Early morning. The Outskirts of Chen Family Village.
Two military jeeps stopped at the edge of the wilderness. General Zhao opened the door and straightened his uniform.
Nothing lay ahead but a stretch of wild grass.
A breeze swept past. With his hands clasped behind his back, Changqingzi stepped out of thin air.
"General Zhao, Master is in the Back Courtyard." Changqingzi nodded slightly, then turned to lead the way.
General Zhao followed him into the formation. The wilderness before his eyes instantly transformed into a vibrant Song-Style Courtyard House.
The moment he stepped through the courtyard entrance, General Zhao stopped short.
Two pitch-black, heavily armored puppets stood at the entrance. Ghostly blue flames burned in their eyes. A chilling, sinister aura locked onto him. These were the new bodies inhabited by Withered Wood Ancestor and Mystic Radiance True Person.
Beside the Medicine Garden, an exquisitely beautiful woman with extensive burn scars on her left cheek-Violet Frost Fairy-was watering the plants, holding a bucket in one hand.
General Zhao swallowed. He had met Yun Sheng and Changqingzi before. But each of these three new faces in the courtyard radiated a pressure every bit as imposing as Changqingzi's.
Had three more mythical monsters joined Advisor Chen's courtyard?
General Zhao collected himself and hurried toward the pavilion in the Back Courtyard.
Chen Lin sat on a stone stool, holding Spirit Spring Tea in his left hand while casually stroking Clear Wind with his right. The spirit cat nestled in his arms had already advanced to Foundation Establishment.
Yun Sheng stood behind him with her sword cradled in her arms. Her cool gaze swept over General Zhao, then lowered.
"Sit." Chen Lin pointed to the stone stool opposite him.
General Zhao did not sit. Instead, he stood ramrod straight and took a top-secret