The Martial God who started at Mantuo Manor

Page 104

This subtle change was immediately noticed by the man behind her who knew her body intimately.

Wang Meng didn't speak, but held her hand and tightened it even more, as if he wanted to completely meld her into his bones and blood.

He turned her face and forced her to look into his eyes.

His eyes, which always held a hint of mockery and desire, were now filled with an icy chill, like an abyss.

He stared at her, and said with a cold laugh, word by word, "I have to eliminate the hidden dangers for you."

His thumb gently touched her smooth, slightly cool cheek, the movement tender, but the words he spoke carried a chilling murderous intent.

"I need to eliminate the potential dangers for you."

His thumb gently traced her smooth, slightly cool cheek, the movement as tender as if he were handling a rare treasure, yet the words he spoke carried a cruelty that could freeze one's very bones.

"This trip will take me at least six months to come back."

In the past six months, although with her around, things at Mantuo Manor might not necessarily go wrong, but... how can one guard against thieves a thousand days when one is already committing a crime?

His voice was soft, yet every word was piercing.

Every word was like a heavy iron hammer, striking Li Qingluo's heart hard.

Her heart, which had softened because of her daughter's departure, was instantly shattered by this cold, bloody reality.

Then, he glued them back together in an even more domineering and unquestionable way.

Li Qingluo's breath hitched slightly.

Looking into Wang Meng's unfathomable eyes, which now reflected only her, she suddenly understood something.

Now she understood that Wang Meng's true purpose had always been the same.

That's her!

And, with her at the center, he would uproot every single potential factor that might even pose the slightest threat to his absolute control over his "possessions"!

"in addition!"

Wang Meng looked into her eyes, which were gradually filled with shock and beauty, and a colder, more menacing smile curled at the corner of his lips: "The things the Murong family of Gusu did to you, I simply didn't know before..."

His hand slowly slid from her cheek to her slender, delicate neck, the pad of his thumb gently pressing on her pulsating, warm artery, feeling the vibrant life force that belonged only to him.

"...but that doesn't mean I won't hold it against you."

The artery in the neck was under Wang Meng's warm fingertips.

One, one!

Powerful, pulsating!

That was not just the flow of blood, but also Li Qingluo's most real and vulnerable life pulse at this moment, which he controlled effortlessly.

This is an extreme form of intimacy, and also an extreme form of control.

Li Qingluo's entire body froze completely because of Wang Meng's words and actions.

A strange sensation, a mixture of extreme fear and extreme trembling, shot up her spine like lightning from her tailbone, causing goosebumps to rise all over her body from excitement.

Her beautiful eyes, blurred with desire.

At this moment, however, his vision was crystal clear, reflecting Wang Meng's face, which was filled with a cruel smile.

Her body was no longer stiff in Wang Meng's arms.

Instead, she softened completely with an unprecedented level of compliance.

She even took the initiative to gently rub her warm cheek against the hand that held her destiny in its grasp.

"A fierce official..."

Her voice was sickeningly sweet, with a trembling quality of being completely conquered, "I'll do whatever you say."

Amidst these tender yet murderous whispers, on the surface of Taihu Lake, a small, inconspicuous awning boat silently parted the morning mist and slowly sailed towards Suzhou.

At the bow of the ship, Wang Yuyan, dressed in plain white, stood quietly, like a lifeless, exquisite white jade statue.

The wind on the lake blew through her long, ink-black hair and stirred the hem of her simple dress, but she remained motionless.

Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were fixed on the silhouette of Mantuo Villa behind her, which was gradually blurring in the morning mist.

There was no sadness of parting, no lingering attachment to the old house in those eyes, only a deep, cold glare, as if frozen for a thousand years.

Deng Baichuan stood behind her, looking at her thin yet resolute back, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This loyal old retainer wanted to say something several times, but when he saw her cold profile, he swallowed all his words.

The covered boat gradually sailed into the distance.

Finally, it disappeared into the vast mist of Taihu Lake.

The island behind it, filled with both beauty and sin, suddenly became abuzz with excitement, like a powder keg tossed into a spark.

As the last silhouette of the awning boat carrying Wang Yuyan and Deng Baichuan completely disappeared into the morning mist of Taihu Lake, the Mantuo Villa behind it, which had just experienced a sensational auction and should have returned to tranquility, suddenly boiled over like a pot of oil that had been thrown into a flint, in a way completely contrary to its beautiful name.

The auction itself has indeed come to an end.

But for those wealthy merchants who spent lavishly to acquire valuable treasures, and for those sellers who successfully sold their goods, the real busyness had only just begun.

This is unlike any other transaction.

The items auctioned here are rare treasures that you can easily pocket and carry away.

More than anything else, there was a complete set of lost forging blueprints, an ingenious mechanism that needed to be disassembled and moved, dozens of boxes of rare spices from the Western Regions, and even several ships of deep-sea pearls from the East China Sea.

The inventory, verification, handover, and most importantly, loading and transport of these huge and valuable "goods" is an extremely complicated and massive undertaking.

It would be impossible to complete the whole thing in less than ten days, half a month, or even several months.

Therefore, at this moment, Mantuo Villa did not become deserted because of the departure of the guests. On the contrary, it presented a more chaotic, more money-grubbing, and more vibrant scene.

The main bluestone path that runs through several courtyards in the manor was crowded with people hurrying by.

The accountants, accompanied by their servants, each with an abacus in hand, clattered away behind the ruddy-faced, pot-bellied merchants, repeatedly checking the amounts on the invoices.

Teams of burly guards from various local escort agencies arrived, long swords at their waists, their sharp eyes watching the large, sealed wooden crates being carefully carried out of the storeroom.

Not far away, at the Taihu Lake wharf, the atmosphere was bustling with activity. Dozens of cargo ships of various sizes were moored together, and the shouts of the boatmen, the dull thud of wooden crates hitting the ground, and the creaking of wheels rolling over stone slabs blended into a noisy symphony full of the atmosphere of wealth.

Those martial arts figures and wealthy merchants who were not yet in charge of the handover gathered in twos and threes in the pavilions and terraces, enjoying the finest Biluochun tea provided by the manor while enthusiastically reminiscing about the thrilling events at the auction a few days ago. Occasionally, they would express their awe and speculation about the mysterious new manor owner, Wang Meng.

Everything was so normal.

It's normal, just like the lively end of a grand temple fair.

However, this clamor built on money, force, and order was soon torn open by a piercing scream filled with extreme fear, sharp enough to shatter everyone's eardrums.

"Ah! Someone's dead!!!"

The sound came from the direction of Huanshi Water Pavilion.

It was a young maidservant, only fourteen or fifteen years old, who was responsible for delivering breakfast to Wang Yuyan. At this moment, she was scrambling out of that elegant embroidered building, her small face as white as paper, her eyes wide open, her pupils filled with indescribable terror.

She even lost a shoe while running, and with only one foot, she stumbled and fell onto the bluestone path, her hands flailing wildly in the air, and a series of incoherent sobs, like those of a nightmare, escaped her throat.

"Blood... so much blood... Sister Xiang... Sister Cui'er, they... they're all lying on the ground... not moving at all..."

The commotion, like ripples stirred by the wind, spread rapidly from the young maidservant as its center.

The guards and stewards who were nearby were the first to react and rushed over. When they burst through the gate of Wang Yuyan's boudoir, even these seasoned men couldn't help but gasp.

In the exquisite courtyard, five or six maids lay sprawled on the ground. They were Wang Yuyan's personal maids, but now they lay unconscious on the cold ground with their eyes closed.

Several of them had a pool of dark red blood that had begun to thicken under the back of their heads.

The door to the boudoir was wide open, and there was no one inside!

"Where's the lady!"

An old woman's expression changed drastically, and she shouted sternly.

"I...I saw...I saw a very fierce, very old man...taking Miss Wang away!"

The young maid who had been helped up finally caught her breath, sobbing uncontrollably as she stammered, "Miss...Miss...she seemed to have been crying for a long time...her face was pale...like...like she had lost her soul...that old man...half-dragged, half-carried...onto a small boat...towards...towards Suzhou!"

"A very fierce old man?"

Did you see who it was?

"I can see...I can see it clearly now..."

The young maidservant tried hard to recall, her body trembling uncontrollably with fear. "I...I think I saw him once before...in the vicinity of Canhe Village...from afar...he...they all called him...Deng...Lord Deng..."

Deng Xiaoping!

Deng Baichuan!

This name, like a boulder, crashed into the hearts of everyone present!

Deng Baichuan, the head of the four great retainers of the Murong clan of Gusu!

The news spread like wildfire, faster than a plague, throughout the entire Mantuo Manor in the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn!

At first, it was just fearful whispers among the servants.

“Have you heard?

"The young lady has been kidnapped by the Murong family!"

"My God! How dare they! The auction just ended!"

"I heard they even killed several of our sisters! Right at the entrance of the embroidery tower!"

Soon, this news reached the ears of merchants and martial arts practitioners whose sense of smell was even more acute than that of hunting dogs.

"what?"

"The Murong family has kidnapped people at Mantuo Manor!"

"Isn't this...slapping Madam Wang in the face?"

Do not!

This is a slap in the face to all of us!

Chapter 49: Attacking the Murong Clan of Gusu!