“Early Qi Sensing Realm?”
Prompted by Gu Qingwan, Chu Yunlan, who was far away in the Chu Clan estate, finally realized the situation.
‘That’s right!’
‘That brat is only at the Early Qi Sensing Realm!’
‘Where did he get that weird array disk he set up last night?’
‘This kid… is probably not as simple as he looks!’
‘Could the City Lord have suddenly invited him because the Crown Prince also suspects him?’
Regarding this question, Chu Yuan, who was present on the scene, also came to a realization.
‘Right! On the surface, my cultivation is only at the Early Qi Sensing Realm. People like that are everywhere on the streets.’
‘The City Lord entrusted me with this, and the Crown Prince happens to be busy today… Could they be trying to test my strength?’
‘Perfect! This is exactly the opportunity I need!’
Conversely, Fang Henian was inwardly scratching his head.
‘That’s true. Although Her Highness needs a “hero saving the beauty” opportunity—’
‘Is the content of my request perhaps a bit too harsh?’
Thinking this, he did not forget to start backpedaling.
“Fairy Gu, please do not misunderstand. This old man only meant for Young Master Chu Yuan to scout the situation. As for whether he can kill the targets, he must naturally act within his capabilities.”
Gu Qingwan still insisted, “Even so…”
Looking at her slightly trembling shoulders, Chu Yuan felt a warmth in his heart.
‘This silly girl is still protecting me like this.’
Without waiting for Gu Qingwan to say more, Chu Yuan comforted her, “It is fine! Wan’er, I know what I am doing. I apologize, City Lord, but I am afraid I cannot take on this task.”
Seeing that Chu Yuan actually listened to her, Gu Qingwan turned around, her eyes shimmering with tears. “Yuan…”
Fang Henian sighed. “This… fine! Then I shall take my leave!”
After speaking, he was about to turn around when he heard a [Sound Transmission] in his sea of consciousness.
[City Lord, how is the reward for this “scouting” mission? Although I might not be able to fight, I am quite confident in my movement techniques.]
Fang Henian’s walking motion froze for a moment. He turned back and looked at Chu Yuan, who was standing by the door, with pleasant surprise.
[Oh? If Young Master Chu is interested, the reward is negotiable!]
[It just so happens that the official roads near Qingmang Mountain lack supervision, and many cultivators have been robbed there.]
[If you are interested, you can go and take a look. If you can follow the clues and find that Demon Path Alliance stronghold, the reward can be doubled.]
Chu Yuan cupped his hands, seemingly seeing him off, but in reality, he transmitted:
[Fine! I will head out of the city today to take a look!]
Fang Henian nodded.
[Excellent! Then this old man will wait for Young Master Chu’s good news!]
Having finished, he hurried away, leaving only Gu Qingwan, who still showed no sign of departing.
Chu Yuan asked in confusion, “Wan’er, is there something else?”
Gu Qingwan’s full, cherry-red lips parted, but she found herself unable to speak.
As her gaze swept the room, she caught sight of the patch of dried blood, and her memories were jogged.
Chu Yunlan urged her:
[Fairy Gu, this is a great opportunity!]
[Do not wallow in self-pity. Hurry and invite Brother Yuan.]
[Do you want Brother Yuan’s heart to belong to the Crown Prince just like that?]
Gu Qingwan’s heart skipped a beat as she immediately recalled the “ambiguous” exchange of glances between her Yuan and the Crown Prince yesterday when the Great Elder of Chu broke the array.
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the surge of bitterness in her heart.
[Rest assured! I know what to do!]
Gu Qingwan looked resolutely at the handsome youth before her.
“Yuan, tomorrow is the first Small Auction. Didn’t I ask you to attend with me before? I happen to be free, so can we go together?”
Chu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly.
‘If the plan goes smoothly, I can shake off that Crown Prince tonight and regain my freedom.’
There were still a few days before the Divine Grade Auction, and he didn’t mind passing the time.
“I can do that!”
Gu Qingwan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course!”
As he spoke, he began to walk away. “I have things to attend to. I will see you tomorrow!”
“Wait—”
Before Gu Qingwan could say another word, Chu Yuan vanished at the end of the corridor in a flash.
Gu Qingwan watched his retreating back as he turned the corner. She wanted to chase after him, but her feet felt as though they had taken root. She couldn’t help but let out a fragrant sigh.
Chu Yunlan, observing everything through the token, laughed.
[See? Fairy Gu, though Brother Yuan didn’t mention last night’s events, he agreed to your invitation. It’s clear he really didn’t see you having an episode last night.]
Gu Qingwan lowered her head and smiled faintly.
[Yes… So, Young Master Yunlan, what do we do next?]
Chu Yunlan arched an eyebrow.
[Do you even need to ask? Since he didn’t see your episode, you should just follow the original plan and pretend to have an episode again.]
Sensing Chu Yuan’s departing figure, Chu Yunlan thought to himself:
‘This trash is running way too fast, isn’t he?’
‘Where is he going?’
‘He wouldn’t actually take the City Lord’s request, would he?’
‘With his cultivation at the Early Qi Sensing Realm, he’s probably in over his head.’
***
Meanwhile, as Fang Henian walked through the Gu Manor, he immediately sent a [Sound Transmission] to his Crown Prince.
[Your Highness, Young Master Chu Yuan has agreed!]
[If things go smoothly, he should be staking out the area near Qingmang Mountain shortly.]
[If the young master encounters trouble then, you can pretend to be inspecting the area and just “happen” to run into him.]
Seeing that the City Lord had made the arrangements, Ji Xuanyuan felt a stir in her heart.
[Good! Prepare the guard of honor!]
[Yes!]
With that, Fang Henian hurried to make the preparations.
Chu Yuan, meanwhile, had already activated the [Phantom Ethereal Dharma Robe]. Blending into the air, he headed toward the city gates.
***
The first light of dawn broke through as a thin mist hung like a veil.
On the lonely official road, a group of four people could be seen riding horses.
Looking closely, it was one man and three women.
One of the girls looked up at the dimly visible city walls in the distance and couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
“Big Brother! Look, is that the city gate?”
“Yes!”
The leading young man, who had a rugged and determined face, nodded.
“Yes! Fourth Sister, Xuanji City is in sight. As soon as we enter the city and hand over the purchased supplies, we can collect a reward. Plus, the Divine Grade Auction is coming up, so there will be plenty of celebrations in the city!”
Hearing this, Fourth Sister’s round eyes filled with excitement. “Really? Will there be candied hawthorns?”
The Second Sister beside her frowned. “All you think about is eating! Don’t forget! We need to save some money to buy some talismans and medicinal pills for the [God Hunt] activity at the Divine Grade Auction. Our travel funds are tight.”
The young man laughed. “Hahaha! It’s fine. Once we enter the city, I’ll buy you a candied hawthorn first, Fourth Sister.”
“Yay!!!”
The four siblings quickened their pace.
Withered grass grew tall on both sides of the official road, casting several lonely shadows.
Second Sister suddenly sent a [Sound Transmission] to her siblings:
[Big Brother, why do I feel like someone is watching us?]
The young man’s expression darkened slightly. He scanned the surroundings without stopping.
The official road was empty. Except for them, there was no one else.
But after years of cultivation, he also sensed that something was wrong.
[Say no more! Let’s pick up the pace. Once we enter the city, we’ll be safe!]
Rustle, rustle, rustle!!!
However, as soon as he finished speaking, more than ten dark shadows suddenly leaped out from the withered grass on both sides of the road.
The surging demonic qi caused the four siblings’ horses to panic.
The young man realized things were bad. He quickly jumped off his horse, followed closely by his three younger sisters.
Drawing his sword to protect his sisters, the young man looked at the leader.
That evil cultivator had an eagle-like nose and deep-set eyes, and his body was shrouded in a bloody aura.
“Heh… these are indeed high-quality goods.”
The young man questioned them, “Are you… highwaymen?”
“Hmph! You’re asking the obvious!”
The eagle-nosed cultivator’s triangular eyes scanned the young man back and forth. He gave a strange laugh. “Little brother, you have good luck. Your root bone is quite impressive. Our alliance is currently lacking male cultivators with excellent root bones like yours.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the other evil cultivators let out a series of suggestive laughs.
The young man’s face turned ashen.
Within the Immortal Dynasty, women ruled the world, and the status of men was low.
Demonic monsters often kidnapped male cultivators to sell them to female demons who practiced the [Life-Leeching Art]… or to even more unspeakable places.
Clearly, he had become the primary target of these evil cultivators.
As the two sides faced off, Chu Yuan had already sneaked into the vicinity.