23: Chapter 23 The Clues Have Gone Cold

On the way to the small courtyard in the east of the city, Tang Xiaowu followed closely behind Tang Liu.

The two remained silent throughout the journey, but the people around them began to whisper to each other upon seeing that Tang Liu had actually been released.

These bits of gossip could not escape the hearing of the two.

Like they had grown wings, the words kept drifting into their ears.

"Eh? Isn't this Tang Liu? How did he get out? If I remember correctly, didn't he injure the son of the Minister of Rites?"

"You don't know? His sister is quite capable; she goes to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion every night to warm the bed."

"Once she's served that Heir Apparent well, getting someone out is just a matter of a single word from him."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I heard this Tang Liu is quite protective of his sister. If he knew his sister was being..."

These foul words were like sharp knives, stabbing ruthlessly into Tang Liu's heart.

His fists clenched until they cracked, veins bulging on the back of his hands. The Divine Turtle Art within him circulated frantically, barely suppressing his urge to kill someone in the middle of the street.

This was the capital; these people might have some backer behind them.

He had already suffered at the hands of the Minister of Rites and would absolutely not let it happen a second time.

Finally, the two returned to the familiar small courtyard.

Tang Liu strode into the courtyard and stood there with his back to Tang Xiaowu, not turning around.

Tang Xiaowu carefully closed the courtyard gate. Looking at that familiar yet cold back, her heart ached, and she called out timidly:

"Brother..."

"Don't call me brother!"

Tang Liu abruptly interrupted her, his voice cold as iron:

"I, Tang Liu, don't have the capability to have such a powerful sister."

With his back still turned to Tang Xiaowu, he said coldly:

"Speak. Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in approaching me?"

Hearing these words, Tang Xiaowu's body trembled, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Sixth Brother, I am Xiaowu."

"We have depended on each other since we were young. What purpose could I have in approaching you?"

"When I was seven, heavy snow blocked the mountains, and I fainted at the village entrance. It was you who carried me home on your back and gave me what little food you had."

"From then on, I knew that you would always be my closest relative..."

Listening to Tang Xiaowu's choked-up recount of their past moments, the coldness in Tang Liu's eyes gradually thawed a bit.

"Since I am your closest relative..."

Tang Liu took a deep breath. His tone softened slightly, but it still carried an interrogation:

"Then why did you keep things from me?"

Tang Xiaowu's voice came to an abrupt halt in the face of Tang Liu's questioning.

She opened her mouth but found herself speechless.

These matters were things she certainly couldn't tell Tang Liu right now.

After a long while, she lowered her head, her voice carrying a hint of a plea:

"Sixth Brother, trust me, I have my reasons."

"I can't tell you these things yet."

"But I definitely would never harm you, Sixth Brother."

"It's just that the time isn't right yet, so I have to keep it from you."

"You have your reasons?"

Tang Liu sneered. "What a fine excuse. If I'm not mistaken..."

"You came to the capital and entered Four Seas Academy not to accompany me at all, but for the Secret Realm within Four Seas Academy, right?"

Tang Xiaowu suddenly looked up, a flash of panic in her eyes, but she pressed her lips together and did not deny it.

To Tang Liu, this silence was a tacit admission.

"Heh, as I thought."

Tang Liu gave a self-deprecating laugh, disappointment surging through him like a tide.

So the so-called deep sibling bond was nothing more than mutual exploitation.

His voice became incredibly cold as he said indifferently:

"I'm a bit tired. I'm going back to my room to rest."

After saying that, he walked straight into the inner room and slammed the door shut with a "bang."

That loud noise was like a heavy hammer smashing ruthlessly against Tang Xiaowu's heart.

She stood there dazed, staring at the closed door, as tears finally burst forth like a broken dam.

...

Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

Chen Shanzhi was in no hurry to go to Yihong Pavilion; instead, he first returned to the mansion to bring along Zhao Er, who was practicing his martial arts.

Previously, with a Xuanguan Peak expert like Tang Xiaowu by his side, his sense of security was overflowing, so he naturally didn't need to bring him.

But now that Tang Xiaowu was gone, he only had Coachman Zhao Da by his side. Although loyal enough, his strength was somewhat lacking.

Only after bringing Zhao Er did Chen Shanzhi feel much more at ease.

After all, in the capital, as long as anyone revealed strength above the Xuanguan Realm...

...the Jiantian Division could immediately sense that person's location through the immortal stele.

Then, people from the Jiantian Division would immediately rush over to make an arrest.

Therefore, in the capital, one could walk with their head held high just by bringing a Xuanguan Peak guard.

As for whether it was possible for Martial Artists of an even higher Realm to sneak into the capital for an ambush...

...that could only be described as having a death wish. The immortal stele was a relic of an Immortal and had more functions than just that.

Accompanied by his two great guards, Chen Shanzhi swaggered into Yihong Pavilion.

"Oh my! Isn't this the Heir Apparent?"

As soon as the madam saw that her "God of Wealth," Chen Shanzhi, had arrived, she wiggled her hips and came forward to greet him.

"You haven't been here for a few days; the girls have missed you to death."

"Cut the crap. Where is Miss Youyou? I want to see her." Chen Shanzhi tossed over a silver ingot.

The madam caught the silver, but a look of difficulty appeared on her face.

"Heir Apparent, what a coincidence. Miss Youyou has been feeling a bit unwell these past few days."

"How about you choose another girl? Our new arrival, Xiao Hong, is also quite good..."

"Feeling unwell?"

As soon as Chen Shanzhi heard this, he immediately understood.

A Xuanguan Peak expert, and she's "unwell"? It's not like she's so crippled by period cramps that she can't get out of bed, right?

This was clearly her still being angry about what happened that night.

Tsk tsk tsk, women.

Chen Shanzhi was a veteran in his past life and knew that if a woman was truly angry, you absolutely couldn't wait for her to calm down on her own.

Of course, that didn't count fake anger intended just to get you to buy her things.

Ignoring the madam's attempts to stop him, Chen Shanzhi went straight to Jiang Yingrao's room in Yihong Pavilion.

Reaching the door, Chen Shanzhi reached out and pushed it.

But he found it wouldn't budge; the door seemed to be locked.

His eyebrows twitched slightly. He circulated the True Essence within his Xuanguan Six Apertures and slammed against it.

"Bang!"

The door panel let out a dull thud but remained as steady as a mountain. The counter-force even made Chen Shanzhi's shoulder feel numb.

"Good grief."

Chen Shanzhi laughed from anger.

Fine, fine, fine. "Unwell" but still has the strength to use True Essence to block the door, eh?

In that case, I won't be polite either.

"Miss Youyou!"

Chen Shanzhi was no longer in a hurry to ram the door. Instead, he cleared his throat and shouted toward the room:

"I know you're in there. If you still don't open the door, This Heir will have to call Zhao Er for help."

"You know Zhao Er is a rough fellow who doesn't know his own strength. With his Xuanguan Peak power, I'm afraid it might affect others."

He intentionally dragged out the end of his sentence, emphasizing the words "affect others" with an extremely punchable tone.

The meaning was very clear:

You don't want to be forced to reveal your true strength in public, do you?

Sure enough, not two seconds after he finished speaking...

"Creak—"

The door slowly opened a crack.

Chen Shanzhi smiled triumphantly and waved back at Coachman Zhao Da and Zhao Er.

"You two wait at the door. Don't let anyone disturb This Heir while I'm attending to official business."

"Yes!"

He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

Chen Shanzhi looked up and saw Jiang Yingrao dressed in red, reclining on a soft couch by the window.

She held a cup of wine in her hand, her gaze fixed on the bustling street scene outside the window, not even giving Chen Shanzhi a direct glance.

Her profile was cold and exquisite, yet like a snow lotus on an iceberg, it radiated a chilling aura that kept people a thousand miles away.

"Yo, isn't this Miss Youyou?"

Chen Shanzhi brazenly approached, grinning cheekily.

"Haven't seen you for a few days, and you've become even more beautiful. This Heir has missed you terribly."

"I heard from the madam that Miss Youyou was unwell, and This Heir was quite worried."

"Now seeing that Miss Youyou still has the mood for wine, I suppose there shouldn't be any major problem."

"Hmph."

Jiang Yingrao gave a cold snort. Hearing Chen Shanzhi's voice, she didn't turn around, only saying coldly:

"Why hasn't the Heir Apparent gone to accompany that great talented woman from Four Seas Academy?"

"What, did you get tired of her and finally remember this common courtesan?"

"The Heir Apparent must have found the wrong person. After all, she is like the bright moon in the sky, while a firefly's light like mine is hardly worthy of your concern."

Hearing this, the corners of Chen Shanzhi's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Damn it, which gossip-monger passed the words from that night to this enchantress?

This scent of jealousy... why does it sound even stronger than Tang Xiaowu's that night?

But at a time like this, he absolutely couldn't back down, though he couldn't admit it either.

"Who? Who is spreading rumors?"

Chen Shanzhi looked filled with righteous indignation.

"Who is so blind as to dare say such a thing?"

"In This Heir's heart, Miss Youyou is the bright moon in the sky!"

"That Tang Xiaowu is just a green girl; she's not even worthy of carrying Miss Youyou's shoes!"

"Hehe."

Jiang Yingrao sneered twice, clearly not believing a single punctuation mark.

Seeing Chen Shanzhi still trying to lean in, her eyes turned cold, and she suddenly raised one of her long, straight legs.

She didn't even care if the flickering glimpses of her skin would be seen by him.

She simply and unceremoniously kicked out at him:

"Get out!"

The kick was fast and fierce, accompanied by a sharp whistling of wind.

But what kind of eyesight did Chen Shanzhi have?

He saw at a glance that this seemingly ferocious kick didn't actually carry any True Essence.

What did this mean?

It meant this was flirting!

Chen Shanzhi's heart settled. Instead of retreating, he advanced, reaching out like lightning and grabbing that jade-like foot.

It felt delicate and smooth to the touch, with a slender ankle and a faint fragrance—truly a treat for any foot lover.

He took the opportunity to toy with it in his hand for a moment.

Jiang Yingrao's body suddenly froze.

A surge of shame rushed to her head.

This shameless lecher! He actually dared to grab her foot!

Boom!

This time, she truly used her True Essence.

A surge of majestic True Essence erupted from the sole of her foot like a volcanic eruption.

"Holy crap!"

Chen Shanzhi let out a pathetic cry and was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the door.

"Ouch!"

"Heir Apparent, what's wrong? What happened?" Coachman Zhao Da's anxious voice came from outside, sounding as if he was about to break in.

"Don't come in!"

Chen Shanzhi clutched his chest and scrambled up from the floor, grimacing as he shouted to the outside:

"It's nothing, it's nothing. This Heir is just playing some games with Miss Youyou. Don't make a fuss!"

Inside the room.

Jiang Yingrao withdrew her foot, smoothed her skirt, and looked coldly at the disheveled Chen Shanzhi:

"If the Heir Apparent is here to cause trouble or intends to commit some indecency, you can leave now. You are not welcome here."

Chen Shanzhi brushed the dust off his buttocks. Instead of being angry, he walked back with a grin.

He knew that although this enchantress had a sharp tongue, she had held back on that kick just now.

Otherwise, with her Xuanguan Peak strength, that kick could have crushed his ribs.

What did this mean?

It meant that the anger she felt before had mostly dissipated after his banter.

"How could that be?"

Chen Shanzhi dropped his playful grin, switching to serious mode in a second. He said solemnly:

"I've come this time for serious business."

As he spoke, he took a few steps toward the soft couch and then, while Jiang Yingrao wasn't paying attention...

...he plopped down right next to her, sitting tightly against her.

Their thighs were pressed closely together.

"You!"

Jiang Yingrao was stunned for a moment, then startled, instinctively trying to pull away.

But when their skin pressed together through their clothes, the Yin Parasite that had been dormant in her body for several days...

...began to throb joyfully upon sensing the aura of the Yang Parasite.

That tingling sensation caused two red clouds to instantly bloom on her cheeks.

In her mind, the lingering pleasure after their Dual Cultivation that night instantly surfaced...

Jiang Yingrao's face turned even redder. Biting her lip, she surprisingly didn't push him away immediately.

"You..."

Having regained her composure, Jiang Yingrao was about to scold him when Chen Shanzhi beat her to it, asking seriously:

"Has the person who went to the old farmer's vegetable patch to leave the letter been caught?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yingrao's expression immediately turned serious, and she cast aside her romantic thoughts.

She shook her head, her brows furrowed in a deep frown of worry:

"No. So many days have passed, and there hasn't been any movement over there."

"The old farmer goes about his business farming and selling vegetables as usual; no one has contacted him at all."

"No movement at all?"

Chen Shanzhi was taken aback, his brow also furrowing.

This wasn't right.

According to the game's plot, the guy responsible for delivering the letter would return to check on the situation a few days later because he hadn't received a reply.

This timeframe definitely wouldn't exceed five days.

But it's been seven days now. Why is there still no movement?

Could it be because my Transmigration changed some of the plot, causing a Butterfly Effect?

If this lead is broken, it will be difficult to root out the mole planted by the Grand Elder.

Chen Shanzhi naturally knew of another contact point used by the Grand Elder and his people.

But in the game, the contact code for that location was randomized.

Only by following Shopkeeper Jiang's lead and catching the person who left the letter with the vegetable farmer could one obtain the code through him.

Only then could you go to that other contact point and provide the correct code.

If you go directly to the contact point, they'll give you five codes.

All five codes are "correct" answers in a sense, but only the one randomly determined through Shopkeeper Jiang's quest line will work.

Of course, since it's a game—a single-player one at that—you could actually use the SL method.

Save before making a choice, and if it's wrong, force-quit the game. Then go back in and pick another one.

But this wasn't a game now; it was reality.

Once you choose incorrectly, they'll become alerted.

They might even change locations immediately.

"This is a bit troublesome..."

Chen Shanzhi rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought.