, Zhou Chen drew the gleaming sword from his back with a soft *shing*, arriving outside the door in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Xu Yuan pulled Qingyu from his Sumeru ring, ready to flee with Void-Stepping Slash at a moment's notice. And right at that moment, the "maidservant" inside seemed to finally notice someone approaching outside, and a light, calm voice drifted out: "Young Master Xu?" Hearing this, Zhou Chen froze in his tracks and looked back at Xu Yuan. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, though he couldn't immediately place it. Still, if it sounded familiar, she probably wasn't an enemy. Standing by the courtyard gate, Xu Yuan's expression turned very strange upon hearing the voice. He suddenly understood why all those sectarian storehouses could be blown up at the same time. Seeing Xu Yuan's expression, Zhou Chen grinned. "An acquaintance?" Xu Yuan stepped forward and put Qingyu away. "You should know her too, Mr. Zhou. An old acquaintance of ours from Jingjiang Prefecture." Zhou Chen blinked in surprise, then sheathed his sword, flashed an ambiguous grin, and cupped his hands. "Take care of your health, Third Young Master. I shall keep watch at the courtyard gate." With that, he turned and walked out of the courtyard. Xu Yuan shook his head with a faint chuckle. As their shoulders brushed past, he suddenly sent a voice transmission: "If there's no sound from me after two quarters of an hour, break in immediately." With that, Xu Yuan walked up to the door of the wing alone and pushed it open.