"Had Pill King Lu made any unusual moves lately?" Deputy City Lord Wu asked one day after returning from outside. Wu De, clad in green armor, stood silently to the side.
"He's spent every day refining pills and cultivating. Occasionally, he discusses the Dao of alchemy with Miss Guo Jingyu or meets up with Zhu Jinfu," Wu De replied. "I had Sisters Wu Meiyun take turns testing him, but he never showed much of a reaction."
"No wonder that arrogant little Ye Ziyu took a liking to him. He really does have something special about him." The deputy city lord wore a grave expression. He waved a hand. "You may leave."
"Yes, sir!" Wu De went out. Not long afterward, a middle-aged man around Wu De's age entered respectfully.
"Has anything unusual happened with Ye Ziyu?" the deputy city lord asked.
"Nothing so far. Ye Ziyu hasn't appeared since she went back to seclude herself in cultivation. Uncle, what should we do next?" Wu Mu asked.
"One word: wait. Wait for Ye Ziyu to emerge from seclusion." The deputy city lord's usually imposing face broke into a sinister smile.
"But what does that have to do with drawing City Lord Ye out?" Wu Mu asked, confused.
"That old fox is cunning and calculating. He sits as still as a mountain in Yuanling Main City, and once he makes a move, he can be gone for hundreds of years. Who knows what he's up to? There's no way to force Old Fox Ye out directly. His methods and his wits are every bit as good as mine. But Ye Ziyu is his weakness. If something happens to the young one, the old one won't be able to sit still. While I'm away, don't let Lu Xiaotian slip away. Put more men