Chapter 77: Head of Household Operations

With the morning sun fully illuminating the space that they’d declared their sitting room, the trio turned their attention to the line of lavish housewarming baskets resting on the floor.

Han Lin immediately stepped up, her eyes scanning the gifts with the natural authority of a veteran housekeeper taking charge of a new property. Placing her hands firmly on her hips, she turned to the two feared cultivators with a sharp, no-nonsense glint in her eyes.

"Alright, we are not leaving these beautiful woven baskets cluttering the reception floor all day," Han Lin declared, tapping her foot on the polished wood. "Young Master Lu, grab those heavy ceramic tea jars within that basket. Take them straight to the kitchen’s upper dry storage cabinet. Stack them neatly in the back where the morning steam from the stove will not reach the leaves, understood?"

Lu Feng stood up at attention, holding a massive basket of luxury tea leaves against his chest. "Understood, Manager Han. Moving the tea leaves to the back cabinet immediately."

"And make sure you do not bump the lids!" Han Lin added sternly before turning her gaze toward Ye Chenxue. "Chenxue, take the fruit baskets to the shaded pantry area near the eastern corridor. Do not just leave them on the floor—set them on the wooden racks so the air circulates under the wicker. If those sweet berries spoil in the morning heat, I will be very upset."

Ye Chenxue, whose icy Qi could freeze a man’s heart in a second, carefully lifted the fruit basket as if holding fragile glass. "Understood, Sister Han. Executing fruit placement on the eastern racks as you’ve ordered."

"Good. Move along, both of you," Han Lin ordered, waving her hands as if shooing away two obedient junior servants.

For the next ten minutes, the formidable Lu Feng and the cold ice beauty Ye Chenxue walked back and forth across the estate, quietly carrying jars, bread loaves, and wine bottles under Han Lin’s strict supervision. Neither raised a single objection, meticulously adjusting the positions of the baskets until the housekeeper finally nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad," Han Lin said, wiping her hands on her apron. "You two are actually quite good at this."

Lu Feng wiped a non-existent bead of sweat from his forehead and bowed slightly. "We strive to satisfy the head of household operations."

Ye Chenxue merely gave a crisp nod. "Task completed without casualties or spoiled fruit."

Satisfied, Han Lin took a steaming loaf of fresh bread from the pastry basket and headed toward the kitchen, intent on preparing a proper breakfast spread for the three of them.

Lu Feng and Ye Chenxue returned to the main reception hall, taking their seats opposite each other near the tea table. With the quiet atmosphere restored, the lighthearted mood vanished, replaced by a focused, serious air.

"What do you make of what Master Lin revealed?" Ye Chenxue asked, taking a sip of fresh water as her clear eyes locked onto Lu Feng.

"His information aligns too perfectly with what we experienced last night," Lu Feng replied, leaning back in his chair as he thoughtfully ran a finger along the wooden armrest. "Agent Zhou was not killed over a simple street dispute. He was holding a ledger detailing the underground transactions in Crimson Vale City. Those three intruders were not after money or random loot—they were explicitly looking for that record."

He paused, a quiet expression of annoyance passing over his face. "In truth, I intended to ask Master Lin about Agent Zhou’s past connections while he was here, but our discussion drifted into the city’s broader factions, and the matter slipped my mind before he departed."

"It makes little difference," Ye Chenxue noted calmly. "We still have the two surviving intruders and the corpse locked inside your private training hall."

"Indeed," Lu Feng nodded, his mismatched eyes flashing with a sharp, calculating light. "And that brings us to their fate. I have decided we will keep those two alive and bound in the stone room for a while longer."

Ye Chenxue raised an eyebrow slightly. "You intend to use them as bait?"

"Precisely," Lu Feng confirmed. "A faction like the Iron Hook Gang will not simply ignore three missing infiltration experts, especially when they know Black Rat was expecting them at dawn to retrieve the ledger. When their operatives fail to return, the gang will inevitably send a secondary team to investigate this estate to see what went wrong. When those scouts arrive, we capture them, strip them of their cultivation, and extract deeper information regarding who is truly pulling the strings above the Third Elder."

Ye Chenxue gave a firm, approving nod. "A sound plan. It saves us the trouble of hunting through the city’s alleyways blindly."

"However, waiting passively is not enough," Lu Feng added, standing up from his seat and adjusting the dark sleeves of his robe. "The captive mentioned a contact named Black Rat who operates out of the Laughing Toad Tavern in the Lower District. I am going to head down there personally to check out the place. I want to see if I can gather more covert intelligence on their network before their secondary team makes a move on our estate."

"Do you require me to accompany you?" Ye Chenxue asked, her hand resting near the cold hilt of her weapon.

"No," Lu Feng shook his head gently. "Your icy Qi is too distinct, and your beauty draws far too much attention in a crowded place. Besides, someone with high combat strength needs to stay behind to watch over Han Lin and ensure the estate remains secure while the captives are still here."

"Very well," Ye Chenxue conceded smoothly. "I will keep the estate locked down and ensure Han Lin remains safe."

A few minutes later, Han Lin emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of warm, sliced bread alongside fresh fruit and hot tea. The three of them shared a quiet, satisfying breakfast together in the hall, enjoying a brief moment of peace after the long, chaotic night.

Once they finished, Lu Feng stood up, securing his sword to his belt and checking his hidden pouches. Bidding farewell to the two ladies, he stepped out through the grand wooden gates, his tall silhouette vanishing down the cobblestone avenue of the Upper Eastern District as he made his way toward the chaotic streets of the Lower District.