The Scoundrel's Courtyard
When Xia Fei ended his three months of cultivation and arrived at the Aurora Race in the Tarot Star River, he had never expected to be greeted by such a situation.
The tall glass walls were proof that the Aurora Race had once been glorious and had a proud history. However, these colorful walls were now mottled, and though they had been cleaned, they could not hide the decline of this race.
Radix was on the verge of going crazy. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that after all the hardships he had gone through to return to his clan, the clan would become so desolate.
Xia Fei did not directly enter the courtyard. Instead, he went to the teahouse across the street and found a table by the window on the fifth floor. He ordered a pot of tea and four desserts, quietly looking at the courtyard across from him.
Soon, a servant with a dark red birthmark on his face brought the tea and desserts. Xia Fei smiled and stuffed a few pearls in his hand into the servant's hands. He asked, "Young man, I want to ask you something. Does the house across the street belong to the Aurora Race?"
The servant took the money and was naturally all smiles. As he poured tea for Xia Fei, he said, "You're right. The house across the street does belong to the Aurora Race."
Xia Fei unhurriedly asked, "I heard from the elders that the Aurora Race is a large race of the current era. Why do they seem so desolate now?"
The servant sighed and put the tablecloth over his shoulder. "Ah, the Aurora Race hasn't been in decline for just a year or two. You must've heard about them in the early years. Honestly, ever since I came here, the Aurora Race has been declining year by year.
"I heard from the elders in the teahouse that the Aurora Race are all good people. They're very polite and rarely get into conflicts with other races. Whenever there's a small conflict, they'll just laugh it off.
"It's a pity that the people of their family are kind, but others aren't. Many years ago, the Aurora Family was cheated by someone. A person who claimed to be a Soul Master wanted to help their family sort out the various soul tools that were passed down from their ancestors. The Aurora Family has always been friendly to people. Not to mention Soul Masters, even ordinary people who have no other way to go to their family will be given money."
"Therefore, the Aurora Aurora Clan brought the Spirit Master to their home and served him well. Little did they expect that the Spirit Master was actually a liar. He stole all the Aurora Aurora Clan's soul tools and ran away!"
"Although the Aurora race doesn't like to fight with others, they're still a warrior race after all. How can they survive without a soul vessel? Thus, they had no choice but to use their family's reserves to rearrange their armory. In the end, they were scammed again, and all the soul armaments they bought were fake. "
"It's really hard to explain. I've never seen a clan so unlucky. They've been tossing and turning on and off, but they've actually turned such a huge clan into such a mess. Their success is due to soul tools, but their failure is also due to soul tools."
The waiter rambled on about the history of the Aurora Race being conned. After all, he was just a waiter in a teahouse. While he knew a lot, he did not know much. Feeling that this was enough, Xia Fei waved his hand and had the waiter leave.
"He said that the Aurora Race's success was due to soul artifacts and their downfall was due to soul artifacts. What does that mean?" Xia Fei asked.
Radix sighed. "Warriors naturally have to use soul artifacts. If the family's soul artifacts are gone, they naturally have to buy new ones. Otherwise, what would the warriors of the clan use? Putting aside whether the soul artifacts they buy are real or fake, if they're of poor quality, they'll have to repair them every once in a while, and that'll cost a lot of money. Those Spirit Masters are all ruthless bastards. If the Aurora Race falls into their hands, will it be any good? "
Xia Fei shrugged. "Then we might as well not give our clansmen soul artifacts. Won't there be no expenditure this way? Since the clan's foundation is gone, what's the point in continuing to hold on? "
Radix replied, "You make it sound so easy. The Aurora Race isn't some upstart clan. They have a long history! They have a reputation! If such a clan doesn't give their warriors soul artifacts, how can they still have the face to walk the streets? "
Xia Fei gradually understood. It turned out that the Skywing Race had a batch of top-class soul artifacts that had been passed down for generations. When the older generation retired, they would pass the soul artifacts to their descendants, and when their descendants retired, they would pass the soul artifacts to their descendants, and so on.
However, this batch of excellent soul artifacts had been swindled away by a Spirit Master, so the clan no longer had any soul artifacts to pass down, so they could only buy them from the market. The number of Spirit Masters had greatly decreased in recent years, and high-grade Spirit Masters were even rarer. How could they be bought so easily? Many times, they could not even buy one with money!
Using the entire clan's foundation, the Aurora Race ended up buying batch after batch of fake soul artifacts and inferior soul artifacts. The fake ones could not be used, so they had to buy new ones, and the new ones were of poor quality, so they had to hire Spirit Masters to repair them. Which one of these did not cost a lot of money? As time went by, the mighty Aurora Race ended up getting swindled out of their clan's savings by those hateful Spirit Masters, which led to their decline.
"No wonder Old Man Dustfloat looks down on those ordinary Spirit Masters. It turns out that those fellows are actually so greedy," Xia Fei muttered to himself as he took a sip of tea.
Radix dejectedly said, "That's right. Those fellows are practically vampires! Even if it's a low-grade soul artifact, it'll cost them several million pearls to repair it, and that's not all. In order to continue swindling money, they often don't completely repair the soul artifact. After a few months, it'll break again, and they'll have to spend even more money! No matter how large a clan is, they can't afford to be tossed around like that! "
Xia Fei was speechless. Equipment and money were the lifeblood of a warrior. Which warrior did not start with a pile of gold and silver? The ancients had long said that the poor were scholars while the rich practiced martial arts. The path of a warrior had always been the monopoly of the rich!
Originally, the Aurora Race had a foundation and did not seem to be in any danger, but now that it was gone, they naturally had no way of supporting this massive clan.
Radix looked at Xia Fei, making Xia Fei very uncomfortable. His meaning could not be any clearer. Xia Fei was a Spirit Master, a true Spirit Master that could not be picked out in the entire universe! Now that the Aurora Race had declined, Radix very much hoped that Xia Fei could do something about it.
"Forget it. Let's first think of a way to sneak into the Aurora Race and take a look." Xia Fei lit a cigarette and said.
After finishing his three months of hard work, Old Man Dustfloat left Xia Fei in the Tarot Star River and left, repeatedly reminding Xia Fei not to act recklessly. It would be bad if the enemy saw through his identity, and everything would have to wait until he returned.
Thus, Xia Fei could not openly run into the clan and shout that he was Xiao Gu's grandson, wanting to return to the clan. All he could do was find another way to sneak in and understand the situation.
Radix thought about it and said, "There's a courtyard in the clan for distant relatives to stay in when they visit. You can make up an identity for yourself and live there, but I wonder if that courtyard is still there now that the clan isn't doing well."
…
After asking the waiter at the teahouse, he learned that the courtyard was still there, so Xia Fei paid the bill and followed the street to the western part of the city.
Standing at the entrance, he saw that this courtyard was even more luxurious than the Aurora Race's main residence. There were many people coming and going, and it was very lively.
"These people are all relatives of the Aurora Race?" Xia Fei asked in confusion. In just a short while, several groups of scoundrels had entered the courtyard, all of them shouting and yelling. All of them had ruddy faces and seemed to be living a very good life.
Radix sighed and bitterly said, "The Aurora Race has always treated people like a gentleman. In truth, ninety percent of the people living here are fake relatives, just here to eat and drink. A large portion of the clan's income is consumed by these people. If the clerics are vampires, then these people are the vampires' accomplices! Many scoundrels bring their entire families here and never leave again. "
Xia Fei found this funny. What kind of gentleman was this? It was just a bunch of idiots!
Entering the courtyard without any obstruction, he saw that the large courtyard was packed with people. Some were drinking tea under the trees, some were drinking and having fun by the lake, and some had even brought in prostitutes to indulge in daylight! This was practically a paradise for scoundrels!
When he reached the courtyard's butler, Xia Fei casually mentioned a name that he had heard from a waiter in the teahouse. The kindly old butler gave Xia Fei a key and politely said, "This is the key to the side room in courtyard nine. There are too many people, and there are no good rooms left. In two days, if there are any vacant rooms, I'll help you arrange them."
Xia Fei frowned as he put away the key. It was no wonder the Aurora Race had declined. Just by making up some relatives, they could come to this courtyard and eat and drink for free. For such a clan to not decline was simply intolerable.
The old butler saw Xia Fei's frown and thought that he was dissatisfied, so he hurriedly said, "Although courtyard nine is a little run-down, it's very secluded. The other courtyards are noisy, and the people living here are all …"
At this point, the old butler could not continue, a bitter expression on his face. According to the rules of the clan, anyone who came was a guest, so he could not make the decision. He could only watch as the courtyard that the clan used to entertain friends and family was occupied by scoundrels, but there was nothing he could do.
Xia Fei smiled and said, "Old man, it's fine. I've always liked peace and quiet. Living in courtyard nine is just what I want."
At this moment, a group of seven or eight scoundrels walked in drunkenly. The leader, a large black man, pointed at the old butler's nose and began cursing.
"Is this how the Xiao clan treats its guests? We were just having a good time drinking, and the kitchen suddenly told us that there's no more wine? No more wine? Are we supposed to piss on the floor? "
"That's right. What Aurora Race! If I had known, I would've advised my cousin not to marry into the Aurora Race. Providing food and not wine? What kind of relatives are they?"
This group of scoundrels was actually trying to usurp the host's position, clamoring for wine!
Xia Fei frowned, while Radix's eyes were bloodshot. If Xia Fei took out Silent Destruction at this moment, Radix would definitely kill these people on the spot.
The old butler still had a kind expression on his face, hurriedly explaining, "Everyone here is an honored guest of the Aurora Race, so how could we neglect you? I'll go get someone to buy some wine, so please don't be impatient."
"That's more like it. I want to drink Emerald Cypress Pavilion's sake. Don't try to fool me with those inferior goods!"
The group of drunkards left, and the old butler awkwardly looked at Xia Fei, muttering to himself, "We're all relatives. I have to do my best to satisfy their needs."
Lighting a cigarette, Xia Fei quietly left. He did not go far before he heard the old butler sigh. "How can we continue like this? The expenses of the courtyard are already astronomical, and these people actually want Emerald Cypress Pavilion's sake! Sigh … "
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