By this point, Chu Ming was completely certain: the Blood Fiend Cult had deep ties to Madam Chu!
Madam Chu and Wu Tian, like the Teahouse Owner before them, were both members of the Blood Fiend Cult.
What was more, there was another person whose standing seemed comparable to Madam Chu's, named Zheng Guanxi.
He just didn't know who this person was.
Just as Chu Ming was lost in thought, two auras appeared at the edge of the range covered by his Sword Gourd Spiritual Sense.
One of them was very familiar: the young girl. Beside her...
Hm?
Beside the girl stood a person in a black robe, their face hidden behind a cold, pitch-black iron mask.
At that very moment, the person's brow suddenly furrowed, and a sharp glint flashed in their eyes.
"Uncle Qi, what's wrong?" The girl's voice was as innocent and childish as before.
Qi Huanrong surveyed the surroundings but found nothing amiss. He lowered his eyes to the girl. "Young Master... it seems someone is watching us from the shadows."
"Watching us from the shadows?" The girl pursed her lips. "Uncle Qi, you're a mid-stage Bone Strengthening Realm expert. In this tiny Baiyuan County, who could spy on you without you noticing?"
"Even the Prison Warden of the Criminal Defense Division couldn't sneak up on you without a sound, could he?"
Qi Huanrong thought it over. "You're right, Young Master."
Though he said that to the girl, he didn't let his guard down, remaining alert to his surroundings at all times.
At that moment, Chu Ming was using the surroundings as cover to quickly leave the area around the pavilion.
"That person was strong enough to sense even my Sword Gourd Spiritual Sense..."
For a split second, he'd nearly been discovered.
"That was definitely