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

"Leaving aside my demon race, even the ghost race, Your Highness must have some ideas about it." Ao Xiu looked at Prince Zou, then suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming much more relaxed. "Chu Xunfeng currently holds a deal that the Ghost Council absolutely cannot refuse. To be honest, Your Highness, the reason I came to the demon race this time is twofold: firstly, because of Chu Xunfeng's wanted status, and secondly, to use the demon race's background to support and endorse Chu Xunfeng."

Prince Zou remained silent for a while.

He stared at Ao Xiu, and Ao Xiu looked at Prince Zou, without saying anything more.

After listening to so much, Prince Zou had come to understand that Chu Xunfeng had probably guessed his thoughts. He wouldn't say that Chu Xunfeng had completely figured them out, but at least he had figured out the clear outline of his intentions.

"Indeed, he saw right through me," sighed Prince Zou.

“It seems Your Highness is not denying it.” Ao Xiu narrowed his eyes. “So, Your Highness has already heard about what happened at the Ghost Market. The reason you are so anxious tonight is because you also have designs on the Ghost Clan.”

Prince Zou simply shook his head. “Of course I have ideas. Xu needs allies, and Yan is stirring up trouble on the border. A major conflict is brewing, and minor conflicts are never-ending. In the current situation, I must ensure that the Ghost Clan does not become a springboard for Yan to bypass the border and enter Xu.”

“But you lack initiative.” Ao Xiu nodded with a satisfied smile.

Seeing the smirk on the Snake King's face, Prince Zou narrowed his eyes. "What does the Snake King mean?"

"Chu Xunfeng has this springboard, and he also said he could bring you along. These are his exact words. Since we took the initiative to propose cooperation, it's naturally impossible for you to come to us with sincerity. I imagine that as Your Highness, you wouldn't be used to doing such a thing. Therefore, this cooperation should naturally be carried out on an equal footing."

“Equality…” Prince Zou pondered the two words Ao Xiu uttered for a moment, then suddenly laughed, “My nephew, he can even figure this out? But the equality he talks about doesn’t seem to be equal for either of us, does it?”

“A deal that a foreigner can’t refuse doesn’t mean that even with my compensation, Chu Xunfeng will still be able to reap the benefits he wants.” Prince Zou narrowed his eyes. “What exactly is he thinking?”

“I have my reasons.” Chu Xunfeng, who was standing behind Ao Xiu, suddenly spoke up. Although his voice was high-pitched due to the suppression of his blood and qi, he raised his hand and removed the fox mask from his face.

Prince Zou stared wide-eyed at Chu Xunfeng's face. After a long while, he shook his head with a wry smile. "I was actually fooled by you."

“Not surprising. If you don’t satisfy me, then I won’t take off my mask.” Chu Xunfeng raised his hand to press his throat, dispersing the blood and qi that were accumulating in his throat. “So, I originally had no intention of showing my face.”

"What changed your mind?" Prince Zou finally got to see Chu Xunfeng as he had wished. He also realized that tonight, it was not so much that Snake Lord was talking to him, but rather that Chu Xunfeng was talking to him all along. Snake Lord was just Chu Xunfeng's mouthpiece.

“Your attitude.” Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Prince Zou. “If you were a prince full of ambition, we would never be able to speak face to face.”

"..." The expression on Prince Zou's face disappeared.

"Although it sounds like I'm bragging, I believe I have a good eye for people, and at least I can figure out their personality traits. Prince Zou, you are not that kind of madman. On the contrary, you should be a wise and benevolent ruler, but you are not lacking in methods."

"Now, we are only one step away from reaching a cooperation agreement."

Prince Zou stared into Chu Xunfeng's eyes. He looked at those dark pupils and Chu Xunfeng's face, which was completely different from Chu Xunfeng's father's, and it was even difficult to find any resemblance between them. He calmly nodded, "Speak."

"Besides your close personal relationship with him, which aroused the emperor's suspicion, what was the reason for the destruction of the Chu family?"

Looking at Chu Xunfeng's calm, even indifferent face, Prince Zou asked, "Do you really want me to say it?"

"I need to hear with my own ears whether what I guessed is different from the facts told by the parties involved."

“It’s because of you.” Prince Zou looked at Chu Xunfeng. “Because your father concealed your existence to protect you, that’s how the crime of deceiving the emperor came about.”

Snake King watched the expression on Prince Zou's face with great interest, suppressing the urge to turn and look at Chu Xunfeng.

"As expected... they really came to capture me."

"It is true that the crime of deceiving the emperor could result in the extermination of nine generations of one's family."

"But the purpose of arresting me is not to punish me."

Chapter 44: Cooperation Begins, Staying in Touch

"Your Highness, we can talk about cooperation."

Having obtained the accurate information he wanted, Chu Xunfeng did not delve deeper into the topic, but instead brought the conversation back to the present moment.

“Alright.” Prince Zou nodded slightly, but his gaze turned to Xie San, who was still standing in the distance and had blocked his hearing. He then looked at Chu Xunfeng and said, “Xie San is a trustworthy person. He had a deep relationship with your father back then. He has known your father for even longer than he has known me. There is no need to avoid him.”

"..." Chu Xunfeng thought for a moment, then nodded, raised his hand, and used his lightning-attribute spiritual energy to throw a blue-purple mixed lightning bolt at Xie San.

Xie San, who had sealed his hearing, suddenly turned around, raised his hand, and saw that scarlet blood and qi enveloped his right hand. His right hand formed a claw and reached out to grab the faint lightning in mid-air.

A wisp of lightning, dissipated upon contact.

Xie San squinted at the Snake King with a subtle smile and the human youth who had removed his fox mask, then quickly regained his composure and walked toward Prince Zou.

"Very skillful finger and palm techniques." Ao Xiu raised his head slightly and glanced at the bronze beast deputy commander standing behind Prince Zou.

"I can't comment on his lower body skills, but his basic skills are very solid." Chu Xunfeng had been practicing leg techniques, so he had a basic understanding of the game.

“There’s no need to test me.” A hoarse voice came from under the black robe. “If I had designs on you, Chu Xunfeng, Lian Cai wouldn’t have been able to sneak past me to Longquan Sword Manor to deliver the message to you.”

Honest and frugal.

Upon suddenly hearing that familiar name, Chu Xunfeng's brain started working at lightning speed. His gaze swept over Prince Zou first, and then slowly turned to Xie San, who was wearing a half-moon mask.

"What's wrong?" Prince Zou noticed the serious atmosphere around Chu Xunfeng and was somewhat puzzled.

"I have a small question. May I ask... when the cultivators from Baidi City and Bianzhou went to the Southern Wilderness Mountains for the autumn hunt, were the bronze beasts that surrounded and killed Xu Bailing sent by the Emperor of Xu?"

Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Prince Zou and Xie San.

Prince Zou raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Xie San.

"I sent people there, but..." Xie San admitted without hesitation, but after saying "but," he paused and didn't continue. "It was indeed me who did it."

"Why don't you finish?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow.

Prince Zou was stunned for a moment, then looked away and at Chu Xunfeng, whose expression remained completely unchanged.

Ao Xiu, however, remained silent.

The autumn hunt was a mess from beginning to end. If we had to say which side really profited, it would be the dragons.

"To assassinate Xu Bailing, they sent someone with only a Human Profound Realm and a Fourth Realm level skill..." Chu Xunfeng withdrew his gaze. "The Bronze Fang Beast shouldn't be lacking a few Earth Profound Realm assassins, right?"

Of course, there was one more thing Chu Xunfeng didn't mention.

The four people present all knew the truth, but they all chose to remain silent on that unspoken matter.

Even if it were just a few fourth-realm warriors led by a Human Profound Realm cultivator, if the arrangements were proper, if Xu Bailing didn't have that life-saving magic treasure, the "Life-Saving Treasure," and if Chu Xunfeng weren't there, Xu Bailing might really have become a corpse in the autumn hunt.

If Xu Bailing dies, Xie San might have more plans, and the conflict between Baidi City and the Xu Kingdom's royal family might even explode.

But that's hypothetical, something that didn't happen, so there's no point in bringing it up now.

Xie San could deny it, but of course, he could also admit it.

"Let's talk about cooperation," Prince Zou gestured. "Since we're all on the same side, let's sit down and have a drink."

Chu Xunfeng and Xie San sat down together and each picked up a cup of wine.

“I hope to gain the friendship of the Foreign Council. As I said before, I do not want the Yan Kingdom to use the Black Forest as a springboard to bypass the northwestern fortress of Xu Kingdom.” King Zou looked at Chu Xunfeng. “This will require a huge sacrifice. If the Yan Kingdom sets its sights on the Black Forest, in essence, how the Ghost Clan will choose depends on how much both Xu Kingdom and Yan Kingdom offer.”

"It's just a bidding war. I have a formation that can mass-produce Yin Sha Pearls. Moreover, this formation has a limited lifespan and a very high technical barrier." Chu Xunfeng took a sip of his sweet wine and casually tossed an extravagant chip onto the table.

“This is a huge benefit, and the Foreigners’ Council cannot ignore it unless Yan Kingdom can also produce something similar to compete for it.” Prince Zou tapped the table with his finger. He was indeed very tempted because only Chu Xunfeng could offer such a bargaining chip. “I want this formation.”

“The items are mine.” Chu Xunfeng glanced at Prince Zou. “We are partners. My only buyer is the Foreigners’ Council.”

"I don't need tangible benefits; I only need information, or rather, knowledge—the various forces throughout history, the Nine Provinces and Three Lands, the Desolate Lands, and so on. These are the things I'm interested in."

"The Ghost Clan will make concessions if it's not for substantial benefits," Chu Xunfeng said calmly. "Because I am the seller."

"You lack both strength and influence. What makes you think the foreigners will let you control them?" A hoarse, gloomy voice came from beneath the crescent moon.

Xie San's question was also something that Prince Zou was puzzled by.

"Just now, the Serpent King proposed a collaboration for me, a collaboration between us." Chu Xunfeng looked at Xie San, "About fifty or sixty years ago, there was a matter concerning the whereabouts of a traitorous deputy commander of the Bronze Fang Beasts. According to the information I have, this deputy commander seems to have died in the vicinity of Longfeng Mountain in Lingzhou. I need information about this man, as well as news about his wife and children, including whether his descendants are still alive, and so on..."

"If this news satisfies me, then Your Highness, you will be my spokesperson for the business between me and the foreigners." Chu Xunfeng's gaze shifted from Xie San to Prince Zou.

Prince Zou was taken aback. He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "What a clever scheme. The matter of that traitorous deputy commander of the Bronze Beast is probably not something you wanted to inquire about yourself, is it?"

Chu Xunfeng simply shrugged.

"This job has been given to me, or rather, to Xie San."

"Then they dumped the business they were going to discuss with the Westerners' council onto me."

"After forming alliances and maneuvering, you've dumped all the trouble on others. Everyone seems to have benefited, and some even owe you a favor." Prince Zou looked at Chu Xunfeng's calm expression. "And after doing all this, you're only after knowledge... or rather, history?"

"Yes," Chu Xunfeng nodded, "not entirely."

"Tell me about it?" Prince Zou tapped the table with his finger.

“Your Highness, we are only discussing cooperation now. It is not something we would do to have such a deep conversation with someone we don’t know well.”

"Let's talk again after our cooperation makes a breakthrough." Chu Xunfeng put down his wine glass and put the fox mask back on his face.

"Thank you for your hospitality tonight. Let's keep in touch."

Chapter 45, The Attacker

Stepping out of the Lanyue Inn, Chu Xunfeng, shrouded in a black robe, spoke in a low voice, "Snake Lord, do you know the current situation on the border between Xu and Yan?"

"There's a lot of friction. Both sides are gathering troops at the market, which is supposed to be a place for trade, and there are even cultivators overseeing it. I don't have many men under my command, so I can only send back limited intelligence." Ao Xiu glanced at Chu Xunfeng. "What's wrong?"

"I just find it a bit strange." Chu Xunfeng shook his head. "The three regions of Kyushu are surrounded by the Desolate Lands, leaving the entire world as a tiny place. Even in this situation, Yan Kingdom continues to provoke on the border and even seems to have the intention to start a war. I don't understand what Yan Kingdom's demands are."

“Resources, supplies, anything is possible.” The Serpent King’s eyes glowed faintly green in the darkness. “When political demands cannot be met through negotiation, taking action becomes the only effective course of action.”

"When did the so-called situation of the Nine Provinces and Three Regions begin?"

"I don't know. Perhaps my mother's generation would know. But those things are too far removed from me, and I have no need to know about them." Ao Xiu glanced at Chu Xunfeng and steered the conversation towards him. "I didn't realize you were such a patriotic person?"

Chu Xunfeng did not reply, but only exchanged a glance with Ao Xiu.