"You don't even start," Bai Qiuran said, sitting there for a long while before suddenly clapping his hands. "You weren't even in the Qi Refining Stage." "Uh... I'm technically female, I guess?" "What? You took on a disciple?" Su Xiangxue took a sip of tea and continued, "Anyway, Dingguo's Crown Prince was also into this sort of thing. But three days ago, while watching a performance by one of the groups that's been all the rage in Dingguo lately, he was murdered. Dingguo's emperor flew into a rage and spent a fortune offering a bounty to capture the Crown Prince's killer." Su Xiangxue stared at him for a long while. When she saw the innocent look on Bai Qiuran's face, she suddenly sighed. Su Xiangxue tried to keep him there. Bai Qiuran asked, "Was it a mortal martial artist who did it, or someone from the Cultivation World?" "If you want to start something, come at me. Don't lay a hand on anyone from my sect!" Su Xiangxue asked in surprise, "A boy or a girl?" Su Xiangxue asked him in return, "There have been plenty of interesting things happening in the Cangzhou Cultivation World lately, but none of them are really suitable for a rookie in the Foundation Establishment Stage to get involved in... Hmm, no, actually, there is one. But it involves the imperial family in the mortal world. Do you want to hear about it?" "Hmph." Bai Qiuran rubbed his head, wondering if there were any young shoots in the lower realm that weren't too tender for him. "I heard it's a foreign term. Basically, they get a bunch of young, pretty girls to sing and dance, and it's attracted quite a few men in Dingguo who go wild over them," Su Xiangxue said. "What the heck are you talking about?" "Oh?" Bai Qiuran thought for a moment, but still couldn't figure out why the little demoness from the Hehuan Sect was angry. So he continued, "Anyway, does your intelligence network have any interesting news lately? From the Cultivation World." The current Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect took several deep breaths, then picked up the teapot again and poured tea for herself and Bai Qiuran. At that moment, Su Xiangxue felt her self-control might have surpassed that of the great leaders of the Righteous Path. "No, no." Su Xiangxue thought it over and gradually relaxed, then asked, "So what exactly did you come here for?" A shadow flitted into the courtyard and turned into a bewitching woman in black. She knelt on one knee and asked Su Xiangxue, "What are your orders?" "Understood." Bai Qiuran stood up. "Thanks for the information. I'll take my disciple to have some fun... to go and take a look." Su Xiangxue immediately looked displeased. "Remember to close the door behind you when you leave." "Idol?" Unfortunately, Bai Qiuran, with his blockhead skull, didn't catch Su Xiangxue's hint. He waved a hand and smiled. "The Qingming Sword Sect's intelligence network still doesn't hold a candle to the Hehuan Sect's. If you want to know where men are most honest, aside from when they're drunk, it's when they're lost in a woman's arms. At times like that, they'll spill just about anything." Su Xiangxue twirled her ink-black hair. "I suspect the Ghost Realm wants to claim your life because the Book of Life and Death's system glitched. Otherwise, how could someone whose allotted lifespan has run out still be running around full of life?" Bai Qiuran thought about it. Su Xiangxue sighed and stayed where she was, making no move to see him off. Bai Qiuran asked in surprise, "Why are you mad at me? Did I do something to you? What's wrong with you?" "Anyway, there's definitely something fishy going on behind this, right?" "We haven't seen each other much since you killed my master." "Huh? What?" Bai Qiuran hesitated. "More or less, but they perform as a group." "Sect Master." "Our Hehuan Sect is just a small, insignificant sect that dabbles in odd tricks. What intelligence network could we possibly have?" Bai Qiuran gave her a thumbs-up and headed out, closing the courtyard gate behind him. Bai Qiuran said, "What are you talking about?" "Back then, when I took people from the Righteous Path Alliance all over the place to hunt her down, wasn't it you who leaked her whereabouts to me?" "All right, tell me about it. What happened?" Bai Qiuran set down his teacup with a sigh. Bai Qiuran sat down opposite Su Xiangxue and drained the cup of tea she had just poured. Bai Qiuran stuck out his neck and said, "I've gone head-to-head with everything in the Qi Refining Stage." Su Xiangxue poured herself a cup of tea and sipped it as she said quietly, "You're the founding ancestor of the Qingming Sword Sect, Bai Qiuran. If you asked, would your sect's intelligence network really refuse to help you?" "I recently took on a disciple. I brought her along this time to give her some experience." "Go investigate." "You said the same thing when you killed my master." "Oh." Bai Qiuran sighed. "Relax. I'm not here to crack down on brothels this time." "What's wrong with the Qi Refining Stage?" Seeing that Bai Qiuran's teacup was empty, Su Xiangxue picked up the teapot and refilled it, then asked, "What did you come here for?" Su Xiangxue's face fell at once, and most of her alluring air vanished. "What kind of relationship do we have? We fought side by side during the war between the righteous and demonic factions. How is that anything like your old demon of a master, who wanted to drain my vital essence? You're so on guard that it really hurts my feelings." "Ah, Sect Master Su, you're mistaken." "There's a new craze in Dingguo lately. It's called... 'Idol,' or something." "I'm the one being foolish. Why am I even mad at you? That's so stupid." Bai Qiuran walked into the courtyard and closed the gate behind him, shutting out the view of the female cultivator outside. Then he greeted the beauty, who had instantly dropped her act and was now staring at him in shock. "Long time no see, Su Xiangxue. I knew you'd be here." "Dingguo values martial strength above all else. Its emperor is also the greatest martial artist in the kingdom, and his power is such that, despite having a cultivation level equivalent to the Qi Refining Stage, he can go toe-to-toe with Foundation Establishment cultivators. Do you really think the Crown Prince could have been killed without a sound at the performance by some martial artist from the mortal world?" That only made Su Xiangxue more wary. "Bai Qiuran, what exactly did you come here for? I'm warning you, none of my Hehuan Sect disciples have ever drained anyone to death. Don't you dare try anything!" "What's the deal with his disciple?" "I came to catch up with you." "Why are you getting so worked up? I'm not going to cut you down." "Won't you stay a little longer?" Bai Qiuran waved a hand. "Being in the Hehuan Sect makes me think of that old demon of a master of yours. It makes me uncomfortable all over. I'm off. Take care." Bai Qiuran suddenly understood. "So they're courtesans who sell their art but not their bodies." "Stop pretending. Anyone who didn't know you would think you really loved and respected your master." "Good grief, another royal family? Those people sure are a hassle." "Back to the point." Su Xiangxue raised a slender finger. "Yeah, long time no see." "Forget it. Go if you want."
Before you continue