Main Text Volume Three, Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen The Lord of the City’s Mansion

(1/3)

By the time he sneaked into the auction house, the crowd had long since dispersed, leaving it completely empty.

Yu Mu was in a panic. If he couldn’t find any clues now, in this vast and unfamiliar city, he feared he wouldn’t know when he might be able to track down An Shu’s whereabouts.

Would she even still be alive then?

Yu Mu dared not imagine. Whatever calamity befell An Shu, it was deeply connected to him in some way, and there was no way he could stand idly by.

He descended once more into the basement, and upon looking toward the entrance he had used, his heart leapt with joy.

Outside the door, only four or five servants remained, loading the last few slaves onto a cart. The two old thieves who had made a huge haul had long since disappeared to enjoy themselves elsewhere.

Yu Mu slipped out and swiftly knocked the few men unconscious, leaving one alive to question: “Speak—where was that girl sold to?”

These servants were mere ordinary crew with no loyalty; they immediately answered, “Reporting, Lord Xiong, it’s said she was bought by the city lord of this town.”

“Ah!” Yu Mu was shocked. “Did the city lord attend the auction as well?”

“No, not exactly. It seems someone under his command bought her as a gift for their master.”

“How long ago was she taken away?” Yu Mu asked again.

“It’s been a while. Soon after you were sold, she was sold too. No one dared compete with the city lord’s men, so she was bought quickly.”

“Where is the city lord’s mansion?”

The man pointed toward a tall building in the distance. “That tallest and biggest building over there — that’s the city lord’s residence.”

“Do you know the city lord’s cultivation level?”

A slave locked in an iron cage nearby answered, “Foundation Establishment stage.”

“Ah!” Yu Mu’s anxiety grew. Though the city lord’s mansion was still some distance away, precious time had already been lost. If he chased after her now, she would have most likely arrived home long ago.

Once she crossed the mansion gate, rescuing her would become much more difficult.

“Where is the closest teleportation array to there?”

The slave pointed south, “Just two streets down from the city lord’s mansion is an official teleportation array, but it has long since been shut down at this hour.”

With a sharp smack, Yu Mu shattered the iron cage and yanked the slave’s collar free. “Get them all out.”

Without hesitation, he dashed forward at top speed.

Now, Yu Mu could afford no distractions. Accelerating to his limit, he curled into a ball and rolled forward. This technique, which he named the Rolling Advance Technique, was perfect for this moment.

The city streets were flat and deserted deep into the night. Yu Mu rolled smoothly, and before long, he reached the city lord’s mansion.

(2/3)

Phew—

Spitting out twice, Yu Mu shook his dizzy bear head and slipped beneath the mansion’s outer wall.

No sign of An Shu was found along the way; obviously, she had already been brought inside.

Yu Mu dared not rush in. The memories of his past encounter with the Scorpion Matron were still vivid—Foundation Establishment experts were beyond his ability to confront.

So he first sent out his shadow spirit to scout the mansion.

After evolving into a spectral form, his combat power was greatly enhanced, but the heavy aura of necromancy made detection easier. Therefore, Yu Mu reverted his spirit to its most primitive ghostly form before entering.

The moment the shadow spirit probed a sliver of spiritual awareness through the wall, it sensed a tremendous spiritual fluctuation.

“Nascent Soul stage!” The spirit startled and quickly retreated inside the wall, motionless.

Outside, Yu Mu transformed into a shrub, concealing his presence.

The Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to sense something, and swept their divine sense about, but upon finding nothing, their expression turned suspicious.

At that moment, a woman’s voice said, “Butler Zhe, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” answered a man’s voice. “Rong Gu, this girl is in your care now. The master will be back soon, so you must hurry and prepare her properly before he returns. Don’t let the master be disappointed tonight.”

“Understood, Butler Zhe. We’ve done this many times; the master is always satisfied! I’ll wait by the door to welcome him back!”

The two spoke with outward decorum and solemnity, but their eyes and gestures betrayed a flirtatious intimacy.

“How close call!” Yu Mu broke out in a cold sweat.

He was secretly stunned. He had never expected the butler to be a Nascent Soul expert. Who knew how many powerful figures resided within this mansion?

This was truly a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

Once the butler left, the shadow spirit dared to emerge and enter the mansion.

The woman speaking with the butler was a middle-aged beauty, turning away from the second-floor balcony. After her figure vanished, Yu Mu leapt inside.

Still using the shadow spirit to scout, he stealthily approached the building where the woman had been.

After circling the building, he concluded that this must be a side hall where the city lord resided—grand and imposing.

The side hall had three floors, with the topmost being a pavilion, likely a place for the city lord to enjoy the view and relax.

The ground floor was a reception hall; the second floor, where the woman appeared, was the true living quarters.

Yu Mu directed the shadow spirit to ascend to the second-floor balcony.

“Hm—no protective formations or barriers,” Yu Mu exhaled with relief.

Perhaps a master of this caliber no longer needed such measures for self-protection, he speculated.

Fortunately, or else this place would be impenetrable.

(3/3)

The second-floor bedroom door stood wide open, draped only with a sheer pink curtain.

Beyond the curtain lay a vast, palace-like chamber.

At its center was a pristine white bed large enough to accommodate seven or eight people lying side by side. Four towering pillars adorned the bedhead and doorway, each carved with dragons and fantastic beasts, exuding majesty.

A rose-red carpet covered the floor, muffling footsteps to silence.

From the ceiling hung a hundred strings of large crystal lamps, each embedded with hundreds of luminous crystals, illuminating every detail of the room.

The walls were all finely decorated wood panels, depicting a hundred beautiful women in alluring poses, each radiating unique charm. There were also paintings of mountains and rivers, as well as displays of antiques, rare treasures, immortal plants, and spiritual herbs.

The entire bedchamber epitomized extreme luxury and decadence, reflecting the city lord’s refined tastes.

Despite the room’s vastness, only two maidservants were present, burning incense and brewing tea.

To one side was another room, from which faint mist rose and the sound of flowing water could be heard—it was clear someone was bathing inside.

Seeing an opportunity, Yu Mu swiftly climbed the balcony and slipped inside.

While the two maids were distracted, he lifted a potted plant near the doorway and tossed it into the bushes below, taking its place by transforming into a plant himself.

Soon after, the two maids supported a lethargic An Shu, wrapped in sheer silk, as she emerged from the bath. Behind them followed the same Rong Gu.

The maids passed the lifeless An Shu into the waiting hands of two other maids and then turned away.

Rong Gu glanced at An Shu, now rosy and delicate from the warm steam. She nodded with approval and instructed the two maids, “Give her some fragrant tea to freshen her breath and apply some scented powder. I’ll go check if the lotus seed porridge is ready. The master is out drinking with friends but will return soon. I’ll prepare some snacks to sober him up. You two take good care of her.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the maids responded in unison.

Once Rong Gu left, Yu Mu released his shadow spirit to guard the door and quietly shifted back into his bear form. He approached the two maids from behind.

Thud, thud—two muffled sounds, and the maids collapsed.

An Shu instinctively lifted her head and almost cried out in surprise when she saw Yu Mu.

Yu Mu immediately raised a bear paw to his lips and whispered, “Shh.”

An Shu nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Only in the depths of despair can one truly appreciate the preciousness of hope—that was her feeling now.

Yu Mu reached out and snapped the collar from her neck.

An Shu hurriedly rose, but caught a strange look in Yu Mu’s eyes.

Following his gaze, she realized she was almost naked—only a thin veil of silk covered her, leaving her completely exposed.

Blushing fiercely from having been ogled so shamelessly, she was angry beyond measure.

Just as she reached to cover herself, Yu Mu suddenly said, “Don’t move. Stay just like this for now.”

An Shu couldn’t hold back her fury any longer. “You... what are you doing?”

Just as she prepared to slap the shameless scoundrel, Yu Mu grabbed the two fainted maids and tossed them beneath the bed.

Swiftly, he returned to the doorway and transformed into a potted plant.

An Shu was amazed—she had never seen anyone transform into a plant before!