As Gu Zhao picked up his chopsticks to eat lunch, streams of Evil Qi surged into the Five Thunders Order, forming yet another Thunder Seed.

"They’re dead this time, right?" Gu Zhao asked.

"Stone-dead," Taoist Yan Song replied via voice transmission. "Aside from the Black Furnace Ghost King and his two disciples, we’ve purified every Ghost on Black Furnace Mountain that carried Evil Qi."

"Thank you for your hard work," Gu Zhao said. "Want to come back for lunch?"

Taoist Yan Song was speechless. "..."

"No need," Taoist Yan Song said, shaking his head. "Xu Jing and his wife invited us to be guests at their estate. Besides, since we’re already in Qianshan Prefecture, we’ll look around here for a while."

Gu Zhao smacked his lips. "You aren’t planning to take down the Celestial Extinction Association while you’re at it, are you?"

"Black Furnace Mountain was a tough fight, and the Celestial Extinction Association’s headquarters is probably heavily guarded as well. We’ll scout things out first." Taoist Yan Song didn’t deny it.

They had now more or less cleared out Changping Prefecture and Bai Shi Prefecture. They had originally thought their next step would be to head to Yongzhou Shide Prefecture or Yazhou Celestial Spring Prefecture to vanquish demons and defend the righteous, but unexpectedly, they had ended up in Qianshan Prefecture first.

But Qianshan Prefecture was fine. They would have to take it eventually anyway. If the Celestial Extinction Association was involved in wicked deeds, their bodies brimming with Evil Qi, the old Taoists wouldn’t mind erasing them from existence along the way.

...

After ending the voice transmission with Taoist Yan Song, Gu Zhao went back to his meal.

Four Thunder Seeds were now zipping and circling around his Five Thunders Order. With the old Taoists remaining in Qianshan Prefecture, it was obvious more Evil Qi would soon be on its way, ready to condense into new Thunder Seeds.

Therefore, Gu Zhao wasn’t in a hurry and decided to wait. Li Qingshuang wasn’t going to live at Daluo Palace permanently. She said she would be leaving in three days, but not to return to Jiangbei. Instead, she would be patrolling Jiangnan and could come back anytime.

So, Gu Zhao decided to set aside three days to spend with her. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Didn’t the Spirit Court withdraw from Jiangnan? Why do you still have a mission here?" Gu Zhao asked.

Li Qingshuang nodded, then shook her head, saying pointedly, "We have withdrawn from Jiangnan, but not permanently."

Gu Zhao understood. ’They’re preparing for their eventual return.’

However, Gu Zhao wasn’t worried. This wasn’t because he had an intimate connection to the Spirit Court through Li Qingshuang, but because he now understood how this world worked.

The Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court weren’t omnipotent. They still needed to rely on local factions to maintain their rule. If those local factions rebelled, with powerful masters leading the charge, they too would be unable to control the situation.

And a faction like Daluo Palace, belonging to the lawful-good alignment, was a natural-born partner for the Imperial Court!

Of course, Gu Zhao wouldn’t let his guard down over this. Although the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court were Extraordinary organizations friendly toward mortals—even supportive of mortal rule—they were, at the end of the day, deities and Spirit Monarchs. It was still unclear what their true intentions were toward an Extraordinary organization of Pure Mages like Daluo Palace.

But by the time they returned to Jiangnan, regardless of their intentions, they would have no choice but to coexist peacefully with Daluo Palace.

Gu Zhao: (｡･ω･｡)

"Is it dangerous?" Gu Zhao asked.

Li Qingshuang shook her head. "It’s just a patrol. If I encounter someone truly formidable, I won’t pick a fight I can’t win."

At this, Li Qingshuang gave a self-deprecating smile. "Take what that Ink Flood Dragon did in Pingjiang Prefecture, for example. If the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court were still in Jiangnan, how could they have ever allowed him to act so brazenly?"

...

While Gu Zhao held down the fort at Daluo Palace and Taoist Yan Song’s group headed to Qianshan Prefecture to expand their territory, the original "leveling zone" was left to Taoist Jing Chun, Taoist Yuan He, and two other youths.

「Bai Shi Prefecture, Guangling County, Feicui Building.」

In a private room on the second floor overlooking the street, sat two handsome young men. They wore cyan-and-white robes resembling martial attire. One had sharp, sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, his gaze full of spirit. The other had deep-set eyes and a tranquil demeanor.

The private room was adorned with pink gauze curtains and lit by red candles. The table was laden with eight dishes—four cold and four hot—along with celadon wine ewers, fruit, and desserts.

A madam dressed in vermilion satin, her face heavily and garishly painted, led a group of six or seven young women into the room. Upon seeing the two young men, the girls’ eyes all lit up, and each eagerly tried to display her own charms.

Some were youthful and delicate, others charmingly seductive, some cast flirtatious glances...

"Young Masters!" The madam waved the silk handkerchief in her hand, fanning a fragrant breeze that wafted under Changyi’s and Yangshuo’s noses. "These are the prettiest girls in the house. Have a look, you two. Would you like two of them? Four? Or perhaps all of them?"

Changyi’s sharp brows rose as his gaze swept over the girls. He nodded and said, "Worthy of the title of the best house in the county. The girls are all quite beautiful."

"But of course!" the madam said with a smug smile. "And I’m not just bragging. Even in the Prefecture City, few establishments have girls who can compare to ours at the Feicui Building."

But Yangshuo’s expression remained impassive as he said coolly, "None of these are to my liking."

Changyi casually placed two silver ingots on the table. "I hear," he said with a grin, "that a Miss Qian Xue and a Miss Qing Xia of this house—one a master singer, the other a master dancer—are the star attractions."

The madam’s eyes instantly brightened. Waving her handkerchief again, she said, "Young Masters, your timing is impeccable! Qian Xue and Qing Xia have just finished getting ready. I’ll call for them right away."

The madam swept her handkerchief lightly across the table, and the two large silver ingots vanished into her sleeve.

"Go on, shoo! These two Young Masters are as handsome as gods. Are they for the likes of you little tramps to covet?" The madam shooed the girls out the door, turning back to the two men with a fawning smile. "Please wait just a moment, Young Masters. I will go and fetch them myself!"

After watching the madam leave, Changyi and Yangshuo exchanged a smile.

"It’s so much like ancient society! Even the brothels and the madams are exactly the same," Yangshuo remarked with a sigh. "It’s like we’ve been transported into a period drama."

"We weren’t transported into a period drama; we’ve crossed over into another world," Changyi said with a laugh. "A world where we can use our true skills."

Yangshuo nodded and flexed his fingers slightly.

He said nothing more, however, because the door to their private room was pushed open. The madam, who had just left, re-entered, followed by two stunningly beautiful and graceful women.

One woman was dressed in white gossamer, her enchanting curves faintly visible through the sheer fabric. While her body exuded allure, her facial expression was one of quiet elegance and reserve. The contrast between her figure and her disposition was enough to set a man’s blood on fire.

The other woman wore a form-fitting, pale red silk gown. She walked with a graceful sway of her slender waist, and with the bright glimmer in her eyes and the smile playing on her lips, she put all her assets on full display.

Seeing the two women, Changyi and Yangshuo both raised an eyebrow and nodded in satisfaction.

Upon seeing Changyi and Yangshuo, the two women’s expressions also flickered with interest, their faces breaking into smiles.

"This is Qian Xue, and this is Qing Xia," the madam introduced, before turning to the two women. "Young Master Wang and Young Master Lin are new to our county, and this is their first time visiting the Feicui Building. You must be sure to take good care of them."

Qian Xue gave a faint nod, while Qing Xia laughed coquettishly. "We know, Mama!"

Qian Xue and Qing Xia sat down, one on each side of Changyi and Yangshuo. The four of them—two men, two women—simultaneously broke into meaningful smiles.