Chapter Thirty-Two: A Midnight Investigation

Yuan He followed his uncle, Yuan Chenglu, into the manor. As they entered, they were met by Yuan He’s mother, Lady Wang.

Lady Wang, seeing Yuan He’s disheveled clothes, hurried forward and asked, “He’er, what happened?”

Yuan He flung himself into his mother’s arms, bursting into tears, and recounted his ordeal to Lady Wang, embellishing the story as he went.

“Thank goodness for your uncle,” Lady Wang said, holding Yuan He close, though her gaze drifted to Yuan Chenglu standing behind.

Yuan Chenglu met Lady Wang’s eyes before both quickly looked away, an unreadable look flitting between them, too fleeting to be noticed.

“Mother, where is Father?” Yuan He released his mother and wiped away his tears.

Lady Wang’s expression suddenly turned cold. “He’s in seclusion,” she replied indifferently.

Yuan He muttered, “Again… He seems to be in seclusion every day.”

Yuan Chenglu stepped forward and patted Yuan He on the head. “Your father has been utterly consumed ever since he obtained that item. He neglects sleep and food, cultivating in seclusion. This is a good thing, after all. We all hope that Starpoint Manor might one day produce a cultivator who attains Minor Ascension. If that happens, the manor’s standing will rise even higher.”

Lady Wang interjected, “Enough about him. He’er, go wash up. I’ll have the servants prepare some food for you to calm your nerves.”

Yuan Chenglu said, “Then, Sister-in-law, I’ll return to my room for now.”

Lady Wang curtsied. “Safe journey, elder brother.”

With that, Lady Wang swayed back to her own room and softly closed the door.

Yuan Chenglu glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he vanished from sight in an instant.

Lady Wang had only just closed her door when she felt a pair of arms encircle her slender waist from behind. She turned—standing there was none other than her husband’s elder brother, Yuan Chenglu.

Lady Wang’s eyes instantly lost their composure, growing misty. Her body relaxed and leaned naturally back into his embrace, her lips murmuring, “He’er was truly in danger today.”

Yuan Chenglu held her close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry. I will always watch over him from the shadows. After all—”

“After all, he is our child.”

---

As dusk fell and the sky was brushed with crimson, Shi Qi and Su Xiaomu quietly emerged from the dense forest.

“Starpoint Manor—is this the place?” Shi Qi gazed at the manor ahead. There seemed to be no powerful formations guarding its perimeter.

Su Xiaomu nodded, producing a piece of dried meat from her bosom and nibbling on it.

Shi Qi asked, “Hm? Where did you get that?”

Chewing, Su Xiaomu replied, “Leftover from this morning’s barbecue. While you were fighting, I hid some away.”

“What about mine?” Shi Qi pressed.

Su Xiaomu gave a nonchalant shrug. “Doesn’t exist.”

Shi Qi flicked her lightly on the forehead, then leaned in to whisper instructions in her ear.

After a series of eager nods, Su Xiaomu darted back into the forest.

Shi Qi gathered the power of extreme cold within him; his body temperature plummeted, his flesh became icy, and his heartbeat slowed to a crawl. Even the flow of vital energy in his meridians dwindled to a trickle.

This was another use Shi Qi had discovered for the power of extreme cold—a state akin to hibernation. Many beasts, when winter arrives, enter hibernation: a condition marked by dramatically reduced but regulated body temperature, metabolism, and other physiological activities, all to conserve energy.

Shi Qi, by forcefully suppressing his own temperature and the flow of his vital energy, hoped to avoid detection. Cultivators with sufficient skill could sense the movement of energy and the actions of others. By slowing his energy almost to a standstill, he could effectively blend into the environment, minimizing his presence.

An old master once said: “If I move slow enough, I become one with my surroundings, and no one can find me.” Of course, that master later met a rather grim end.

The protective array around Starpoint Manor was not formidable. With his cultivation, Shi Qi slipped through the rear of the estate with ease.

He leapt nimbly over the wall and landed inside. Evening had just fallen; the manor was enshrouded in stillness. The disciples and servants who had not yet begun fasting had finished their meals and retired to their quarters, some to rest, others to cultivate.

Even the disciples at the Golden Core stage had already returned to their rooms to meditate.

Shi Qi suppressed his vital energy to the barest minimum, bending low as he crept forward, exploring step by careful step.

He skirted the rooms of the disciples and servants—there was nothing of interest there. Winding his way through the grounds, Shi Qi found himself before the main residence.

“Hm?” Shi Qi mused, “This is the largest building in the manor—surely the residence of the master. But why is there a barrier around it, and only a simple soundproofing one at that?”

“If someone were in seclusion, this would hardly suffice, as it only blocks sound and provides no real defense. Perhaps there are secret conversations happening inside. I’d best investigate—there may be useful information.”

With this thought, Shi Qi quietly circulated his energy, slipped into the barrier, and pressed his ear beneath the window to listen.

He had not expected what he heard—his face flushed scarlet, and his vital energy nearly broke free of his control, almost surging forth on its own.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shi Qi slipped away from the barrier, retraced his steps, vaulted the wall, and landed outside the manor.

“Ugh… What rotten luck,” Shi Qi muttered, patting his chest. The sounds he’d overheard were nothing short of scandalous. Who would have thought that the mistress of Starpoint Manor was entangled with her husband’s own brother?

A cold smile curled on Shi Qi’s lips. The time to put his plan into action had come.

Just as Shi Qi turned to leave, he noticed a boulder not far away—strangely out of place.

“Hm? The ground here behind the manor is flat and even. Why would there be a boulder placed so awkwardly?”

Curiosity drove Shi Qi closer. Up close, he examined the stone. It was three meters long, five meters high, and oddly shaped. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about it.

Circling the boulder, Shi Qi soon spotted a small stone on one side, its color slightly different from the rest. It was nearly impossible to notice without careful observation—Shi Qi’s keen eye caught what others would have missed.

He placed his hand on the small stone and twisted hard.

Sure enough, the black stone turned halfway, and with a muffled click, a section of the boulder opened, revealing a hidden entrance.

A secret passage—what could it be for?

Shi Qi looked around to make sure no one was near, then stepped inside.

The passage was narrow and pitch-black. Shi Qi circulated his energy to activate his Heavenly Eye, barely illuminating the way, and followed the tunnel downwards. At its end stood a stone door.

Shi Qi approached and found the door sealed by a formidable barrier—this was no simple soundproofing spell, but a true defensive array crafted by a Nascent Soul master.