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

"That's probably not the case," Yao Jiangshu tilted her head at Xu Bailing.

"What do you mean?" Xu Bailing didn't understand.

“Master… is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the current atmosphere and environment of Baidi City.” Yao Jiangshu shrugged. “If those missing wandering scholars are indeed returned obediently according to Junior Brother’s plan, Baidi City will probably have to seriously consider how to win Chu Xunfeng back to Baidi City.”

"The Grand Elder wants to make a move?" Xu Bailing's tone was filled with surprise.

"He's been thinking about it for a long time, but he just hasn't found the opportunity." Compared to the young lady's surprise, Yao Jiangshu sighed deeply.

Chapter 57, Deputy Commander

It has been three days since Chu Xunfeng quietly bid farewell to the three women and left Longquan Sword Manor.

For many outsiders, these three days were incredibly uneventful. The sword-tasting competition at Longquan Sword Manor proceeded as scheduled, and the bronze beast and the imperial envoy who had been causing trouble for Longquan Sword Manor did not reappear for the past three days.

However, for the past three days, the bronze beasts throughout Yongzhou have been running around under extremely exaggerated pressure, praying to catch even the slightest trace of the imperial criminal.

But... it's been three days, and that man surnamed Chu seems to have vanished from Yongzhou from the very beginning.

Hundreds of bronze beasts, who had undergone systematic training, searched the area around Blue Cang City in a carpet-like manner, but they could not find a trace of Chu Xunfeng at all.

For three days, Chu Xunfeng was not seen by anyone, nor did he have any contact with anyone, as if he had already become a corpse and had not interacted with anything. Naturally, the bronze beast could not find any trace of him.

However, none of the bronze beasts would believe that the higher-ups sent a deputy commander just to dig up a human corpse.

The dead are the least valuable thing to the bronze beast.

It's not worth wasting human and material resources like that.

Outside Blue Azure City, at the temporary stronghold of the Bronze Fang Beast.

Lian Cai and Pan Ge walked side by side and soon crossed a clearing that had been leveled by humans. They came to a large tree and knelt down.

In front of the big tree, a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged on a futon raised his eyelids and glanced at the two people in front of him. "How is the situation?"

"No one has found any trace of Chu Xunfeng." It wasn't Lian Cai who answered, but rather the dark-skinned Pan Ge.

Yan Guoren raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the people under the tree, but before his superior could speak, Pan Ge lowered his gaze again.

The man wore a bronze mask that covered the left half of his face, while the exposed right half was covered in burn scars, a mass of flesh and blood that seemed to writhe with each of his steady breaths, a horrifying sight.

Generally, half-moon masks are worn to conceal facial imperfections, but the deputy commander before him was covering the perfectly intact left side of his face, even though the bronze beast mask was meant to conceal his identity...

But the way this deputy commander concealed his face was truly unique.

“I was hoping to give him a push, but I didn’t expect him to have some power…” After a long silence, the deputy commander spoke in a dry, hoarse voice, like rough tree bark rubbing against each other, “Withdraw all the manpower that have been sent out. Leave one-third of them to continue working in Blue Cang City for another half a month.”

"My lord..." Lian Cai, kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, began, "In the report to His Majesty, should I take the initiative to shoulder the responsibility?"

The man wearing the half-mask pondered for a few seconds, his exhalation sounding like a broken bellows struggling. "No need. Since I'm here, I'll naturally report to His Majesty. As for you... you can polish your report, and I'll cooperate with you to cover this up."

"Easy talk..." Lian Cai's mood sank upon hearing the words of his new superior. "His Majesty..."

"Still haven't figured it out, Lian Si?" The deputy commander, sitting cross-legged under the tree, glanced at Lian Cai. "The one sitting in the imperial court isn't some far-sighted, all-knowing emperor, but a capricious, stupid pig. Others can use him, and so can we..."

"Saying everything is for the sake of Xu is just a slogan, empty and shameful. If everything we do is truly for the sake of Xu, have you ever seen Xu become so powerful that it overwhelms Yan and swallows it up?"

"Leaving aside national and personal grievances, can you see the people under the rule of Xu living a prosperous life, free from disasters and illnesses?"

A barrage of questions left Lian Cai silent for a long time before he could only manage to utter two dry words, "No."

"Yes, that's the problem. This slogan has never been fulfilled, but why are there still people so convinced that everything we do is for the good of the country?" The dry, hoarse voice was calm, but the words spoken in that deep tone were like the ferocious roar of a demon.

"Because the person who told us this was satisfied, and this person who was satisfied with the results of what we did was once considered to represent the country of Xu."

"If a stupid pig in the imperial court, who is being played around by countless court jesters, is happy, we will really believe that the country of Xu has become better."

"Everything is for the sake of the Xu Kingdom, so the existence of the Xu Kingdom is merely to please the emperor?"

Would it benefit our Xu Kingdom to antagonize Baidi City?

No.

"Is it a good thing for the Xu Kingdom to be at odds with cultivators?"

No.

"I would gladly accept any benefit from toying with the demon delegation and forcing them to bow down to Xu Ziqing as a sign of respect."

"But there's nothing there. All of this was just to show off his so-called imperial majesty. This is the kind of person the emperor of Xu Kingdom is..."

"Furthermore, this Chu Xunfeng is such a talented man. If we could recruit him, he could forge a friendship between the Xu Kingdom and the Demon Clan. With the two conspiring together, why would the Xu Kingdom fear war from the Yan Kingdom..." The man took a deep breath. "Just because Duke Chu had once befriended Prince Zou, he was instigated by treacherous officials and falsely accused of deceiving the emperor, resulting in the unjust execution of Duke Chu's entire clan..."

"His display of power will only drag the Xu Kingdom into an abyss of no return!" The man's emotions grew more and more agitated as he spoke. After he finished speaking, he coughed and, after a long while, he sighed heavily, "This kind of swine is better left unrespected."

Lian Cai kept his eyes down, not daring to look up at the man who resembled a vengeful ghost.

Pan Ge raised his head and whispered a warning, "Lord Xie, be careful what you say."

The man, panting, raised his hand and waved it at Pan Ge. “Now that Xu Ziqing has taken the initiative to provoke conflict, we still have a lot to do. Pan Ge, after you return to the capital to report for duty, I will give you five days to rest and take care of your family matters. Then go to the Black Forest to see the Lord. He has a task for you.”

“Yes,” Pan Ge replied.

"As for Lian Si, your task is simple: continue to follow Gou Youcai. He is not a simple man. Figure out his attitude and views on the court, and if necessary, win him over to our side."

Lian Cai nodded, "Your subordinate understands."

“You’re a smart and sensible person. Don’t reveal your identity to Gou Youcai when the time isn’t right. He’s also a smart person, but he tends to overthink things.” The man’s words had a double meaning.

“I understand.” The young man nodded.

"Very good." The deputy commander surnamed Xie nodded slightly, staring at Lian Cai. "The Bronze Beast's motto is 'Everything for the Xu Kingdom...'"

“We don’t shout slogans, because we all understand that everything we do is truly for the entire Xu Kingdom, not only for the country, but also for its people and the foundation of the country.”

"Yes!" the two kneeling figures replied in unison.

Chapter 58, The Newborn Ghost Clan

On a summer moonlit night, only a few wisps of clouds drifted across the clear night sky, their color tinged with leaden light by the cool moonlight.

A writhing black shadow roamed in the darkness where the moonlight could not reach, heading north. Its dark, blood-red eyes occasionally flashed with light as it moved.

The shadowy figure raised his eyes, his blood-red eyes gazing northward. A small village had already come into view. Seeing that he was about to reach his destination, the shadowy figure slowly slowed down and quietly passed by the silent village. Then, outside the sparse woods, the shadowy figure found a dark spot where the moonlight could not reach and stopped.

In just a few breaths, a chilling sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking echoed from the thick darkness. Accompanied by a retching sound, a young man in a dark robe emerged from the gaping mouth of the shadowy figure, looking somewhat disheveled.

Chu Xunfeng stood firmly on the ground and couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. He no longer cared about the chilling aura emanating from the ghost clan beside him. The faint fishy smell of mud and resinous grass sap carried by the night wind filled his nostrils, giving Chu Xunfeng the feeling that he had finally come back to life.

The young man turned his gaze. Even in the darkness, he could still see relatively clearly and saw Gui Jiu healing his dislocated and torn jaw. He then said, "Thank you, Brother Gui Jiu."

"I was just following your orders, sir." A dry, wooden voice responded to Chu Xunfeng's thanks. Gui Jiu raised his blood-red eyes and turned his gaze to the depths of the forest. "This is the outer edge of the Black Forest, called the Ghost Forest. Many ghosts whose minds are not yet stable reside in the Ghost Forest. These mentally unstable ghosts are also protected. You have the Yin Sha Pearl given to you by your master, so they will not attack you. Do not fight with the ghosts here."

"What will happen if we take action?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow.

“You will cause trouble for the adults. I have already told you what to do. If you do not obey, the adults will not protect you.” Gui Jiu was indeed slow-witted, but he was not stupid.

Chu Xunfeng nodded slightly. He didn't actually have any extra thoughts; he was just asking casually. When you come to someone else's place, you have to abide by their rules, and he knew that perfectly well.

Seeing that Chu Xunfeng did not ask any further questions, Gui Jiu continued, "Seven miles to the north, you will pass through the Ghost Forest and truly enter the Black Forest. The Black Forest is not complete. You should know that there is a forbidden zone that runs through the southeast of the Black Forest, dividing the forest into the Black Forest to the north and the Misty Forest Sea to the south."

"Yes." Chu Xunfeng nodded. He had seen the map of the three regions of the Nine Provinces before when he was a member of the demon race.

"Dense fog occasionally appears in the Black Forest. If you encounter a situation where the Yin Sha Black Fog is thinning in the Black Forest, remember to retreat. Never go deep into it. If you take a wrong step and enter a deadly place, you will surely die with your cultivation level."

"The Black Forest actually connects to the Forbidden Zone?" Chu Xunfeng squinted.

“Unlike the Misty Forest and the Sea of ​​Trees, the Black Forest and the Desolate Land are connected. However, once you enter the Black Forest, you will not be able to discern directions, and maps will be meaningless. It is better to rely on your own senses.” Gui Jiu confirmed that both matters had been explained, and then looked at Chu Xunfeng, “Is there anything else you don’t understand? If so, please speak up. If not, I will return to Blue Cang City to report to the Lord.”

"That's all." Chu Xunfeng nodded to Gui Jiu. "Thank you again."

The young man clasped his hands in a salute, watching as Gui Jiu, who nodded in response, gradually melted away, eventually transforming into a ball of black energy that disappeared into the darkness and vanished from his sight. As Gui Jiu departed, the chilling aura that had always enveloped him also dissipated considerably.

However, it did not completely disappear.

Chu Xunfeng stood outside the Ghost Forest, intending to rest for a while. He had been inside Gui Jiu's stomach for an unknown amount of time, and even though he didn't need to exert any effort and only needed to wait quietly, the feeling of being inside Gui Jiu's body was not pleasant.

Everyone, including Chu Xunfeng before meeting Gui Jiu, thought that Gui Jiu's identity was just a facade for Gui Lao Jiu. In reality... the Ghost Clan had always been a four-headed ghost.

Gui Jiu is a cover for the foreigner's identity. Similarly, the foreigner's appearance will cover up Gui Jiu's identity. If it weren't for the foreigner's trick, Chu Xunfeng really wouldn't have been able to leave Lancang City so easily.

Of course, Chu Xunfeng wouldn't express much gratitude for this, since it was all a transaction. The foreigner helped him escape, and he helped him find his descendants, or rather, his wife... so they were even.

Although it was just speculation, Chu Xunfeng felt that the bronze beast deputy commander who had betrayed his country and was killed, as mentioned by the foreigner, was the foreigner himself.

But it's too early to think about these things now.

Leaning against a large tree, Chu Xunfeng slowly closed his eyes at the edge of the Ghost Forest. His body and mind were both exhausted, especially his mind. He urgently needed to relax and get some rest.

Sleeping was out of the question. After all, Chu Xunfeng had no idea whether there was any danger in the Ghost Forest, nor did he know how effective the Yin Sha Pearl entrusted to him by the ghost was.

In short, after taking out the Yin Sha Pearl and clasping his hands together to protect it, Chu Xunfeng closed his eyes and began to meditate and practice his visualization technique.

For Chu Xunfeng, cultivating and circulating his energy through his body, emptying his mind, was already a very relaxing way to rest.

Moreover, after activating the Wind Sensing Technique, he will have a more acute sense of the area within a radius of 100 meters around him, and he will be able to sense if anything gets close.

However, Chu Xunfeng made a somewhat amusing mistake.

There are indeed very few things in this world that can move without disturbing the airflow, but few does not mean none.

And coincidentally, that area of ​​the Ghost Forest is almost entirely populated by these kinds of things.

Chu Xunfeng had never encountered any newly born ghosts. The ghosts he had met were all like Hua Kui and Gui Jiu, whose Yin Sha followed them wherever they went. Chu Xunfeng assumed that even newly born ghosts would be like that.