324: Chapter 324 The Man in Black, Brother-in-Law?

The two left Sunset Cliff and headed east, traveling in the direction of Qingqiu.

As Chu Sheng walked, he recalled the last words of King Peng: "Some truths are more dangerous the more you know about them."

He couldn't help but ask: "Do you think King Peng is trustworthy?"

Jiuer was silent for a moment, then said: "You cannot trust him completely, nor can you completely distrust him."

"It is true that his relationship with the Old Dragon is not good. But he will not fall out with the Old Dragon for our sake."

"He gave us the information because he felt it was in his interest. If one day we become a liability to him, he will sell us out without hesitation."

Chu Sheng nodded: "Then we must make ourselves strong enough before he considers us a liability."

Jiuer glanced at him and didn't respond.

The two continued their journey as the night deepened.

By the time they returned to the ruins of Qingqiu, it was the night of the second day.

Moonlight shone on the broken walls and ruins, making it appear even more desolate than when they last visited.

Just as Chu Sheng was about to speak, he suddenly sensed a faint fluctuation of Qi in the depths of the ruins.

It was not a Yao Beast, nor was it a Formation; it was a living person.

He stopped his footsteps and signaled to Jiuer with his eyes.

Jiuer had sensed it too.

Her gaze turned cold, and with a flash of her figure, she dashed toward the direction the aura came from.

Chu Sheng followed closely behind her.

In the depths of the ruins, in front of a half-collapsed altar, stood a man in black.

The person was wearing a black cloak, head bowed, as if paying respects to something.

Hearing the movement behind him, the man in black turned around abruptly. Upon seeing Jiuer and Chu Sheng, his pupils constricted, and he turned to run.

Jiuer shouted sharply: "Where do you think you're going!"

She surged forward, her speed astonishingly fast, closing the distance to within ten zhang behind the man in black in the blink of an eye.

The man in black didn't even look back, throwing out two rays of light with a backhand motion.

Those were two balls of cyan fox fire, which transformed into two sharp blades in the air, shooting toward Jiuer's face.

Jiuer raised her hand and flicked it, easily dispersing the two balls of fox fire, but her expression changed.

"A Move of the Fox Clan?" She stared at the retreating back. "Who exactly are you?"

The man in black did not answer and continued to run forward, but his speed was significantly slower than before.

Chu Sheng flanked him from the side, drawing the broken Zhuxian sword. A slash of Sword Qi cut across the ground in front of the man in black, leaving a deep fissure.

The man in black was forced to stop, standing before the fissure, unable to advance or retreat.

Jiuer landed behind him, a ball of pale purple light already coalescing in her hand, ready to strike at any moment.

The man in black was silent for a moment, then reached up and took off his hood.

It revealed a pale, gaunt face, the eyes and brows bearing some resemblance to Jiuer's, yet it looked more exhausted and weathered.

He coughed a few times, his voice raspy: "Little Sister, it's me."

Jiuer's hand stopped abruptly.

She stared at that face, her pupils dilating violently, her voice trembling: "Brother?"

The man in black—no, Wan Qiba—curved the corners of his mouth slightly.

"Little Sister, I didn't expect you to still be alive."

Jiuer's voice was trembling: "You... you didn't die?"

Wan Qiba shook his head: "No. But I'm not much better off."

He coughed a few more times, his complexion turning even paler.

"I have been hiding, hiding from the Dragon Clan's pursuers. I only dared to show myself after hearing you had returned a few days ago."

Jiuer did not speak; she just stood there, looking at him, as if confirming this was not a hallucination.

Wan Qiba glanced at Chu Sheng, then at Jiuer, his gaze lingering on the way they stood side by side, and the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.

"And this is..."

Jiuer said: "My husband. Chu Sheng."

Wan Qiba nodded and cupped his hands toward Chu Sheng: "So it is my brother-in-law. Excuse my lack of manners."

His tone was very polite, carrying a just-right amount of warmth.

Chu Sheng also cupped his hands: "You are too polite, Brother."

While speaking, his Divine Sense discreetly scanned Wan Qiba's body, but he did not detect any abnormalities.

His aura was very weak, his spiritual power chaotic, as if he had suffered heavy injuries.

What he said was reasonable and logical, and it matched the past events Jiuer had previously recounted.

But Chu Sheng felt something was wrong in his heart.

He couldn't put his finger on what was wrong; it was just an intuition.

He thought to himself: If only Old Grandfather were still here, he could help him check whether this brother-in-law who suddenly appeared had any problems.

Now, he could only rely on himself.

Wan Qiba sat down in front of the altar and began to recount the events of that year.

"When Qingqiu was destroyed back then, the Old Dragon struck personally, and we all thought we were doomed."

"But I was lucky; several clansmen protected me with their lives, and I escaped."

"All these years, I have been investigating the events of that year."

"You were right before; it was indeed the Old Dragon who acted. But the one who directly carried out the deed was not the Old Dragon himself."

Jiuer asked: "Then who was it?"

Wan Qiba said: "The Old Dragon has four sons."

"The eldest legitimate son, Zhu Qing, is in the Middle Stage, has the highest cultivation, and is the heir most valued by the Old Dragon."

"The second son, Zhu Yin, is at the Half-Step Divine Ability, has a gloomy personality, and is vicious in his methods. The one who sent people to forcefully marry you back then was actually plotted by him behind the scenes."

"The third son, Zhu Yu, is that playboy; his cultivation was piled up by force, just the Palace Building Realm, not worth mentioning."

"There is also a daughter, who is also named Zhu Yu, but she has never appeared in public."

Jiuer frowned: "Zhu Yin? Why would he do that?"

Wan Qiba said: "The Fox Clan has an ancestral Magical Artifact called the Heavenly Fox Mirror, which can predict fortune and misfortune and explore the truth. Zhu Yin wanted this Magical Artifact, which is why he plotted that marriage."

"He did not expect you to refuse, and even less did he expect the Old Dragon to personally wipe out the clan."

"He just wanted to use the marriage to get close to the Fox Clan; he didn't expect things to escalate to an uncontrollable point."

Jiuer was silent for a long time.

She recalled the events of that year, the clansmen who had died, and the burned-down Qingqiu.

Her eyes turned very cold, like two balls of frozen fire.

"Zhu Yin... I will remember this."

Wan Qiba looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of worry: "Little Sister, although you have now achieved a Breakthrough to the Divine Ability, the Old Dragon's side has vast forces, and there are two experts, Zhu Qing and Zhu Yin. You alone..."

He did not finish, but the meaning was clear.

Jiuer said: "Not alone. I have my husband, my clansmen, and my allies."

Her tone was very firm, as if she were speaking to herself.

Wan Qiba nodded, his gaze falling on Chu Sheng again, carrying a meaningful look.

"Brother-in-law, my little sister has a stubborn temper; please bear with her in the future."

Chu Sheng said: "Rest assured, Brother."

While speaking politely, he thought to himself: I hope this brother-in-law who suddenly appeared is truly here to help.

And not another piece of trouble.