"Phew, that was close, that I agreed," Zhou Yan patted his chest, looking like he had narrowly escaped a disaster.
Zhou Yan lay on the bed, slowly closing his eyes.
Unbeknownst to him, he fell asleep.
...
The next morning, after Zhou Yan woke up, he immediately ran to the inn lobby, waiting for his young master to arrive.
Zhou Yan was ready. He would follow his footsteps to the Zhou Mansion later and see what was so different about this Zhou family.
Zhou Yan sat in the inn lobby, constantly looking out.
He now wished he could fly to the Zhou family immediately and see what kind of place it was.
He was already imagining that if the Zhou family's courtyard was as luxurious as his own, he would be very happy.
Zhou Yan kept imagining, and before he knew it, it was almost noon.
The man finally arrived, fashionably late.
"Yan'er, let's go. Father will take you to see our Zhou Mansion," the man said with a faint smile, looking at Zhou Yan's expression. "Don't be too formal when you see Ruoxue later. Act like you're at home, understand?"
Zhou Yan nodded.
He dared not refuse the man's offer, for he was afraid that if he refused, the other party might kill him.
When the two arrived at the main entrance of the Zhou Mansion, they saw guards.
"Halt! This is the main entrance of the Zhou Mansion. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."
Hearing the guard's voice, the man smiled and said, "Little brother, this is my relative. Just let him in."
"Young Master, this..." The guard hesitated for a moment and looked at the man.
He had watched the man grow up, so he knew the young master's temper well. If he truly angered the young master, he would be in trouble.
Seeing the guard's reaction, the man sighed and said, "Fine. Since you're unwilling to be accommodating, I'll have to go in myself. Remember this: this is my home. From now on, without my orders, you are not to let anyone in casually."
After saying this, he winked at Zhou Yan.
Seeing this, Zhou Yan immediately walked to the main entrance.
"Crack!"
The man struck Zhou Yan on the shoulder. Zhou Yan's body went limp and collapsed onto the ground.
Zhou Yan felt dizzy and a wave of nausea washed over him. He forced himself to stay awake.
This young master was extremely protective of his own. If Zhou Yan showed any slight disrespect, his fate would be dire.
Therefore, he had to obey now and absolutely could not resist.
Seeing Zhou Yan's reaction, the man smiled with satisfaction and said, "Alright, you can go in now."
"Yes, Young Master!"
With that, Zhou Yan propped himself up with his sore body, slowly got up, and walked into the Zhou Mansion.
"Yan'er, how do you like it here?" the man asked, seeing Zhou Yan's demeanor.
Zhou Yan carefully looked around and then nodded, saying, "It's beautiful. It's much prettier than my own mansion."
Hearing Zhou Yan's words, the man burst into laughter.
"Hahaha... Yan'er, don't forget your promise. Take good care of our Zhou family, or I will never forgive you," the man threatened with a smile.
"Father, please rest assured. I will serve you with all my heart," Zhou Yan replied with a nod.
Hearing Zhou Yan's words, the man's smile widened.
A satisfied expression appeared on his face. It seemed that Zhou Yan would not go back on his word this time.
Just then, Zhou Yan saw an old woman walking towards him. Zhou Yan quickly went to greet her.
Zhou Yan bowed to the old woman and said, "Junior Zhou Yan greets the old madam."
This old woman was the housekeeper, Zhou Yan's wet nurse.
"Young Master, there's no need to be polite. Please come this way." After saying this, Zhou Yan's wet nurse walked ahead.
Zhou Yan quickly followed and asked, "Nanny, what does the old madam want to see me about?"
"Young Master Yan, please follow me first," the old woman said, turning and walking ahead.
"Oh."
Zhou Yan responded and quickly followed.
Following the old woman's back, Zhou Yan unknowingly walked deep into the back mountain.
Passing through the woods shrouded in foliage, Zhou Yan finally saw a majestic mansion.
At the entrance of the mansion, three soldiers in armor stood guard.
The attire of these three soldiers was the same as what he had seen the previous night – military uniforms.
Zhou Yan vaguely felt a sense of danger in his heart, but he gritted his teeth and walked towards the mansion gate with determined steps.
He could not retreat, otherwise, his fate would be truly terrible.
When Zhou Yan entered the mansion, he found that the scene inside was completely different.
The architecture here was exactly the same as the main entrance of the Zhou Mansion he had seen the previous night.
Zhou Yan was a bit confused.
Could this be the backyard of the Zhou Mansion?
What Zhou Yan didn't know was that this was indeed the backyard of the Zhou Mansion, but it was a special one. No one was allowed to approach the backyard except the family head, not even Zhou Yan's mother.
This was because a magical beast lived in the backyard, a magical beast called the Green Snake.
It was not only a low-level magical beast but also possessed extremely formidable strength, almost reaching the level of a five-star Soul Emperor.
Therefore, pets were not allowed in the Zhou family, as it would lead to disaster.
This Green Snake had a very violent temper. Any prey it targeted, no matter who it was, could not escape its pursuit.
"Young Master, you're here!"
At this moment, a middle-aged man walked over from a distance. He respectfully called out to Zhou Yan.
"En," Zhou Yan nodded and then said, "Leave the affairs of the Zhou family to you."
"Yes, this old servant obeys your command!"
"Young Master, your clothes are torn. Would you like me to help you change them? After all, you are outside and should pay attention to your image, lest you be recognized." The middle-aged man quickly said upon seeing Zhou Yan's torn clothes.
"No need, I'm not hungry yet," Zhou Yan shook his head and then looked at the middle-aged man. "I'll go see my father. How has he been lately?"
"Young Master, please follow me."
The middle-aged man respectfully made a gesture of invitation and led Zhou Yan towards the main hall of the Zhou Mansion.
After walking for a while, the middle-aged man suddenly said, "Young Master, where is your friend?"
Hearing the middle-aged man's words, Zhou Yan was startled for a moment, then pointed to a pavilion not far away. "I just saw him walk that way."
Hearing Zhou Yan's words, the middle-aged man nodded and continued to lead Zhou Yan forward.
After walking down this wide street, they arrived at the main hall of the Zhou family.
Zhou Yan immediately saw Zhou Yan's father, Zhou Wenhai, sitting at the head of the hall. To the left and right of Zhou Yan's father sat two elders. Seeing these two elders, Zhou Yan's head started to ache.