The Heavenly Net and Earthly Snare

Xu Yi's heart was heavy, and he had no mind to admire the scenery. He headed straight for the Third Prince's Mansion. As he drew near, he spotted the bottle-shaped mark of the Life-Death Gu on the side of a pillar's base.

He nearly laughed aloud. Back then, he had told the Third Prince to set up a residence in Buzi Hutong and mark the entrance with a Life-Death Gu bottle so he could find it easily.

Now the Third Prince had made his mansion imposing and majestic, with a huge golden signboard visible from far away, yet he still had that bottle mark—as if he feared Xu might be blind.

He had just stepped onto the warm-jade stairs when the front doors flew open. A young man in fine clothes darted out and rushed up to him, asking in a hushed voice, "Are you the old acquaintance from Monster Hunting Valley?"

Xu Yi replied coldly, "I am."

"Heh, heh..."

The young man in fine clothes seemed to have swallowed a potent tonic. He threw back his head and kept cheering, his expression so delighted it nearly twisted out of shape.

Xu Yi gave a faint snort. "Who are you? Aren't you going to lead the way?"

The young man in fine clothes looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He slapped himself hard twice, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, then repeatedly apologized. "Please, sir, come in. Your presence is an immense honor to all of us. Please enter, and I'll go inform my master."

With that, he darted through the door, shouted out a greeting, and bounded away.

The two towering copper-clad gates, each three zhang high, swung wide open. Hundreds of beautiful women and handsome men in red robes and black clothes knelt