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

"Hmm." The young man nodded slightly.

"Fourth Brother has always trusted you, and so has Sister Hongji, but I don't understand you." Ao Hanli stared at the young man's indifferent expression and emotionless dark eyes, her voice somewhat suppressed, "You handed over so much important intelligence to Dang Kang, what exactly do you want to do?"

System, is someone tracking or spying on me?

No, I'll keep watch for you.

Chu Xunfeng breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Ao Hanli. The Dragon Girl wasn't stupid, but her biggest problem was that she was naive. She couldn't understand the tacit understanding between Chu Xunfeng and Ao Ning.

"The only explanation I can give you is that I am not on the side of the Dragon Clan, nor can I truly help Dang Kang." Chu Xunfeng suppressed the burning sensation in his spine and spoke calmly, "I will not watch Dizhou and Bianzhou fall into war, nor will I want Xu Kingdom and Yan Kingdom to go to war, and I do not want to see the demon race send troops out of the Southern Wilderness."

"Are you serious?" The silver-bearded spear sliced ​​through the air, its slender tip whistling as it pointed at Chu Xunfeng's neck. Ao Hanli's mind was probably in turmoil, but Chu Xunfeng could understand the Dragon Girl.

Her position allowed her to touch and feel the undercurrents surging within the capital, and she knew that she had played a part in the current turmoil. She knew that she and her fourth brother were cooperating.

But she couldn't understand it, she only knew that... for nearly a month, she had only taken information from the Dragon Clan and given it to Dang Kang.

"Whether it's true or false, your fourth brother will teach you." Chu Xunfeng sighed. The young man used his black gold spear to deflect the silver-bearded spear pointing at him. He revealed a helpless smile. "Don't come looking for me. It's not good for either of us. I have to go."

Ao Hanli did not confront Chu Xunfeng. She simply watched Chu Xunfeng turn and leave, then took a deep breath. "Something is happening in the South China Sea. The strange phenomena at Longmen have begun to appear."

Chu Xunfeng simply raised his free right hand, waved it behind him, and disappeared around the corner of the street.

Ao Ning forbade her to come see Chu Xunfeng, but Ao Hanli's unease made her ignore her fourth brother's instructions and come to see Chu Xunfeng. After that, Ao Hanli's unease suddenly subsided.

Especially Chu Xunfeng's smile, which had a helpless expression that seemed to mock his own worries, made Ao Hanli suddenly return to the human race's New Year's Eve more than twenty days ago.

Ao Hanli sensed it; he was still the same person, never having changed.

As he said, he neither stands with the Dragon Clan nor would he ever actually join Dang Kang. His purpose, from the beginning until now, has never changed.

In early spring, the strange phenomenon at Longmen has already appeared. In another half month at most, the phenomenon will completely solidify with the spring tides...

There are only two weeks left.

Ao Hanli turned around and went in the opposite direction from where Chu Xunfeng had gone, following the path she had come from.

The dragons should also make preparations.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial State, in Baidi City.

At the top of Sword Pavilion, the White Emperor Sect Leader unfolded the letter in his hand, looking at the letter left by the First Elder Xu Jiujing, his expression somewhat helpless.

"Husband, my elder brother..."

"He took all the disciples from the nineteenth floor, along with Little Bell, to the demon race." The White Emperor Sect Leader handed the letter in his hand to his wife beside him. "Under the arrangement of the Dragon Clan, Chu Xunfeng is going to leap over the Dragon Gate, and they are going to watch the ceremony."

"Did the demon race not invite Baidi City this year?"

"Yes." The white-clad sect leader sighed. "Never mind, let her be. With my elder brother here, nothing will happen."

"It can only be the......"

A similar incident also occurred within the Supreme Sword Sect of Bianzhou.

An elderly woman with a slightly hunched posture looked back at the three people behind her in front of the main gate of the Sword Sect.

One was his junior sister, the other was his newly accepted disciple, and the last one was his disciple's maid.

"Qiu Ning, Han E, are you ready?"

"Ready?" Ning Qiuning, whose face was still somewhat sallow, gave a slightly unnatural smile and nodded gently.

Ning Qiu Ning's former master, Zhu Han E, simply nodded.

"Then let's go. It will take at least ten days to reach the demon capital." The old woman looked at Ning Qiu Ning. "I hope that after this trip, you will truly understand."

"Yes, Master."

Chapter Two, Tips

The taverns at the junction of the north and south sides of the imperial city were still bustling.

In the demon capital, a hub for human intelligence, the tavern owner, still sitting behind the counter, pretended to be dead when Chu Xunfeng and Luo Ze entered.

The gaunt Luo Ze is a member of Kang Gong's faction, while the human youth is a member of the dragon clan who defected to Kang Gong's side. Moreover, this identity might be a complex one, with layers upon layers, making them untouchable.

The fat shopkeeper... someone who can run a tavern in the demon capital that serves as a hub for human intelligence exchange is no ordinary person.

The fat shopkeeper pretended to be dead for a while, then looked up at the table where Chu Xunfeng and Luo Ze were sitting, only to see that there were two more people in front of them.

The fat innkeeper vaguely remembered the two unfamiliar faces. They were a group of twelve who had stayed at the tavern that morning, each exuding a fierce aura. They all seemed to be at the third level of the Profound Realm, with not a single weak fourth-level mediocre fighter among them.

This is terrible...

The fat shopkeeper smacked his lips, and seeing that the man with his back to him seemed to want to make a move, he immediately lowered his head and gently fiddled with the abacus.

After waiting for another ten minutes or so, a figure blocked the candlelight and obscured the words on the ledger. The fat shopkeeper had just looked up when he saw a crumpled piece of paper fly into the middle of the ledger, with sharp edges and corners, and come to a steady stop. "Shopkeeper, give me two jars of wine."

"Young Master Chu, what kind of wine would you like?"

"The best wine, quick!" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow at the shopkeeper, gesturing towards the crumpled paper.

The shopkeeper reached out and took the crumpled paper, then closed the ledger and replied, "Alright, Young Master Chu, please wait a moment."

The portly shopkeeper turned and went to the backyard, quickly unfolding the crumpled paper in his hand. [People from Yan Kingdom have arrived. Their leader is at the Earth Profound Realm, and the rest are at the Human Profound Realm. Pass this message on to the Second Prince. I don't know their mission; don't lose track of those twelve people.]

The fat shopkeeper's expression hardened. He tossed the crumpled paper into his mouth, swallowed it whole, took the sealed wine jar, and turned to walk back into the tavern's main hall.

As it turned out, Chu Xunfeng and Luo Ze had already left the table, leaving only the two unfamiliar faces and three silver ingots on the table.

"Gentlemen, here's your wine." The shopkeeper put down the wine jar, greeted them, and casually took three silver ingots.

"Thank you, shopkeeper." The two unfamiliar faces got up, picked up the wine jar, and went upstairs.

The portly shopkeeper walked back to the counter, his expression inexplicably cold.

Chu Xunfeng's onion core is indeed still that of a dragon...

The fat shopkeeper often helped the tavern's customers pass messages to each other, but Chu Xunfeng was the first person to ask him to pass a message to the demon race, and... this time the message was actually to be passed to his own boss?

Yes, the owner behind this tavern is Ao Xiu, the second prince of the Dragon Clan.

Unlike the Fourth Prince Ao Ning, who is primarily responsible for diplomacy within the Dragon Clan and can be considered a strategist for the royal bloodline, the Second Prince Ao Xiu... is in charge of intelligence and secrets within the Demon Clan, making him a spy chief. As a snake demon who transformed into a dragon, his personality... is somewhat cold-blooded and ruthless.

"Pass it on to your own boss..." The fat shopkeeper was a little surprised. If it were really passed on to Boss Xiu, these twelve people would practically be considered corpses.

"Fine, fine. I'm just a lowly soldier. I'll do as Young Master Chu says."

And at the same time.

Outside the tavern, in the northern part of the city.

Chu Xunfeng and Luo Ze walked side by side down the street when Luo Ze suddenly spoke up, "Brother Chu, how's your training with the military manual you got from Duke Kang a while ago?"

Chu Xunfeng was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Luo Ze to suddenly ask him such a question. After pondering for a few moments, he shook his head and said, "I've looked through it for a few days, and it doesn't match the image I've formed. I've only absorbed some techniques and skills, and it's not worth switching to."

"Is that so?" Luo Ze pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "By the way, I don't recall Lord Kang or Lord Siyou mentioning you asking for a reward recently?"

Upon hearing Luo Ze's question, Chu Xunfeng's first thought was whether his action of passing a message to the tavern owner had been exposed. However, he had no time to think and had to respond quickly to Luo Ze's question.

"In my opinion, merits must be accumulated. I want a spear-cultivation manual that suits my abilities. I really want the spear-cultivation manual that Kang Gong mentioned for the Life and Death Realm. If it's not difficult to switch cultivation, this manual is worth my dedication to re-cultivate." Chu Xunfeng's voice was very cold, and the ambition and will he showed in his words were in line with the persona he had established with Kang Gong.

“You call me Brother Luo, and Brother Chu, listen to my advice. Although we are helping Duke Kang, and he has a chance to succeed, you must remember that he is not guaranteed to succeed. You need to quickly exchange your merits for resources. Things like the military manual for the Life and Death Realm are unreliable. Don’t listen to his nonsense.” Luo Ze patted Chu Xunfeng’s shoulder earnestly.

Chu Xunfeng pretended to ponder for a moment, and finally nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Luo. I'll think about it carefully tonight."

Putting aside others, Luo Ze, who had pulled him into Dang Kang's 'career,' was indeed sincere towards him. After all, the two weren't particularly close, and the fact that he was willing to remind him of such things showed that he genuinely wanted to guide him.

Similarly, these words also served as a reminder to Chu Xunfeng himself. Given the persona he had created for himself, the fact that he hadn't asked for anything for so long was indeed likely to arouse suspicion, which would be detrimental to his infiltration and gaining trust.

"Alright, I'll just remind you of this: judging from the current situation, the Dragon Gate Secret Realm will be fully opened in about ten days. If you can leap over the Dragon Gate and help Duke Kang at the Dragon Gate Assembly, you might be able to achieve great merit. Even if things don't go well with Duke Kang, as long as you've leaped over the Dragon Gate and protect yourself, the Dragon Clan won't make things difficult for you." Luo Ze patted Chu Xunfeng's shoulder forcefully. "That's all I'll say. Any more and I'll be overstepping my bounds."

"Brother Luo, tell me the truth..." Chu Xunfeng looked at Luo Ze. This gaunt man had suddenly begun to open up to him, and Chu Xunfeng was somewhat moved, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Are you really confident in becoming Lord Kang?"

“He wouldn’t do this if he wasn’t confident.” Luo Ze smiled. He didn’t answer Chu Xunfeng’s question directly, but he did remind him indirectly, “In a few days, the preliminary preparations will be basically complete. Then you will know how much power Kang Gong’s side has gathered.”

"Mm." Chu Xunfeng nodded. He knew he couldn't be impatient, so he simply nodded and let out a soft sigh. "Brother Luo, thank you."

"It's alright, let's part ways here. I'll go take a stroll around the north part of the city."

"Alright, Brother Luo, take care." Chu Xunfeng replied, and as he watched Luo Ze disappear from his sight with his hands behind his back, the young man let out a long sigh.

I'm sorry, Brother Luo, but we've never been on the same boat.

Chapter Three, The Serpent King

"Heavenly materials and precious minerals for body tempering?"

Inside the Kang residence, the enormous demon king sat cross-legged on a thick carpet, looking at the scarred-face man kneeling opposite him.

"Yes." Si You knelt on the ground, one hand on his chest. "Chu Xunfeng came by this morning, but he only passed on a message to Lu Ding. He said that he would not enter the mansion without someone to guide him, which would make it easy for someone with ulterior motives to find a handle against him."

"Oh?" Kang raised an eyebrow slightly. "Where is he?"

"He went to the South China Sea coast, saying he wanted to see the strange phenomena that were gathering."

“Hmm…” Kang nodded, looking thoughtful. “I was thinking about whether to prepare some reward for him in the next few days. Since he asked for it himself, it saves me a lot of trouble. If he doesn’t like what I prepare, or doesn’t even need it, then this matter will not be handled well.”

As Kang spoke, he lightly tapped his fingers on his thigh, “I have quite a few rare and precious materials for body tempering. I can also give him a few pill formulas later. As for rare metal ores… Here’s what you do: have someone inform Chu Xunfeng that I will prepare what he needs for the gathering three days from now.”

"Understood." Si You's movements remained unchanged, but his words carried a hint of doubt. "However, Lord Kang, if I may be curious, why are you willing to place such a large bet on Chu Xunfeng?"

"Siyou, let me ask you, do you think the Dragon Clan are fools?" Even while sitting cross-legged on the ground, Dang Kang looked down at the shadow spies of Yan Kingdom.