A Meeting, a Showdown, and a Plan

Su Mansion.

As soon as Su Chen returned home, Steward Fu appeared before him.

"Young Master, something suddenly appeared in the master's study. Please go have a look."

Steward Fu bowed as he spoke.

"Something appeared?"

A look of confusion crossed Su Chen's face.

Still, he followed Steward Fu to Su Mengbai's study.

Su Chen rarely visited the study, but Steward Fu often cleaned it.

Today, he had found a wooden box on the desk.

As soon as Su Chen entered the study, he spotted the box. It was made of ordinary wood.

"Young Master, this old servant will open it for you!"

Now that Steward Fu had been enslaved by Su Chen, he was worried that the box might contain poison or some other danger, so he offered.

"No need. Whoever left it here probably wants me to see it."

Su Chen had not revealed his strength in public. If someone wanted to kill him, they would not need to go to such trouble.

He walked over to the box and opened it.

Inside lay a sheet of gold foil as thin as paper. Some lines had been etched onto it; from their shape, it might have been part of a map.

His gaze shifted to the bottom of the box.

There was also a letter.

Su Chen opened the envelope. The message was brief: Meet in the bamboo grove behind the mountain at midnight.

A surge of inner energy flowed from his palm, reducing the letter to fragments. He then put away the gold foil.

His gaze turned toward Shangguan Ziyun's quarters in the rear courtyard.

The handwriting was elegant. He had seen Shangguan Ziyun's handwriting before, and this was exactly the same.

Of course, Shangguan Ziyun had left it for Su Chen on purpose.

She trusted that he would understand.

My nominal Second Madam has left me this and asked to meet. Looks like she's ready to lay her cards on the table!

Su Chen thought to himself.

A memory suddenly came back to him.

Earlier, Liu Wumei had said that the person who fought her at Qin Cui Mountain was a woman. Could that person have been Shangguan Ziyun?

A flash of light glinted in Su Chen's eyes.

He had used the Dusk Fine Rain Saber Technique at the time. Perhaps she had recognized it, and that was why Shangguan Ziyun had sought him out.

He immediately pieced together what had happened.

Then let's see how you plan to lay your cards on the table tonight!

Su Chen spoke softly.

"Prepare a private chamber for me. I'll continue cultivating."

Su Chen instructed Steward Fu.

Martial cultivation could not be put on hold.

He needed to cultivate his inner energy as well as his blood and physical body.

Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard.

Inside the pavilion.

"Miss, I just saw Steward Fu take Su Chen to the study. He should have found the wooden box by now."

"Do you think he'll come tonight?"

Xiao Lan asked.

"He'll come."

Shangguan Ziyun replied.

"But, Miss, the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower has changed hands. Is there any point in meeting Su Chen now? It could also expose your presence!"

Xiao Lan was worried.

"Look into Bai Tianyu's relationship with Ling Tianhe."

"As for why Su Chen gave up the position of Tower Master of the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower, I'll ask him tonight."

Shangguan Ziyun said.

As she spoke, her brows knitted together. She had already made an estimate of Bai Tianyu's strength, but she had not expected him to be a Refining Soul Realm expert.

A Refining Soul Realm expert had become Tower Master of the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower at a time like this.

It made the whole situation difficult to fathom.

In Qingcheng City, at a courtyard not far from Su Mansion.

Mu Qingxue and the other two were inside the courtyard.

"Third Grandfather, why did we rent a little courtyard? Couldn't we just go straight to the Su family? And what's with Su Chen? The Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower belongs to my Zitan Palace. How could he give up the position of Tower Master?"

Mu Qingxue complained.

She had come here to formally bring the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower under Zitan Palace.

But now, the Tower Master had changed.

The tower no longer belonged to the Su family.

There was no way they could bring the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower under the Mu family now.

Su Chen had inadvertently resolved this crisis with a single move.

After all, he could not openly sever ties with Zitan Palace.

"It was a wise move. Otherwise, he would have lost his life."

The old man beside Mu Qingxue replied.

"Feiwu, go investigate Bai Tianyu, and find out what happened in Qingcheng City."

The old man then instructed the burly man beside him.

"Yes!"

The man bowed and left the courtyard.

"Third Grandfather, the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower sends my Mu family a considerable tribute every year. Now that it has changed hands, it probably won't keep paying us. That means our income from this source will shrink, and we'll have fewer resources to buy."

The innocence vanished from Mu Qingxue's face. She had become perfectly composed.

"We need to inform the family at once."

"Once Feiwu has uncovered some information, we'll go to Su Mansion and meet that Su Chen."

"If we bring Su Chen into the Mu family, we'll have a basis for cooperating with the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower."

"After all, Su Mengbai founded the Golden Wind Fine Rain Tower. It's only natural that Su Chen has a share in its profits."

"Now that they've wiped out Lei Hall, their power has more than doubled. If we work with them, our profits should be even greater than before."

The old man replied.

Hearing his words, Mu Qingxue's eyes lit up.

She really had not thought of that approach.

Elsewhere.

At the inn where Qin Hao was staying.

A young man in a black robe entered his room with two companions.

His features were stern, and his aura was cold and steady. He seemed like an iceberg given human form.

Yet beneath that frigid air was the bearing of someone in a position of power.

He clearly had some standing.

The two people behind him were as follows.

One had ordinary features and carried a banner in his arms. A spearhead jutted from it, gleaming with a sharp, icy light.

The other was an old man. His face was pale, but his eyes were as black as an abyss, bottomless and unnerving.

Qin Hao had been recovering from his injuries on the bed. He was just about to curse when he saw who had arrived, and his expression turned excited.

"Second Brother, avenge me! Someone cut off my arm!"

Overcome with emotion, Qin Hao spat out another mouthful of blood.

The old man beside the young man immediately stepped forward. A surge of energy appeared in his palm, helping Qin Hao stabilize his injuries.

The ordinary-looking man closed the door.

A short while later, Qin Hao's complexion improved.

"Third Brother, I came here in person this time. I'll make sure you get your revenge. I'd like to see who dares lay a hand on someone from the Qin family."

Qin Tianhan spoke coldly, watching Qin Hao's breathing steady. A chill burst from his eyes.

The young man was Qin Hao's second brother, Qin Tianhan.

"Tell me what happened, and why you ended up in such a sorry state."

Qin Tianhan asked in a low voice.

Qin Hao immediately told him what had happened. As for Lei Hall, he had not looked into it yet because he had been focused on recovering.

"Elder Lu, please investigate this."

Qin Tianhan said to the sinister old man.

"Yes!"

The old man quickly left the room.

"Focus on stabilizing your injuries. I'll do my best to ripen the Blood Demon Flower. Once you take it, your strength will surely improve."

Qin Tianhan said.

"Thank you, Second Brother. You have to find the person who cut off my arm. I'll tear him limb from limb!"

Qin Hao's eyes brimmed with malice.