Imperial Envoys Arrive in Arrogance

In the darkness, Red Dust uttered these two words.

Completely different from her outwardly alluring appearance, she exuded a cold and aloof aura.

As she uttered those two words, an elderly man, about fifty years old, appeared in the darkness.

The old man was hunched over, leaning on a cane. With each step he took, his body trembled. Although he was nearly fifty, he already showed signs of his twilight years.

"Owner."

"From now on, do nothing. Just act as usual and don't have any other thoughts," Red Dust said slowly, looking up at the moon in the sky.

The old man was slightly surprised, but then nodded and agreed without asking anything else.

He didn't ask much about this matter, but there was another thing that kept lingering in the old man's mind. After thinking about it, the old man decided to tell him.

"Is there really no need to turn the other members of the Chen Family against us?" the old man asked.

Red Dust withdrew her gaze, her light veil fluttering in the wind. She slowly raised her hand and placed it on the old man's shoulder. "I'm not Ghost Seven. What I need is absolute safety. If the rest of your Chen Family are turned against us, that's a good thing. If they aren't, that's a bad thing. You are the head of the Chen Family family. As long as I keep you under control, I'm not worried about anything else."

Upon hearing what Red Dust said, the old man turned his head again, looking at the fair arm pressing on his shoulder with a burning desire in his eyes.

The light gauze on her arms slipped down due to gravity, revealing her fair skin that extended all the way to her elbows, making her particularly noticeable in the darkness.

Noticing the old man's gaze, Red Dust smiled, a smile tinged with tenderness, "You can rest assured, once this matter is finished, I will be yours."

The old man swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.

This old man was the head of the Chen Family family. After being bewitched by Red Dust, he became Red Dust slave.

"Go ahead," Red Dust said listlessly, waving her hand.

Having already given the order to leave, the Chen Family patriarch did not linger and turned to leave.

Red Dust kept staring at the back of the Chen Family patriarch until he disappeared into the long night before she looked away.

In the darkness, a wisp of pink aura flowed, slowly returning to Red Dust's body, and Red Dust's aura rose even higher.

Seduction is one of the abilities, and another is the art of sexual intercourse.

The so-called art of sexual cultivation is not practiced in the bedroom. Once you are under her spell, you will be slowly influenced by her over time until all your strength is absorbed by her.

"This newly arrived prefect is no simple character, and that Xu Bai is definitely not as simple as he seems. The situation in Yunlai Prefecture is too delicate."

Red Dust raised her head again, looking at the full moon in the sky, but what she was thinking about was her plans for the future.

She can only suppress it for now.

The people Dark Building had planted in Yunlai Prefecture were known to both her and Ghost Seven, but not to the others.

Now, she has no way to contact the other members. Unless the person in charge here contacts her, she doesn't know anything about the other members.

Ghost Seven is dead, and we don't know what she said before she died.

In any case, she must keep a low profile for now, and at least wait until the storm has passed and everything is calm before she can make a decision.

The night air was still quite chilly. Thinking this, Red Dust felt a chill, tightened her pink collar, and walked in another direction.

Yunlai Prefecture.

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye, and Xu Bai has had nothing to do during this time.

Liu Er was reassigned to the Shadow Courier Station, where Liu Er was put in charge of Shadow Courier Station affairs. If anything happened, he would be informed by carrier pigeon.

He stayed in Yunlai Prefecture, waiting for the so-called Chen Family to reveal their true colors.

While waiting, he took out another mental cultivation manual, which, like the Purple Firmament Control Art, was also obtained from the Imperial Treasury.

As the progress bar of this mental cultivation manual, titled "Gale Wind Art," increased, Xu Bai had roughly read through it. He was able to understand many things, after all, he was now a fifth-rank free spirit.

The so-called Gale Wind Art is a particularly useful mental cultivation method, and it is extremely important for martial artists below the second rank.

In fact, by now, Xu Bai had learned quite a bit about the basic common sense about martial artists.

In this world of martial arts, there are countless professions, and all sorts of professions are constantly blending together, creating a vibrant and diverse landscape.

However, when it comes to combat prowess, each has its own strengths, with the martial artist being the most outstanding in close combat.

However, for martial artists below the second rank, what they always lack is long-range attack ability. Unless they use hidden weapons, they will be at a disadvantage at long distances.

Of course, all of this can be compensated for by movement techniques, but such compensation will always be weaker than direct attacks.

Once you reach the second rank, your True Qi will be concentrated to a certain level and be able to penetrate your body. That's when you can sweep away a large area.

Before this, for some long-distance professions, being a martial artist was considered a rather arduous profession.

To compensate for the shortcomings of this profession, those exceptionally talented martial artists, through tireless study day and night, eventually devised many solutions with their strong perseverance.

One of them is the Gale Wind Art.

The so-called Gale Wind Art is actually a method that simulates the release of True Qi through the body.

By using a specific method of circulating True Qi, one can generate a fierce gale with a wave of the hand, and this gale can even produce enormous destructive power.

This can, to some extent, compensate for the lack of attack range of martial artists. However, it is only effective for those below the second rank, because the power of the gale is much weaker compared to the penetration of True Qi qi.

But it's already very useful, especially for martial artists below the second rank, as it greatly satisfies their needs.

Does Xu Bai need it? Of course he does.

Currently, the only technique he can truly call a ranged attack is the hidden weapon technique of "Maple Leaves Like Rain," but now, this technique seems insufficient.

Maple Leaves Like Rain has always been at the second level. Even if the power is greatly increased by wrapping the copper coin with the dark light of the Vajra Heart Demon Body, the technique will still only be at the second level.

Therefore, this Gale Wind Art is extremely important to Xu Bai at present, as it can bring about a qualitative improvement in his strength. Moreover, it is a mental cultivation method that can also enhance his essential strength.

Looking at the progress bar, which was already halfway through, Xu Bai was quite satisfied.

If he's lucky, he might be able to finish the progress bar of this cultivation manual before anything unusual happens in the Chen Family, which would give him even more new methods.

Thinking about this, Xu Bai became even more excited.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Chu Yu peeked out, curiously observing Xu Bai's expression.

"Young Master, morning lessons are about to begin!" Chu Yu waved his brand-new notebook, his face beaming with excitement.

She had already used up the old one and carefully hidden it away, taking it out to review every day. Now, she has somehow gotten a new notebook.

Every morning, during the routine morning lessons, Xu Bai would explain some principles of conduct to Chu Yu.

Chu Yu learns very quickly. She listens attentively to her lessons every day and also reviews them carefully.

Over time, Xu Bai's opinion of Chu Yu also changed dramatically.

This girl, who had no experience in the ways of the world, at least when she was learning, her respect for others was obvious.

She doesn't question or make a sound while studying; she listens attentively. Only when the lesson is over will she pick up her precious little notebook and ask the questions that have been bothering her.

"Come in." Xu Bai put down the Gale Wind Art in his hand, beckoned to Chu Yu, and pointed to the seat next to him.

Chu Yu rolled her eyes, skipped into the house, and sat down naturally.

Then, she reached into her chest and pulled out a paper bag, which she handed to Xu Bai.

"Young master, these are hot steamed buns. I just had breakfast and came back."

Every morning, Chu Yu would go out for breakfast, and she would go very early so that she could bring breakfast back as soon as Xu Bai got up.

Putting everything else aside, Chu Yu does a great job in terms of being meticulous.

As for the possibility of poisoning from letting them eat random things, Xu Bai was completely at ease.

One day, Chu Yu pointed out the Hundred Blazing Poison coated on Xu Bai's knife and said that when she was in the Imperial Palace, her uncle, who was also the emperor, often taught her these things, and she had already learned how to identify thousands of poisons.

From that time on, Xu Bai felt very relieved.

Moreover, he gained a deeper understanding of the emperor as a person.

Judging from Chu Yu's behavior, the emperor cared for Chu Yu even more than he did for his own children.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai glanced at the grease on Chu Yu's lips and smiled.

"You ate quite a lot again, didn't you?"

"Three! And a bowl of porridge!" Chu Yu exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly. "It tastes better than the food in there!"

That place, of course, is the Imperial Palace.

Xu Bai shook his head and bluntly stated, "It's not that it tastes better than there; it's just that you like novel things, like this local flavor, which makes you feel that it tastes better."

Chu Yu tilted her head, frowned and thought for a moment, then agreed with Xu Bai, saying, "Young Master is right."

Her expression suggested that if Xu Bai told her that sugar is salty, she would nod in agreement.

Over this period of time, Chu Yu and Xu Bai have become more and more familiar with each other, and Chu Yu has lost her previous restraint. Whenever the two are alone, she will show her carefree and heartless side.

In Chu Yu's opinion, everything Xu Bai taught her was very useful, and most importantly, it could save her life.

Most importantly, Chu Yu discovered that Xu Bai wasn't as scary as she had imagined. If he was one of their own, he was actually quite nice, even very kind.

With this discovery, Chu Yu completely let go.

"Hehehe." Chu Yu chuckled foolishly, her big, clear eyes staring at the paper bag. "Eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."

Xu Bai looked at the steamed bun in his hand, said nothing more, finished it in a few bites, and then took a sip of tea, still feeling unsatisfied.

"Buy two more next time."

Compared to the Sheng County, the steamed buns from Yunlai Prefecture are more authentic and taste better.

"Mmm!" Chu Yu nodded vigorously, then stared at Xu Bai with wide, pitiful eyes.

He looked as if he had suffered some injustice.

"What's wrong with you now?" Xu Bai asked helplessly.

He's figured something out now: whenever Chu Yu looks at him with that kind of gaze, it definitely means something's up.

"I... I have no money left." Chu Yu rubbed the hem of her clothes with both hands, making a pitiful appearance, and said coyly, "My uncle said that girls should be raised in luxury, so he gave me a lot of money. I originally had a lot of money, but my father said that his daughter should never be entangled in fine clothes and delicacies, so he only gave me some daily expenses and took away all my other money."

As she spoke, Chu Yu's voice became increasingly aggrieved.

Xu Bai raised his hand and rubbed his temples. "Your Prince's teaching methods are truly unique."

Seeing Chu Yu's pitiful state, Xu Bai took out some silver coins from his pocket and handed them to Chu Yu.

"Is this enough?"

"That's enough!" Chu Yu nodded like a chick pecking at rice, carefully took out a pretty pouch from her waist, put all the money in it, and then carefully hung it back on her waist as if it were very precious.

"Alright, let's begin today's lesson." Xu Bai stretched, intending to finish teaching Chu Yu quickly so he could continue working on his progress.

Chu Yu picked up her notebook, pretended to be focused, and prepared to start listening to the lesson.

Xu Bai picked up his teacup again, took a sip of tea, and prepared to give a lecture on today's lesson.

He cleared his throat slightly, and was about to begin when a voice interrupted him.

"Fluttering..."

The sound of flapping wings reached Xu Bai's ears, and he turned around to find a carrier pigeon perched in the yard.

The homing pigeon had a ring tied to its leg, inside which was a piece of paper rolled into a long strip.

"Wait a minute." Xu Bai frowned, got up and went to the backyard, picked up the carrier pigeon, took out the letter inside, and then put the pigeon on the table.

This was a message from Shadow Courier Station, delivered to him by Liu Er.

When Liu Er returned to Shadow Courier Station before, Xu Bai said that if there was any news, he should be notified in time by carrier pigeon.

Xu Bai opened the letter, and after reading its contents, his brows furrowed slightly. He then placed the letter on the table.

"The Seventh Prince? Another member of the royal family, how interesting."

The letter stated that the Seventh Prince's men were at Shadow Courier Station, and their purpose in coming was to see Xu Bai Xu Bai. They wanted to urge Xu Bai to come over as soon as possible, but Liu Er couldn't grasp the appropriateness of the situation, so he sent a message by carrier pigeon first.

Chu Yu looked at the letter on the table with curiosity, then her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her face full of displeasure. "So it was that guy."

"Oh? You know him?" Xu Bai stroked his chin and asked.

"Of all the members of the royal family, this Seventh Prince is the most arrogant," Chu Yu said.

"Arrogance?" Xu Bai said, "Isn't that just courting death?"

The emperor of the Great Chu Kingdom had nine children. This so-called Seventh Prince was at most the seventh in line. Why was he the most arrogant one? If a member of the royal family is arrogant, he might lose something very important at some point, such as his life.

The lives of members of the royal family are by no means easy; they have to be extremely careful with every step they take, for fear that if they make a wrong move, they will be doomed forever.

But so-called arrogance is the key to leading people into the abyss.

Among the royal family members Xu Bai knew, the Ninth Princess was extremely shrewd and controlled the finances, while the Sixth Prince, just from his subordinate Zhou Qing, was clearly not a brainless person.

As for the Eighth Prince, he was simply an unlucky fellow.

Putting everything else aside, the Eighth Prince's plans were indeed very well-thought-out. Unfortunately, he was always led by the nose by the Emperor, and ultimately met his demise.

Now, through Chu Yu's words, we learn that this guy called the Seventh Prince is actually an arrogant person, and there's something fishy about that.

It's truly bizarre that an arrogant person, especially one from royalty, has managed to survive to this day.

"He has reason to be arrogant." Chu Yu scratched his head and said, "The concubine who gave birth to him is dead, and she died on the battlefield. His uncle was extremely fond of that concubine, so out of love for her, he developed this kind of personality."

Speaking of this, Chu Yu gestured with her hand, a look of admiration on her face.

"At that time, my uncle fell into a trap and was trapped on a mountain. He was about to lose his life when the concubine, alone with a sword, led three thousand armored soldiers in a surprise attack and rescued my uncle. However, she was seriously injured in the process. After returning to the capital, she recuperated for three months before passing away."

"It is said that when that concubine died, my uncle cried loudly."

Xu Bai: "..."

He always felt that Chu Yu had another special trait: she loved to gossip about other people.

When the topic of the emperor crying loudly comes up, his face lights up with gossip.

"It shouldn't be like this," Xu Bai thought to himself.

As the saying goes, a tiger father begets no dog son. The mother of this Seventh Prince is so brave and skilled in battle, able to save the emperor from danger with just a sword and three thousand armored soldiers. How could her son be an arrogant person? Moreover, growing up in such an environment, it is even more impossible for him to develop such a personality. It is simply outrageous.

"Perhaps he's faking it," Xu Bai thought.

If it's fake, then this is a possibility.

Regardless of the situation, he had already figured out how to respond to the Seventh Prince's subordinates.

Xu Bai took out paper and pen, wrote down what he wanted to say, placed the pen on the pigeon's leg, and released the pigeon.

Chu Yu watched from the side, and when she saw what Xu Bai had written, she said nothing.

The letter contained very little, just a single sentence.

—He is unwell and is recuperating in Yunlai Prefecture. If he insists on seeing me, I suggest he come to see me.

Chu Yu thought to herself, "He's always so energetic and lively, how could he possibly be unwell?"

They didn't even give a decent reason; this reason is obviously fake, ridiculously fake.

"Alright, let's continue." Xu Bai acted as if he had done something insignificant and continued teaching Chu Yu.

Xu Bai's voice rang out from inside the room, and the lesson continued slowly.

Shadow Courier Station.

A middle-aged man wearing leather armor, with a huge hammer at his waist, was sitting in a chair, drinking tea.

Liu Er was also standing nearby, but he ignored the man in the leather armor.

After the man in leather armor arrived, he got straight to the point, but the problem was that Xu Bai wasn't there, and Liu Er had to inform him beforehand, so he sent a carrier pigeon to Yunlai Prefecture.

Throughout this process, the man in the leather armor didn't leave. He just sat there, occasionally taking a sip of tea and even refilling his cup as if they were old friends.

"A Ninth Rank Martial Artist has become the postmaster of Shadow Courier Station Post Station. It seems you have very strong connections." The man in leather armor took another sip of tea, staring at Liu Er, and said.

Liu Er did not answer and continued doing his own thing.

In his view, whether you are one of the Seventh Prince's men or someone else, he follows Xu Bai and doesn't care about anyone else.

If Xu Bai tells him to treat him well, he will treat him well; if Xu Bai doesn't like it, he will also dislike it.

Loyalty is essential in any profession; otherwise, the consequences will be dire.

Seeing that Liu Er didn't answer, the man in the leather armor lost interest and didn't want to vent his anger here. He put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes, pretending to doze off.

Time passed slowly, and after about an hour, a fluttering sound rang out, and a carrier pigeon landed on the window of the room.

Liu Er, with his sharp eyes, quickly walked over, picked up the carrier pigeon, and took out the letter inside.

After glancing at the contents and finding nothing he needed to hide, he placed the paper on the table and let the man in leather armor take it himself.

The man in leather armor gave Liu Er a deep look, picked up the letter on the table, and scanned its contents.

After he finished reading it, his eyes blazed with fury, and veins bulged on his forehead.

"He's unwell and refuses to come over; does that mean I should go to him?"

"What audacity! They don't even respect the Seventh Prince!"

"Great, great, that's wonderful! I'll go meet him right now and see what kind of person he is!"

A series of sounds came from the man in leather armor, clearly indicating that the man underneath had become extremely angry after seeing the contents.

He didn't linger. He stood up from the chair, strode out, and didn't even want to leave a word.

Liu Er did not stop him, and smiled disdainfully as he watched the leather-armored man's back.

Oh...

With a temper like that, how dare he go looking for Master Xu? Isn't he just courting death?

He has seen too much, having followed all the way from Sheng County, and has long since become indifferent to many things.

Anyone who offends Master Xu will not have a good ending.

It seems that no one has survived.

The man in the leather armor was simply courting death.

Liu Er wiped the table in front of him clean, then threw the bowl the leather-armored man had drunk from outside, his face full of disgust.

"Perhaps in a few days, he will be dead," Liu Er thought.

At this moment, the leather-armored man, who was hurrying to Yunlai Prefecture, had no idea what was waiting for him.

Yunlai Prefecture.

Yun Zihai has been racking his brains lately.

They had to prevent the Chen Family from making any unusual moves, while also pretending that they hadn't discovered anything.

The whole process was complicated, but he kept performing.

His health was already poor, and he had a severe cough. The overwork of the past few days had made his condition even worse.

If you're not feeling well, it will affect your mood, and if you're in a bad mood, you'll become particularly irritable.

Despite his usual gentle and scholarly appearance, Yun Zihai is actually an extremely strong-willed person. When he gets angry, he can sometimes speak very bluntly.

Over the past few days, even the yamen runners in the Prefectural Office have been too afraid to provoke him, and they keep their distance whenever they see him.

Only when facing Xu Bai could Yun Zihai slightly restrain his temper.

Today is another peaceful day.

Yun Zihai sat in the main hall, flipping through the documents in his hand, sorting out the contents as he read.

He not only had to monitor the Chen Family, but also had to find time to understand the current situation in Yunlai Prefecture Yunlai Prefecture order to better govern it in the future.

He had his schedule meticulously planned out every day. If he weren't a fifth-rank scholar, he probably would have been exhausted long ago.

"Ah, Brother Xu is so much better, he seems so happy every day." Yun Zihai put down the last memorial, stretched, and thought to himself.

Compared to Xu Bai, she felt like a very busy person, working tirelessly every day. The two of them presented two completely different phenomena.

Of course, he was just venting.

Everyone has their own dreams and pursuits. Since he has these dreams and pursuits, he won't complain.

"Let's rest for today. We've finished reading what we needed to. Next, it's time to formulate a governance plan. But all of this will have to wait until the Chen Family's matter is settled."

Thinking of this, Yun Zihai stood up and prepared to go back to the backyard to rest.

After several busy days, he finally had some free time today and wanted to take the opportunity to relax.

Unexpectedly, before he could take two steps, he suddenly heard running sounds outside the door.

A constable ran in, leaned close to Yun Zihai's ear, and whispered a few words.

Yun Zihai was slightly taken aback, then sat back down and waved his hand, "Let him in."

"Yes!" The yamen runner quickly took his leave.

A short while later, the man in leather armor was led in by the constables and stood in front of Yun Zihai.

After the constables brought him there, they hurriedly left without lingering.

The surroundings were quiet, with only Yun Zihai and the leather-armored man remaining, staring at each other.

"You are the Seventh Prince's man, what is your purpose?" Yun Zihai asked.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but cough a few more times, his face still as pale as ever.

"I am Zhang Wang, a subordinate of the Seventh Prince." Zhang Wang held up a token to show his identity before putting it away. "I have come here because I heard that Xu Bai is in Lord Yun's residence, and I would like to see him."

"Oh?" Yun Zihai frowned. "What brings you to see Xu Bai?"

"I told him to come back to Shadow Courier Station to find me, but he refused, saying he was unwell. Since that's the case, I'll come see him myself." Zhang Wang said this with his head held high, his face full of arrogance.

Besides arrogance, there was also a hint of anger mixed in.

This emotion is obvious to anyone with eyes to see, let alone Yun Zihai.

Yun Zihai fell into deep thought.

Judging from the situation, something must have happened on the Seventh Prince's side, but this guy is obviously very arrogant and wants Xu Bai to go back to see him, but Xu Bai doesn't give him any face at all.

Most importantly, this guy came here clearly to cause trouble.

"Xu Bai isn't feeling well; he's caught a cold recently. You should come back in a few days," Yun Zihai said, waving his hand.

Since Xu Bai doesn't want to see him, then he won't. Yun Zihai doesn't need to bring this guy in either.

As for the Seventh Prince, don't be ridiculous.

Perhaps the Seventh Prince was unaware that Xu Bai had caught the eye of Rising Dusk King. If we really consider their backgrounds, Rising Dusk King lost his temper and slapped the Seventh Prince, His Majesty probably wouldn't say a word.

Zhang Wang was slightly taken aback, and after realizing what was happening, his tone became low. "Lord Yun, what do you mean by this? Are you not even giving the Seventh Prince any face?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the atmosphere between the two became increasingly strange and tense.

When Yun Zihai heard Zhang Wang say that, he laughed instead, finding the guy even more interesting.

"What? Do you even want to cause trouble for me?"

"I don't have that idea, but whether the Seventh Prince does or not is another matter," Zhang Wang said meaningfully.

"Smack!"

Yun Zihai slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Someone come here!"

Outside, five or six yamen runners came in, bowed, and awaited Yun Zihai's orders.

"If you don't kneel before me, you'll be given thirty strokes of the cane first," Yun Zihai said, waving his sleeve.

"How dare you!" Zhang Wang glared angrily at Yun Zihai.

In his view, he was the Seventh Prince's man, and in this situation, the Prefect should be willing to curry favor with him, or at least not start a fight on the spot, right?

"You see if I dare!" Yun Zihai, "Yunlai Prefecture is my own prefecture. Even if the Seventh Prince came, he would have to follow the rules of the prefecture. Even if he didn't have to bow, he wouldn't yell at me like that. As for you, what are you anyway!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding constables exchanged glances, knowing that their master was truly angry. So they swarmed forward, ready to seize Zhang Wang.

Zhang Wang gripped the giant hammer at his waist, preparing to instinctively retaliate, when suddenly he felt a chill run through him. Turning around, he saw Yun Zihai holding a calligraphy brush, staring coldly at him.

A murderous aura enveloped him, and he had a feeling that if he fought back today, he would surely die here.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wang let go, allowing the constables to capture him and pin him to a bench.

"Have you considered the consequences of what you did today?" Zhang Wang was still unwilling to give up.

"Attack!" Yun Zihai simply said one word.

Beside him, a bailiff raised his wooden cane and struck Zhang Wang.

These constables were all highly skilled martial artists, and they knew that Zhang Wang was also a highly skilled martial artist, so they put all their strength into every move.

The sounds of slapping continued, Zhang Wang gritted his teeth, his head covered in sweat, but his gaze toward Yun Zihai grew increasingly hateful.

The thirty strokes of the cane were quickly finished.

"Get lost!" Yun Zihai waved his hand and said.

The yamen runners picked up Zhang Wang and threw him outside the Prefectural Office like a dead dog.

Pedestrians nearby quickly moved away upon seeing this.

Zhang Wang struggled to his feet, glared hatefully at the Prefectural Office, and limped away.

After dealing with Zhang Wang, Yun Zihai waved his hand and dismissed the constables before preparing to return to the backyard to rest.

It was as if he had dealt with a trivial matter, which did not bother him at all.

But after taking two steps, he saw Xu Bai at the corner.

Xu Bai raised his hand in greeting, then placed his hand on his neck and gently stroked it.