The Womb Splits

When Xu Yi arrived, Marquis Anqing wasn't there. As soon as Xu Yi gave his name, the gatekeeper hurried to report it. A plump Head Butler in crimson robes came rushing out, panting. He bowed deeply and said, "Mr. Xu, your arrival honors us. I'm sorry we didn't welcome you at the gate. Unfortunately, our marquis isn't home. However, the marquis instructed us that if you came, you were to be treated as the master of the marquis's residence, and that I was to serve you with the utmost care. In addition, everything the marquis prepared for you is ready. He said that if he wasn't here, I was to assist you."

"That's very kind of him. Thank you for the trouble."

Xu Yi gave a slight cupped-fist salute.

The Head Butler bowed again and returned the gesture with a full salute.

The Head Butler knew just how highly his master regarded the man before him. To fulfill Xu Yi's request, the marquis had even torn down his beloved Yuyuan Garden, clearing the land to build some strange-looking structure. And before he left, he had instructed that if Xu Yi came by, anyone in the marquis's residence who showed him even the slightest disrespect would first be disciplined according to household rules, then cast out of the household.

The marquis had never given such instructions, not even when the princes came to visit.

Led by the Head Butler, Xu Yi headed straight for the central courtyard. He passed through a brightly colored covered walkway, and a strange, sprawling building came into view.

What surprised Xu Yi even more was that he had been here before. This had once been a sea of flowers. When Marquis Anqing had revealed the secrets of the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet, the two of them