Cuiwei Mountain.
Its ridges peaked uninterruptedly throughout range after range of mountains.
The Sorrowless Valley was situated at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain. Furthermore, it was shrouded in miasma all year round, detering normal people from getting close.
The ingenious part about Beijing Manor was that it was located in the center of Sorrowless Valley, enveloped by an emerald-green lake.
Strange and exotic flowers and plants populated the interior of the manor. It was lush and green everywhere, making a beautiful sight.
The old madam of Beijing Manor, Ding Ziyan, was also a peerlessly graceful and elegant great beauty whose name was renowned throughout the pugilistic world when she was young.
As for her story, the most commonly recognized one was that she was hurt by love.
They say that she had once painstakingly pursued the young master of the merfolk tribe back then, yet who knew that the young hero had long given his heart to someone else. In the end, she was hurt deeply by this unrequited love, so she went into seclusion away from the secular world.
Several years later, the rumors became even more excessive. They said that after getting hurt and embittered by love, she randomly married someone. Yet after getting pregnant, she killed her husband with her own hands and gave birth to the young master of the Beijing Manor, Ding Yun.
After that person’s family discovered that their son, who had married into his bride’s family, had died a violent death, they launched an assault on the Sorrowless Valley more than ten years ago…
The result was extremely tragic. The several hundred people of that family were all massacred overnight in a bloodbath by the Beijing Manor.
There was an even more exaggerated rumor that said that Ding Ziyan had actually given birth to twins, yet she only announced that there was a single young master, Ding Yun.
The reason being that she had the two children kill each other when they were ten years old. The one who lived would be the young master, while the one who died would be thrown out of the valley and fed to the wolves.
From then on, the Beijing Manor became demonized. Although it was categorized as one of the four great manors, people had long removed it from the ranks of the orthodox powers.
The sun was setting on the west mountain, with the afterglow of dusk.
An old monk with a white beard and eyebrows was sitting upright in the gazebo at the center of the lake. There was a steaming cup of quality tea in front of him, while two maidservants stood beside him with free hands. Soon, a series of light coughs drifted into their ears.
“Madam.”
Ding Ziyan waved her hands at the two maidservants, who then retreated outside the gazebo.
“Cough, cough, cough.” Ding Ziyan was in her fifties, and the wrinkles all over her thin face told of the heartless vicissitudes of life.
She leaned on a cane carved from black sandalwood as she slowly took a seat in front of the old monk. She said with a smile, “This madam has kept the venerable master waiting.”
The old monk chuckled while stroking his beard. “Has Madam’s body improved?”
“Cough, cough, cough.” Ding Ziyan smiled. “It has been a decade-long chronic illness. There has been a considerable improvement after taking the medicinal solution Venerable Master gifted me.”
The old monk nodded smilingly.
“The fact that Venerable Master came several days earlier than originally planned, is it that you have other things to take care of?”
“Does Madam remember this old monk’s divination for Young Master Ding fifteen years ago?”
“Of course,” Ding Ziyan replied with a solemn nod.
“The old monk observed the configurations of the stars several days ago and discovered that the young master’s life star was indistinctly emitting a red inauspicious energy.”
Ding Ziyan was startled. “Do you know what this omen means?”
“Red light is binding his life star, indicating that the young master is embroiled in a love trial.” The old monk explained gently.
“A love trial?” Ding Ziyan was astonished, after which she shook her head and asserted, “Impossible. Yun’er’s has had an unrestrained and undisciplined nature all these years and has never yearned for any girl. How would he fall in love?”
“This old monk does not believe it too much either. Even after cutting loose from this secular world, this old monk still often hears of Young Master Ding’s exploits.”
“Ever since receiving Venerable Master’s reminder fifteen years ago, this madam has already been very wary. Inside the manor, there are only aged female servants whose beauty has waned. Yun’er likes not a single one of them.”
“Could it have happened during these years that Young Master Ding went out to establish the Demonic Cult…”
