The male supporting character was actually myself.

This is Hengyang Gang territory. The ruthless exterminator is on the run; anyone without a Hengyang Gang token is strictly prohibited from passing through this area!

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Hengyang Gang's territory? You're so arrogant. So ordinary people have no right to pass by?"

"That's not quite it." The leader chuckled lightly, "We can tell whether they're ordinary people or not. It doesn't matter if they don't have a token; we'll just conduct a thorough search to prevent any members of evil cults or demonic sects from sneaking in."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to step forward, "Search thoroughly. If you find any swords or other sharp weapons, you should naturally confiscate them for safety reasons."

The Soul Weapon was poised to be unleashed, and Ling Xiao, his face cold, waited for the perfect moment to strike.

Zhang Qing spurred his horse forward, sword held horizontally, and stood at the forefront, brandishing the token at his waist and proclaiming loudly, "Zhang Qing of the Jade Star Sect's Heavenly Division is here! I want to see how arrogant the Hengyang Gang is, daring to even search our carriage!"

The Jade Star Sect's waist token was clearly more effective than anything else. The other party glanced at it and immediately put on a fawning smile, "We didn't know a senior brother from the Jade Star Sect was passing by. Please forgive any offense we may have caused. We are just following orders..."

The fluffy little dumpling rubbed its ears, a bit puzzled. "That's strange. The protagonist is clearly destined for bad luck, so how come it has a benefactor helping it?"

Jiang Chen's expression was somewhat strange. Could this be the effect of the protagonist dressing as a woman? Is the cross-dressing master really this terrifying?

"These petty sects that bully others by relying on their power are truly hateful." Zhang Qing said coldly as he escorted the carriage away, reassuring everyone, "Don't worry, everyone, our Jade Star Sect still has some prestige in the martial arts world."

With the true culprit behind the sect-annihilating maniac still at large, the more prosperous the area, the more numerous and vigilant the gangs become. Some might even use this opportunity to conduct raids and extort money; it's likely we'll encounter many more such cases.

Ling Xiao glanced at her husband and smiled crisply, replying, "Then I'll trouble Senior Brother Zhang to fend off these annoying guys for us."

"Of course! Of course!"

Finally, they struck up a conversation. Zhang Qing rode his horse alongside Jiang Chen, who was using the alias Jiang Xiaobai, and chatted enthusiastically. Before long, he had managed to extract most of what was going on in Jiang Chen's mind.

The martial arts alliance leader, Shen Aolong, has lost his power and no one is obeying his orders.

Luo Junfei, the new head of the number one family in the martial arts world, has just finished his wedding, but his father Luo Pei is seriously ill and unable to take care of himself.

Anyone with eyes to see could not have accomplished the task of slaughtering so many gangs and clans by Huo Changyun alone, and left behind witnesses with incriminating evidence each time. But there was an undercurrent pushing him to be framed.

The Jade Star Sect's Flying Palm Master, Feng Yunke, led his disciples and followers to Tianxiang Mountain to oversee the situation. If the Demon of Annihilation really makes another move, they might be able to find some clues at Tianxiang Mountain.

"Besides Tianxiang Mountain, another target is Elder Tianque. His Tianque Fortress is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is also very close to the Martial Arts Alliance. Given the choice between the two, the true culprit of the sect-annihilating maniac should not choose Tianque Fortress."

"I was ordered by my martial uncle to go to Tianque Fortress to investigate the details. If I can find clues to clear Huo Changyun of suspicion and catch the real culprit, that would be excellent..." Zhang Qing spoke eloquently, and also highly praised Huo Changyun, whom he considered magnanimous, and expressed his opinion on the matter of taking the blame.

Jiang Chen gave the little white cat on his shoulder a wink.

The fluffy dumpling instinctively took out the script, glanced at it, shook its head, and meowed, "The script is still down; the forum is inaccessible; and the main system is not active either. Host, the current situation is most likely a chain reaction caused by us turning the protagonist into a cross-dressing master, or it may be a trajectory that was originally part of the mission world."

"Now we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. You figure it out. Anyway... we've gotten stuck pretty badly this time, and we probably won't get any medals. Just do whatever you want, I'll stick with you, Host!"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Meeting at the Luo Family Manor

The Heavenly Sparrow Elder left a deep impression on the original owner.

It is said that he was originally an unknown person, but by chance he obtained a martial arts manual, castrated himself, and mastered it. Only then did he quickly gain prominence in the martial arts world and establish a place for himself.

This person is suspicious and vindictive, and due to their own flaws, their words and actions tend to be somewhat extreme.

It is said that he contributed greatly to the Battle of Bluewater Fortress eighteen years ago, especially his cunning plan to breach the fortress, which is most talked about among martial arts practitioners. As a meritorious participant, he naturally reaped a fortune and then spent a lot of money to buy a mountain and build it into Sky Sparrow Fortress.

The original storyline didn't involve this much, so it's unknown whether Zhang Qing of the Jade Star Sect went to Tianque Fortress or discovered anything. Jiang Chen thought it would be better to go and see if he had the chance, maybe he could find something.

With Zhang Qing leading the way under the name of the Jade Star Sect, it was indeed very convenient for Jiang Chen and his group. They did not encounter any investigation or difficulties, but many martial arts people who were in a hurry to search for information took the initiative to give way.

This includes Chen Likun and others who once chased after Jiang Chen in the middle of the night but were utterly defeated by Ling Xiao.

The original owner was a big shot who became famous at a young age. When traveling around the martial arts world, he was usually a guest of honor of various sect leaders. When he had nothing else to do, he would stay in Hundred Flowers Valley to study medicine and various herbs. He had a great reputation and rarely showed his face. He had never met the small fry of various gangs, which saved him a lot of trouble.

Along the way, various gangs gave them some face upon seeing the waist token, so they quickly arrived at Luo City, where the Luo Family Manor was located.

Zhang Qing made an excuse to leave the group in pursuit of the beauty, but along the way, the girl Yun'er rarely showed herself. Even when she got off the carriage, she would wear a veil, making it impossible to see her true appearance.

He wasn't annoyed. People in the martial arts world value being carefree and unrestrained. If they like someone, they will pursue them and won't complain if they can't win them over. Anyway, he knew they would be staying in Luocheng soon and would come looking for them again when he had the chance.

"Brother Jiang, I have important business to attend to and cannot stay long. I have enjoyed your company the whole way. We will meet again someday!" With a touch of regret, Zhang Qing bid farewell in Luo City and headed alone to Tianque Fortress.

"Actually, I think he's a pretty good person." After saying goodbye, Ling Xiao watched Zhang Qing ride away and sighed, "It's a pity that there's really no one to help him find a match. I just hope that he won't cry too much when he finds out the truth in the future."

The fluffy little ball licked its paws and wiped its face, muttering softly, "I didn't realize that your wife, Host, is quite the matchmaker."

Jiang Chen glanced into the carriage and saw Huo Changyun and Lin Wanyue having a heart-to-heart talk. It seemed that the two were indeed destined for a good marriage.

This actually adds a bit of benefit to the upcoming meeting with Luo Junfei.

Although the Luo Family Manor is the number one family in the martial arts world, it is usually very low-key. Luo Junfei, as the eldest son, inherited his father's business and guarded the manor, while the other blood relatives of the family relied on the big tree of the number one family to build their own power in various places, so the development was stable and deeply rooted.

For an ordinary person to see the head of the Luo family would naturally be more complicated, and they would have to see if the head of the family had the time. Fortunately, Luo Pei had thought things through and brought a waist token from the Luo family manor with him when he made the request, which allowed him to meet the head of the family directly.

"Miss Lingxiao? Who is she and why does she have the manor's golden waist token?" Luo Junfei was sitting with his newlywed wife drinking tea when he received the servant's report. After examining the extremely rare golden waist token to determine its authenticity, he frowned slightly.

I've never heard of such a name before.

Moreover, when the servants reported that the group of three women and one man were all unfamiliar faces, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Seeing this, Shen Rumeng, who was preoccupied with her own thoughts, said in a light tone, "If you have something important to do, go and take care of it first. There's no need to waste your time here."

Luo Junfei frowned even more deeply; he was angry again, as expected...

His betrothed since childhood was known as the most beautiful woman in the world, and was also well-read and erudite, which made her very likable. However, her aloof and temperamental nature was really hard to bear.

On her wedding day, she had taken on the responsibility of being the head of the household and naturally had more social obligations. She complained that she returned to the bridal chamber late and smelled of alcohol, and claimed that she was tired, so the wedding ceremony was not held.

The next afternoon, shortly after seeing off the guests who had traveled far, the father fell seriously ill. His wife then claimed that as a son, she should serve him medicine and show filial piety, and sent him to rest in the outer room. More than a month into their marriage, the couple had barely exchanged a few words.

Seeing that my father's health had improved, I came home early to have tea and chat with my wife, hoping to strengthen our relationship. But before we could even start talking, another guest came to see me.

"I'll be right back." Luo Junfei couldn't see a smile on his newlywed wife's face, and with important matters to attend to, he could only sigh and leave.

Seeing that the young master had walked away, the servant hurriedly stepped forward and anxiously advised, "Miss, what are you doing? The young master finally took the time to come and have tea with you, and your cold face and indifferent words are chilling!"

"I never liked him in the first place." Shen Rumeng, who spent every night alone in her empty room longing for her lover, said softly with her cheeks thin and her eyes filled with tears, "Besides, when he saw me, he talked about how his father's illness was recurring. Wasn't he just complaining that I brought bad luck to his father as soon as I entered the house? What good is it to put on a nice face if he dislikes me?"

The servant was pacing anxiously, "Oh my lady, you're married now, when are you going to change this temper? Master has repeatedly warned you, but he's worried about you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Rumeng sneered, "If Father really cared about me, he wouldn't force me to do things I don't like and marry people I don't like every day. His instructions are just because he's worried that I won't be able to appease Luo Junfei and won't be able to be a good wife for the Luo family, so I won't be of any help to him."

After my mother passed away, no one truly cared for me anymore.

"Ha, I'm nothing but a pawn. If one day I decide I don't want to be a father anymore and rebel against him, he wouldn't even bat an eye if he wanted to kill me!"

"Why are you doing this to yourself? You should just enjoy your life with the Luo family and your new husband." The servant sighed helplessly. If the young lady insisted on her own way and wouldn't listen to advice, his own life would probably suffer too…

Luo Junfei walked all the way to the reception hall, and was stunned when he pushed open the door.

"You..." He gasped, quickly looked around to make sure no one was there, and then closed the door behind him. "Young Master Shangguan, what are you doing here?"

Jiang Chen, who had entered in disguise and then removed his makeup, was dressed in flowing white robes. He closed his folding fan, cupped his hands, and smiled, saying, "Brother Luo, I am now hated by everyone and called a remnant of the demon. If you also believe this, you are welcome to call someone in and take me down."

"Where did you get this idea from!" Luo Junfei quickly stepped forward to explain, "We've known each other for so many years, it's too formal to say that."

On the evening of the second day after my wedding, my father suddenly fell ill. I sent people to search for you, but I heard that you changed your route and went to Ping'an Prefecture and then to Yunmeng. The people who went to Baihua Valley to wait for you also disappeared without a trace. Later, I heard that something happened in Baihua Valley. I sent several groups of people there, but I still couldn't find you.

what is the problem?

"How did Brother Huo Changyun become a demon? And why is your Hundred Flowers Valley involved? And this golden waist token... As far as I know, the manor rarely gives such valuable tokens. Where did Young Master Shangguan get this one?"

A barrage of questions came at Jiang Chen, who smiled faintly.

Sure enough, the new head of the Luo family in the original owner's memories was a reliable friend worth making!

"Brother Luo, please be patient. Let me introduce you to a few friends first." He pointed to his wife beside him. "The golden waist token was brought by her. Ling Xiao is the chief disciple of the Great Elder of the Boundless Sect on Dragon Flame Island in the South China Sea. He came to the Central Plains specifically to deliver a letter to his uncle."

Luo Junfei's pupils constricted sharply. "The South China Sea?! Is it about Blue Water Fortress?"

Chapter Thirty: One Hundred Days of Withering

"It seems Brother Luo is also aware of this matter, which makes things even simpler..."

Before Jiang Chen could finish speaking, Luo Junfei grabbed him and said urgently, "It would be a great trouble for you, Young Master Shangguan. My father is seriously ill and urgently needs medical treatment. Please go and check on his condition first, and then we can discuss the results of the Blue Water Fort investigation in detail, so as to avoid wasting any more time."

"These two are... my maids..." Seeing his anxiety, Jiang Chen worried that Luo Junfei's words just now were only to ask for his help, and that he could not release Huo Changyun, the protagonist with the aura of bad luck, before he was absolutely sure. So he changed his words at the last minute.

Luo Junfei had finally caught the divine doctor, and had also heard rumors that Shangguan Jiangchen had escaped with a highly skilled maidservant by his side. He glanced at the tall and strong man with a long and deep breath, and immediately assumed that he was a trained practitioner. After exchanging a few polite words, he grabbed the man and hurriedly led him to the backyard.

"Miss Lin, I have something to say to you." Seeing this, Ling Xiao quickly pulled Lin Wanyue to his side, considering how to say it in a way that would make her accept that the "elder sister-in-law" she had been chatting happily with along the way was actually the person he wanted to introduce to her.

Lin Wanyue certainly broadened her horizons along the way.

Before the disaster of her uncle's imprisonment and the downfall of her family, she had lived her entire life in her boudoir in the backyard. Even though her family was wealthy and lived in a large courtyard, it was still just a small circle. Apart from eating three meals a day, resting on time, and learning needlework and housekeeping from her elders, the only thing that allowed her to come into contact with the outside world was books that had been selected several times.

After reading so many classic texts, I only realized how big and wonderful the world is after stepping out of my comfort zone!

She suffered hardships at first, being forced to sell herself, bought, and robbed by bandits. But her life became much better after following Young Master Jiang. She could learn a lot just by listening to Sister Huo and Sister Ling talk.

It was the first time she had ever heard of a girl learning martial arts and roaming the world, living a free and unrestrained life!

They even learned for the first time that there were many alien races outside the Central Plains. For example, the Dragon Flame Island where Sister Lingxiao lived had a special geographical location, and the martial arts classics were all learned by women, while the men depended on the women for their livelihood.

Lin Wanyue also understood that the martial arts world was treacherous, with various conflicts of interest, and fights and killings were commonplace. In addition to being highly skilled in martial arts, one also needed the ability to recognize people and be quick-witted to survive in the martial arts world...

Therefore, when she heard Ling Xiao tell her that Huo Yun'er was actually a man who had to disguise himself as a woman to find the truth and clear his name of the murder charges, she was not too surprised. Instead, she thought he was a flexible and intelligent person who knew how to adapt and was not rigid.

Huo Changyun felt uneasy. Luo Junfei's attitude was still very upright, but he needed Shangguan's help.

What if he says one thing to your face and does another behind your back?

Can I show my true self to others?

Would Luo Junfei not want his new wife to be involved?

What would Lin Wanyue think if she knew that he was dressed as a man?

A series of questions weighed on his mind, and he followed behind the crowd, deep in thought.

"Please wait here, both of you. I will go in with Young Master Shangguan and Miss Ling to check on my father's condition. We'll be back soon." For safety's sake, Luo Junfei settled the two unimportant maids in the front hall and then invited the two of them into the back hall.

The fluffy little thing huddled helplessly on its host's shoulder, trembling. "I'm doomed! Host, I can't leave you even a meter away. If I can't hold back my protagonist aura, something terrible might happen!"

"Wait for me here." Jiang Chen could only give Huo Changyun a wink, while placing the soul weapon in the front hall in the hope that it would be able to deal with things for a moment if something really happened.

The room where Luo Pei was recuperating was quiet and filled with a strong medicinal smell. He could tell from the sniff that the medicine was being brewed, which made him wonder if the old patriarch of the Luo family had contracted malaria.

"Young Master Shangguan, please." Luo Junfei carefully tried not to disturb his father's rest.

He was both excited and nervous. His father's illness had come on quickly and severely; had it not been for his robust physique honed through years of martial arts training, he probably wouldn't have survived. If even the renowned physician Shangguan couldn't cure him, then perhaps…

Jiang Chen perfectly inherited the original owner's medical skills, so practicing medicine and treating illnesses is naturally his forte.

He took two steps forward and was taken aback when he saw Luo Pei's emaciated and almost bloodless face as he slept. "Huh? Uncle, this isn't an illness, it's poisoning!"