Chapter 213: Senior Brother, I’m a little wary
The snow landed softly on the umbrella’s canopy as Ye Anping strolled along the corridors of Yun Mansion, his eyes scanning left and right, seeking any traces or clues. He was still determining how Zhuang Yan’s associates would infiltrate Yun Mansion and abduct Yun Yiyi.
In the game, if players followed Yun Yiyi’s storyline, they would encounter her abduction plot, although the details were vague. After a night’s sleep, a maid would knock on the player’s door, informing them of Yun Yiyi’s disappearance. However, Yun Yiyi, being clever, would leave a mark with scented powder during her abduction. Following the task prompts, players would find her in a cave atop a snowy peak, barely clinging to life. But this wasn’t a game.
Players couldn’t get as close to Yun Yiyi as he could in the game. He, his junior sister, and Feng Yudie worked simultaneously on three tasks, which was impossible in the game. There had been changes in the plot, as confirmed by Feng Yudie’s remarks the previous night.
If players followed Yun Jiujiu’s storyline, they would avoid encountering an ambush by Zhuang Yan’s men in the game. However, Feng Yudie claimed to have been ambushed by a group of foundation-building cultivators. In other words, if he didn’t intervene, Yun Yiyi would indeed be kidnapped, but the same group might also kill him.
Ye Anping walked to the edge of Yun Mansion’s perimeter wall, only to suddenly hear hurried footsteps behind him. The maid, Huang Quan, knocked on his door earlier that morning.
Seeing Ye Anping turn around before she could reach him, Huang Quan pursed her lips for a moment, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Hello, sir,” She greeted.
Ye Anping narrowed his eyes, wondering if something was amiss with this girl. Was her name Huang Quan? In the game, she was Yun Yiyi’s accessory, silent and only responding with “Yes” or “I understand”. She should be fine since she survived until the end of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect. However, her nervous expression now made him uneasy.
With a hint of caution, Ye Anping asked, “Miss Huang Quan, is something important to discuss?”
Huang Quan, visibly nervous, couldn’t meet Ye Anping’s gaze and stuttered, “Sir, I saw you alone, so I wanted to come and hold an umbrella for you…”
“That’s not necessary. Don’t you have other tasks to attend to?”
“No… I am the eldest lady’s maid. I usually only take care of her daily needs. After you come over, I’ll also be responsible for your daily life… and other matters…”
Huang Quan’s voice trailed off until she could only mouth the words.
Ye Anping furrowed his brows, asking, “What?”
“Oh… it’s nothing, nothing,” Huang Quan hastily waved her hand, “Taking care of you is also my duty. Let me hold the umbrella for you.”
“…”
“Hmm… Is there something you’re suspicious of?” Ye Anping observed her momentarily, pondered, and nodded in agreement.
Regardless of whether this maid had any ulterior motives, she wouldn’t dare to act now. Besides, she was only at the second or third level of Qi refining. He was confident he could handle it, whether it was an ambush or anything else.
After handing over the umbrella handle, Huang Quan’s eyes lit up instantly. She eagerly took the paper umbrella, extended her arms, and covered Ye Anping’s head with the umbrella, but she stood outside.
“Why are you holding the umbrella-like this? Won’t you get soaked in the snow?” Ye Anping questioned.
“It’s the rule…” Huang Quan explained. “A servant can’t hold an umbrella with the master. When holding an umbrella, the servant must stand outside. Haven’t you had servants before?”
Ye Anping paused, realizing he wasn’t aware of such a rule. He remembered back when he helped his junior sister practice in the Hundred Lotus Sect, they would hold an umbrella together, watching her practice in the rain.
“Come in, I don’t adhere to such rules,” Ye Anping invited.
“Oh… I can’t do that,” Huang Quan shook her head. “If the young lady sees, I’ll be scolded. I’m fine like this… I’m not cold.”
Ye Anping hesitated, observing her tense demeanour, and sighed. He was about to offer her his cloak when he realized it was a gift from Yun Yiyi, so he retrieved another cloak from his storage bag and draped it over her back.
“Don’t refuse,” He insisted.
“Ah…” Huang Quan was surprised and grateful, nodding shyly. “Thank you, brother-in-law…”
Ye Anping then checked her sleeves to ensure she wasn’t hiding anything before continuing along the path. Huang Quan followed closely, holding the umbrella.
After walking about five hundred steps, passing through a moon-shaped arch, they arrived at a lotus pond. Due to the snow, the pond’s surface was covered in thick ice, with snow accumulated on top. A sizeable artificial rockery in the pond was frozen in place.
Ye Anping looked around but didn’t notice anything unusual. He was about to move on to the following location when Huang Quan spoke up, offering to explain the significance of the place.
“Huh! Then you tell me,” Ye Anping responded.
Huang Quan blinked, unsure of what to say. She didn’t know much about the place but wanted to talk to Ye Anping more to become more familiar with him. This way, she thought, she would have a better chance of being called to serve him in the future.
Looking at the frozen rockery in the pond, she began, “Brother-in-law, this is the Drunken Lotus Pond. It’s the eldest lady’s favourite spot. She planted all the lotus flowers herself, and they seem to be seven-star snow lotuses, which are quite valuable and even considered a treasure.”
“Hmm… I’ve heard of ” Water treasures,” Ye Anping replied casually as he strolled along the pool’s edge.
Thinking that Ye Anping wasn’t interested in what she was saying, Huang Quan paused for a moment before continuing, “Oh, by the way, there used to be a very deep hole in the rockery, like a naturally formed underground valley leading to a small cave on the mountainside of Yishui Peak. When the eldest lady was young, she often liked to explore inside.”
Hearing this, Ye Anping raised his eyebrows and asked, “What?”
Seeing his interest piqued, Huang Quan hurriedly added, “But it’s sealed now. The small cave on the mountainside has also been blocked with stones, so it’s impossible to enter. The eldest lady said it’s very unsafe.”
Ye Anping crouched down, peering at the rockery before the pool. “Where exactly is the mountainside?”
“It seems to be deep in a bamboo forest. I’ve never been there, so I can’t take you, but Senior Liu in the warehouse might know. He’s ancient and has watched the eldest lady grow up,” Huang Quan explained.
“Alright… let’s go and explore somewhere else,” Ye Anping decided.
He made a mental note to come back later and place some talismans there, just in case Zhuang Yan’s people tried to sneak in through that route to kidnap Yun Yiyi. After a while, they left the area and continued their exploration elsewhere.
