"A good person..." Chen Mo laughed at himself, saying, "Recently many people are saying I’m a good person."

"Because you are."

"Stop flattering, hurry up, it’s getting dark." Chen Mo glanced out the window.

"Mm, mm." Zhihua continued busying herself.

Watching her figure, Chen Mo silently thought to himself, "I hope you won’t deceive me."

...

"Look, look, Duke An is coming out."

Outside the Tingxuan Building, as the gangplank of the ship lowered, a group of armored warriors emerged first from the ship, causing the populace outside to stir with commotion.

Chen Mo, dressed in fine white robes, stepped out first, but his face was somewhat gloomy.

Behind him, Zhihua was being escorted by armored warriors. Her clothes appeared torn and ragged, yet not a bit of herself was exposed. Her mouth showed purple and bruised with traces of blood, her hair disheveled, looking pitiful.

She was a stark contrast to when she first went in.

Sun Meng, with the remaining armored warriors, was the last to disembark. Facing the onlooking crowd, he shouted, "Alright, everything has been clarified. The assassination plot against Duke An has nothing to do with Tingxuan Building. Everyone, disperse."

With that, he lifted the lockdown on Tingxuan Building.

On the ship, upon hearing these words, Qin Hao collapsed onto the floor as if he lost his bones, his clothes soaked through.

He still held a lingering fear from narrowly escaping calamity.

...

Xiao Family.

Xiao Yunxi and Yue Ruyan were stunned upon hearing about the assassination at Tingxuan Building. Upon learning it was attempted through poisoning, their faces changed dramatically, worried about Chen Mo’s safety. They only relaxed upon hearing that Chen Mo was fine.

If it weren’t for Chen Mo sending someone during the period to notify them to stay well at the mansion, they would have rushed to Tingxuan Building as soon as they heard the news.

At this moment, Xiao Yunxi rushed out of the courtyard upon receiving the report from the servants, knowing Chen Mo had returned, heading towards the gate.

Xiao Family’s gate.

Chen Mo was inquiring Xiao Quan whether there was a dungeon within the ancestor residence of Xiao Family.

Upon learning there was none but one outside the city, Chen Mo promptly asked Xiao Quan to vacate a room to detain Zhihua, ordering Sun Meng to send people to watch her closely while he interrogated if she had any accomplices.

Zhihua had just been taken away.

Xiao Yunxi and Yue Ruyan arrived hurriedly.

"Husband, are you alright?"

"Don’t move, let me take a look."

"Are you okay?"

Xiao Yunxi spoke in concern, while Yue Ruyan, less expressive, uttered just a sentence.

Xiao Yunxi circled around Chen Mo as she approached.

Yue Ruyan’s eyes held a trace of guilt.

From the start, Yue Ruyan hadn’t taken Zhihua seriously, merely seeing her as a woman trying to seduce her man.

Thus, when Chen Mo left the house, Yue Ruyan didn’t warn him to be cautious.

Reflecting upon it now, it brought a sense of fear.

Indeed, Zhihua’s capabilities, even as a martial artist, were far below the upper-grade martial artist Chen Mo and couldn’t harm him.

But when it comes to using poison, it’s uncertain.

After all, there have been many instances throughout history.

Chen Mo shook his head; even though he had returned to the Xiao Family, he couldn’t explain the details amidst many ears and eyes, instead saying, "I’m fine, let’s discuss inside."

The two women nodded slightly, following Chen Mo back to the courtyard.

Once inside the room, with no outsiders around, Yue Ruyan no longer appeared as restrained, she pulled up Chen Mo’s sleeve to check his pulse.

Yue Ruyan knew a bit about medical skills, able to check if one was injured or poisoned through pulse diagnosis.

After a round of diagnosis, Yue Ruyan was thoroughly relieved, his breath steady, pulse strong, not resembling someone poisoned.

Xiao Yunxi said, "I never imagined Zhihua was an assassin."

Not only did she not anticipate it, it’s likely everyone in Qinhuai City wouldn’t expect that the delicate, powerless, and alluring brothel woman was actually a spy trained by Prince Huai’s Mansion.

Yue Ruyan frowned and said, "Who sent her?"

"Who else could it be." Chen Mo sat down, gulping tea in large sips as he was rather thirsty from the lack of drink all day, then said, "Our old acquaintance, Prince Huai; Zhihua is his spy, and her previous name was Flower Shadow."

"Spy?" Xiao Yunxi raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Exactly, and not only Zhihua in Jiangnan, there are several. Zhihua cultivated a secret technique from Prince Huai to mask her cultivation aura, enabling her to disguise as an ordinary person." Chen Mo placed down the teapot and said. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Why would Prince Huai send so many spies to Jiangnan?" Yue Ruyan asked.

"What else, to monitor the Xiao Family and other noble families in Jiangnan, gathering intelligence no less, given the importance of Jiangnan." Chen Mo smirked.

Xiao Yunxi’s eyes darkened slightly; although she was no longer Prince Huai’s wife, learning this news still upset her somewhat, seeing as the Xiao Family had supported him so much yet he still sent someone to spy on them.

"So how did you uncover her?" Yue Ruyan asked curiously.

"She confessed voluntarily." Saying this, Chen Mo pulled Xiao Yunxi into his arms, letting her sit on his lap, and subsequently took out a small porcelain vial from his embrace, placing it on the table:

"This is the poison she was going to use; I hear it’s Immortal Powder that Prince Huai obtained from the Western Regions. Once poisoned, even an upper-grade martial artist would become weak and unable to mobilize innate spiritual qi."

Xiao Yunxi struggled slightly, finding she couldn’t break free, she let Chen Mo do as he pleased, only pouting, "After such a big incident, you still have thoughts like this?"

"No harm done." Chen Mo said.

Yue Ruyan quickly inquired why Zhihua confessed willingly.

To his own women, Chen Mo had nothing to hide, he narrated what Zhihua had told him, repeating the account to them.

After hearing the story, Yue Ruyan’s expression hardly changed, being a female general with years of battlefield experience, the number of lives she has taken is considerable, far from being moved by such matters.

Compared to Yue Ruyan, who had seldom encountered such violence, Xiao Yunxi was more sentimental, after hearing, she couldn’t help but pity Zhihua: "I never thought she was so pitiful."

But Yue Ruyan had a different opinion: "It could merely be her side of the story, even if she truly found her brother on Mount Helan, it could still be a setup with Prince Huai simply to gain... husband’s trust. Once husband drops his guard against Zhihua, taking action becomes easier, like now with us."

"Ruyan makes a valid point." Chen Mo lifted Xiao Yunxi’s skirt, gently placing his hand on her leg.

Xiao Yunxi’s legs were typically fleshy, neither slim nor plump, feeling substantial to the touch, her curves smooth and elastic.

Noticing Chen Mo’s hand sliding toward her inner thigh, she instantly clenched her legs together, asking, "Since that’s the case, how do you plan to deal with her..."

"I’ll keep her around for observation. As for whether Zhihua’s brother really exists, send someone to her claimed hometown to investigate.

Additionally, those hidden scouts in Qinhuai, I have already identified two of them today. We can keep an eye on these two scouts and gradually work upward, catching and interrogating everyone involved to determine truth from falsehood." Chen Mo had several plans.

Xiao Yunxi’s face reddened, biting her lip, she pushed Chen Mo’s chest gently.

The scoundrel was begun fondling.

Her delicate frame became somewhat limp.

Chen Mo didn’t restrain himself anymore, he cupped her face, kissing her deeply, savoring her moist sweetness.

The faint scent of rouge wafted to his nose, stirring his heart.

After a while, their lips parted.

Xiao Yunxi felt the unusual sensation from behind her, shooting Chen Mo a look, saying, "Did Zhihua not satisfy you at Tingxuan Building?"

Chen Mo squeezed her gently, kissing her fair neck, saying, "I didn’t touch her."

"Really, that doesn’t sound like you."