Receiving a definite answer, despite the sunset casting dappled shadows, the West Emperor's eyes still revealed a deep gloom.

Without saying more, he turned and left.

Hu Gongxian quickly stepped forward to lead the way, taking him to a carriage beside the mountain road, personally lifting the curtain to welcome him aboard.

The coachman flicked the reins, driving the carriage along the road…

In the rooftop pavilion, Yin Xu was using the Mother-child Talisman to communicate with Shi Chun. In between, she tended to the flowers and plants around her, or it could be said she communicated with Shi Chun in the intervals of tending to the plants. She was warning Shi Chun that the Xun Gate entrance and exit of Juku State had been strictly controlled, and according to reliable sources, it was specifically targeting Shi Chun and his group.

In short, it was a warning for Shi Chun to be careful.

In fact, even without this warning, Shi Chun had guessed it. He had arranged people at the Xun Gate exit specifically to relay messages. Not long after the incident in Dazhi City, the Xun Gate for entering and exiting Juku State was tightly controlled, and he had figured out it was aimed at him.

This was all within his expectations.

After ending the communication, Yin Xu had just put away the Mother-child Talisman and turned around when she saw someone standing behind her, startling her. Upon seeing that it was the West Emperor, she couldn't help but press her hand to her chest and pat it, rolling her eyes playfully, "Could you not appear so silently next time?"

Although he always appeared so quietly, she could never get used to it.

The reason for his silent appearances, she knew, was because everyone around her knew of her relationship with the West Emperor, so there was no need for an announcement.

The West Emperor stepped forward, placing a hand on her waist, and said with a smile, "Do I really need to announce myself before meeting you?"

Yin Xu rolled her eyes at him again, "Just a few days, and you're here again. Except for when we first met, you've never approached me so lightly. Saying you missed me, I don't believe it. Come on, what instructions do you have?"

The West Emperor withdrew his hand from her and leaned close to sniff a flower branch, "Isn't it because of you, the Extreme Fire Sect has filed a complaint against me. I can't just listen to one side of the story, I had to come over to ask about it. By the way..." slightly tilting his head, he asked, "Did you really serve as a maid to the Qingqiu Ancestor?"

Yin Xu knew that once the news got out, he would eventually ask, so she retorted, "What if I did, what if I didn't?"

Thus, the West Emperor released the flower branch and placed his hand back on her waist, "If you didn't, the news reached Qingqiu, you might be in trouble, and I'd have to worry about how to resolve it for you, inevitably asking someone to step in. But if you did, I could climb a high branch…" He reached out to lift Yin Xu's fair chin, "and marry you!"

Yin Xu was stunned. The fact that Qingqiu would stand up for her on this matter touched her, and she never expected him to say he would marry her, hitting her soft spot.

Actually, she always had a clear perspective on their relationship, knowing that this was as far as it could go, with no possibility of further development. Because he couldn't possibly marry her, even though she often fantasized about being a legitimate Domain Lord's Wife.

She asked in disbelief, "You would marry me, how come I don't believe it?"

The West Emperor caressed her porcelain-like delicate face and sighed, "What's there not to believe? If I don't marry you, it won't work. Think about it, the story of Qingqiu Ancestor's maid becoming my lover, who over there at Qingqiu would accept that? By then, who knows if they'll settle accounts with you or with me. But if I directly make you my main wife, wouldn't all the troubles be resolved? Of course, I'd also be very pleased to have a bit of Qingqiu Ancestor's background!"

His reasoning was sound. Yin Xu's eyes shone brightly, her heart blossomed with joy as she leaned against him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gazed into his eyes, "Then marry me!"

The West Emperor held her waist and confirmed once more, "So, you're saying you really served as a maid to the Qingqiu Ancestor?"

Yin Xu responded without hesitation, "I did."

But in her heart, she had another plan. No matter what, she would ask Wang Ping for help later. As long as Wang Ping could put in a word with the Ancestor, the lie wouldn't have a chance to be exposed, making the false true.

People are like this, they always desire what they can't have. Why should demons be any different from humans?

Thus, the West Emperor smiled, gazing at her with a smile, "Good, once this current matter is resolved, I'll marry you into the house, making you my Domain Lord's Wife.

But upfront, once you become my wife, you can't run the business of Zhu Lang Pavilion anymore; disreputable things cannot be done. You'll have to join my Domain Master Mansion, and you'll have to carry the demeanor of a Domain Lord's Wife, both in private and in public. You won't have as much freedom then, so you mustn't regret it."

A radiant Yin Xu immediately hugged him tightly, nestling against him, murmuring, "I won't regret it, never. It's a path I chose, I'll bear any consequences."

The West Emperor stroked her back and asked, "What's the deal with those two people giving the Extreme Fire Sect a hard time, why are you helping them?"

Yin Xu suddenly realized that he might already know about her helping Wang Ping and the others leave the city.

She trusted her clan members and didn't suspect that they leaked the information. She knew that the West Emperor understood some aspects of her work, and he probably learned about it from some part of the process.

But she didn't know how to explain this to the West Emperor, should she say she lied and wasn't actually the Qingqiu Ancestor's maid? If she didn't lie, she'd have to rely on Wang Ping to help her cover this falsehood, truly caught in a dilemma.

Ultimately, the West Emperor gently patted her on the back understandingly, "Alright, if it's difficult to explain, don't explain it then. I believe you have your reasons for doing so.

However, there is something I must remind you of, the Extreme Fire Sect has already crossed paths with those two individuals, and the exit of Juku State has been taken control of. Your original way is no longer feasible. I hope nothing goes wrong, you should understand, if something goes wrong, the Extreme Fire Sect is not someone you want to mess with.

So, if you intend to get them out, it would be best to inform me, and I will personally help you arrange it.

But I must warn you, this is the only time. In such matters, I can only assist you this last time. End it cleanly, make things clear with Extreme Fire Sect, then sever ties with Zhu Lang Pavilion. Sell what should be sold, transfer what should be transferred, no more dirty work in the future."

Saying this, he gave Yin Xu a light slap on the butt, "In the future, you'll have plenty to keep busy with matters inside the Domain Master Mansion. It's equally important to attend to dealings with those dignitaries and their families, requiring your careful management."

Though the words were a reprimand, Yin Xu's heart felt as sweet as drinking honey, already imagining the scenes of prosperity and wealth, obediently agreeing repeatedly, where emotions surged, she actively embraced the other for a kiss, serving to the utmost…

By the time Yin Xu lazily awoke from the bed, the sky outside was filled with stars, and the place beside her was already empty. The West Emperor had left quietly once more.

However, this time Yin Xu's face showed no sorrow, instead, an unstoppable sweet smile.

She could understand why the West Emperor was willing to marry her now; he spoke openly about how glad he was to have the background of the Qingqiu Ancestor.

Although it seemed a bit pragmatic, it was indeed true.

Precisely for this reason, she felt it increasingly necessary to maintain a good relationship with Shi Chun. Conveniently, the West Emperor was willing to help, she quickly took out the Mother-child Talisman to send a message to Shi Chun, saying she had a way to help them leave Juku State, telling them to find her when they needed to leave.

Shi Chun naturally replied gratefully, saying they would seek her when needed...

Time flew by, and in the eyes of all relevant parties, Shi Chun and the other seemed to have vanished, with some even suspecting they had managed to exit Juku State before the closure.

At the moment, Jiang You'er told the North Mountain Order Master precisely that.

Sauntering back and forth in the room, Huang Ye said; "The other three didn't have enough time to leave, if we find those three, we'll know if Shi Chun and his companion have left, but the issue is, we can't even find those three. Have you not received any response?"

He was referring to the Mother-child Talisman Wu Jinliang gave to Jiang You'er.

Jiang You'er shook his head, "It's almost as if they left Juku State and are unreachable, never receiving any messages. Sir, aren't we just supposed to observe? Why the sudden urgency to know the whereabouts of those two, has there been a change of thought above us?"

Huang Ye said; "The Extreme Fire Sect is a bit anxious, despite only a few days, they're getting restless, Sect Master Su Qiao has personally gone to the Phoenix Clan, to have a face-to-face talk with the Phoenix Clan's Chief."

Jiang You'er was surprised, "If they can't find them, what's the use of meeting the Phoenix Clan's Chief?"

Huang Ye said: "Su Qiao already revealed the truth of the surprising event outside Dazhi City to the Phoenix Clan's Chief, clarifying that the Bai Family was involved. Having no direction in searching, they need to start with the Bai Family now, with the Bai Family backed by the Phoenix Clan, moving against the Bai Family requires first the Phoenix Clan's consent."

Jiang You'er hesitated, "Granny Qi commands great respect in the Phoenix Clan, They probably won't agree, right?"

Huang Ye snorted dismissively, "What's there not to agree upon? As long as the benefits the Extreme Fire Sect offers are substantial enough, a mere servant, however respected, cannot outweigh the Phoenix Clan's interests?"

Indeed, Jiang You'er nodded slightly, but still a bit perplexed, asked: "What does it have to do with us?"

Huang Ye said: "The Extreme Fire Sect's reaction is increasingly over the top, arousing suspicion from above. After exhaustive investigation, they finally sensed a hint, discovering the cause is still the previous incident, related to the last Divine Fire Covenant, Shi Chun sold the secret of finding the Divine Fire to the nine major sects of the Artifact Refining World.

He did earn a fortune from it, but the nine major sects couldn't tackle the secret, because the key point of that secret lies within Situ Gu. Not mentioning the background of the top sect in the Artifact Refining World, the Refining Heaven Sect, just Situ Gu's personal network of friends, who can act rashly?

This matter originally wasn't much of a secret, but this time the above investigated from the Extreme Fire Sect's side, leading to discoveries hinting further depth behind the secret. Shi Chun seems to know something about Situ Gu's secret, and unveiling this secret might lead Situ Gu to yield the Secret Technique to find the Divine Fire.

What exactly the Extreme Fire Sect discovered remains unknown, those in the know remain tight-lipped, not even other senior officials were informed, and this is why the Extreme Fire Sect refuses to let go of Shi Chun."

Suddenly enlightened, Jiang You'er understood, that's the Secret Technique to find the Divine Fire, no wonder; not just the Extreme Fire Sect, Demon Path is undoubtedly quite interested as well, preparing for the future.

Sauntering back and forth, Huang Ye also halted before him, "Thus, there is something requiring your personal execution, never allowing a third person to be privy to it, Extreme Fire Sect has a disciple named Yin Tianlu, currently still on the side near Dazhi City. This little demon precisely led the group during Extreme Fire Sect's last venture into the Divine Fire Domain, very likely knowing what the secret truly is. The upheaval ahead of Dazhi City serves to confuse people, making them not suspect our involvement, but we need someone alive, understood?"

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