Night Reconnaissance of the Marquis's Mansion

Qi Bei glanced at Will, his gaze sweeping over the three youths behind him.

Two of them were acquaintances, the young masters of the Heron Family, a top noble family of the Golden Leaf Dynasty. The other was Emperor Hanmos' fourth son, Lando, a strong contender for the throne.

"Second Brother, you're indeed very busy. I heard you even visited a female student's home a couple of days ago. Truly dedicated and professional. I'm ashamed of myself," Qi Bei responded indifferently.

Will's expression flickered. He had indeed been involved with a beautiful female student recently. According to academy rules, instructors were forbidden from having any romantic entanglements with students about to graduate. He had always believed he had kept it very secret. How did this brat Qi Bei find out?

Actually, it was quite coincidental. In recent nights, Qi Bei had often been seen flying around, essentially circling the Marquis Lanling's mansion.

Qi Bei was quite vengeful. He was about to leave the imperial capital and didn't know when he would return. He wasn't a gentleman who could wait ten years for revenge; naturally, he needed a meticulous plan.

But who knew that the night before last, he had discovered his second brother from the clan having an affair with a beautiful student from Nord Military Academy.

"Fifth Brother, you must be mistaken. You can eat anything, but you can't say anything carelessly," Will Nord said with a smile.

Qi Bei couldn't be bothered with him. This guy was exactly like his father, a smiling tiger!

"Qi Bei, congratulations on escaping the Undead Mountain Range alive. I heard you cut off a lock of Marquis Lanling's hair on the street a few days ago. Your strength has truly grown to a level that makes us older brothers envious. Are you interested in sparring?" The Fourth Prince Lando stared at Qi Bei. Though his words were polite, his gaze was like a venomous snake.

"Not interested," Qi Bei said, a little impatiently. He really didn't want to put on a fake act with these incompatible people.

"But this Prince is interested." As soon as Lando finished speaking, he grabbed Qi Bei's arm.

Qi Bei was about to dodge, but his peripheral vision caught Mio Nord looking over. He deliberately slowed down his reaction.

"Screech!"

Qi Bei's sleeve was torn by hidden Battle Qi, and he himself let out a scream and flew backward. He stumbled back a few steps after landing, falling towards a group of beautiful girls who were chatting enthusiastically.

Lando and the others were stunned. This gentle grab, releasing only a tiny bit of Battle Qi, had such great power?

Qi Bei flailed around clumsily, shamelessly taking liberties with the girls who rushed forward to help him.

At this moment, Mio Nord walked over with a cold expression and stood before Will Nord.

"B-Brother..." Will felt a bit intimidated. Among the younger generation, everyone feared Mio Nord to some extent.

"Slap!" Mio Nord slapped Will across the face.

Will lowered his head, his fists clenched, but he dared not utter a sound. However, within his lowered eyes, intense unwillingness and resentment flickered.

"Don't forget, your surname is Nord," Mio Nord said coldly, his gaze shifting to the Fourth Prince Lando.

"This Prince merely heard that Qi Bei's skills are extraordinary nowadays, so I was itching for a spar. But it seems the rumors are not to be believed," Lando said coldly. Others might fear him, Mio Nord, but why would he? If he were afraid, he wouldn't be qualified to contend for the position of the next Emperor.

"If Your Highness is itching for a spar, you can come find me anytime," Mio Nord said coldly.

Lando merely sneered. His strength was inferior to Mio Nord's, but what was individual bravery worth compared to a vast dynasty? One day, he would make everyone in the Nord Family grovel at his feet like dogs, begging for mercy.

Mio Nord cast a deep look at Qi Bei, who was enjoying the support of several beautiful noble girls, and returned to his circle.

"My elder brother is actually quite good, don't you agree?" Qi Bei asked with a smile, stroking the pretty faces of the girls. Where was the slightest trace of his previous disheveled appearance?

"You're also very good," a bold noble girl flirted with Qi Bei.

"Not just good, but very good. If you don't believe me, we can spar tonight," Qi Bei laughed heartily.

"Spar, then. Who's afraid of whom, sisters? What do you say?" The girl provocatively looked at Qi Bei and directly placed his hand on her exposed, ample bosom.

Qi Bei looked at the wolf-like gazes of the girls and fled in disarray.

Damn it, his judgment was wrong. These were the decadent nobles, where not only were there "two-on-one" but also "group sex." And goddamn it, lesbians and gays were also prevalent!

Not long after, Mio Nord gave a speech at the banquet, and the banquet officially began.

Until midnight, as some of the older folks began to leave, the banquet turned into a wild party for the young.

The so-called noble party was essentially two people, or a group of people, with excess hormones engaging in physical activity.

Qi Bei, his black cloak concealing him, silently appeared on a large tree not far from the backyard of Marquis Lanling's mansion. His dark eyes gazed at the deep mansion.

Marquis Lanling was a first-rank marquis, and his mansion had extremely strict guards.

After several days of reconnaissance, Qi Bei knew that the defenses in the backyard area were slightly weaker.

"It should be about time," Qi Bei thought to himself.

Just then, several violent beast roars suddenly erupted from within Marquis Lanling's mansion, followed by two screams that pierced the silent night sky.

Several dark figures flashed out from the shadows and departed.

The corner of Qi Bei's mouth curled up. Like a ghost, he floated over the courtyard wall and disappeared into the darkness.

Having spent over eight months in the Undead Mountain Range, Qi Bei had no idea how many undead he had ambushed and had repeatedly evaded the pursuit of high-level undead. His stealth abilities were exceptionally strong.

Only a few breaths after Qi Bei had slipped into the mansion, those dark figures reappeared and merged back into the darkness.

Qi Bei dodged various visible and hidden sentries, arriving at the courtyard where Marquis Lanling resided.

Suddenly, Qi Bei felt the black longsword hidden in his sleeve tremble slightly.

"Invisible Dark Soul Seal, triple layer, using thirty souls as a guide, supplemented by ten high-grade magic crystals, set using Dark Magic sealing techniques. It can conceal and isolate all aura fluctuations. Those who intrude will have their souls devoured.

Method of breaking: 1. Destroy the main crystal located in the southeast. 2. Destroy the souls within. 3. Devour these triple layers of invisible Dark Soul Seal."

Information flowed from the black longsword into Qi Bei's mind, just like when he had sensed the maid casting the Nine Nether Soul ding Technique that day.

Marquis Lanling's mansion actually contained Dark Magic!

Qi Bei had initially only wanted to vent his resentment, but now that Marquis Lanling was associated with a Dark Mage, the situation had suddenly become complicated.

It seemed his grandfather was right; the imperial capital was becoming increasingly murky.