Superhumans of the Dome City-Chapter 1377 - 3: The Mansion’s Secret Chamber

"Sister Qian, your move just now was amazing! Is that martial arts too?"

"Yes, it is."

"Sister Qian, have you really entered the final stage?"

"Yes."

"I knew it. There are still people at home who don’t believe it, I’ll tell them first thing when I get back!"

The girl’s name is Qin Shenran, who is exactly ten years old this year. Just by her name, you can tell she’s in the same generation as the eldest daughter. Seeing her face filled with expectation and excitement, it’s evident she’s greatly admired her sister. As soon as they met, she grasped Qin Qianbai’s hand and wouldn’t let go, her small mouth firing off questions like beans, leaving Qin Qianbai feeling overwhelmed. Gongsun Ce unfailingly takes two steps back, laughing secretly and leaving the task of dealing with the little fan to his young lady, pretending not to see Qin Qianbai’s pleading look. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"These outsiders have no shame, using the excuse that elder siblings are busy with official duties to challenge others. They just want the people from Yiji Hall to lend a hand, and once they’re affected, they’ll take the opportunity to stir trouble, saying that the authorities are interfering in Jianghu matters. If a powerful figure truly arrives, they’ll be the first to run away..."

"Hmm, very annoying."

Gongsun Ce noticed Qin Qianbai’s cheeks gradually puffing up and knew it was time for him to speak. He walked up to Qin Shenran and asked kindly, "Little girl, you’re quite skillful for your young age, worthy of being the child of the Qin family from the capital. But earlier, if Qin Qianbai hadn’t been able to arrive, what would you have done?"

When Qin Shenran spoke to him, her tone changed, quite unlike when speaking to Qin Qianbai: "Mr., if Sister Qian’s not here, naturally it’d be me to face him on the stage to decide a winner. This match is watched by everyone; if I—a mere girl—were to lose, no one would blame me. Tomorrow, when my elder siblings have free time, they’ll surely defeat him. If Liu Fufeng bullies the weak, regardless of the outcome, the Canghe Sect will be disgraced. Whenever they go out, everyone will laugh at them for matching their elite against a girl. If I did go up on stage, he should be the one fretting."

Gongsun Ce laughed and handed the little girl a piece of candy: "Smart and clever, much more so than your sister was back then."

Qin Shenran pouted, not taking the candy ball: "You are blaming me, sir."

"How am I blaming you?" Gongsun Ce asked in surprise.

"If Sister Qian were present back then, she surely would’ve just gone up, defeated him, and left, without these unnecessary thoughts." Qin Shenran retorted, "That’s why Sister Qian was well-versed in fate at ten, while I’m still practicing entry techniques."

Gongsun Ce nodded repeatedly, genuinely moved: "Even smarter than your sister now..."

Qin Qianbai quietly stepped on him and tossed the candy ball into Qin Shenran’s mouth: "Don’t listen to his nonsense, Xiaoxin, eat the candy."

"Nom, nom."

The little girl happily ate the candy ball. Behind her, Shiyu Ling glanced over, thinking that the posture of eating is identical for those from the same family. She exchanged whispers with Liu Zhongwu: "The Qin family in the capital has a vast influence, how dare these various factions provoke them?"

Liu Zhongwu replied indifferently: "In the past, Mr. Qin was stationed in the capital, and any outside martial artists dreaming of making their name had to consider their own weight. But now Mr. Qin has gone to the sky to settle things, so the unwise dare show themselves."

Shiyu Ling clicked her tongue: "And when did Qin An leave the Capital?"

"This morning. I mobilized the Qin family’s elite, which only took an hour."

"These people have quite the well-informed network." Shiyu Ling sneered, "Is the female hacker here?"

"Don’t disturb, don’t disturb, the female hacker is working." Qiluo buried her head in her phone, "I can tell who it is just by the technique, the Hidden Law Master must have interfered... Please, Mr. Liu, open the Divine Capital’s communication network permissions for me, and I’ll design a skill for everyone to prevent sneak attacks... which should have a preventive effect, probably!"

Gongsun Ce wasn’t surprised by the possibility of Hidden Law Master being around Divine Capital City. Based on what Gaius confessed after imprisonment, the mysterious information life form is the initiator of the Dust Sect’s so-called "salvation" plan. Such a person will never become an ally due to betraying Situ Yi; he likely continues plotting his insane plan.

"Mr. Liu, do you know anything about this person?"

"Yes." Liu Zhongwu nodded, "At the end of February this year, when Qin Ming came to the Heavenly City, the Hidden Law Master was secretly guiding the situation to harm you. At that time, I acted together with Yan Qi and Qin Ming, but in the end, he escaped, leaving only that piece of Unity Jade, demonstrating his difficulty."

Liu hesitated briefly, then said: "Yan Qi speculates about his origins... but it’s not appropriate to mention."

Gongsun Ce recalled Alandia’s method of defeating the Hidden Law Master and understood the reason: "Has he lost part of his memory? If mentioned and overheard by him, it might unwarrantedly strengthen the enemy’s power."

"Exactly. And even knowing his background, it’s hard to find a good method." Liu Zhongwu sighed, "An information life form is possibly in an abnormal final stage, able to mimic the Creation Realm, how can one target such a person? To truly solve him, perhaps only a tough battle will suffice."

Mr. Liu spoke clearly and methodically, yet Gongsun Ce took careful note. Everyone is intelligent, and Liu Zhongwu’s willingness to not delve further signals a close relationship between the Hidden Law Master and Divine Capital City, making him reticent even as a high-ranking official. This attitude itself reveals a problem; only one person in Divine Capital City could make the Minister of Taichang of Yiji Hall so cautious.

Gongsun Ce gazed towards the center of Divine Capital City, knowing that under that night sky rests the palace of the Yong Guang Empire. The person with the greatest power in the world should reside within those towering palace walls, sitting among the intricate carvings, like a deity watching over his lands.

He returned his gaze and asked, "May I inquire what we are going to...?"

"We need to make a stop at the Qin family residence first. There are some things you need to know."

Qin Qianbai quietly gazed towards the south of the imperial capital. Even though the family estate was still far away, she could already see the familiar black stone walls and pine trees, the large black house with its elaborately engraved eaves, and the stone-carved guardian beasts on the roof ridges. These once fierce stone beast heads had been worn down by the children’s constant curious touching over the years, now looking down with a gentle gaze at the training ground behind the grand house.

She picked up her younger sister and, with a few agile leaps across the eaves, arrived at the main gate of the Qin family’s mansion. Above the red-painted doors hung a plaque with golden characters on a black background, inscribed personally by the Emperor Central Spirit two thousand years ago, reading "Duke Wu Mansion."

After four years away, she had returned home. The night air was mixed with dust and sweat, and the scent of incense mingled with the cooking smoke from the kitchen—an entirely familiar aroma. Memories from the past were rekindled in her mind, making Qin Qianbai smile gently. She pushed the doors open with both hands and called out, "I’m back!"

The doors swung wide open, and silver light burst forth. Spearheads and sword points were the first to strike out, followed by great swords and axes slashing from both sides. In the flashing blades and swords, hidden among them were twenty strange weapons like short daggers and pointed needles, whose gleaming edges resembled mercury spilled on the ground, brilliantly flickering as they came rushing in!

Qin Qianbai’s smile didn’t fade. She lightly tapped the ground with her toe, sending an invisible shockwave rippling outward, causing the weapons to slip from the hands of their wielders and sending the hidden weapons spiraling back. Behind the door came a chorus of startled cries followed by tumbling sounds. Gongsun Ce, who arrived just after, was utterly stunned by what he saw: "Even the Duke Wu Mansion contends for inheritance rights like this?"

Before he finished speaking, a dozen or so Qin family juniors behind the door swiftly retrieved their weapons and scrambled to their feet, lining up neatly on both sides of the door. Qin Shenran dashed to the end of the line and, along with everyone else, cupped his hands respectfully in salute to Qin Qianbai: "Welcome back, Sister Qian!"

"It’s a family rule. When returning home from roaming outside, juniors must prove their progress to enter. Without advancement, they can’t come in." Qin Qianbai proudly tugged Gongsun Ce’s arm as she led them inside. "This is my fiancé, Gongsun Ce. The two behind us are my family friends. We won’t rest this time; we must meet the grandfathers to discuss important matters."

"Understood!"

The Qin family juniors dressed in blue saluted everyone one by one, then dispersed to the family estate to report the news, each displaying dignified composure befitting a noble family. Even those few who whispered behind backs only did so after moving far away: "Did you see him? That’s the famous Gongsun Ce with four beauties as confidants!"

"He looks really handsome, no wonder the ladies fancy him..."

Perceptive, Gongsun Ce heard this and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: "How did gossip about me reach your family..."

"The famously dashing name of the Jihui Bureau is known worldwide!" Shiyu Ling quipped sarcastically.

Qin Qianbai stepped on him again, causing someone to sigh: "I slightly regret not growing a beard."

"Why?"

Gongsun Ce touched his smooth upper lip: "If I trimmed my beard nicely, perhaps people’s first impression when they saw me would be ’Gongsun Ce with four eyebrows’ instead of ’Gongsun Ce with four beauties’..."

"What an old martial arts joke!" Qiluo couldn’t help but retort.

With Qin Qianbai guiding them, they passed through three gates and continued along corridors between courtyards, arriving before a stone house shrouded in greenery. Several elite Qin family guards in blue stood watch outside, their statures robust and aura reserved, clearly in a different league than the juniors who greeted at the main door. Qin Wu, who Gongsun Ce had met before as "Second Grandpa," stood by the entrance. He smiled at Qin Qianbai as they approached, and after exchanging greetings, silently stepped aside.

Inside the stone house, lighting was provided by candelabras, and not a single unnecessary furnishing was visible. Golden lines were carved into the stone bricks, constructing a perfectly integrated array from the inside, its spider-web-like confines stifling. Within the stone house lay a pure white chamber, isolated by jade, with the array’s center inside.

"Inside," Liu Zhongwu whispered.

Gongsun Ce stepped forward, pushed open the white jade door, and wordlessly stopped. Within the chamber were three jade beds, each holding a person devoid of breath, peacefully asleep. The foremost was none other than Agent Will, whose Gun of Punishment was still beside him; in the center was an elegantly dressed old man Gongsun Ce didn’t recognize, with kindly brows and an immortal demeanor; the last was his most familiar elder, the black-clad artist lying on the cold stone, devoid of his usual expressions of mirth or anger.

"Yan Qi returned to the imperial capital at mid-year, using the grand array to delay King Pingdeng’s manifestation," Liu Zhongwu said. "But now, King Pingdeng has descended using an avatar. I’m afraid their sealing attempt is... not going well."

Gongsun Ce slowly clenched his fist: "He even sent me a calligraphy piece when I moved to a new house not long ago."

"Back then, with the addition of the Gun of Punishment, Yan Qi could have managed the seal while still being active. We all thought the overall situation was stable, that we could proceed slowly," Liu Zhongwu shook his head. "But none of us expected things to happen so suddenly. Just around the time His Majesty went missing, the three of them also vanished without a word. The situation changed too quickly; there was no other choice."

Gongsun Ce understood what he meant. As long as Yan Qi could act, there was no urgent crisis. Just like when Yan Qi arrived with the Three-Life Seal to unite everyone, inspiring the entire ship with his presence—so much so that even the arrogant Situ Yi devoted himself entirely to the seal because Yan Qi was the undisputed Sky Extreme, the highest point in the vast sky. As long as he was there, nothing would collapse, and peace would reign.

But now that Yan Qi was missing, no one would be smiling and cursing while stepping forward for everyone. If the sky fell...

"It’s up to us to mend it," Gongsun Ce murmured to himself.

He turned to Liu Zhongwu: "You must know Yan Qi’s character better than I do, Mr. Liu. If he dared to seal King Pingdeng, it means he was confident of returning. I think their disappearance might not be entirely due to King Pingdeng. Do you know what happened in the imperial capital that could cause such a crisis?"

Liu Zhongwu narrowed his eyes: "Gongsun Ce, close your ’eye’ first."

Gongsun Ce was taken aback, then understood. He closed his eyes, enveloped the Netherworld Eyes with his power, temporarily blocking his vision of ’reality.’

Slowly opening his eyes again, he saw two overlapping worlds.