Chapter 187: Chapter 186: A Young Man Arrives at Qingfeng Manor

Xu Le was telling the truth. She didn’t have any ulterior motives for keeping Wu Chen at the manor.

Although Wu Chen had never said as much, she could sense his distant, unapproachable attitude.

If she had any motive at all, it was the fear that the scattered bandits might regroup and launch a surprise counterattack on the manor.

Keeping Wu Chen at the manor for a few more days would naturally be the safer option.

But last night, the bandits had lost at least half their number at the hands of the young man before her. After suffering such heavy losses, Xu Le doubted they would have the courage to return.

After all, if a disorganized mob like that truly possessed such strong organizational skills, the manor would never have held out. It would have fallen long ago.

After considering Xu Le’s ambiguous words for a moment, Wu Chen nodded.

"Alright. I’ll wait a few days, just as you suggest, Young Manor Lord."

This was about the Soul-Storage Pearl, an item his master urgently needed. So, regardless of the outcome or whether he could even get a clue about the pearl, Wu Chen felt it was necessary for him to stay.

The wait lasted three days, during which Wu Chen did not remain idle.

First, he went through all the Martial Arts manuals in the manor.

Given his great service in defending the manor, when Wu Chen requested access to the Qingfeng Manor Arsenal, Xu Le naturally didn’t refuse.

At this point, if Wu Chen so much as muttered about needing some rest, Xu Le would have to wonder if he was hinting that she should come serve him in his bed.

It couldn’t be helped. The power Wu Chen had displayed was simply too immense, and on top of that, he was searching for a treasure like the Soul-Storage Pearl.

His every word and deed forced the Young Manor Lord to read into things.

Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

...

「Qingfeng Manor Arsenal」

Five manuals on Organ Refining Realm Martial Arts sat on the shelves, along with over a hundred other assorted Martial Arts texts.

While this would be a vast collection to anyone else, in Wu Chen’s eyes, it was rather pathetic.

But Wu Chen understood.

After all, the people of this world only ever practiced a handful of Martial Arts and Cultivation Techniques. They had no use for more, so there was no need to amass a huge collection.

’I’ll learn them all, one by one.’

Wu Chen wasn’t picky. He began to flip through the manuals.

It took him only half a day to read through all one hundred-plus manuals.

’A pity. The bonus from Martial Arts for the four stages of body quenching is getting smaller and smaller. I wonder when my Qi Power will change next.’

Wu Chen closed his eyes to feel the change. Now, after absorbing each Quenching Body manual, he could barely feel the warm current flowing through him unless he focused intently.

This meant that raising his strength attribute again would require a terrifying number of Martial Arts manuals.

’One step at a time...’

Wu Chen suppressed his impatience and returned the manuals to the shelves.

With nothing else to do, he returned to the side room that had been specially prepared for him.

On the third day, a burst of hearty, uninhibited laughter suddenly rang out across the manor, booming like thunder and echoing endlessly.

"Hah! I’ve done it!"

"I’ve successfully broken through!"

Wu Chen woke from his nap and collected himself.

The voice came from the back of the mountain, filled with unconcealable joy. From the words, Wu Chen knew it was the manor’s old master, who had succeeded in his secluded breakthrough.

Within the manor, the Guards were miserably clearing rubble and carrying away countless corpses, some on the verge of despair. But upon hearing this familiar voice, a glimmer of hope instantly lit up their eyes.

"The Old Manor Lord! It’s the Old Manor Lord’s voice!"

"This is wonderful! The Old Manor Lord has successfully broken through!"

"Qingfeng Manor will return to its former glory!"

...

The survivors in the manor erupted in cheers that soared to the heavens. In their eyes, a Leakless Realm expert was enough to make the manor great again.

"Grandfather succeeded in his breakthrough!"

Xu Le, the Young Manor Lord, was busy helping the Guards move corpses when she heard her grandfather’s voice. A flash of excitement appeared in her eyes as she looked toward the source of the sound.

However, unlike the other servants, she did not lose her composure.

She displayed the calm demeanor befitting a manor lord.

Under everyone’s expectant gazes, a thin, white-haired figure emerged from the back of the mountain.

This was, of course, the Old Manor Lord of Qingfeng Manor.

Before anyone could get a clear look, the figure took just a few bounds and vanished, reappearing atop the wall of the manor’s main gate.

Although the Old Manor Lord’s frame was still thin, his listless air had vanished.

In its place, his essence had merged with his Qi and Blood, radiating a vigorous life force.

For a moment, the Old Manor Lord felt as if he had returned to his prime.

’These bandits and their vicious methods!’

’They all deserve to die!’

As he made his way over, he had only caught glimpses, but he had seen the collapsed walls and ruined buildings. He naturally knew what had befallen the manor.

’Thankfully, it looks like the manor held on. It survived until the moment of my breakthrough!’

’Then now is the time to make them pay in blood!’

’This is also a good chance to demonstrate the power of the Leakless Realm in front of everyone in the manor.’

With that thought, the Old Manor Lord took a deep breath and called out to the surrounding mountain forests:

"Since you dared to come, why are you hiding?!"

"Come out and face this old man for a good fight!"

Empowered by the Leakless Realm, the Old Manor Lord’s voice was like rolling thunder. It echoed endlessly through the mountains, startling countless birds into flight.

But several breaths passed, and no one answered from the mountains.

The Old Manor Lord’s brow furrowed. "What, do you need this old man to personally come and invite you out?"

His voice thundered, sending fallen leaves swirling into the air, but the forest remained silent.

’What, did they find out I broke through and are now too scared to make a sound?’

The Old Manor Lord’s furrowed brow smoothed out. With a cold snort, he prepared to charge into the forest to avenge the men his manor had lost.

He would wash away the shame of the manor’s recent humiliation.

Just then, Young Manor Lord Xu Le rushed over, calling out urgently, "Grandfather, the bandits retreated several days ago! There’s no one in the forest!"

The Old Manor Lord: ...

Hearing this, the old man froze, momentarily at a loss for words.

’He’d meant to put on a grand display, but had only succeeded in making a grand fool of himself.’

’He hadn’t even noticed there was no one in the forest.’

His old face flushed. He looked at the young woman before him and benevolently changed the subject.

"Does that mean it was my granddaughter who led the people of the manor and drove off the invading bandits?"

"You’re acting more and more like a true manor lord!"

He patted Xu Le’s shoulder, pleased.

Faced with her grandfather’s praise, Xu Le shook her head awkwardly. "Grandfather, it wasn’t me who drove the bandits away."

She wouldn’t dare take all the credit, especially since the truth would come out eventually. She explained honestly:

"The person who drove them away was a young gentleman I invited from the Jiang Clan Commerce Association’s auction."

"If it weren’t for him, Qingfeng Manor would probably no longer exist..."

She briefly recounted the events. The Old Manor Lord finally understood, though he felt his granddaughter might be exaggerating.

’One person defended the whole manor and forced the bandits to retreat?’

’Even now, at the Leakless Realm, I wouldn’t be confident I could easily repel a siege of several thousand bandits.’

’Perhaps she’s embellishing things a bit?’

"Is this benefactor still at the manor? I must go and pay him a personal visit." Although he didn’t quite believe it, he knew he had to make the proper gestures.

Xu Le nodded. "He is, Grandfather."

"He only agreed to stay for a few more days because he’s inquiring about the Soul-Storage Pearl. Grandfather, do you know anything about it?"

The Old Manor Lord sucked in a sharp breath. "The Soul-Storage Pearl? This person is looking for a Soul-Storage Pearl?"

In his opinion, anyone who had designs on a Soul-Storage Pearl couldn’t be weak, and their background was likely even more formidable.

In that case, he had no doubt that this person possessed the strength to repel the bandits.

Xu Le nodded. Just as she was about to ask her grandfather for more information, she caught sight of a familiar figure slowly approaching in the distance.

It was Wu Chen.

She pointed. "Grandfather, you don’t need to go pay him a visit. The benefactor is here."

The Old Manor Lord followed his granddaughter’s finger and saw a nonchalant-looking young man walking toward them from a distance.

The Old Manor Lord glanced left and right.

Aside from the young man, there was no one else.

Only then did the Old Manor Lord fix his gaze on the approaching young man, a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

’This person... he’s far too young!’

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