Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

James got even more excited, almost jumping for joy, but thankfully he remembered he was driving, and continued:

"But what's even more formidable is the 'Eight Directions Alliance' itself!"

I heard that the news spread the very next day, just as things had calmed down in Hong Kong—

Japan's Yamaguchi-gumi sent out invitations, several high-ranking military leaders in Vietnam also sent people to make contact, and the most frightening thing was from Laos!

He lowered his voice, as if recounting a legendary tale, and said:

"That warlord surnamed Zhou from Shangliao has been entrenched there for several years, constantly engaging in minor skirmishes with Zhongliao, but he hasn't dared to actually make a move."

The results of it?

He had just spread the word that he had made contact with the "Eight Directions Alliance" the very next day! Just the very next day!

His troops were like gunpowder, launching a full-scale attack on Zhongliao!

The offensive was terrifyingly fierce. I heard that Zhongliao couldn't hold them off at all, collapsing at the first touch, and it looked like they were about to be breached!

"It's so fast, it's like a hot knife cutting butter!"

James exclaimed, his tone filled with disbelief, and continued:

"This efficiency, this power... Everyone is wondering, what kind of deity is the mysterious leader of the 'Eight Directions Alliance'?"

How can you get these ruthless characters from all over the country to be so obedient, so... desperate?

At this moment, Liu Jianguo, who had been listening quietly, revealed a perfectly timed look of surprise and curiosity, as if it were truly the first time he had heard these details.

He leaned forward slightly, looking towards the driver's seat, and said in an inquiring tone:

"Oh? Such a swift offensive? Is the situation in Zhongliao already decided?"

"That's right!"

James nodded vigorously, trying hard to recall the Chinese vocabulary he had learned, and said:

In Chinese terms, it's like "unstoppable momentum"!

Can't stop it!

The news is going viral in the industry, with people saying that the rise of the "Eight Directions Alliance" may reshape the power map of Southeast Asia and even further afield.

Cousin, you're in Hong Kong, have you heard any more inside information?

"That alliance leader, who exactly is he...?"

Before he could finish his question, the manor's iconic tall gray stone walls, covered in dark vines, and its tightly closed cast-iron gates appeared prominently in front of him on the road.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the tightly closed manor gate.

James honked the horn, and the iron gate slowly opened inward.

The car drove in, along a straight gravel road, through a garden that looked a bit desolate in winter but was still magnificent, and finally stopped in front of the main building of that imposing old mansion.

The casual conversation that had been going on all the way seemed to be abruptly cut off, and the car fell into a brief silence as if they had arrived at their destination.

Emily practically jumped out of the car the moment it came to a complete stop, took a deep breath of the crisp, familiar air, and her face lit up with the pure joy of returning home, saying:

"Finally here! The air at home is so much more comfortable!"

On the other side, Isabelle's movements were much slower.

With Liu Jianguo's steady support, she slowly stepped off the car and onto the solid gravel ground.

She looked up at the magnificent building before her, a building she had grown up in since childhood, every brick and tile of which she knew intimately, yet now seemed to be separated from her by an invisible barrier.

The carved window frames, the heavy stone walls—everything was just like I remembered, yet it seemed completely different.

There is joy, a natural attachment to one's homeland.

But more than anything, she felt a heavy weight of worry and tension that almost suffocated her.

Unconsciously, she gripped Liu Jianguo's arm tighter, her fingertips even turning white.

James parked the car and walked a few steps ahead of an excited Emily, whispering something, probably about the recent situation at home.

Liu Jianguo stayed with Isabel, lagging slightly behind.

Isabel walked slowly, each step feeling like she was treading on soft sand.

She tilted her head slightly and whispered to Liu Jianguo beside her, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

"Master... wait a minute, if... if they ask too many questions, or... if their attitude is bad... I... could I reveal a little bit... about you?"

She paused, then added:

"I mean, the less important, the ones that are on the surface."

Liu Jianguo walked steadily, his gaze calmly sweeping over the meticulously trimmed holly bushes in the courtyard and the silent family statue in the distance.

He hesitated for about two seconds, then replied in the same volume that only the two of them could hear:

"I can say some things."

For example, business in the Far East is fine. As for the "Eight-Way Alliance,"

He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Isabel's tense face, and continued:

"If they ask, or if you feel it's necessary, you can bring it up."

The degree of control is up to you.

This statement is both an endorsement and an implicit reminder.

What she can say, and to what extent, is something she needs to weigh herself against the pressure from this ancient family and her loyalty to him.

The heavy oak door opened silently from the inside.

An elderly man, dressed in a sharp black tailcoat, with his silver hair neatly combed and his face as stern and old-fashioned as if carved by a knife, stood like a javelin inside the door.

He bowed slightly, his movements as precise as a textbook example of etiquette, his voice steady and even, as if he had been waiting there for centuries, and said:

"Miss Isabelle, Miss Emily, Master James, welcome home."

His gaze immediately fell on Liu Jianguo.

His gaze was sharp and deep, like the most sophisticated instrument, completing a scan and assessment in an instant.

Then, he bowed slightly again, the same degree as before, but the way he addressed him had changed:

"Welcome, Young Master Liu, to Cavendish Manor."

The old-fashioned honorific "Young Master Liu" used here carries a polite tone but also reveals a clear sense of distance and scrutiny, positioning Liu Jianguo as a "guest" rather than a "family member."

Liu Jianguo remained expressionless. Meeting the old butler's unfathomable, world-weary eyes, he merely nodded slightly and calmly in response.

There were no unnecessary pleasantries, no unease about being scrutinized, just a simple gesture, yet it conveyed a calm and unshakeable "I understand" attitude.

The old butler stepped aside, gestured "please," then turned and silently led the way.

Passing through the long entrance hall, adorned with portraits of ancestors and bathed in light that shifts and changes in hue due to the stained glass windows,

The thick carpet underfoot absorbed all footsteps, leaving only the faint crackling of burning wood in the fireplace and the distant ticking of an antique clock, which made the space feel even more spacious and quiet.

The old butler stopped in front of a huge, tightly closed mahogany double door, carved with an intricate family crest, and gently pushed it open.

Warm light and the even stronger heat from the fireplace poured out together.

This is an extremely spacious and breathtakingly luxurious living room with religious murals on the soaring ceiling, dark oak wainscoting on the four walls, and a huge Persian carpet with intricate patterns.