Chapter 1: Six Years?

Returning to his own manor, the moment Wang Liang stepped through the gates, he saw the housekeeper, Xiaolan, hurrying forward to greet him.

At this moment, Xiaolan's figure was ethereal and nimble, emanating an aura of transcendence. Upon seeing her, Wang Liang could not help but let out a surprised cry.

"Xiaolan, have you attained immortality?"

"Indeed. The master has been away for six full years. With nothing to do in my spare time, I spent more time in seclusion, and somehow attained immortality."

Hearing Xiaolan say this, Wang Liang was stunned. How could six years have passed in the blink of an eye?

"That's not right. I didn't feel as though that much time had elapsed."

"If the master doesn't believe me, you can go have a look at Xiaohui's place. Over these past six years, all the Velociraptors he has been raising have grown up."

Upon hearing this, Wang Liang quickly followed Xiaolan into a courtyard in the front estate—the very courtyard he had originally assigned to Xiaohui, the Indominus Rex.

As soon as they entered, Wang Liang saw Xiaohui standing with folded arms in front of the spacious courtyard, shouting at the top of his lungs, "One, two! One, two!"

Before him stood over a hundred Velociraptors. These creatures all possessed blue-gray skin and stood almost as tall as ordinary humans. Instead of crouching on all fours like typical raptors, they stood erect on their hind legs like humans.

In their hands, they held wooden spears, practicing thrusting techniques with proper form and discipline.

Scanning his surroundings more closely, Wang Liang noticed that wooden shields, long swords, and a number of short throwing axes were placed neatly around the perimeter of the courtyard.

Seeing Wang Liang approach, Xiaohui shouted, "Halt! Take a break, everyone. We'll resume practice later."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Velociraptors quickly dispersed. They rushed toward the sides, scrambling for the food and water set out nearby.

It was evident that they had learned to use tools. However, their hands were still raptor claws, making it difficult to use things like chopsticks, so they simply grabbed the meat directly with their claws.

Taking a closer look, Wang Liang noticed that at the rear of the courtyard, a reddish Velociraptor, nearly the size of a normal Tyrannosaurus Rex, was lying on the ground like a giant dog, watching everything happening before her.

Although the creature was massive in size, her eyes radiated a gentle, maternal warmth.

When she saw Wang Liang looking over, the female raptor even gave him a nod.

"And she is?"

"She hatched from that egg we had earlier. All the Velociraptors here are her and Xiaohui's offspring. We all call her—"

"Xiaohong?"

"No, the Dragon Mother."

Xiaolan gave Wang Liang a sideways glance, utterly exasperated by his naming conventions. She truly had no idea where he acquired such a baffling talent for naming things.

Wang Liang ignored this and cast a glance toward the group of Velociraptors, asking, "How are those little fellows doing?"

"Their combat capabilities are quite decent, and they possess a strong sense of coordination. Give them some weapons, and they will make qualified soldiers."

Wang Liang was about to ask about their intelligence, but then he reconsidered: Xiaolan was a snake, and Xiaohui was an Indominus Rex, yet both had transformed into human forms, and Xiaolan had even attained immortality. What did it matter whether these Velociraptors possessed high intelligence or not?

Dropping the subject, Wang Liang simply pointed at the raptors and said, "Once their training is complete, transfer them all to become estate guards. Also, make sure they are outfitted with armor and proper weapons. I won't have them carrying wooden spears and embarrassing me."

Xiaolan raised no objections to this request. Over the past six years, managing Wang Liang's manor had not kept her idle.

The spiritually endowed creatures brought from the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song had one by one been enlightened into lesser spirits. Following a period of study, they had been assigned duties based on their individual talents and potentials.

Those spirits with a natural aptitude for crafting had already been dispatched to various workshops. By now, a couple of them had even mastered the arts of blacksmithing and casting.

They might not be able to forge the divine weapons and equipment Wang Liang desired, but crafting weapons and armor for patrolling guards was well within their capabilities.

Previously, without Wang Liang's orders, Xiaolan would not have equipped the Velociraptors with gear. But now things were different; since Wang Liang had recognized them as manor guards, they naturally deserved the appropriate equipment.

After leaving the courtyard, Wang Liang toured other parts of the manor and was finally forced to believe Xiaolan's words—his recent absence had indeed lasted at least six years.

Yet, despite the undeniable evidence before his eyes, the matter still felt rather bizarre, and doubts lingered in Wang Liang's heart.

"No, I need to find someone to ask about this."

Wang Liang already had a candidate in mind. Master Lü was also in the game, and he was known for being well-informed. Asking him to investigate the matter should not be a problem.

After a moment of thought, Wang Liang said to Xiaolan, "I'm going out to ask about the situation. You stay here and prepare. By the way, hold onto this for me; I'll need it for my next destination."

As he spoke, Wang Liang produced a brocade pouch and handed it to Xiaolan.

Xiaolan nodded without asking any unnecessary questions, accepted the pouch, and stepped back.

Having made up his mind, Wang Liang did not linger. He left the manor and headed straight toward the Pass of Boundary Markers.

Passing through the teleportation array at the grand plaza, Wang Liang arrived at the Pass of Boundary Markers with ease. The moment he stepped onto the open ground outside the pass, he spotted various long swords stuck upright into the ground.

"I knew it! How could I possibly have been gone for something as exaggerated as six years? One look at these swords tells you they were just planted here."

Wang Liang still remembered encountering Master Lü at the Pass of Boundary Markers last time, as well as some of Master Lü's plans.

Looking at the swords thrust into the earth, Wang Liang knew that the progress of those plans was proceeding at a brisk pace.

Moreover, these swords were clearly planted here only recently; their blades still bore the distinct look of freshly annealed metal—they were brand-new creations.

If he had truly been gone for six years, it would have been evident from the condition of these weapons.

After inspecting the swords for a moment, Wang Liang stood up, preparing to enter the city to find Master Lü, when a distant shout reached his ears.

"A fight has broken out! Come watch the spectacle, someone has planted a challenge banner at the city gate!"

"A fight? Who is it?"

"Who else could it be? Peony Happy Ball! Aside from him, who else would dare plant a challenge banner at the city gate?"

Peony Happy Ball?

Wasn't that Master Lü's in-game moniker?

A shock went through Wang Liang's heart, and he hurriedly dashed toward the city gate.

He quickly reached the entrance, but by then, the city gate of the Pass of Boundary Markers was already ringed by dense layers of onlookers. Standing on his tiptoes, Wang Liang could only catch a glimpse of a blood-red battle banner planted firmly in the ground amidst a sea of heads.

The red ribbons on the battle banner fluttered in the wind, snapping loudly as a breeze swept past. Amidst this sound, the crowd of spectators grew visibly excited.