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

"Alright, Sister Hong, I'll be going now." Changqiu took the Yin Sha Pearl, weighed it in his hand with satisfaction, and handed over the jade pendant he had used to open the door earlier with a smile.

Hongzhu shook her head and watched Changqiu push open the door and leave.

Hongzhu walked to the stone bench in the courtyard and sat down. She raised her hand to support her chin and began to think about how to complete the task Chu Xunfeng had assigned her. She had worked in the position of guide for many years and had accumulated some connections and managed many relationships.

She could help Chu Xunfeng connect with the foreigners' influence, but some favors are only valid once. The only thing she needed to consider was whether or not to use those favors.

“Miss Hongzhu, the young master just instructed that if you encounter any situations you can’t handle while you’re out on business, you can come back to him, but it’s best not to do it too often,” Old Wang’s dry, hoarse voice sounded from the side.

Hongzhu turned to look at Old Wang and smiled. "Alright, I understand. I'll head out now. This is the key to the house. Remember to give it to the young master. He should know how to use it. I just had the broker arrange for a few day laborers to tidy up the yard. Keep an eye on them."

"Hmm." Old Wang nodded. Seeing that Hongzhu had already gotten up and seemed to be preparing to leave, Old Wang called out to her, "Miss Hongzhu, there's something else I'd like to ask you."

Hongzhu stopped in her tracks, turned to look at Old Wang, and asked, "What do you say?"

"The kind of ghosts we encountered in the government office... how many are there in this ghost market?" Old Wang frowned. "Although the young master let me see and learn... does he mean to learn from that person?"

“You think he did something wrong, or at least you think that person did something wrong.” Hongzhu looked at Lao Wang thoughtfully.

"Hmm." Old Wang nodded, opened his mouth, but finally uttered the doubt he dared not tell Chu Xunfeng, "Young Master doesn't seem to mind the existence of that kind of person... he doesn't even seem willing to pursue it..."

"Because you understand people's hearts, young master." Hongzhu smiled, roughly understanding why Chu Xunfeng seemed to have some expectations of Old Wang.

"Understand people's hearts?" Old Wang asked, puzzled.

“We ghosts are the worst things in people’s hearts…” Hongzhu pointed at Old Wang and then at her own heart. “Birth, old age, sickness, death, disgust, greed, hatred, resentment, not getting what you want, the pain of separation. The ghost race exists because of the obsessions people have when they are alive.”

"What the young master said makes a lot of sense to me."

"Among the ghosts, every single one of them is a madman who can't control himself."

Chapter Twelve, The Obstruction

June has passed, and the height of summer has arrived.

The mountain where the Sword Pavilion of Baidi City stands is teeming with life and vitality. As you slowly walk up the steps leading to the Sword Pavilion, you can hear birds singing, insects chirping, and even tiny, exotic animals roaming through the forest.

Xu Bailing was enjoying a rare moment of leisure today. She strolled slowly along the bluestone slabs, listening to the chirping of insects and birds, and feeling the mountain path she hadn't walked on foot for years, heading towards Jiange.

Xu Bailing knew that the Elders' Council was holding a meeting today.

She couldn't control her parents' opinions, but she knew that in Yongzhou, disciples and wandering scholars who had previously been registered as missing had been contacting Xin Pavilion one after another. If Chu Xunfeng was still a minor figure in the matter of the Dragon Clan, then in the matter of Longquan Sword Manor, Chu Xunfeng had perfectly demonstrated his value.

Xu Bailing felt that the Elders' Council could make a wise decision on how to choose, and besides, there was the Grand Elder, so there was no use in worrying about it herself.

Besides... suppressing my impatience as I climbed the mountain was also a form of spiritual practice.

Excessive rigidity leads to breakage; this is a universal truth, applicable to both swords and intentions.

Xu Bailing has found her own purpose, taking it as her sharpness. At the end of the year, she danced with her sword in the snow and wind in the courtyard, stepping into the realm of the Profound Realm in one fell swoop.

In the next stage of the Profound Realm, there are only two paths to take: one is to unleash one's sharpness to the fullest extent, which is to slay all tangible things under heaven.

Ning Qiuning felt that this path might not be a viable one, so she chose another direction, which led to Tibet.

Those with sharp edges can be nurtured; if they do not emerge, they will show no sign of sharpness. Once they emerge, they must be unstoppable.

Re-cultivating her personality, concealing her sharpness, and smoothing out those ultimately unimportant edges was her first step toward the Earthly Profound Realm.

However, Xu Bailing, who had stopped on the mountain path, was now somewhat annoyed. With her sharp edge concealed, to those who didn't know her well, she seemed to have reverted to the indifferent young lady of the sect she once was.

This change has given some people a misconception.

"Young Miss, what a coincidence!" For example, someone blocking the way not far ahead.

"Ding Yusong." Xu Bailing looked calmly at the effeminate man who was turning around in front of her, nodded slightly, and continued walking, about to take the path beside Ding Yusong to go up the mountain.

Ding Yusong, who seemed to be teasing the small animals in the mountains, was brushed past by Xu Bailing as if she didn't exist. The half-eaten pastry in his hand was crushed into crumbs by him. Attracted by the aroma, the small animal, which was like a squirrel, stood on a branch and was startled. It turned around and darted into the deep forest in a flash.

Xu Bailing, who was on her way, paused slightly. A mocking smile flashed across her face before she returned to her usual calm.

For Xu Bailing, who can sense other people's emotions, although she doesn't have the same ability to understand others' thoughts as someone with telepathy, she can always understand a lot from the emotions they unconsciously perceive.

Ding Yusong's emotions, Ding Yusong's desires...

In Xu Bailing's eyes, there was no way for him to hide. No matter how well he concealed it on the surface, his lack of self-control meant that the emotions surging inside him were like fireflies in the dark, impossible to hide.

"Bai Ling, wait for me." Although annoyed by being turned away, Ding Yusong smiled and followed Xu Bailing. "You today..."

Before Ding Yusong could finish speaking, Xu Bailing suddenly turned around, and with a flick of her wrist, she had her sword in her hand, the tip pointing downwards. "What did you just call me?"

Her indifferent words and almost explicit actions infuriated Ding Yusong, yet his face remained impassive, a smile playing on his lips, as if he couldn't see Xu Bailing's attitude. "Bailing, we grew up together, childhood sweethearts..."

“You are the Second Elder’s son, and I am the Sect Leader’s daughter. We just grew up together as fellow disciples in White Emperor City. You’d better change your frivolous way of addressing me. I’m not even a friend to you.” Xu Bailing glanced at the self-righteous Ding Yusong, flipped her wrist, sheathed her sword, and turned to leave. “I’ve used such an intimate term of address on others before, but they all refused because they weren’t close to me… What are you? At most, you’re just a familiar stranger.”

The Sword Fairy drifted away, leaving Ding Yusong standing there, his teeth practically clenched, staring intently in the direction Xu Bailing had gone.

Chu Xunfeng... It's Chu Xunfeng again!

Even though Xu Bailing didn't explicitly state who she was referring to in her last sentence, Ding Yusong felt that it was Chu Xunfeng, the outcast traded away by Baidi City, the rising star that the entire city was now discussing...

After a long period of impotent rage, Ding Yusong let out a long sigh, tried his best to control his emotions, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

You went to Jiange just to find out whether Baidi City wanted to welcome Chu Xunfeng back, right?

I'm telling you, that's wishful thinking!

He won't be coming back!

Thinking of this, Ding Yusong grinned, revealing a maniacal smile. But he still had some sense, and no matter how crazy he was inside, he didn't utter a sound.

As for Xu Bailing... she didn't care at all about Ding Yusong's situation. After all, there were some things that Ding Yusong, like herself, couldn't control.

The Elders' Hall was not a place where Ding Yusong's father had absolute power.

—At the summit of Sword Pavilion, in the council of elders—

"I think we need to carefully consider the matter of welcoming Chu Xunfeng back." Ding Yusong's father, Ding Nian, the Second Elder of Baidi City, stroked his beard. His gaze swept over the expressions of the elders, including the sect leader, after hearing his words. His heart sank slightly, and he added the second half of his prepared statement, "It's not that we're unwilling, but Chu Xunfeng is currently a wanted criminal by the imperial court. If we publicly announce our intention to welcome him back..."

"The message conveyed by this matter is probably beyond our control," Ding Nian sighed softly.

The elders were all pondering this, because no matter what Ding Nian was thinking, at least what he said was without any errors or bias.

"Second Brother, are you referring to our relationship with the imperial court?" Jiang Shu looked at Ding Nian, seemingly sensing something.

Before her trip to Longquan Sword Manor, Jiang Shu never imagined that her husband, the leader of Baidi City, was actually qualified to raise the banner of rebellion and go against the imperial court.

How did Dante come to this conclusion?

“Naturally, it’s the relationship between our White Emperor City and the imperial court, or rather, the relationship with the emperor.” Ding Nian didn’t find anything amiss and simply nodded. “Besides, from another perspective, Chu Xunfeng is my elder brother’s disciple. We were in the wrong in the previous deal with the Dragon Clan. If we want to welcome Chu Xunfeng back, it’s only to restore his status and compensate him with resources…”

"With so many disciples in Baidi City, how can we convince them? What title should we give him to persuade him to return, or even collude with us?" Ding Nian sighed deeply as he finished speaking.

After a few breaths of silence, Jiang Shu suddenly spoke up, "Then let's betroth Little Bell to him."

When Jiang Shu uttered these words, everyone in the Elders' Hall, except for Jiang Shu herself, was almost completely stunned.

"Madam..." Sect Leader Bai Di turned to stare at his wife, his heart filled with shock.

Ding Nian came to arrange a marriage for his son just half a month ago, using the excuse that it was up to the children themselves... Aren't you betraying me and slapping Ding Nian in the face?

Jiang Shu simply tugged at her husband's sleeve to shut him up, then looked around the room and asked, "What do you all think?"

Chapter Thirteen, Multiple Actions [Happy New Year]

"Then let's betroth Little Bell to him."

Jiang Shu glanced around the room, ignoring the shocked expressions of the others, and even suppressed her husband's attempt to speak. "What do you all think?"

Ding Nian's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't make a sound, didn't speak, and didn't react in any other way.

After all, he was Dingnian, and his manners and intelligence were far superior to those of his good-for-nothing son. Naturally, he knew what he should do at this moment, which was not to react.

After all, he hadn't taken the matchmaking seriously; it was just a casual discussion with the sect leader. He hadn't taken the rejection to heart. Since his tentative matchmaking attempt had failed, and it was unintentional, he naturally shouldn't make any intentional moves.

“If you ask me about my attitude, Sister Jiang, as an elder, I naturally hope to see our family members become even closer.” Xu Jiujing was the first to speak up, after all, marriage is all about the parents’ decision and the matchmaker’s words.

Now that Chu Xunfeng has been designated a wanted criminal, even ordinary people far removed from the cultivation world can easily recount Chu Xunfeng's tragic past. As Chu Xunfeng's master, Xu Jiujing naturally has no problem considering himself an elder.

"But, is Xiaolingdang willing?" Xu Jiujing steered the conversation back to Xu Bailing, making his attitude clear: he was happy to see it happen, but he wouldn't actively push things along. Of course, if they were mutually attracted, he wouldn't mind giving them a push.

"The key is whether Chu Xunfeng is willing. Besides, he is already divorced, so it makes more sense for him to marry into the family." The Fifth Elder frowned slightly, considering matters of reputation and status.

"Fifth Brother, do you know how the cultivation world is evaluating the Supreme Sword Sect and Chu Xunfeng's ex-wife?" The Sixth Elder chuckled upon hearing the Fifth Elder's words. "Almost everyone is openly or secretly mocking the Supreme Sword Sect and Ning Qiuning as fools. Such a promising young talent, with an engagement already a fact, actually let him go."

"In the matter of Longquan Sword Manor, Chu Xunfeng did us a great favor and even helped us avoid disaster. If word gets out that Baidi City wants to recruit Chu Xunfeng as a son-in-law, and he refuses..." The Sixth Elder said, tapping his pipe on the edge of the wooden table, "Our Baidi City will be the next laughing stock."

“Not only that…” Jiang Shu continued the Sixth Elder’s words, “Chu Xunfeng is now a hot commodity. He inherited the Dragon Clan’s legacy. If we are a step behind, Chu Xunfeng will become a member of the Dragon Clan.”

After hearing what the two said, the Fifth Elder realized that he had been making assumptions.

Having cultivated for only two years, Chu Xunfeng had already reached the Human Profound Realm. With the support of the demon race and the Longquan Sword Manor, he was no longer the ordinary cultivator who had just entered Baidi City last year.

"The key issue now is still the identity of the wanted criminal," Ding Nian said again, bringing the topic back to the issue of identity. "Even if we really consider arranging a marriage between Chu Xunfeng and Xiao Lingdang, the issue of identity is an insurmountable hurdle."

"If we bring Chu Xunfeng back, the entire White Emperor City will have to oppose the Xu Kingdom's court. At that time, the Bronze Beast will have a legitimate reason to come knocking on our door demanding his return. Should we hand him over or not?"

Ding Nian raised his eyelids and looked around at the people, finally fixing his gaze on the sect leader, Bai Di.

“Compared to the Dragon Clan, we are indeed at a disadvantage. Last time, we handed Chu Xunfeng over to the Dragon Clan for the sake of Little Bell. This time…” The White Emperor hesitated for a moment, but still made up his mind. “Since he is in trouble, we must help him. Whether he is willing to accept it or not, this matter must be done, otherwise we will be ashamed of our ancestor, the White Emperor.”

No one could object to the White Emperor Sect Leader's words. After all, the White Emperor had repaid evil with kindness, thus gaining the capital of the Imperial State and establishing the White Emperor City. He also conveyed the philosophy of teaching without discrimination and that those who are accomplished should be teachers. If they were to stand idly by and watch Chu Xunfeng now, they would indeed be letting down their ancestors.

Similarly, the sect leader also had his own selfish motives. He didn't think his wife was the kind of person who would exchange their daughter's feelings for Chu Xunfeng. Since his wife brought this up in public, she must have had some considerations.