I defeated the saint with a parry.

After this incident, King Kang and King Jian no longer considered Xu Ling's matter, and even the matter of Fancheng was no big deal.

The Great Chu was not in a good time. If it were still a peaceful and prosperous era, without any demonic disturbances, and everyone had enough to eat, only a madman would want to seek illegal gains.

In that case, the existence of heretical cultivators would almost certainly be exposed without any further investigation.

However, the Great Chu is now facing external enemies from the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons and internal threats from demons. Furthermore, the major families and sects may not necessarily be of one mind with the Great Chu.

In such circumstances, everyone wants to live, and everyone wants to become a cultivator.

Even at a perilous post like the Demon Suppression Division, where only one in ten survives, countless people still rush to get ashore. It goes without saying what kind of influence evil magic can have.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the people of the Great Chu lived in dire straits, especially if all of them were to resort to shady dealings...

Tsk!

Before leaving, Wang Jian left behind an imperial edict for Xu Huaixu and Xu Ling. His original intention was to give it to Xu Ling in person so that the emperor could assess Xu Ling's abilities. However, Xu Huaixu kept stopping him and brought up the serious matter of evil magic. So Wang Jian didn't linger and set off directly back to the capital.

Kang Wang, however, stayed behind and went to Chongyang Martial Arts School.

"What are you doing here?"

The moment Zhang Songyang saw Prince Kang, he frowned and looked displeased: "My martial arts school is just a small place, it doesn't welcome any princes."

Ji Ruikang shrugged it off and walked straight into the martial arts hall. Seeing that the hall was rather deserted, he found a step and sat down on it. "Now that Fancheng is in this state, don't you want to come to Kangcheng with me? All the old brothers are there. What are you doing staying in Fancheng alone?"

Looking at his martial arts school, Zhang Songyang sighed, "If you had come a few days earlier, you would have seen how bustling our school was. Those disciples were usually very obedient. I was afraid that if they stayed in Fancheng, they would be affected by the yin energy and ruin their foundation, so I drove them all away."

King Kang could see the traces of martial arts training in the martial arts school; the courtyard floor was covered with deep pits from practicing horse stance.

He said, "I won't stop you if you like teaching, but what kind of geniuses can you find in a small place like Fancheng? Come with me, and I can find you geniuses from all over Connecticut. You can even start your own school of thought if you want..."

"I, Zhang Songyang, am not worthy of founding a sect. Please do not flatter me, Prince Kang." Zhang Songyang also sat on the steps. From behind, he appeared to be even more robust than Prince Kang.

"I've heard you have a close disciple named Zhang Li?"

"Hmm? Why are you asking him? Let me tell you, you're a prince, don't mess with a mere military officer."

"You brute! What's wrong with me asking you questions? Your disciple is my junior, isn't he? Why can't I ask him?"

"That's hard to say. Zhang Li is a demon slayer now. It's best if he doesn't associate with you, a prince, to avoid gossip."

"What, am I, a senior martial brother of a prince, supposed to embarrass him?"

"Your Highness, I won't get involved in your petty power struggles. And don't bring my apprentices along, or don't blame me for turning my back on you."

After Zhang Songyang finished speaking, he took out a token with the character "Kang" on it, which still carried the aura of the King of Kang.

He wanted to return it to King Kang, but King Kang didn't even glance at it.

"You're just too stubborn. Even if you can't have anything to do with me now, can you guarantee that your descendants won't run into trouble? In this world, there's no peace anywhere. What future is there in following that scholar Xu Huaixu? When they can't make it anymore, they can always come to Kangzhou with their tokens to seek military merits from me. As for you, you old brute, I can't be bothered with you."

After Ji Ruikang finished speaking, he left immediately.

The Songyang Martial Arts School has returned to peace and quiet.

Actually, the martial arts school wasn't without apprentices, but most of them had left Fancheng, which made it seem much quieter and less lively than usual.

At this moment, Xu Ling followed Zhang Li to the Zhao family.

Two people were waiting at the entrance of the Zhao family's house.

"That spirit pearl isn't unique. Master Zhao said that his family's trading business once helped someone transport a set of similar spirit pearls. Since you're on good terms with him, you can ask him about it."

Before entering, Zhang Li deliberately said, "Logically speaking, the Zhao family should have moved away by now, but I don't know why they've stayed until now. Whenever something happens, these aristocratic families are the first to run away, but the Zhao family is an exception."

Xu Ling seemed to be experiencing some lingering effects, and quickly asked, "Is anyone in the Zhao family in trouble?"

Zhang Li shook his head: "Although the Zhao family isn't a powerful family like the Song family, they're still quite formidable, with plenty of guards. The head of the Zhao family happened to be eating on North Street when you ran into him at the City God Temple. If he were home, there would be no need for him to hide."

"Master Zhao is a real gourmand, which suits his personality perfectly."

The two had just started chatting when the gates of the Zhao residence were opened, and Zhao Yi came to greet them personally.

Xu Ling cupped his hands in greeting: "Master Zhao, how have you been?"

Zhao Yi said happily, "I heard you were injured in the underworld and have been unconscious ever since. Have you just woken up?"

Seeing Xu Ling nod, Zhao Yi quickly led the two of them home: "You're a true brother, you came to find me as soon as you woke up. It's been almost a month since the three of us last drank together, so let's make up for it today. We won't leave until we're drunk!"

"Then let's eat and chat."

Zhao Yi said with a smile, "You're lucky to have come. The shops on North Street haven't been open lately, so I brought the chef home to treat you to something nice."

"As for the Spirit Pearl you want to know about, we can talk about it over here. An official from the Demon Suppression Division has already asked about it, and I've already gone through all the account books at home, so I'll tell you now."

The Zhao residence is a large courtyard house with four courtyards and many smaller courtyards. Although it is not the best in Fancheng, it is definitely the most comfortable for Xu Ling.

Moreover, after entering, Xu Ling clearly felt that the ghostly aura of the Zhao residence had diminished considerably: "Is there a formation in the Zhao residence?"

"Brother Xu has a good eye," Zhao Yi laughed. "It's all thanks to my ancestors, not my own ability. This formation is said to be a feng shui formation, so it can prevent some ghostly energy from invading, saving me the trouble of moving."

After taking only two steps, Zhao Yi pointed to the people coming and going and said, "I've asked all the people who work for the Zhao family to go home, so it's a bit noisy at home. Please don't mind."

"How could I complain? This kind of lively atmosphere is exactly what the bustling city needs right now."

Zhang Li chimed in, "Exactly. If the other aristocratic families in Fancheng were like the Zhao family, how could things have deteriorated to this state in just half a month? Once our Demon Slaying Division seals that rift, Fancheng will recover sooner or later."

That being said, sealing an entrance to the underworld is indeed quite difficult; it's not something that can be done overnight.

"By the way, where is your wife? We haven't paid her respects since we parted at the city gate."

"Uh..." Zhao Yi looked embarrassed and pointed to the inner courtyard: "My wife is in her room and doesn't want to come out. She's angry."

Upon hearing this, the servant serving tea smiled and added, "Our master is notoriously afraid of his wife, so please don't ask any further questions, gentlemen."

"Get out of here! Who gave you the right to speak?"

Zhao Yi awkwardly chased the servant away, cursing him as he did so, but judging from the atmosphere in his mansion, he was definitely not a strict master.

He turned to look at Xu Ling and the other man, gesturing for them to drink tea, his face still somewhat embarrassed: "Don't listen to the servants' nonsense. My wife was injured a few days ago and is recuperating in her room, so it's inconvenient for her to see anyone. Besides, it's not convenient for her to come over while we're drinking and eating meat."

Seeing his expression, Xu Ling and Zhang Li exchanged a laugh and didn't expose Zhao's lie.

This is the inner courtyard of the Zhao family at this time.

Unlike the bustling outer courtyard, the inner courtyard was exceptionally quiet, and only the most trusted maids of the Zhao family were allowed to enter.

Two maids, one old and one young, were waiting outside Madam Zhao's room. The older one had married into the family with Madam Zhao, while the younger one had been raised in the Zhao household.

"Spring like flowers, summer like blossoms?"

"Yes! What are your orders, Madam?"

"Where is the master? Have we had guests at the Zhao residence?"

"Yes, two officials from the Demon Suppression Division, I think their names were Xu Ling and Zhang Li, presented their visiting cards. The master said they were old friends and had already gone to the front yard to receive guests."

"Alright, you two come in. I'm feeling a bit unwell..."

Upon hearing Madam Zhao's words, Chunru and Xiahua lowered their heads and pushed the door open to enter. They didn't forget to close the door after entering, for fear that the cold wind would startle Madam.

As soon as the two entered, they unconsciously shifted their shoulders, feeling the chill in the room.

"lady?"

Chunru asked in a low voice, her gaze falling on the bed curtains. She saw a pair of pale hands waving between the curtains: "Come here, prepare some food for me."

"What kind of rouge are you two using today? It smells so sweet!"