The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

A full moon hung in the night sky, clear and enchanting.

Beneath the moon, Chen Dong slipped out of his small courtyard. He wasn’t trying to escape, but merely to test the level of security at the Prince’s Mansion.

Wang Yang wasn’t around, but a green-clad figure shadowed him the moment he left the courtyard.

”Where are you going?”

A young woman in her signature green dress asked in a cold voice.

Chen Dong had some impression of her but didn’t know her name.

”And you are?”

The young woman stated frostily, ”Wang Wan’Er, the Young Miss’s handmaiden.”

’This Young Miss looks blessed with good fortune, but her handmaiden is the truly lovely one,’ Chen Dong thought to himself.

”Are you watching over me, Miss Wan’Er?”

”If you think I’m watching you, then so be it. It’s late, so don’t run around. The Prince’s Mansion has many guards. If they mistake you for a thief and beat you up, you’ll have suffered for nothing.”

Chen Dong moved slightly closer to the young woman. Master Wang’s cultivation was only at the Outer Appearance Realm, so he figured the girl’s couldn’t be too high either.

While saying, ”I just couldn’t sleep and came out for some fresh air,” he probed her with his Divine Sense.

The probe startled Chen Dong. ’Well, I’ll be damned. This handmaiden’s cultivation is even higher than Master Wang’s. If Master Wang is at the late stage of Outer Appearance, then Wang Wan’Er is at the Outer Appearance Peak, ready to break through to the Inner Realm at any moment.’

”Even if you can’t sleep, go back. It’ll save me the trouble of watching you,” Wang Wan’Er said, displeased.

Chen Dong didn’t understand why someone with Wang Wan’Er’s high cultivation would remain a handmaiden in the Prince’s Mansion, so he asked, ”Have you never thought of leaving the Wang Family?”

Wang Wan’Er was puzzled. ”Leave the Wang Family? Why?”

”I get the feeling you’re very powerful, much stronger than Wang Yang. Logically, you shouldn’t have to be a servant anymore. Why do you stay with the Wang Family?”

Wang Wan’Er replied casually, ”I was bought by the Wang Family when I was a child. The Young Miss treats me exceptionally well, like a sister. Why would I leave!”

’It seems this girl is a bit naive. Her thinking isn’t as profound as her cultivation. This might be an opportunity to leave the Prince’s Mansion.’

”Actually, you’re already stronger than Master Wang. Do they know about your true strength?”

Horror flashed across Wang Wan’Er’s face. ”Who exactly are you?” she demanded coldly. She thought she had hidden it perfectly, that no one in the Wang Family could see through her. Yet this son-in-law they’d picked up had figured her out in a single day.

A faint smile touched Chen Dong’s lips. Wang Wan’Er’s reaction said it all—she was hiding her strength in the Wang Family.

He casually made up an excuse. ”I just have a strong sixth sense. It was a guess.”

Wang Wan’Er feigned indifference. ”A guess? I don’t believe you. But it’s useless even if you know. It was never a big secret to begin with.”

This young woman was still a bit naive in front of Chen Dong. The more she pretended not to care, the more she clearly did.

Chen Dong chuckled. ”You’re hiding like this... are you afraid the Wang Family will eliminate you if they discover your talent? Or do you have other plans? Don’t say anything yet. Let me guess.”

”That day in Wang Xian’Er’s room, you looked at Master Wang’s concubine with fear in your eyes. I’m guessing you’re hiding your talent and cultivation primarily because of her. With your power, killing her would be effortless, and your position gives you plenty of opportunities. But you haven’t made a move, which means you’re afraid of her. I just don’t get what there is to fear about a mere concubine.”

Wang Wan’Er instantly believed Chen Dong’s claim about a sixth sense because he was right about everything. She was hiding her talent precisely because she was afraid of that woman, Fang Mei.

Fang Mei was the concubine Master Wang had married after Wang Xian’Er’s birth mother died. Her own power was not high, but her methods were exceptionally vicious and cruel. There wasn’t a single person in the Wang Family who didn’t fear her. When Wang Wan’Er was younger and her power not yet so formidable, she had suffered greatly at Fang Mei’s hands, which was why she was still afraid of her now.

Moreover, Fang Mei was incredibly intolerant and had a strong desire for control. Wang Wan’Er knew that if her cultivation and talent were exposed, Fang Mei would never let her be.

Fang Mei would never allow someone she couldn’t control, someone who posed a potential threat to the Wang Family, to exist right under her nose.

”You don’t understand. That woman is terrifying. Although I’m not as afraid of her now, there’s no need for me to kill her. She is, after all, part of the Wang Family.”

Wang Wan’Er had always been grateful to the Wang Family. If not for them, she might have starved to death; her fate certainly wouldn’t have been better than it was now. This was especially true of Wang Xian’Er, who had looked after her like an older sister when they were young and had even given her her name.

Of course, this was just Wang Wan’Er’s own perception of being looked after.

Chen Dong followed Wang Wan’Er’s line of thought and nodded, immersing himself in her perspective to find common ground and close the distance between them.

”I understand. So, you have a love-hate relationship with the Wang Family, which is why you can’t bear to leave. You just said Wang Xian’Er was especially good to you. I imagine you’re not leaving because of her illness, too. You want to repay her kindness, you want to take care of her?”

Wang Wan’Er was, at heart, a young woman inexperienced in the ways of the world. Her initial coldness was just a way to protect herself. After Chen Dong had exposed her secret, it became much easier for him to get close to her. And at this moment, she had begun to see him as someone she could confide in.

Wang Wan’Er nodded and said sincerely, ”I’m truly grateful that you can cure the Young Miss. I can see you’re not a bad person. With you by her side in the future, I can rest easy.”

Chen Dong’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”So, you do have plans to leave the Wang Family.”

Wang Wan’Er smiled. ”I don’t mind telling you. I do want to see other places and learn more profound Cultivation Techniques. But I can’t be ungrateful. The Wang Family gave me my life, so I have to stay here.”

’This girl is blindly loyal,’ Chen Dong thought, a headache coming on. ’Tricking her into taking me with her when she leaves is going to be difficult.’ It was clear that now was not the time to bring it up; saying anything would only make her wary. However, he could still use this chance to learn more from her.

So, Chen Dong asked, ”Is the reason you haven’t broken through to a higher level because you don’t have a Cultivation Technique?”