Chapter 976: Mysteries at Manduo Villa

Manduo Villa is located on a beautifully scenic island in Taihu Lake.
After the boat docked, Happy strolled around this paradise-like place, happily observing many male and female players enjoying themselves in pairs on the island.
Compared to the martial artists in the martial world, the disciples of Manduo Villa lacked the boldness and vigor typical of those from other sects, instead possessing an elegance and leisureliness unseen in others.
The disciples of Manduo Villa were generally not at a high level of cultivation—less than half of them had reached the Liberation Realm. Along the way, many who were at the Life and Death Realm still talked boldly about undertaking missions to eliminate the bandits in Taihu Lake.
Happy knew that the slow progress of the Manduo Villa disciples was closely related to its geographical location as well as the sect’s martial arts system…
Since Manduo Villa was situated on an island in Taihu Lake, there were no areas nearby suitable for cultivation. They often had to take boats to nearby islands to hunt down the bandits, and it took over an hour to travel back and forth between Manduo Villa and Gusu City!
Just the time spent on travel was much more than that of ordinary players!
Yet, Manduo Villa itself had stunning scenery that captivated people’s senses, often making them lose themselves in its beauty—staying in such a paradise-like world might gradually weaken their will to cultivate, as they would no longer feel the urgency and competition of the martial world.
However, in the martial world, some pursued power and fame, some pursued martial arts, while others favored a carefree life as a wanderer. Naturally, one should not stop others from enjoying the beauty of nature, drinking wine, discussing martial arts, and indulging in the splendor of the martial world.
The disciples of Manduo Villa probably belonged to the latter group, preferring entertainment and observing the workings of the martial world from a detached perspective within their own world.
“Please convey this message: Happy, a disciple of Shaolin, has come to pay a visit to Lady Wang, the master of Manduo Villa!”
Having arrived at the outer gates of Manduo Villa with ease, Happy bowed to the two girl guards at the entrance.
The two girls also had some cultivation skills and had long noticed Happy heading straight for the inner courtyard. They glanced at her suspiciously, but when they heard her words, their eyes lit up. One of them quickly turned and ran inside, while the other dropped her suspicious gaze:
“It turns out to be a senior from Shaolin. Please come in. Wait in the pavilion inside.”
“Better to obey than to refuse,” Happy said with a smile. Knowing that Lady Wang would surely have instructions, she nodded and followed the girl inside.

The environment at Neizhuang is indeed better! Near the pavilion lies a natural hot spring, shrouded in mist, creating an otherworldly atmosphere that fills one with joy. “Manduo Villa—no wonder so many male and female disciples are reluctant to leave; it has even become a sect that many female players strive to join…” The girl politely offered fruits and snacks, enjoying both the delicious food and the beautiful scenery, giving the illusion of being in a place far from the mundane world, which surprised her inwardly. “Young man, you really are trustworthy—arriving so quickly.” Lady Wang, dressed in elegant palace attire, exuded grace and authority as she arrived accompanied by four maids. Happy promptly stood up: “I’ve taken care of matters in Gusu City and am ready to leave. However, I’m still very interested in the secret behind that portrait.” “Why do you insist there’s a secret in the portrait? It’s simply a portrait that our master cherished in his youth—something that reminds him of someone…” “There’s a talented painter in Gusu City, whose skills are already at the level of a grandmaster. If Lady Wang needs it, I think we could pay him to create an identical copy for her.” “How dare you!” The maids behind Lady Wang showed anger. “Our lady is of noble status—can her portrait just be collected by anyone?” “Madam, I think there’s no need to waste words with him! Just capture him, take the portrait, and throw him into Taihu Lake,” one of the maids angrily interjected. The other maids also seemed eager, stepping forward from behind Lady Wang and surrounding Happy, ready to force their way at him… The situation took a turn Happy hadn’t anticipated. Frowning, he glanced at Lady Wang, who stood indifferent outside the circle, his eyes filled with surprise. It was the first time he had encountered such a hostile scenario. Logically, since Lady Wang needed his help, she should have gradually revealed the task details… But so far, the task prompt hadn’t changed—only that he was to go to Manduo Villa, meet Lady Wang, and uncover the secret behind the portrait. Yet Lady Wang already planned to seize the portrait by force, taking away the key item for triggering the task—something he found hard to accept. But… With things having escalated to this point, Happy couldn’t back down. Although fighting Lady Wang’s maids might draw the hostility and unfriendliness of the entire Manduo Villa sect, it also proved that the portrait held significant secrets and must not be lost. “Thief, here’s one last chance for you!”

“Hand over the portrait and leave Mantuo Villa on your own; or we’ll capture you, take the portrait, and throw you into Taihu Lake to feed the fish!”
The maid of Lady Wang spoke in an arrogant tone.
Xiankai ignored the threats from the four maids with Wuwei Realm cultivation levels, turning his gaze back to Lady Wang’s face and fixing his eyes on her:
“Is this why Lady Wang asked me to come to Mantuo Villa?”
“……” A complex expression flashed across Lady Wang’s eyes, but she stood there without responding, showing no intention of stepping forward.
Seeing this, a hint of doubt suddenly arose in Xiankai’s mind.
When his gaze shifted back to the maids around him, he realized that these maids were clearly not those who accompanied Lady Wang to visit the Murong family.
Strange!
There really was something strange!
The maids who could accompany Lady Wang on visits to the Murong family were naturally her closest attendants…
Those attendants had great respect for Lady Wang and obeyed her every command!
Although these maids had come with Lady Wang, they had been acting on their own earlier. While it wasn’t ruled out that Lady Wang might have given them instructions in advance, her complicated and troubled expression, along with the strange behavior of the maids, made Xiankai realize there was something wrong.
“……”
“Our master is naturally merciful and unwilling to hurt you. This is your last chance!”
“You thief! Have you thought it through??”
The maids chattered incessantly, showing no trace of the elegance and grace typical of Mantuo Villa, instead displaying a ruthless demeanor akin to that of demons.
“Your master hasn’t spoken yet, yet these servants keep making noise and acting on their own! Hmph! There’s no place for you to speak in front of me and Lady Wang… They deserve to be beaten!”
Xiankai had already somewhat figured out what was going on. With a furious shout, he moved swiftly, closing in on the last maid who had spoken arrogantly and striking instantly!
“You…”
The latter was shocked.
Slap!!!
Hidden energy…
Catching the dragon, the dragon swishing its tail.
Before the maid could react, a series of moves had already shattered the vital energy gathered within her body. Her face burned with pain as she was lifted off the ground and flung flying.
“Attack!!”
Painful and fierce, Maid A pointed at Xiankai without hesitation and shouted angrily, “Kill him!!!”
The murderous words from the maid, along with the immediate attacks from the other three maids, only confirmed Xiankai’s suspicions. Lady Wang’s inaction also reassured him, showing that there was still room for maneuver in this mission.

Yet, the icy sword energy surged forth from the hands of the four maids! Although they were only at the Wuwei realm, they clearly used some kind of sword formation. The icy sword energies merged together, forming four walls that instantly closed in like a meat grinder from the outside, closing rapidly with fierce momentum.
“Not bad sword formation, but it’s a shame your strength is so weak.”
Faced with the surging waves of icy swords, Kai Xin didn’t hesitate and drew his sword…
Crack!!!
A clear sword sound, a black sword glow—like black lightning falling from the sky—it cut a black scar right through the snow-white icy sword energy.
Strength! Without sufficient power, once one’s moves are seen through, there are countless weaknesses.
Bang!!!
One of the maids was flung backward, her face pale, and she crashed hard into the railing near the pavilion. With a “Ugh,” she spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, creating a horrifying sight on the ground.
The other three looked at Kai Xin with even more fear in their eyes!
Kai Xin wasn’t lenient. Since Lady Wang remained indifferent, he knew he hadn’t used enough force. His gaze turned cold as he suddenly closed in on the remaining three, grabbed them swiftly, and knocked them down in no time, seizing their weapons as well.
All four maids were severely injured as they glared at Kai Xin viciously:
“You little thief, you’re dead!”
His response was a merciless slap—her face swelled up instantly, blood spraying everywhere.
Turning away, Kai Xin then looked at Lady Wang:
“Madam, don’t you plan to explain what’s going on?”
“…”
She gave a bitter smile: “Ever since we learned about the portrait of you—someone must have leaked it, which led to the infiltration by the Yin Gui Sect. Now, all our maids are in their hands, and our cultivation skills have been sealed. I can only apologize to you, young man.”
“The Yin Gui Sect?”
Kai Xin was shocked. He tried to sense Lady Wang’s condition and found her energy extremely chaotic. Frowning, he said, “So, the Yin Gui Sect is after that portrait, and these maids are also their disciples?”
“That’s right.”
“Since they’re just low-level members, there must be someone behind them. I wonder who the mastermind among the Yin Gui Sect’s experts is this time… Please show yourself!”
Kai Xin bowed and invited them to appear.
As soon as his words faded, a cold snort came from somewhere around them:

“Knowing it’s my Yin Gui Sect here, yet you don’t leave quickly. You even dare to ask questions. You Shaolin disciple really has quite a bold attitude…”
Hearing this voice, Happy’s expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
The Yin Empress!