Fairy, help me cultivate.

Song Qin gave an awkward laugh a few times: "Yes! What a coincidence."

Chen Yao pointed to the empty table next to him: "Want to sit down?"

Song Qin quickly sat down: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

She looked around, then covered her mouth with one hand: "I got some news from Fairy Lü."

"What?" Chen Yao seemed uninterested. "If it's something you shouldn't tell others, then don't say it."

Song Qin nodded, slightly frustrated: "Yes, it's not good to let too many people know."

She lowered her head, fiddling with the teacup for a moment, then exhaled: "However, I trust you won't go around spreading rumors, right?"

"Ah."

"I was just chatting with Fairy Lü, and I vaguely gleaned some incredible secrets from her words."

"what?"

"First of all, Fairy Lü and Fairy Fang are good friends. Usually, she is unusually interested in Fairy Fang. But today, she doesn't seem to care much about news about Fairy Fang."

"Could they have had a fight?"

"No, I've never heard of her. Besides, the implication in her words is that Fairy Fang doesn't exist anymore."

Chen Yao looked at Song Qin, also wondering if Lü Ke had deliberately asked Song Qin to pass on this message to him.

But what was her motivation?

Song Qin glanced at Lü Ke and said in an extremely low voice, "I suspect that Fairy Lü has something on Fairy Fang that she can use to destroy her. If that's the case, then their friendship is nothing more than a tool for her to get close to Fairy Fang."

After saying that, she covered her mouth, stood up, and slipped away.

Chen Yao fell into deep thought.

Is this a warning being sent to him through Song Qin?

Or rather, a threat?

Or is it a test?

Chen Yao decided to go over and test the waters.

Lu Kexian sipped her tea quietly, ignoring Chen Yao.

"Fairy Lü, I have news about Fairy Fang..."

"Ah Jin, it's about time, let's go!"

Before Chen Yao could finish speaking, Lü Ke got up and left.

As the attendant passed by Chen Yao, a look of contempt flashed in his eyes, along with pity.

Chen Yao frowned.

After Lü Ke left, Chen Yao wanted to find Jiang Bailin to remind her of this matter, but after searching the entire banquet hall, she could not find Jiang Bailin or the Golden Dragon Ancestor.

Knowing that the banquet was over, Chen Yao walked toward the carriage.

The driver respectfully told him, "Tonight, the master instructed that the young master should go back alone, as he has some matters to attend to here."

Chen Yao felt something was wrong, but considering that the Golden Dragon Ancestor was extremely powerful, he thought he should be alright.

"it is good."

He boarded the carriage, which headed out of the city.

Chapter 143 Tonight, Jiang Bailin will be surrounded and killed.

In the stillness of the night, the mournful sound of a bili (a type of reed pipe) occasionally drifted through the window.

Chen Yao tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the darkness of the room, he got up, put on his clothes, and went to the front yard to inquire about the whereabouts of the Golden Dragon Ancestor.

They still haven't come back.

Chen Yao's ominous premonition grew stronger.

During the day, he went to the abandoned tower again.

The tower was empty, as if the Golden Dragon Ancestor had only led him through a dream.

Something must be wrong.

However, the Golden Dragon Ancestor's combat power is beyond doubt, and Chen Yao does not believe that he himself will be harmed.

After all, the city lord of Jinchang City was only a fallen Golden Core cultivator.

Emerging from the tower, Chen Yao walked slowly, recalling the events as he went, trying to find anything suspicious.

"The world is about to change..."

The ragged crowd huddled by the roadside, shivering and gazing sadly at the ever-changing clouds in the sky.

Amidst the swirling winds and clouds, tangled and chaotic arcs of various colors marked the passage of cultivators from different families within Jinchang City.

Chen Yao had never seen such dense curves before.

A deafening gong sounded, and several servants from a prominent family patrolled the street.

"By order of the City Lord's Mansion, effective immediately, Jinchang City will be under a street-cleaning order. Beggars and commoners are only permitted to move within the following areas! Get out! Get out!"

Perhaps the clouds were too disturbed by the cultivators to hold on any longer, and a torrential rain poured down, with huge raindrops pounding the ground with a loud "bang".

Under the whipping of servants and the heavy pounding of rain, the ragged people cried out and ran wildly like headless flies.

Chen Yao sighed, his doubts growing stronger.

I just hope to see Jiang Bailin at the banquet tonight and discuss it.

Night has fallen.

Chen Yao changed into his finest clothes and stepped down alone from the magnificent carriage into the imposing and somber city lord's mansion.

The nobles danced in the large ballroom as usual, but each of them looked somewhat distracted.

Even among those sitting in small groups chatting, an atmosphere of deceit and treachery permeated the air.

Chen Yao patiently tried to get closer to a group of his peers whom he had previously spoken with to gather information.

But when those people saw him, they all shut their mouths and didn't talk to him.

Chen Yao tried several other groups of people, and they either scattered as soon as they saw him or moved far away to the side.

He pursed his lips and went up to the second-floor terrace.

In the corner, the table where Lü Ke often sat was empty.

Chen Yao waited for Jiang Bailin by the railing.

Halfway through the ball, she was still nowhere to be seen.

He could feel as if a vacuum had formed around him, with the nobles keeping a safe distance.

Could it be that we've been exposed?

Chen Yao secretly observed the expressions of everyone he could see and found that although they were avoiding him, they all seemed distracted.

This is not the expression of someone preparing to surround and annihilate a spy.

A major change is about to occur in Jinchang City.

Could it be that the Golden Dragon Ancestor and Jiang Bailin's plan to instigate internal strife among the nobles has succeeded?

"You really are here."

The familiar, sweet voice was like a spring of sweet water falling from the sky, washing away the restlessness in Chen Yao's heart.

He quickly turned around and saw Jiang Bailin walking towards him.

The expression is off.

He was startled.

Jiang Bailin stared straight at him: "What exactly is your purpose?"

Chen Yao didn't understand what she was talking about: "What do you mean?"

"What is your purpose in coming to my tribe?"

Jiang Bailin seemed like a completely different person, as cold as a dagger with its sharp edge exposed.

Chen Yao frowned: "I really don't know what you're talking about. There's been no news of the Ancestor since the banquet last night. Is he with you?"

Jiang Bailin, a cold smile playing on her lips, pressed herself against Chen Yao in her high heels, her heaving chest almost touching Chen Yao's stomach.

But no one thought the two were flirting or being intimate. Those watching their actions from the shadows kept their distance. It was a storm that could erupt at any moment. In the current tense situation in Jinchang City, no one dared to provoke the Fang family.

Jiang Bailin chuckled through his nose: "The thief crying 'Stop thief!'"

Her slender, red-painted fingers pressed against Chen Yao's chest.

Chen Yao could feel the chill emanating from her fingertips; this was no joke.

He was getting angry and shoved her index finger away: "Speak clearly, don't go crazy!"

“You betrayed our ancestor, and he has now been captured by Pang Xi! You’re still pretending to be innocent. I wish I could pluck your heart out with one finger and see what color it is.”

Chen Yao exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible? There must be some misunderstanding here!"

"Our ancestor confided in you completely. Only the three of us know what happened here. If it weren't for you, would it be me?"

Jiang Bailin's eyes were red-rimmed and glistening with moisture.

She gritted her teeth and said angrily, "It must have been you who secretly made a deal with Pang Xi for the sake of Jiu Luo's information! How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you dare to get involved in such a dangerous situation? Humph, so you had a good plan all along. I was blind!"

Chen Yao knew something was wrong, but after being berated by Jiang Bailin, he couldn't make sense of the situation in a short time and had no way to explain it.

Jiang Bailin lifted her gleaming silver heels, stepped back, and tapped his chest with her index finger once more.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, her chest heaving, then opened them again, her face resolute: "No matter what your intentions are, I won't kill you this time because you saved my life. You'd better get lost, and after the banquet, I'll hunt you down first!"

After saying that, she turned and left.

Chen Yao stood there, bewildered.