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

"Tsk." Missing Tooth smacked his lips. To be honest, he regretted picking up the little thing a while ago.

She can eat too much.

The rabbit demon paused, looking down at the little beast staring up at it. The two stared at each other, until the little beast blinked, tilted its head in confusion, and kicked its ears with its hind legs. Only then did the missing-toothed creature sigh helplessly, "Never mind, let's go back to eat."

He didn't really want to keep the little guy, but no matter how he tried to get rid of him, he couldn't. Like a dog, he could remember the scent and find his way back. A while ago, he made the tough decision to give him away, but after a busy day out, he found the little guy lying pitifully at his door, timidly curled up and afraid to go inside. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Awooo!" the little beast cried out and followed Miss Tooth into the hut.

The small house was dark and dimly lit. The man with the missing tooth frowned slightly, muttered an incantation to conceal his true form, and looked at the woman on the bed.

The mother, who was missing a tooth, was blindly threading a needle with a piece of cloth. After threading the needle once, she would stop and feel for the stitches.

"Mom, why aren't you lighting the lamps again?" She picked up the tinderbox on the table, lit the two oil lamps in the house, and illuminated the room. Her tone, with missing teeth, was filled with resentment and helplessness.

"What's the point of lighting it? I can't see anything anyway," the mother said with a light laugh.

"We're not short of money at home." Missing Tooth smacked his lips, looked around, and saw that besides his mother and the little beast, he didn't see his younger brother. Remembering Young Master Chu's instructions, he frowned slightly, "Where's Little Tooth?"

"He ran off to play," the mother with the missing tooth replied casually. A hazy light filled her vision, prompting her to start nagging, "I know you've met a benefactor, but we need to be careful with our money and save some for when you get married. Little Tooth is still young; there will be many expenses in the future..."

"Mom!" Miss Tooth suddenly shouted, stopping his mother's rambling. The young man walked to his mother's side and took her hand as she threaded the needle. "I know all that, but just like you always think of me and Little Tooth in everything, we brothers also have to think of you. Getting married and such can wait. Your eyes need to be treated!"

"...It can't be cured, it can't be cured." The mother with the missing tooth said dejectedly, but her tone was full of emotion and a hint of a smile.

The little beast, which had jumped onto the wooden chair, tilted its head and looked at the mother and child on the other side of the bed. Its dark eyes reflected the deep affection between the mother and child, and it was unclear what it was thinking.

“It can be cured.” Missing Tooth looked at his mother’s grayish-white eyes. “By the way, Young Master Chu reminded me today that the demon race is about to descend into chaos. This winter, our family should stay at home.”

"You stay home with Ah Chou and wait. I'll go find Xiao Ya later. I'll go buy some things this afternoon and get some supplies."

"Going to cause chaos?" The mother, who hadn't left the house in a long time, was momentarily taken aback by the words. "It shouldn't... be, right?"

“Young Master Chu wouldn’t harm us, you have to listen to that.” Miss Tooth pressed down on his mother’s hand, applying slight pressure. His mother couldn’t see, so he had to find another way to let her know his determination. “I’ll call you to eat first, and then I’ll go out.”

"Missing Tooth has grown up." The mother held Missing Tooth's hand, applying slight pressure. "I'll do whatever you say."

"Hmm." The rabbit boy breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the little beast standing on the chair, watching him.

Ah Chou.

With a big head, a big face, and big eyes, and a small body, plus two small, decorative wings, it's kind of adorably ugly, but we don't know what species it is.

"Alright, let's eat." Miss Tooth walked up, patted Ugly's head, and didn't say anything more.

Missing Tooth knew that Ugly was intelligent, but he probably never thought about what kind of intelligence this little beast possessed, or what kind of species it was.

The food box was opened, and a steaming aroma wafted out. Missing Tooth, preoccupied with something on his mind, didn't notice that Ugly hadn't eaten much at noon, just like him, seemingly preoccupied with something on his mind.

—Outside the North District, on the drill ground—

The black gold spear and the silver beard spear faced each other, with the tips of both spears held in the hands of a dark-skinned man.

"Ping, we can't fight anymore." The city guard commander looked at the two men.

The human youth's expression was cold, and his gaze was fixed on the second princess opposite him, not on himself.

Ao Hanli squinted, golden light swirling in his vertical pupils, and the dragon aura surrounding the silver-bearded spear did not dissipate.

The two still had fighting spirit, but...

"Alright, Second Sister, Young Master Chu, don't let things get out of hand and ruin your harmony. It's just a friendly spar." Ao Ning, holding a folding fan, walked into the training ground to mediate.

Chu Xunfeng and Ao Hanli then gradually withdrew their strength.

"This guy, he starts setting traps and pitfalls while the fighting is going on, but he attacks with a desperate, all-out effort." Ao Hanli flicked his wrist, driving the tip of his silver-bearded spear into the ground, signaling a truce.

“Your Highness is a rare opponent, and she is even a realm higher than me. It’s inevitable that I would be more serious when we spar.” Chu Xunfeng slammed his black gold spear on the ground, and his whole body gradually relaxed.

Ao Hanli has improved her skills by three points compared to their encounter about a month ago. Last time, it was more of a matter of exchanging moves, with only a little bit of 'intention' mixed in. But this time, the two have officially begun to clash, a full-scale battle of mind, body, and technique.

Chu Xunfeng didn't gain much advantage, but Ao Hanli also had a rather frustrating experience.

It was a lose-lose situation, and after being forcibly stopped, it could only be considered another draw.

"Are you really that serious?" Ao Hanli pointed to the large footprint on her lower abdomen, her tone laced with anger.

“I’m not only a martial arts practitioner, but also a body cultivator; I practice leg techniques,” Chu Xunfeng said, looking at Ao Hanli.

"You!" Ao Hanli glared fiercely at Chu Xunfeng. When this guy first raised his gun, the portal was wide open. Ao Hanli subconsciously followed up, only to be kicked in the stomach and suffer a silent loss.

What's most infuriating is that she knew about this a month ago and even reminded Chu Xunfeng. Chu Xunfeng explained it to her, but she still took the kick. It's really frustrating.

"Alright, alright, Second Sister, there will be plenty of opportunities to get revenge later. Let's call it a day." Ao Ning patted her sister's shoulder and turned her gaze to Chu Xunfeng, "Young Master Chu, are you free later?"

"It's nothing." Chu Xunfeng looked at Ao Ning. "Shall we talk?"

The Fourth Prince gently waved his folding fan, smiled, and nodded. "Let's talk."

Chapter Sixty-Two: Public Opinion and Sentiment

It was still that grand mansion at the junction of the north and south urban areas.

Under the same large tree where the roots twisted and formed chairs and a round table, Chu Xunfeng and Ao Ning sat facing each other at the table, except this time Ao Hanli and Hong Ji sat together behind the tea table.

The Dragon Girl had already vaguely sensed that Chu Xunfeng's intelligence and way of thinking were on par with her fourth brother. She, who was only good at wielding spears and sticks, was simply not on the same level as the two of them. If the two of them wanted to talk, it would be best for her to get together with Sister Hongji and listen to her explanation if she wanted to understand.

"The capital is in chaos." As soon as Ao Ning sat down, he set the tone for the conversation. The young master of the dragon held a folding fan in one hand and a teacup in the other, looking at the human youth.

"I heard that it was Dang Kang who made the move?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t be sure, but I can’t think of any other possibility besides him.” Ao Ning gently blew on the tea, took a sip of the slightly bitter tea with a sweet aftertaste, and said, “At this stage, these are just trivial conflicts. What I’m afraid of is that they will develop into a bloody conflict later.”

“Of course.” Chu Xunfeng lowered his eyes and replied softly, “I can’t be of much help in this matter.”

“Indeed, this is our own business.” Ao Ning nodded gently. “But Brother Chu, you have to be careful.”

"Someone is targeting me?" Chu Xunfeng raised an eyebrow.

“Young Master Chu, actually, many people have been paying attention to you for the past two months, including that young man who runs errands for you. He’s been given a lot of trouble, and the city guards have helped him several times.” Hong Ji spoke softly from behind the tea table at the tree root table.

He never told me he was missing a tooth.

"Can we remove him?" Chu Xunfeng turned to look at Hong Ji.

"I'll make the arrangements." Hong Ji nodded gently.

"Is there anything I need to remind you of?" Chu Xunfeng withdrew his gaze and looked at Ao Ning.

“Just be careful of strangers who approach you.” Ao Ning put down his teacup and sighed helplessly. “Recently, many unidentified human cultivators have entered the Wild Swamp Wetlands. Most of them are ‘rogue cultivators’ scattered in various cities, and there is a faint trend of them moving closer to the capital.”

Does it happen often?

“Yes, and it happens every year. In the past, I wouldn’t have had to worry about these things, but as you know, these are special times.” Ao Ning sighed. “After all, leaping over the Dragon Gate is a major event for my Dragon Clan. Among the Demon Clan, the Dragon Clan is the current royal family, so we simply can’t avoid it.”

"Moreover, you must act as if nothing has happened. These people cannot be stopped, nor can they be stopped. Even if you can stop the humans who are there under the pretext of 'attending the ceremony,' you cannot stop the overwhelming popular support of the demon race."

Ao Ning's eyes flickered slightly. "Brother Chu, you're really surprising me more and more. You even understand politics."

"I know a little, but I'm not an expert." Chu Xunfeng casually brushed off the topic. "Do you need me to take the initiative and help you gather some information?"

“For the time being…” Ao Ning originally wanted to refuse, but he paused for a moment, then turned and exchanged a glance with Hong Ji.

After thinking for a moment, Miss Hongji nodded gently and took the initiative to speak, "Young Master Chu, then I'll trouble you. If you need anything, please let me know."

“I don’t need anything.” Chu Xunfeng shook his head. “My current situation gives me a good reason to approach those who might have ill intentions towards the demon race.”

“If you help me too much, I will lose my standing and value in the eyes of those people.” Chu Xunfeng shook his head. He glanced at Ao Ning, thought for a while, and decided to bring up the issue he had observed earlier. “By the way, I have a question.”

"Please speak," Ao Ning said, looking at Chu Xunfeng.

"It's about your 'Heavenly Craft Workshop.' I want to ask, were the Bifang clan blacksmiths since the time of Bixie?"

“Yes.” Ao Ning nodded, but Young Master Long’s face showed a hint of doubt. He didn’t understand the significance of Chu Xunfeng asking this question.

"Has any of them mentioned that they don't want to be blacksmiths?"

"This... I don't know." Ao Ning shook his head, somewhat confused.

"Has Your Highness considered this question: how many races among the demon race will sided with Dang Kang to 'seek change' after the incident, and how many will side with the dragon race?"

Upon hearing Chu Xunfeng's question, Ao Ning finally understood what the young human was worried about. He smiled and shook his head, "Brother Chu, you don't need to worry about that. At least for the Bifang clan, they are very satisfied with their current life."

Very satisfied?

Chu Xunfeng frowned. When he passed by Tiangongfang before, the numbness and mechanical, lifeless aura of the blacksmiths seemed genuine. But seeing Ao Ning's confident smile, he didn't say anything, just composed himself and nodded.

This Crown Prince is still in a high position, and he may not be very clear about the things at the bottom. Chu Xunfeng still sticks to his judgment. At least in his opinion, those Bifang from Tiangongfang are very likely to lean towards Dang Kang's position.

However, it's hard to say. He doesn't understand the social structure of the demon race, and perhaps Ao Ning's judgment is not wrong at all. He's just overthinking things. In the end, he still has to see these things with his own eyes.

I've been in the demon realm for almost three months now, and it's time to go and see what's going on in the imperial city.

"By the way, I think Your Highness should be prepared, but I still have to mention that you should protect those important passes and facilities in advance. The small conflicts now could easily be ignited by a single spark once they have accumulated to a certain extent."

"If the Dragon Clan does not prepare in advance, it is easy to lose the support of the people before leaping over the Dragon Gate. When that happens, if Dang Kang launches an attack during the leap, the Dragon Clan may be unable to withstand the pressure alone."

"It might even be overthrown by public opinion. If it really gets to that point, the Dragon Clan won't even need Kang to exert his power; they'll have to step down."

Chu Xunfeng thought he had been too talkative, but when he noticed Ao Ning staring at him with hesitation and disbelief, Chu Xunfeng's heart skipped a beat.

"Brother Chu, aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Ao Ning paused and hesitated. "Although there will be resistance, being attacked by a group of people..."

Ao Ning stopped talking as he spoke, realizing he was losing confidence.

Chu Xunfeng then turned to look at Hong Ji. He saw that Hong Ji was frowning and deep in thought, while the Dragon Girl Ao Hanli looked suspicious, yet seemed to be thinking as well. Only then did he feel more confident.