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

"Okay." Zuo Shaojun let out a soft breath and mentally encouraged himself.

The white-haired jade knife and the red-tasseled blood dart—these two were disciples of the same master and ranked high on the Human Ranking. These childhood sweethearts had an excellent reputation in the cultivation world, and it was unknown how Chu Xunfeng had managed to persuade them to join him.

These two also helped a lot with the promotion of the Sword Appraisal Tournament. They even persuaded their own sect to support the stance of Longquan Sword Manor, making them very powerful allies. It is unknown how Chu Xunfeng managed to convince them.

Zuo Shaojun led the two along the main road of the manor into the inner gate. After a few steps, they arrived at the reception hall. Looking up, they saw five people chatting and laughing in the reception hall.

Upon seeing the three people arrive outside, all five people in the reception room stood up.

"Young Master, Miss Zhishuang, Young Master Chu, I am Li Yulin of the White Mane Clan. It is an honor to meet you all." The handsome young man in white robes greeted the three people outside the door with a smile, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture.

"My name is Hongying Ling Hongyang. I greet the three of you." The woman in red with gold thread patterns also stood up, clasped her hands in greeting, and bowed to the three people who stepped into the reception room.

"You two are too kind, seniors. Please have a seat." As the young master of Longquan Sword Manor, Zuo Shaojun's manners were impeccable. He gestured for the two outstanding individuals, who were clearly three or four years older than him, to sit down. Zuo Shaojun then turned the conversation to two other young men who looked a year or two younger than him. "Are these two the younger generation disciples of Lie Dao Manor?"

Li Yulin and Ling Hongyang exchanged a glance, and then Li Yulin, with his white mane and jade knife, introduced them, "These two are my and my wife's apprentices. The man is named Zhang Jietao, and the woman is named Li Yaoxiang."

"Greetings, seniors." The two young men who were called upon by their master stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Zhishuang." Zuo Shaojun looked at the two juniors, then turned his gaze to his younger sister, "How about you take Jietao and Yaoxiang to the manor for a look around?"

Upon hearing this, the two children turned to look at their master and mistress. After the two nodded, they followed Zuo Zhishuang out of the reception room.

The two younger generation members left, and Zuo Zhishuang also left.

At this moment, only Zuo Shaojun, Chu Xunfeng, the couple Yu Dao Xue Biao, and Ao Hanli, who was using the alias Li Han, remained in the reception room. Their conversation was now on track.

"Seniors, I am truly sorry. My father should have personally received you today, but unfortunately, the Sword Appraisal Conference is about to begin, and there are too many things to handle at the manor. I can only do it on your behalf. If you have any needs or complaints while you are at the manor, please feel free to tell me." Zuo Shaojun looked at the two famous swordsmen before him and clasped his hands in apology.

"Young Master, you flatter me." Li Yulin smiled and waved his hand, indicating that Zuo Shaojun didn't need to be so formal. "Lie Dao Manor and Longquan Sword Manor have always been friendly neighbors. Now that Longquan Sword Manor has encountered such a major event, Lie Dao Manor will naturally help if we can."

"We, including my teacher, understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'," Ling Hongyang stated bluntly.

"Alright, let's end the pleasantries here." Chu Xunfeng, having grown tired of the social niceties between the two groups, spoke up to interrupt the conversation, drawing attention to himself. "There are still two days until the Sword Appraisal Tournament. The imperial envoy should be arriving in the city by now..."

"Would you two be interested in stretching your muscles together tonight?"

With a smile, Chu Xunfeng extended an invitation to the couple, Yu Dao and Xue Biao.

"What does Young Master Chu mean?" Blood Dart Ling Hongyang raised an eyebrow and looked at Chu Xunfeng.

"How about we try our luck with the bronze beast?"

Chapter Twenty-Eight, The Foreigner

The idea of ​​confronting the bronze beast was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Chu Xunfeng. After all, facing the bronze beast head-on could easily lead to trouble if not handled properly.

Moreover, it's not just a little bit of trouble.

Therefore, Chu Xunfeng's suggestion caused a few seconds of silence in the reception room.

"Young Master Chu, what are you planning to do..." Ling Hongyang seemed very interested, but she was also somewhat hesitant. After all, she represented not only herself, but also the entire Fierce Blade Manor sect behind her.

"I was planning to test the waters tonight, with a friend from the Ghost Clan," Chu Xunfeng said, glancing at everyone. His gaze lingered on Zuo Shaojun's face for a moment longer before adding, "Originally, Shaojun intended to travel with me, but the Longquan Sword Manor's stance is not suitable for doing something so outrageous in the open right now."

Although Zuo Shaojun was stunned for a moment, he quickly covered it up and showed a helpless smile.

"Bringing this up now is just asking one more question, so you two don't need to take it too seriously." Chu Xunfeng noticed the hesitation of the Jade Knife and Blood Dart couple, so he smiled and moved on from the topic.

“Since Brother Chu has made the arrangements, my wife and I will not interfere.” Li Yulin breathed a sigh of relief. “However, Brother Chu, please be careful. The secret guards accompanying the Xu Kingdom’s envoy are definitely stronger than those at the Human Profound level, and may even be at the Heavenly Profound level. Do not be careless.”

"Of course." Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly.

"Gentlemen, let's not sit here any longer." Seeing that there was nothing more to say, Zuo Shaojun started to speak again, "My younger sister has probably already taken your apprentices to observe the sword-making workshop. Would you like to go and take a look together?"

"I've longed to go for this for a long time," Li Yulin said with a smile.

"I have some things to attend to, so I won't be traveling with you. I need to make some preparations for tonight's events." Chu Xunfeng also stood up, but he didn't intend to travel with the others. He turned to look at Ao Hanli, exchanged glances with the Dragon Girl, and nodded slightly.

After apologizing to the two men from Lie Dao Manor, he watched the four of them leave together.

He did need to make some preparations for the night's operation, but more importantly, he wanted to leave some relationships to Zuo Shaojun to manage.

He has already shone too brightly in the Longquan Sword Manor incident, which is not a good thing for Chu Xunfeng himself.

After all, ever since Kamakura Castle, the magistrate of the Bronze Beast had been dragging himself down with him.

Furthermore, the Dark Star Pavilion might be keeping an eye on them.

Chu Xunfeng decided it was best to keep a low profile... However, it seemed that what he was doing was the exact opposite of what he thought.

As Chu Xunfeng walked along the road, greeting the sword servants of the Sword Manor, he couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

Perhaps this is what they call being unable to control one's own destiny.

When Chu Xunfeng reached the westernmost courtyard of the Sword Manor, he stopped and looked at the middle-aged sword servant guarding the courtyard.

"My lord," the middle-aged swordsman bowed with clasped hands.

"Were those three guests behaving themselves?"

"They were very well-behaved and only made a few small requests, which you fulfilled as instructed."

"That's good." Chu Xunfeng nodded. "I'll go in and take a look."

"Yes."

Chu Xunfeng walked to the front of the detached house, gently pushed open the slightly ajar door, and softly asked, "The courtesan?"

The room, which had originally been fairly well-lit, was now pitch black. Apart from the half-open door, which allowed some light to seep into the room, all the windows were covered with black cloth, and any gaps that allowed light to pass through were completely blocked.

"Young Master Chu, if you don't come to see me soon, I'll think you've imprisoned us in this Longquan Sword Manor." A seductive voice rang out in the darkness, accompanied by the chilling, penetrating sensation of Yin Sha that crept up my spine. The image of a scantily clad woman emerged in the darkness.

“The imperial envoy entered the city an hour ago. I’ve already sent my swordsman to keep an eye on the imperial people. Tonight, let’s test the envoy’s true strength.” Chu Xunfeng said, looking at the courtesan.

"Young Master Chu is so confident? Surely the Imperial Envoy is protected by the secret guards of Xu Kingdom?" The courtesan let out a charming laugh.

"That's why I came to discuss this with you. Tonight, you and your men will launch a feigned attack to lure out the bronze beast, while I go and cause trouble for that imperial envoy." Chu Xunfeng explained his plan in a methodical manner.

The courtesan's smile froze. "Young Master Chu, are you joking?"

"..." Chu Xunfeng just stared at the courtesan.

The courtesan fell silent. After a few seconds, the smile on her face faded. "Alright, I'll lead Gui Jiu and Mu Huai in a feigned attack on the inn. Young Master Chu, please don't disappoint me."

"Don't worry, it won't happen." Chu Xunfeng withdrew his gaze. "We'll depart at the end of Hai hour tonight. Be prepared."

Chu Xunfeng gave the time, then turned and left the house filled with yin energy without lingering.

The courtesan, standing still, let out a long sigh, silently turned around to look behind her, her blood-red eyes shining like beacons in the darkness.

"Foreigner, will that kid surnamed Chu figure it out?" The courtesan's voice was somewhat worried.

"He may not have figured out my identity, but he must have guessed that there's someone in charge behind you." A hoarse voice echoed in the darkness.

The courtesan remained silent for a few seconds before finally sighing helplessly, "I've been trying so hard to pretend I'm thinking."

"It's not that you acted too well, or rather, it's precisely because your acting was too realistic."

“Three people at the peak of the Profound Realm are not qualified to handle such a big matter. This is my oversight.” The hoarse voice that the courtesan called “Ghost” sighed. “This kid is so knowledgeable that he is almost a demon. Even the slightest flaw revealed to him will be magnified infinitely.”

"Is it really safe to cooperate with someone like this?" To be honest, the courtesan was a little afraid of the young man who always had a cold face, and his bright, reflective black eyes.

When Chu Xunfeng was silently watching her just now, the courtesan had a feeling.

Chu Xunfeng already knew that he wasn't the real person in charge. He looked at himself, just waiting for the foreigner behind him to make a decision.

"Danger and opportunity always go hand in hand." The foreigner let out a hoarse laugh. "There's no need to distinguish them so clearly. No matter how intelligent he is, his strength is still only at the level of a human being. His lack of strength is his biggest weakness."

"Let's follow his plan and prepare in advance."

The foreigner fell silent, and the courtesan also stopped speaking.

The foreigner also had something he didn't say: given Chu Xunfeng's personality, he shouldn't be standing in the spotlight like this. In this quagmire, he's not strong enough to protect himself.

However, he still stood in front of the stage, and even took on the title of a retainer of the Longquan Sword Manor.

He must have something he wants.

The most terrifying people are those who have no desires or wants, and Chu Xunfeng is far from that level. Therefore, in the eyes of the foreigners, Chu Xunfeng represents a great opportunity, and they are confident that they can withstand the risks he may bring.

Therefore, he was happy to continue cooperating with Chu Xunfeng without any tacit understanding.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Night Raid

That night, at the beginning of Hai hour (9-11 PM).

Chu Xunfeng sat in a courtyard inside the Longquan Sword Manor, looking up at the thick clouds covering the sky, his brows slightly furrowed.

"And after tonight, there are only two days left until the Sword Appraisal Tournament." Ao Hanli's voice rang out outside the courtyard. "At such a critical moment, you can't afford to frown."

"Only those who are arrogant to the point of being delusional would be blindly confident, thinking they can control everything." Chu Xunfeng slowly turned his head to look at Ao Hanli, who was walking slowly towards him, and said calmly.

"I am not a prophet; I can only keep imagining and resolving the scenarios I come up with in my mind, so that I won't be caught off guard and unable to deal with certain situations."

"Can you tell me? What have you been considering?" Ao Hanli sat down opposite Chu Xunfeng, propped her chin up, and stared at the young man's face. "Let me give you some advice?"

"You?" Chu Xunfeng realized the purpose behind the Dragon Girl's visit to him.

In recent days, despite her own activity, Ao Hanli has been keeping a low profile and concealing her existence according to her own plan. In the entire Longquan Sword Manor, the only people who openly know her identity are Yu Dao Xue Biao from Lie Dao Manor, a married couple who are friends of Ao Hanli.

She probably wanted to find something she could do to keep herself busy.

"What's wrong with me?" Ao Hanli raised her eyebrows at Chu Xunfeng's hesitation, feeling that Chu Xunfeng looked down on her.