"I don't know means I don't know," Wei Mo straightforwardly stated, "What was done isn't important, securing first place is."

Chi Rang couldn't stand this remark and retorted sarcastically, "Are you implying that rebelling is also fine?"

Wei Mo responded, "You're just being contentious. Whether it's robbing or cheating, neither matters at that stage of the conference. Xuan State people can murder and rob all they want; compared to that, what's cheating? If the Marquis wasn't here, I wouldn't bother arguing with you. Aren't you afraid people will laugh if this gets out?"

Regardless of how discontent Chi Rang felt afterwards, Wei Mo firmly held onto one point: if there really were violations, whether the bigger problem was Xuan State people committing murders and robberies or Sheng Province people engaging in fraud?

Indeed, these were issues not even worth discussing, purely manifestations of Chi Rang's unwillingness to accept the situation.

The Right Minister, who was in charge of this conference, seemed neither awake nor asleep. Seeing that neither man could best the other in their argument, he waited until they had their fill of quarreling before sending them away.

Upon leaving the main gate, Chi Rang didn't give Wei Mo any pleasant expressions. He left with a swish of his sleeve, flying away from the celestial mountain, his dissatisfaction clear.

Wei Mo, with his hands clasped behind his back, merely smiled slightly in indifference; he treated the encounter as a mere formality.

He knew that those who set the betting odds believed they had the ability to influence the conference and steer the outcome. They didn't expect the rules to be so rigidly enforced, preventing any intervention.

Now that circumstances had moved beyond that point of rigid control, again entering a realm where those individuals could exert influence, Wei Mo didn't believe Chi Rang had the capability to turn things around, facing not just one or two people's interests…

Inside a luxurious building with bright lights and joyous music and dance:

Young Master Nan, with his clothes disheveled, along with a group of friends, was cavorting with beautiful courtesans, continuously making toasts. The bet was about to bring a huge profit; they had started celebrating early, having been stifled for too long. They had nearly turned against each other and needed to relax.

And relax they indeed did, allowing absurdity to reign at the gathering. It was rare for Young Master Nan to be so indulgent.

A charming and sophisticated lady came over to greet and make a toast, overhearing people discussing Shi Chun's victory. She interjected with a smile, "Victory isn't certain yet. I just heard from a guest that the Domain Master of Xuan isn't satisfied with the outcome and is looking to overturn it. It seems Shi Chun has already been captured."

At these words, the rowdy group of noble guests instantly froze.

Young Master Nan, who was lifting his wine cup, stiffened even more.

"Quiet down." A man grabbed a wine jug and threw it at the band performing on the side, silencing them with a crash. Faint laughter and singing from outside could still be heard.

Regaining his senses, Young Master Nan immediately asked the lady, "Is this true?"

Quickly shaking her head, the lady replied, "It might not be true. I just overheard a guest mentioning it, and he has already left. Maybe it was just drunk babbling."

Snap! Young Master Nan set down his wine cup and stood up, addressing the crowd with a gesture, "Listen up, everyone. Why are you zoning out? Get up! We might be headed for a fallout; no more celebration. Why should Xuan not be satisfied just because they didn't win? Brother Ye, you should go ask your aunt. Brother Han, quickly go inquire with your uncle whether this is true…"

He then waved his hand, indicating five or six people.

The group quickly adjusted their attire and left cursing and complaining, leaving behind a room brilliantly lit and in disarray.

The lady looked around at the wasteful scene, shook her head, gestured with her fan to the servants, "They won't be coming back, start cleaning up."

Outside, dawn had not yet broken.

In a temporary courtyard at Wukang Mountain, Wei Mo arrived, using Chi Rang's dissatisfaction as a pretext, and formally inquired about the incident inside the West Pole venue.

Naturally, Shi Chun recounted the incident once more.

Wei Mo gleaned from his account a sense of compulsion throughout the process, suggesting Shi Chun had been forced into his actions. Chi Rang's version of the story was different, painting Shi Chun as deviously cunning through the confessions of this young man's followers.

To Wei Mo, this wasn't important. People have their own stands; it isn't surprising. He controls a domain and had long been accustomed to dealing with such matters. He was just here to understand the situation.

While they were still talking, suddenly a hubbub erupted from outside, "Shi Chun, Shi Chun, Shi Chun…"

The voices sounded somewhat familiar.

Soon, five or six people appeared outside the hall, including Young Master Nan with his entourage.

In this regard, Shi Chun and the others were unclear whether they were being captured or protected.

Wei Mo was in the know, having orchestrated the affair himself, but he hadn't made any fuss about it, not claiming the people he snatched from the Stargazing Pavilion.

He had almost figured out the situation and didn't stay long, mainly because he didn't want to get too close to Young Master Nan and his cohort—different levels, certain distances had to be maintained appropriately.

Bian Jixiong, however, wanted to make connections with these people. Although Young Master Nan's group was polite, they merely pacified him.

Finally, after many twists and turns and contacts, it became clear that the group from Wukang Mountain was indeed under protection, and the puppet master behind the scenes was Wei Mo, causing Young Master Nan's group to curse him silently for his underhanded tactics.

After telling the truth to the people of Wukang Mountain, Young Master Nan's group lost interest in staying any longer and took their leave.

As for Shi Chun, after all the commotion, he still didn't know who Young Master Nan really was and was confused about many things. At that moment, while seeing off the guests, he made eye contact with Wu Jinliang and gestured.

Understanding the hint, Wu Jinliang suddenly spoke up, "Young Master Nan, I've never played in the royal capital before, could you show me around?"

The group was taken aback, and Bian Jixiong scolded, "How dare you!"

"It's alright," Young Master Nan waved his hand. This was truly a trivial matter for him, but he still frowned, "I'll check first to see if you can go out."

Hence, he took out a mother-child charm to communicate, and there were no major problems—he fixed it, but the precondition was that he had to ensure the safety of the personnel he brought out.

In the end, the one scolded was Wu Jinliang, but the ones who went out to play included Shi Chun and other attendees, as Young Master Nan said he would host a banquet.

The group split into three carriages, Wu Jinliang intentionally avoided the women and got into another carriage.

Once the carriage left the military camp, without the suppression of Bian Jixiong and others, Shi Chun immediately started to question Young Master Nan, "Young Master Nan, when the people from Stargazing Pavilion controlled us, someone killed a soldier from the Royal Court right before our eyes, but no one dared to offend him. I noticed that his fighting technique belongs to the Su Yuan Sect, do you know who he is?"

At this, Young Master Nan couldn't help but touch his forehead and gave a wry smile, "Regarding the murder, I also heard about it not long ago. That person is named Mulan Jin, indeed the Pavilion Master of the Stargazing Pavilion. Just previously in the West Pole, you dueled with his daughter and even injured her, Brother Chun. You are impressive, I heard you even impersonated his son-in-law?"

Some news travels fast; the matter of someone impersonating Mulan Qingqing's fiancé for fraud had been quickly spread by interested parties.

The Pavilion Master of Stargazing Pavilion is Mulan Qingqing's father? Not only Shi Chun, but Xiang Laner and Bian Weiying were greatly startled.

In another carriage, Wu Jinliang, once he started talking, seemed to be muttering to himself, "Don't like riding in a car with women, it's not fun with women around."

The other two companions immediately understood his meaning and, after a brief chat, they all burst into laughter, easy to handle.

Thus, they immediately notified Young Master Nan's group that they wanted to take Wu Jinliang to see the sunrise, then the carriage strayed from the group and sped off, and Shi Chun did not stop it.

It was still the same brilliantly lit building from before.

The host was genuinely hospitable, cutting out all the coquettish flirtation and directly bringing out the star courtesan to accompany the guests.

Wu Jinliang was also sincere, setting aside eating and drinking for later, he grinned and wrapped his arm around the Oiran's waist, visiting her room…

After daybreak, at Wei Mo's station, the elder Jian Lingzhen from Moon Valley came knocking, furiously accusing Shi Chun of murdering his Moon Valley disciples and imploring the Domain Master to preside over the matter.

Upon hearing this, Wei Mo knew she was out of the loop and replied indifferently, "The situation has been investigated. It was five disciples from Moon Valley who tried to steal the immobilization charm from Shi Chun, resulting in their own deaths in retaliation. What would you have me do?"

"…" Jian Lingzhen was stunned, not expecting that the truth had already been uncovered?

In a splendid building by shining waters, basking in the rising sun, was the place for Young Master Nan's hosting.

In a secluded corner of the building, Feng Chi and Xiang Laner finally met secretly and could only rush through their meeting. The former needed to report on the events that had occurred at the West Pole meeting, while the latter whispered quickly.

Hearing about Shi Chun's various tactics, Feng Chi's eyes sparkled brilliantly.

Upon hearing Xiang Laner's judgment that Shi Chun practiced Demon Skill but wasn't from the Demon Path, Feng Chi's expression grew solemn, "No wonder when I first met him, he seemed clueless about absorbing Demonic Qi. This information is very important; I'll report it as soon as possible.

Also, Weikang has found out that Shi Chun went up to Wukang Mountain because of his feelings for you. Betrayed by his most trusted friend, he is somewhat out of control now. You need to prepare Shi Chun for this."

Xiang Laner was slightly shocked, "How did he find out?"

Feng Chi explained, "Bian Jixiong let it slip, related to Shi Chun's offenses in the West Pole. Initially, he probably planned to take action against Shi Chun, wanting to kill him after the meeting to explain to all parties, but now the situation has become complicated. Anyway, one thing is unchanged; in the eyes of Bian Que and Bian Jixiong, Weikang is the most important.

With things going this way, it's still uncertain what the Bian father and son will decide. The higher-ups are also hesitant about whether to let Shi Chun return to Wukang Mountain. I'll report your information to them for further consideration. Right now, I worry whether this might affect your plans over there at Wukang Mountain."

Xiang Laner sighed, "With such a big change, we can only take things one step at a time now. If something really goes wrong, there's nothing I can do."

Feng Chi's expression darkened, "You must not give up. For the sake of Wukang Mountain, your move has already been played, and you know the consequences of a failed plan. Using you for other maneuvers is already inappropriate. I, too, have been a Holy Daughter, and ended up in a brothel being a madame—I'm still one of the lucky ones. Some Holy Daughters have no choice but to return for Dual Cultivation. Which would you prefer? Among so many Holy Daughters, to stand out, failure is absolutely not an option!"

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