The heavy brass lock clicked shut. Ye Chen withdrew the iron key from the ornate double doors of the Azure Peak estate. He stood on the polished marble veranda and surveyed his new property. The courtyard boasted a tiered lotus pond, weeping willow trees, and a three story manor draped in fine blue silk. A dozen spirit lamps illuminated the sweeping stone walkways. The registry official had bowed deeply when handing over the deed just ten minutes prior. Ye Chen had accepted the parchment, registered his spiritual signature to the perimeter wards, and immediately walked back to the entrance.
He had no intention of sleeping in that lavish bed. The estate was a gilded cage sitting in the most exposed section of the upper mountain. Zhao Feng commanded the treasury of the Jade Pavilion and har
