Chapter 314: Chapter 181: What Do You Know, a Nest of Snake-men
Lu Yuan couldn’t help but be impressed by the Emperor’s methods. It was as if a surveillance camera had been installed right over his head.
The Governor was so courteous, Lu Yuan had no choice but to stay at the mansion for dinner before leaving.
Right now, Lu Yuan had no way to contact his wife.
Su Changliang returned to the Post House and told his sister what had happened that afternoon.
Su Liyan didn’t feel much joy over her brother’s promotion to County Magistrate of Taiping City.
Her husband was still at the Governor’s Mansion.
’Would he be reprimanded like the other County Magistrates? Or would he suffer an even worse punishment?’
’What if something happens to Lu Yuan?’
Sometimes, a woman’s mind runs wild like this, imagining all sorts of scenarios and blowing small things out of proportion.
Su Liyan waited anxiously in her room, but Lu Yuan still hadn’t returned.
As Su Liyan’s own brother, Su Changliang could naturally tell his sister was worried about her husband.
Su Changliang didn’t know what mistake his brother-in-law had made, so when he explained the situation to his sister, he tried to downplay it as much as possible.
Su Changliang had known since they were little that his sister tended to overthink things.
Even so, Su Liyan couldn’t stop her imagination from running wild.
With her husband not by her side, she was bound to feel a bit panicked whenever something happened.
As dusk fell, Lu Yuan was still not back.
"No! I have to go see for myself!" Su Liyan shot to her feet.
Su Changliang, who had been resting his head on his hand and feeling a bit drowsy, was startled by his sister.
Su Changliang quickly stood up, grabbed his sister’s arm, and said, "You can’t. You won’t even get past the Governor’s Mansion Gate."
Su Liyan asked, confused, "Why not? Can’t I just say I’m looking for my husband?"
Su Changliang chuckled. "Sister, you think that’s a farmer’s market you can just walk in and out of as you please?
That’s the residence of a Second Grade official. We shouldn’t cause any more trouble for my brother-in-law."
"Well, if you think going through the main gate is a bad idea, are you saying I can’t just sneak over the wall for a peek?" Su Liyan couldn’t be bothered with such details.
Seeing Su Liyan’s stubbornness, Su Changliang knew his sister’s temper all too well.
’My sister is determined to go in and see for herself. If anyone dared to give her husband a hard time, she’d probably wring their neck.’
Su Liyan figured that as long as she wasn’t discovered and moved without a trace, she just needed one quick look to confirm Lu Yuan was okay.
Su Changliang continued to persuade her. "No, you can’t. The guards at the Governor’s Mansion are extremely strict."
Su Liyan shook off her brother’s hand.
Seeing his sister’s insistence, Su Changliang had no choice but to give in. "I’ve been inside the mansion before. If you’re going, I’ll go with you."
Su Liyan hesitated for a moment. "You?"
Su Liyan didn’t want to bring her brother along. She might be able to sneak in alone, but bringing a dead weight like him would only increase the risk of being exposed.
Su Changliang said, "What about me? You still think I’m a kid? I can’t be a dead weight forever, can I? I’ll prove it to you this time. Besides, you don’t know the layout of the mansion. It’s more dangerous for you to go in and wander around aimlessly."
Su Liyan looked at her brother and was reminded of when he was little.
Su Changliang used to babble and cry, his nose always running.
He would follow his sister around like a little shadow, two streams of snot dangling over his upper lip until he finally remembered to slurp them back up.
Looking at her brother, Su Liyan sighed in resignation. "Fine, fine. You’d better be reliable."
With Su Changliang leading the way, the two of them soon arrived at the Governor’s Mansion.
The area outside the compound walls was unguarded, so they strolled up to it like any ordinary person.
It was already dark, and there were few people left on the streets.
The surroundings were very quiet.
Su Liyan closed her eyes and listened for any sounds from within the mansion grounds. There was nothing strange, only the chirping of insects and calls of night birds.
There were no signs of a fight within the mansion either, which relieved Su Liyan greatly.
At least it meant her husband hadn’t come to blows with the Governor.
Su Changliang asked, "Sister, are you still going to climb over and take a look?"
Su Liyan, who had been so anxious and worried back at the Post House, had now calmed down considerably.
It was only then that Su Liyan came to her senses, worried she might cause Lu Yuan to lose face.
Su Changliang started teasing her. "Seriously, Sister? Who was making all that noise just a minute ago? How come you’ve suddenly wilted?"
Provoked by her brother, Su Liyan said, "What’s the big deal? There are a few Celestial Masters patrolling inside. I’ll climb the wall in a bit and take a peek. You just wait here."
"Sister, you really underestimate me. You still think I’m a three-year-old? Let me do it!"
As soon as Su Changliang finished speaking, his body began to emit a green glow.
RRRIP! RRRIP! The sound of tearing clothes filled the air.
Su Liyan watched as her brother revealed a green tail.
’My brother’s atavism has triggered!’
Well then. It turned out that aside from Su Liyan’s father, everyone in the family was a Snake-man.
Su Liyan had almost forgotten that her brother could also undergo atavism.
Su Changliang nodded smugly. "I may look like a normal person.
But one day, I suddenly discovered that I could undergo atavism too. I was ecstatic.
I’m the same as you. I excitedly told our mother, but she didn’t want anyone else to know I could do it.
I only told you later on, but I’ve never transformed in front of anyone before."
Su Liyan had been able to transform since she was a child, whereas Su Changliang had only discovered his ability in the last few years.
Su Changliang’s parents had always treated him like a normal child.
The reason Su Liyan’s mother didn’t want Su Changliang to reveal his ability was that she was afraid Su Liyan’s father wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Su Liyan’s father was extremely conservative and still held reservations about having married a Snake Woman.
That’s why Su Liyan’s mother had always done her best to hide these things, not wanting the villagers to look down on her husband.
If Su Liyan’s father knew both his children were Snake-men, he would probably faint on the spot.
Su Liyan smacked Su Changliang on the head. "Alright, kid. Let’s see what you’ve got."
Su Changliang rubbed the back of his head with his right hand and said, "Just watch me, Sister."
Su Changliang wriggled his green snake tail.
The tail stuck firmly to the wall as if it were covered in suction cups.
Su Changliang silently scaled the high wall.
Su Changliang poked just half his head over the top to peer into the mansion, but his view was obscured by a pomegranate tree in the courtyard.
"Brother, do you see anything?" Su Liyan called softly from below.
Su Changliang turned his head back to his sister. "Yeah, Sister, I see him. Looks like my brother-in-law is at a banquet."
Su Liyan murmured, "A banquet?"
Su Liyan wondered why on earth Lu Yuan would be having a banquet at someone else’s mansion.
"Who! Who’s there!" A few Celestial Masters inside the mansion spotted the faint green glow on the wall.
The Celestial Masters could tell it was the light from a Demon Beast’s eyes, staring covetously into the courtyard.
The shouts of the Celestial Masters alerted the other patrolling Mansion Guards.
This was Su Changliang’s first time doing something like this. The shout startled him so much that he nearly fell off the wall.
Su Liyan, waiting below, caught her brother in one swift motion.
Lying in his sister’s arms, Su Changliang looked up at her sharp chin and said, "Wow, Sister, you’re pretty strong."
Su Liyan let go.
THUD.
And dropped Su Changliang on the ground.
"What are you waiting for? Let’s go!" Su Liyan snatched the scraps of her brother’s shredded pants from the ground and took off without a backward glance.
Su Changliang wriggled his tail, reaching out for his sister. "Wait for me, Sister~"
Su Changliang looked at his snake tail, slapped it, and said, "Hey, you useless thing. You’re not even as fast as my two legs."
Only then did Su Changliang retract his tail and scramble after his sister toward the Post House.
After running just a few steps, Su Changliang felt a chilly draft below his waist.
Su Changliang looked down and cursed inwardly. ’Oh crap, I’m naked.’
He quickly took off his outer coat and tied it around his waist like a makeshift skirt to cover his family jewels.
By the time the Celestial Masters leaped over the wall, the Demon Beast was long gone.
The Celestial Masters and a few Mansion Guards fanned out, searching for any clues.
Back at the Post House, the brother and sister duo were huffing and puffing.
Su Changliang grabbed the teapot from the table and chugged straight from the spout.
After he finished drinking, he caught his breath and said, "Sister, doesn’t this feel like that time during the Lantern Festival when we were kids, and we stole the freshly lit candles from someone’s window and got chased for nearly a mile?"
Su Liyan smacked him on the back of the head again. "You’ve got the nerve to bring that up? You were the one who got us caught every time!"
