Chapter 404: Settling Down

As the group moved forward, the people blocking the path ahead scattered to make way.

In this day and age, one won't live long without a bit of discernment.

Cai'er felt slightly relieved; at the very least, nothing had gone wrong up to this point.

But suddenly, a young man ahead remained unmoved, turning back to say arrogantly, "Such a grand display, how come I didn't know Heimu Prefecture had such figures?"

As the young man's words fell, the air seemed to freeze for an instant, the surrounding clamor quietly dissipated, leaving only the crowd waiting with bated breath.

Some who were close by scattered, standing to the side to watch.

Cai'er's heart tightened abruptly, her gaze rapidly scanning the surroundings, attempting to glean a shred of useful information from the crowd's reaction.

Who on earth was this man, daring to openly provoke others on the turf of Heimu Prefecture?

The man was dressed in fine silk robes and had delicate features, but the arrogance revealed between his brows ruined his entire temperament.

The few attendants beside him were also overbearing, clearly not ordinary folk.

Cai'er calculated secretly that if this situation were not handled properly, it would likely add quite a bit of trouble to this outing.

"Who are you, sir? State your name, lest there be a misunderstanding." Cai'er held back the two women beside her who were ready to act, feigning composure, attempting to seize the initiative with her presence.

The man's lips curled into a playful smile, seemingly quite surprised by Cai'er's reaction: "Oh? A woman with guts, indeed."

"I am the son of the Lord of Heimu Prefecture, Heimu Bai."

"Little lady, are you afraid?"

Heimu Bai!

Once this name was uttered, the surrounding crowd immediately began to whisper, many showing expressions of awe.

In Heimu Prefecture, the Heimu family; in the Heimu family, Heimu Bai.

If one were to ask whose reputation was the loudest in the Heimu family, it would truly be this playboy, the second-ranked Heimu Bai.

Walking dogs and training hawks, greedy for wealth and lustful, arrogant and domineering,

yet at the same time, extremely discerning,

never committing major crimes, but constantly making minor mistakes,

secretly kidnapping a girl to ravish was merely a trivial matter to him.

He had been lectured by the Lord of Heimu Prefecture until the latter had almost given up on him.

Seeing him today, he was indeed extraordinary. The crowd felt pity for the woman before them.

Cai'er felt a chill in her heart; she had not expected to encounter someone with official backing here, nor had she expected the other party to state their background so directly.

Then again, the Lord of Heimu Prefecture was his father; with such a background,

anyone would want to be arrogant for a bit.

After all, Cai'er was someone who had been trained by Cheng Feng; she quickly adjusted her mindset and smiled: "So it is Young Master Heimu, my apologies."

"If there has been any disturbance, I hope you will be magnanimous."

"There is no grand display here, just the household maids out to make some purchases."

Upon hearing this, a flash of playfulness and curiosity crossed Heimu Bai's eyes; he did not seem in a hurry to pursue an answer, but instead looked over Cai'er's group with interest.

A moment later, he laughed aloud and said, "What a sharp-tongued woman. Very well, very well."

"I have matters to attend to today, so this young master will not pursue this."

"However, if we are fated to meet another day, I must invite the young lady for a cup of tea to discuss life's ideals."

Once these words were spoken, the crowd was in an uproar.

Leng Feng's face darkened, his hand touching the hilt of his blade.

When the master is humiliated, the servant dies.

To dare say such things face-to-face on the street—if it were anyone else, blood would likely have been spilled on the spot.

Xu Miao and Zhao Wei beside Cai'er were even more expressionless, yet the Qi and Blood within their bodies were surging wildly, looking very much like they would start a fight the next moment.

Zhao Wei even patted Cai'er's arm and whispered in her ear: "If he says one more word, don't stop me."

Immediately after, she made a gesture, and the maids who were still waiting for the mistress's signal instantly became alert,

their internal Blood Qi surging, waiting only for a thunderous strike.

A Martial Artist cultivates a single breath;

once that breath of pride is gone, the path of Martial Dao naturally dissipates into smoke.

Xu Miao even quietly took out a dagger, ready to strike.

Perhaps sensing the flow of the maids' Qi and Blood, Heimu Bai's guards gathered around.

The one among them with the highest Martial Dao cultivation whispered to Heimu Bai: "Young Master, I specialize in the Jingmu Skill and am very sensitive to fluctuations in Qi and Blood."

"The opposite side is not easy to deal with; the two leading women are at least in the Blood Refining Stage, perhaps even the Bone Refining Realm, and the other maids also possess no weak Martial Dao cultivation."

"If we all go up together, I fear we will lose face. Should we call for more men?"

A flash of surprise crossed Heimu Bai's face; his own guards' highest cultivation was merely the peak of the Blood Refining Stage,

and the other side actually had female Martial Artists in the Bone Refining Realm?

Heimu Bai's expression remained unchanged as he pushed aside his personal guard,

and laughed nonchalantly: "Hahaha, just a joke, just a joke. What is with this atmosphere?"

He then kicked an attendant beside him: "What are you waiting for? Go clear the way, we have real business to attend to!"

The attendant looked at the situation and understood instantly: "Understood, Young Master, I'm going right now."

"Make way, make way, stop looking, stop looking."

Watching Heimu Bai leave with his few lackeys, the crowd's gaze toward Cai'er's group became increasingly fearful.

A group of all women, all possessing Martial Dao cultivation, and protected by high-level female Martial Artists—the group likely had a truly significant background.

In these chaotic times, it was already difficult enough for an Ordinary family to have enough to eat and wear.

If one were to practice martial arts, everyone would choose men to cultivate first.

After all, men practicing martial arts is mostly for protecting the home and family, and seeking a future.

If a family is prosperous, they will arrange for women to practice martial arts to protect themselves.

But for women to practice martial arts and achieve success, unless they are from a great family,

there is no other reason than that women are naturally born with menstrual blood, and the resources consumed are even greater.

With these rounds of filtering, those without deep family wealth would have died halfway through long ago.

No one could have imagined there would be a "spendthrift" like Cheng Feng,

who would actually take out such resources to let his own female dependents practice martial arts,

and with such remarkable results.

Steward Zhang watched the maids before him one after another surging with Blood Qi in their bodies, their robes and skirts swaying slightly, and he understood even more that the person before him likely had a truly significant background.

His originally somewhat arrogant heart had long since vanished, and he carefully apologized with a smile: "Madam, shall we still go in?"

Cai'er smiled slightly, nodded, and said: "The matters entrusted by the master of the house must still be done. Come, Steward Zhang, let us go in."

"The master of the house?"

A look of contemplation flashed across Steward Zhang's face, and then he led Cai'er and her party into the main gate of the Four Seas Trading Firm with a smile on his face.

Those who come are guests, and since they come with instructions,

presumably, the expenditure will certainly not be small, right?

In this way, his own commission can also be considered to have some hope.

He found a private room with elegant incense.

Tea, fruits, and snacks were served one after another; after tasting the tea and resting for a while,

Steward Zhang then said: "Madam, have you taken a fancy to anything you need by coming to the Four Seas Trading Firm?

The Four Seas Trading Firm has everything one could wish for.

As long as you speak, we will definitely be able to handle it for you."

Watching Steward Zhang fuss about for a long time before finally getting to the point,

Cai'er thought to herself: "He is truly worthy of being a steward of the Four Seas Trading Firm; this composure is truly not simple."

She then smiled and said: "Nothing else, my master asked me to come over just to see if there are any desirable residences.

We have lived in those residences of ours for too long, so there is nothing novel about them anymore.

The master is bored and wants to open a more remote private residence, so he sent me to take a look."