Chapter 563: 516 Long Hair

The group approached the Altar, lingered for a moment on the perimeter, and then stopped advancing. Ultimately, they did not step onto the stone stairs of the Altar, let alone climb down from the pyramid of the Altar; instead, they walked down a small path beside it.

The small path seemed to be for those carrying goods during a Sacrifice; it was not stairs, but wound down layer by layer like a mountain road.

This setup was likely to facilitate the Sword Slaves, whose feet never left their bodies, in carrying things and walking. In fact, the entire Wangliang Mountain was like this; all the roads underfoot lacked sharp edges and had no stairs, as if a thick carpet of sand had been laid down. The Sword Slaves could just shuffle all the way across.

From the Second Tier downward, at a certain moment, it was as if a curtain had been pulled away, and the colors of the world were inverted once more.

This was entering a new region—the Third Tier.

In this region, it was no longer a world of only black, white, and gray. Various colors met the eye. The soil was yellow, the trees were green; all the colors that should be there were present, and one could barely call it colorful, but every color was extremely dim and stale, as if the clothes had been washed until they faded.

If the Second Tier was a black-and-white photograph, then the Third Tier was a faded, old-fashioned color photograph. It was clearer and better looking than a black-and-white photo, but it was shrouded in an ancient, oppressive atmosphere.

But regardless, according to the perception of an average person, the Third Tier was still more comfortable than the Second Tier. Not only were there colors, but the scenery was not just sand dunes; it was primarily plains, and one could see grasslands and shrub forests. Especially after coming down from the Second Tier, it felt like a rebirth.

Among the shrubs, one could see scattered houses and walls. Those were Third-tier Manors. There were no civilian dwellings on Wangliang Mountain; outside of the manors, there was no place to live.

Even those manors only occupied a larger area; in terms of architectural construction, they were much rougher and simpler than the vermilion gates, embroidered curtains, and bright halls of the outside world, and they could not compare to the Second-tier Sunset Manor at all. If placed outside, they would just be the earthen compounds of rural landlords.

The manors of the Third Tier did not have separate "Shadow Spaces" like those on the Second Tier, but were situated in the middle of large plains, just like houses in the outside world. This could be said to be the benefit of not having major disasters like the Ghost Disaster, or it could be said that Third-tier Manors could not afford high-end goods like separate spaces.

Tang Zhao looked on from a high vantage point; the manors were not far from one another. While those manors were not small in terms of building footprint, they did not include fields or other land, so in terms of territory, they were not large—they might not even be as big as a village.

It made sense; compared to the fixed number of "Five Great First-tier" and "Ten Great Second-tier" manors, the manors of the Third Tier were all raised and built by the manor owners themselves, with no fixed number. As long as they obtained the recognition of Wangliang, had the strength, and had open space, they could build one. In recent years, obtaining recognition from Wangliang had become increasingly easy; as long as the sacrifices were in place, Wangliang would not turn anyone away, and the number of manors continued to grow. Since Wangliang Mountain did not expand, the space for each manor was becoming smaller and smaller.

As a result, friction between manors grew increasingly intense. It just so happened that Wangliang Mountain lacked a strong order like a "government," and on the Third Tier, even the Abyss Envoy did not care, so one could imagine the state of public security.

When a new manor established its roots, most other manors looked upon it with displeasure, believing it was encroaching on their space. If they wanted to eradicate it, it was best to launch an attack before the first Sacrifice, while it was still on unstable footing, and wipe it out in one fell swoop. A manor that had not undergone a Sacrifice was a wild manor; it was most common for one to be established today and disappear tomorrow, without causing a single ripple.

If it survived the first Sacrifice, it was equivalent to gaining the recognition of Wangliang and having proof of identity, making it not so easy to take down. But it was not entirely impossible to move against; one just had to prepare many sacrifices after taking it down and report it to Lord Wangliang, which was the price for attacking a certified manor without authorization. As long as the sincerity was there, Lord Wangliang would still not turn anyone away.

The more sacrifices a manor had undergone, the greater the price required to destroy it, making it less economically viable to calculate. Therefore, it was generally believed that a manor that had passed a cycle of sixty years could be considered safe, and the probability of a "Monster Siege" was greatly reduced. The manor owner could also breathe a sigh of relief and spend some time eating, drinking, and having fun in Yulang City, without having to guard the manor every day.

Of course, if one truly encountered an external enemy with a blood feud, there was no helping it if they were willing to pay any price and risk their lives to kill you. Such things happened in the Human World, so how could Wangliang Mountain be an exception? If one encountered it, one could only consider oneself unlucky.

Generally speaking, Changfa Manor was a relatively safe manor. It had been established for... nearly sixty years.

Almost sixty years. To be precise, after finishing this year's Sacrifice, it would officially pass the sixty-year novice period.

The reason he knew this so precisely was because Tang Zhao had seen the investigative materials of his predecessors, which happened to start from the birth of Changfa Manor.

This material was—the secret dossier that Xing San had investigated regarding Xing Cang at the last moment.

"Finally home."

From afar, the walls of Changfa Manor were already very clear.

As a late-comer manor, Changfa Manor was located in a rather remote area, with no living water around, only a stretch of gray, dusty thatch. The thatch grew very lushly, and a few shallow patches outlined a sense of desolation across the land.

On one side of the wild grass, there was a large row of more than ten large pine trees; amidst the encircling green pines, the ochre-red walls of Changfa Manor were revealed.

Looking at the manor from afar, four big characters flashed through Tang Zhao's mind: "long-term disrepair."

Compared to ordinary Third-tier manors that at least had decent portals, Changfa Manor looked extremely stale; the wall plaster was faded, the main gate was cracked, and the stone slabs in front of the gate were incomplete. Only those few large pine trees could be considered decent.

Tang Zhao tried his best to observe the manor nonchalantly, thinking to himself: Has this manor owner been dead for half a year? I even thought he had been dead for half a cycle! Xing Cang doesn't even manage it when it's this old? Isn't he touted as putting the manor first?

The group arrived in front of the mansion. Xing Cang signaled to Xing Jiu, and Xing Jiu dismounted and shouted loudly: "The Grand Steward has returned to the manor, open the gates to welcome him!"

This shout made quite a commotion; clearly, he was used to shouting. It stood to reason that he had shouted like this before and found it not the least bit strange. Now that the Master of the manor was not there, shouting like this was one thing, but if he had shouted so ostentatiously when the old Master was there, completely disregarding the Master inside, it would have shown that Xing Cang's power greatly overshadowed the Master's.

Although Xing Jiu had already shouted loudly, the gate took a long time to open, and only seven or eight weak Sword Slaves came out to kneel at the gate and welcome the group.

It seemed this was everyone left to watch the house. Most of the people had been called down the mountain to eat and drink with the New Master.

Xing Cang said calmly: "Only this many people left? Xing Jiu, you were the last wave to go down the mountain, right? The Master told you to take everyone down, and you were certainly obedient, not even leaving behind reliable gatekeepers."

His voice was light and calm, but Xing Jiu's face changed drastically; he suddenly dismounted and knelt before Xing Cang, saying: "Grand Steward. This servant only followed the Master's orders, it was by no means..."

Xing Cang sighed: "I am not blaming you. Ever since the Master arrived at Wangliang Mountain, the manor has been centered on him. Who could disobey his orders? Even I must obey. I taught you this principle myself. Now, I will teach you again."

Whether it was because the manor was right in front of them, Tang Zhao felt that Xing Cang's voice hid thunder beneath a calm lake.

Xing Wu, who was nearby, heard these words and hurriedly ran over to kneel before Xing Cang. The others in the team were all Sword Slaves, so how could they not kneel? The ground was covered in a dense crowd of people kneeling, all prostrating themselves at his feet.

Xing Wu and Xing Jiu took the lead and said in unison: "We listen to the Grand Steward's teachings."

Thus, at this moment, Tang Zhao was the only one standing. He truly stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens.

Tang Zhao's mind was crystal clear: Here it comes! The old thing started acting arrogant as soon as he returned to the manor; he wouldn't let them in the door, first giving the newly promoted Deputy Grand Steward a show of force.

Xing Wu and Xing Jiu might not have participated in this, especially Xing Wu, who was even less likely to; the reason they cooperated so smoothly, as if they had rehearsed, was likely due to the accumulated prestige of Xing Cang. He had always been like this in Changfa Manor before. Whoever he glanced at would naturally feel a head shorter, and whoever he lectured had to kneel before him to listen.

Tang Zhao hesitated for a moment and chose to hold out, stubbornly refusing to kneel.

This decision was not Tang Zhao's decision; it was Xing T's decision. Xing T was highly valued by the New Master and had been pushed into this position, so he should have had some ambition. If he had knelt directly without even withstanding a single sentence, that would have been too useless. Although Xing T was not some tough guy capable of great things, he still had this bit of spirit.

However, Tang Zhao did not show disdain or sarcasm, choosing instead to look slightly pale, as if he were afraid but still holding on. It was just that on Wangliang Mountain, looking slightly pale was not very easy to see.

Xing Cang did not even look at Xing T and said in a deep voice: "I will tell you all one more time. The New Master is also the Master; he is the Master of Changfa Manor. As servants, you must of course obey the Master. I also obey the Master; my intentions and the Master's intentions are the same, with no divergence! Anyone who forcibly separates me from the Master, plays at taking sides, or forces a choice, is clearly harboring ulterior motives. I will never forgive such a person."

As he spoke, all the doors and windows of the manor suddenly swung wide open, emitting a crisp "pop" sound, followed by a gust of wind blowing through the halls, causing the branches to sway and sand and stones to fly. The sound of the wind wailed as if ghosts were crying.

Tang Zhao pursed his lips, putting on an expression of inner fear while forcing himself to remain calm, thinking to himself: The windows opened so neatly; he really can control the manor.

Xing Cang sighed: "Of course, I also know that you want to get ahead in front of the Master. How short life is; perhaps the next moment you will return to the embrace of Lord Wangliang. In this limited time, who doesn't want to live better? Who doesn't want to gain the Master's favor and have a higher status?"

"But what does this depend on? Does it depend on boasting, flattery, and fawning? Do you still remember how I taught you? Wangliang Mountain doesn't have many benefits, but the only benefit might be its purity. The heart of a servant serving the Master is the most pure; one is single-mindedly devoted to the Master without two thoughts, and never walks the crooked path. Bringing the crooked winds and evil spirits from the outside into the manor—even being sliced into a thousand pieces would not be too much!"

Tang Zhao thought: You have the nerve to say that? Wasn't Xing San pure when he risked investigating you for the previous Master? Didn't you chop him down? How can you, old thing, have such a thick face, daring to say anything just because you've returned to your own territory?

Xing Cang continued: "What does one need to rely on to gain the Master's trust? One must rely on diligence and merit. Do things for the Master in a down-to-earth manner, go through fire and water, and never retreat; only then can the Master trust you. Xing T—"

He finally pointed out Tang Zhao's name. Tang Zhao pretended to be slightly shaken and raised his eyelids to look at him.

Xing Cang said in a deep voice: "The Master trusts and promotes you; one could say his kindness is as heavy as a mountain, right? As long as you have even a shred of loyalty, you should be the one charging to the front. This time, with the Sword Fighting against Sunset Manor, can you retreat?"