What Lady Yue called a villa is more like a landed estate — a manor — with a courtyard surrounded by tall walls with a circular gate entrance. The estate beyond is comprised of four buildings surrounding a vast garden which even houses a pond with various lotuses and lily pads on the surface.

At a glance, I can deduce the function of some of the buildings beside the main manor. The building to the left of the entrance is a workshop, both for refining and alchemy, and the two buildings on the right are for storage and the servant’s quarters.

I expected something much smaller when Lady Yue called this the villa of a respectable family, and in her enlightened worldview, this may seem small and insignificant.

My owner also appears to be impressed, as she stares at the large courtyard with an expression that betrays her admiration for the opulence on display. Long, snake-like dragons carved from blue jade flank the beginning of the main, tiled brick path towards the main building, and many stone lanterns dot the open courtyard to provide light at night.

A procession of people departs from the main building when we arrive. Beside the person in the middle, there are two individuals wearing plain white robes who keep their heads bowed down as they approach. The person in the middle is a mature woman with pristine black hair that is meticulously collected into an elaborate bun held together by various ornaments.

This woman — most likely the owner of the estate — smiles politely and reaches out to take Lady Yue’s hands into her own.

“It has been so long since I last saw you,” she says with an even and measured tone. Her refined and elegant manners are only punctuated by the depth of her cultivation — Nascent Soul!

Lady Yue’s smile is ever-present. “It is good to see you too.”

The woman looks at Lan Xiaohui next, followed by her gaze hovering over my form on my owner’s hip, before looking back to Lady Yue. “Come, let’s head inside. I have made arrangements for your rooms,” the woman explains. “I look forward to meeting your companion properly, after dinner. But first, there is something I must discuss with you.”

Lady Yue looks thoughtful for a moment, then nods. “Very well.”

After this exchange, we head towards the main mansion and one of the servants approaches Lan Xiaohui. “Miss, please come this way. I will show you to your chambers.”

Lan Xiaohui nods and inclines her head politely to the two influential characters before following the servant.

The servant, on the way to her chambers, gives Lan Xiaohui a limited tour. He points out the large dining room in the west wing and the meeting hall. The estate even has a strategy room, according to the servant, on the second floor. In addition, there is a spa and indoor hot spring which the servant describes in great detail, impressed by the use of various spirit metals that produce water and heat.

Finally, when they arrive at her chambers, the servant excuses himself and points out a bell inside the room which Lan Xiaohui can ring if she requires anything, and a servant will immediately see to her.

When the servant leaves, Lan Xiaohui throws herself on the bed and groans.

“They are so wealthy!” Lan Xiaohui exclaims but keeps her voice low.

“Aren’t you from a wealthy background also?” I ask her.

“Yes, but not like this,” she says. “The Qi here is so rich. Those dragon statues we saw were made from azure spirit jade; the pond is filled with spirit water — they even have a hot spring!”

I don’t particularly find this very impressive — most of these things were present in the Ancestral Forbidden Hunting Grounds. On second thought, I rearrange my expectations; the place where Lan Xiaohui and I spent almost an entire year was a sect’s treasured land — of course it had an impressive amount of resources.

“And the bed is really soft,” Lan Xiaohui says, smiling. “I might even sleep for once.”

“It might have beneficial effects,” I tell Lan Xiaohui.

For the most part, Lan Xiaohui does not require sleep in the most ordinary sense of the activity. Cultivating is enough for her to recover from her mental fatigue, but the activity of sleeping has other health and learning benefits that are also important.

My encouragement seems to excite her more than anything else she has seen so far. “If you approve, I might try it.”

Lan Xiaohui is such a simple person that is easy to please — even if sometimes I don’t understand why something pleases her. Even though she is from a wealthy background and being in this place is the closest she has been to her origins, I don’t sense any nostalgia in her.

It doesn’t matter to Lan Xiaohui that this bed might be worth more than her entire person, or that even the servants have their own house; for Lan Xiaohui, the opportunity to sleep is more than enough to satisfy her.

It is important for Lan Xiaohui to not have any regrets when she faces her biggest challenge — the psychology of warfare is a very simple affair where the outcome is largely decided by one’s expectations and confidence. An opponent who expects defeat is defeated before the battle begins regardless of actual ability.

I will make sure that Lan Xiaohui does not fail. Our journey has only begun and our destination is still so far away.

Later that evening, a servant knocks on Lan Xiaohui’s door and informs her that the dinner is rescheduled to some other time due to circumstances that are not elaborated on. He also informs her that the kitchen is ready to prepare dinner for her in her own private dining room whenever she wishes, then departs.

That evening, Lan Xiaohui heads out of her room and into the courtyard. She circles the great pond, observing the moon reflecting on its surface until she makes her way to one of the benches and sits down.

“The Qi is so rich here,” Lan Xiaohui says quietly. “Perhaps they will allow me to cultivate here.”

The Qi is rich, but using the [World Eater] method to cultivate Qi is likely not an option. In terms of quality, it would be better for Lan Xiaohui to fly off into the wilderness outside the city, and cultivate there.

“You are so pretty. Are you a cultivator?”

Lan Xiaohui, who had been lost in thought for several minutes, did not notice this person approach and is mildly startled by the sudden voice.

“Thank you,” she says, looking at the girl who now stands a few steps away from her. “I am,” she replies to the question.

The girl has pristine blonde-pink hair — almost snow white — and bright gold eyes. Despite her outfit — a black and red robe — and appearance not exuding the same kind of opulence and wealth as the rest of this place, there is still an elegant air about her.

Lan Xiaohui smiles after a moment. “You are also very pretty,” she says. “Do you also cultivate Qi?”

It is quite obvious that the girl has a special Physique and I can easily sense that her cultivation is at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm — something Lan Xiaohui must be aware of as well.

The girl nods. “Sometimes,” she says and points to the bench. “Do you mind if I sit?”

Lan Xiaohui shakes her head and slides over to the side. “Not at all.”

The girl nods again and sits down next to my owner. “What’s your name?”

“Zhu Xuelian,” my owner says.

“I am Wu Yulan.”

Lan Xiaohui blinks. “Wu?” A pause. “Are you related to the Star City Wu clan?”

The girl nods.

That explains a lot.