Chapter 95: Mantis Garden Manor

"I wonder where Master Zhang is headed?"

"This maiden has long resided by Taihu; perhaps I can assist you."

For some reason, A Bi, who held great fondness for Zhang Jie, asked.

Zhang Jie: Get a load of the charm of four Zhang Jies stacked together~

Realizing there was hope for help, Zhang Jie quickly said:

"We intend to go to the Mantis Garden Manor; we humbly ask Miss A Bi to point us the way."

"The Mantis Garden Manor? Your uncle’s home?"

A Bi’s eyes flickered with caution:

"May I ask, Master Zhang, whom are you visiting at the Mantis Garden Manor?"

Zhang Jie, with nothing to hide regarding his relationship with Lady Wang, replied calmly:

"The person I seek is my senior sister, Li Qingluo."

"Oh, by the way, she is now known as Lady Wang."

Zhang Jie added this to ensure A Bi knew Lady Wang’s true name.

After all, when A Bi and Zhu Zhu were taken in by the Murong family,

Zhang Jie’s nominal senior sister Li Qingluo had already married

the Murong family’s adopted uncle, Master Wang, and was called Lady Wang.

"Your uncle’s wife is your senior sister?"

A Bi wrinkled her delicate nose, lost in thought.

After a moment, she asked: "Do you have any proof?"

"Uh..."

Zhang Jie fell silent, at a loss for words.

Although from the perspective of Wu Yaoshi, he and Lady Wang were unquestionably senior-junior disciples,

they had never met, so there was no tangible proof to show.

And the Seven Treasures Ring, symbolizing the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect, A Bi did not know.

After Ding Chunqiu’s betrayal left Wu Yaoshi paralyzed, the Xiaoyao Sect vanished from the martial world.

"Bailin?"

Zhang Jie turned to Fan Bailing.

If anyone among them might still have ties to Lady Wang, it could only be Fan Bailing.

Because when Fan Bailing became Su Xinghe’s disciple, Wu Yaoshi was still well.

The respectful Su Xinghe would surely have taken them to the Wuliang Mountain’s Langhuan Fudi in Dali to pay respects to Wu Yaoshi,

thus meeting the young girl who was then Lady Wang.

"Master, I have no token either."

Fan Bailing sighed bitterly.

Out of concern for causing Lady Wang trouble, they had not seen her in many years.

"Master? Is there any martial sect with such a young leader?"

A Bi silently pondered the identity of Zhang Jie and his companions.

"Probably just some minor sect."

A Bi reasoned, having found no news of any major sect changing its leader.

Zhang Jie: That’s right—the Xiaoyao Sect is indeed a minor sect with only a dozen or so formal disciples.

"Token..."

Zhang Jie rubbed the Seven Treasures Ring on his left thumb.

"Got it."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhang Jie.

"Miss A Bi, what do you make of this token?"

Zhang Jie lightly tapped his toe and glided toward A Bi’s small boat.

In an instant, he crossed more than ten meters of water and landed on A Bi’s boat.

"Enough, enough."

A Bi, stunned by Zhang Jie’s qinggong, nodded mechanically.

With such martial skill, if they intended trouble for the Mantis Garden Manor, they needn’t go through such trouble.

"Master Zhang, I am a maid of the Suzhou Murong family, Murong Fu’s servant.

Lady Wang is my master’s maternal aunt; I’ve traveled to the Mantis Garden Manor many times.

Let me guide you there."

"Thank you, Miss A Bi," Zhang Jie smiled gently.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

A Bi began rowing toward the Mantis Garden Manor.

"Tch!"

Seeing Zhang Jie had not returned, Yue Lao San, clearly favoring beauty over friendship, scoffed.

Still, he quickly rowed to catch up with A Bi.

On ordinary matters, carelessness was acceptable, but neglecting important duties

would earn him Zhang Jie’s true sandbag-sized fists.

Moreover, he was extremely satisfied with this new boss:

good temper, strong power, generous rewards, low KPI.

Under Yue Lao San’s vigorous rowing, the frail A Bi was soon overtaken.

Just as A Bi, unwilling to disgrace the Murong family, was about to channel her qi to row,

a hand with long, slender fingers—no visible pores—grasped the oar blade.

"Master Zhang."

A Bi, feeling the warmth from Zhang Jie’s hand, blushed slightly.

"Let me take over."

Zhang Jie smiled gently—he was a man who cherished flowers and pitied jade.

"Alright."

A Bi, cheeks flushed, turned her head and began guiding Zhang Jie’s direction.

"Favoring beauty over friendship, you scoundrel!"

Yue Lao San muttered under his breath about Zhang Jie.

Heaven knew, he’d been rowing for hours without Zhang Jie lifting a finger.

Now, after a few words with this girl, he jumps in to help—what else is this but favoring beauty over friendship?

"Hmm?"

Hearing this unpalatable remark, Zhang Jie turned his head and gave Yue Lao San a look that warned: mind your own business.

"Gah!"

Yue Lao San shuddered.

His new boss was perfect in every way—except sometimes he held grudges, like now.

"You deserved that for your big mouth!"

Yue Lao San mentally slapped himself hard.

Zhang Jie had now marked him down; he’d surely suffer later.

His life wasn’t in danger, but some physical punishment was unavoidable.

"No good—I must find a chance to make it up."

No longer daring to speak, Yue Lao San lowered his head and followed obediently after Zhang Jie stepped off the boat.

"Hehe."

Watching Zhang Jie and Yue Lao San’s interaction, A Bi covered her mouth and giggled.

She hadn’t expected Zhang Jie’s group to be so amusing.

"Still, that menacing servant... why does he sound familiar?"

A Bi felt she’d heard this person before, but when she tried to recall, nothing came to mind.

"Never mind—I’ll think about it later."

A Bi set aside her confusion and focused on guiding Zhang Jie.

…

With A Bi’s guidance, Zhang Jie’s group soon arrived at the edge of a small island.

On the island, faintly visible were numerous white-walled, black-tiled buildings.

These structures were arranged with elegance, forming a sizable garden.

"Master Zhang, this is the Mantis Garden Manor."

A Bi pointed to the garden on the island and introduced it to Zhang Jie.

"I never thought my nominal senior sister was so wealthy."

Zhang Jie couldn’t help but whistle at the vast expanse of this garden.

Such a large estate could never have been built without hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

“But isn’t some of that money mine?”

Zhang Jie fell into a daze of “My money!”

When Madam Wang moved away Wuyanzi’s collection of books, she naturally took all the movable wealth too.

Some of the silver used to build this estate may well have come from that hoard.

And as the most orthodox third-generation leader of the Xiao Yao Sect,

he ought to have a claim to these assets.

As Zhang Jie and his three companions neared the tiny pier on the island, the people on the island spotted them.

“Who are you?”

“What are you doing here at Man Tuo Mountain Villa?”

Several elderly maids, swords and knives at their sides, surrounded them.

“Damn it, they’re strange men!”

One of the maids spotted Zhang Jie and the others, especially the elegant Zhang Jie.

But these old hags didn’t care for handsome young men,

they only knew Madam Wang’s order: kill every man who dared set foot on the island, except Murong Fu.

“What? Men?”

“Kill them and use them as fertilizer for the flowers!”

Several old maids drew their swords and knives; others nocked arrows and aimed at Zhang Jie and his group.

“Damn it, you’re asking for death!”

How could the fiery-tempered Yue Laosan tolerate this?

He immediately dropped the oar and grabbed the crocodile shears lying nearby.

Fan Bailing said nothing but picked up his iron chessboard.

Zhang Jie, however, stood calmly with his hands behind his back:

These soft bows couldn’t even pierce his protective qi,

their so-called attacks were nothing but a spring breeze brushing his face.

“Don’t fight, don’t fight! This young master is your mistress’s junior brother!”

Seeing the old maids ready to strike, Abi cried out loudly.

Given the martial skill Zhang Jie had just displayed, if he were provoked,

Man Tuo Mountain Villa would have no match for him.

“Miss Abi.”

Someone recognized Abi and slowly lowered their weapons.

Man Tuo Mountain Villa and the Murong family of Yanziw Wu have been intermarried for generations—fate shared in prosperity and ruin.

Since Abi, representing Murong Fu, pleaded for them, they owed her some respect.

“Since you came with Miss Abi, we’ll let it slide today.

Leave now.”

The lead old maid spoke with haughty superiority.

“Oh? Should we thank you for letting us go?”

Yue Laosan nearly laughed himself sick.

These old women acted as if they were above all,

as if letting them leave was a favor granted.

If Zhang Jie hadn’t held back, he’d have already sliced them in half with his crocodile shears!

“Naturally!”

The lead old maid seemed not to hear the coldness in Yue Laosan’s tone, speaking as if it were obvious.

“Hmm…”

Even Zhang Jie, known for his patience, couldn’t help but shake his head.

These old maids, under the influence of the fanatical Madam Wang, were wildly prejudiced against men.

At that moment, someone recognized Yue Laosan and pointed at him in terror:

“Y-You’re Yue Laosan, the Fiendish Monster of the Four Evils?”

“What? Yue Laosan!”

“Look at his fearsome face and that crocodile shears in his hand!”

“The Four Evils have arrived!”

The old maids who recognized Yue Laosan by his distinctive face and weapon were struck with horror.

The Four Evils’ reputation was written in blood!

Wherever they went, rivers ran red.

And the Four Evils always stuck together—Yue Laosan never went without the others.

If the Fiendish Monster Yue Laosan had come, then the Wicked to the Core Duan Yanqing,

the Unholy Ye Erniang, and the Utterly Fierce Yun Zhonghe couldn’t be far behind.

“The Fiendish Monster Yue Laosan?!!”

Abi turned pale—now she finally understood why Yue Laosan looked so familiar.

Among the Jianghu elite, the Murong family was regarded as untouchable, and the Four Evils ranked at the very top.

The Four Evils weren’t the strongest in martial skill,

but their intimidation factor rivaled that of top-tier experts.

Unlike other top-tier experts who clung to their status or had attachments,

the Four Evils had no attachments and never held back—

bullying the weak, crushing the small, was practically their trademark.

“Hah! Hah! Just empty fame, nothing but empty fame!”

Seeing his name struck such fear, Yue Laosan burst into wild laughter.

“Shhh!”

Seeing Yue Laosan confirm his identity, the people of Man Tuo Mountain Villa grew even more alert, weapons all pointed at him.

If he so much as twitched, swords, spears, and arrows would rain down on him!