Jiang Liu returned to his residence and tidied himself up before heading out to Leisurely Abode.
As soon as I entered Leisurely Abode, I heard a noisy argument going on among the crowd.
Jiang Liu quickly gestured to the waiter. Jiang Liu had been here so many times, and the waiter knew Jiang Liu's habits. While serving him tea, the waiter explained to Jiang Liu, "They're all talking about how Xiahou Yi, the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Sect, is arriving soon. They've been arguing about it since this morning."
"Let them come, what's the big deal?"
"My lord, you are unaware of this, but the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Sect did not come alone. She was accompanied by several heroes of the Jianghu, who acted as her protectors."
"Oh?" Jiang Liu asked, raising his voice slightly, "Which heroes of the Jianghu are there?"
Upon hearing Jiang Liu's question, a tea drinker nearby quickly replied, "Yun Tianlan, the eldest son of the Yun family in Yunzhou; Pang Li, the eldest son of the Pang Family; Feng Qijia, the eldest son of the Feng Family; Feng Qijia, the eldest son of the Yi family in Feng Province; Yi Su most importantly, Xiao Tian, who ranks seventh on the Ascension Rankings."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu exclaimed, "Wow, she has quite a few protectors! Even those who made it onto the Ascension Rankings have come. It seems the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Sect is truly captivating."
Jiang Liu sipped his tea and ate his snacks while listening to the tea drinkers next to him boast as if they had experienced it firsthand, talking about how awesome this young master was and how powerful that young master was.
In the end, they even argued over who would win the beauty's heart. Judging from their heated argument, someone who didn't know better would think they were fighting over a wife.
Just as Jiang Liu was about to get up and leave, the bald man in blue clothes appeared again.
Jiang Liu looked at Feng Yi with a mocking expression, without saying a word.
Feng Yi showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and sat down casually. He called the waiter for another cup of tea and began to eat and drink.
Jiang Liu had no choice but to sit down again. Seeing Feng Yi wolfing down his food, he couldn't help but ask, "How many days have you not eaten?"
Feng Yi took another sip of tea, swallowed the pastry in his mouth, and then said, "I was locked up by the Martial Prohibition Hall for two days and was only released this morning. There was nothing good to eat in there, and I was starving."
Jiang Liu laughed when he heard this, his spirits lifting at the mention of it. "What? Are those courtesans really that good? You even got into a fight with Bai Feiyu?"
"Is this a matter of good or bad? It's a matter of face. I can't lose to him, no matter who I lose to. It makes me angry just thinking about it."
"What about Bai Feiyu? Did he go back?"
"How could that be? That slut went to wash up and change her clothes; she's probably preparing to welcome Xiahou Yi."
"When will Xiahou Yi arrive?"
"Why is Brother Jiang interested?"
"I'm not interested in Xiahou Yi, but I am somewhat interested in Xiao Tian, who came with her!"
"What a weirdo! No wonder he doesn't like my sister." Feng Yi muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Jiang Liu asked, puzzled.
"Nothing? I mean, why are you interested in Xiao Tian?"
"No, I'm just interested in everyone on the Ascension Rankings!"
"Oh! They should arrive tomorrow. Shall we go and see them then?"
"Go take a look? What? You know them?"
"Yes!" Feng Yi nodded and said, "Feng Qijia, who came with me, is my cousin."
"Cousin? Then you're from the Feng Family in Yunzhou?" Jiang Liu asked in confusion.
"My grandfather Feng Qijia's grandfather were brothers. Later, they separated their families, and my grandfather moved to Wind City."
Jiang Liu nodded knowingly. So that's how it is. No wonder no one in Wind City dared to mess with the Feng Family. The Pang Family must be in a similar situation.
Then, Feng Yi explained the relationships between the various Lineage in Yunzhou to Jiang Liu again, leaving Jiang Liu completely bewildered. In short, two families might unite today for mutual benefit, but tomorrow they might become enemies for the same reason.
After finishing his meal, Feng Yi nonchalantly went home to prepare for a beating. After all, being imprisoned in the Martial Prohibition Hall for a mere squabble over a girl wasn't exactly a good reputation. Although Feng Yi didn't care, the rest of the Feng Family did!
Feng Yi's grandfather, in particular, cared a lot about his reputation. After all, he had failed in the competition for the position of family head and had left for Wind City to establish the Feng Family. He still hoped to gain recognition.
Jiang Liu watched Feng Yi walk towards the Feng Family's residence, then returned to his own place and began his daily cultivation routine.
In the council hall of the Martial Prohibition Hall, Luo Hui was listening to Liu Changfeng's report. After Liu Changfeng finished speaking, he concluded with a sentence: "It can now be confirmed that the people from Corpse Valley have arrived in Wind City. As for whether they are colluding with the White Saint Society Sect, that still needs to be determined."
Luo Hui nodded. "Then let's confirm it as soon as possible. But the spies investigating must be careful. Has the information been reported to Yunzhou?"
Liu Changfeng nodded. "It has already been reported through secret channels."
"That's good. By the way, the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Sect will be arriving soon. You should be careful, as there may be some trouble."
"It's all arranged. Why is Xiahou Yi wandering around aimlessly? He causes trouble wherever he goes."
"Stop complaining. Tian Province has already issued a warning, but the Sun Moon Sect is still doing as it pleases. If something happens, it's none of our business. As long as nothing serious happens here, we don't need to worry about Xiahou Yi's life or death."
"Yes, sir. If there's nothing else, I'll head out now."
Luo Hui nodded.
Not long after Liu Changfeng left, Yan Jin walked in.
"Sir, the investigation is complete."
"Hmm! Has it been thoroughly investigated?"
"It has been confirmed repeatedly, and based on the current evidence, there are no errors or omissions!"
Luo Hui sighed. He hadn't expected the infiltration to be so severe. Of the five branches, only the Wind Branch and the Investigation Branch remained untouched due to their unique characteristics. The Crane Division was the hardest hit. It seemed they were targeting the Martial Prohibition Hall's military strength!
This is a long-standing problem that has persisted for many years. If the Wind City Martial Prohibition Hall has already been so severely infiltrated, what about Yunzhou? Or even Tian Province? And those below?
Luo Hui dared not imagine any further. He could only do his best in his current task. He then instructed Yan Jin to handle the follow-up matters.
At the White Saint Society's usual headquarters, Tang Yilun was reporting to Xie Hen on the recent transaction with Corpse Valley. Originally, the transaction was Mu Yunyuan's responsibility, but now it had to be taken over by him.
After listening to Tang Yilun's report, Xie Hen nodded. "So, does that mean Corpse Valley is requesting an increase in the number of people this time?"
"Yes, this time, the person in charge of Corpse Valley, White Bone, said that there is a severe shortage of personnel in various places and he requested that more personnel be added!"
"You go to them when other places are short of supplies, but when others are short of supplies, you come to me to make up for them? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
"Master, I've already spoken to White Bone, especially now that we're short-handed. But his attitude is very firm."
"Tough? Tell him to report this to his superiors and request an increase in the number of personnel. We're afraid we can't do anything about it. That's all we can say to him."
"But, wouldn't this cause a falling out with him?"
"Fall out? You haven't figured it out yet. Our cooperation with Corpse Valley is just to let them create Corpse Golems. They need us to provide martial artists so they can use their blood to cultivate. Falling out will only cause them more serious losses. Besides, a mere White Bone isn't qualified to fall out with us. This increase in numbers is probably his own idea."
"Yes! Then I'll reply to him like this!" Tang Yilun bowed and left the hall.
Xie Hen watched Tang Yilun's retreating figure, pondering to himself. The sudden increase in the number of White Bone must mean they wanted to embezzle them. Was there any way to use this as leverage?