53: Night-blooming jasmine

In the afternoon,

Situ Jun straightened his lapels and slowly walked toward the East Courtyard.

He was going to put on a "first meeting" act with Li Danying to successfully plant the impression in the minds of everyone in the East Courtyard that he, Situ Jun, was highly regarded by Li Danying, laying the foundation for his future actions in the North Mansion.

In the main hall, Li Danying reclined on a Xiangfei couch, the agarwood smoke from a gilded incense burner mixing with the scent of jasmine on her body.

Seeing Situ Jun enter, Li Danying deliberately put on airs to punish him for his arrogant behavior the previous night. Before long, Li Danying smiled comfortably and let Situ Jun off the hook.

After the two chatted for a while, Situ Jun departed under the curious gazes of the maids and guards.

After leaving the East Courtyard, Situ Jun hurried straight to Su Yunniang's courtyard.

Yun Niang was sitting in the courtyard, gently waving a silk fan. Seeing Situ Jun's arrival, she quickly stood up to welcome him.

"Husband, why are you in such a hurry?"

Yun Niang asked softly.

Situ Jun sat down on a stone bench and said with a solemn expression:

"Yun Niang, I want to discuss our future with you."

He then explained his plans one by one. Yun Niang listened intently, nodding from time to time.

After a long while, Situ Jun suddenly remembered something and quickly asked:

"Yun Niang, do you know anything about an organization called the 'Qingyun Chamber of Commerce'?"

Yun Niang smiled gently and poured him a cup of tea:

"The Qingyun Chamber of Commerce is unimaginably powerful. It has branches in every Dynasty and even Imperial Dynasty. The branch in the Northern Dynasty is located right in the Royal City."

She paused, a hint of thought flashing in her eyes:

"If you're interested in the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce, you can ask Sister Su Wan. I heard her former Family used to run a chamber of commerce, so she must know much more about it than I do."

Situ Jun was a bit surprised and exclaimed:

"The Qingyun Chamber of Commerce is truly massive!"

Yun Niang nodded in agreement:

"Indeed. To be able to open branches across all Dynasties and even Imperial Dynasties is truly extraordinary. The powers behind it must be formidable, perhaps even more than one."

"By the way, Yun Niang, how far is the Northern Border from the Royal City?"

Situ Jun suddenly asked.

Yun Niang tapped her fingertip lightly on the table:

"Between the Northern Border and the Royal City, it takes at least ten days by carriage if you take the Official Road."

After speaking, she looked at Situ Jun curiously and asked:

"Do you want to go see the Royal City?"

Situ Jun smiled and said:

"I'll go see it when I have the chance in the future."

In fact, he asked this because he thought of Zhu Changpo sending the Dark Commander Tu Xiong to escort the Ore last night. Taking advantage of the fact that he still had two servant slots left, he planned to subjugate Tu Xiong while he was transporting the Ore.

By the time he left Yun Niang's courtyard, the sun had already set.

Situ Jun stood at the courtyard gate, looking toward the Official Road leading from the Northern Border to the Dynasty's capital, already having a plan in mind.

If he pursued along the Official Road tonight, he would surely encounter the Dark Commander, Tu Xiong.

Regarding Tu Xiong, Situ Jun intended to subdue and train him well. Such a person with a heavy killing aura would surely be a great help to him in the future.

Moreover, subduing Tu Xiong would also significantly weaken Zhu Changpo's strength.

As night fell, Situ Jun made an excuse about business at a shop outside the mansion, gave Cherry some instructions, and hurried out of the North Mansion's main gate... to the backyard of a shop.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the locust tree leaves, casting fine silver spots on the blue brick ground, while the chirping of cicadas echoed in the silent night sky, sometimes near and sometimes far.

Situ Jun sat upright on a stone bench in the shop's backyard, with a pot of good tea beside him.

He poured himself a full cup, drank it in one gulp, and muttered to himself:

"Time to go after Tu Xiong."

He set down the teacup, glanced at the leaves swaying in the night breeze, opened his Storage Pouch, and took out a night-suit to change into.

He had already thought it through. Tu Xiong was escorting heavy Ore, so he couldn't have traveled very far in a day. By riding a fast horse, he would surely catch up along the Official Road before dawn.

Outside the courtyard, a newly purchased Snow Steed was restlessly pawing the ground, the bronze bells on its saddle swaying gently in the wind. This was what he had ordered the shop attendant to prepare when he arrived.

Situ Jun stroked the horse's neck, untied the reins, and mounted it.

Mounting the Snow Steed, the noble horse shot out like an arrow from a bow, its four hooves flying and kicking up clouds of dust.

On the Official Road at night, the howling of wolves mixed with the cries of Night Owls rose and fell, gradually fading behind Situ Jun.

He looked at the waning moon on the horizon, estimating the distance in his mind.

Half a day later, he finally saw rows of carriages parked by the roadside at a small town's courier station.

Through his spiritual sense, he confirmed that these carriages were loaded with various iron Ores. Seeing these Ores, a smile appeared on Situ Jun's face; he knew he had finally caught up.

The town was small, with only one inn. Relying on his half-step Golden Core Cultivation and spiritual sense search, he quickly sensed the aura of someone around the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

Without a word, Situ Jun used his superior Cultivation to avoid the guards, flew up to the second floor, and entered the room directly through the window.

"Who's there!"

Tu Xiong's roar and the sound of a sword being unsheathed rang out simultaneously, only to be abruptly cut short under Situ Jun's Spiritual Pressure.

Confirming that this person was indeed the Tu Xiong he was looking for, Situ Jun didn't bother wasting words. Moving like lightning, he instantly subdued him, and a pitch-black servitude pill slid down his throat.

Through the servitude pill, Situ Jun learned from Tu Xiong that this Ore shipment was secret, intended for purchasing a "gold condensing pill" from the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce to help Zhu Changpo Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

What angered him even more was that Zhu Changpo had actually colluded with people from the Zhou Dynasty, attempting to use them to get rid of him.

Situ Jun pondered for a moment and learned that in twelve days, Zhu Changpo would transfer him to the Mine Tunnel under some unavoidable pretext.

He sneered inwardly. Now that his Cultivation was equal to Zhu Changpo's, once he had a Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage, he would definitely make that old fellow taste the feeling of being enslaved.

He instructed Tu Xiong to continue transporting the Ore but to deliberately delay. Even if he obtained the Medicinal Pill, he was to use the excuse of being robbed; he must never let Zhu Changpo consume it.

He wasn't worried about Zhu Changpo taking it now; with Zhu Changpo having only 3,000 points of heavenly luck value, a Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage was almost impossible.

With the matter settled, Situ Jun returned to the North City Mansion overnight.

By the time he returned to the North City Mansion, the water clock had already passed the third watch. Outside Li Danying's sleeping hall, the night dew made the blue stone bricks shine. Situ Jun silently vaulted over the high wall and slipped into Li Danying's bedroom under the cover of night.

The night was as dark as ink, and inside Li Danying's sleeping hall, red candles flickered, enveloping the entire room in a warm yellow glow.

Two hours later.

Situ Jun held the sweat-drenched Li Danying and smiled triumphantly. Li Danying gave him a playful, coy push, but her brow couldn't hide her deep affection.

"It's so late; I thought you wouldn't come tonight."

Li Danying wrapped her arms around Situ Jun's neck, her red lips pressed against his ear. Her voice was soft, and her warm breath fanned against his ear.

Situ Jun felt as if his heart had been lightly brushed by a feather. His hot breath fanned over Li Danying's hair as he held the beauty in his arms, his fingertips unconsciously stroking her smooth, fair back as he said softly:

"With such a beautiful lady as my wife, I'd love to come every day and be with you every moment."

Li Danying gave a charming smile and said:

"Really? Why don't you come back to the Royal Capital with me? Then we can be together every day."

Situ Jun was startled and asked:

"You're going back to the Royal Palace? Isn't it fine here?"

Li Danying's jade-like hand reached up to stroke his face, then moved to his chest to draw circles as she said wistfully:

"My heart has been forcibly stolen by you. I want to go back and have some peace to see if this is just another fleeting affair or a beautiful marriage."

Situ Jun's pupils constricted as he stared at her picturesque, beautiful face. A moment later, he broke into a smile and flipped over, pressing her beneath him:

"In your heart, perhaps you enjoy this kind of fleeting affair, sinking into this pleasure without restraint. But I must tell you, you can never escape me in this lifetime. Stay in the palace and take care of the pregnancy. When I am strong enough, I will come back for you and give you a wedding!"

Li Danying was stunned. Her flushed face showed both joy and emotion, along with a hint of shyness:

"You're truly overbearing. I'm still someone else's wife, yet you're already thinking about me bearing your children. Not a word of truth! Who could know they're pregnant after knowing someone for less than two days? You're talking nonsense."

"Since you're worried about not being pregnant, then I'll have to work harder a few more times to dispel your doubts."

After Situ Jun finished speaking, he leaned down and kissed her.

"Did you... take some medicine? Why is there no end to this..."

Li Danying's eyelashes fluttered, her warm breath brushing against his nose. Her heart was both happy and troubled, and she gradually lost ground in her playful resistance.

The night breeze, carrying bursts of floral fragrance, blew into the room through the gaps in the carved window, flickering the red candles and swaying the layers of bed curtains...