The Martial God who started at Mantuo Manor

Page 8

Chapter Six: Don't look back, I'm your cousin!

Wang Meng threw down the heavy sack he was carrying on his shoulder, breathing heavily. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead like broken beads, soaking his messy hair and making it sticky and uncomfortable against his skin.

He hastily wiped his forehead and cheeks with his dirty sleeve, leaving streaks of black and yellow sweat, making him look even more disheveled. He glanced up at the scorching sun overhead, estimating the time.

He had been working non-stop from the early morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten until noon when the sun was blazing.

For most of the day, these servants barely rested, constantly repeating this high-intensity physical labor.

Truckloads of goods, like an endless stream, were continuously transported into Mantuo Manor.

The once empty warehouses were filled with all sorts of supplies in just half a day.

The fine rice and refined flour, piled up like small mountains, were stored in bamboo baskets woven from bamboo.

There were also tightly sealed jars of wine, of various sizes and shapes, some with red seals on them, clearly aged wines.

Besides these food and drinks, there were also jars of brocade fabrics, porcelain antiques, and even seasonings such as salt, rapeseed oil, and large quantities of dried peppercorns, which were carried in and piled up in different categories.

Judging from this situation, the "distinguished guest" must be someone of extraordinary status, otherwise Li Qingluo would not have gone to such lengths, starting preparations so many days in advance and causing chaos throughout the entire Mantuo Manor.

"Damn it, these bastards, do they really think I'm a mule?"

Wang Meng, having carried the load once more, slammed the empty carrying pole heavily onto the ground, gritting his teeth and muttering a curse under his breath. "Mei, Mei, I... Mei, empty... Mei, didn't think of it..."

Several other laborers around him, who were also exhausted like dead dogs, sighed and complained, but dared not openly utter a complaint like Wang Meng.

"That's right, Brother Meng! Look, the sun is almost at its zenith, and we haven't even had a sip of water. They're trying to make us work ourselves to death!"

A younger, thin servant approached Wang Meng and complained in a low voice, his voice filled with grievance and resentment.

Another, slightly older servant sighed and said, "Keep your voice down, or those bossy women will hear you, or you'll be in big trouble."

Our lives as servants are worth less than grass. We have to do whatever our masters tell us to do. There is no room for bargaining.

"Just bear with it. Once this busy period is over, maybe they'll treat us to a meal and some wine."

Wang Meng snorted coldly, his tone arrogant: "How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?" With that, he turned around, shouldered the sack, and walked into the manor, leaving the servants looking at each other in bewilderment.

To be honest, Wang Meng was so busy all morning that he was drenched in sweat. Besides getting covered in sweat and having a lot of complaints, he couldn't get any useful information out of the people around him about "what earth-shattering event Mantuo Manor was going to do".

It wasn't that the maids and stewards were particularly tight-lipped.

The main problem is that nobody pays any attention to him, a lowly laborer.

Occasionally, the head maid would yell at him, usually with something like, "Hey you! Hurry up!"

"Important instructions" like "Don't dawdle and delay the lady's important business, or you'll be in big trouble!" have absolutely nothing to do with core secrets like "who the distinguished guest is" or "why they're here."

If judged by the standards of a "professional secret agent," Wang Meng's skills probably wouldn't even qualify him for an internship.

It's a disgrace to the secret service, a mudslide in the world of undercover agents.

Fortunately, the Ming Cult's higher-ups didn't seem to expect that an ordinary pawn, whom they considered to be "possessed by demonic possession, with all martial arts gone and a bit mentally challenged," could uncover any earth-shattering secrets in the heavily guarded Mantuo Manor.

It's not even a casual move.

Wang Meng was completely unaware of this.

If it weren't for the mission that might make him a eunuch, he would have run away long ago. With such a cheat code, he could easily find a remote mountain forest.

After three to five years of training, even if you can't become the best in the world when you leave the mountain, you should be able to roam the martial arts world freely with your skills.

After passing through several corridors and around a small lotus pond, he found the storeroom in the backyard of the villa with ease.

He carefully set down the carrying pole, unloaded the goods one by one, and stacked them neatly. Only then did he straighten up and let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as he was wiping away his sweat and wondering where he should go next to take on new hard labor, a clear but somewhat imperious female voice came from behind him.

"Hey, you, 9527, Wang Meng!"

Wang Meng turned around upon hearing the sound and saw a pretty maid standing there in a light green dress.

When the maid saw him looking at her, she didn't say anything and directly instructed, "Don't go anywhere else."

Go and clean the guest room in room A on the east side as soon as possible.

Remember, make sure everything is ready before sunset. If there's even the slightest delay and our esteemed guests miss their check-in, well, you know the rules of the manor—you'll definitely get a taste of the rod again!

She spoke quite quickly, as if she was already used to giving orders like this.

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Wang Meng's reply.

Wang Meng licked his lips hard.

These women are not old, but they all have quite the airs.

Judging from her appearance, this job was probably assigned to her.

Now, the blame has shifted to him.

Unfortunately, it's an underdeveloped product; the airport and landing pad are unremarkable.

Wang Meng had just finished unloading the goods and his muscles hadn't even fully relaxed when he was given another urgent job, one that came with a deadline and the threat of punishment.

I glanced at the sky; there was still some time before sunset.

However, the meticulous work of cleaning guest rooms is not something that can be easily done carelessly.

If it weren't for the fact that he had thirteen kidneys and unlimited energy, he might not have been able to make it in time.

Wang Meng did not dare to delay as instructed and turned to walk to another corner of the storeroom. There were various kinds of sundries piled up there, including brooms, rags, and buckets needed for cleaning the rooms, as well as bedding and sheets for changing in the guest rooms.

Following the path I remembered, I headed east towards the mountain villa.

This east side is not the east side of their servants' quarters.

Mantuo Villa occupies a considerable area. The guest rooms are located several gardens away from the servants' quarters. The terrain is slightly higher, and the scenery is more elegant, making it a place specifically for entertaining distinguished guests.

The so-called guest rooms are not individual rooms, but a series of independent courtyards, each with its own layout, including a gate, hall, bedroom and even a small back garden.

There are more than a dozen such small courtyards throughout the guest room area.

These small courtyards are mostly separated by carefully trimmed flower beds, low bushes, or exquisite rockeries, which ensures the privacy of each courtyard without making them seem too distant.

Several winding pebble paths branch off from a main road, each leading to a different courtyard. It was not the time for guests, and most of the courtyard gates were locked, giving the place a somewhat desolate feel.

Wang Meng walked along one of the paths, with lush flowers and trees on both sides, and the occasional clear bird song added to the tranquility.

He walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the Class A guest room was in sight.

It was a small courtyard facing south, with white walls and black tiles. Sure enough, there were crisscrossed seals on the gate, and several green bamboos swayed gently in the morning breeze in front of the gate.

Just as Wang Meng was about to step forward and unlock the lock, his eyes inadvertently glanced at a spot not far to the side.

There was a similar secluded courtyard there, only in a slightly more remote location, hidden behind several tall sycamore trees.

Through the gaps in the layers of flowerbeds and tree shadows, Wang Meng vaguely saw a slender figure, close to the wall, stealthily making its way towards the back wall of the small courtyard in a very unusual manner.

Wang Meng focused intently and observed that although the figure's steps were deliberately light, each step seemed somewhat unsteady and weak, clearly not the steady and solid gait of a martial artist.

Looking at her figure and outline, although she was some distance away and the trees made it difficult to see clearly, her slender waist and the vaguely visible hairstyle clearly indicated that she was a woman.

Wang Meng grew increasingly curious. He looked at the figure from behind and it seemed vaguely familiar.

"Let's go take a look, maybe we'll find something unexpected!"

Having made up his mind, Wang Meng first gently placed the bedding and cleaning supplies he was carrying into the gatehouse of the Jia-class guest courtyard. He peeked around and looked to the left and right. There was no one on the path, only birds chirping.

After making sure no one had noticed his actions, he cautiously followed the trail he had left behind.

He tried to sneak through densely wooded areas, avoiding open spaces, and walked very quietly, afraid of disturbing the person ahead.

Passing through a moon gate, you come to a semi-open corridor with vermilion pillars and carved beams and painted rafters.

The woman had obviously also taken this route through the corridor.

The covered walkway wasn't long. After turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up to the side wall of another courtyard. With the help of the pillars, Wang Meng finally saw the woman's figure clearly and made out her face.

Upon seeing this, even though Wang Meng was somewhat prepared, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, thinking to himself, "It's actually her?"

The woman who was sneaking around and acting suspiciously was none other than Wang Yuyan, the one who had coldly ordered her maid to gag Zhao Song with a cloth when he was beaten a few days ago because she thought his cries of pain were disturbing the peace!

That day, her voice was cold and her demeanor arrogant. She regarded the lives of her servants as nothing, and her eyes were filled with disdain. She even had someone gag him to prevent Wang Meng from shouting.

This woman may look frail and delicate, but she is far more ruthless than her mother, a complete scheming and ruthless woman.

However, at this moment, this Miss Wang, who was usually aloof and detached from worldly affairs, was completely devoid of her usual reserve and arrogance.

She lowered her head, and her fair face was tinged with obvious shyness and nervousness.

Those bright eyes, which carried a hint of aloofness and indifference, were now darting around nervously, as if afraid of being seen.

She moved along the base of the courtyard wall with light, quick steps, her target a half-open corner gate not far ahead.

Her guilty conscience and shy, girlish demeanor were completely different from her usual image, which amazed Wang Meng.

Before long, the two arrived at the small courtyard with the "Murong" plaque hanging on it.

Wang Meng hadn't looked closely from a distance before, but now that he was closer, he discovered that the copper lock on the gate was indeed gone, and there were signs of it being recently opened on the hinges, indicating that someone had moved in recently.

Above the gatehouse, a brand-new wooden plaque bears the two powerful characters "Murong" written in clerical script. The ink is still wet, as if it had just been hung up not long ago.

When Wang Yuyan arrived at the courtyard wall, she did not go through the main gate, but instead skillfully went around to one side of the courtyard.

There was an inconspicuous side door, which was slightly ajar, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

She looked around and, seeing no one, quickly slipped inside like a startled deer.

Wang Meng thought to himself, "As expected, it was premeditated."

He dared not delay, and after Wang Yuyan's figure disappeared behind the door, he immediately followed and peeked inside through the crack in the door.

Once inside the courtyard, Wang Yuyan acted like a thief, crouching low and cautiously making her way along the shadows of the wall towards the central guest room.

Her movements appeared somewhat clumsy, yet they also revealed a stubbornness and eagerness.

Soon, she arrived at the window of the guest room. The window was covered with fine white cotton paper, and she could vaguely see some light coming through, but she couldn't see what was inside.

She raised her head slightly, as if wanting to peek through the gap in the window paper, but hesitated, her delicate hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

When Wang Meng saw the two characters "Murong" on the gatehouse, he already understood most of the situation.

The person living in this courtyard must be Miss Wang's beloved cousin, who lives far away in Suzhou.

At this moment, the answer couldn't be clearer.