Chapter 369: Kind-hearted Beauty, Setting a Trap to Catch Someone

As he was lost in thought, a pair of pale, jade-like hands lifted him. Ignoring the generous curves of her chest, he noted her exquisite features: phoenix eyes, willow brows, a perfect nose, and cherry lips. A few strands of dark hair fell across her forehead, making her face appear even more delicate. A chrysanthemum-petal ornament adorned her brow. She wore a crane-patterned, dual-butterfly, cloud-shaped Thousand-Water skirt, with a finely textured gauze shawl draped over her shoulders.

Her snow-white, lotus-root-like arms encircled him, cradling his bottom in her elbow, and she looked at him with equal curiosity. Unlike before, Wang Yu didn't react defensively, because he sensed no danger from this woman. She was a mature and beautiful woman at the Mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

At that moment, two women dressed as maidservants approached, scrutinizing Wang Yu with suspicious eyes, and warned her carefully. "Madam, this child appearing alone at the south city gate is rather strange. This servant has heard that a 'Frost Devil Child' recently emerged in Fengzhou, specializing in using cultivators for alchemy. His appearance is that of a young child. Madam, there's no need to take such a risk."

Tao Sixuan's beautiful brows furrowed instantly. She glanced at Wang Yu, who still appeared innocent. "With red lips, white teeth, and a full forehead! How could such a well-behaved child be a problem? Don't be fooled by idle gossip. This is Fengzhou Prefecture City; who would dare to cause trouble here?"

Seeing that their mistress had made up her mind, the two maids immediately fell silent. After waiting a while longer at the city gate, and failing to see the adult Tao Sixuan expected, she gently said to Wang Yu, "It seems your adult won't be found anytime soon. How about coming home with Auntie first?"

Although Wang Yu was in her arms, only part of his mind was focused on her; he was contemplating the issue of information gathering. A significant reason for his detour to Fengzhou Prefecture City was his desire to contact the Fengzhou Elder Council. These administrators surely possessed detailed information about the changes within the Heretic Blood Sect. The Blood Axe Fated Ground and the Xuanwu Mountain Underground Palace were secondary concerns.

His main body was being pursued by the Nine Evil Sword Lord, making it unsuitable for him to appear openly. The Frost Devil Child identity also lacked a suitable opportunity. This madam looked delicate and frail. Although she was also at the Mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she gave him the impression of someone easily moved by pity, possessing a kind heart. To develop such a disposition in Fengzhou suggested something. Wang Yu felt she resembled a concubine kept by an important figure in their inner chambers. Perhaps this was an opening.

Thinking this, a slight awkwardness arose in his heart. But since no one would know, he decided to exaggerate his act. He threw his arms around the beautiful woman's neck, burying his head and rubbing hard, as if expressing affection, his head sinking into her chest.

Tao Sixuan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. "Oh, you child. Then come with Auntie."

Wang Yu’s head was covered in a milky scent, and his face was quite red, caused by surging blood and partly by embarrassment. Although his physical body was only three years old, the marks left by time in his very bones still existed. He was genuinely 148 years old, equivalent to half the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Various physiological reactions were still present. As for his 'sparrow'—it seemed unusable, but he knew solutions always outweighed problems. With various wondrous methods at his disposal, he could always find a way when he desired. However, at present, he wasn't thinking too much about it; his priority was information. When it came to self-control in critical moments, his experience was ample, and he wouldn't lose control.

After he nodded, the group entered the city directly through a small gate. Wang Yu, resting on the beautiful madam's shoulder, keenly sensed a hidden guard following them: an Early Golden Core stage cultivator, certainly sufficient if they weren't traveling far in Fengzhou. This madam might bring him more surprises.

Fengzhou Prefecture City, Garrison Manor. This place was protected by a Fourth-Tier Low-Grade spell formation, deployed by the Heretic Blood Sect according to Fengzhou's characteristics, named the Thirty-Six Snow Dragon Killing Array! As the name suggested, the power of this array was determined by thirty-six array cores. Besides using Golden Core cultivators as its main components, it could also be activated with magical treasures. With this array in place, even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't break through the prefecture city's defenses!

At this moment, in the vast conference room, there were thirty-six peak Golden Core cultivators seated, and even more standing behind them. All were in the range of Golden Core Layer Three to Golden Core Layer Eight. There were at least three hundred more. Almost all of them were local cultivators, either from small families or minor sect forces, with some having traveled from other regions of Fengzhou. So many people had gathered that it was as noisy as a bustling market. They were bickering back and forth, arguing fiercely. It was said that during its peak, Fengzhou Prefecture City had over a thousand Golden Core cultivators. Eighty percent died in the Righteous-Demonic War four hundred years ago; these were the ones who had risen in the centuries since.

After all, not far from here was the Profound Heaven Secret Realm, which yielded a massive quantity of ordinary Golden Core spirit items and a small amount of high-grade Golden Core spirit items. It was quite easy to accumulate a large number of cultivators who formed their Golden Cores using ordinary spirit items. High-grade Golden Core spirit items were usually sent to the Heretic Blood Sect's main gate. As its reputation grew, more and more people gathered. With a large base of Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was understandable for a thousand Golden Core cultivators to appear during its peak. These individuals also contributed back to Fengzhou Prefecture City, attracting various merchant guilds. This made the prefecture city incredibly prosperous, given that it was a Fourth-Tier city with a very high capacity.

The reason for their heated argument was actually a single topic: whether or not to support the sect. They could bury their heads in the sand regarding the previous chaos, but in Fengzhou, the sudden appearance of the Frost Devil Child had intimidated many with ulterior motives. In some areas, entire clans even began fleeing, fearing retribution from Fengzhou Prefecture City. Once the chaos in Fengzhou cleared, the presence of these more than three hundred Golden Core cultivators became quite conspicuous. What did it mean for them to remain at home, drawing salaries, when there was no longer any trouble? Thus, this large conference was convened.

"If we don't send people to help now, how will the Sacred Sect view us later? Even if we're all killed, it would be a blessing! You! You! And you! All your nine generations will be exterminated!" Those who were singled out were the most vocal. They even claimed that the Heretic Blood Sect wouldn't last three years, and suggested that the thirty-six members of the Fengzhou Elder Council organize forces to plunder Ye Qiongzhou. Such a thing had already been done by someone. The Xuanwu Bone Bandits were one piece of evidence!

"How foolish! Those good-for-nothings may not know how strong the Heretic Blood Sect is, but do we not? Come, come, you say it will fall in three years? I say you'll die in three days, believe it or not!!!"

"Send troops! We must send troops!" The two factions argued fiercely, with some in the middle trying to muddle through and frantically smooth things over. Although the meeting ended unhappily, with preparations for a second large conference in a few days, it seemed the war hawks still had a louder voice than the ostrich faction. The opportunistic plunderers, however, were completely silent. Only a fool would bring such a matter up in a meeting; those who suggested it were mostly trying to cause trouble on purpose. For example, they intended to harm those who had already acted.

The Wang Family Residence. Wang Yu looked up and saw the plaque, a momentary blank in his mind. This coincidence was truly… self-evident. Just now, he had followed Tao Sixuan and toured the city for another half hour. They had just returned to the residence, and his conjecture was accurate. The beautiful woman was indeed a concubine of the Wang family, with no children of her own. It seemed she was not well-liked by the other women in the inner residence, likely due to jealousy. After all, the Golden Core guard secretly following them indicated that the man still valued her, otherwise he wouldn't go to such lengths. From the front garden, through a long covered bridge, they reached a courtyard named Wisteria Courtyard. Along the way, some old servants, acting on their masters' instructions, deliberately spoke ill of her at a volume Tao Sixuan could just hear, pointing and whispering. Their malicious remarks focused on her private life, making Wang Yu frown deeply.

For Chiyuan people, having three wives and four concubines was normal. The Joyful Union Sect disciples, in particular, liked to take "furnace cauldrons" as concubines, using them long-term to show affection, and often gave concubines to others, either to curry favor or to win them over. It varied from person to person. There were also "fine products" specially cultivated from a young age to satisfy particular fetishes: pure virgins skilled in bedroom arts. These were often gifted when forming ties with prodigies from other sects, and it was hard to say they didn't have some special purpose. His spiritual sense had probed the Wang family residence, revealing fifty-four women, but strangely, not a single child. Wang Yu couldn't help but inwardly scoff, "Acquiring so many beautiful women... Can he even manage them all?"

Wisteria Courtyard. After settling Wang Yu and instructing a maidservant to look after him, Tao Sixuan went to the main house. Out of curiosity, someone extended a wisp of his spiritual sense there. Soon after, he withdrew it as if nothing had happened. Behind the main house seemed to be a bathing room, heated by underground fire, perpetually shrouded in steam. He only glanced at it before withdrawing his sense. It was just a white expanse; he saw nothing. "Bathing at this time... is it a habit?"

He soon realized that the master of the house was returning. Just dozens of steps away, he was immediately greeted enthusiastically by the group of women. The master of the Wang family residence was a peak Golden Core cultivator, showing signs of old age and decline. His lifespan was estimated to have exceeded seven hundred years. His life force was quite aged, and he looked to be in his fifties. This life with many wives and concubines truly showed his playful side. As soon as he returned, he was touching here and kissing there, completely unlike his reserved demeanor during the meeting.

A woman asked with a sweet smile, "My lord, how was today's meeting? Did anything major happen?"

"A time of great trouble..." Stroking the short beard on his chin, Wang Zhenghong said, "Shufen, everyone in the residence should be more restrained lately. Avoid going out if possible, to prevent trouble. Those people are probably going to fight to the death. Our family won't get involved in anything. The same goes for your poor relatives; if they cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless." In his view, both providing support and plundering opportunities carried immense danger. While there might be opportunities, they were no longer worth risking his life for. What good fortune could allow him to form a Nascent Soul? Therefore, Wang Zhenghong was the most conservative among the conservatives. With less than a century left to live, his priority was to diligently try to leave behind some descendants. Let those others fight if they wished. He preferred to do nothing rather than make a mistake.

Hearing him speak so gravely, the women's expressions shifted slightly, and they immediately agreed. However, one of them concocted a scheme. "My lord, Tao Sixuan went out today and brought a child back. Could it be that she was..." Wang Zhenghong looked puzzled. He naturally didn't believe he had been cuckolded; who would dare to do that and even bring the child back? He could guess their intentions, so he merely nodded, indicating he understood: "I'll go take a look." After entering the central courtyard, he dismissed all the women. Then he proceeded to Wisteria Courtyard himself.

Wang Yu's spiritual sense observed everything. His figure flickered, and he appeared before the Wisteria Courtyard gate. To obtain complete intelligence, Wang Zhenghong had to be controlled. If he only soul-searched one person, and the information proved insufficient, wouldn't it be a wasted effort? There was also the risk of alarming others. Since he had decided to gather intelligence, he would get it all at once. The key was finding the right person: who was responsible for contacting the Sacred Sect, that was crucial. Tao Sixuan was merely his tool for infiltrating the prefecture city. He didn't have time for playing house. Wang Yu, always focused on efficiency, decided to lay his cards on the table with Wang Zhenghong.

And so, the hastily approaching Wang Zhenghong saw a three-year-old child standing there. With just a glance, he sensed a spiritual sense realm as deep and inescapable as an abyss. His knees went weak, and with a soft thud, he slid to his knees. He knelt at Wang Yu's feet, his forehead pressed to the ground. "Frost Devil Senior, whatever you wish to know, this old man will tell you everything without reservation, and will spare no effort to fulfill your needs!"

Wang Yu was slightly surprised. As expected of someone who survived the Righteous-Demonic War four hundred years ago, he was exceedingly adaptable. As for being recognized, it was normal; he hadn't deliberately concealed himself. The Frost Devil Child's portrait had certainly circulated among the powerful figures in Fengzhou. He preferred to converse with those who knew how to adapt.

"Get up. I have something to ask you."

"Yes!" He assented verbally, but only lifted his head slightly, maintaining a comical upward gaze, awaiting Wang Yu's questions.

"Who is responsible for liaison with the Heretic Blood Sect?"

"It's the Communication Office, regulated by three hundred people. Only two individuals have the authority to know all secret messages, and both are currently in the city. If Frost Devil Senior needs them, this old man can find a way to trick them into the residence. Additionally, there's a young master from the Yu family of Sacred Mountain in the city who might also know something; he can also be invited." What a clever old man! Fearing Wang Yu would soul-search him, he deliberately emphasized his own usefulness, intending to set up a trap to lure Wang Yu's soul-searching targets to their doorstep. What he wanted to convey was clearly that he was indispensable! As for burning bridges later, that was another matter. Wang Zhenghong's quick wit was commendable. Such people, in fact, were often easier to control—because he was afraid!

While pondering, Wang Yu replied, "No need for the Yu family young master. Go arrange for the head of the Intelligence Office to come here. Do you have detailed information on that person?"

"Yes, I do." After handing over an intelligence jade slip, Wang Yu flicked his finger and planted a demonic thought seed, warning, "Serve me well, and I will spare your life."

"This old man will remember."

"You may withdraw." Wang Zhenghong slowly retreated, his gaze lingering reluctantly on Wisteria Courtyard. In the end, he painfully abandoned his beloved concubine and went to carry out Wang Yu's bidding. At this point, he could only resign himself to his misfortune.

Wang Yu, meanwhile, checked the intelligence on the Yu family young master. This was an unexpected piece of information. The Yu family's Sacred Mountain was located in the northeastern corner of Ye Qiongzhou, near the Chaotic Ancient Sea. A large expanse of sea and land nearby were their private domains. This young master in Fengzhou Prefecture City had a status far below Yu Xing. He was merely an illegitimate son from a collateral branch. The local power brokers in Fengzhou were not particularly strong, so he was essentially a dandyish young master who came here to throw his weight around. He was just here to vent some miscellaneous frustrations. Not worth much attention.

(End of this chapter)