0031 The Mysterious Manor

Jiang Feng escaped from the cave, but he did not relax his vigilance. Although he hadn’t interacted much with Li Feng inside, he had already judged that Li Feng possessed exceptional powers of observation and was highly skilled at tracking.

During his flight, Jiang Feng had gathered some Ming energy and released it in the bat cave, thus alarming the Fire Bats. In the end, he had also abandoned a level-five Red Armored Lizard’s core, leading the Fire Bats toward Li Feng’s group.

All these actions were bound to have enraged the others. As long as they survived, they would never let him go.

Did he regret it? Not in the least.

Even leaving aside their past grudges, those people had already set their minds on killing him and robbing him, before even knowing who he was.

He had heard Jiang Huaixiao’s final screams and curses with crystal clarity. A cold smile touched his lips.

Expelled from the family? Jiang Feng could hardly wait for them to do so.

He had never felt much affection for the family, but the young lady had once mentioned, as long as his name remained in the ancestral hall, a tie would always bind him to them.

This bond was irrational, but it was real.

She hadn’t explained in detail, but he understood: so long as his name was inscribed in the ancestral hall, he could never truly sever himself from the family.

Jiang Feng collected his thoughts.

Returning to the small valley was out of the question; it would only bring disaster to Zhong Fan.

The opponent was a Dawn-stage martial artist, far superior to him. How could he possibly shake them off for good?

While calculating his options as he moved through the forest, suddenly, after passing through a grove, something caught his eye.

A white wall loomed ahead, stretching from left to right so far that its ends were invisible, enclosing an entire mountain slope.

What was this place? Why had he never heard of it before?

Jiang Feng followed the wall for a distance, finding no end in sight.

He placed his palm on the wall, feeling its surface. Suddenly, a faint current seemed to arc through his hand, gone in an instant.

He withdrew his hand, puzzled, but upon pressing it to the wall again, felt nothing unusual.

In fact, the wall itself felt extraordinary. About three meters high, it blocked all view of the interior. Its surface was smooth and even, with a gentle softness, almost like jade.

Every so often, a dark wooden carving was inlaid upon it, the wood fine and the carving exquisite, exuding aristocratic grandeur. More intriguing, each carving was unique, and at a glance he could see more than a dozen, with unknown numbers beyond his sight.

Yet this was only a wall in the wilderness, dividing inside from out!

Had Jiang Feng not stumbled upon it by chance, who would ever come here just to admire it?

After walking a while, Jiang Feng suddenly turned, looking back at the path.

Faint voices came from behind. After listening for a moment, he discerned that it was Li Feng’s group—they had indeed found his trail and were pursuing him.

There had been only five in Li Feng’s party before, but now it sounded like more; who knew where they had found reinforcements.

If he continued walking along the wall, he would be cornered without doubt.

No more hesitation!

Gritting his teeth, he pressed his hand twice against the wall, then leapt lightly over it as easily as a bird, landing on the other side.

The wall seemed to serve only as a simple barrier, offering him no further hindrance.

Jiang Feng landed soundlessly, swept his gaze around, and immediately found a rockery to hide behind.

Only then did he steady himself and observe his surroundings carefully.

Previously, his attention had been on the wall and his pursuers, and he hadn’t noticed the environment. Now, he was stunned.

Beyond the wall was a garden, lush with flowers and trees, dotted with rockeries and lakes.

He was hiding behind one such rockery, with a white-blossomed tree at its side. The branches were heavy with blooms; a gentle breeze sent petals drifting down into the stream below. A small red fish leapt up, caught a petal, and fell back with a soft splash.

Jiang Feng recalled reading about such a tree in books—it thrived in cold and only flowered in the depths of winter. Yet now, it was already spring!

Everywhere in the garden, marvels abounded. The design was simple but not crude, appearing casual yet exuding comfort and elegance. His wariness faded as he was drawn in, nearly forgetting himself in appreciation of the scene.

There was no one in the garden, only tranquil silence. In the distance, faint voices and a few light laughs drifted by, tempting him to listen, yet nothing was clear.

Jiang Feng crept along the rockery, eventually spotting a pavilion.

It was an open hall by the water, exquisitely built. Above the entrance hung a plaque, and from a distance he could make out the inscription: “Lingering by the Water, Sighing at the Flowers.”

Extending from the water’s edge was a long wooden bridge, skimming the lake’s surface. Following it would bring one directly to the blooming water lilies—lilies that, like the blossom tree, seemed to flourish regardless of season.

Jiang Feng’s pupils contracted as he quickly hid himself. By the wooden window of the pavilion, a girl in pink was leaning, gazing at the flowering tree outside, lost in thought.

Whose garden was this, so lavishly grand?

Why was there such a place on Taiwu Mountain, of which he had never heard a word?

Having trespassed into such a domain, Jiang Feng felt uneasy and grew all the more cautious, terrified of being discovered.

Carefully skirting the pavilion, he followed a small path behind the rockery to another area.

As soon as he left, the girl rested her chin on her hand, lowering her head to look in the direction he had just gone.

She murmured softly, “So that’s the child? Sigh, I wonder what the young master saw in him, to elope and never return…”

Suddenly, she looked elsewhere, brushed off her dress, and stood up. “It seems there’s a bit of trouble brewing…”

She walked out of the pavilion and onto the bridge, going straight to the water lilies.

The bridge ended there, but she seemed not to notice, continuing forward. Ripples fanned out on the water, gently supporting her lotus feet. Unperturbed, she walked across the surface to the far side of the lake.

A little fish leapt up, kissed her foot, and slipped back into the water.

The girl smiled, brushed past the blossoms, and departed.

...

Jiang Feng was utterly unaware of what had transpired behind him. He frowned, scanning his surroundings—he was lost.

This was a garden within a garden. He’d followed a pebble path here, but now, for the third time, he found himself at the same lake rock.

His vigilance grew.

Some great families set up defensive arrays in their gardens to trap intruders. Could he have blundered into one such formation?

Jiang Feng had one advantage: the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he became.

He closed his eyes, reopened them, and scrutinized his environment anew.

Every tree, every blade of grass, every stone, every darting insect—he took all in, missing not a detail.

He realized that these very details seemed to form a specific pattern. Everything was perfectly coordinated, yet behind that lay an underlying mystery.

Indeed, it was a small array. Seamlessly integrated into the garden’s design, it was subtle and unobtrusive, trapping anyone who entered.

Jiang Feng was suddenly struck by a thought.

Recently, he had not compiled his data. Every Ming beast he encountered, he analyzed and quantified, recording the data in his notebook. Now, seeing this formation, he was reminded of that work.

Yes, environmental factors should be incorporated into martial techniques; different environments could lead to corresponding evolutions and changes in technique.

But how to condense and process environmental factors into data?

He slowly surveyed his surroundings. The array before him, harmonized with the landscape yet independent and rule-bound, was an ideal sample!

Unconsciously, he forgot where he was, immersed in his own thoughts.

His gaze swept the area, and in his mind the patterns resolved into countless lines, interlacing to form a space.

Within his heart, the Celestial Seed began to revolve, and the Celestial Cube appeared, invisible characters manifesting and imprinting themselves on the cube’s faces.

These characters were the very data Jiang Feng had observed!

Suddenly, the Celestial Cube began absorbing Ming energy, its little facets turning and shifting.

Jiang Feng’s body trembled slightly. Some of the Ming energy in his Yuan Branch was drawn away. In this unfamiliar environment, with danger possibly lurking at any moment, he could not afford such a loss.

He was about to halt the process when the Celestial Cube stopped, injecting a message into his mind.

Jiang Feng was taken aback: the message was a route, a way out of the array!

After a brief hesitation, he followed the indicated path.

Left, right, left, left… he turned again and again, and before long, the stone path ended and a new scene unfolded ahead.

He had indeed found his way out!

In the distance, within this manor, an old man looked up from his chessboard, gazing in a certain direction.

A hint of surprise appeared on his face, and he murmured, “He walked out? Truly interesting…”

...

Jiang Feng had just formed some notions about the Celestial Cube, but before he could ponder them further, noises came from nearby.

Glancing around, he realized that, having just left the array, he was exposed—only a clump of bamboo stood nearby, offering no cover.

His heart tightened. He was about to retreat back into the array when two people rounded the bamboo and came face to face with him—much faster than he had expected!

The two were tall and imposing, every step measured and precise, their eyes sharp and wary—clearly, guards.

He had been discovered!

Nervous, Jiang Feng realized that sneaking in like this, he might easily be taken for a thief.

As he considered how to explain himself, to his surprise, the two men approached without so much as glancing at him. Their faces betrayed nothing; they passed by without a word, without the slightest reaction, as if they hadn’t seen him at all.

Instinctively, Jiang Feng touched his own face.

What was going on—had he become invisible?