Corruption, Too Corrupt!

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

A Suden Inspiration struck Mu Ye, and he decided to first use the Thief persona to scout the Shen Mansion and prepare thoroughly.

Now that he had learned Vajra Leg, if he could open more Divine Apertures, not only would his leg strength greatly increase, but it would also provide a certain boost to his Lightness Skill, allowing him to perform Wall-Walking without making a sound.

Furthermore, with Divine Apertures opened, learning other Lightness Skills would also be very easy.

Changing into the Thief persona, Mu Ye gazed at the moonlight and swiftly glided between the eaves like a Swallow Dips Water.

"This Shen Mansion is several levels larger than the Iron Leg Sect..."

"It's a true mansion of ancient times, wouldn't you say?"

He had visited the Shen Mansion during the Tutorial Stage, so he only knew a little about it.

Arriving at the familiar backyard of the Shen Mansion, during the Tutorial Stage, there was a hint that he could infiltrate from a lower area.

The Demon Sealer, with his average Lightness Skill, would be discovered after infiltrating.

It was different with the Thief persona. With a light leap, like a Strong Breeze, unless Hero Shen himself were alive, the house guards inside, even with two extra pairs of eyes, might not be able to discover him.

The infiltration point was a miscellaneous courtyard, where many miscellaneous items were stored.

After coming out, Mu Ye began to explore slowly.

Before long, Mu Ye smelled a fragrance. Seeing that it came from the kitchen, he stealthily crept over.

He discovered many house guards and chefs preparing all sorts of Delicacies, which dazzled Mu Ye.

"Are they preparing for a banquet?"

"How extravagant... Is that a Blood Lotus Seed? I heard this thing is worth a thousand coins per seed and can slightly expand a Martial Warrior's Divine Apertures..."

"These dishes alone must be worth over ten thousand coins..."

Mu Ye clicked his tongue inwardly. The wealth of the Shen Mansion was the accumulation of Hero Shen over decades, it was no ordinary feat.

Speaking of which, Madam Shen's background was quite mysterious...

After watching for a while, Mu Ye noticed several beautiful maids heading to another Separate Courtyard from the kitchen.

These maids were blessed with Skin Like Jade and Bright Eyes and White Teeth, exuding a faint Fragrance. Mu Ye could smell the subtle scent emanating from them from a distance.

They clearly weren't ordinary maids. Even their Dresses were Embroidered Orchids, and they wore Pendants on their necks, wrists, and in their hair.

Mu Ye guessed they were likely Madam Shen's Personal Maids. He wondered what they were preparing.

He walked to the Side Room.

Mu Ye flew above this separate courtyard and climbed down to listen for a moment.

Not long after.

A sound of warbling birds, mixed with soft murmurs, drifted over.

"Shui Wan, don't shake, if you shake, this fine tea will fall..."

"Gantang, you and Jingshu stick close! If even one tea leaf falls, Madam will have your skin torn open!"

"The distinguished guest is someone Madam Shen herself is cooking for, be careful!"

"..."

What are they doing?

Mu Ye listened, puzzled. It couldn't be that a few maids were playing 'sticking together' on the floor inside this room, right?

Listening to the sounds, it didn't seem like it.

Mu Ye gently removed a few tiles and looked. His eyes immediately widened.

"Holy crap... decadent, too decadent."

Mu Ye quickly put the tile back. "My knowledge is too shallow..."

These maids, exuding a fragrance and looking beautiful, were actually embracing each other in pairs, whispering sweet nothings, playing art.

They were flushed, their bodies covered in patches of special pale red leaves, truly...

After listening for a while, he could vaguely make out that they were making a type of tea, Rushang Mingyu Tea.

"I'm so ignorant..."

Mu Ye slipped away. He looked into other rooms and soon arrived at the study room. He went in and took a look, finding a great many books inside. Each book was filled with dense handwriting.

Clearly, this study room was not just for show, but was frequently used.

"Judging by the elegant handwriting, it should be Madam Shen..."

He didn't find any martial arts books.

Most of them were related to economics, politics, livelihood, and military affairs, or historical records, and some books of curiosity.

"If it's Madam Shen's handwriting, from this, one can also see Madam Shen's interests..."

"She is good at management and should have a good understanding of court politics..."

"She also has a deep understanding of the wars that occurred throughout the past dynasties of the Tianqi Dynasty..."

"As for these curiosity-seeking books..."

Mu Ye paused slightly.

These books were interesting. Most of them were unknown, focusing on the bizarre and strange.

Unlike other books, these had no notes.

But from the signs of being flipped through, Mu Ye could subtly detect that if Madam Shen had read them, she seemed to pay more attention to 'cold body, Yang Energy, Lifespan, Strange Illness' and similar curiosities.

For example, a book titled <Chronicles of Boys and Girls in the Early Tianqi Era>

It described:

"In the early Tianqi Era, there was Princess Youyin, with exceptional talent. However, she had a cold constitution, her apertures opening with Frostbound Limbs, causing unbearable pain. She lived for five years, enduring Flame Roasting, medicine, and skill transmission, all... known as Cold Aperture Syndrome."

Essentially, this princess possessed extremely high martial arts talent, but after opening her apertures, her limbs became frostbound, causing unbearable pain. She suffered from an unknown illness, and despite prolonged efforts to save her, she couldn't be cured.

There were similar Inflammations and Body Symptoms in the folk, a series of messy strange illnesses.

These strange illnesses all erupted after opening apertures through martial arts, leaving the Imperial Physicians of that time helpless, and eventually burying her in despair.

Some called it the Demon Plague.

Being infected by demons.

"In a world where demons are born, it's not surprising to have these messy illnesses..."

In the early Tianqi Dynasty, there weren't many demons then, not comparable to now.

However, after the demon outbreak, there were fewer records of these illnesses.

But these were strange tales, not historical records, so their truthfulness was unknown.

"It seems Madam Shen is also a woman who loves to read..."

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

The Shen Mansion was vast, with a Hanhai Pavilion specifically for recording martial arts, a Martial Arts Hall for training, and a Treasury for storing gold and silver...

These places were heavily guarded by many House Guards, making infiltration difficult.

The numerous other Guest Rooms and Separate Courtyards would take at least half a day to explore.

Then there was Madam Shen's Boudoir.

As Mu Ye approached, A Man in Black flew out from the shadows:

"Your skills are impressive, to be able to infiltrate this place so silently..."

Mu Ye took one look and knew this Man in Black was likely the one who had stopped the Demon Sealer earlier.

He must be an Assassin hired by the Shen Mansion, extremely skilled in infiltration and theft.

[1, That's because your skills are too poor (Fight)]

[2, We're colleagues, I haven't stolen anything from you, how about we part ways here and pretend this never happened? (Flee)]

[3, Madam Shen, why are you here too? (Feint)]

[4, ...]

Mu Ye chose to flee.

However, he didn't manage to escape. The Man in Black chuckled twice, not pursuing, just watching.

A Sword Light, coming from nowhere, slashed through the void, instantly killing him.

"Die."

The screen went black.

"..." Mu Ye.

"Does the Shen Mansion have an expert?" Mu Ye was stunned.

Judging by the aura of that final Sword Light, it was at least a Third Grade Martial Warrior who had opened a hundred acupoints.

If the Shen Mansion had such a powerful expert, there probably wouldn't be a Tutorial Stage. Could it be someone Madam Shen hired recently?

But a Third Grade Martial Warrior is a prominent figure even in Taiping City!

At least at the level of a Hall Master.

They aren't that easy to hire.

Forget it, at least he's gotten a grasp of some of Madam Shen's preferences.

Reload the save, don't go near Madam Shen's Side Room, just slip away.