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

"Would the three of you like some tea?"

Chu Xunfeng looked at the three ghost clan members sitting opposite him: Mu Huai, Gui Jiu, and Hua Kui. Their names, like code names, were followed by the Immortal King System indicating their cultivation levels: Peak of the Human Profound Realm.

"You can smell the fragrance." The courtesan lowered her hand, still smiling.

"No problem." Chu Xunfeng reached out to brew tea, and soon pushed three cups of tea in front of the courtesan.

"Wang Youfu said that the young master is gathering intelligence on the Ghost Clan?" Wisps of Yin energy emanated from the courtesan, swirling around the teacup. In an instant, the steaming tea cooled down, the wisps of heat disappeared, and white mist was seen enveloping the Yin energy. One part merged into the courtesan's body, while the other two wisps floated past her and merged into the pale bodies of Gui Jiu and Mu Huai.

“Wang Youfu, that’s the pot-bellied middle-aged man from earlier, right?” Chu Xunfeng stroked his teacup, carefully considering his words before answering the courtesan’s question. “Actually, what the courtesan said isn’t quite accurate. What I’m looking for is the residual Yin energy in the city that has been detected by cultivators.”

The courtesan remained silent, sitting quietly, her slightly reddened eyes fixed on Chu Xunfeng's face.

"Since the courtesan is looking for someone to 'find the demons,' what is the purpose of the three of you seeking someone like me?"

The courtesan stared at Chu Xunfeng for a while, noticing that the woman beside Chu Xunfeng, whose face was concealed, was already tense all over, before she slowly smiled and said, "We've sent out a signal, waiting for sincere people to come to us."

Chu Xunfeng also stared at the courtesan. Compared to the courtesan who was pretentious in her words and aura, Leng Junzi's immovable, cold and indifferent aura was equally impressive.

Both sides were testing each other with words, and the courtesan's words just now clearly threw out a message, waiting for Chu Xunfeng to respond.

“You were waiting for people from Longquan Sword Manor,” Chu Xunfeng said, looking at the courtesan. “But instead, you’ve been waiting for me, someone who seems to have nothing to do with Longquan Sword Manor.”

The courtesan was taken aback, not expecting Chu Xunfeng to directly accept the bait revealed in her words.

and......

"Looks like you don't want to do it." The courtesan stared at Chu Xunfeng. "Then it seems that Young Master Chu does have some topics that interest us."

"Yin Sha Pearl? Ghost Weapon? Longquan Sword Manor? Bronze Fang Beast? Which one do you want to start with?" Chu Xunfeng squinted at the courtesan.

As he uttered those four words, a sinister aura emanated from the three ghosts' bodies, causing a chilling wind to blow through the room and even faint, ethereal roars and murmurs to appear.

“It seems we’ve found the right person.” A sickly flush appeared on the courtesan’s pale skin, and the red light in her eyes gradually brightened. But when she met Chu Xunfeng’s indifferent eyes, she suddenly looked up, as if she were avoiding something.

A fierce wind and thunder, accompanied by an illusory dragon roar, swept into the courtesan's mind with three intertwined, scorching forces as intense as the blazing sun, instantly extinguishing any thoughts that had arisen in her heart.

"I know that the Ghost Clan has always been difficult to control themselves, but I still want to advise you not to try to fight me." Chu Xunfeng picked up his teacup, not looking at the courtesan who was behaving strangely, or at Mu Huai and Gui Jiu behind her who seemed unable to hold back their urge to get up and fight.

"Putting aside my strength, do you think it's appropriate to make a move here?"

"Sit down!" The courtesan ignored her own loss of composure and instead turned to her two companions, letting out a sharp roar.

Mu Huai and Gui Jiu paused, sat down obediently again, and lowered their heads without saying a word.

"The strength of the Cold Gentleman seems to be inconsistent with the information from the Seven Star Tower." The courtesan withdrew her gaze, and her breathing stabilized again. She looked at the human youth sitting opposite her, still feeling lingering fear.

"People always need to improve." Chu Xunfeng didn't respond. He raised his eyelids and looked at the ghost woman. "Are you willing to have a proper talk now?"

"Of course I'm willing," the courtesan said with a smile. "I hope you, Gentleman Leng, will enlighten me on the matter of Longquan Sword Manor and the Ghost Soldiers."

"I can tell you, but before that, I need to know what your Ghost Clan's purpose is in entering Blue Azure City." Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes. "The Ghost Clan rarely leaves the Black Forest. Are you after the Ghost Soldiers?"

"Yes, but the main reason is the Yin Sha Pearl. The Yin Sha Pearl is a very important resource for our Ghost Clan. First of all, it is a crystal formed after the Ghost Clan has cultivated. Furthermore, some powerful Ghost Clan members have left behind Yin Sha Pearls that retain some memories and obsessions. It is an extremely important part of our Ghost Clan's survival and inheritance. Secondly, the role of the Yin Sha Pearl in our Ghost Clan is equivalent to the spirit stones that you, Leng Junzi, often use."

"The forging of the mysterious weapon requires Yin Sha Pearls. According to our investigation... a large number of Yin Sha Pearls of unknown origin have flowed into this city."

“If that’s the case…” Chu Xunfeng pondered for a moment, “First of all, I can tell you that Longquan Sword Manor is indeed using Yin Sha Pearls to forge strange weapons.”

He paused, raised his eyelids, and stared intently at the courtesan. Seeing that she was suppressing some kind of impulse and still maintaining her rationality, he nodded before continuing, "Secondly, it is highly likely that Longquan Sword Manor accepted the commission from the Bronze Fang Beast and began to reproduce the technique of forging ghost weapons."

"In other words, the person who pushed Longquan Sword Manor to create the strange weapon was the Emperor of Xu. As for the source of the Yin Sha Pearl, if it was not obtained by Longquan Sword Manor itself, then it could only have been provided by the client."

The courtesan's eyes flickered. She didn't know whether she should believe Leng Junzi's words, but did Chu Xunfeng need to lie to her?

It seems there isn't one.

"I'm also investigating this matter now..." Chu Xunfeng's words were cut short, and the courtesan couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

"Young Master Chu, please wait a moment. Allow me to ask you a question." The courtesan suddenly interrupted Chu Xunfeng, who simply looked at her and waited for the ghost woman to speak.

"Do you know that Baidi City is also related to this matter?" Hua Kui looked at Chu Xunfeng.

"What?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow. "The matter of the ghostly weapon and the Yin Sha Pearl... is it related to Baidi City?"

"You don't know?" The courtesan narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know. The reason I got involved in this is because I met Zuo Shaojun, the young master of Longquan Sword Manor. Secondly, it seems that the Xu Kingdom's secret guards wanted to drag me into this, or... I just stepped into a quagmire myself." Chu Xunfeng stared at the courtesan. "Why did you say that Baidi City is related to this matter?"

The courtesan pondered for a moment, then raised her head.

“I think we can exchange information frankly. Since Young Master Chu has already shared some information, I can reveal some details about White Emperor City to you. I hope you can show more sincerity to our Ghost Clan.”

"Deal." Chu Xunfeng squinted his eyes.

“We have been in Lancang City for more than half a month. During this time, there were indeed lingering Yin energy in the city because we fought with someone.” “The person we fought was a human cultivator wielding a strange weapon.”

"There were three separate incidents, all involving different people, but they all had one thing in common: these cultivators were all wearing the robes of White Emperor City disciples."

Leave

As the title suggests, I'll be taking a day off today. The story development and outline have deviated slightly from the intended direction, requiring careful adjustments to the characters who will appear later. I'm currently refining the outline for this volume, so there will be no chapter updates. Regular updates will resume tomorrow.

Chapter Twenty-One: You and I are not worthy to step onto the stage.

Inside the private room, Chu Xunfeng's fingers tapped lightly on the table.

The courtesan brought him an unexpected and illogical clue, but upon closer reflection, it seemed... yet perfectly reasonable.

In the absolute silence, the only sound was the rhythmic tapping of the toe.

"Evidence?" Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes, staring at the courtesan. "Do you have any evidence?"

“Yes, there is conclusive evidence, but I need Young Master Chu to show your sincerity.” The courtesan stared at Chu Xunfeng’s cold expression.

The courtesan spoke with certainty, and Chu Xunfeng withdrew his gaze. He had a lot of information that he could use to show his sincerity. He was thinking about which piece of information to use to exchange for the evidence in the courtesan's hands.

"The Sword Master Zuo Shaojun of Longquan is investigating the forging of the strange weapon at Longquan Manor. If you can guarantee that you can control your emotions and deal with Zuo Shaojun calmly, I can arrange for you two to have a face-to-face meeting." Chu Xunfeng looked at the courtesan. "Zuo Shaojun and I are in a cooperative relationship. Bringing you into this game now is my way of showing my sincerity."

The courtesan seemed to ponder for a moment before finally nodding slightly. "I accept. Gui Jiu, bring that thing here."

Gui Jiu, who was sitting behind the courtesan, silently stood up. He reached into his own body, half of his arm completely submerged under his pale skin. With a slow stirring, Gui Jiu pulled out several large strips of torn cloth and a piece of metal from his body and placed them on the tea table.

"All three pieces of cloth were torn from the body of the wielder of the strange weapon, and this sign..."

“I know, it’s identification for a disciple of White Emperor City.” Chu Xunfeng flicked his wrist, took out his nameplate from his storage wristband, and placed it on the table. “Mind if I take a look?”

"Please go ahead." The courtesan spread her hands, covered her mouth and chuckled, squinting as she sized up Chu Xunfeng.

She didn't utter a single falsehood from beginning to end, and in return, she felt that the human youth before her could repay her with sincerity.

Chu Xunfeng fiddled with the nameplate given to him by Gui Jiu for a long time, and finally let out a long sigh and put down the nameplate in his hand.

"How is it?" Ao Hanli, who had been silent for a long time, put down her teacup.

“It’s a plaque from Baidi City.” Chu Xunfeng placed the metal plaque, which was noticeably older than his own, on the table, then looked up at the courtesan. “Tomorrow night at 7 PM, I’ll bring Zuo Shaojun to the Seven Star Tower to find you. Is that alright?”

"Yes." The courtesan nodded slightly.

"Can I take this with me?" Chu Xunfeng looked at the courtesan. "Nameplate."

The courtesan remained silent for a moment before finally nodding gently. "Okay, but I must remind you, we've already got our eyes on you. Don't do anything that will disappoint me."

"No." Chu Xunfeng was somewhat bothered by the courtesan's two consecutive silences, but in the end he didn't say anything. He simply picked up the old nameplate on the table, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

Ao Hanli stood up with Chu Xunfeng, and the two opened the door to the private room. The soundproofing array dissipated, and the plump middle-aged man standing at the door glanced at Chu Xunfeng and smiled, "Young Master Chu, are you done talking?"

"I'll be back tomorrow night." Chu Xunfeng looked at the middle-aged man. "I'll reserve this private room for myself and my three friends tomorrow, is that alright?"

"Of course, you are an honored guest." The fat man bowed slightly.

Chu Xunfeng nodded and gestured for Ao Hanli to leave the Seven Star Tower. As they walked back to the inn, Ao Hanli finally couldn't help but ask, "Chu Xunfeng, what are you planning to do?"

"What do you mean, what should we do?" Chu Xunfeng turned to look at the Dragon Girl, his face showing confusion and doubt.

Seeing that Chu Xunfeng's expression seemed genuine, Ao Hanli took a deep breath. "White Emperor City, Dragon Spring Sword Manor, the Ghost Clan and the Ghost Soldiers?"

"Just continue doing what we've been doing. Didn't we discuss this from the beginning? There's a high probability that Baidi City is involved in this matter, and now we know that."

"Are you planning to inform the people of Baidi City?"

"Of course... that's impossible." Chu Xunfeng shrugged. "Putting everything else aside, take a look at the information we've gathered, and try to put yourself in the shoes of Longquan Sword Manor."

"If these things are exposed, what will be the situation of Longquan Sword Manor?"

Ao Hanli paused for a moment, following Chu Xunfeng's train of thought, when a chill ran straight to her head.

Xu Guo's secret guards, the Ghost Clan, Baidi City, plus the treacherous soldiers...

Longquan Sword Manor will definitely become the target of everyone's hatred!

"So, you understand now? Let nature take its course. Longquan Sword Manor can't just lie there and wait to die. Even Zuo Shaojun is worried about Longquan Sword Manor, let alone the manor lord." Chu Xunfeng looked deeply at the unfamiliar face that covered the dragon girl's appearance. "We've been involved in this matter, but it's not our place to be worried. There are plenty of people who are more worried than us."

"So what exactly are you doing here?" Ao Hanli looked at Chu Xunfeng's back. Although her brows were furrowed and her tone was somewhat inappropriate, she still followed him directly.

However, Chu Xunfeng suddenly stopped in his tracks, without any warning.

Ao Hanli almost bumped into the young man's back. After she stopped, Chu Xunfeng suddenly turned around and looked down at Ao Hanli's transformed appearance, "Ao Hanli."

The Dragon Girl tilted her head slightly, squinted her eyes, and stared at Chu Xunfeng's face.

"You must remember, even with my three cultivations, I am only at the Human Profound Realm now, and so are you. With what we have, we might be able to influence the development of the entire Longquan Sword Manor affair, but have you considered the risks involved?"

"The bronze beasts are at least at the Earth Profound Realm. They are the people of the Emperor of Xu Kingdom. It is an entire organization backed by the Five Continents Kingdom."