Zhu Tong... Five!?"

The next day.

While the morning light had only just risen over the eastern hills, people already knew it would be a bright, sunny day.

Yet Northern Garden Manor was already bustling beyond measure. The front plaza in particular was decorated with lanterns and banners, drums rolling in waves as people hurried back and forth. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought it was New Year's. But those who knew understood that today was even more important than New Year's. If today's "major event" failed, they might never get to celebrate another New Year again.

Beneath that bustling surface lay another atmosphere altogether—a heavy, oppressive silence. Countless people throughout the manor were on high alert, their nerves stretched taut. Even if a fly passed before their eyes, they would catch it to see whether it belonged to the enemy. Calling it a case of seeing enemies in every blade of grass would not have been an exaggeration.

Yin Kuang, however, knew nothing of this. Even when the sun was high in the sky, he was still deep in slumber. He had been awakened once by the noise in the manor earlier, and the irritated Yin Kuang had cursed, stuffed two balls of cotton into his ears, and gone back to sleep. It was not merely because he was tired and fond of sleep; he had to restore his body to its absolute best condition!

Of course, he had not kept the As-You-Will Staff on him while resting. Otherwise, with its constant draining and replenishing, he would never reach his peak condition.

Good times were meant for sleeping. Yin Kuang slept until he woke naturally. When he checked the time, he discovered it was already 11:05 in the morning. He leaped from the bed and stretched. After a series of