Lu Fan hadn't expected that within an ordinary courtyard, behind high walls, lay a sprawling mansion as grand as an imperial palace. Ancient-style houses, with red bricks and green tiles, and bluestone paving the ground. In the distance, a small bridge over flowing water, with flowers, plants, and pavilions.
"Hua Shiwu, Hua Shiliu! You're back?" An elder, also appearing to be in his seventies or eighties, was drinking tea in a pavilion not far from the main gate. He called out upon seeing several people enter.
"Hua Ershisan! Instead of guarding the gate properly, you're slacking off and drinking tea. I'll punish you by sweeping the courtyard later!" Hua Shiwu retorted.
"Hahaha! Only two or three people come to our courtyard in ten days or half a month, what's there to guard? It's better to sit and drink some tea, and listen to the crickets chirp! Haha!" Hua Ershisan burst into laughter.
"By the way! This young brother, at such a young age, can come here. It's truly a rare sight once in a century! Young brother! What should we call you?" Hua Ershisan suddenly asked Lu Fan.
Lu Fan felt an immediate good impression. Hua Ershisan's words were much more pleasant to hear.
"Senior! This junior is Lu Fan!" Lu Fan said, cupping his fist.
"Not bad! Not bad! It's just a pity that this name will likely be forgotten by people in the future. Here, we only have numbers!" Hua Ershisan said, shaking his head slightly.
"Hua Ershisan! Too much talk!" Hua Shiwu shot Hua Ershisan a glare and led Lu Fan further inside.
"Hua Laoqi!"
Inside a large house, an elder was dozing at the counter. He lazily raised his head upon hearing Hua Shiwu call out.
"Oh! A newcomer! I... He's so young! Around twenty years old? To have reached here, it's truly a rare sight once in a century!" Hua Laoqi looked up and saw Lu Fan, his face filled with the same shock as Hua Ershisan.
"Senior! This junior is twenty-two years old this year!" Lu Fan felt that this elder, Hua Laoqi, was also amiable and approachable, unlike Hua Shiwu and Hua Shiliu who were rather overbearing. He was quite puzzled, thinking that this Hua Rong Mansion didn't seem like what he had imagined.
"Twenty-two years old, you've arrived a full hundred years earlier than me! A young prodigy! A young prodigy!" Hua Laoqi rubbed his eyes, as if wanting to get a good look at the young man before him.
"Hua Laoqi! Enough nonsense, hurry up and make a record," Hua Shiwu said impatiently.
"What's the hurry! In this place, you can't find someone to talk to for three to five months. Now that we finally have someone, you won't let me say a few more words!" Hua Laoqi grumbled, then took out a large ledger, asked Lu Fan for his detailed information, and entered it into the register. He then took out a jade tablet and handed it to Lu Fan.
"Young brother! This will be your symbol of identity from now on. If you don't understand anything, you can ask these two. They are your introducers and will be responsible for conveying your future tasks," Hua Laoqi said, handing the jade tablet to Lu Fan.
"Oh? So, I'm now a member of Hua Rong Mansion? And you two are my recommenders?" Lu Fan held the jade tablet, a slight cold smile on his lips. He had inexplicably become a member of Hua Rong Mansion!
"Technically, yes. From now on, you... will have to listen to us!" Hua Shiliu glanced at Lu Fan, but his tone was no longer as firm as before.
There was no need to consider whether they could defeat Lu Fan; the Golden Silkworm Gu poison within their bodies already made both of them tremble. That thing was a time bomb, capable of taking their lives at any moment.
"What other tasks will there be in the future?" Lu Fan looked at the jade tablet in his hand. The front was marked with the character "Hua," and the back was marked with the number thirty-five. This seemed to indicate that including himself, there should be thirty-five experts in the Transcendent Realm.
"Small... small tasks, just minor tasks, like protecting some people's safety! Let's go, we'll take you to your living quarters," Hua Shiliu said hurriedly.
"No rush! I... want to meet the Mansion Lord of Hua Rong Mansion!" Lu Fan suddenly said. He had come precisely to resolve the matter of Hua Rong Mansion. He had many other things to do and was unwilling to waste his prime youth here.
Moreover, everyone here was an old man over a hundred years old, with nothing left to cherish at home. But he was only twenty-two! And he hadn't even gotten married yet. Did they expect him to spend his days mixing with these old men? Go to hell!
"Don't, don't be foolish! The Mansion Lord is not someone you can just meet whenever you please! Let's go, come and see your residence," Hua Shiwu said, looking embarrassed, seemingly not wanting to lose face in front of others but also not daring to use force against Lu Fan.
"There's no need to stay. I've already registered, and I've become a member of Hua Rong Mansion according to your wishes. I'll be leaving now. If there's anything, call me!" Lu Fan said, turning to leave.
"You can't leave! Once you're here, you can't leave unless you have a mission. This is the rule of Hua Rong Mansion," Hua Shiwu and Hua Shiliu quickly blocked Lu Fan's path.
"Hmph! No rule can restrain me, not even Hua Rong Mansion!" Lu Fan snorted coldly and strode towards the exit.
"You can't leave!" Suddenly, Hua Laoqi also blocked Lu Fan's way.
"Just you guys? You want to stop me?" A cold glint flashed in Lu Fan's eyes. With a "bang," he stomped his foot fiercely on the ground, and a powerful aura instantly swept outwards.
Hua Laoqi and the others were startled. The three of them simultaneously struck out with their palms. With a "whoosh," they barely managed to suppress the aura Lu Fan had unleashed.
"Hua Sanshiwu! Even if you are very strong, this is Hua Rong Mansion! The rules cannot be broken!" Hua Laoqi's expression changed. He hadn't expected Lu Fan to be so powerful.
"What if I insist on changing this rule?" Lu Fan's expression also turned cold as he said this.
"Then..." Hua Laoqi suddenly clapped his hands. Clap, clap, clap... As the applause fell, more than a dozen people suddenly appeared. They were all white-haired elders, yet each of them had a ruddy complexion.
"Hmph! Ganging up on me? Then, since I'm ranked thirty-fifth, there should be thirty-four people before me. Why not call them all out, so I don't have to trouble myself by dealing with them one by one!" Lu Fan said with a cold laugh.
"Young friend Lu Fan!"
Suddenly, a voice called out. Lu Fan turned around and saw it was Old Ancestor Yan.
"Old Ancestor Yan! It seems you must be Hua Sanshisi," Lu Fan said with a slight smile. Whether he was Hua Sanshisi or Old Ancestor Yan, he likely wouldn't dare to defy the rules of Hua Rong Mansion. He was about to become his opponent.
"Young friend Lu Fan, I didn't expect you to break through so quickly! And, upon breaking through, you've become much stronger than us. However, perhaps you have some misunderstanding about Hua Rong Mansion. Staying here is actually very beneficial for cultivation, as we have many cultivation resources that we need," Old Ancestor Yan said again.
"Hmph! Cultivation resources are very scarce, so let's leave them for you old folks! This young master must leave." Lu Fan said, then walked towards the exit.
"You can't leave!" Bang, bang, bang... As Lu Fan moved, several fists suddenly shot towards him.