After being universally criticized online, I went viral on military-themed variety shows.

Chapter 580 Triple Doubts

Song Ciyuan looked at the hillside manor that was almost there ahead.

I can still vaguely remember that this manor was built after his grandfather's generation bought a huge plot of land, and it wasn't until his father grew up that it was completed.

He was born in one of the rooms of this manor, and grew up until he was six years old, when he was tricked into entering the Canglan Realm by that unseen and intangible being.

After returning from the Canglan Realm, he did come back once, but in the body of a monkey. He was put into a cage covered with a black cloth and taken in. When he finally escaped, he was in such a panic that he didn't even have time to see if the manor was still the same as he remembered.

Until now!

Before the car even reached the manor gate, the gate slowly opened, allowing the vehicle to drive in without any obstruction.

They drove all the way to the main courtyard of the manor before slowly coming to a stop.

After Lin An turned off the engine and got out of the car, he opened the back door. However, after waiting for two seconds without any sign of someone getting out, he couldn't help but glance into the car. "Master?"

Song Ciyuan snapped out of his daze, got up and got out of the car, glancing at Lin An, who was closing the car door, and Li Zhi, who was getting out of the passenger seat. "You two go back."

Li Zhi was taken aback. Seeing that her master had already turned around and was about to enter the room, she quickly replied "Yes" and then gestured to Lin An.

The two got back into the car and drove the same way they came out of the manor back to their residence.

Although they don't usually live in the hillside manor, if it gets a little late, they will still stay overnight in the courtyard outside the manor, since the manor is really far from their accommodation in the city!

It was already getting dark. As was customary, they could have a meal and rest in the front courtyard for the night. If their lord didn't need them the next morning, they could leave directly.

This was the first time the Lord had directly told them to go back.

As the car was about to turn the first bend on the mountain road, Li Zhi couldn't help but look back at the brightly lit manor.

For a moment, his mind was filled with all the unusual things his lord had done since he entered Que Mountain.

There are two little people fighting fiercely inside my head.

One remained steadfast and did not act, just as before, obeying all orders given by the Lord.

One couldn't help but want to muster the courage to try it out.

What's been wrong with you these past few days?

Li Zhi looked at Lin An, who had been driving quietly but suddenly spoke up: "Huh? What's wrong?"

“I’ve felt that you’ve been a bit restless and distracted these past few days. Hmm, it probably started when we went into the mountains.”

"You feel it?"

Lin An glanced at her sideways and asked, "What do you think the Lord needs the stone fetus for?"

Li Zhi couldn't help but look over again, "You've got some nerve, daring to speculate about the Lord's motives behind his back."

"It's rare to see the Lord attach such importance to something. Ever since he came out of that cave where the stone embryo was conceived, even the Lord's aura has changed."

Upon hearing his last sentence, Li Zhi's expression finally changed. "You noticed it too? That's right, your intuition is no less than mine."

She's just not as smart as her, but she's a bit more skilled, which is why they have different roles.

Lin An stepped on the brakes, and the car slowly came to a stop on the side of the road.

Although it's on a mountain road, this road was specifically built for the hillside manor, so there's no need to worry about cars suddenly coming from the front or back.

Lin An looked at the shadows of the mountains ahead and asked, "How about we exchange information?"

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, thinking of the guess that had been troubling her for several days, and nodded, "Okay." Lin An: "Let me speak first. I feel that the current lord is more humane than before I came up the mountain. Before, when I was by the lord's side, I could feel that he didn't care about me or you. You could say that the lord didn't care about anyone. But now, I can feel that he doesn't like me very much, although I don't know why."

Li Zhi: "...I didn't feel that the Lord disliked me. However, I feel that the current Lord is both the Lord and not the Lord."

"How to say?"

“You know I usually work for the Lord. Although the Lord’s actions are unpredictable, there are still some patterns in his behavior and words. But the current Lord is making it hard for me to figure out those patterns. For example, just now, the Lord directly told the two of us to go back. If it were according to his usual habit, he would have just gone straight into the courtyard after getting out of the car, without saying anything more about telling us to go back. And there have been several times before…”

"Did you sense it after the Lord came out of the cave?"

"Hmm." Li Zhi frowned and pondered for a moment. "Could it be that the changes occurred in the cave? In the cave, could it be due to the influence of the stone embryo?"

"Of those who entered the cave with the Lord, Duanmu Sen is dead, and the one in gray robes has disappeared without a trace. Now, only..."

"Li Chengxiao and Jiang Hanying."

Lin An tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Jiang Hanying is still filming in Queshan, nothing has changed. As for Li Chengxiao, I don't know."

“I received word that Li Chengxiao has returned to Beijing, but he’s not easy to see.” Li Zhi said, her gaze falling on Lin An’s face. “You’ve observed Jiang Hanying quite closely.”

"After all, we've dealt with each other a few times before."

"So, where did that stone core go?"

"It should only be known to His Majesty himself."

"Let's go!"

Seeing that she seemed to have made up her mind, Lin An restarted the car and asked, "What are your plans?"

"Feng Xiaoyu is still alive. It's rare for her to return to the capital. We should ask the master if we should take care of her while we're at it."

Since she wasn't the only one who sensed something was off, she should take the initiative to find an opportunity to subtly probe the situation.

As the car descended from the mountain road and entered the public road, Lin An was about to accelerate when he glanced into the rearview mirror and immediately squinted.

Just now, it seems a car drove onto the mountain road he just came down from.

Li Chengxiao drove under the cover of night all the way to the entrance of the Half-Mountain Manor.

The butler had just received a message from the head of the household informing him that guests would be visiting tonight when he saw the car already parked at the door. Although he was somewhat surprised by the speed at which the guests arrived, he pressed the button to open the door without hesitation.

Li Chengxiao waited for the door to open, then went straight inside.

After parking the car, I got out and was led to the main courtyard by the butler who was already waiting by the car.

“Mr. Li, the head of the family is waiting for you in the courtyard.”

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After the steward bowed and turned to leave, Li Chengxiao pushed open the courtyard gate and went inside.

They spotted Song Ciyuan wandering aimlessly in the huge courtyard at a glance.

Song Ciyuan quickly went to greet him. "Big..." He paused and explained when he met his senior brother's warning look, "I've chased all the servants out of this courtyard. Calling me senior brother shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"What were you doing just now?"

“My memories of this world tell me that this was originally my home. But when I came back this time, everything felt very unfamiliar. Now I’m starting to doubt whether my memories are real.”