The proof of Emperor Wu began with daily rewards for diligence.

At noon, the blazing sun pierced through the darkness of Cuihu Street.

The homeless people huddled in the streets, like walking corpses unable to see the light, all sought refuge in the shadows.

Chen Jue saw Liang Ben off and declined his invitation to join the "Divine Understanding Organization".

You don't seem very happy.

As Chen Jue walked out of Cuihu Street, he turned back and glanced at Wu Nanyuan.

"You never considered me your teammate."

Wu Nanyuan was still feeling uneasy about being deliberately sent away.

She was not trusted within her family, and as a result, she was still not trusted outside of her family.

She was well aware that she and Chen Jue lacked a foundation of trust since they were teaming up for the first time.

But she just felt uncomfortable.

"..." Chen Jue was so angry at Wu Nanyuan's words that he laughed.

You're from a powerful family, aren't you?!

Who knows how much entanglement your family has with the Japanese Fire Cult?

The two teamed up and ostensibly conducted a cursory investigation into the "missing persons case," which they then dismissed as a mere formality.

What if secrets are involved, and the Wu family's interests are affected, and you are betrayed?

He didn't want to be shot three times in the back and commit suicide.

"Wu Nanyuan, you've misunderstood me."

Chen Jue first pinned the blame on his teammate.

"What I discussed with that person was a private matter, not an official one. Listening to it will not only not help the missing persons case, but may also bring you to your death."

It's not that I don't trust you, but since we've just met, I don't want to involve you in danger.

Do you understand?

"..." This was the first time Wu Nanyuan had ever seen such a moral blackmail tactic, and she was immediately rendered speechless by the question.

I wouldn't feel moved or guilty.

She wasn't stupid; she naturally realized that Chen Jue's words were half true and half false.

However, with this reason as a pretext, the anger she felt did dissipate considerably.

"Shall we come back tonight?" Wu Nanyuan asked.

"Aren't you going to report this to your family?" Chen Jue retorted.

"Why report this to the family?" Wu Nanyuan asked, initially confused, then surprised. "How did you know I have a family behind me?"

"You are Wu's specially selected intern, and at such a young age, you have already reached the sixth level of True Qi..."

"Given all this, is it really that hard to guess the identity of the Wu family?"

This time it was Chen Jue's turn to be surprised.

Wu Nanyuan's face turned pale, and even her peach blossom eyes, which were partially obscured by her mask, showed a hint of panic.

She reached for her waist, her hand on the hilt of the sword, tightening and loosening repeatedly.

"I am not a member of the Wu family. I have never shown any strength beyond the third level of True Qi. Don't talk nonsense!" Wu Nanyuan explained palely.

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Chen Jue stopped in his tracks like a shark that had smelled blood, and circled around Wu Nanyuan.

"You just deflected Liang Ben's flying sword with a single strike. He's a late-stage seventh-level True Qi martial artist. If you were only at the third level of True Qi, how could you possibly block that flying sword..."

"Or perhaps, like me... you possess superhuman strength?"

Chen Jue noticed the unusual thing about Wu Nanyuan at a glance.

Seeing her trembling but remaining silent, Chen Jue probed, "You wouldn't have hidden your strength from your family, but revealed it to me, would you?"

Clang!

Wu Nanyuan's longsword was only halfway drawn from its sheath when Chen Jue grabbed the back of her hand and forcibly pushed the sword back into its scabbard.

"Can't we just talk things out?"

Chen Jue reprimanded Wu Nanyuan in a lecturing tone, then added in a sinister tone, "I'm your teammate, I'll keep your secret!"

Wu Nanyuan's breathing became rapid. She looked up at Chen Jue's maliciously smiling eyes, and her chest tightened.

I was too careless.

Having just left the family, he thought he was free to do as he pleased, but he forgot his limits and suffered a major setback as soon as he stepped out the door.

"I'm just an insignificant member of a collateral branch of the family..."

"If someone is found to have superior aptitude, they will need to graft their best spiritual root into the direct lineage during the late stage of Spirit Cultivation."

Wu Nanyuan reluctantly revealed her secrets, for she had already foreseen her tragic future.

The person before her will surely use this secret to control her life.

They used her as a tool, doing all sorts of shameful things...

Chen Jue reached out and touched Wu Nanyuan's head.

The latter shrank back, thinking to himself that all men in the world are indeed the same kind of beasts; once they gain control, they begin to impatiently display their animalistic nature.

"You aristocratic families of the inner city, how come you're all like animals..."

Chen Jue ruffled Wu Nanyuan's hair and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll keep this secret to myself for you."

"However, you should also be careful in the future. In case of an emergency, it is better to get injured than to reveal your true strength."

"If all else fails, just kill everyone here."

"..." Upon hearing this, Wu Nanyuan looked up at Chen Jue with an incredulous expression.

"Aren't you going to use this secret to blackmail me?"

Chen Jue paused in his rubbing of his head, recalling the battle in the old alley that day, when Wu Nanyuan also looked like a victim.

"Young lady, do you have paranoia?"

"I'm not some animal, why would I need to bully a little girl like you?"

Chen Jue pushed Wu Nanyuan's head away, as if his hands would become dirty from the girl's filthy thoughts in the next moment.

"..." Wu Nanyuan lowered her head, feeling ashamed, and hid behind Chen Jue. At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief and felt a complicated and subtle sense of trust in Chen Jue.

"Alright, stop thinking so much. Just work well with me. Maybe I'll need your connections to get a position as a department head someday."

Chen Jue was not lying.

He disdained using a young girl's secret to do despicable things.

But he could easily use his relationship with the young girl to rise through the ranks of the garrison!

After all, they were of the same clan. As long as Wu Nanyuan spoke a few good words for herself in front of Wu Suo at crucial moments, she would be fine.

The position of group leader is not something that can be easily obtained.

After leaving Cuihu Street, Chen Jue saw that it was lunchtime, so he took Wu Nanyuan into a restaurant with decent decor.

Inside the restaurant's private room, a television screen was playing recent diplomatic news from the Ming Dynasty.

Europe's aerospace warship sank in the secret realm of the South China Sea of ​​the Ming Dynasty.

The exchange students from the Central Region will be admitted to the famous martial arts university of the Divine Dynasty in batches, and Linjiang Martial Arts University happens to have one spot available.

The notorious pirate "King of the Sea," wielding the Six-Scarred Sacred Weapon, greeted the entire Cherry Blossom Island, sinking one island before returning home.

Chen Jue glanced sideways at these news stories that seemed as distant as myths, and a look of longing gradually appeared on his face.

Every man born between heaven and earth dreams of one day wielding a sacred weapon and roaming the world, becoming the enemy of all.

"Little Nan Yuan, do you think we might end up like that one day?"

Chen Jue gestured for Wu Nanyuan to watch the news on the television screen.

"What?" Wu Nanyuan, who had taken off her mask to reveal a cool and cute face, was glancing at the menu out of the corner of her eye when she heard Chen Jue call out to her. She looked up blankly and looked towards the TV.

"I was wondering if we'd ever have the chance to acquire a sacred weapon, achieve immortality, and dominate the world," Chen Jue said, rhythmically tapping the round table as he daydreamed.

"Difficult, only the top three noble families possess sacred weapons."

"To become a top-tier clan, one needs at least three thousand years of accumulation; otherwise, one can only end up like the King of Dinghai, stealing sacred weapons from foreigners and reforging them."

As Wu Nanyuan spoke, the waiter began serving dishes, twelve meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, which quickly filled the round table.

"Does the Wu family usually starve you? You're as skinny as a monkey."

Seeing Wu Nanyuan's pitifully polite and careful manner while eating, Chen Jue sighed, picked up a whole pork knuckle, and placed it on the little girl's plate.

Eat more.

"Your skinny frame is clearly the result of insufficient nourishment and forced blood refining when you were in the Qi and Blood Realm."

"Seriously...don't your parents or elders care about you?"

"After I turned nine, I was all alone..."

Wu Nanyuan buried her head in her plate, shoveling food into her mouth with small bites. Her long hair fell down, covering half of her face. Her tone was indifferent, as if she were talking about someone else's past. But her shoulders tightened slightly, hiding the fragility and heartache of being neglected for many years.

"Incredible..." Chen Jue sighed inwardly.

No wonder this little girl is so suspicious and sensitive; it turns out the root of her problem lies here.

However, this is a girl's family matter, and as her teammate, there's not much he can do to help.

Hopefully, time will heal all wounds.

The two began to eat in silence, the only sound in the private room being the clinking of ceramic bowls and chopsticks.