Corrupt, so corrupt!

"It seems there's still quite a while before the appointed time..."

Mu Ye's mind sparked, and he decided to scout the Shen Mansion as a Thief first and make thorough preparations.

Now that he had learned Vajra Leg, opening more Divine Apertures would not only greatly strengthen his legs, but also give his Lightness Skill a boost. He could Wall-Walk without making so much as a sound.

What's more, once he had opened his Divine Apertures, learning other Lightness Skills would be a breeze.

After switching to Thief, Mu Ye watched the moonlight as he skimmed across the eaves like a swallow skimming the water.

"The Shen Mansion is several levels bigger than the Iron Leg Sect..."

"It's a proper mansion by ancient standards, isn't it?"

He had visited the Shen Mansion during the Tutorial Stage, but that had only given him a rough idea of the place.

He arrived at the familiar back courtyard. During the Tutorial Stage, he had been told he could sneak in through a low section of the wall.

The Demon Sealer's Lightness Skill was mediocre, so he would be discovered after sneaking in.

It was different as a Thief. With a light leap, he passed like a breeze. Unless Hero Shen had come back to life, even if the servants inside had two extra pairs of eyes, they still might not spot him.

The entry point led into a utility yard filled with all sorts of odds and ends.

Once he had come out, Mu Ye began to explore slowly.

Before long, a delicious aroma reached Mu Ye. It seemed to be coming from the kitchen, so he quietly crept over.

Inside, he found a crowd of servants and cooks preparing all kinds of delicacies. The sight dazzled him.

"Are they hosting a banquet?"

"How extravagant... Is that a Blood Lotus Seed? They say a single one is worth a thousand gold and can slightly expand a Martial Warrior's Divine Apertures..."

"Those dishes must cost at least ten thousand coins..."

Mu Ye clicked his tongue in secret. The Shen family's wealth was no ordinary fortune; it had been built up over decades by Hero Shen.

Come to think of it, Madam Shen's origins were rather mysterious...

As he watched for a while, Mu Ye noticed several beautiful maids heading into another courtyard beside the kitchen.

Their skin was as smooth as jade, their eyes bright and their teeth pearly. A faint fragrance clung to them, and Mu Ye could smell it even from far away.

They were clearly no ordinary maids. Even their dresses were embroidered with flowers and orchids, and ornaments dangled from their necks, wrists, and hair.

Mu Ye guessed they were Madam Shen's personal maids. He had no idea what they were preparing.

He walked over to a side room.

Mu Ye leaped onto the roof of the separate courtyard and lay down to listen for a while.

Before long,

the voices of women, mingled with soft moans and murmurs, drifted out.

"Shui Wan, don't tremble. If you do, these fine tea leaves will fall..."

"Gantang, press close to Jingshu! If even one tea leaf falls, be careful or Madam will have your skin peeled!"

"The honored guests are coming, and Madam Shen is cooking for them herself. Be careful, all of you!"

"..."

What were they doing?

Mu Ye listened in confusion. Surely the maids weren't lying on the floor in there, playing some sort of touching game?

From the sounds of it, that didn't seem to be the case.

Mu Ye quietly lifted a few roof tiles and peeked in. His eyes immediately went wide.

"Holy crap... Corrupt, so corrupt."

Mu Ye quickly removed another tile. I've been so ignorant...

Those fragrant, beautiful maids were embracing one another in pairs, their cheeks and temples brushing as they played at being art.

Their bodies were burning hot, and patches of special pale-red leaves clung to them. It was truly...

After listening for a while, he vaguely gathered that they were making a kind of tea called Rushang Mingyu Tea.

How ignorant of me...

Mu Ye slipped away. After taking a look in a few other rooms, he soon came to the Study Room. He went inside and saw countless books, every one filled with lines upon lines of writing.

Clearly, the Study Room wasn't there for show. Someone read in it often.

"The handwriting is graceful. It must belong to Madam Shen..."

He didn't find any books on Martial Arts.

Most of the books were about the economy, politics, people's livelihood, and military affairs, or else they were historical records. There were also some books on strange and unusual subjects.

"If this is Madam Shen's handwriting, her interests are clear from these books..."

"She's skilled in business and must know Court Politics well..."

"She also knows a great deal about the wars fought throughout the Tianqi Dynasty's history..."

"As for these books on strange subjects..."

Mu Ye paused.

These books were interesting. Most were obscure, and their strange tales were full of bizarre happenings.

Unlike the other books, none of these had any notes in the margins.

But from the signs of use, Mu Ye could tell that if Madam Shen had read these books, she seemed particularly interested in strange cases involving "Cold Body, Yang Energy, Lifespan, and Strange Illness."

For example, one book was titled Chronicles of Boys and Girls in the Early Years of Tianqi.

It contained this passage:

"In the early years of Tianqi, there was Princess Youyin, gifted beyond compare. Yet her body was cold, and when she opened her apertures, her limbs became frostbound. The pain was unbearable. She lived for five years, enduring Flame Roasting, medicines, and the transmission of power, but... The condition was called Cold Aperture Syndrome."

The gist was that this princess had an extraordinary talent for Martial Arts, but after practicing and opening her apertures, her limbs had become frostbound, leaving her in unbearable pain. No one knew what illness she had. Despite prolonged treatment, no one could cure her.

There were other strange illnesses among the common people, including inflammations, bodily conditions, and all sorts of bizarre ailments.

These strange illnesses erupted as soon as a person practiced Martial Arts and opened their apertures. Even the Imperial Physicians of the time had been helpless, and in the end, the afflicted had been buried without a cure.

Some people claimed it was the Demon Plague.

They had been infected by demons.

"In a world where demons are born, it's no surprise there are all these bizarre illnesses..."

In the early years of the Tianqi Dynasty, there had barely been any demons. They were nothing like the demons of today.

After the demons broke out, however, records of these illnesses became much rarer.

Still, these were only strange tales, not entries in the official histories. No one knew whether they were true.

"Madam Shen seems to be a woman who loves to read..."

After flipping through the books for a while, Mu Ye left the Study Room.

The Shen Mansion was enormous. Besides the Study Room, it had the Hanhai Pavilion, where Martial Arts texts were kept, the Martial Arts Hall, where people trained, and the storehouse, where gold and silver were kept...

All these places had many servants guarding them, making them difficult to infiltrate.

As for the many Guest Rooms and separate courtyards, he could wander around for half a day and still not see everything.

Then there was Madam Shen's bedchamber.

Mu Ye had only just drawn near

when a Man in Black flew out of the shadows.

"You have quite a talent, to have slipped in here without making a sound..."

One look was enough for Mu Ye to recognize him as the man who had stopped the Demon Sealer before.

He was probably a spy or Assassin hired by the Shen family, and clearly skilled at breaking in to steal things.

[1, Exactly. That just shows how little skill you have (Fight)]

[2, We're in the same line of work. You can see I haven't stolen anything. Why don't we part ways and pretend this never happened? (Slip away)]

[3, Madam Shen, what are you doing up here too? (Feint)]

[4, ...]

Mu Ye chose to slip away.

But he didn't get away. The Man in Black gave a couple of sinister laughs without chasing him, merely watching.

A Sword Light came from nowhere, cleaving through the air. In an instant, it cut Mu Ye down.

"Die."

The screen went black.

"..." Mu Ye.

"Are there experts in the Shen Mansion?" Mu Ye was startled.

Judging by the aura of that final Sword Light, its owner was at least a Third Grade Martial Warrior with a hundred apertures open.

If the Shen Mansion had an expert that powerful, the Tutorial Stage probably wouldn't even exist. Could Madam Shen have hired him during this time?

But a Third Grade Martial Warrior was a renowned figure even in Taiping City!

At the very least, he would be the master of a major school.

Someone like that wouldn't be easy to hire.

Never mind. At least he had figured out some of Madam Shen's preferences.

He loaded a save, avoided Madam Shen's chamber, and slipped away directly.