"A Ying, why are you here?!"
The moment A Ying and Xiao Chen approached, the burly middle-aged man in the center of the Ancient Hall—his aura deep and unfathomable, his face square, nose broad, and gray robe draped over his frame—seemed to sense them. He turned his head slightly. Seeing A Ying alongside a handsome young man unfamiliar to him, whose aura did not show, the man's sword-like brows furrowed faintly. Surprise flickered across his face, along with a trace of displeasure.
Within the Ancient Clan, the hierarchy was as stern as a forest of blades. Though he was a steward, strictly speaking, he too was a servant. Yet the authority in his hands was considerable, and his status was no lower than that of certain collateral young ladies and young masters.
The Guard Hall was a place for selecting guards, a place of utmost solemnity.
A Ying was merely a maid, yet she had brought an unfamiliar young man with no discernible King Source Energy here. He looked weak as a chicken. That alone was improper and already an offense.
However, what truly made Liu Zhishi fly into a rage was this.
Not long ago, rumors had swept through like the wind, racing in all directions and engulfing nearly half of Zhou Estate in the blink of an eye.
Everyone said Zhou Lingxia had fought with Zhang Ruolan over a lowly Crossing Pig. She had spared no expense to seize him for herself, intending to hide him in her chambers for her own amusement.
The white-robed youth before him possessed jade-like grace. He looked unfamiliar, and his aura was vague, appearing and vanishing as though imprisoned by Void-Locking Runes. There was no need to ask—nine times out of ten, this youth was that toy, the Crossing Pig himself.
Zhou