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

"The first to third seats of the Foreigners' Council have no real power in the Ghost Market. Their so-called representatives are essentially just lone wolves. The group of people at the gate just now all belong to the forces of the fourth to seventh seats. If you ask the representative of the fifth seat, or even ask someone in the ninth seat, you will get the same answer."

"What's the point of Lord Jiang Ni explaining all this to me?"

“I’m letting you know how many forces in the Foreigners’ Council are watching you right now.” Jiang Ni stared at Chu Xunfeng with his cloudy, lifeless eyes. “Your situation is very dangerous.”

"Where does the danger come from?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow. He had a vague premonition that things weren't going well. After all, the problem with the bronze beast had been almost solved, so what danger could there be?

"You know that I'm a lone wolf in the Ghost Market, without any help. So have you ever thought about why I would so openly expose myself in front of those powerful figures in the government office?" Jiang Ni stared at Chu Xunfeng, asking questions without answering Chu Xunfeng's questions.

This time, Chu Xunfeng was not in a hurry. He even suppressed his emotions and began to carefully consider the question Jiang Ni had asked.

After a long while, he finally raised his head and stared at Jiang Ni with a deep gaze, "You were ordered to show your face to protect me."

Jiang Ni actually missed a crucial point this time. The fact that Chu Xunfeng was able to come to such a conclusion shows that he had figured out the key point in just a few minutes. However, the fact that he directly gave Jiang Ni the answer he wanted to give him made Jiang Ni feel a little strange.

"These things are related to the Yan people?"

"The Fifth Seat has been in contact with the Yan people for a long time. Recently, they have been loudly proclaiming in the Foreigners' Council that the Fifth Seat's forces have cooperated with the Yan people and have developed pure Yin Sha." After saying this, Jiang Ni raised his hand and pointed at Chu Xunfeng.

"And you, Chu Xunfeng, you created a Yin Sha Pearl that no one has ever seen before, and you directly scattered it in the Ghost Market, directly demonstrating the two crucial points of quantity and quality to every member of the Ghost Council."

"Now, the Fifth Seat is making a lot of noise about it, but they haven't produced any results. You've taken the lead in doing it."

"So, what do you think of the people of Yan's impression of you?"

"I wish I could kill him as soon as possible, and it would be best if I could also get my technology." Chu Xunfeng narrowed his eyes. "So in other words, your appearance this time was not only to protect me, but also to win me over."

Jiang Ni's body trembled, and even his skin began to swell, almost revealing his death.

Given Jiang Ni's cultivation level, it should be rare for him to exhibit such emotional outbursts, but Chu Xunfeng's assessment was too accurate. Without any prior warning, he hit the nail on the head, startling Jiang Ni.

Chu Xunfeng didn't care about Jiang Ni's performance at all, and instead started to analyze the situation directly, assuming that his thinking was correct.

"I don't know if the Yan people really have that kind of technology, but regardless of whether it's true or not, with their continuous hype, the results are still nowhere to be seen. I'm afraid the fifth seat is already in a difficult position."

“Although I don’t know the specific structure of the Foreigners’ Council, you just said that the first to third seats in the Ghost Market have no power. In other words, if the fifth seat can’t step down and things get out of hand, there might be a power vacuum in the fifth seat.”

"Whether it's the Ghost Market or the Inner City, during this power vacuum, Li Anshan, the fifth seat holder, can only cower in his shell. No matter what happens, he'll probably have to grit his teeth and bear it."

"This will cause turmoil... and Lord Jiang Ni, the First Seat you belong to, does not want to see such a situation, so now, the Foreigners' Council is going to break the deadlock."

"And we must break this deadlock immediately." Chu Xunfeng's analysis ended there. He thought of the Prince Zou he had met that evening, and his mind had already connected the current situation with his previous plan. However... he was not in a hurry, because he needed the Ghost Clan to hand over the initiative to him.

Because now it's no longer a matter between him and Guilao Jiu, or the Xu Kingdom's court.

The current situation involves the states of Xu and Yan.

The Foreigners' Council must relinquish the initiative so that Prince Zou can have a stage to compete with the Yan people. And this stage for Prince Zou must be built for him by the Ghost Clan.

The Xu Kingdom, or rather the forces to which the Prince of Zou belong, will stand on the same front as the Foreigners' Council to fight against the swindlers of the Yan Kingdom.

As for whether the Yan people really possess that technology...

It doesn't matter anymore. Even if it really exists, it has to be made to disappear, thus confirming that the Yan people are liars.

"So, did the big shot in the first seat give you any benefits that would be enough to bribe me, Prince Zou, and the Dragon Clan to help you sort out this troublesome matter?" After the brainstorming session, Chu Xunfeng's thoughts immediately became clear.

Jiang Ni opened his mouth, but didn't say anything that was originally planned.

This matter has exceeded his authority as an agent. If it were just Chu Xunfeng, it would be fine, since the benefits involved in trading with an individual are completely different from those involved in trading with a powerful force.

When Chu Xunfeng spoke, he was referring to himself, Xu Guo, and the demon race... He couldn't guarantee anything right now, so he could only utter a dry, "I need to go back and consult the foreigners."

“You can ask for instructions, and I can wait for you, but I won’t sit idly by.” Chu Xunfeng looked at Jiang Ni. “The Yan people have already entered the arena. Although there is a deadly place north of the Ghost Clan’s Black Forest, for the Yan people who covet the Xu Kingdom, the Black Forest is the best ready-made springboard for them to bypass the Xu Kingdom’s border.”

"The Foreign Council must be aware of the news that Prince Zou arrived at the Ghost Market a few days ago. He is probably also worried about what I just said. Now that his worries may become a reality, I think I need to give him enough leverage."

“Tell this to the bigwig in the first seat. If he’s clear-headed enough, he’ll know what to choose.”

"After all, on one hand, there is Xu Guo's clearly feasible technology."

"On one hand, the people of Yan are making empty promises without any real evidence."

"I will also take action first thing tomorrow morning. Lord Jiang Ni, have you remembered what I said?"

Jiang Ni nodded, and after giving Chu Xunfeng a deep look, he turned and left without saying a word.

Only Chu Xunfeng and Xue Changyun remained standing in the alley, watching his figure disappear into the darkness.

"Junior brother, you..." Xue Changyun withdrew his gaze, looked at Chu Xunfeng, and after a brief moment of thought, finally couldn't resist asking out of curiosity, "What is the purpose of doing all this?"

Chu Xunfeng seemed stunned by Xue Changyun's question. After a long silence, he slowly replied, "...For no reason, I just did it because I wanted to."

After all, there aren't many things I really want to do in this world.

Chapter 48, Entering the Inner City

"Young Master Chu, I apologize for making such an exaggerated claim..."

Seeing that Chu Xunfeng and Xue Changyun had easily seen Jiang Ni off, and were walking back to the front of the mansion along the path, the young broker apologized to Chu Xunfeng in a very sincere tone.

"It won't make a difference if I do this once." Chu Xunfeng glanced at the young broker, his tone neither warm nor cold. Although he had no intention of mocking him, seeing the strange expression on the young broker's face, Chu Xunfeng couldn't help but sigh. "I didn't mean to mock you. I just wanted to tell you that Jiang Ni has already told me about the Fifth Seat and the Yan people."

"So, you came to see me on behalf of Li Anshan, the fifth seat, which must also be related to this matter, right?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow at Ya Zai.

Ya Zai nodded hurriedly, but after a few nods, he quickly shook his head. "Young Master Chu, what exactly did Boss Li want to see you about? He didn't tell me. He only said that his door would always be open for you, but I think it must be what you guessed."

“But besides this, there’s something else… which should be considered your personal matter.” As Ya Zai spoke, his expression became somewhat strange. “It’s related to your ex-wife from the Supreme Sword Sect.”

Ning Qiuning?

Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow slightly. "What's going on?"

“It seems she didn’t come to see you on purpose, but rather to see our Boss Li…” Ya Zai cautiously observed Chu Xunfeng’s expression. “She has our boss’s token. I’m following the rules and have already arranged a channel for her. She will enter the inner city tomorrow.”

"What does this have to do with me?" Chu Xunfeng looked at Ya Zai and shook his head helplessly. "You said it yourself, she came to find Li Anshan with the token, what does it have to do with me?"

"This..." Ya Zai's expression was a bit strange. He carefully looked Chu Xunfeng over, then hesitated to speak.

"Speak your mind, and the young master won't hold a grudge against you." Seeing her old friend's hesitant manner, Hongzhu, who was standing behind Ya Zai, raised her hand and slapped Ya Zai on the back, dispersing some of the solid Yin energy on Ya Zai's body.

"You should know something about the Fourth Seat faction, right?" Ya Zai asked a seemingly unrelated question, but it turned out to be a potentially fatal one.

"Jiang Zhou, the Shattered Bone Scholar?" Chu Xunfeng murmured the name, then his brows furrowed. "Is their entire faction full of lunatics like this?"

“The Broken Bone Scholar is quite representative. Others may not be as crazy as Jiang Zhou, but they are no less so.” Ya Zai shook his head. “Each of the foreign forces is different. For example, our Fifth Seat aims to find a stable way to improve the strength of the ghost race who lack talent.”

"The Fourth Seat advocates strong emotions, so the forces under the Fourth Seat are considered to be fanatical madmen even among the Oni Clan."

"How can such a big difference coexist?" Chu Xunfeng frowned.

“It’s probably a limited coexistence.” This time, it was Hongzhu who spoke up. “The council is not a monolithic entity. Instead, they fight for their own purposes. But the fundamental goal of every seat in the foreign council is the same. The only difference is the means.”

"The real purpose..." Chu Xunfeng frowned and pondered for a few moments before understanding, "So that more ghosts can survive, right?"

"That's roughly what they say, but most of the ghosts who make a living in the Ghost Market, including a considerable number in the inner city, don't believe it." Tooth Boy shook his head with a wry smile. "After all, although the market is tight, there's actually no shortage of Yin Sha Pearls, and there are so many newly born ghosts wandering in the Ghost Forest..."

"Ghosts, whose members are all dark-minded, probably never lack discussions about conspiracy theories." Queya didn't say it directly, but Chu Xunfeng could guess what kind of nonsense the Ghosts were spouting.

"I'll see for myself once I get into the inner city. Were you trying to warn me that Ning Qiuning might be targeted by the Fourth Seat's forces? That she might be in danger?"

“Very likely.” Tooth Boy nodded vigorously.

"Then why didn't you remind her? Why did you tell me?" Chu Xunfeng looked at Ya Zai with a puzzled expression.

Ya Zai opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and when he saw Chu Xunfeng raise his eyebrows in confusion, he sighed and completely let go of his restraint as if he had given up on himself. "I tried to persuade her, but she said that she cultivates remorse and raises a broken sword in order to win back someone's heart. She can only move forward. If she falls halfway, it will be her own fault. She will not back down."

As soon as Ya Zai said this, everyone present unconsciously turned their gaze to Chu Xunfeng.

After all, everyone knew perfectly well who Ning Qiu Ning was referring to, even though she hadn't named anyone.

Chu Xunfeng was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "She has already said that if she falls halfway through, it is only her own fault. She has her choice, and I have my own choice."

Everyone fell silent.

Mo Xun recalled Xu Bailing, who had repeatedly expressed her desire to travel with him and his junior sister.

Xue Changyun remembered Yao Jiangshu, who had come to him before her departure, hoping he would take good care of Chu Xunfeng. Hongzhu's eyes flickered for a moment, but she said nothing.

Old Wang carefully observed Chu Xunfeng's expression before looking away.

"Let Ning Qiuning handle her own affairs. I don't think the token of the fifth seat, Li Anshan, is her own." Chu Xunfeng glanced at the crowd with their various expressions. "Those who are closer to her have allowed or even provided her with channels. Why should we, strangers, worry about her?"

After hearing Chu Xunfeng's words, Ya Zai realized what was going on, "Young Master Chu is right... So, Young Master Chu, once you enter the inner city, will you go to see Boss Li?"

“I will go, but it probably won’t be openly. I’ll pass on a message to your superiors: I need a Ghost Clan member who can accurately convey Li Anshan’s intentions to meet me privately in the inner city.” Chu Xunfeng looked at the boy, noticing his puzzled expression, and added, “Just relay the message truthfully. I’ll know what choice Li Anshan has made once I’m in the inner city. You don’t need to come back and relay Li Anshan’s choice to me. I’ll be in the inner city by the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

"Understood. Then, Young Master Chu, I'll be leaving now." Ya Zai said he was leaving, and naturally no one stopped him.

After the toothy creature left, Chu Xunfeng raised his hand and tapped his forehead. "We'll get busy quickly. Senior brothers and sisters, and Snake Lord will definitely come with me into the inner city."

Chu Xunfeng organized his thoughts, put down his right hand, and looked at Old Wang and the two ghosts, Red Candle.

"It's mainly the two of you."

Neither Hongzhu nor Lao Wang spoke. To be honest, once they reached the inner city, the two of them were essentially useless.

Several foreigners in the inner city were probably eyeing the technology in Chu Xunfeng's possession. To be honest, they had already reaped enormous profits during the time they had followed Chu Xunfeng, so the two foreigners were just waiting for Chu Xunfeng to decide whether they should stay or leave.

But after a brief moment of thought, Chu Xunfeng spoke to the two ghosts, “Let me make this clear first: if you want to follow me into the inner city, you will face many dangers. Once you enter the inner city, it will become the arena for the Xu Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom to compete. Once you are on the chessboard, no one can guarantee that you two pawns will be able to escape unscathed.”

"If you don't want to enter the inner city, I will give you a handful of Yin Sha Pearls and grant you your freedom."

How do you want to choose?

The young man asked calmly.