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

Of course, these implicit things don't need to be spoken aloud.

"You all overthink it." Chu Xunfeng could also guess the purpose of this group's appearance. They didn't know that he had made a private deal with Prince Zou. Based on the interests of the Ghost Clan, they would naturally consider it in depth. At this moment, Chu Xunfeng didn't need to directly refuse their goodwill. "I know Prince Zou's character to some extent. I'm not the kind of lamb that would send itself into the tiger's mouth."

Jiang Zhou gently waved his folding fan, smiling without saying a word.

Xinwen looked thoughtfully at Chu Xunfeng's indifferent face.

Tooth Boy, however, merely showed a relieved expression, then sighed, "With just a few of us, we're hardly qualified to be guards for Prince Zou's army."

Okay, it seems there is indeed one person who doesn't understand the situation... huh?

Chu Xunfeng turned his head and glanced at Ya Zai.

He never made subjective judgments about anyone, but Ya Zai's behavior made Chu Xunfeng a little unsure whether Ya Zai was really too naive or deliberately putting on an act.

If it was intentional, then it's too abrupt. Can someone who isn't very bright become the spokesperson for the fifth seat?

"In short, we've already reached an agreement with the bronze beasts, and the Prince has also agreed to let us accompany you into the inner city. Brother Chu, you don't need to worry about any trouble," Jiang Zhou said with a light laugh. "Tonight's trip should be quite easy."

Aren't you worried about the people of Yan?

“In the Black Forest, the Yan people are just guests. It’s not our place to tell the hosts what to do.” Hearing Chu Xunfeng’s words, Xinwen laughed heartily. “But if the guests do things that are not befitting their status, then they are no longer guests.”

"I see." It seems the Foreigners' Council may have given the Yan people a warning, either openly or covertly.

It seems that letting the Snake King operate in the shadows was the right thing to do.

The way the foreign parliament treats Yannong may be the same way it treats us; anything that goes beyond the rules can only be done in the shadows.

It's probably impossible to start a direct battle in the inner city. Once we get into the inner city tonight, it will really come down to who has the tougher tactics.

People of Yan, I hope you can handle this.

Chapter 55, Entering the Inner City

The inner city of the Blackwood is not located in a corner of the Ghost Market like the human capital, nor is it located in the very center of the Ghost Market.

Human cities always extend outwards from the most prosperous areas in one or several directions. In other words, the first prosperous areas often become the inner city. However, the cities of the Undead in the Blackwood are quite different.

Within the Blackwood, there was first the Ghost Forest. Further north, where the Blackwood extends deeper, the Ghost Market appeared. Gradually, the Ghost Council evolved within the Ghost Market, and finally, the Inner City emerged.

Stepping onto the simply paved road from the northern exit of the Ghost Market, Chu Xunfeng, as a member of Prince Zou's group, embarked on his journey to the inner city of the Ghost Clan.

The Ghost Market and the Inner City should essentially be considered two separate cities.

Along the way, the situation that the foreigners were worried about did not occur, nor did the scene that Chu Xunfeng had hoped for appear.

Apart from the two assassins who suddenly revealed their presence last night, the people of Yan Kingdom did not do anything irrational on the way as Chu Xunfeng and Prince Zou were about to enter the inner city.

Come to think of it.

From the manager of the Seven Star Tower, Chu Xunfeng also gained a deeper understanding of the current state of the conflict between Yan and Xu.

The stance is clear, but tensions continue to rise along the border. Standoffs are frequent, but actual combat is rare. These are mostly minor skirmishes attributed to individuals. Both Xu and Yan maintain a tacit understanding and refrain from making a big deal out of nothing.

Does that sound acceptable?

In fact, from another perspective, the two countries no longer care about such minor frictions. The border frictions are just actions to make the border guards vigilant. The two sides in the real game are silently waiting for a major event to happen, a major event that can suddenly ignite all the contradictions and lead to a full-scale war.

This important event could take place at the border, within the borders of both sides, or even in the Black Forest.

The people of Yan have been actively trying to open the gates of Xu, but judging from the series of actions taken by King Zou after arriving in the Black Forest, Xu does not fully understand these small actions of the people of Yan.

"Junior brother, what are you thinking about?" Inside the luxurious carriage, Mo Xun couldn't help but ask Chu Xunfeng, who was frowning and flashing his eyes from time to time.

The luxurious coals placed between the three people and two ghosts silently released heat and a faint fragrance in the brazier. Chu Xunfeng raised his eyes and turned his gaze to Mo Xun. He was silent for a while, sorted out what he had just been thinking about, and told it to the two people and two ghosts in the carriage.

"Junior brother, are you overthinking this?" Mo Xun frowned slightly. "Putting aside His Majesty's situation, he is not the only one in the court."

“But the emperor’s voice alone can subdue all the civil and military officials, at least on the surface.” Chu Xunfeng squinted and softly expressed his concerns. “Judging from the Black Forest incident, the Yan people have clearly begun to prepare for a full-scale war and are taking very active actions.”

Before Mo Xun could reply, the three people and two ghosts heard a suppressed cough coming from outside the carriage, and Mo Xun stopped speaking abruptly.

The driver for Chu Xunfeng and his group was a bronze fang beast personally arranged by Xie San, whose strength was at the Earth Profound Realm. Although the group had kept their voices down during their discussion, it was only to guard against honest people, not treacherous ones. The light cough outside the carriage was probably a reminder to the group not to say anything out loud.

Chu Xunfeng, with a cool and aloof gaze, met Mo Xun's gaze with a shrug, his expression suggestive.

Mo Xun understood a little bit about it and remained silent.

No one knows what the emperor is thinking, but judging from the current situation, the emperor is clearly not very interested in preparing for war, and it can even be said that he is complacent in some areas and is completely laid up.

If it weren't for the Longquan Sword Manor incident and the subsequent manhunt, Chu Xunfeng wouldn't have come to the Black Forest, which might have led to the Foreign Council actually opening the door between the Xu and Yan countries to the Yan people.

After all, without Chu Xunfeng, it would be difficult for Prince Zou to have enough leverage to compete with the Yan people.

As Prince Zou and his entourage gradually approached the inner city, Ning Qiu Ning, her maid Shu Han, and Zhu Han E, along with the ghost clan arranged by Ya Zai, entered a huge manor within the inner city.

"This is our Fifth Seat's territory. However, Elder Li is away from home today due to important matters. He already knows that you, Miss Ning, have brought the token. He will meet with you once he has finished his business, so there's no need to rush." ​​The young-looking ghost led the three through the corridor, explaining softly.

"Is it about Chu Xunfeng?" Ning Qiu Ning asked the young ghost clan member who was leading the way.

"Yes." The young ghost paused, turned around and looked at the three people. "What Leng Junzi revealed in the Ghost Market has already attracted the attention of the First Seat. To be honest, if it weren't for the weight of the token you carry that made Elder Li go against the majority to contact you, more than half of the leaders would not want to have anything to do with you."

"It's also because of Chu Xunfeng." Ning Qiuning's voice lowered a few degrees.

"Yes." The young ghost clan member nodded slightly. Looking at the woman with a somber expression, he couldn't help but sigh. "Miss Ning, we're telling you all this not to upset you. This is all arranged by Boss Li. We're explaining the situation to you so you can understand your own position. The entire council is in turmoil because of Chu Xunfeng. The fifth seat has a reason to cooperate with Chu Xunfeng. We don't want to miss out on this opportunity because of you and Chu Xunfeng."

Ning Qiu Ning gave a forced smile, her voice trembling slightly, "Please thank Lord Li Anshan for me, I understand."

It's become a burden.

Whether the words she once said to Brother Chu had truly come true seems to have not, but now that their positions have reversed, those words have all come back to haunt her.

It's your own fault.

“Then please rest in this guest room, young ladies. If it’s not necessary, please don’t move around. There are other guests in the manor, and their identities are… rather special.” The young ghost led the three to a side room, opened the door, and turned to the three of them. “If you need anything, please let me know in advance. I will come over every day at 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM.”

"Thank you, young master." Ning Qiu Ning forced herself to smile.

"It is our duty." The young ghost clan member clasped his hands and bowed. "We will not restrict your freedom, but please be considerate of yourselves as guests. I will take my leave first."

Ning Qiu Ning forced a smile, watching the ghost youth turn and disappear from sight, and then her whole body suddenly relaxed.

“Miss…” The maid stepped forward to help her up, but Ning Qiu Ning gently pulled her hand away.

"Let's rest first. As for what happens next... we'll talk about it when Li Anshan has time to see me."

Chapter 56, The Welcoming

Ning Qiu Ning and the other two from the Supreme Sword Sect were unsure how long they would have to wait for Li Anshan, but the words of the young ghost clan member in charge of receiving them did significantly lower their expectations.

After all, besides waiting, there was really not much else they could do at this point.

Meanwhile, Li Anshan, whom the Supreme Sword Sect group was waiting for, was standing in front of the inner city gate of the Ghost Clan with important members of his faction, quietly waiting for the caravan that the Ghost Council had placed high hopes on to arrive.

Among the demons accompanying the fifth seat was also a member of the ninth seat.

The Westerners' council wouldn't mobilize all its factions for a cooperation that hasn't even been finalized yet.

According to information relayed from the Ghost Market, the original intention of the Foreigners' Council was to send a third seat to contact Prince Xu, but Li Anshan fought hard in the council to secure the current opportunity to contact Prince Zou. As for the ninth seat...

They came for Chu Xunfeng.

After all, Chu Xunfeng had Ghost Nine's token with him as soon as he entered the Ghost Market. At this time, using the connections of the Ninth Seat to build a relationship with Chu Xunfeng was a personal one.

Li Anshan, on the other hand, represented the entire Foreigners' Council and was responsible for liaising with Prince Zou.

Although their roles were clearly defined on the surface, the atmosphere between the two groups of people in front of the city gate was far from pleasant.

Almost everyone in the ninth seat was waiting to see the fifth seat make a fool of itself.

After all, ever since the Yan people first appeared, the Fifth Seat has been actively contacting them, even going against the majority to grant them many privileges. In contrast, the Fifth Seat has offended other factions on this matter, yet there has been no real progress from the Fifth Seat and the Yan people.

Now, Chu Xunfeng is presenting the treasure to Prince Zou. The convoy, carrying the object that the Yan people have been boasting about but which they've only heard about but never seen, has arrived. Li Anshan immediately went over to it again...

If it weren't for the first seat making the final decision, the fourth and sixth seats would have had to put up a good fight with him. Now they're just watching him make a fool of himself. It's fortunate that although the parliament isn't a monolithic entity, at least on major issues, the thirteen factions can still stand together.

"Lord Li, please don't let anything go wrong this time." While the others were getting bored, the middle-aged ghost leading the group suddenly blurted out a sentence, drawing the attention of all the ghosts present.

Li Anshan, accompanied by a group of his faction members, slowly turned his head, glanced at the Ninth Seat's deputy, and said in a low voice, "Of course I know that this time it is a Yin Sha Pearl that can be seen and touched, and it is not a matter for my Fifth Seat faction."

"Has Lord Li decided how to deal with those Yan people?" The deputy of the Ninth Seat let out a low, hoarse laugh. "If you ask me, it would be better to bring it up directly in the council and then deal with them directly."

Li Anshan did not respond and remained silent.

Should we just eliminate the Yanguo people?

It sounds easy, but if we completely get rid of those Yan people, without the pressure of bidding, wouldn't the Foreigners' Council be left with no choice but to let the Xu people set any price they want?

The admonition of the First Seat is still ringing in our ears. Now, the dispute between the Yan Kingdom and the Xu Kingdom is being waged by them. The Ghost Clan can gain the greatest benefit from this. But if one of them is missing, wouldn't it just turn into the situation of half a month ago?

They could ask for whatever price they wanted, and because of the problem with the Yin Sha Pearl, the Foreigners' Council could only let Yan Guo do whatever they wanted. As long as they didn't cross the bottom line, Yan Guo people could only swallow their demands like they were eating shit with their noses pinched.

......

It must be said that the Xu people arrived at just the right time.

I wonder if those Yan people in the mansion are still as calm and collected as they were a few days ago.

Of course, it's not easy to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

Seeing that Li Anshan remained silent, the Ninth Seat also stopped speaking and remained silent.

The factions all knew that Li Anshan had been kept behind by the First Seat. They could laugh at the Fifth Seat's misfortune, but they wouldn't go so far as to trip him up. However, given the matter of the Yan Kingdom people, it was now impossible to promote the Fifth Seat based on the Yin Sha Pearl.