Chapter 288: Wang Mansion

Volume 3

A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume 3

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The princely mansion was not located within the imperial city, but rather in the southern district. After an hour's journey, Han Li and the others arrived at the intersection of the southern district.

The residential style of the southern district was noticeably different from that of the Qin Residence and other homes in the eastern district, mostly consisting of uniformly constructed buildings.

For those living there, their official rank and social status could be clearly discerned simply by looking at the size and style of their residence.

The homes in this area were built by the government and strictly allocated to officials according to their rank and noble title. No one dared to arbitrarily expand or modify their residence, or they would be guilty of overstepping their bounds.

As a member of the imperial family and a prince, Prince Xin's residence was naturally one of the finest in the southern district.

Its grounds were slightly more than half again as large as the Qin Residence, making it a colossal estate.

When the carriage stopped in front of Prince Xin's mansion and Han Li first saw the estate, he immediately sensed the aura of immense wealth and power that was characteristic of a high-ranking official in the mortal world.

The mansion gate was about five to six zhang high and three to four zhang wide, entirely covered in thick brass plating, with dozens of large door nails embedded in its surface, making the gate appear exceedingly grand and dignified.

On either side of the nearly zhang-high steps, there was a fierce bronze lion statue, polished to a brilliant shine, gleaming brightly and very eye-catching.

However, what truly conveyed the Prince Xin's mansion's prestige were the sixteen fully uniformed imperial guards standing on the steps outside the gate. These men were specially borrowed by Prince Xin from the imperial guard camp to prevent any unexpected incidents in such a large gathering.

The chief steward of Prince Xin's mansion was a lean old man, who, on behalf of his master, Prince Xin, was smilingly greeting every new guest on the steps, not daring to slight any visitor.

By this time, dozens of carriages, large and small, were already parked in front of the mansion gate, almost completely occupying the entire open space.

On the enormous bluestone steps in front of the gate, there were five or six guests who had not yet entered the mansion, exchanging pleasantries. They were all dressed in splendid attire and carried themselves elegantly, appearing to be figures of no small importance.

Seeing all this, Qin Yan adjusted his clothes and calmly alighted from the carriage.

Han Li cautiously glanced around and, after confirming the presence of cultivators, also disembarked with peace of mind.

As for the Qin family's young masters and ladies, they had promptly gotten off as soon as the carriage stopped. They were now standing in front of the mansion, excitedly discussing something.

Han Li looked at the guests still on the steps and noticed that, apart from the younger members of the Qin family, other guests had also brought young people, such as their children or nephews and nieces.

"Could they all have been invited by that so-called young prince, or is Prince Xin's mansion simply using this as an excuse to gather these young people?" Han Li pondered, finding no clear answer, and then glanced at Qin Yan.

He saw that Qin Yan's brows were also tightly furrowed, clearly indicating his surprise at the situation.

"Grandpa, let's go inside! The young prince and the others are waiting for us!"

A Qin family young master, sixteen or seventeen years old, seeing his grandfather standing still near the carriage, dared to step forward at the urging of his siblings and said this, fearing a scolding from Qin Yan.

"Hmm. Understood. Everyone, let's go in!"

To the young man's surprise, Qin Yan simply nodded casually and agreed with a pleasant expression after hearing this. This made the young man feel truly flattered and he excitedly returned to his peers.

However, before Qin Yan could lead them over, the mansion's steward, having just seen off a guest, immediately spotted the Qin family contingent. He instantly approached them with a broad smile and, upon reaching them, said with great warmth:

"Master Qin, you have finally arrived! My lord has been mentioning your name for several days, saying that you haven't come to visit the mansion in quite a while. Please, come in quickly! His Royal Highness will be overjoyed to see you!"

"Heh heh, it's just that recently..."

This chief steward of the princely mansion was truly an extraordinary speaker; with just a few brief sentences, he made his listeners feel warm and delighted.

Qin Yan couldn't help but smile, and he conversed casually with the chief steward for a few moments.

However, because more guests were continually arriving at the mansion, the steward didn't chat with Qin Yan for long before ushering Qin Yan and his party into the mansion. He then apologized and rushed back outside the gate.

Han Li remained by Qin Yan's side, silent. But as he looked at the steward's retreating back, a trace of doubt flashed across his face.

For some reason, Han Li had not sensed any spiritual energy fluctuations from this person, yet when the steward approached, Han Li suddenly felt a chill down his spine, as if a terrifying demonic beast was nearby. This made Han Li extremely uncomfortable!

Although Han Li didn't know why he felt this way, he had always been very confident in his instincts. He immediately added this princely mansion's chief steward to his list of individuals to be cautious of and suspicious about.

"Nephew Han, let's go! I'll introduce you to some old acquaintances you haven't met yet!" Qin Yan said with a smile to Han Li after the steward left.

This made the other Qin family members standing on Qin Yan's other side feel immediately sour, thinking that their family head was showing too much favoritism.

But Han Li merely smiled inwardly, knowing that Qin Yan was creating an opportunity for him to stay by his side. He readily agreed without declining.

Then he was led by Qin Yan into the main reception hall of Prince Xin's mansion.

There were about a hundred people in the hall. Although it seemed like quite a crowd, most arrived in groups of two or three. Of course, there were only two or three families, like the Qin family, who arrived with seven or eight people at once.

Prince Xin himself had not yet appeared in the hall, apparently waiting for all the guests to arrive before making his appearance.

As soon as Qin Yan appeared at the hall entrance, several old family acquaintances eagerly called him over.

Qin Yan naturally clasped his hands in greeting to each of them. After a quick scan of the room, he excused himself and walked towards an old man with a sickly complexion, beside whom sat a young man and a young woman.

The man had thick eyebrows and large eyes, with a steady demeanor. The woman, though of ordinary appearance, had a pair of fiery eyes that unceremoniously swept over the younger generation behind Qin Yan several times; Han Li was naturally within her gaze.

"Brother Hua, I never thought you, the great physician, would be here! I thought with your temperament, you'd certainly decline such an occasion," Qin Yan said softly, teasingly, as he sat down unceremoniously next to the old man.

"Cough! I really didn't want to come, but the strange illness of the Prince's favorite concubine was actually cured, which made me, your humble brother, very curious. I want to see which expert possesses such miraculous healing abilities!" The old man, whom Qin Yan called Brother Hua, showed no formality. He smiled slightly and said softly.

"Oh! So, the rumor that Prince Xin once asked you to treat his concubine was true? Is it possible that even with your medical skill, Brother Hua, you couldn't cure this illness?"

Han Li saw Qin Yan's extreme surprise, suggesting that this old man's medical skills must be very famous in Yuejing.

"Heh heh, diseases in this world are truly strange and varied. It's pure luck that I, Hua, with my meager medical skills, have managed to gain today's reputation! What's so unusual about some intractable illnesses that cannot be cured?" The old man chuckled indifferently, seemingly very broad-minded.

"But I still don't believe there's a doctor in Yuejing with medical skills superior to yours, Brother Hua?" Qin Yan shook his head, showing great trust in the old man's medical abilities.

However, the old man surnamed Hua merely smiled faintly without responding, instead pointing to the young man and woman beside him and saying:

"Huanan, Huafang, you've met them before. Come over and greet your Uncle Qin!"

The old man surnamed Hua evidently held great authority in the eyes of these two. Upon hearing his words, the young man and woman showed no hesitation, immediately coming forward to bow to Qin Yan.

"Heh heh, I didn't expect you two grandchildren to have grown so much in just a few years. I don't have anything particularly good on me, so I'll give you this pair of jade pendants with emerald inlays as a meeting gift!" Qin Yan said kindly, feeling around his person and pulling out a pair of pure white jade pendants inlaid with green emeralds, which were clearly very valuable.

The young man, though a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, quickly concealed it. But the young woman's face lit up with joy, her gaze fixed on the pair of jade pendants with intense excitement!

"You ungrateful children, if you want them, just take them! Brother Qin and our family aren't strangers!" Seeing this, the old man surnamed Hua couldn't help but scold them with a smile.

Hearing this, the young man and woman dared to accept the jade pendants from Qin Yan's hand, the young woman's expression extremely excited.

"Besides this one, I've met several of the other young people behind you a few times. Could this be your new nephew who recently arrived in the capital?" The old man finally turned his gaze to Han Li and examined him up and down with considerable interest.

"Yes, this is Han Li! He's a descendant of an elder of mine."

"Nephew Han, this is your Uncle Hua, one of the two great physicians in Yuejing. He's as famous as Dr. Ye, the imperial physician who exclusively treats the Emperor!" Qin Yan suddenly remembered that he hadn't introduced Han Li to his old friend yet.

"Hello, Uncle Hua!" Han Li dutifully greeted him.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad!" The old man surnamed Hua couldn't really see anything exceptional about Han Li, so he just gave him a casual compliment.

However, a thought struck him when he recalled the recent rumors associated with this young man. After a moment of hesitation, he extended his withered, bony hand, took out a small white bottle from his怀 and handed it to Han Li.

"This is a bottle of Heart-Protecting Pills I meticulously formulated! While I can't claim it cures all ailments, it's certainly effective for minor illnesses and injuries. Take it, Nephew Han, for self-defense!"

As soon as the old man spoke, Han Li immediately sensed the envy and jealousy of the several Qin family children behind him. Huanan and Huafang also showed a hint of surprise, clearly indicating that the "Heart-Protecting Pills" had quite a reputation!