pjbooks Chapter 1022 Moving Again
Chapter 1022 Moving Again
The door closed behind the two of them, and the living room returned to silence.
Lin Qiye stood up and walked out of the reception room.
At the end of the corridor stood a middle-aged steward in a gray robe. He looked to be in his fifties, with a kind face and ramrod straight back. Upon seeing Lin Qiye emerge, he bowed and greeted him: "Steward Lin, I am Zhao, the steward of the General Affairs Department of the Overwatch Council. Chief Supervisor Shangguan has instructed me to escort you and your family to the new residence. If it is convenient for you, please follow me."
"I'll go back and pick them up first."
"Of course, I'll go with you." Manager Zhao stepped aside to make way and led the way, his steps steady and silent, like an old man who had walked this path for many years.
The two walked through the corridor of the reception area at the north gate of the Supervisory Bureau, out of the small building, and headed towards the current deacon area along the stone-paved street. There were many more pedestrians on the street than in the morning, and some people showed obvious surprise when they saw Lin Qiye and Steward Zhao walking side by side—Steward Zhao was a veteran of the Supervisory Bureau's General Affairs Department, usually only responsible for liaising with high-level officials, and the number of people who could be personally accompanied and guided by him in the entire arena was very small.
Lin Qiye paid no attention to those gazes. He walked beside Steward Zhao, thinking about something—one sentence from Shangguan Lin's earlier remarks had left a deep impression on him.
"I hope I haven't misjudged him."
Shangguan Lin used this phrase as a farewell, rather than a promise or a warning.
That means that before Lin Qiye even stepped into the reception room, Shangguan Lin had already made a decision—not to treat him as a potential enemy, but as an acceptable ally. This wasn't a test, nor was it bribery; it was a pre-prepared agreement, just waiting for his signature.
This raised his opinion of Shangguan Lin even higher.
……
The new residence is located in the heart of the arena.
To be precise, it's an independent area located slightly east of the center of the arena, roughly equidistant from the headquarters of the Oversight Bureau and the Combat Department—within an incense stick's time's journey to either side. This area is surrounded by a high gray stone wall, several meters high, its top engraved with defensive array patterns that gleam with a faint golden halo in the afternoon sunlight. At intervals along the wall are embedded fist-sized warning runes, emitting extremely weak fluctuations of source energy, forming an impenetrable sensory network with the array patterns on the wall.
The main gate of the wall is a double black iron gate with gleaming brass rings. Above the gate is a dark gold plaque with two characters engraved on it: "Lin Mansion".
Manager Zhao stopped in front of the black iron gate, took out a jade talisman from his waist, and gently affixed it to the sensing array pattern on the side of the gate. The gate made a low, turning sound as it slowly opened inward, revealing a passageway paved with bluestone slabs. On both sides of the passageway were two rows of neatly trimmed gray shrubs, their branches swaying gently in the breeze.
Manager Zhao stepped aside to clear the doorway and gestured for him to come in: "Deacon Lin, please follow me."
Lin Qiye followed Steward Zhao through the passageway and into the mansion.
The mansion was much more spacious than he had imagined.
The entire complex is a three-courtyard structure. The first courtyard contains a reception room, a side hall, and a small meeting room. The second courtyard is the owner's living area, including the master bedroom and several secondary bedrooms, as well as an inner courtyard with a rockery and a shallow pond. The third courtyard is the cultivation and storage area, including a cultivation chamber equipped with a complete energy-gathering array, a materials storage room, and a small armory.
The entire mansion is adorned with constant temperature and air-purifying array patterns, ensuring a comfortable coolness and freshness even on a hot afternoon outside. Soft, ambient light is embedded in the walls, its glow not ordinary white or yellow, but a warm, gentle gold that envelops the space in a tranquil atmosphere.
Lin Qiye walked around the three courtyards, checking the level of the energy-gathering array in the cultivation chamber and the security measures in the material storage room. He also confirmed the ventilation and lighting in all the rooms before stopping in the inner courtyard of the second courtyard.
He stood beside the artificial hill, watching the few small golden fish swimming in the pond, and remained silent for a moment.
"Manager Zhao."
"exist."
What is the specific level of security at the residence?
Steward Zhao was clearly prepared to answer this question, speaking calmly and clearly: "The high walls surrounding the mansion are inlaid with arrays, capable of withstanding several full-force attacks from high-ranking deacons. Each main entrance to the inner courtyard is equipped with alarm arrays; if touched by unauthorized personnel, an alert will immediately be sent to the Oversight Council headquarters. Furthermore, the Oversight Council will also station two secret guards outside the mansion for perimeter patrols. They will not enter the mansion or interfere with the family's normal life. If Steward Lin feels this is insufficient, he can request additional guards."
Lin Qiye nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He turned and walked out of the mansion: "I'll go and fetch them."
When the familiar wooden door of the old house was pushed open, the Manji's loud laughter came from inside, mixed with the babbling of a child—Shuang'er was teaching her eldest daughter to speak; Luo Sheng sat on a stone bench in the courtyard with her pregnant belly, sewing a small garment in her hands—her health had recovered well and she was already able to do some light work.
The Barbarian Princess's belly was already quite large, but she still couldn't stay still and was slowly practicing her boxing in the courtyard.
When Lin Qiye pushed open the courtyard gate, all three people turned their gazes toward him at the same time.
A moment of silence fell over the air.
Then Luo Sheng put down her needlework, stood up, and glanced at his tattered clothes and dried bloodstains before returning her gaze to his face: "Are you injured?"
"No. It's all someone else's blood."
The Barbarian Princess lowered her fist and grinned, "I knew he'd be alright!"
Shuang'er stood at the doorway, holding her daughter's hand, without saying a word, but a soft light shone in her clear eyes. Her little daughter in her arms also opened her round eyes, looked at Lin Qiye at the door, and then grinned with her toothless little mouth.
Lin Qiye walked into the courtyard and stopped in front of Luo Sheng: "We're moving. The Oversight Bureau promoted me and assigned me a new place to live in the core area."
"A promotion?" Luo Sheng's brow twitched slightly. She didn't immediately show joy or surprise, but first glanced at Lin Qiye's expression. "How high a promotion?"
"Special Deacon, equivalent to the Vice Dean level."
The courtyard was quiet for a moment.
The barbarian princess's jaw nearly dropped. Her mouth hung open for a long moment before she finally managed to squeeze out a single sentence: "Really?"
Shuang'er didn't speak, but simply curved the corners of her mouth slightly, her smile revealing a genuine sense of relaxation.
Luo Sheng was stunned for a while, then she lowered her head and gently wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand—the movement was very subtle, as if something had swirled in her eye socket and then she had imperceptibly hidden it. She raised her head again, her expression had returned to its usual composure, but there was something new in her voice: "Does the new house have a yard?"
"Yes. It's bigger than this one, and it even has artificial hills and a pond."
"Is there a training room?"
"Yes, it is equipped with a source-gathering array."
"Well—" Luo Sheng paused, her gaze sweeping over the old houses in the courtyard that had been inhabited for a long time, a barely perceptible hint of emotion in her voice, "That's fine. The children have grown up, and it is indeed a bit crowded here."