Frightened off

Ding Songyan looked at Luo Mingyin, speechless for a moment.

Twelfth Madam, you actually have such scheming thoughts?

As expected, Luo Mingyin's name was fake, and her appearance was also a disguise. It would be a miracle if either her Martial Uncle or Xiaoqing knew the truth...

However, I wanted to cultivate a reputation for being a charming and romantic womanizer, so that my younger Little Sister wouldn't keep eyeing my Senior Sister and constantly nag me about Severing Worldly Ties...

Anyway, my Senior Sister definitely believes me. I've already hinted at the reason. Besides, Senior Sister's a reasonable girl. My relationship with Twelfth Madam is truly innocent. I only covet her cultivation techniques...

Hehe, I still have irrefutable evidence to convince everyone...

Ding Songyan naturally wouldn't reveal his inner thoughts. Faced with Luo Mingyin's rather smug smile, he hissed as if he had a toothache:

"Grandma, you're getting me into trouble!"

Twelfth Madam Luo shook her head slightly and chuckled:

Who started this?

"It was me," Ding Songyan honestly admitted his mistake.

"Every cause has its effect. With fame comes influence," Twelfth Madam Luo said with a smile, a slight upturn to her lips.

Does fame affect reality? Is this partly "revenge" on me, and partly guidance on the Dao of Name and Reality? Twelfth Madam's name is a false one, it won't harm my reality, but it will affect me... But how is this reflected in the cultivation technique? Ding Songyan suddenly cupped his hands in a salute:

"I have learned a great deal."

Twelfth Madam Luo chuckled:

"Although you have some talent, giving you pointers is just a side effect; my main purpose is to see you fail."

Ding Songyan remained silent for a few moments before saying:

"I'll move over here to take care of the injured person for a few days."

Twelfth Madam Luo was stunned:

"Have they given up entirely?"

Ding Songyan really doesn't want to, she won't force him.

"I've said it before, Twelfth Madam, if you need anything, I'll do whatever you ask. Disciples of the Xiaoming Sect always keep their word, how could I go back on my word?" Ding Songyan said solemnly.

Judging from her previous behavior, Twelfth Sister is no weaker than me, and may very well be a Grandmaster of the Celestial Realm. She has managed to hide from my adopted sister for several days after moving here.

As for a clean reputation, do I even have one?

Twelfth Madam Luo scrutinized Ding Songyan for a moment, then nodded approvingly:

"As for the word 'trust,' you're passable."

While Wu Zheng was healing his injuries, Ding Songyan returned to the Side Courtyard of the Prince's Residence's Mansion and packed his toiletries and clothes into his bundle.

As he walked out, before Li Baima and the others could ask, he spoke up:

"Someone is harassing Twelfth Madam at night, and I can't find him at the Watchtower. I'll stay at the Wine Shop for a few nights and catch that thief."

"Sigh, if you're going to help someone, help them all the way. Since I've become Twelfth Madam's shield, then I'll have to do this kind of thing."

Ding Songyan looked helpless and pitying.

This time, Fan Chunlin and his two companions were skeptical.

Although they didn't raise any questions, their eyes no longer held the same level of trust as before.

Why don't you believe that my relationship with Twelfth Madam is truly innocent? Ding Songyan shook his head and changed the subject:

Do you want to know what wonderful things "Young Master Mingxi" gave me the other day?

"Yes." Fan Chunlin and the others looked at Ding Songyan with eager eyes.

Ding Songyan said with a hint of smugness:

"Tiger-Leopard Hidden Dragon Pill"

"Tiger-Leopard Hidden Dragon Pill?" As men who frequented the Rippling River, Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin had long heard of the great name of this miraculous medicine.

They were both shocked and envious.

Ding Songyan and said:

"After taking this pill, one cannot engage in sexual intercourse or ejaculate for seven days. Even Jiang Lanting has deliberately refrained from disturbing me for seven days. Non-Self promise being worth a thousand pieces of gold, why would I go to see a woman or help Twelfth Madam catch the troublemakers at a time like this?"

Li Baima and Ma Jun suddenly realized what was going on.

No wonder the Ding brothers have rarely gone out these past two days!

He and Twelfth Madam really didn't have anything going on. If they did, how could they possibly control themselves after just a few days of living together?

Brother Ding is truly righteous!

Ding Songyan, knowing when to stop and avoiding the gaze of most people, circled back to the Rear Courtyard of the Cheap Wine Shop.

He had just placed his bundle on the desk in the Main Room and chatted with Twelfth Madam Luo for a few words when he saw Wu Zheng open the door to the East Wing Room and come out.

The young man, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, was still pale and his steps were unsteady.

"Thank you both for saving my life." Wu Zheng bowed solemnly. "May I ask your esteemed name? I will surely repay you handsomely in the future."

"Just call me Second Brother Ding, this is Twelfth Madam." Ding Songyan looked at Wu Zheng, "Are you planning to leave?"

Wu Zheng nodded slightly:

"Thanks to my benefactor's miraculous medicine, although my injuries have not yet fully healed, my life is no longer in danger. However, among the group that is chasing me, there are at least two Martial Grandmaster. If I stay here, I will implicate my two benefactors."

His serious injuries have been reduced to ordinary injuries.

Twelfth Madam Luo said in a calm voice:

"You'll need a few more days to fully recover, so stay here for now. If the Government Office launch a large-scale search of this area, I'll find a way to send you to Phoenix Terrace Studio. If the Government Office don't get involved, the two Martial Grandmaster and a dozen or so men alone won't be able to find this place anytime soon."

"It's alright if we find her..." Ding Songyan added in his mind for Twelfth Madam.

Seeing that his two benefactors were both calm and composed, Wu Zheng Huo Ran realized something:

They are probably all Martial Grandmaster of the Law Realm.

This made Wu Zheng secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

His Divine Soul was also damaged, and the "Life-Prolonging Pill" had limited effect in this regard. He had only managed to come out by sheer willpower, and after letting it all out, he immediately felt dizzy and almost lost his balance.

Ding Songyan helped him back to the East Wing Room and settled him down.

When Ding Songyan returned to the Main Room, Twelfth Madam Luo had already tidied up the place where the Tea Table used to be and used the straw mat laid there as his bed.

"Luckily, it's only early winter," Ding Songyan joked.

Twelfth Madam Luo rolled her eyes at him:

"You, Martial Grandmaster of the Law Realm, are you afraid of sleeping on a straw mat for a few nights?"

Ding Songyan was about to respond when he turned and looked towards the side gate of the Rear Courtyard. Twelfth Madam Luo also turned her gaze there.

"Someone's acting suspiciously, seems like they're trying to sneak in and search," Ding Songyan with a smile to Twelfth Madam Luo. "I'll go and send him away."

Twelfth Madam Luo nodded with interest:

"Don't attract the attention of the Watchtower."

She picked up a few jujubes, walked into the courtyard, and assumed a posture of watching the excitement.

Ding Songyan didn't mention the Cold Shadow Sword; on his way to the side gate, he casually picked up a broom.

In the deep of night, he suddenly pushed open the courtyard gate, startling the old man hiding in the shadows by the wall.

The old man was in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a long black robe, with a sickly white head, noticeably crossed eyes, a large nose, a slightly protruding mouth, and sharp spikes replacing his fingernails on his hands.

"Old man, what are you doing outside my door?" Ding Songyan asked, mimicking sweeping fallen leaves at the doorway.

Based on the other person's physical characteristics and the fact that Wu Zheng's Divine Soul was damaged, Ding Songyan roughly guessed what kind of inheritance the old man before him possessed:

The Qi Sparrow that resembles a chicken but has a white head, rat feet, and Tiger Claws. Eating it can pierce through metal and pierce the Divine Soul.

The old man, having been inexplicably discovered, could only manage a sinister laugh:

"Young master, my Linu has gotten lost while playing. I was thinking of looking for it in your yard to see if it might be hiding here. I apologize for bothering you."

Ding Songyan shook his head cautiously:

"On such a dark and windy night, how can we allow outsiders into our home?"

"Old man, why don't you imitate a raccoon's meow a few times? If your raccoon is really hiding nearby, it will surely respond to you."

"Make me, a Martial Grandmaster, meow like a raccoon?" The old man was immediately enraged and his blood boiled.

He pretended to be reckless, took a step to the left, and was about to bypass the young man at the gate and rush into the courtyard.

At this moment, Ding Songyan's broom swept to the right to gather the fallen leaves there.

The old man's gaze suddenly froze. He felt that if he didn't stop, his knee would hit the broom, and if the broom were a spear, many fatal things would follow.

He instinctively pulled at his waist and back, forcefully pulling back the step he had taken.

Ding Songyan's broom fell to the ground, sweeping the leaves in front of him and also towards the old man's feet.

The old man, who had just forcibly retracted his left foot, was too weak to change his move in time. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Without dodging or avoiding, he leaned forward, raised his arms, and "pushed" at the person blocking his way.

The sharp spikes on his palms all seemed to possess a terrifying quality.

Ding Songyan gathered the leaves around himself, and naturally raised the broom. As the old man leaned forward, his legs were wide open.

In that instant, the old man broke out in a cold sweat, his back soaked through.

He abandoned his attack, twisted his waist sharply, and rolled to the side.

He first rolled over lazily, then slapped his right leg back to stop his pursuing opponent, and then sprang to his feet with a somersault.

After a few moves, he was already more than three zhang away.

He looked over, still shaken, and saw the young man still standing there, sweeping fallen leaves while staring at him with surprise.

"Old man, is this how you train your Linu?"

The old man fell silent for a moment, Ding Songyan up and down with suspicion for a few moments, then forced a smile and said:

"I'll go look somewhere else."

He turned around and walked out of Tiger Tail Alley without looking back.

Ding Songyan carefully cleared away the fallen leaves at the entrance before entering the courtyard, where he saw that Twelfth Madam Luo had finished eating the winter dates and was thoughtfully looking at him.

"I thought you would follow that Martial Grandmaster to find out who wanted the ' Myriad Flames Origin Flow Art '," the Manager said casually.

Ding Songyan walked towards the stone table, smiling as he said:

"This matter seems to be very complicated. I'm afraid that if I follow it, I might run into some Great Grandmaster."

The reason for killing Tongyou before the other party even reached the courtyard and managed to evade the Watchtower's surveillance was also based on this reason: they were worried that if the situation remained unclear, it would completely escalate the conflict and bring about unpredictable changes that they themselves could not control.

Ding Songyan is only speculating about Twelfth Madam Luo's exact cultivation level and cannot rely on it completely yet. Besides, given the current situation in Flame Capital, a Great Grandmaster might not be able to control everything.

If you choose to enter a dream, you must first knock the opponent unconscious, which is more difficult than killing them—when you don't know the target, the "Dream Sword" can only evoke a very limited number of real memories.

"You're more cautious than I thought," Twelfth Madam Luo commented.

Having suffered a loss just a few days ago, how could she not be cautious? Twelfth Madam is so calm and composed... Ding Songyan observed and judged, then thought for a moment and said:

"Twelfth Madam, don't you think this is a bit of a coincidence? Wu Zheng just happened to fall within our sensing range."

Twelfth Madam Luo sighed and said:

"The overall energy flow in Flame Capital changed a couple of days ago, so such a coincidence is not unusual."

"Will the overall change in Qi bring about a convergence of destinies?" Ding Songyan tried to understand this statement.

Twelfth Madam Luo nodded, stood up, and extended her right hand:

Give me the broom.

Ding Songyan, not understanding why, handed over the broom.

Twelfth Madam Luo picked up the broom, waved it a few times, then paused to think.

"Twelfth Madam, what's going on?" Ding Songyan asked curiously.

Twelfth Madam Luo glanced at him:

"You scared away a Martial Grandmaster with such ease. If someone else comes looking for you afterward, and I have to go through a lot of trouble to get rid of them, wouldn't I be losing to you?"

Twelfth Madam, you're quite competitive... Ding Songyan chuckled.

If anyone tries to infiltrate and search again, let Twelfth Madam take action and find out her true strength.

If it weren't for Twelfth Madam insisting on watching the spectacle, I could have conjured up the "Mirror Lake Divine Mirror" to scare away that old man while listening to his inner thoughts.

In a courtyard near Treasure Market.

The old man, who had been startled by Ding Songyan to the person in front of him:

"There's only one courtyard left in those alleys that hasn't been secretly searched yet."

"However, the owner of that courtyard is incredibly powerful and noticed my intrusion, so I dared not force my way in."

The man in front of the old man was also around fifty years old, with a face covered in yellow and black leopard spots and two bull horns on his head. He snorted and said:

"Unfathomable? How do you know it's unfathomable?"

P. S.: Please Monthly Tickets during the double reward period!