The Xin Prince's Manor was not located within the imperial city, but rather in the southern district. It took Han Li and his companions an entire hour by carriage before they reached the entrance to the southern district.
The southern district was markedly different in architectural style from the residences in the eastern district, such as the Qin household. Most of the buildings here followed strict standardized designs.
The size and style of each residence made it immediately obvious what the owner's official rank and social standing were.
All the residences in this area had been constructed by the government and allocated to officials strictly according to their rank and noble title. No one dared to expand or alter their property at will, for doing so would constitute a crime of overstepping one's station.
As a member of the imperial family holding a princely title, the Xin Prince's residence naturally ranked among the finest in the southern district.
Its grounds were roughly one and a half times larger than the Qin household, qualifying it as a truly colossal estate.
When the carriage came to a stop before the Xin Prince's Manor and Han Li caught sight of it for the first time, he immediately felt the overwhelming aura of supreme power that existed only in the mortal world.
The gate stood roughly five or six zhang tall and three to four zhang wide, entirely covered in thick brass plating. Dozens of enormous door studs were embedded in its face, lending the entrance an air of opulent grandeur.
On either side of the steps, which rose nearly a zhang in height, sat a pair of ferocious bronze lion statues. They had been polished until they gleamed brilliantly, dazzling the eye.
But what most impressed upon visitors the authority of the Xin Prince's Manor were the sixteen imperial guards in full dress standing on the steps outside the gate. The prince had personally borrowed these men from the imperial city's garrison to prevent any untoward incidents given the large number of guests.
The head butler of the manor was a thin, wizened old man who stood on the steps smiling warmly, greeting each new arrival on his master's behalf, not daring to slight a single guest.
By now, dozens of carriages of varying sizes had already pulled up before the gate, nearly filling the entire open courtyard.
On the grand bluestone steps before the entrance, five or six guests who had not yet gone inside were exchanging pleasantries with one another. All were dressed in magnificent attire and moved with elegant bearing, clearly people of considerable status.
Seeing all this, Qin Yan straightened his robes and descended from the carriage with a measured, dignified air.
Han Li cast a cautious glance around and, upon confirming the presence of cultivators, felt reassured enough to climb down as well.
As for those young masters and mistresses of the Qin household, they had already leaped out the moment the carriage stopped. They now stood before the manor entrance, chattering excitedly about something.
Han Li looked toward the guests still lingering on the steps and noticed that, aside from the young members of the Qin family, most of the other guests had also brought along their own sons, daughters, nephews, and nieces—young people of various ages.
"Could it be that they were all invited by this so-called young prince? Or is the Xin Prince's Manor simply using this occasion as a pretext to gather all these young people here?" Han Li pondered, but found no clear answer. He glanced at Qin Yan.
He too had furrowed his brows, evidently just as surprised by this.
"Grandfather, let's go inside! The young prince and the others are waiting for us!"
A Qin family youth of sixteen or seventeen, seeing that his grandfather had not moved from the carriage for some time and egged on by his siblings, mustered his courage and stepped forward to say this, half-expecting to be sharply rebuked.
"Mm, understood. Everyone, let's go in."
To the young man's great surprise, Qin Yan simply gave a casual nod and agreed in a genial tone. The youth was quite flustered by this unexpected favor and scurried back to join his peers, elated.
But before Qin Yan could lead the group over, the manor's butler, having just finished attending to a guest, spotted the Qin party. His face immediately broke into a broad smile and he hurried over to greet them. As soon as he arrived, he said with effusive warmth:
"Master Qin, you've finally arrived! Our prince has been talking about you for days, wondering why you haven't come by the manor in so long. Please, do come inside quickly! The prince will be overjoyed to see you!"
"Heh heh, well, it's just that recently…"
This head butler was truly gifted with words. In just a few brief sentences, he left the listener beaming and filled with warmth.
Qin Yan couldn't help but smile and chatted with the butler in a composed, natural manner.
However, as more guests continued to arrive at the manor, the butler could only exchange a few more words with Qin Yan before ushering the group inside. After offering a polite apology, he hurried back out.
Though Han Li had been standing beside Qin Yan the entire time without saying a word, he now watched the butler's retreating figure with a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
For reasons he could not explain, Han Li had sensed no fluctuations of spiritual energy from this man at all. Yet when the butler had leaned in close, Han Li had suddenly felt a chill run down his spine—as though some terrifying beast had drawn near. The sensation left him deeply uneasy.
Though Han Li did not understand the cause, he had always trusted his instincts. Without hesitation, he elevated this manor butler to the list of individuals requiring careful vigilance and suspicion.