My cells devour all worlds.

"..."

You didn't say that before.

Xiao Huan was completely dumbfounded. The admiration she had just felt for Xiao Qing vanished without a trace in an instant.

Lu Sheng was also speechless; he had thought Qing Li was incredibly capable.

Is that all?

He backed down before he could even say anything.

At this moment, Shen Qingshu and Su Wanqing noticed the commotion.

Shen Qingshu exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Sheng, you're out of seclusion!"

Su Wanqing quickly stood up to greet him, addressing him as "Brother Lu".

Since that day, the relationship between the two families has grown even closer.

Shen Tianxiong and Madam Lu were increasingly satisfied with Su Wanqing, so they simply arranged a marriage between the two.

Once the matter of that day has been resolved, an auspicious date can be chosen for the wedding.

Noticing the change in Su Wanqing's form of address, Lu Sheng smiled and nodded, then asked Shen Qingshu, "How many days have I been in seclusion?"

"Seven days and seven nights."

Without almost any hesitation, Shen Qingshu immediately answered.

He would spend a little while at the entrance of Lu Sheng Courtyard every day.

If it weren't for the occasional noises he could hear, he would have worried that something was wrong.

"Seven days have actually passed."

Lu Sheng could only say that he didn't feel anything at all; the feeling of becoming stronger was simply too captivating.

You can't even feel the passage of time.

The results were also very encouraging.

After countless cycles, Lu Sheng's internal energy has now transformed into innate true qi.

Its power is incomparable to what it was before.

Now he can kill a cow.

No, I should say I could beat a hundred of my past selves.

If his Qi and Blood True Qi, combined with his powerful physique, are the strongest shield, then his innate True Qi is now the strongest spear.

The combination of spear and shield brought about a qualitative change in his strength.

If Lu Sheng were to face Eunuch Chen again now, he wouldn't need to feign weakness or use any underhanded tactics; a single move would be enough to send the man to his next life.

"By the way, has anything happened these past few days?"

Seven days have passed, and there hasn't been any movement from the imperial court?

Shen Qingshu thought for a moment and said, "It's nothing serious. Chief Dong's wife, children and parents were sent back the next day. Fortunately, they were all fine."

"Then there were the officials from Linjiang Prefecture. Just as we had predicted, they either went through Uncle Su or sent people to our Changfeng Escort Agency, offering gifts and apologizing, indicating that they did not want to oppose us."

"Brother Sheng, you were in seclusion at the time, so my father took care of everything."

"It's alright. You and Wanqing chat for a while, don't worry about me."

After saying that, Lu Sheng turned to look at Qing Li, who was pretending to be invisible, and his smile vanished in an instant. "Where is your young lady?"

Having broken through to the Innate Grandmaster level, it's time to fulfill the promise between the two of them.

He's a man of principle.

Lu Sheng also wanted to test his current strength.

While we're at it, let's check the imperial treasury to see if there's anything good there.

Ideally, I could also find a suitable weapon.

While wielding a sword looks cool, it's too light for Lu Sheng to utilize his strength advantage.

Weapons like knives and hammers don't suit my taste either.

Long spears and halberds were more to Lu Sheng's liking, but the weapons currently available in the escort agency were simply too light.

He doesn't like it.

There weren't many renowned craftsmen around, so we had to go to the capital city, which was teeming with talent.

If the emperor is sensible, then we'll give him a warning; if he's not, we'll still give him a warning.

Qingli answered truthfully, "Miss has gone out."

"Where did you go?"

"have no idea."

"When are you coming back?"

"……have no idea."

Qingli's voice grew softer and softer.

"..."

Lu Sheng immediately raised his hand and flicked Qing Li on the forehead, "You know nothing, what's the point of having you?"

Qingli immediately clutched her forehead in pain, looking aggrieved and not daring to answer.

Lu Sheng secretly rolled his eyes. He hadn't even used any force, so why was he pretending?

"Remember to have your young lady come find me when you get back."

After saying that, Lu Sheng's figure flashed and disappeared into the courtyard.

After waiting for a while, seeing that Lu Sheng had really left, Qing Li finally put her hand down and immediately saw Xiao Huan, whose eyes were darting around and whose lips were tightly pressed together.

Her face flushed instantly, and she stammered, "You... what do you know? I... I was just feigning weakness. One day, I'll make him pay..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Sheng appeared in front of Qing Li in an instant.

And that was followed by a solid flick on the forehead.

"Thump~"

……

at the same time.

Outside Linjiang Prefecture, in a small shop located beside the official road.

Dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and disguised as a man, Ye Xinglan frowned and stared at the small pile of still-warm ashes in front of her for a long time.

Why is this happening?

She just received the news.

When news of the Changfeng Escort Agency reached the capital, things did not develop in the direction she had anticipated.

The man she hated, upon hearing this, did not choose to downplay the matter but instead flew into a rage.

When an emperor is enraged, millions will die.

The secret letter stated that the decree had been issued ordering men to go to Linjiang Prefecture to execute all personnel related to the Changfeng Escort Agency on the spot and leave their corpses exposed for three days as a warning to others!

They even intend to purge all related forces in the surrounding area, demonstrating their overwhelming power!

After losing several spies, Ye Xinglan learned that the person had sent at least two people, both from the Dragon Guard Court.

The Dragon Guard was the emperor's most core force, composed entirely of talented juniors of trusted ministers or members of the royal family.

But how is that possible?

Based on her observations over the years, apart from Eunuch Chen left by the late emperor, the current emperor has at most three innate grandmasters at his disposal.

Even if there are others, they are not entirely loyal to him.

It was even more impossible for those aristocratic families to do this. They valued their own families highly, so how could they possibly let the emperor send them out to do a thankless and arduous task?

The emperor wouldn't be foolish enough to send out all his personal forces.

And where did the Dragon Guardian Court get two Grandmasters from?

Isn't that the commander?

But the secret letter didn't mention that commander!

Even if someone manages to break through to the Innate Grandmaster level by sheer luck, they shouldn't have such confidence.

Lu Shengneng's ability to easily defeat Eunuch Chen is something that ordinary grandmasters could not handle.

Ye Xinglan couldn't believe they hadn't thought of it.

Then there's only one possibility.

The people the emperor sent were even stronger than Eunuch Chen!

And I'm quite certain of it.

Was it because they were hiding it too well, or because she had never actually come into contact with their true secrets?

She only saw what the other person wanted her to see.

Thinking of this possibility, Ye Xinglan felt a chill run through her body.

She suddenly remembered the smile she had seen three years ago when she was smugly pleased with herself for removing the eyeliner and handling the situation flawlessly.

That meaningful smile.

The fact that the other party didn't say anything is more terrifying than anything else.

What kind of smile was that?

Indifferent, uncaring, even finding it...interesting?

Ye Xinglan felt as if she had returned to that day.

When she became a martial artist, she thought she had the power to resist, but she learned that there were second-rate, first-rate, and innate grandmasters above her.

When she removed her eyeliner, thinking she was free, she discovered that anyone around her could be a new informant.

When she thought she had escaped the cage, little did she know that she had only entered an even bigger cage.

Now, she thought that by joining forces with Lu Sheng, she could break free, but the other party has shown even greater strength.

This shattered her plans once again.

What about all her plans over the years?

"Oh……"

Ye Xinglan suddenly found herself somewhat amusing.

From beginning to end, it seemed she had never escaped the cage that the other party had set for her.

All in vain.