Chapter 185: The Black Robe Marquis

The bright moon hung like a mirror in the night sky.

Under the moonlight, Daya City was extraordinarily prosperous, its lights blazing bright, ten thousand hearths glowing like stars across the heavens, the clamor rising to shake the clouds.

The headquarters of House Luolan Mansion was heavily guarded, with patrols constantly moving back and forth.

Yet at this moment, within this tightly guarded compound, a figure walked as if strolling through the grounds of House Luolan Mansion, entirely cloaked in black robes—clearly no man of light or honor—yet he moved with such casual freedom that the House Luolan Mansion guards seemed blind to him; even when they patrolled directly past his front, not a flicker of surprise crossed their faces.

This was clearly not because the guards were blind, but because the mysterious black-robed man used a special and powerful method to conceal himself from detection.

Such a technique was extraordinary.

The black-robed figure gazed at the vast House Luolan Mansion, as if faintly smiling, murmuring to himself: "Without Li Taixuan, is House Luolan Mansion under Dantai Lan truly useless now?"

He shook his head and continued deeper into House Luolan Mansion.

The headquarters of House Luolan Mansion, in the kitchen quarter.

After finishing the night meal preparations, Niu Niu Biaobiao wiped his hands clean, then stepped out of the kitchen; the bright moonlight shone upon his head, reflecting a sheen.

He looked up at the mirror-like moon and sighed with melancholy.

"Li Taixuan, Dantai Lan, you two bastards… leaving me alone here to watch the kids? Do you really think I'm a nanny?"

"When I met you two, I was truly cursed."

Niu Niu Biaobiao rubbed his bald head, then glanced toward a certain direction within House Luolan Mansion and shook his head helplessly: "Watch the kids, guard the house—I'm not a dog."

His hand slid down to rest on the gleaming cleaver at his waist, then he stepped out of the kitchen and into the shadows.

A corridor somewhere in House Luolan Mansion.

The mysterious shadow strolled as if no one else existed, then suddenly halted; his gaze beneath the black robe fixed ahead: "Indeed, there's still someone hidden in House Luolan Mansion…"

"I say, you bastards—you've been testing the waters during Zhongyue Festival for years, and now you finally dare to walk in openly?" From the darkness, Niu Niu Biaobiao stepped forward, grinning at the black-robed figure.

"You, a noble of the highest rank, have spent all these years as a cook in House Luolan Mansion—I don't know whether to admire Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's cunning, or to say you've willingly become their slave," the black-robed figure said slowly, his voice echoing from all directions, elusive and faint.

"You pathetic creep, skulking in the dark, too afraid to show your face—like a rat sneaking into the kitchen to steal swill." Niu Niu Biaobiao said.

From beneath the black robe, a cold gaze pierced out: "You've lingered in House Luolan Mansion's headquarters for years, never stepping outside—even as chaos tore through this place, you never showed yourself to quell it. I'm curious: why?"

Niu Niu Biaobiao laughed: "House Luolan Mansion was always meant for those two brats to practice on—what does success or failure matter?"

"But I'd like to know: what are you after in House Luolan Mansion? Who is behind you? You've been watching this place for far longer than just a moment." Niu Niu Biaobiao's gaze grew cold.

The black-robed figure smiled faintly: "Why pretend ignorance? Who wouldn't want to know the secrets Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan left behind?"

"Why cling to a mansion with no future? No matter what pact you made with Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan, your years of guarding have repaid it. Join us, and what you gain will far exceed what you have now."

"Join you? Fine. Which faction in Daya are you?" Niu Niu Biaobiao asked.

The black-robed figure fell silent for a moment, then chuckled: "If you're willing to reveal the secrets Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan left behind, I'll gladly guide you into our ranks."

Niu Niu Biaobiao sighed: "Then all I can say… fuck your immortal melon."

The black-robed figure said nothing more, but the energy of the surrounding heavens and earth began to violently stir; a cold gaze beneath the black robe settled upon Niu Niu Biaobiao.

In the next instant, the energy of heaven and earth behind him seemed to transform into a vast, overwhelming black flame.

A hand emerged from the black sleeve; his fingertip lifted, and the sky's black fire roared downward, finally condensing into a single thread of deep black flame at his fingertip.

The tiny flame carried an aura of annihilation.

"Let me see just how much skill Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's loyal watchdog possesses," the black-robed figure sneered, flicking the black flame forward—it shot straight toward Niu Niu Biaobiao.

Niu Niu Biaobiao watched the black flame approach at what seemed a slow, unhurried pace, yet one that could not be evaded—his expression remained unchanged; instead, he reached up and rubbed his bald head, his eyes filled with melancholy.

"When did…"

"A fourth-rank marquis dare speak to me like this?"

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out; a flash of cold light appeared—upon its emergence, an indescribable aura of ferocious malevolence erupted, as if the demons of hell had climbed into the mortal world.

Niu Niu Biaobiao's figure now stood behind the black-robed man; he appeared not to have moved at all—even his cleaver at his waist remained sheathed.

Yet at the original spot, another "Niu Niu Biaobiao" remained—until the night wind brushed past, that figure slowly faded away.

It was merely an afterimage.

Behind Niu Niu Biaobiao, the black flame that had been aimed at him now hung suspended in midair, trembling, then splitting cleanly in two before dissolving.

On the black-robed figure's body, a faint glowing line appeared—dividing him cleanly in two.

"Such a ferocious blade-light…"

As his body split, the black-robed figure's voice grew deeper: "Fascinating—a cook who's never drawn blood has cultivated such a ferocious blade aura. Such a murderous blade… hasn't appeared in Daya for centuries… Li Taixuan, Dantai Lan—you truly are extraordinary, to have tamed a monster like you."

"But the more you guard them, the more we crave their secrets, Niu Niu Biaobiao—you cannot hold them."

"I can feel it—the strange array Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan left behind has been weakening over the years. And you… perhaps you don't leave House Luolan Mansion's headquarters because you won't—but because you can't…"

"You're just another dog they've chained here."

His split body ignited, then dissolved into ash, vanishing into thin air.

The energy of the surroundings quickly calmed; distant footsteps of patrols approached, as if a barrier sealing this place had been lifted.

Niu Niu Biaobiao gazed coldly at the spot where the black-robed figure had vanished—he was clever; it wasn't his true body, merely an energy projection.

Yet House Luolan Mansion's headquarters had been sealed by Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's strange array—no marquis, not even one of the highest rank, could enter without their permission. Now, this black-robed marquis had sent an energy projection inside—this meant the array was indeed weakening.

"What a headache…"

Niu Niu Biaobiao shook his head helplessly, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

"I think I need to have a talk with those two brats."

(Today on WeChat, there's a high-quality picture of Bai Bai Mengmeng—feel free to follow.)