"Was that Bi Xiuxin, the second madam of Crossblade Manor?"
In the garden, an illusory face silently appeared on a peach tree, then vanished just as quietly.
Li Yun had heard every word of the two women's conversation.
What he had learned about the second madam, Bi Xiuxin, astonished him.
After wandering Crossblade Manor for so long, he already knew that its current master was Zhuang Zongye. The man's talent for the Martial Dao was unremarkable, and even with the resources of Crossblade Manor behind him, he had never succeeded in reaching Spirit Transformation.
But he was adept at dealing with people and had won the previous manor master's favor, so he had inherited the position.
What people praised him for even more was his fondness for women—and his ability to father children.
He had married thirteen wives in all, and they had borne him nine sons and six daughters: fifteen children altogether.
His first wife had died of a serious illness years ago, leaving behind a son and a daughter. The second madam, Bi Xiuxin, had seized the opportunity to rise, gradually taking charge of some of Crossblade Manor's internal affairs. Apart from Zhuang Zongye, she was arguably the most powerful person in the manor.
She appeared gentle, but was overbearing beneath the surface.
At Crossblade Manor, her word had always been law. She kept Zhuang Zongye's other wives under such pressure that they could barely breathe, outshining every one of them.
She even regarded the first wife's son and daughter as thorns in her side and did everything she could to suppress them. The son, who as the eldest son of the principal wife should have been the face of Crossblade Manor's next generation, had lost all the standing due to him. He had nearly become invisible in