Old Friends Reunited

In the Banshan Manor, several bluestone paths extend into the depths, with flying dragons and phoenixes carved on the bluestone slabs.

The Old Liu led the way. When he turned around, he saw Qing Chen looking at the Banshan Manor with curiosity. He chuckled and said, "What? Didn't expect there to be such beautiful scenery in the city?"

Qing Chen shook his head. "Never seen it before."

"Of course you haven't seen it," Old Liu laughed. "Living in the other districts, you not only have to squeeze into elevators with other people every day, but you also have to live in cramped tin cans. Did you never expect that the manor in District 1 could have artificial hills, gardens, and artificial lakes? Did you never expect that there could be such low-rise houses here? Yours is just survival, this is what you call living."

Qing Chen looked around and was surprised to find that the architecture of the Banshan Manor was more traditional Chinese, with many houses constructed of brick, stone and wood.

The entire City No. 18 was exceptionally bustling and crowded because of its towering buildings. He knew that it was because of the high population density, so the city had to grow towards the sky.

The District 1 is different. Being able to excavate an artificial lake in a federal city where land is extremely valuable demonstrates its unique status and position.

But...

This kind of scenery is really common in the Outer World.

To be honest, the Outer World may not be as good as the Inner World in other aspects, but in terms of per capita living space, it absolutely blows the Inner World out of the water.

Also, the "short house" that Old Liu was showing off was actually a four-story wooden building, and the building Qing Chen lived in in the Outer World was also four stories high...

If he were poorer, he might have to live in a bungalow.

It has to be said that Qing Chen could always sense the difference in thinking between the two worlds at times like this...

Qing Chen asked, "Where to now?"

"I'll take you to the dormitory first," Old Liu said. "Now that you've become the boss's bodyguard, you'll naturally have to live here. You'll have to go with the boss whenever he goes out."

"Yes, I understand," Qing Chen nodded.

At this moment, Old Liu remembered Li Changqing's instructions and hurriedly said, "Although you are under my management in terms of your position, the boss specifically told you that you can do whatever you want. Of course, I still want to remind you that although the boss said that, in the eyes of outsiders, you are still the boss's bodyguard. You'd better act like it, otherwise others will think that the boss is not good at managing his subordinates."

The Old Liu's reminder was well-intentioned. After all, Li Changqing was a prominent figure, and if the people he brought along were too ignorant of etiquette, they would probably be laughed at.

The entire Banshan Manor covers a vast area, much like a huge palace; one might even get lost without someone guiding them.

This is the ancestral home of the Li family, symbolizing their status.

The Qing family's ancestral home is in City No. 10, while the Chen family's is in City No. 7.

Qing Chen meticulously recorded the terrain, even memorizing the Chinese-style rooftops and eaves.

"Why is the architectural style here so different from that in the city?" Qing Chen asked. "It's more like..."

"More like the style of the Kamishiro Family?" The Old Liu curled his lip. "You don't understand. This style was actually passed down from our ancestors. The Kamishiro Family is just copying and imitating it. The wood used to build these buildings was transported from the wilderness. It's extremely precious. In the Federation, only important figures can live in wooden buildings."

That wasn't what Qing Chen wanted to ask, but he had already gotten the answer.

At that moment, he suddenly noticed that under the eaves of each building, a heavy copper bell was hung with a red rope, and even when the wind blew, the copper bells hardly moved.

From a distance, the bronze bell has strange patterns, but they are too far away to see clearly.

Old Liu followed his gaze and chuckled, "That's a rare Forbidden Item in the world. You know Forbidden Item, right? Something that ordinary people can never get in their entire lives."

Qing Chen's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was puzzled by the fact that this Old Liu... spoke words that resonated with him deeply.

Sorry, he has two Forbidden Items...

Qing Chen asked casually, "Are those copper bells Forbidden Item? But there are so many of them. I've heard of Forbidden Item, but I've never heard of Forbidden Item like this."

The entire Banshan Manor has dozens of buildings, and if we count the four eaves of each building, that's nearly two hundred copper bells.

If these are considered Forbidden Item, the quantity is terrifyingly large.

The Old Liu scratched his head. "I'm not too sure about that either. Anyway, there are these things on every building in the manor, and no one has ever seriously counted the number."

"Do you know the serial number of this Forbidden Item?" Qing Chen asked.

"It's no secret. ACE-020, the Li family's bosses call it the Heartless Bronze Bell," Old Liu said. "And you can also tell me its function: when someone with malicious intent comes in, the Heartless Bronze Bell closest to the malicious person will ring."

Qing Chen thought to himself, "So the conglomerate has something like this to rely on."

But how does this Forbidden Item determine whether someone has malicious intent? That's a bit too abstract.

"Has this thing ever made a sound before?" Qing Chen asked.

"Of course it has rung," Old Liu explained, "But it hasn't rung in recent years because many people know about the existence of the Heartless Bronze Bell, so those with malicious intentions dare not enter the Banshan Manor anymore."

Qing Chen suddenly wondered if this thing was like Puppet Master, with only one at the first stage, and the number of copper bells increasing based on the number of containment conditions met after unlocking the second stage.

For example, Puppet Master increase the number of people that can be controlled by sacrificing lives.

The Old Liu was a chatterbox. He whispered, "Let me tell you another little-known secret: this thing was given to the current head of the family by a knight leader. You know knights, right? Li Shutong, the seventh master of the Li family, is the current knight leader, one of the few demigods."

Qing Chen asked in shock, "Is that demigod Li Shutong from the Li family?"

The Old Liu had a feeling of "getting away with it": "You're young, so you don't know these Chen Nian. Most of the information about that Seventh Master in the alliance has been deleted. Many ordinary people don't even know that he was also a member of the Li family."

Qing Chen sighed inwardly. He really wished he could stay by Old Liu's side more often, so that he could be in a good mood every day.

"The two small courtyards in front, the one on the left is Feiyun Courtyard where the boss usually lives, and the one next door is Qingshan Courtyard, which is said to be Miss Yinuo's. It is said that Miss Tongyun also moved in recently," Old Liu said. "The side courtyards behind these two courtyards are where we servants live... By the way, you are not a servant."

Qing Chen thought about it and felt that after entering the Banshan Manor, this cyberpunk world also had a touch of traditional Chinese style.

However, above this ancient-style building, squadrons of drones patrolled, weaving a net in the sky.

The drones are equipped with weapons at the bottom and can be fired at any time.

The combination of traditional Chinese style and technology appears both striking and harmonious.

However, Li Yinuo even named her residence "Qingshan Courtyard," how much does she want to climb the Green Mountain Cliff? It's a pity, she has already begun her cultivation, and if she is not an ordinary person, she will never be able to become a knight again.

When Old Liu led Qing Chen past Li Yinuo's Qingshan Courtyard, Li Tongyun Nan Gengchen were sitting around a stone table whispering to each other.

The two of them stopped talking at the same time when they saw Qing Chen and looked at him with surprise.

Qing Chen remained nonchalant, as if he didn't recognize them at all.

The Old Liu in front nodded slightly. "Good morning, Miss Tongyun and Mr. Nan."

As they were talking, Old Liu tugged at Qing Chen's sleeve. "Say hello, quickly say hello to them."

Qing Chen followed suit. "Good morning, Miss Tongyun and Mr. Nan."

"Ah," Nan Gengchen seemed somewhat at a loss.

Li Tongyun said with a smile, "Sixth Uncle, isn't this that little country bumpkin from the Begonia Boxing Gym? What, did Aunt Changqing really recruit him to the Li family?"

The Old Liu was trembling with fear. "You mustn't call me Sixth Uncle. If the other branches of the family heard that, I'd probably be exiled to the wilderness to pick corn."

"It's okay, I'll just call him out privately," Xiao Tongyun said with a smile as she walked to Qing Chen's side, looking him up and down with Qing Chen. "I went to watch your boxing match last night, it was very exciting, I was so worried in the private room."

The little girl spoke in a way that was half true and half false, and Old Liu couldn't detect anything unusual. However, Qing Chen knew that she was taking the opportunity to express her concern.

He smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Miss Tongyun."

"Little Tu, come visit Qingshan Courtyard whenever you have free time," Li Tongyun said with a smile. "Sixth Uncle, please don't bully him. I'm a fan of his."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare to bully him. The boss has already told me that although he's a bodyguard, he doesn't have to do anything," Old Liu hurriedly said.

"That's good," Li Tongyun said with a smile. "Then, Sixth Uncle, you should take Brother Xiaotu to see Aunt first. We can talk about it later when you have some free time."

The Old Liu led Qing Chen forward, and Qing Chen asked, "Who are these two?"

He knew who these two people were, but asking them would have been his normal reaction.

At this moment, the Old Liu replied, "Miss Li Tongyun is one of the more favored members of the Li family across three generations, and the Mr. Nan next to her is Miss Yinuo's kept man..."

As he said this, he secretly observed Qing Chen's expression.

Qing Chen calmly said, "Why are you looking at me like that..."

Old Liu thought Qing Chen had lost face, so he quickly said, "It's alright, it's alright, you're not like him."

He added in his mind: You're better looking than him.

The Old Liu continued walking, giving instructions as he went. "You must never offend these two. When Miss Yinuo goes crazy, she'll even kill members of the family, and she's especially protective of her own. Remember, we can't afford to mess with people like that."

"Okay, I've got it," Qing Chen nodded. "I can't afford to offend them."

Qing Chen suddenly realized that his role as Li Changqing's bodyguard seemed to have actually brought their small group closer together, making it easier for them to plot together.

However, if all three of them are with the Li family, it's like putting all their eggs in one basket, and their information will be somewhat one-sided.

Should I try to find some more talent among the Time Walker from the Chen and Qing families?

It seems difficult, since most of the Time Walker have already been exposed by the Qing and Chen families. Those who can continue to hide are all smart people and generally won't risk their lives for others.

Upon entering Feiyun Courtyard, one sees Li Yinuo and Li Changqing drinking tea in the courtyard, with a black briefcase quietly placed on the stone table in front of them.

When Li Changqing saw Qing Chen arrive, his eyes lit up. "You've arrived?"

"Yes," Qing Chen nodded.

But then Li Changqing patted the black briefcase in front of him. "The FDE-001 and 002 sequences will have to wait another half month, but we have extra 003, which you urgently need right now. There's no time like the present, so Auntie will give you the injection today."

Qing Chen: "???"

Auntie, this time it really can't be done!

Please vote for me, bosses!