Chapter 76

Two days later, Qin Wentian arrived outside a mansion. The person who had brought him here left after delivering him.

This mansion was located in the fifth district of the imperial city, where only nobles and royalty resided. Lifting his head, he could see a large plaque above the mansion, inscribed with the words, "Zijun Wangfu" (Purple County Prince's Mansion).

"Zijun Wangfu?"

Qin Wentian's name seemed somewhat familiar, and suddenly, his pupils constricted. He remembered that during Bai Qingsong's birthday celebration, many forces from the imperial city had come to congratulate him, including this Zijun Wangfu.

"The Zijun Wangfu sent people to Tianyong City to celebrate Bai Qingsong's birthday, clearly because of the Ye family. Although the Ye family is powerful, for a noble mansion to fall to such a state, it's probably not a powerful one," Qin Wentian speculated. It was quite a coincidence that he had asked for help and ended up here at the Zijun Wangfu.

He wondered how the Bai family was doing now. Bai Qingsong, that hypocrite, left a deep impression on him. His adoptive father had agreed to the marriage because of the connection between the Bai family's ancestors and Qin Wu. He had genuinely treated the Bai family well, but they had been so ruthless, even helping the Ye family to besiege the Qin family.

If they had just expelled him from the Qin family, he might have been able to tolerate it, but the Bai family's participation in the siege of the Qin family was something he would never forget.

"Bai Qiuxue, she's also at the Imperial Academy," Qin Wentian thought.

Inside the Zijun Wangfu, a few figures emerged. Qin Wentian looked over, and his pupils constricted again.

This woman was the one he had encountered in the Tianmeng Forest. Over those days, he had often fought with a woman, practicing his movements, which had been quite helpful. On the last day, another woman appeared, who seemed quite capricious and had a bit of a spoiled temperament, and it was this woman.

Although Qin Wentian recognized Chu Ling, she did not recognize him. Walking up to him, she asked coldly, "You are Qin Wentian?"

"En." Qin Wentian nodded.

"Put this on, and you'll be my guard. Since I promised someone, I'll bring you in, but don't cause me any trouble," Chu Ling said. Qin Wentian's identity was somewhat sensitive, and both the Ye family and the Ou family were not very friendly towards him. If people found out she had helped Qin Wentian, it wouldn't be good.

"Alright." Qin Wentian put on the guard's uniform. Chu Ling seemed somewhat cold towards him, but this suited him just fine; he didn't want to have any entanglements with her.

"Follow behind me, let's go." Chu Ling mounted her horse and galloped away. Qin Wentian and two other guards ran behind her, all moving at a very fast speed.

After some time, Qin Wentian realized that Chu Ling was leading him into the imperial palace, but from the left side, into a huge estate. This estate had both mountains and water, and its size was unknown. Qin Wentian even sensed a faint aura of demonic energy.

"Half of the imperial city is surrounded by the Dark Forest, including the imperial palace. The demonic energy here, and its proximity to the palace, suggests it's the Dark Forest outside the palace. To have an estate here is truly luxurious."

Qin Wentian looked ahead, where he could see several luxurious palaces and villas. A resting place set in the Dark Forest was probably only something a major family could afford.

"This is the imperial hunting ground, which extends deep into the Dark Forest. Stay close, or if you encounter a demonic beast and get swallowed, don't blame me," Chu Ling shouted from her horse, not even looking back. Her horse galloped away without waiting for the guards or Qin Wentian.

"Indeed, she has a bit of a spoiled temperament," Qin Wentian thought, quickening his pace. The imperial hunting ground was so large that he would probably only see Qin Yao when the banquet started.

"Murou Rou." At that moment, Chu Ling saw a few figures ahead and called out. They were all riding white horses and slowed down upon hearing her. The lead female rider turned around and smiled, "Chu Ling, you're here too."

"En, it seems we're all early," Chu Ling smiled. Murou Rou also had two guards following her, but they were all on horseback, a detail that suggested a different approach to handling things compared to Chu Ling.

In the noble circles, guards were usually powerful martial cultivators whose duty was to protect their masters. They enjoyed the cultivation resources provided by their masters but had a low status. Only the most outstanding guards were valued, but even then, they had little freedom.

Therefore, truly talented people did not want to become someone else's guard; at least, they would prefer a guest position.

Qin Wentian was quite surprised to see Murou Rou. She was the one he had sparred with multiple times in the Illusion City. He didn't expect to meet her here.

Murou Rou also seemed to sense something and looked over at Qin Wentian, seemingly recognizing him. She nodded slightly, which made Qin Wentian pause.

Murou Rou shouldn't know him, but Qin Wentian didn't know that Chu Ling had mentioned she would bring him, so Murou Rou guessed he was Qin Wentian. However, she didn't know he was the man with the Qilin mask in Illusion City.

"Let's go." Chu Ling frowned when she saw Murou Rou notice Qin Wentian and glanced at him. She didn't want others to know she was helping him.

Qin Wentian was very perceptive and couldn't miss her obvious attitude.

"I'll have no more ties with her once I see Sister Qin Yao," Qin Wentian thought. He didn't like Murou Rou's character. Since she had agreed to bring him in, why was she so disdainful? If she was afraid of being implicated, she shouldn't have agreed in the first place.

At the same time, in the imperial hunting ground at the intersection of the Dark Forest and the imperial palace, many young nobles had arrived.

The Third Prince was still young, so the people he invited were naturally not from the older generation but these young nobles.

The Ye family's descendants had also come, including Ye Zhan from the Imperial Academy. Besides his guards, he brought two others.

"Liu Yan, this is the imperial hunting ground. The imperial family likes to start their hunts here, entering the Dark Forest to hone their strength," Ye Zhan smiled at the woman beside him. The woman was none other than Liu Yan, and her brother Liu Yue was also with her.

In the past, Ye Zhan and Oufeng had pursued Qin Wentian and Fan Le. When Ye Zhan saw Liu Yan, he stopped, and that was when he met her and began to court her.

Although Liu Yan was initially resistant because of Qin Wentian, Ye Zhan was indeed very good to her, and with Liu Yue's constant persuasion, she gradually accepted him.

After all, Liu Yue spoke the truth. In the vast imperial city of Chu, there were many people with greater talent than them. Without a powerful background or resources, how could they compete with others? They would likely end up like their friends, dying silently while hunting demonic beasts.

"Truly magnificent, befitting the imperial hunting ground of Chu." Liu Yue, standing beside Liu Yan, added, "Ye Zhan, if not for you, we wouldn't have the right to enter such a place."

"Brother, we are brothers, no need for such formalities," Ye Zhan smiled warmly, his handsome face making people feel very comfortable.

"Haha, that's true. From now on, we are family," Liu Yue laughed, seeming very straightforward.

Before Liu Yue finished speaking, his gaze suddenly froze, staring intently ahead. There, a dreamlike, beautiful figure appeared.

Ye Zhan followed Liu Yue's gaze and his pupils also constricted. Mo Qingcheng, the first beauty of Chu.

"Mo Qingcheng is here," Liu Yue murmured. He had only seen Mo Qingcheng once during the Nine Academies' Martial House trials, and he couldn't forget her. She was too stunning.

However, he was also aware of his own status. There was no possibility of any interaction between him and Mo Qingcheng. He could only think about her in his heart.

"The first beauty of Chu, she is indeed very beautiful," Liu Yan, who was also a beauty, still felt a sense of awe when she saw Mo Qingcheng. Standing before her, she felt weaker, as if she was just a foil to Mo Qingcheng's beauty.

Besides Mo Qingcheng, her friend Nuolan was also there. They both saw the group but turned and walked away.

"That woman is actually with Ye Zhan. I wonder if Qin Wentian would be furious if he knew. That guy probably still thinks she saved him," Nuolan whispered. Mo Qingcheng's beautiful eyes stiffened at her words, and she replied softly, "I still owe him an apology."

"Why are you so stubborn? You saved him once and even carried him, giving him a high-grade second-rank pill. Even if you misunderstood him once, it's evened out, right?" Nuolan rolled her eyes at Mo Qingcheng.

"But, that day, he must have felt so desperate," Mo Qingcheng sighed, thinking of Qin Wentian's lonely back as he carried Fan Le away, which made her feel uncomfortable and guilty.