Chapter 1 Everyone's Thoughts

It was clear that everyone was very interested in Fatty’s self-introduction: a truck driver who wasn’t an orphan… it sounded like a story waiting to be told.

“Alright,” An Xuan said with a sigh, “it looks like it’s just us for this mission. If nobody has any objections, let’s go take a look around.”

Seeming to have thought of something, An Xuan’s expression became a little strange. He paused for a moment before continuing, “I briefly spoke with the staff here, and they say some rather odd things.”

Some things are better left unsaid. Now that he mentioned it, everyone became even more curious.

“Odd in what way?” someone asked.

“Well… their tone, their wording,” An Xuan thought for a moment, “and their line of reasoning, it’s all a bit different from what we’re used to.”

The group left the room and went downstairs, the old wooden steps groaning under their weight.

Contrary to Tang Shirou's expectations, with her wide eyes darting everywhere, the clothes they wore didn't attract curious glances from those around them.

People walked past them, barely noticing them, as if they were ignoring their existence.

“Esteemed guests,” just as they were about to leave the shop, a waiter with a dark, oily rag draped over his shoulder and a cunning look on his face blocked their path.

The group exchanged glances, and finally, An Xuan asked calmly, “Is there something we can help you with?”

The waiter gave a fawning smile and said, “The Huang family’s butler sent someone over this morning, but you esteemed guests were still asleep. I didn’t dare disturb you, so I was instructed to wait until you woke up and then point you to the Huang residence.”

Here it comes…

Everyone's eyes changed upon hearing this. It seemed the waiter before them was the NPC for this mission, whose purpose was to jump out just as they were leaving and guide them to the next mission location.

“Huang family,” You Qi asked in a booming voice, “which Huang family?”

“Esteemed guest, you jest,” the waiter lowered his posture even further, “who else would it be in this town besides the great philanthropist, Master Huang?”

An Xuan didn’t waste words, glancing towards the door before saying, “Please lead the way.”

Following the waiter's directions, the group left the inn. As soon as they stepped outside, the scene before them opened up into a quaint, ancient town.

The streets were filled with pedestrians dressed in ancient clothing, and on both sides were shops, including restaurants, inns similar to the one they had just left, and smaller rice and cloth shops.

But the majority were scattered stalls set up along the streets.

A man pushing a small wooden cart selling sugar figurines was arguing with a hawker selling candied haws, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The two of them were dressed in much more tattered clothes than the others, their faces gaunt and sallow, as if they hadn’t had a decent meal in a long time.

Such a town, coupled with such people, echoed each other perfectly, creating the perfect atmosphere.

Standing next to Fatty, Chen Qiang blinked slowly, carefully examining everything around him, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

“Song Dynasty,” he said softly.

“What Song Dynasty?” Shi Liaozhi muttered, his ears perked up, “I think all ancient times are pretty much the same.”

“It’s not the same,” Chen Qiang explained quietly, “the gentle architectural style of the Song Dynasty is unique. The ridges and corners of the roofs often have an upward tilt, unlike the grand and imposing style of the Tang Dynasty, and they have more dynamism than the rigid styles of the later Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.”

Speaking about this topic, Chen Qiang seemed much bolder.

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but look at him in surprise.

“What’s your major?” Xia Meng suddenly asked.

“Architecture, specializing in architectural history.”

Walking straight through the street, they arrived in front of a large residence. The main gate was tightly shut. None of them had any intention of knocking, so they walked along the courtyard wall.

After walking some distance, they turned into a small alley. At the end of the alley, slightly to the side, was a wooden door.

The wooden door wasn’t large, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

From afar, they could see three people standing next to the wooden door.

One man and two women.

The man was around 40 years old, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, strong and muscular. He was dressed in coarse linen clothing, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light. Standing by the wooden door, he looked like a door god.

The two women were of average appearance, their expressions not very animated. The older woman held an unfurled paper fan, not even waving it. The other woman stood silently, her eyes hollow, as if she had lost her soul.

The change occurred when the group walked in front of the three people. Their pupils focused at almost the same time, all looking at Jiang Cheng and the others.

“Steward Zhou has been waiting for a long time,” the middle-aged woman holding the paper fan said in a monotonous voice, her eyes slowly sweeping over everyone, “Esteemed doctors, please follow me.”

Doctors…

Everyone’s eyes began to change. It seemed that in this ancient instance, their identities were doctors.

Without making a sound, they followed the middle-aged woman through the side door into the residence. The scenery changed constantly along the way, with pavilions and waterside gazebos, truly opening their eyes.

If the atmosphere of the mission wasn't weighing them down like a mountain, this would have been a good opportunity to relax.

“We’re here.”

The middle-aged woman stopped and turned around, saying, “I must trouble you esteemed doctors to stay here for now. The young master is still resting, and you will be asked to come and take his pulse later.”

“Everything you need is in the side rooms. They’ve been arranged according to your preferences. Someone will call you for meals,” she paused, then pulled the dead-faced woman with her and continued, “The master likes peace and quiet. The residence is always quiet, and there are few rooms for guests. Please stay in the side rooms at night and do not wander around, lest you disturb the others.”

After the middle-aged woman finished speaking, she turned to leave.

“Wait,” An Xuan reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm, asking with a smile, “Where is Steward Zhou? We’re new here, so let's not keep the host waiting for too long.”

The middle-aged woman stared at An Xuan with a strange, emotionless gaze, as if she were looking at an inanimate object.

As if realizing something, An Xuan released her hand with a smile.

“Steward Zhou has some urgent business and can’t come for the time being,” the middle-aged woman’s voice had no inflection, like an old tape recorder.

“I’m sorry, I was being presumptuous.”

After the middle-aged woman left, everyone began to look around. They were by a pond, but its size was comparable to a smaller lake.

This showed how wealthy the owner of this large residence was.

This Master Huang had probably made a fortune in some big business, or perhaps he had inherited the blessings of his ancestors, and had secured an official position before retiring.

This place was deep within the old mansion, secluded and quiet. They could only smell the fragrance of flowers but not hear the chirping of birds. In other words, even if something really happened here, the outside world wouldn’t know.

“You were too rash just now,” Qin Jian, who was mature and steady, walked over, his eyes fixed on An Xuan, half with blame and half with worry, “Do you know who that woman is?”