The other servants, seeing fellow servant Ma Jiu sliced in two, were terrified out of their wits. Retreating in panic, they stammered, "Our... our master is Ian Song! You'd better not mess around!"
"Ian Song? Have you ever heard of him?" asked the Soul-Split guard, turning to his companions.
All three Soul-Split guards shook their heads. One of them spoke up, "Never heard of him. Must be just some nobody!"
Of course they hadn't heard of him—Ian Song had only arrived in the capital a few days ago, and these guards had been away for over ten years. There was no way they'd know his name.
"If it's just some nobody, this'll be easy. While we're helping Young Prince Muyeno reclaim his estate, we can make a tidy profit!" The Soul-Split guard's eyes flashed with greed as he addressed the palace guard.
In their minds, anyone who could afford to buy the Prince Muyeno Estate must be loaded. Naturally, they planned to squeeze this 'fat sheep' for all he was worth.
Over ten years ago, Prince Muyeno relied on the Empress's favor and was notoriously arrogant in the capital. As the saying goes, 'Like master, like dog'—his subordinates were all haughty types themselves.
After over a decade in the frozen frontier, they were fed up. Now that they were back in the capital, they intended to stir things up and make up for all those years of hardship.
The palace guard was in charge of the whole affair. But as a late Fusion expert, he kept his composure. He brought the four Soul-Split guards as muscle, but planned to claim the lion's share of any spoils himself.
So, faced with the guard's question, he simply nodded.
Since they'd just moved in, many prominent figures in the capital had sent congratulatory gifts. Ian Song planned to invite all those gift-givers to the banquet—first, to thank them, and second, to expand his social circle.
Naturally, organizing all this fell to Raina Quinn.
"Housekeeper Raina, bad news! Someone's causing trouble at our manor!"
A maid rushed in, her face full of panic.
Hearing this, Raina Quinn froze for a moment, then snapped, "Who the hell dares cause trouble at our manor?"
Ian Song's reputation had been growing over the past few days, and he was now a well-known figure in the capital. Who would dare come looking for trouble?
"Gatekeeper Xia San just reported—some people claiming to be from the Prince Muyeno Estate are demanding we vacate the manor, and Ma Jiu, who was on gate duty, has already been killed!" the little maid stammered.
In just a few days, Raina Quinn had established her authority as grand steward, and all the maids were quite afraid of her.
Hearing that the troublemakers were from the Prince Muyeno Estate, Raina Quinn was baffled. Wasn't the whole Prince Muyeno household exiled to the frozen frontier, forbidden by the Empress to ever return to the capital?
Why would they suddenly show up looking for trouble?
Along with her surprise, Raina Quinn was furious—they actually dared to kill one of the Song Residence staff.
But this matter was complicated. If they really were from the Prince Muyeno Estate, it was beyond her authority. So, she sent someone to report to Ian Song while she led people to the manor gate at top speed.
The maids and servants gifted by Warren Wei were all Golden Core to Nascent Soul cultivators, so Ian Song summoned two early Fusion and ten late Soul-Split experts from the Divine Temple to serve as guards for the estate.
Naturally, all of them answered to Raina Quinn.
Soon, Raina Quinn arrived at the gate with one Fusion guard and six late Soul-Split guards.
With a sweep of her gaze, she spotted Ma Jiu's bisected corpse. Her eyes went cold as she fixed her gaze on the Prince Muyeno Estate group. "Are you the ones causing trouble at the Song Residence?"
The Soul-Split guard who'd killed Ma Jiu sneered, his eyes leering at Raina Quinn. "Heh heh! Little lady, are you that punk Ian Song's woman?"
"How dare you! I'm the grand steward of the Song Residence!" Raina Quinn's expression grew even colder.
The guard sneered, eyes gleaming with lewd intent as he brazenly sized up Raina Quinn. "Grand steward of the Song Residence isn't much of a future. You're pretty enough—why not come with me instead? I guarantee you'll live in luxury!"
"You're asking for it—take him down!" Raina Quinn's face flushed with anger.
A Soul-Split guard from the Song Residence responded instantly, charging at the Prince Muyeno Estate guard.
"You dare attack me? You must have a death wish!"
The opponent sneered, his long saber suddenly flaring with divine light as he slashed at the Song Residence guard.
This Song Residence guard was named Wade Yuan. Ian Song had brought him out of the Prime One Church's Demon Prison and taught him advanced cultivation techniques. After years of hard training in the Divine Temple, he had reached the peak of Soul-Split realm—half a step into Fusion—and his strength was formidable.
Seeing the saber light slashing toward him, Wade Yuan showed no fear. He leapt into the air to meet the attack, launching a powerful punch.
With a loud bang, the fearsome saber light was shattered by Wade Yuan's punch. Without slowing down, his fist continued toward the Prince Muyeno Estate guard.
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"
The opponent's face changed as he tried to block with his saber. A series of explosive shockwaves rang out, but after just five punches, Wade Yuan's fist struck his chest, sending him flying and spitting blood onto the street.
Seeing this, the palace guard's eyes narrowed slightly. He realized Wade Yuan's true essence was exceptionally pure and his explosive power was formidable—no wonder he could defeat a Prince Muyeno Estate guard of the same realm in just a few moves.
He compared himself and found that even at late Soul-Split stage, his own true essence wasn't this strong. Clearly, this Song Residence guard had cultivated some powerful technique.
Just then, Wade Yuan stepped forward to pursue the guard, but three more Soul-Split guards sprang into action, attacking together.
Seeing their companion defeated in just a few moves, they realized the Song Residence guard was powerful, so they attacked with full force.
Caught off guard, Wade Yuan was overwhelmed by the three, but quickly regained his composure. He unleashed a divine body technique, his combat power surging as he fought back, forcing the three to retreat.
After ten exchanges, Wade Yuan let out a cry, his long arms whirling as his fists flashed like lightning.
"Bang!"
One guard was sent flying, gravely wounded and unable to continue fighting.
With three attacking, they were already losing—let alone with just two.
So, after just a few more moves, the other two were also badly injured and lost their ability to fight.
At that moment, Ian Song arrived at the manor gate, having received the report.