Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 563 - 563 0376 Somethings Not Right_2

Chapter 563: Chapter 0376: Something’s Not Right_2 Chapter 563: Chapter 0376: Something’s Not Right_2 Qi Tian quickly bowed and said, “This is all my duty.”

Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu once again helped Qi Tian to his feet, praising, “Your actions have proven that my judgment is not coarse at all, and I have not cultivated you in vain. I, Xiao Xiaowu, always uphold justice strictly, rewarding merits and punishing mistakes. I am going to reward you greatly. As soon as an auspicious day is chosen, I will appoint you as the Junior Mansion Master of the Imperial Master Mansion.”

Qi Tian hurriedly said, “Qi Tian has neither the virtue nor the ability to overstep my bounds.”

Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu waved his hand, saying, “If even you don’t have the virtue and ability, then nobody in the Imperial Master Mansion deserves such credit. This matter is settled, just wait calmly for my decree.”

Qi Tian could only bow again in thanks. Everyone looked at Qi Tian with envy. Once Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu formally decreed Qi Tian, then Qi Tian would legitimately become the Junior Mansion Master. At that time, he would truly be second only to one person, but above everyone else. Who would dare to defy his orders then? Thinking about this, those who had been insincere towards Qi Tian for a while became nervous, fearing that Qi Tian would start to retaliate after becoming the Junior Mansion Master.

“Master, you must be weary from your journey, please return to your cave dwelling to rest first. There is something for which I must apologize. During the relocation of the Imperial Master Mansion, no one could break the array protecting your cave dwelling. To prevent your cave dwelling from being damaged after the relocation, I took the liberty of breaking the external array and dug up the entire cave dwelling from the ground, moving it in its entirety to the current Imperial Master Mansion. Lord Luo can testify that I did not touch a single blade of grass or a leaf in your cave dwelling. However, my act of moving your cave dwelling without permission is indeed a crime, please punish me,” Qi Tian explained briefly.

Luo Xia stepped forward and said, “Master, I can vouch for Qi Tian, everything he said is true.”

Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu nodded and said, “Moving my cave dwelling without permission is indeed a crime. However, considering that you did it for the overall benefit of the Imperial Master Mansion and for my own benefit, I will give you a light punishment.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s hearts were raised, wondering to what extent Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu’s “light punishment” would be.

Speaking, Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu stepped forward, lightly patted Qi Tian’s shoulder with his hand, and said, “Alright, the punishment is over.”

Qi Tian hurriedly bowed and said, “Thank you, Master, for forgiving my transgression.”

Seeing that Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu only lightly tapped Qi Tian’s shoulder, everyone showed admiration. The Great Elder led everyone in shouting, “The Master is merciful, we are convinced.”

Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu chuckled and said, “Qi Tian has made great contributions to the Imperial Master Mansion. I am not finished appreciating him, let alone punishing him. Qi Tian, during the time, you have been bearing the heavy responsibility of handling all matters in the Imperial Master Mansion. You have worked really hard, and it pains me to see. Now that I am back, there will be no one who dares to cause trouble. You should take this opportunity to rest well. By the way, I heard that you are managing the County Master Mansion well. Once I have settled the affairs at the Imperial Master Mansion, I will visit your County Master Mansion. At that time, you must prepare good wine, tea, and snacks, otherwise, I will not be satisfied.”

Qi Tian bowed and said, “Yes.”

Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu nodded with a smile, and said, “Good, then you may go.”

Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu told him to rest, what else could Qi Tian do? He could only bow and retire. Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu, escorted by Great Elder Chen Chen and others, left majestically. Luo Xia and Hao Wenxi both bowed to Qi Tian in farewell, and then blended into the crowd, gradually moving away.

Qi Tian looked up at the departing Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu. The Master’s reaction was very normal, and he was highly praised. However, Qi Tian always felt there was something off. This time, in sending the Great Elder Chen Chen and others to the Capital City to welcome Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu, Qi Tian was only holding onto a slight chance of success. This slight chance refers to something with an extremely low probability. Deep down, Qi Tian did not think this would be successful, but he didn’t expect that the Great Elder Chen Chen and others would actually bring Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu back.

The return of Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu was certainly a good thing, but the more Qi Tian thought about it, the more peculiar it seemed to him. However, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was so odd.

All Qi Tian could do was shake his head, perhaps he was being overly suspicious.

Qi Tian left the Imperial Master Mansion, mounted Hu Niu and rode back to the County Master Mansion in silence.

“Qi Tian, has the Mansion Master really returned?” Wu Tao was the first to ask to see Qi Tian, with Zhang Lei following him. Like Qi Tian, they were both from the Imperial Master Mansion and held a deep admiration for Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu.

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Yes, the Mansion Master has returned. What, are you two thinking of going back to see for yourselves?”

Wu Tao asked, “Can we go back to see the Mansion Master?”

Qi Tian nodded and said, “If you want to go back, then go. I’ll give you a few days off.”

Overjoyed with their break, Wu Tao, and Zhang Lei left. Following shortly after, Lu Jingfei, Wang Xiuwu, Xu Jifa, Wang Shuqing, Pan Yulin, and Guan Xun came to pay their respects to Qi Tian. These were the people that truly belonged to Qi Tian’s inner circle.

“Master, why did you return so soon? Did the Mansion Master of the Imperial Master Mansion not return? You should be staying at the Imperial Master Mansion.” Lu Jingfei looked at Qi Tian with confusion, expressing his doubts. “You were the one acting as the authority of the Imperial Master Mansion a while ago. Logically speaking, everyone else can leave, but you should definitely stay by Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu’s side to handle some necessary handovers.”

Qi Tian said, “He’s the Mansion Master, everything in the Imperial Master Mansion belongs to him. Handing over power to him is a joke to you?”

Lu Jingfei shook his head and said, “Master, that’s not it. Although I am the head of my family, I don’t have full control over everything. Many matters have specific person in charge. I demand periodical updates from them. If I go on an adventure, I would appoint a person to be the main person responsible. When my adventure ends and I return to my family, I call that person in charge and discuss everything to get a hold on the family’s situation. The Imperial Master Mansion is thousands of times more important than my family and many things happened during this time. You were not just personally involved in every matter, you were also the main driving force behind them all, from the overall relocation of the Mansion to the matter of the underground spiritual stone veins. There is no reason for Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu to bypass you and ask others. In my view, this is very strange and you better be careful.”

Xu Jifa and Wang Xiuwu, the couple, chimed in, “Master, Lu has a point, you better be careful.”

Qi Tian originally had doubts, but after Lu Jingfei and the other two stated their views, his suspicions deepened further. However, there was one thing that he still could not figure out: What was Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu trying to do? No one could compare to Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu’s control over the Imperial Master Mansion. As long as he didn’t mistake Qi Tian for a usurper, there would be no issue. Or was he unsatisfied with Qi Tian’s recent actions and looking for a reason to deal with him?

Qi Tian shared his speculations and asked Lu Jingfei and the others to help him analyze the situation.

At this point, Wang Shuqing spoke up, “Master, besides your speculations, there might be another possibility.”

Qi Tian asked, “What possibility?”

Wang Shuqing said, “I chose to follow Master at Tongmen West Pass where I remember Master obtained a very magical and practical technique, the ‘Heavenly Deception Skills’. I have a bold speculation. What if the person Great Elder Chen Chen and the others brought back from Capital City is not Mansion Master Xiao Xiaowu at all, but someone else using a technique similar to ‘Heavenly Deception Skills’ to impersonate him?”