Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

"Has there been any conclusion to the investigation into the strange phenomena?" the woman asked again.

“Your disciple is incompetent. When that strange phenomenon rose into the sky, it must have been the last echo. When the phenomenon first appeared, your disciple had no way of sensing it.” Ning Qiu Ning lowered her head. “Although your disciple was the first to arrive at the scene, nothing was left but ruins.”

"That strange phenomenon was recorded in the sect's records. Since this person has no affinity with our Supreme Sword Sect, so be it."

Ning Qiu's expression shifted slightly. "Master, could you please enlighten me?"

"Yes, listen carefully."

"From your description, the dragon and phoenix images intertwined and rose into the sky, and then separated in the high heavens. The dragon went into the clouds and the phoenix flew west. These are the images of the Phoenix Blood Dragon Bone Pill."

Ning Qiu Ning had never heard of such a pill before, so she could only blink and wait for her master to explain.

"The Phoenix Blood Dragon Bone Pill, according to the ancient records, is a ninth-grade supreme pill used for body tempering. As its name suggests, it uses phoenix blood as a guide and dragon bone as medicine. It is produced by the demon race and is said to have the ability to defy fate and even allow mortals to embark on the path of cultivation. Its biggest feature is that it can only be taken by men."

"In the past hundred years, no phoenixes or dragons have fallen among the demon race. The appearance of the Phoenix Blood Dragon Bone Pill will surely attract the attention of the demon race. This person is not destined to be with our Supreme Sword Sect, which is a good thing. At least the demon race will not come after us."

It can only be used by men... Ning Qiu Ning opened her mouth, forcibly suppressing the strange guess in her heart, "Master, the demon race is looking for the person who took the pill, is it because..."

"The Phoenix Blood Dragon Bone Pill will pass on the innate supernatural abilities of the Phoenix Clan and the Dragon Clan to the user. Naturally, the Demon Clan wants to recruit such talents to their ranks. Most likely, they want to find a suitable son-in-law to ride in their dragon's coattails."

"I see, I have learned a lot."

"Well, don't tell outsiders about this. Your stay in the family is almost over. In a few more days, when those people have gained nothing and have left, you should return to the sect to report back."

"I obey your command, Master." The woman bowed her head in response, and when she looked up again, there was no one in front of her.

Ning Qiu Ning looked around the unique courtyard and let out a long sigh of relief. "It couldn't be him. A ninth-grade supreme pill would only lead to his death if he took it."

-----

Meanwhile, west of Bianzhou, in the city of Shuxiang, the capital of the imperial capital.

A young man wearing a straw hat and with a reed stalk in his mouth sat at a roadside teahouse, craning his neck to gaze at the crowd that had gathered in one place not far away, like a floodgate being opened.

"System, what do you think of that sect?"

The person reading the recruitment regulations is a military cultivator, a Domain Realm expert; the woman beside him is a body cultivator, a peak Iron Bone Realm expert.

Chu Xunfeng frowned and pondered for a while. The middle-aged man leading the group was a high-level military cultivator, and the girl next to him, who looked like a disciple, was a body cultivator. In other words, this sect would at least focus on these two areas.

That's enough for you to try it out yourself.

However... let's observe first.

Chu Xunfeng sat in the teahouse, occasionally taking a sip of cold tea, his gaze fixed on the talent test scene that showcased the myriad aspects of life.

A square-faced middle-aged man had an exquisite Bagua plate, about the size of a millstone, in front of him. He casually raised his hand and pointed at someone, who then stepped forward and placed their hand on the Bagua plate.

Most people couldn't make the Bagua plate show any unusual activity. These people, like Chu Xunfeng before them, were people without cultivation talent.

A few people caused the Bagua compass to show unusual activity, but the middle-aged man frowned and pondered for a while, but so far he has not let anyone pass.

Many people with cultivation talent seemed to be mentally prepared for this. When they saw the middle-aged man shake his head, most of them left with slightly lowered spirits, which was much better than those who were rejected because they had no cultivation talent.

It seems... there's something going on.

Seeing a young man in front of the Bagua compass shake his head and then squeeze out of the crowd with a self-deprecating smile, walking towards him, Chu Xunfeng had an idea and spoke up, "Friend, do you have time to sit down? I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

The dejected passerby was stunned for a moment, then met Chu Xunfeng's gaze and realized that this handsome young man was talking to him.

After hesitating for a moment, he sat down to Chu Xunfeng's right, raised his hands in a fist salute, and asked, "What brings you here, brother?"

"Which immortal sect is recruiting disciples? It's one thing for ordinary people, but I saw that you clearly activated the Bagua Plate, so why did they turn you away?"

"This brother, he shouldn't be from Shuxiang City, right? Whether he's from Dizhou is also questionable."

"Brother, you have a good eye. I am indeed not from the Imperial State. Please enlighten me."

"I wouldn't call it explaining things; you just don't know who those two people are."

"They are from Baidi City."

Chu Xunfeng appropriately expressed his curiosity and surprise.

Chu Xunfeng had heard of this sect.

The number one sect in the Imperial State.

He was also the administrator of the imperial state.

Chapter Five: The Origins of the Imperial State

This continent is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and blocked by natural barriers on the other side. Whether there is any land beyond the distant sea is unknown.

As far as Chu Xunfeng knew, there were nine provinces and three regions. The provinces were human kingdoms, while the three regions were the lands of foreign races. The customs and local conditions of each province and region were not entirely the same.

Although he was a time traveler, Chu Xunfeng was considered a native of Bianzhou in this world.

Within Bianzhou, various sects and factions existed, with complex and intertwined relationships.

Bianzhou's remote location meant that imperial power could not easily extend to it. Most officials chose to protect themselves and cooperated with powerful families in various cities and regions, which could be considered a form of co-governance, somewhat resembling a compromise between feudal monarchy and the aristocracy. The imperial capital, however, was different.

As the name suggests, this state has a long history with imperial power.

Hundreds of years ago, the capital of the Xu Kingdom, which controlled five states, was located in the Imperial State. Later, due to the internal strife over the succession of the royal family, the Xu Kingdom was divided into two, which attracted the covetousness of the Chang Kingdom, which controlled four states.

Beset by internal and external troubles, in order to protect his country, the eldest legitimate son of the Xu Kingdom committed suicide on the White City of the Imperial State. According to rumors, he severed his bloodline, hoping to achieve the reunification of the Xu Kingdom.

The eldest prince proved his loyalty with his death, and the Xu Kingdom quickly ended its internal strife and was unified again. After that, it fought a decade-long war with the Chang Kingdom. The two countries fought for a long time without a result and could only withdraw their troops. This unjust war can be said to have no winner.

Let's turn back to the Imperial State.

Although the eldest son of the Xu family committed suicide on the White City, and it is rumored that he had cut off his bloodline, he himself did not know that he had left behind a son.

After many years of searching, the younger brother, now the ruler of Xu, finally found his elder brother's posthumous child, but his elder brother's wife had long since disappeared into the vast sea of ​​people, and could not be found.

The King of Xu, whose eldest brother had committed suicide, finally realized his elder brother's great righteousness during the ten-year war. After ten years as the ruler of the country, he knelt before his nephew and stretched out his neck.

"You can avenge your father, or you can become emperor. Your uncle... will have no complaints."

"This eldest brother is the ancestor of the current ruler?" Chu Xunfeng had to admit that he was captivated by the vivid story told by the disillusioned young man.

"I heard it's my grandfather." The dejected young man chuckled. "But the most amazing thing is yet to come."

"The eldest son was entrusted by his mother to a cultivator, a... rogue cultivator."

"A rogue cultivator?" Chu Xunfeng's eyes widened. He had thought it would be some kind of peerless master.

"Let me continue..." The disheartened young man was no longer disheartened; instead, he became animatedly absorbed in telling the story.

The eldest son, facing the enemy who killed his father and mother, threw away the sword offered by the king.

“My father committed suicide so that my uncle could inherit the throne, which was also an admission that my uncle was no less capable than himself.”

"As a son, I have a reason to seek revenge, but I have no strategy for governing a country. I have only learned cultivation from my master."

"However, even so, I am still seeking revenge. Uncle, there is no need for further words. I will watch you govern the country, watch you grow old, and watch you turn into a handful of dust in White City. In this way, I only need to focus on my cultivation and do not need to take action. I only need to wait for the most ruthless time in this world to take away your life, and that will be enough."

“In this way, I can fulfill both my loyalty to my parents and my duty to the people of the country.”

The king pressed further, "Is that all?"

The eldest son hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have another request. Please move the capital, Uncle. I want this Baicheng."

With things having come to this point, everything that followed followed naturally. The Xu Kingdom moved its capital, and Baicheng was renamed Baidi City. Over the course of hundreds of years, this imperial state became a state within a state within the Xu Kingdom.

"The eldest son of the legitimate wife is truly a divine being." Chu Xunfeng had only heard of the White Emperor City sect from his ex-wife before, knowing that it was not just a sect but also the administrator of a state. But now that he had heard the story and learned what had happened, Chu Xunfeng felt a sense of satisfaction that the trip had been worthwhile, and picked up his cool tea.

“What eldest son? My ancestor has a name.” A pretty voice followed up Chu Xunfeng’s words.

The disheartened young man and Chu Xunfeng turned their heads together, only to see a girl dressed in a white dress with red patterns smiling at them from a short distance away.

"You are..." Chu Xunfeng said, turning his head to look at the scene of recruiting disciples not far away. He saw that many people were suppressing their laughter and sizing up the two of them. The sharp eyes of the square-faced, dignified man were scanning him.

"Ahem, did I... speak a little too loudly just now?" the dejected young man asked Chu Xunfeng in a low voice.

This person also noticed that not only the recruitment site, but also passersby were suppressing their laughter and stopping to watch the excitement.

"I didn't notice either," Chu Xunfeng replied quietly through gritted teeth.

"Hey, horse-faced guy, what did you say your name was?" The white-clad, red-patterned body cultivator girl shouted at the dejected young man who wished he could disappear into the ground.

"Huh?" The dejected young man was stunned for a moment. After being tugged at by Chu Xunfeng, he suddenly came to his senses and honestly replied, "My name is Nian Shiyi."

"You silly horse-faced fellow, yet you have such an elegant name. Come with me, your master has changed his mind. You've been accepted by Baidi City." The girl in white looked at Nian Shiyi's bewildered expression and chuckled.

Before Nian Shiyi could even react, Chu Xunfeng suddenly laughed. The young man patted Nian Shiyi's shoulder forcefully, pulling him back to reality after experiencing such a dramatic rise and fall. "Brother Shiyi, congratulations!"

"This...I..." Nian Shiyi came to her senses and immediately realized what had caused the square-faced examiner from Baidi City to change his mind. She pursed her lips tightly, clasped her hands in a fist salute to Chu Xunfeng, and said, "Brother, perhaps I should thank you. May I ask your name?"

“No problem, Brother Nian. My name is Chu Xunfeng.”

"Brother Chu, I have no way to repay your great kindness, in the future..."

It was indeed a great favor. If Chu Xunfeng hadn't stopped him and let him recount the history of Baidi City's rise to power, he might have really missed this opportunity.

"Haha, no need to worry about it. It was just an unintentional thing, why ask for any reward? Did I do something wrong? I just heard a story." Chu Xunfeng interrupted Nian Shiyi with a smile and stood up.

To be honest, if he was still a little hesitant about joining Baidi City just now, now that the square-faced man recruiting people suddenly wants Nian Shiyi to join, Chu Xunfeng feels that he can make a decision now.

All the passersby stopped to listen to the story of Baidi City's rise to power, and each of them wore a smile, filled with pride and honor, which made him feel quite favorable towards Baidi City.

Bai Dicheng's style of doing things should be the kind that I would like.

"Young lady, may I ask, besides the Bagua compass test, are there any other procedures required to join Baidi City?"