33. The truth

"I, Zhao Yu, one of the seven elders of the War God Palace, one of the seven strongest forces under the command of the Qing Yun Sect in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

With high authority and respect, admired by thousands, one stomp from me could shake both heaven and earth, causing endless storms. Mighty in every corner, the ambition of a true man... After 220 years of cultivation, I broke through to the Golden Core realm, regarded as the greatest genius of the War God Palace in a millennium.

When I fell into a shattered space, I thought it was over, but by chance, I found a manor on a flat land, not knowing where it was...

I was saved by the mysterious owner of that manor... Even though his personality is difficult to understand... But... but he is certainly not a righteous gentleman.

He took advantage of my unconscious state and made me sign a debt contract... Then, he used some means to deceive mortals...

Even so, his act of saving my life is real. I assume he's just playing around. So far, there haven't been any serious consequences.

Therefore, I am now the manager of this mysterious manor...

Some might say that this is a great opportunity, to be close to such an inscrutable elder... A blessing... and those things are merely tests... But those people are just filled with enthusiasm and haven't experienced the realities of life.

Dealing with the boss never ends well. What awaits me in the future may be days of guilt or an extremely disgraceful death.

But putting all that aside...

The path of cultivation is full of dangers, one wrong step and you return to dust. So, I can accept that.

But what I cannot accept is the person standing in front of me.

The old man before me is none other than Wu Ding Xi, a renowned Confucian scholar of this era, equivalent to the Tribulation Transcendence stage in the cultivation world. Who is he? The great scholar of the The Land of the Ancestors, a famous figure, with power above thousands, second only to one. If this man gets angry, not even ten War God Palaces would be enough. How could such a person appear here, especially in the role of a servant? But, I have seen that Mountain and River Painting before; it's inseparable from him, and its aura is absolutely genuine.

There's a great scholar here, no... in this group, there's also another great scholar, Elliot Royce from the Great Prosperian Dominion, and a general named Bui Tuyen from the Tian Tzu Empire. These three are the top figures of three different forces.

Is this a battle between three dynasties? No... It's between all five great dynasties. These young men and women are all princes, princesses, and nobles from the five dynasties, and their power is no less than mine. This absurd situation, impossible as it may seem, is happening right in front of my eyes.

What on earth is going on?

...

After the introductions, the group saw that Zhao Yu, the manor's manager, remained silent, lost in thought, his gaze distant and dazed. They thought they had stirred up some unpleasant memories, so they quickly became anxious.

"Senior Zhao, it was my mistake," one of them said.

Zhao Yu snapped out of it and looked at the person in front of him, slightly flustered.

"You don't need to call me senior," he replied.

Realizing his mistake, Wu Ding Xi bowed deeply in a respectful gesture and said,

"It was my fault, manor manager."

Zhao Yu remained silent...

'He's a great scholar; could he not see my state...?

Was it the manor owner's doing...?

Why would he do that...?'

'Oh no! This group consists entirely of royal nobles... and those eliminated earlier must have been too. Before, I asked someone to send a message of safety back to the sect...'

Zhao Yu's heart was filled with sorrow. Master, your disciple has brought disaster upon the sect. This time, I've dragged the sect into the murky waters of the five great dynasties...

Looking at the path where the manor owner had left, Zhao Yu thought ' So, this was his plan all along... Please let me bear this alone, do not involve my master...'

'No! I must stay calm.'

With a panicked expression, and under the uneasy gazes of everyone around him, Zhao Yu hurriedly rushed out of the main hall and headed straight for the Enlightenment Tree.

Sitting under the tree, with the fragrant scent surrounding him, his mind suddenly cleared.

...

'Those within the game cannot escape... Right now, the best I can do is to become a useful pawn. Reflecting on everything from the moment I entered the manor to when I accepted these people... everything seems coincidental, or rather, meticulously calculated to a terrifying degree... Yes, the only path for me is to remain loyal to the manor owner if I want to survive... And this also means I must face the five great dynasties.

But... I'm really not the right person for this...

( Tears welled up in his eyes)...

For my master, I can no longer run away...

Taking a deep breath, the fragrance was soothing, and the fear faded... Perhaps I was too pessimistic. After all, I'm already in this situation. Now, I must remain calm... What the manor owner wants is for these people from the five dynasties to be recognized by the medallion... I didn't do well last time, but this time I must perform better...

Looking at the group, Zhao Yu's eyes filled with determination, and he spoke seriously,

"Do you all have sufficient supplies?"

Seeing Zhao Yu's unpredictable mood, the group was a bit scared but still nodded in response.

Seeing their cautious demeanor, Zhao Yu suddenly felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. But it was the manor owner's doing... I must not get too absorbed, I need to stay calm.

"Good, then bring some food supplies to the kitchen," Zhao ordered.

Although a bit curious, the group followed his instructions.

Standing by, Zhao Yu felt his face flush slightly. It couldn't be helped; the manor owner loved food. Sooner or later, he would come down to the kitchen anyway.

Once the kitchen was filled with supplies, Zhao Yu raised his hand to signal them to stop, then gave further orders,

"Those of you who haven't been recognized by the medallion, go sit under the tree. It will enhance your enlightenment. The three maids serving the manor owner, sit in the front row, and the rest sit in rows, forming a circle around them."

Hearing this, the group was a bit doubtful... Enhanced enlightenment... Could it be done...?"