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

“I noticed that too.” Chu Xunfeng glanced at Hongzhu. “Did you notice his actions last night when he received the Yin Sha Pearl?”

Red Candle didn't notice, so it obediently shook its head.

"He weighed the bag of Yin Sha Pearls in his hand, then put it away." Chu Xunfeng recounted a trivial detail that seemed to have no real significance.

"Please enlighten me, young master?" Hongzhu hadn't observed Old Wang closely last night; in fact, she felt a little afraid to stare at him too much. She was somewhat intimidated by the seemingly honest and unassuming man.

“You said he seemed extraordinary in life, and I’ve noticed that too. First of all, after he became a ghost, he didn’t have that fierce feeling. You should know that very well.” Chu Xunfeng looked at the red candle.

The female ghost in red nodded slightly.

“He is special because he has almost no calamity energy in his body.” Chu Xunfeng smiled, but did not explain further what calamity energy was. “From this point of view, he is more special than more than 90% of the ghosts in this Black Forest. As for whether it is due to the influence of his previous life, it is hard to say, but there must be something special about him.”

“I suggest you be careful, young master…” Hongzhu hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and spoke her mind, “Old Wang’s change makes me a little… scared…”

"I know what I'm doing." Chu Xunfeng nodded. "Don't put pressure on yourself. Just do what you're supposed to do."

“Yes.” Hongzhu nodded. “Then I’ll go prepare breakfast.”

"Okay." Chu Xunfeng nodded. "By the way, prepare more, we might have guests later."

"Guests?" Hongzhu paused in her departing steps.

“I’ve already laid the bait and prepared the bait last night. The Foreign Council should have enough influential people coming over. We need to have a proper talk this time.” Chu Xunfeng nodded to Hongzhu.

"I understand." Red Candle slowly walked away.

Baiting and chumming? Last night?

As the red candle floated down the stairs, it pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered the sixty high-grade Yin Sha Pearls that Ya Zai had received from Chu Xunfeng last night...

So, that was the bait that the young master casually threw out?

The female ghost took a deep breath. Was the young master's decision the result of a pre-arranged plan, or was it just a sudden inspiration?

The female ghost shivered and stopped thinking about things she probably would never understand. Hongzhu had a clear self-awareness, and trying to figure out the young master's thoughts would probably never lead to any results.

but......

After going downstairs, Hongzhu looked at Old Wang waiting for her in front of the main entrance on the first floor. Remembering what the young master had said, she suddenly asked Old Wang a question, "Old Wang, the young master just said that he had already laid the bait last night, and there might be guests coming."

Old Wang pondered for a moment, then nodded knowingly, "I understand."

Hongzhu raised an eyebrow. "What do you understand?"

Old Wang glanced at Hongzhu with suspicion, "Those Yin Sha Pearls that I gave to Ya Zai last night, based on the evidence they gave when they were talking to those two ghosts, Wu Yuan and Shuyuan, in that other courtyard."

“The foreign council has obtained the evidence, they should come knocking, and it must be a big shot.” ​​Old Wang looked at Hongzhu, but Hongzhu felt that unusually restless feeling again, the same feeling that had surfaced when she was alone with Old Wang yesterday evening.

"How did you guess that?"

"Young Master had us go out and do a lot of business all day yesterday, just to get the Foreigners' Council to keep an eye on us, that's probably the intention," Old Wang explained. "After all, we look like a big target and it costs a lot, so the Foreigners' Council will definitely follow the traces we leave behind to collect evidence."

"So, you started planning this yesterday during the day?" After listening to Lao Wang's analysis, Hongzhu felt enlightened, but she quickly turned to Lao Wang with suspicion, "How did you guess that?"

"..." Old Wang hesitated for a few seconds, "I guess I learned it. The young master taught me to always observe, speak less, and think more, and so on."

“Naturally, it’s because you, young master, have always thought about the follow-up implications of each of your arrangements. And now, looking back, those extensions can be connected, which is the result of your arrangements.” Old Wang’s answer was very straightforward, but it only made Hongzhu more irritable.

She stared at Old Wang for a while before looking away.

Old Wang remained silent for a while, seemingly wanting to say something. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Miss Hongzhu, there are some things that may not be appropriate for me to say, but I feel it is still necessary for me to say them."

The female ghost, who was leading Old Wang to the side room, turned around and looked at the man behind her.

“Young master is not only looking at me, but also at you.” Old Wang looked at the red candle.

"He's not just observing me, he's observing you too."

"What do you want to say?" Hongzhu pursed her lips, and her dark pupils gradually turned a deep crimson.

“You don’t need to be jealous of me.” Old Wang looked at Hongzhu very seriously. “Young Master treats you and me equally, and even treats you better. I only get more attention because of my special status.”

The red candle's momentum faltered, and the boiling emotions gradually subsided.

"Am I jealous of you?" This muttered question was less directed at Old Wang and more a self-reflection.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s wariness, suspicion, or jealousy…” Old Wang looked at Hongzhu, “Miss Hongzhu’s attitude towards me these past two days is different from the previous days, so I think I should tell you these things.”

Hongzhu was stunned, looking at Lao Wang's solemn expression.

"You and the young master are both very special to me. I won't talk about the young master, but let's just talk about you, Miss Hongzhu. You have taught me a lot, and it is not an exaggeration to call you my mentor."

Hongzhu's emotions had completely calmed down. She looked at Lao Wang with a complicated expression, finally understanding the meaning behind his gaze and the turbulent emotions within her.

He was concerned and worried about himself.

And yet, he resented the kindness he showed him.

After all, it was because of this inexplicable kindness that I died such a tragic death.

"Alright, let's prepare to entertain the young master's guests first."

The red candle sighed softly.

Chapter Thirty-Five, The Scholar Who Shattered Bones

Chu Xunfeng said that there would probably be guests coming today.

Hongzhu and Lao Wang had become numb to Chu Xunfeng's many prophetic insights. Hongzhu knew that she couldn't understand or comprehend them, so she stopped dwelling on it.

Old Wang happened to be able to understand it, so he appeared calm.

Yesterday, the two of them bought a lot of things in this ghost market that had everything imaginable, and today they can take some out to entertain their guests.

Once the tea was served and the refreshments were placed in the reception room on the first floor of the main building, the courtyard gate was gently touched.

In that instant, the three humans and two ghosts inside the house all noticed a slight tremor in the jade key they carried.

The guests have arrived.

Old Wang stayed behind to make a scene, Mo Xun came down from the second floor, while Xue Changyun went straight up to the third floor to check on the formation that had been set up the night before but had not yet been activated. Hongzhu went to the door alone to greet the guests.

When Hongzhu brought the person there, Chu Xunfeng saw Hongzhu leading the way with her eyes lowered, followed by three other people.

Among the familiar faces were Wu Yuan and Shuyuan, the two ghosts I had seen in the courtyard last time. Walking in front of these two ghosts was a male ghost dressed as a scholar, with a gentle smile on his face. He had one hand behind his back and the other hand gently waving a folding fan inscribed with the words "Feng Gu" (meaning integrity and character).

"The Bone-Shattering Scholar?" Before Chu Xunfeng could speak, Mo Xun, who was sitting to the side, saw the approaching ghost clan leader and frowned, his expression turning slightly cold.

"Senior brother knows him?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow. He had heard Hongzhu say that this kind of situation was most likely to occur in the Black Forest, but he did not expect that his senior brother would actually encounter a ghost he knew.

"I was probably a notorious figure in the cultivation world more than twenty years ago." The scholar-like man, who was gently waving a folding fan, smiled slightly. He stared at Mo Xun for a moment, then chuckled, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly. "I never expected to see the Emperor's disciple here again."

Chu Xunfeng noticed the slightly awkward atmosphere between his senior brother and the scholar, but Mo Xun suppressed it and sat back down in his chair. Chu Xunfeng then gestured for the newcomer to sit down, and asked, "Have you not yet asked for my guidance?"

“Jiang Zhou, that was my name when I was alive, so let’s just call me that for now.” The Broken Bone Scholar, or rather Jiang Zhou, sat down in front of Mo Xun at Chu Xunfeng’s signal. He snapped his folding fan shut and tapped it against his empty left palm. “Young Master Chu, these two idiots I brought with me today seem to have offended you a few days ago… You two, come here.”

Wu Yuan and Shu Yuan, the two ghosts, trembled as they moved to the front of the reception room. Without saying a word, they knelt down before the young man in the head seat, prostrating themselves on the ground. "Young Master Chu, we two ghosts were blinded by greed and offended you. We beg you to forgive our mistake and show mercy."

Chu Xunfeng didn't say a word, but instead turned his gaze to the Broken Bone Scholar, "What does this mean?"

"I apologize, Young Master Chu. You may not know much about the Foreigners' Council, but each faction in the Foreigners' Council has its own way of doing things. For my superior, this is the rule... If you do it right, you get a reward, a very generous reward."

“If they make a mistake, they will naturally have to pay the price, the biggest price, to make up for their mistake.”

"You can be considered one of the Nine Elders' side, this is just a small friction between the two factions. They have ulterior motives towards you, so it is naturally up to you to decide..." Before the Broken Bone Scholar could finish speaking, Chu Xunfeng raised his hand to stop him from continuing.

“Since this is a matter between two factions, I have no authority to make a decision. I'll trouble your faction to handle it itself, Young Master Jiang, and then send the results to the person in charge of the Nine Elders. Once the higher-ups approve, I naturally won't pursue the matter further.” Chu Xunfeng didn't want to cause any more trouble, or rather…

Jiang Zhou may have set a trap for him, or he may have offered him benefits, but he didn't want to get involved, so he turned it away directly.

"Very well then." Jiang Zhou ignored the two ghosts trembling like leaves on the ground and simply nodded. "Since the young master has spoken, you should go out of the house and wait for me outside the gate."

The two ghosts, their faces ashen and gradually revealing signs of death, nodded silently and left without a sound.

It seems their fate will be terrible, but Chu Xunfeng doesn't care, or rather, he has to show that he doesn't care.

The Jiang Zhou in front of me, or rather the Broken Bone Scholar, is a formidable opponent.

"Young Master Jiang, you didn't come here today just to apologize to me with those two bastards, did you?" Chu Xunfeng picked up the hot tea beside him, took a sip, and looked at Jiang Zhou.

“Of course, I have brought two questions today, and I hope that Young Master Chu can answer them for me.” As Jiang Zhou spoke, he opened the folding fan in his hand, covered it with the fan on the table beside him, and opened the fan to reveal a bulging, plain-looking gray cloth bag on the table.

"May I ask, where did Young Master Chu get the Yin Sha Pearls he has spent on his recent large purchases in the Ghost Market?"

"It's mine." Chu Xunfeng's ability to lie through his teeth was such that no one could see through his expression.

"I see... I'm not qualified enough." The Broken Bone Scholar laughed happily after hearing Chu Xunfeng's seemingly false words.

There was absolutely no pretense involved; it was a genuine feeling of happiness from the bottom of my heart.

"Then, Jiang Zhou dares to ask you a second question, young master..."

"Wait a minute."

Chu Xunfeng interrupted Jiang Zhou once again, and the Broken Bone Scholar not only showed no dissatisfaction, but even respectfully stopped speaking and looked at Chu Xunfeng, saying, "Young Master Chu, please speak."

"I'd like to know, what kind of reputation did you have in the cultivation world when you were alive?"

"Just now, the Emperor's disciple also revealed my name, Shattered Bone Scholar." Jiang Zhou smiled nonchalantly. "When I first entered the cultivation world, I was somewhat known on the Human Ranking, and was praised by the Seven Star Tower as the Jade-Faced Scholar. At first, I was quite pleased with myself, but after witnessing too much evil in the three regions of the Nine Provinces, I unknowingly stepped into the abyss and went astray."

“Opening a private court to judge people’s good and evil based on one’s own desires. If they are good people in the ordinary sense, they can escape with their lives. But if they encounter evil people, they will break all their bones and then be tortured with pills to keep them alive for at least a month before they die.” Sitting opposite Jiang Zhou, Mo Xun coldly exposed the short life of the Broken Bone Scholar.

"This is just the beginning. Regardless of whether it's good or bad, he can be considered a free-spirited and wicked person. At least he didn't harm the innocent. Although some people tried to kill him several times, it all came to nothing in the end."

"But later on, the Bone-Shattering Scholar became more and more ruthless and extreme. If anyone made any mistake, even a trivial one, he would smash all his bones and turn him into a folding fan. During the torture, he would also give him a few good healing pills to ensure that the final 'human fan' would not be too bloody."