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

“A certain thought…” Old Wang clenched his fist and looked up at the red candle.

“Yes, it’s an obsession.” Hongzhu chuckled. “For example, my obsession is to take revenge, to climb to a high position, to climb the highest branch, and to become a phoenix on the branch.”

Old Wang carefully examined Hongzhu's clothes and expression. "You are...?"

"Women from brothels, they die young before they can even get their hair done." Hongzhu pretended not to care, but the way she was fiddling with her hair revealed that her thoughts were not as calm as they seemed.

"And you?" Hongzhu looked up at Old Wang. "What is your obsession?"

“Wang Yuan’er…right?” Old Wang relaxed his clenched fists and looked at the red candle. “I don’t remember much about what happened when I was alive, but I do remember this name. This name must be very important to me.”

"Wife or daughter... if I had to say, this is what I long for." Old Wang shook his head. "But the young master taught me that if I want to do what I want, I need power, strength, or money, power, or something like that..."

“He’s right.” Hongzhu chuckled softly as she looked at Old Wang’s bewildered expression.

"People need to have some sense of shame and face while they are alive."

“These things don’t exist in the Black Forest, among the demons.”

"Every ghost here is a naked human heart."

"A guy like you... I can only wish you good luck."

Chapter Sixteen, The News I Got In

As dusk deepened, Hongzhu took out red lanterns from the reception room in the small courtyard and hung them one by one in the courtyard, dispelling much of the thick darkness that was so intense that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

Although Old Wang wanted to help, he was clumsy and was thoroughly disliked by Hongzhu, who then made him sit at the stone table and wait.

Just as Hongzhu was busy hanging lanterns in the courtyard, the door to the east wing was pushed open by a hand. Old Wang, who was sitting at the stone table, stood up reflexively, and Hongzhu also stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the east wing behind her.

The hazy red light dispelled the darkness, but it also cast a chilling and terrifying atmosphere over the small courtyard.

Chu Xunfeng really couldn't appreciate the aesthetics of the Ghost Clan, but as an outsider, he didn't want to comment on these things. He could even tolerate the environment in the Black Forest that was filled with Yin energy and made him feel uneasy, so he could tolerate a little visual effect even more.

"Stop your fuss, I can see perfectly well in the dark." Chu Xunfeng walked to the stone table and sat down, calling the red candle that was flying in mid-air to hang lanterns from the eaves to the table. "Tell me, what have you accomplished today?"

"I was just about to tell you." Hongzhu hung the lantern she was holding under the eaves of the west wing, floated back to the stone table and sat down. "I have already found out that, on the surface, Gui Lao Jiu's forces have been shrinking a lot recently, which is probably related to the fact that he is not in the Black Forest. This is also the norm for the Ghost Clan."

“If the protective umbrella can’t cover us, then we have to retreat. This is the consensus of all forces in the Ghost Clan.” Hongzhu reported today’s gains to Chu Xunfeng, half stating the facts and half explaining. “As far as I know, the streets that Gui Lao Jiu protects have been closed for some time now, and it’s very difficult to get in touch with them.”

Chu Xunfeng pondered for a while and realized that he really knew very little about the Ghost Clan and couldn't think of a suitable solution. He tapped the table with his finger and said, "Tell me your solution."

“There are two paths. One is that something big happens in the Ghost Market that requires the Council to intervene. Then all twelve foreign representatives will appear, and we can naturally find a way to make contact.” Hongzhu paused slightly after saying this. “However, I don’t recommend using this method. If we cause a scene in the Ghost Market that attracts the attention of the foreign council, it will be difficult to handle.”

“Unless someone takes the blame.” Chu Xunfeng understood Hongzhu’s meaning and nodded slightly. “What’s the other way?”

"Young master, you have that Yin Sha Pearl in your hand. As long as you find a way to enter the inner city, some of Gui Lao Jiu's businesses will naturally be open to you. When you take the Yin Sha Pearl to their door, everything will be fine."

“Please don’t rush. Getting into the inner city is not a simple matter. Let me tell you the second thing.” Seeing that Chu Xunfeng seemed about to speak, Hongzhu hurriedly said, “The matter of Prince Zou that you want to inquire about has already spread throughout the Ghost Market these past few days.”

"It's spread?" Chu Xunfeng noticed the extremely strange expression on Hongzhu's face when she said this, and frowned slightly.

"I heard that Prince Zou has received the emperor's order to supervise the bronze beasts to capture you in the Black Forest." After saying this, Hongzhu carefully observed Chu Xunfeng's expression. Seeing that the young man's expression did not change at all after hearing this, she finally became convinced that the rumors she had heard outside about Leng Junzi were not entirely unfounded.

"Having Prince Zou take charge of arresting me, that's quite an interesting idea." Chu Xunfeng rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, and even couldn't help but laugh.

His own father had a past relationship with Prince Zou, so the Dark Star Pavilion, including Zuo Feichen, wouldn't lie to him about this.

Furthermore, given that the person from Dark Star Pavilion kept saying they would help him get rid of the identity of this wanted criminal, the information that Red Candle had found out was quite intriguing.

Was Prince Zou here to help him clear his name as a wanted criminal?

Or did they really bring the bronze beast to capture them?

Moreover, could there be someone like Lian Cai among the bronze beasts who seems determined to betray them?

Chu Xunfeng had a vague idea of ​​what had happened to his father back then, and what the sequence of events was. He wasn't sure, but he had a guess nonetheless. And Prince Zou was the most important link in confirming this guess.

"Is there a way to contact Prince Zou? Privately?" Chu Xunfeng, who had been pondering for a long time, turned to look at Hongzhu.

“This…” Hongzhu was stunned for a long time, but finally gritted her teeth and said, “Young master, not to mention the bronze beasts and guards accompanying you, the other party is a prince of the human kingdom. You can’t even get past the hurdle of our ghost clan.”

"Although I am bold, I am not stupid." Chu Xunfeng looked at the red candle and sighed slightly. "Wanting to make private contact with the Prince does not mean that I am going to be a thief or a roof-climber."

“I heard that Prince Zou often comes to the Ghost Market. He always has places he likes to go and things he likes to eat. Go and find out about these things.” Chu Xunfeng looked at Hongzhu’s enlightened expression and shook his head helplessly. “Since we already know that he’s here to capture me, if we can find out his attitude beforehand, and if I’m confident, being captured by the Bronze Fang Beast to see him wouldn’t be a bad option.”

"..." Hongzhu hesitated for a moment, "Young master, I think we should first find a way to enter the inner city and make contact with the foreigners' forces. Then, with the help of the foreigner Jiu's forces, we might be able to arrange for this Prince Zou to meet with you privately."

"You mentioned before that to enter the inner city, you need to make a large-scale transaction..." Chu Xunfeng pondered for a moment, "Besides that, are there any other ways?"

“If there really is business to be done, then I recommend that you follow the rules honestly, young master.” Hongzhu shook her head. “Other methods are basically channels for the ghost race, which are practically non-existent for humans like you.”

"Another possibility is committing a crime. If you cause a huge disturbance in the Ghost Market, you'll be guaranteed entry into the inner city, but your personal freedom will no longer be up to you."

“If there’s any other option, it would be infiltration.” Hongzhu paused slightly at this point. “But that’s actually more dangerous than committing a crime. If you don’t enter the inner city legitimately, Gui Lao Jiu’s forces might not even make contact with you.”

"I'm afraid of being implicated." Hongzhu looked at Chu Xunfeng's thoughtful expression and explained, "The foreigners are not a monolithic group. They only cooperate in general. If there is an opportunity to smear someone or even remove them from power, more than half of the foreigners may unite against that person."

“Such things have happened before.” Hongzhu looked at Chu Xunfeng. “Many things in the Ghost Clan are different from those in the Human Clan. Here, desires and malice are much more blatant.”

"If you have another choice, don't touch it."

"Understood." Chu Xunfeng nodded, raised his eyes to look at the red candle, and then at Old Wang, who was standing not far away, listening intently.

"That's all for tonight. As for what to do next, I'll arrange it for you tomorrow."

Chapter Seventeen: Entering the Ghost Market

The Ghost Clan is a place of blatant lewdness.

Even though he had only scratched the surface, Chu Xunfeng could clearly sense that in the social environment of the Ghost Clan, there was only the law of the jungle and deceit, with not even a hint of pretense.

Whether it's the red candle or that skinny ghost at the gatehouse.

Extortion under such pretexts is commonplace. If one doesn't understand the intricacies of the Ghost Clan, being ripped off will likely end inconclusively, and no one will care about this kind of thing that happens every day in the Ghost Clan.

This is what Hongzhu said herself.

Old Wang seemed somewhat concerned about the social structure of the Ghost Clan as described by Hongzhu, but Chu Xunfeng didn't care. After all, he had already purchased some information from the Seven Star Tower before coming to the Ghost Clan and was mentally prepared.

Not to mention that he actually prevented similar incidents from happening twice, giving him a clearer understanding of the description given by Hongzhu.

The next morning, Chu Xunfeng finished his night of cultivation and pushed open the door of the east wing at precisely the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), stepping into the courtyard.

The candlelight in the red lanterns had burned out, but the leaden-gray, dim sky still barely illuminated the Black Forest. Taking a deep breath, Chu Xunfeng understood that he needed to get used to the scenery in the Black Forest, which was so different from the outside world.

"Young Master." Hearing the commotion from Chu Xunfeng's side, Old Wang stood up and greeted the young man. "Miss Hongzhu just went out, saying she was going to the Ghost Market to buy you some food that humans can eat to fill your stomach."

“Alright, then we’ll wait for her for a while. I don’t need you to do anything today, but you’ll probably still have some things to do.” Chu Xunfeng said briefly before sitting down at the stone table.

In Lao Wang's eyes, Chu Xunfeng had barely moved since he sat down. He seemed to be in a daze, but his expression was very serious. His seemingly empty gaze was fixed on nothing, so he must be thinking.

But in reality, Chu Xunfeng was simply studying the visualization techniques of Dharma cultivators through the system's library, comparing them with the Dharma cultivator techniques recorded in the library, and contrasting them with the various problems he encountered when using those techniques.

In Chu Xunfeng's view, improving his strength did not necessarily have to be done step by step, but a steady and solid approach was essential for the path he was taking.

After all, he cultivates three things simultaneously, and what he is currently cultivating are all from a single lineage. The three things he is currently cultivating are not interconnected in terms of cultivation methods, supernatural powers, and techniques.

He has to figure out how to fully integrate the three elements on his own; no one, including the system, can help him.

After sitting for the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, the gate to the courtyard was knocked on, bringing Chu Xunfeng back to reality, while Old Wang went to open the door for Hongzhu.

"Young master, I've brought you two sesame seed cakes, some meat, and some tea. I wonder if they'll suit your taste?" Hongzhu walked into the courtyard carrying several brown paper packages and placed the items on the stone table.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness." Chu Xunfeng nodded to the red candle and gestured for the two ghosts to sit down.

"Today I plan to take a stroll through the Ghost Market, and while I'm at it, I'll also check out the situation there and gather some information." Chu Xunfeng didn't eat the food Hongzhu brought back for the moment, and his gaze swept over the two ghosts' faces. "Today, neither of you needs to come with me; you can just stay here."

“I understand.” Red Candle nodded.

If Chu Xunfeng doesn't step out the door, she'll really have to consider her escape route. After all, what Chu Xunfeng is doing is putting himself in the eye of the storm. If he doesn't personally experience the pulse of the storm and just relies on the information she gives him to plan ahead... this kind of person is not worth following. He's either stupid or foolish.

Even if someone is truly a genius, one in a million, they are not someone whose talents I can truly appreciate.

“However, it’s not like I’m leaving you completely idle. Old Wang has been undergoing enlightenment for over a day now, hasn’t he?” Chu Xunfeng turned to look at Old Wang. “By abruptly tying you to my side, I’ve deprived you of some opportunities to train.”

Old Wang didn't understand, but Hongzhu looked at Chu Xunfeng with newfound respect.

Newly born demons are sent to work in various shops in the demon market as part of the "debt repayment" process. While this serves to pay off debts to cover the expenses of their enlightenment, it also gives them a clear identity and allows them to quickly become familiar with the customs and structure of demon society under certain protection, enabling them to integrate into demon society rapidly.

"Red Candle, I'm giving you a task today: teach Old Wang the Ghost Clan's cultivation methods. Just the basics. If you're confident, try to guide him through the basics." After Chu Xunfeng finished speaking, seeing Red Candle nod, he reached out and put the two sesame cakes and the still-steaming meat on the table into his storage magic item. "I'll head out now."

"Take care, young master." Hongzhu stood up to see him off, and Old Wang followed suit, standing up to greet him as well.

The two ghosts watched Chu Xunfeng walk out of the courtyard, and the gate slowly closed.

“As expected.” Hongzhu was not surprised by Chu Xunfeng’s arrangement; rather, she had anticipated it. She turned her gaze to Old Wang, who seemed somewhat uneasy, and smiled. “Don’t be nervous. The cultivation of the Ghost Clan is very special. Sit down first, and I will explain the fundamentals to you.”

Old Wang nodded, sat obediently, and listened.

Outside the gate, not far from the courtyard, Chu Xunfeng stopped and looked at the two new items on the system's inventory panel.

[Wheat flour flatbread containing a small amount of pure Yin energy]

[Braised beef slices containing a small amount of pure Yin energy]

Chu Xunfeng didn't know what the [small amount of pure Yin Sha] described by the system had any effect, but he was cautious and hadn't eaten it rashly earlier. And now... he was even less likely to eat something that was clearly not as described.

He certainly guessed that this description might be related to the ubiquitous Yin energy in the Blackwood, but now that he was out alone, he had plenty of ways to verify whether these two breakfasts were an exception or the norm.

Following the path, the young man slowly walked, gradually approaching the bustling main road.

At the exit of the alley, one can already see ghosts, people, and even demons moving about in the ghost market.