I practiced my spirituality alone in Hong Kong.

The two arrived at the Jardine's Lookout Estate in the southern part of Hong Kong Island.

Looking up from here and into the distance, you can see that almost the entire hilltop belongs to the Hu family.

Tiger and Leopard Manor was built against this mountain.

At the main entrance, a well-dressed old butler stood in front of a car and politely opened the car door when he saw Wen Zhilan.

"Miss Wen, please come in."

Li Chang'an put down his motorcycle and got into the car with Wen Zhilan. After all, they were on someone else's estate, and he couldn't just drive his motorcycle around causing a ruckus on the streets and mountains.

The old butler drove the two of them into the manor's mountain road, where ancient trees lined the way, with camphor and Norfolk pines planted on both sides.

Li Chang'an opened the car window and could see many tourists walking around in the Wanjinyou Garden at the foot of the mountain in the distance.

When the car reached the top of the mountain, a large villa with a blend of Chinese and Western styles came into view.

This is the heart of the Tiger and Leopard Manor: the Tiger and Leopard Villas.

When Li Chang'an was a child, he had stood at the foot of the mountain in the Wan Jin You Garden and looked out at this place from afar.

However, as the headquarters of the Hu family, this villa is naturally not open to tourists, and even approaching it is not permitted.

Back then, Xiao Li Chang'an was curious about what the inside of the villa looked like, and he never expected that he would be able to go inside and see it with his class monitor today.

The old butler led the two into the villa.

Hu Wenhu, the "King of Tiger Balm," was once known as one of the three major overseas Chinese leaders in Southeast Asia, along with Tan Kah Kee and Lee Kong Chian. His businesses spanned Asia, Europe, and America, and he was a top-tier, long-established wealthy family in Hong Kong.

His villa naturally exudes the old-fashioned luxury of the wealthy.

A crystal chandelier hangs high in the dome, and the floor is made of amber-colored Burmese teak. The walls are inlaid with stained glass windows featuring tiger stripes, flowers, and birds, custom-made in Florence, Italy.

There is also a moon gate in the style of a Chinese garden that connects to a corridor, where antique calligraphy and paintings are hung, and porcelain and jade treasures are displayed on the cabinets on both sides.

The old butler led the two into a reception room.

A fair-skinned, well-off, and sharp-eyed middle-aged woman sat upright on the leather sofa in front of me.

Wen Zhilan had previously told Li Chang'an that Hu Wenhu had been unable to have children with his wives in his early years, so he adopted many sons and daughters.

Among them, his adopted daughter Hu Xian, who had been with him the longest, was highly valued by him.

Therefore, even after having biological children in his later years, Hu Wenhu chose to entrust many of the group's core industries, as well as the Tiger and Leopard Manor, to Hu Xian for management.

The woman in front of me, named Hu Xian, is the actual head of the Hu family in Hong Kong.

"Aunt Hu, you look even younger than the last time we met!"

Wen Zhilan smiled sweetly at the woman and obediently sat down next to her.

Hu Xian calmly sipped her aged Pu'er tea and said:

"It's been so many years, and you've never taken the initiative to come and see me. This time you've come to see me, your purpose must be more than just that."

"Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you want."

Seeing this, Wen Zhilan didn't stand on ceremony and said softly, "Aunt Hu, could you take my friend to see the snake den in the back mountain?"

"A snake pit?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Xian looked up at Wen Zhilan with some surprise.

The Hu family's Tiger Balm is called Tiger Balm, and Hu Wenhu's name also contains the character "tiger".

He felt that he had a connection with tigers, and that the image of the tiger could enhance his luck.

So after consulting a feng shui master, Hu Wenhu built a tiger enclosure near the white pagoda in the Tiger Balm Garden when he built Tiger Balm Estate.

There are many tigers kept there. Hu Wenhu hopes that raising tigers to guard the mountain will protect the prosperity of his family.

The feng shui master also told Hu Wenhu that feng shui emphasizes balance. The tiger represents yang, and excessive yang energy will inevitably lead to decline, so yin objects must be found to balance it.

So they had Hu Wenhu build a snake pit, which contained all kinds of snakes.

Only when the dragon and tiger are paired together, and yin and yang are in balance, can the peace and tranquility of the home be maintained and wealth continue to flow in.

Of course, whether the wealth brought by the feng shui master actually flowed in is unknown, but peace and safety certainly didn't last long.

Eighteen years after the completion of Haw Par Villa, Hu Wenhu went to Boston, USA for surgery to treat a stomach ulcer. On his way back to Hong Kong after the surgery, he suffered a sudden myocardial infarction and died at the age of seventy-two.

After Hu Wenhu's death, Hu Xian took over the management of Tiger and Leopard Manor, and the tiger enclosure and snake den she left behind have been preserved to this day.

Sometimes she would open the tiger enclosure and snake den to visitors to the Tiger Balm Garden to attract more people.

However, not too many people are usually allowed to go in, so as not to disturb the animals, let alone let strangers in directly.

After all, the animals inside were auspicious beasts arranged by my father before his death to guard the house, and he took great care of them when he was alive.

Hu Xian still respects this.

At that moment, Hu Xian, who hadn't looked at Li Chang'an even once from beginning to end, narrowed her eyes and looked at him for the first time.

"You've got guts, but what gives you the right?"

Hu Xian's words were ambiguous, leaving it unclear whether she meant that Li Chang'an dared to enter the snake pit or dared to offend the auspicious beast that guarded their Hu family's home.

Wen Zhilan gently shook Hu Xian's arm and said coquettishly:

"Aunt Hu, don't be so serious."

My friend meant no harm; he didn't intend to offend you, Aunt Hu. He wanted to enter the snake pit because he had reached a bottleneck in his snake-fist martial arts training.

What was that saying again... anyway, it's that martial artists should observe the animals associated with the specific style they practice.

There aren't many decent snakes in all of Hong Kong, but Aunt Hu, you take good care of them, so I had no choice but to bring him here.

"Aunt Hu, if you don't agree, I'll have no choice but to take him to the Southeast Asian rainforest to catch wild animals. Can you bear to see my delicate skin suffer like that?"

Hu Xian took a sip of tea and said calmly:

"You seem quite interested in this boy. Does Mr. Wen know him?"

"He and I are just friends..."

"Friend, haha~ Alright, then I'll see what this so-called friend you brought is all about."

Hu Xian ignored Wen Zhilan's sophistry and looked at Li Chang'an with a more scrutinizing gaze.

"You know kung fu?"

Li Chang'an nodded.

"I know a little bit."

"What level? I'm not talking about fancy moves on stage."

"If your kung fu isn't up to par, then don't even mention wanting to borrow our Hu family's auspicious feng shui land to practice."

"None of the twelve bodyguards in your residence are a match for me."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhilan looked around in surprise.

Since she came in, apart from the old housekeeper and a few servants, she had not seen anyone with the aura of a bodyguard like Aunt Rong. How did Li Chang'an discover this?

Hu Xian's hand trembled slightly, then she subtly took a sip of tea.

A moment later, several men emerged from behind the large bookshelves in the second-floor attic.

Unlike typical bodyguards who wear solemn black uniforms, they deliberately changed into clothes that were roughly the same color as the villa's environment, seemingly as a deliberate disguise.

Li Chang'an glanced at the six people who had come out and said to Hu Xian:

"Mr. Hu, you must have encountered some trouble recently, which is why you've arranged for bodyguards to provide covert protection like this."

Hu Xian frowned slightly at Li Chang'an's attempt to take the initiative in controlling the conversation, then smiled faintly.

"You want to make a deal with me? Heh, young man, you do have some skills."

But before we make a trade, let's go back to our previous topic.

"You say that the elite bodyguards I hired from Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and even Europe and America are no match for you? That's a bit too arrogant."

Feeling the gazes of the bodyguards on the second floor, Li Chang'an silently flexed his hands.

He knew these people wanted to test their skills against him.