Yan Jing.
Si Jiu Cheng.
The so-called Si Jiu Cheng refers to the four palace gates of the imperial city and the nine city gates of the inner city.
In the early Qing Dynasty, only bannermen were allowed to reside within this area, and all others living in the inner city were driven out.
Although conditions were slightly relaxed in later periods, those who could move into Si Jiu Cheng were inevitably high-ranking officials and dignitaries.
Therefore, Si Jiu Cheng became the true residence of officials and noble families, a place under the heavens.
Even in modern times, although the term Si Jiu Cheng is no longer officially used, those who can reside within its area are still the wealthy and powerful.
Ordinary people, unless they inherited a family home, have no chance of buying a property of their own in this area.
And at this moment, the First Young Master was heading towards the very heart of Si Jiu Cheng.
There, less than a hundred meters from the imperial city.
It could be said to be truly at the doorstep of the emperor.
The housing prices in such a location were, as one could imagine, sky-high.
The First Young Master arrived in front of a siheyuan.
This siheyuan was once the mansion of a prince. Later, with the decline of his family, it was purchased by the First Young Master at a high price.
After renovations, he officially moved in.
The entire siheyuan was situated on the central axis of the imperial city, aligning with the feng shui dragon脉 (dragon vein), sharing prosperity and connection with the imperial palace.
It could share in the dragon脉's spiritual energy.
This was also why the First Young Master had taken a liking to this courtyard.
Creak.
The First Young Master reached out and pushed the bronze beast rings on the vermilion gate.
The gate opened a slit to either side.
The First Young Master, about to step inside, suddenly felt a jolt.
He instantly withdrew the foot he had stepped forward.
And the two bronze beast rings on the gate suddenly shot out a crimson light from their eyes.
It struck directly towards the First Young Master's collar.
Hiss!
A sharp sound was heard. Although the First Young Master's collar showed no damage, a faint smell of burning filled the air.
It was as if something invisible had been ignited.
The First Young Master looked down at his collar, and his expression turned extremely grim.
"Damn thing!"
"How dare you scheme against me!"
"I should flay you into a thousand pieces, leaving no intact corpse!"
The First Young Master immediately recalled that his collar had been grabbed by a Taoist priest before his death!
At the time, he had thought it was the mad ravings of a dying man. He hadn't expected the priest to have secretly done something!
To attach something to the First Young Master's collar!
No wonder the priest had let out that clearly mocking laugh at the end. It was for this very reason!
Without hesitation, the First Young Master grabbed his collar and tore off the expensive shirt.
He quickly threw the collar onto the ground in the distance.
As soon as the collar hit the ground, it ignited.
Faint lines, like fish lines, appeared, entwined together and connected to a distant point.
It was as if someone in the distance was using the First Young Master as a fish, fishing from afar.
Seeing this, the First Young Master's expression became even more unsightly.
He looked angrily at the two stone lions squatting in front of the gate.
These were auspicious beasts used by noble families to guard their homes, one of the nine sons of the dragon, Suanni.
They were brothers to the bronze beast rings on the gate.
The bronze beast rings were called Jiaotu, also one of the nine sons.
"I am afflicted with an evil spirit, and you remain indifferent. What use are you!"
The First Young Master fiercely struck the head of the stone lion with his palm.
The bronze beast rings had detected the abnormality on the First Young Master immediately, but the stone lions had not, which made the First Young Master greatly indignant with them.
He had spent a considerable sum to have both the bronze beast rings and the stone lions enhanced by someone.
These two objects had already existed for hundreds of years, possessing considerable power to ward off evil.
Now, after enhancement, they should theoretically be able to deal with any evil spirits accidentally brought into the household.
But now, the bronze beast rings had passed the test, while the stone lions gave the First Young Master the feeling of "wanting to raise a guard dog but accidentally raising two huskies."
Not only could they not distinguish between good and evil, but they had also colluded with the evil-doers, helping them steal things from their master's house!
The stone lion, struck in anger by the First Young Master, seemed to have finally awakened.
The eyes of both stone lions, left and right, lit up simultaneously.
A faint roar of a lion could also be heard in the void.
The piece of collar on the ground instantly turned into a large pile of ash.
The lines attached to the collar, like fish lines, were repelled several meters by the lion's roar.
"Hmph, at least you two are still somewhat useful!"
The First Young Master snorted coldly.
But to his surprise, in the next second, the lines suddenly straightened, like a long javelin, and shot directly towards the First Young Master!
The First Young Master was greatly alarmed.
He turned and ran frantically into the courtyard.
However, the First Young Master was merely a mortal, not possessing any teleportation abilities. How could he outrun the shooting lines?
Just as the lines were about to pierce the back of the First Young Master's head.
A voice sounded again from the void.
This voice was filled with majesty. It was not loud, but it instantly drowned out the lion's roar.
At the same time, an invisible force descended from the heavens, enveloping the First Young Master's front.
Bang!
The lines collided with the invisible force, emitting a deafening sound.
A dragon-shaped phantom flashed past.
The voice just now was a dragon's roar!
What saved the First Young Master at the critical moment was the dragon脉 (dragon vein) of Yan Jing City!
It was fortunate that the First Young Master had bought this house, precisely on the tail of the dragon脉.
Otherwise, he would not have escaped this calamity today!
The First Young Master was terrified and felt his entire back soaked in cold sweat. He slumped to the ground, motionless.
He cautiously turned his head to look at the sky.
Having alarmed the dragon脉 of Yan Jing, that bizarre thing should no longer be able to survive, right?
But to the First Young Master's dismay, even the dragon脉 of Yan Jing had only managed to incinerate a part of that bizarre line!
A portion of it, like roots embedded in the void, continued to grow rapidly, piercing towards him!
It reached him in an instant!
"No!" the First Young Master cried out.
But it was already too late to dodge.
Snap!
A crisp sound was heard.
The First Young Master thought he had perished, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that his head was still intact!
On the contrary, the bizarre line was caught by the dragon-shaped phantom that had reappeared, its four claws gripping it, and instantly torn to shreds, unable to reform!
"Phew," the First Young Master let out a long sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, I had the foresight to buy this house."
"This house is indeed a blessed one, imbued with dragon energy, impervious to all evils. No matter how skilled you are, you cannot harm me!"
The First Young Master said with a hint of pride, his voice cold.
But the next second, the First Young Master suddenly felt a warm sensation beneath his earlobe.
He touched it and found blood!
The First Young Master hurriedly took out his phone, turned on the camera, and upon looking, discovered that he was not unharmed. Instead, two very conspicuous scars had appeared on his earlobe!
Most importantly, the two scars crossed each other, forming a large "X"!
It was like the characters tattooed on the faces of ancient criminals during the "Qing Xing" punishment!
Crack!
The First Young Master was enraged and immediately smashed his phone to the ground.
To him, this was an immense humiliation!
The First Young Master of Yan Jing, treated as if branded like a criminal, would surely become the laughingstock of the entire Yan Jing City if this were to get out!
"Don't let me find out who you are!"
"Otherwise, I will make you wish you had never been born!"
"And that damned Taoist priest, cooperating with outsiders to harm me even as he died, I will grind his bones to dust and ensure he never reincarnates!"
The First Young Master's face contorted with ferocity as he gritted his teeth and spoke.
Then, he kicked open the siheyuan gate and stormed into the courtyard in anger.
Even the butler, who had rushed to greet him upon hearing the commotion, was kicked to the ground.
The butler was left lying on the ground, staring blankly at the First Young Master.
He couldn't understand why his master was in such a fit of rage today.