Chapter 302: 234. Old Friends Reunite

Halfway up the mountainside Manor, several bluestone paths extended into the depths, with flying dragons and phoenixes carved on the stones.

Leading the way, Lao Liu looked back to see Qing Chen eyeing Halfway up the mountainside Manor with a curious expression, and he chuckled, “What, you didn’t expect to find such beautiful scenery inside the city, did you?”

Qing Chen shook his head, “I haven’t seen it before.”

“Of course, you haven’t seen it,” Lao Liu laughed, “Living in other districts, not only do you squeeze into elevators every day, but also live in cramped tin boxes. Did you ever imagine that manors in The First District could have rockeries, gardens, artificial lakes? Did you ever expect to find such low buildings here? That’s survival where you are; this is called living.”

Qing Chen surveyed his surroundings; unexpectedly, the architecture of Halfway up the mountainside Manor leaned toward traditional Chinese style, with many buildings constructed of a mix of bricks, stone, and wood.

The entire No. 18 City with its towering buildings seemed exceptionally bustling and crowded. He knew it was because of the high population density, hence the city had to develop upwards into the sky.

But The First District was different—in the land where every inch is worth its weight in gold within the Federal City, carving out an artificial lake was a testament to a unique status.

Yet…

This scenery was quite common in the Outer World.

To be honest, the Outer World might not compare to the Inner World in some aspects, but if we talk about living space per capita, it simply overshadows the Inner World.

Moreover, the “low buildings” that Lao Liu boasted about were a four-story wooden building, and ironically, the building Qing Chen lived in the Outer World was also four stories tall…

If he were any poorer, he might even have to live in a bungalow.

It has to be said that at times like this, Qing Chen could truly feel the ideological differences between the two worlds.

Qing Chen asked, “Where to now?”

“I’ll take you to the dormitory first,” said Lao Liu, “you’ve become the boss’s bodyguard, so naturally, you’ll live here. Whenever the boss goes out, you’ll have to follow.”

“Okay, understood,” Qing Chen nodded.

At that moment, Lao Liu remembered what Li Changqing had told him, and hastily added, “Although technically, you’re under my management, the boss specifically said you can do as you please. Of course, I’d still like to remind you that although the boss said so, in the eyes of others, you’re the boss’s bodyguard, so it’s better to act the part a little. Otherwise, people might think the boss has no control over his staff.”

Lao Liu’s reminder came from goodwill; after all, Li Changqing was a figure of status, and it would be embarrassing if someone he brought along lacked proper manners.

The entire Halfway up the mountainside Manor was huge, akin to an enormous palace. Without guidance, one could even get lost.

This was the ancestral home of the Lee family, symbolizing their standing.

Qing’s Family ancestral home was in City No. 10, and the Chen Clan’s in City No. 7.

Qing Chen conscientiously recorded the layout here, noting even the Chinese-style eaves and roof corners in his mind.

“Why is the architectural style here so different from the city’s?” Qing Chen inquired, “It resembles…”

“More like the Jindai family style?” Lao Liu smirked, “You don’t understand, do you? This style is actually passed down from our ancestors; the Jindai family is just imitating it. The wood used for these buildings is transported from the wilderness, incredibly precious. In the Federation, only the bigwigs with status can afford to live in wooden buildings.”

Qing Chen wanted to ask something else, but he had already received his answer.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that under the eaves of every building, a heavily weighted bronze bell was suspended by red cords, barely moving even when the wind blew.

From a distance, the bells bore strange patterns, too far to see clearly.

Following his gaze, Lao Liu chuckled, “Those are some of the rarer Taboo items in the world. You know Taboo items, right? Things ordinary people can’t get in a lifetime.”

Qing Chen’s expression remained calm, but inside he was surprised that Lao Liu… seemed to be hitting close to home with every sentence.

Apologies, but he already had two Taboo items…

As if nothing were out of the ordinary, Qing Chen casually asked, “Those bronze bells are Taboo items? But there seem to be so many of them. I’ve heard of Taboo items, but I’ve never heard of any Taboo items quite like this.”

With dozens of buildings in Halfway up the mountainside Manor, and four eaves per building, that made nearly two hundred bronze bells.

For Taboo items, that was a terrifying amount.

Lao Liu scratched his head, “I’m not very sure about that; all I know is that every house here has one of these things, and nobody’s ever really counted them.”

“Do you know the serial number of this Taboo item?” Qing Chen asked.

“It’s no secret, ACE-020. The bosses of the Lee family call it the ‘Heartless Bronze Bell’,” said Lao Liu, “And I can tell you what it does too. If someone with ill intent comes in, the nearest Heartless Bronze Bell to the malefactor will ring.”

Qing Chen mused to himself, so the consortium has such items by their side.

But how does a Taboo item determine whether a person harbors ill intentions? That sounded rather mystical.

“Has it ever rung before?” Qing Chen queried.

“Of course, it has,” Lao Liu explained, “but it hasn’t rung in recent years because many people are aware of the Heartless Bronze Bell’s existence and those with ill intentions dare not enter Halfway up the mountainside Manor anymore.”

Qing Chen suddenly wondered if this item functioned like a Puppeteer, starting with a single bell at the first tier, only to increase its number of bells according to the conditions met for containment upon unlocking the second tier.

Like the Puppeteer, for instance, which increased the number of people it could control through the sacrifice of life.

Lao Liu was quite the chatterbox. He whispered, “Let me tell you another non-secret secret: this bell was a gift from a certain Knight Leader to the current Family Head. You know about the Knights, right? Uncle Li Dong of the Lee family is the current Knight Leader, one of the few counted Demigods.”

Qing Chen said in astonishment, “That Demigod, Uncle Li Dong, belongs to the Lee family?”

Old Six had a feeling of ‘I hit the jackpot’: “You’re young, so you don’t know about these old stories. In the Alliance, information about that Seventh Master has basically been erased; a lot of Ordinary People are unaware that he is a member of the Li family.”

Qing Chen inwardly sighed; he really hoped he could often be around Old Six to ensure his mood would always be pleasant.

“Ahead are two small courtyards; the one on the left is where the boss usually stays, Feiyun Courtyard, and next door is Miss Yino’s Qing Shan Villa. It’s said that Miss Tong Yun also moved in there recently,” Old Six said. “Behind these two courtyards are the quarters for us Servants… Oh right, you’re not a Servant.”

Qing Chen thought about it, he always felt that after entering the halfway estate, this cyberpunk world also had a hint of traditional Chinese style.

However, above this ancient-style architecture, squadrons of drones patrolled, weaving a net in the sky.

The drones were all armed, ready to fire at any time.

The blend of ancient styles with technology was particularly stark yet harmonious.

However, the fact that Li Yinuo named her own residence Qing Shan Villa—how much did she yearn to climb the precipitous Qing Mountain? It’s a pity; now that he had begun cultivating, he wasn’t an Ordinary Person and couldn’t ever become a Knight again.

As Old Six led Qing Chen past Li Yinuo’s Qing Shan Villa, Li Tongyun and Nan Gengchen were sitting beside a stone table, whispering secretively to each other.

The moment they saw Qing Chen, they both stopped their conversation and looked over in surprise.

Qing Chen acted as if nothing was amiss, as if he didn’t recognize them at all.

Old Six ahead nodded slightly: “Miss Tong Yun, Mr. Nan, good morning.”

While talking, Old Six tugged on Qing Chen’s sleeve: “Say hello, say hello to them quickly.”

Qing Chen imitated: “Miss Tong Yun, Mr. Nan, good morning.”

“Ah,” Nan Gengchen seemed somewhat at a loss.

Li Tongyun, with a smile, said: “Uncle Six, isn’t this the little boxer from the Begonia Boxing Gym? What happened, did Aunt Changqing really poach him to the Li family?”

Old Six was sincerely afraid: “You can’t call me Uncle Six; if the other branches of the family heard this, I’m afraid I would be exiled to the wilderness to pick corn.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just call you that in private,” XiaoTongyun said with a grin, walking up to Qing Chen and taking an interested look around him: “I went to see your boxing match last night—it was thrilling. I was so worried in the private room.”

The young girl spoke half-truths and half-falsities. Old Six couldn’t detect anything unusual, but Qing Chen knew she was seizing the opportunity to show her concern.

He smiled: “Thank you for your concern, Miss Tong Yun.”

“Little Tu, come and hang out at Qing Shan Villa when you’re free,” Li Tongyun said with a grin: “Uncle Six, don’t bully him on normal days, eh? I’m his fan.”

“Not at all, not at all. How could I dare to bully him? The boss has also given instructions; although his position is that of a bodyguard, he doesn’t have to do anything,” Old Six assured quickly.

“That’s good,” Li Tongyun laughed: “Then Uncle Six, you go ahead and take Little Tu to meet Auntie first, and we’ll talk when we’re free.”

Old Six led Qing Chen away, and Qing Chen asked: “Who are those two?”

He knew who they were, but asking was the normal response he should have at the moment.

Then, Old Six replied: “Miss Li Tongyun is one of the more favored members of Li’s Third Generation, and that Mr. Nan beside her is Miss Yino’s favored consort…”

As he said this, he sneakily observed Qing Chen’s expression.

Qing Chen calmly said: “Why are you looking at me…”

Old Six thought Qing Chen was feeling insulted and hurriedly said: “No, no, it’s nothing. You’re not the same as him.”

In his mind, he added a note: You’re a bit better looking.

Old Six continued to advise as they walked: “Don’t ever offend those two; Miss Yino gets crazy enough to chop down even family members, especially if they’re close. Remember, those are people we can’t afford to provoke.”

“Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind,” Qing Chen nodded: “Can’t afford to provoke.”

Suddenly, Qing Chen was thinking that him coming to serve as Li Changqing’s bodyguard seemed to have actually brought their little group closer, which made it more convenient for them to plan together.

But if all three were in the Li family, that was like putting all eggs in one basket, and the information they held might be somewhat one-sided.

Should he try to recruit some talents from among the Time Travelers of the Chen Clan and Qing’s Family?

It seemed difficult; after all, most of the Time Travelers had already been unearthed by Qing’s Family and the Chen Clan. Those who could still hide were smart people, usually unwilling to serve others.

Just as he entered the Feiyun Courtyard, he saw Li Yinuo and Li Changqing both having tea in the courtyard with a black briefcase quietly placed on the stone table in front of them.

Li Changqing’s eyes brightened when she saw Qing Chen: “You’re here?”

“Yes,” Qing Chen nodded.

But then he saw Li Changqing pat the black briefcase in front of her: “FDE-001 and 002 series will still take half a month; however, we have spare 003s which you urgently need. Instead of picking a date, let’s do it today—Auntie will give you the injection right away.”

Qing Chen: “???”

Auntie, this time it’s really not okay!

…

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