Chapter 105
The Li family estate in Baihe County.
The estate sprawled across a massive fifteen hectares, its size comparable to that of a duke’s or general’s residence in the Wu Dynasty. Within the estate, artificial hills and streams, elegant gardens, and refined architecture abounded. The Li family even modeled a “Thousand Carp Pond” after the famed Xu Manor in the Wu capital.
The estate employed over a hundred maids and servants, not even counting the private guards. It was hard to imagine that such a grand estate belonged to a clan in a remote small town. In cities with stricter oversight, such a property—far exceeding what was permissible—would have drawn immediate scrutiny.
But this was Baihe County, and for the Li family, one of the “Four Local Tyrants,” such extravagance was untouchable.
In the backyard of the estate, a man sat cross-legged on a large stone. Black spiritual energy surrounded him, flickering like a sinister aura as he practiced his breathing. His skin alternated between light and dark, lending him an eerie, almost demonic appearance.
“Hui’er, are you sure we don’t need to leave? That Yu Ping’an is now an Imperial Scholar!” Li Chade, the head of the Li family, spoke anxiously.
Li Chade had been on edge for months. Ever since the capital’s golden examination roster reached Baihe County and he learned of the crippled scholar who had become an Imperial Scholar, he’d had a sinking feeling.
After conducting an investigation, he discovered the horrifying truth: this “crippled scholar” was none other than the young man whose leg his family had broken years ago.
Since then, Li Chade had been unable to sleep soundly.