Bai Liuli

"Yuu~~"

A sharp whinny rang out as the reins were pulled. A carriage protected by guards came to a stop. A frail-looking military officer wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped out from the ranks. After glancing around in surprise, he walked to the carriage and said, "Chief of Staff, we’ve arrived.

"Are we there?"

A man’s voice came from inside. Then a young military officer stepped out and lifted the curtain. Two beauties, one big and one small, got down from the carriage and stood on either side of the officer.

"Wait outside!"

Gu Sheng’s words extinguished the light that had appeared in Wu You’s eyes. He had been planning to approach Wu Xin again and gather intelligence! At the same time, however, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. Wu Xin had left a deep impression on him the last time, and the thought of facing him again had made him extremely nervous. It was better if he didn’t have to face him.

In any case, the place was right here. He could come over and gather intelligence whenever he wanted.

Gu Sheng led Liu Daimei and Yue Qiluo into Wu Xin’s courtyard. As soon as they entered, they saw Li Yueya scrubbing clothes. Beside her, the swaggering Gu Xuanwu held a handful of sunflower seeds and teased Li Yueya incessantly.

"Old Zhang, you’ve changed women!"

Gu Xuanwu warmly came over when he saw Gu Sheng. He was even happier when he saw Liu Daimei beside him, but after seeing the gorgeously dressed Yue Qiluo, his mood soured. His face fell. He felt that Gu Sheng had betrayed his childhood sweetheart, Xiao Chunzi—the body Liu Daimei had descended into.

"This is my eighth concubine, Yue Qiluo. Pretty, right?"

Gu Sheng was as casual as ever. He patted Gu Xuanwu on the shoulder, pulled Yue Qiluo forward, and introduced her.

"Pretty, she is pretty, but isn’t she a little too young?"

After staring blankly for a moment, Gu Xuanwu hooked an arm around Gu Sheng’s shoulder and lowered his voice. "Old Zhang, don’t take this the wrong way, but you already have such a fine girl as Xiao Chunzi. Why look for another concubine? And you found such a young girl—she isn’t even sixteen, is she? She’s so small. What will you do if you get her pregnant?"

"I know what I’m doing!"

Gu Sheng patted Gu Xuanwu’s hand, then turned and smiled at Li Yueya. "Wu Xin should be almost recovered, right? Is he inside?"

"He’s inside!"

Li Yueya pointed at the door. She was very afraid of Gu Sheng. After all, he was rumored to be addicted to women. He had seven concubines—eight now—and had even pointed a gun at her before. How could she not be afraid?

"Chief of Staff Zhang, what a rare visitor!"

Just as Gu Sheng was about to enter, Wu Xin came out with Big White Chicken. His face still had some sparse white fuzz on it. He was extremely surprised to see Gu Sheng. In Wen County’s Command Headquarters, Gu Sheng was the person he least wanted to meet.

"This chicken… Wu Xin, you raised it?"

Gu Sheng looked at the unusually independent white chicken. It took great strides as it walked, clearly no ordinary creature. Could it really be the one he was thinking of? But Bai Liuli shouldn’t have appeared at this point in time.

"Ah, well… this…"

Wu Xin didn’t know how to explain. Bai Liuli was simply too conspicuous, and its feathers seemed to glimmer all over, attracting everyone’s attention.

"Old Zhang, what’s so interesting about a Big White Chicken? Wu Xin raised this one, but it doesn’t even listen to its master anymore. It’s fierce as can be!"

Gu Xuanwu stepped forward to smooth things over. "If you like it, I’ll have someone catch a few White Chickens and send them to your residence tomorrow. Whether you want to roast them or stew them, you can replenish yourself however you like. Better yet, have a whole-chicken feast."

As he spoke, he kept glaring viciously at the chicken, as if those words had been aimed specifically at it.

"Hey~"

Big White flapped its wings, as if preparing to teach Gu Xuanwu a lesson. Frightened, he immediately hid behind Gu Sheng. Wu Xin hurriedly crouched down and grabbed the impulsive fighting chicken.

"Why are you afraid of a chicken?"

Gu Sheng pulled Gu Xuanwu out and spoke to him with a half-smile, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Gu Xuanwu had changed. His behavior just now showed that he knew about Bai Liuli, yet he had helped Wu Xin smooth things over. Did that mean he no longer trusted Zhang Xianzong? He hadn’t been like this before.

"Not that—it’s just powerful! You didn’t see it. When it pecks people, it really hurts."

Gu Xuanwu shifted uncomfortably under Gu Sheng’s gaze. With a guilty conscience, he didn’t dare meet his brother’s eyes and instead turned his head aside to explain just how powerful the Big White Chicken was.

"So powerful? Then it must be an excellent chicken. Wu Xin, when are you planning to have Yueya kill it and make you something nourishing?"

Gu Sheng turned toward Wu Xin and Big White, speaking with a beaming smile. "Tell me when you’re going to kill it. I’ll come over and mooch a meal too."

"Cluck, cluck~~"

How could Big White endure hearing that? It struggled and cried out, preparing to charge at Gu Sheng. If Wu Xin hadn’t held it down with all his strength, it might already have flown in front of Gu Sheng.

"We won’t kill it, we won’t kill it. We’ll keep raising it, keep raising it!"

Wu Xin hurriedly said, "This Bai Liu—Xiao Bai, I like the look of it. Besides, I’m a sorcerer who has renounced worldly life and don’t eat meat, so I plan to keep raising it. Chief of Staff, stop thinking about it. By the way, you came to find me. Is something the matter?"

"Oh. What a pity."

Gu Sheng looked at the chicken with some disappointment, as if a plate of roasted chicken that was already cooked had just gotten away. The carnivore’s gaze made Big White even angrier.

"There is something."

Gu Sheng smiled and pulled Yue Qiluo forward. He said to Wu Xin, who had finally subdued Bai Liuli, "This is my eighth concubine, Yue Qiluo, whom I just brought back."

"Yue Qiluo!"

Gu Xuanwu cried out in shock. Wu Xin had not been idle during this period. After Yue Qiluo escaped, he and Gu Xuanwu had specifically investigated the annals of Wen County and learned about the past between Yue Qiluo and Duan Sanlang.

"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?"

Gu Sheng pretended to be surprised, as if he truly knew nothing.

"Nothing. The name just sounds familiar…"

Wu Xin gave Gu Xuanwu a look. Gu Xuanwu immediately shook his head like a drum and even made up a story about someone named Yue Qilu.

"Oh!"

A trace of confusion appropriately flashed through Gu Sheng’s eyes. "Qiluo, this is Commander Gu Xuanwu of Wen County. This is Miss Li Yueya. And this is the renowned Sorcerer Wu Xin. He was the one who exorcised the century-old Female Fiend in Gu Residence.

"Some time ago, a group of monsters and evil spirits wandered into Wen County. Sorcerer Wu Xin was the first to discover them and fight them. He killed one and three escaped. Because they ambushed him, the sorcerer was also seriously injured, so he’s been recuperating ever since."

"Greetings, Commander Gu. Hello, Sister Yueya. Wu Xin, Sorcerer, hello!"

Yue Qiluo greeted them one by one. When she reached Wu Xin, she carefully studied the handsome young man with short hair and a pale face.

"Greetings, Eighth Madam!"

Wu Xin cupped his fists and smiled at Yue Qiluo. In his heart, he had already confirmed that she was the Yue Qiluo sealed inside Gu Residence.

"These are Qiluo’s and my birth dates. Please select an auspicious day for us."

Gu Sheng moved sideways to shield Yue Qiluo, took out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Wu Xin. Then he looked around and asked again, "When I came last time, I brought over a batch of jade pendants. How many Protective Talismans have you made, Sorcerer?"

Wu Xin’s Protective Talismans were not refined but made. Jade pendants soaked for a long time in Wu Xin’s blood could absorb and preserve some of the mysterious energy in his blood, allowing them to be used as Protective Talismans. The items he had sold in his shop before were made this way.

"I have some. What, does someone need them again?"

Wu Xin was somewhat surprised. Business at the shop had already been put on hold for some time. Besides, he had earned quite a bit previously and no longer cared so much about money.

"No!"

Gu Sheng shook his head, then continued, "Wen County hasn’t been very safe lately, has it? I’m usually busy with official duties and don’t have time to stay home with my wives, but I can’t neglect their safety."

"I see. Wait here!"

Wu Xin said this and returned to the room. He came back with a wooden box. When he opened it, more than a dozen blood-red jade tablets came into view. "Will these be enough?"

"Enough! Of course they’ll be enough!"

Gu Sheng smiled, reached out, and took one, handing it to Liu Daimei. Gu Xuanwu and Wu Xin saw that Gu Sheng touched the jade tablet without hesitation, and the suspicion in their eyes lessened somewhat. When they saw that Liu Daimei was fine as well, they relaxed even more.

Gu Sheng noticed their little actions but merely smiled. His strength was great enough that the energy attached to the jade tablet could not compare with Wu Xin’s blood. It did not even have the power to make him feel pain.

As for Liu Daimei, Master Wang’s divine art from a few days earlier had effectively given her an invisible protective membrane. The small amount of energy attached to the jade tablet was incapable of breaking through the divine art.

"Here, Qiluo, you get one too."

Gu Sheng picked up another jade tablet and handed it to Yue Qiluo. Yue Qiluo had not known about Wu Xin’s abilities before, nor did she consider herself some kind of evil spirit. She had never thought she might be injured and, without any preparation, instinctively raised her hand to take it.

"Sizzle, sizzle~~"

A muffled sound came from Yue Qiluo’s palm. She felt a searing pain in her hand. When she saw the astonished look in Gu Sheng’s eyes, her heart jolted. I’ve been exposed! That was her first thought. Her other hand instinctively formed a mudra as she cautiously watched Wu Xin, who showed no reaction.

She no longer dared underestimate Wu Xin. A mere Protective Talisman had been able to damage her magical body. Although her lack of preparation had played a part, Wu Xin’s strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.

"Ah, it was my mistake. I forgot that you burned your hand this morning, and you must have touched the wound again."

Gu Sheng immediately took back the jade pendant and put it into his pocket. He clasped Yue Qiluo’s hand in both of his, concealing the purple-red mark in the center of her small palm from everyone else.

"Ah, Wu Xin, I’ll leave these things with you for now. Once you’ve calculated an auspicious wedding date, have someone inform me so I can make the necessary arrangements."

Gu Sheng smiled, grabbed Liu Daimei beside him, and left Wu Xin’s small courtyard with one woman holding each of his hands. He did not even take the jade tablets in the box.

"What happened to him?"

Gu Xuanwu found it baffling. Why had Gu Sheng suddenly left when they had just been talking?

"Your Chief of Staff has a problem!"

A man’s voice rang out. A halo of light flashed beside Wu Xin’s feet, and a half-phantom man appeared before the people in the courtyard. The scene looked just like a haunting in broad daylight, yet not one person screamed or cried out in alarm.

"No, hold on, Bai, you can’t make baseless accusations!"

Gu Xuanwu refused to accept that. "Old Zhang just grabbed Sorcerer Wu Xin’s Protective Talisman with his bare hand and was completely fine. How could there be a problem with him? Yes, I do feel that something about him has been strange lately, but if something had possessed or controlled him, wouldn’t he have revealed his true form already?"

"I’m not saying he was transformed from an evil spirit. I’m saying he’s hidden many things from you."

Bai Liuli spoke firmly. "Didn’t you notice? When Yue Qiluo’s expression changed just now, he looked extremely surprised, but then forcibly suppressed it."