Meeting an Old Friend Again

In Zhang Xiaohua's mind, since the Incense-Passing Cult had brought Ou Yan to Shixin Peak, they would surely have locked her in some secluded little room. Why would they go to the trouble of doing anything more?

But when he saw the enormous courtyard behind Shixin Peak, no less impressive than Misty Hall, Zhang Xiaohua realized how petty he had been. He lacked the Cult Master's magnanimous bearing and lavish hand. Yet after he emerged from underground and slipped into a corner of the brightly lit courtyard, one look left him frozen on the spot. This... wasn't it exactly the same as the courtyard where Ou Yan held discussions at Huanxi Mountain Villa?

Zhang Xiaohua had stayed at Huanxi Mountain Villa for quite some time, but he had rarely visited Ou Yan's Inner Courtyard. He had only seen the area with the main hall, so his impression of it was exceptionally deep. Now, seeing the trees, flowers, plants, and every other part of this courtyard arranged exactly as he remembered, he could scarcely believe it. If not for the fact that the trunk of the huge tree on the left side of the courtyard bore none of the marks he had carved into it with Dream Chaser years ago, he would almost have thought everything here had been moved over from Huanxi Mountain Villa!

"Tut, tut." Zhang Xiaohua smacked his somewhat dry lips and muttered, "Good heavens. No wonder so many people chase after power. This stuff seems even more useful than gold. If I had to spend money building a courtyard identical to Huanxi Mountain Villa's, I wouldn't even dream of it. One meditation cushion would be enough for me. But the Cult Master only had to move her lips, and this courtyard became an exact replica. Truly... sigh,