Third Young Master Had Returned!

Wu Qianhuan's heart was in turmoil. She clenched her pearly teeth, gripping her sword so tightly her knuckles had gone faintly white.

She knew what she ought to do right now... She ought to go after Xin Youhen.

There were things Chu Qing didn't know, but she did.

In recent years, clashes between Ten Thousand Night Valley and Heavenly Dance City had grown increasingly frequent. Not long ago, every single person sent to Ten Thousand Night Valley had been killed.

No one knew what had happened during that time.

All they knew was that the body of the last Heavenly Dance Guard in that group had been found in a forest about a day's journey from Heavenly Dance City.

The news had only just reached the City Lord's Mansion that morning.

And lately, whenever they clashed with Ten Thousand Night Valley, the other side seemed to have anticipated their every move and laid plans in advance, leaving Heavenly Dance City stymied at every turn.

Because of this, Wu Ganqi suspected there was a problem within Heavenly Dance City.

At this critical juncture, Chu Yunfei had thrown a lavish celebration for Chu Fan in hopes of using the occasion to draw out a few demons and monsters.

Xin Youhen had disguised himself and appeared at the Chu Family's home. That was one of their catches.

What she ought to do now was join Chu Fan and the others in dealing with him.

But... whenever she thought of that man's eyes, she couldn't help gritting her teeth.

Aside from the moment earlier when he had pretended to be blasted away by Internal Energy and met her gaze...

She had also clearly seen him peeking at those two young women.

And the gaze she had sensed in the courtyard at the very beginning had been his!

Who was he, exactly?

She had a suspicion, but she couldn't be sure.

So she had to catch the little thief and unmask him.

She had planned to pin him down while he was off guard.

But she hadn't expected him to notice her move and take off running first.

What would happen if she let him get away?

After him!

She had to catch that bastard.

Xin Youhen had Second Brother Chu and his junior sister helping him, along with the two people who had arrived later. He probably wouldn't run into trouble.

But if she didn't catch this man, she might never see the scoundrel again!

Still... was his lightness skill really that impressive?

Was it the Star Chasing Moon Following Steps?

Something about it seemed off...

Wu Qianhuan stared at the figure ahead. He turned, and in an instant, vanished from sight.

By the time Wu Qianhuan caught up, a servant was walking toward her. Startled by her sudden appearance, he dropped straight onto his backside.

"M-My... Eldest Young Lady, please forgive me!"

He scrambled to his feet and bowed.

Wu Qianhuan hadn't wanted to pay him any mind, but after taking one step, she stopped and turned back to ask:

"Did you see anyone run past here?"

"I-I did. He went that way."

The servant pointed toward the end of the path.

Wu Qianhuan nodded at once, tapped her foot against the ground, and raced off.

But after a few steps, she suddenly realized something was wrong.

At this hour, the rear courtyard was nearly empty. Aside from the servants needed to attend to the main courtyards, the rest of the servants and maids had gone to help out in the front courtyard.

Why had that servant been here?

And when he'd fallen just now, he'd kept his head down instead of looking at her... What was he afraid of?

The thought struck her, and Wu Qianhuan whipped around. The servant was already about to disappear around the corner.

She immediately shouted:

"Stop!!"

That only made things worse. At her words, he took off running.

Wu Qianhuan nearly jumped up and cursed. It was him!

The nerve of him! He'd run off, and she could've just chased him—but he'd actually doubled back to fool her?

She gathered her strength and rushed after him.

"I'd like to see if you can escape my grasp today, you bastard!"

But when she reached the corner, the figure from earlier had vanished.

The front courtyard.

It was bustling at this hour. A servant from the Chu Family came up to a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat and whispered a few words to him.

The swordsman paused in surprise, then immediately got up and followed the servant through a doorway.

A short while later, Chu Qing, dressed as a swordsman, pressed down his bamboo hat and reappeared, sword in hand. He soon melted into the crowd.

He let out a soft breath and silently cursed a couple of times.

"That girl's got a dog's nose. She just won't stop chasing me! She's dead set on murdering her own husband. What utter nonsense."

Then again, it was only a marriage contract.

They weren't even married yet. Calling it attempted husband-murder was a bit premature.

He raised his head and surveyed the courtyard. Everyone who was supposed to have arrived by this hour was already here.

At the head of the gathering sat Chu Yunfei, whom he hadn't seen in seven years, in a grand chair, speaking and laughing quietly with Wu Ganqi.

When he saw Chu Yunfei, Chu Qing let out a soft breath.

Compared to the man in his memories, Chu Yunfei had grown much older.

There were more wrinkles on his face, more white in his hair, and he had grown gaunt... He seemed to have lost a great deal of weight.

And yet he looked even kinder and more benevolent.

Chu Qing subtly turned his gaze aside and looked at Wu Ganqi.

Perhaps because of those forty-nine forms of the Xing Tian Axe, Wu Ganqi truly looked like a coiled dragon and crouching tiger.

He wasn't fat; he was simply enormous, with a broad frame and a formidable build.

Ordinary people had plenty of room to spare when they sat in a grand chair.

With him in one, Chu Qing couldn't help worrying the chair might not hold his bulk.

Still, he looked old now, too...

Seated below those two were a number of people around the same age.

Some of them Chu Qing had seen as a child; others were unfamiliar faces. Liu Shijie was among them, chatting and laughing with the others. The scene looked perfectly harmonious.

These were some of the most prominent figures within Heavenly Dance City's sphere of influence.

Chu Qing looked them over one by one. Then he saw Chu Tian stride over and say something to Chu Yunfei and Wu Ganqi.

Their expressions changed at once. Chu Yunfei was about to rise, but Wu Ganqi pressed him back into his seat.

He nodded slightly to Chu Yunfei, then led a few people, including Liu Shijie, toward the rear courtyard.

Chu Tian followed behind them.

Chu Qing raised an eyebrow. As he pondered what was happening, he suddenly heard rapid footsteps approaching nearby.

He looked up and saw that Wu Qianhuan had caught up.

He couldn't help grimacing. That girl really was tenacious...

Her gaze swept over the crowd, but fortunately, she only scrutinized the servants around her.

She didn't notice that Chu Qing had changed his appearance.

After searching in vain, she walked over to Chu Yunfei with a sour expression and greeted him.

Chu Yunfei smiled and said a couple of things to her, but they were too far away for Chu Qing to hear.

Just as Wu Qianhuan took her seat, a servant hurried in through the entrance.

"My lord, my lord!!"

Shouting like that at an occasion like this was clearly improper. The guests in the courtyard all turned to look.

Chu Yunfei furrowed his brow.

"Whatever it is, take your time and tell me."

The servant gasped for breath several times before speaking, his face alight with joy.

"My lord, wonderful news! Wonderful news!"

"Third Young Master, Third Young Master has returned!!"