It seems Miao Yi had misunderstood Sun Lianping. This was not his own personal issue, but a mindset instilled upon the entire Traversing Water Palace.
Miao Yi could even understand why the bastard that sent Qi Xiuhong to the Subjugation Crusade was able to do so so easily, when even Huo Lingxiao, as powerful a Hall Master as he was, had to cover up the fact that he had sent him to the Subjugation Crusade. For a mere Manor Head to be able to publicly do such a thing just because he coveted his subordinate's body, without fear of repercussions of any sort, it was easy to imagine how preposterous the rules around this place were!
Miao Yi continued pondering all the way till dawn, but he still couldn't figure out what to do with this situation. He pushed open the window and stood by it, gazing out into the distance from within Raincloud Manor as he helplessly released a sigh.
Hearing him, Yan Xiu and Chen Fei, who had also racked their brains the entire night, walked towards the window. Outside, they could see a seemingly borderless and tranquil lake, shrouded in a layer of white mist. This scenery gave the entire Raincloud Manor a mystical air, as though it were a place of legend, where only fairies resided. It was a truly breathtaking view.
The view was all the more enchanting at the break of dawn.
Within the Raincloud Manor assembly hall, the ten Mountain Chieftains, three Advisors, and six Deacons were all gathered together. This was the first assembly meeting hosted by their new Manor Head.
After everyone had reported on the current status within their respective territories, they awaited Miao Yi's response to the reports they had sent him last night, but to no avail.
Miao Yi decided to completely ignore everything he saw last night. It was all such a mess that he couldn't make heads or tails as to who was right and who was wrong, so he decided to turn a blind eye to it completely. Most importantly, he still had no grasp on the state of affairs around this place!
As the saying goes, the new boss would always crack the whip thrice. Yet oddly enough, Miao Yi didn't crack the whip even once. He merely increased the number of officers in the main troops. This new officer was naturally Yan Xiu, who wasn't too keen on the idea of being in charge of an entire Mountain. As such, he was tasked with managing the one million followers within the Manor Head's personal vassal city—Raincloud City.
Miao Yi barely changed anything else within Raincloud Manor. But just before everyone was about to take their leave, he tossed out a little spark to the crowd, pointing down to Chen Fei as he said, "Chen Fei is a close subordinate of mine from my previous position, and he shall be granted a seat within my ten Mountains. I will decide who to replace in a month!"
Clearly, Miao Yi intended to promote Chen Fei to be a Mountain Chieftain. Although he didn't seem too surprised by it, Chen Fei was feeling quite excited deep down.
The three Advisors and six Deacons of Raincloud Manor immediately heaved a sigh of relief. For the time being, their positions were still secure. However, the ten Mountain Chieftains couldn't help looking at one another. One of them would be replaced! They were all contemplating who they should offer up to be this unfortunate scapegoat so that they could save themselves.
"That will be all for now. Return to your respective Mountains and manage your territories well. If I find out there's someone who dares to cause a ruckus when I have just stepped into office, I will make them pay!" Miao Yi stood up and waved his hand, then took his leave.
"We acknowledge the Manor Head's decree!" the crowd shouted in unison.
After the ten Mountain Chieftains had left, Miao Yi figured he needed to better understand the situation around these parts, and thus went patrolling with Qian'Er and Xue'Er.
As he patrolled the area, Miao Yi was close to losing sight of himself in this paradise. This was a truly relaxing place. Whatever his gaze fell upon, whatever he needed to ask, someone would immediately come forward and explain it to him without him even needing to open his mouth. If he wished to admire the scenery, someone would immediately place a chair behind him; if he was even the slightest bit thirsty, someone would instantly appear with a cup of tea in hand; and no matter what he said, someone would always be there to shower him with praises. His mind couldn't help feeling incredibly relaxed as he basked in this wondrous feeling...
All in all, Miao Yi was given the most attentive treatment possible, making him feel as though he was one of those ancient kings from the age before cultivation started to prosper. This feeling was simply too soothing, to the point that Miao Yi contemplated whether or not he should just enjoy this moment as long as he could. Why must he put himself through all these bloody struggles?
However, Miao Yi snapped himself out of it the moment he thought about it. How long had it been since he set foot here? How could he harbor such thoughts already? The laxness in this place really did have a way of seeping into one's bones.
Miao Yi was no longer in any mood to look around. He pointed to the furthest island connected by the stone bridge and commanded, "Clear away all the people on that island. From this day forth, no one is allowed to set foot on that place without my permission!"
After which, Miao Yi returned to his quarters. He wrote down a report describing the situation here and sent it to Lin Pingping in the capital city, instructing that she request Luo Ping's help in figuring out what the hell was up with this place!
Soon, Miao Yi received news from Zhao Fei's Thousand Lake Manor and Sikong Wuwei's Mulberry Cloud Manor. The two wrote that they were in a similar situation, and were racking their brains on the state of affairs in their respective areas. They both remarked that this place was a little too strange, and for the time being, they didn't dare to recklessly bring in any of their old subordinates here, wondering if Miao Yi had any idea about what was going on in this place.
How could Miao Yi possibly know? He was the one who was seeking answers! Miao Yi quickly replied, saying that he had sent people to investigate and that the two of them shouldn't make any reckless moves for the time being. First and foremost, they needed to at least wait until they had some information on the Tranquil Sun Manor which the three of their Manors surrounded.
For the three of them, who had planned to launch their attack on Tranquil Sun Manor without a moment's delay, the peculiar state of affairs around this place left them no choice but to sit around and twiddle their thumbs!
To make matters worse, the three Suppressing Tenth Hall Advisors—Xu Jinsong, Ji Ze, and Huang Jizhang—each sent Miao Yi a list of names, noting that these were the people in their factions, and requested Miao Yi to arrange a Mountain Chieftain's seat for each of them.
Miao Yi was utterly enraged by this, realizing that these superiors of his didn't follow any rules at all in the way they operate. They didn't even bother discussing with him before deciding to slide all these people in under his wing. Yet, there was no point in throwing a tantrum. This was their culture, and this was the way things were handled in these parts. After all, it was his mistake for trying to curry favor with all three of them in the first place.
Miao Yi would never let such a thing happen in his own territory. If he really paid heed to these unreasonable requests from his superiors, then how was he different than all those apple-polishers out there? If he allowed his Manor Head's authority to slip away so easily, then he would really end up the same kind of person as all these scum. However, much to his dismay, this kind of thing was actually common practice in these parts. It was probably useless to complain to Shen Huaixin as well.
Fortunately for Miao Yi, he had just stepped into office, and thus had a valid reason to delay these instructions. He simply needed to reply saying that he was still unfamiliar with the situation in his Manor and requested for more time.
Miao Yi needed to buy himself some time. He would only make up his mind one he could grasp the situation before him clearly. He immediately sent word to Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei, asking that they reply in the same manner he did. He suspected the two of them were in the same predicament he was in as well. After all, there was no reason for the three Advisors to ask merely him to do such a thing...
On a certain night, Miao Yi was in the middle of cultivation in his silent quarters. Suddenly, he felt a gentle breeze on his face. 'Something's not right,' he thought, 'How can there be wind inside my silent quarters?' Besides which, Miao Yi also caught a whiff of a fragrant scent in the air. It felt as though there was someone beside him. His eyes shot open, and much to his surprise, there really was someone next to him. The other person was standing just by his bed, and he had absolutely no idea how they had managed to get so close to him in the first place.
Qian'Er and Xue'Er wouldn't creep up on him like this, and neither would Chen Fei or Yan Xiu. Miao Yi instinctively jumped away and struck back with the Inversed-Scales Spear at the same time.
A slender hand was quickly raised, grabbing onto the shaft of the spear and immediately stopping it in its tracks. The other hand pressed down on Miao Yi's shoulder, sealing his movements entirely.
Miao Yi was utterly shocked. When he saw who the other person was, he was immediately dazed.
With a cold smile on her face, Wu Menglan stood in front of him, saying sarcastically, "Your skills really aren't half-bad!"
As she raised her hand, Miao Yi immediately slid backward, taking a few steps back to regain his balance. Completely caught off guard by the sudden visit, he asked, "Hall Master Wu, what brings you here?"
"What brings me here, you ask?" Wu Menglan smiled coldly and continued, "You ran all the way here after tricking me, but did you think you could really escape me?"
Miao Yi felt a little guilty, and grumbled inwardly, 'Did you really have to chase me all the way here?' Tucking his Inversed-Scales Spear away, he laughed drily and said, "Surely you jest, Sister Meng. How could I dare to trick you?"
"Is that so?" Wu Menglan raised an eyebrow and said, "Then tell me, in what way is this Raincloud Manor better than any of the ten Manors under my care. I even offered to let you be in charge of two Manors, yet still, you chose to come here. What do you mean by that? And you dare say you're not playing me for a fool?!"
Back when she realized that Miao Yi wasn't going to live up to his promise, Wu Menglan was utterly enraged. It would've been somewhat more acceptable had he chosen to go to a better place than what she had offered. However, the bastard ended up coming to this dump instead. Adding insult to injury, by the time she realized all this, Miao Yi was already gone with the wind, journeying all the way to Traversing Water Palace. Wu Menglan's hands were completely tied. She didn't dare travel to Traversing Water Palace just to cause a scene. If anyone were to find out that she did, then her career would come to an end on the spot. As such, she couldn't do anything to Miao Yi.
However, she then discovered that Miao Yi was not the only one that chose this place. Even Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei, the two whom she met back in Mount Calming Sea, had chosen to come here as well. This piqued Wu Menglan's interest. The Thriving Ten-Thousand Manor under her command had tasted many defeats against Miao Yi, so she was fully aware that this guy was not someone to accept any injustices without a fight. Wu Menglan heavily suspected that Miao Yi had come here with ulterior motives, especially when he had given up such a great opportunity to do so. She couldn't help wondering to herself, 'Can there possibly be an even greater treasure hidden here?'
As such, using the fact that Miao Yi didn't live up to his promise as an excuse, she came all the way here to get to the bottom of it.
Suddenly, Qian'Er and Xue'Er, who had been cultivating just outside the door, came inside. Obviously, it was because they noticed the commotion coming from inside the room. When they noticed the figure of a woman inside Miao Yi's silent quarters, they were utterly shocked. There was no other entrance to the silent quarters other than the door that they were just guarding. How did this person sneak inside without them noticing?
Miao Yi waved his hand to the two young ladies to indicate that he was fine and that they should leave for now.
After the two young ladies left, Miao Yi sighed and said, "Sister Meng, your little brother really didn't cheat you. It's not that I didn't want to go to your place. I just didn't wish to drag you into my mess, so I came all the way here to avoid a calamity."
"Avoid a calamity?" Wu Menglan's eyes brightened as she asked, "What kind of calamity are you trying to avoid by running all the way here?"
Miao Yi laughed bitterly and answered, "I found out the relationship between Huo Lingxiao and the Traversing Moon Palace Lord. How is this not a calamity?"
"You already found out that she's the Traversing Moon Palace Lord?" Wu Menglan said playfully. After which, she continued to scoff, "But according to what I know, your relationship to Huo Lingxiao has already become public knowledge. I am more familiar with that bastard's character than you are. He's the type of guy who cherishes his pride more than anything else. It isn't likely for him to lay a finger on you, especially considering what you know now. Besides, don't tell me Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei also came all this way to avoid this calamity of yours? Stop trying to trick me!"
Miao Yi sighed with lament and said, "Sister Meng, you only know part of the story. To tell you the truth, Governor Lan Hou of the capital city's Martial Manor is involved in this affair as well. I have no idea what sort of relationship there is between Lan Hou, Zhang Tianxiao, and Huo Lingxiao, but Lan Hou had us detained in the capital city's prison precisely because my relationship to Huo Lingxiao was revealed to him. In the end, one of Huyan Taibao's descendants even died. This whole incident was becoming more serious by the second, so the three of us had no choice but to run away!"
Wu Menglan furrowed her brows. She had heard a little about the incident in the capital city, and asked suspiciously, "It isn't because your handmaidens were taken advantage of?"
Miao Yi shook his head and replied, "Things weren't that simple. Initially, that incident was supposed to be concluded at that. Lan Hou had even decided to release our handmaidens and sentence Huyan Shou to ten years in prison. However, right after he found out about my relationship to Huo Lingxiao, Lan Hou personally sent out a decree for the three of us to be detained as well. After which, Huyan Shou even ended up dying a mysterious death inside the capital city's prison. This entire incident was utterly baffling. Even now, I don't have the slightest clue about what happened."